Hunting Shadows (Shadow Series #3)

by S. H. Kolee

  “Could it have been her?’ Ryan asked. “You said it was dark.”

  “No, it definitely wasn’t her. The lighting was dim but I could still see the girl’s face and hair. There’s no way I could have missed Jenny’s red hair. This girl’s hair was light brown.”

  Ryan nodded, satisfied with my answer. “Do you remember any other details from the vision?”

  We went over my vision, detail by detail, but nothing significant was jarred from my memory.

  “I guess the only thing left to do now is go swimming,” Ryan said as he rose from the couch.

  “Wait, what?” I looked up at him as I remained seated on the couch.

  “We should go to the pool. I think it would be a little odd if we went there fully clothed and stared at the people in the pool. We can just hang out in the water and see what happens.”

  The last thing I wanted was to be in a bathing suit in front of Ryan but I couldn’t argue with his logic. The obvious next step was to go to the pool, and it would be a little conspicuous to just stand there watching people.

  “Do you even have swimming trunks?” I asked.

  “No, but I’m sure I can buy a pair at the store in the student center. Why don’t you go ahead and get changed and then we can stop by the student center before we hit the pool.”

  I nodded but my pulse was beating erratically as I made my way to the bedroom. I steeled myself against the fluttery feeling in my stomach and gave myself a stern lecture. This was strictly part of the process of trying to destroy a vardoger and I needed to stop fixating on Ryan seeing me in a bathing suit.

  I nixed my bikinis and settled on a plain black one-piece that covered me up the most. I threw on jeans and a sweater over it and went back into the living room.

  “Ready?” Ryan asked and I nodded. We got our coats on and walked to the student center, not talking much. I waited near the front of the store while he bought his swim trunks, not wanting to be involved in the selection or purchase. The gym and pool were only a few buildings away so we made it there in no time.

  “I’ll meet you at the pool,” Ryan said before we parted ways to our respective locker rooms.

  “Sure,” I said, trying to sound nonchalant as I pushed open the door to the girls’ locker room. I quickly shed my clothes and stuffed them into a locker. I looked at myself critically in the full-length mirror before heading out to the pool. I was woefully pale and the stress of the past few weeks had affected my appetite, making me thinner than usual. I had nothing to worry about. I doubted Ryan would look at my body lasciviously since I looked more like Casper the Ghost than a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. I told myself that was a good thing as I opened the door to the pool, grateful that they kept the room heated.

  There were a good amount of students already at the pool even though it was morning. There was an area roped off for laps with multiple lanes and then a separate area where students could just relax. I was scanning the room for Ryan when I saw him striding towards me. I felt my insides clench reflexively as I tried not to gawk at him. I had been able to tell that he was in good shape from the way his clothes fit him, but that had in no way prepared me for the sight of him walking towards me bare-chested. He was muscular without being overly bulky and more tanned than a person had a right to be in the middle of January. For a moment I let myself imagine what it would feel like to smooth my hands over his chest and feel his warm skin against mine.

  I forced my mind away from my lurid thoughts and strove to keep a blank expression on my face. My skin felt heated from the way his eyes studied me, roving up and down my body in a way that made me believe he didn’t think I was as lacking as I thought I was.

  When his eyes finally met mine, he smiled at me faintly but his words were wholly appropriate. “Want to swim some laps?”

  I nodded my head although I wasn’t that strong of a swimmer. Maybe it would help take my mind off inappropriate things.

  We walked to the end of the pool where there were two empty lanes. Ryan far outpaced me but I tried to ignore him as I concentrated on my strokes. I swam for a while until I felt myself start to tire and then pushed myself up to sit on the edge of the pool with my legs still in the water. I watched Ryan as he continued to swim, his strong arms and legs propelling him in the water like he was born to swim. After a few more laps, he stopped in front of me.

  “Do you see her?”

  I started guiltily, realizing that I had been concentrating on him rather than looking for the girl from my vision. I needed to get my head on straight and my priorities in order. I studied the students in the pool and then shook my head. “No, I don’t see her. What if she doesn’t come to the pool that often? Then we’re screwed.”

  “It’s the only thing we have to go on,” Ryan said as he lifted himself out of the water. I gulped as I watched rivulets of water running down his body until I finally forced myself to look away.

  “I feel like we spend so much of our time just waiting,” I said, staring down at the water. “It’s so frustrating.”

  “I guess it comes with the territory of being a seer. It can be tiring, but it’s worth it when you’re finally able to eliminate a vardoger.”

  I nodded but didn’t look at him. Instead I kept my gaze on the entrance in case the girl from my vision appeared. After we grew tired of the water, we walked over to a cluster of chairs that were set up in an area next to the pool. I kept my eyes on all the students entering the pool room but I still had no luck after a couple of hours. My flagging spirits were lifted when I saw Jenny enter and I waved her over.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked in surprise. I gestured to Ryan before speaking.

  “Ryan felt like a swim so I came with him since you have to be a guest of a student to use the pool.”

  “It’s a sad substitute for the ocean, but it’s the closest thing we have around here,” Jenny said to Ryan. Her expression brightened as she spoke. “Have you ever been to Florida?”

  Ryan smiled. “I have. I can see why it’s hard to get used to Rochester after having lived in Florida.”

  I rolled my eyes as I groaned. “She’s had four years to get used to it. You’d think she hadn’t been through four winters here.”

  Jenny sighed. “You never get used to seeing gray dreary skies instead of blue.” She shook herself out of her reverie. “Anyone want to join me for a swim?”

  Ryan took her up on her offer but I declined, preferring to just watch them swim laps. They were both strong swimmers although Ryan was much quicker due to his size advantage. I alternated between watching them swim and studying every person who came in. Unfortunately, I still had no success.

  Time passed, Jenny left after a while, and students came in and out of the pool but I still hadn’t seen the girl from my vision.

  “Why don’t we come back after lunch?” Ryan suggested. “There’s no point in starving.”

  I reluctantly agreed and we went to the student center after changing back into our clothes. We ate quickly and then went back to the pool but it was for naught. By the time the pool closed at six, I still hadn’t seen her and I felt dejected when we left.

  Back at the apartment, Simon was waiting for me impatiently. I had called him and told him about my vision and where I was, and while he hadn’t been happy that I hadn’t told him earlier, he hadn’t gotten upset which I was relieved about. Still, he looked worried when he saw me.

  “I was about to go looking for you.”

  “I told you where I was,” I said, giving him a quick kiss. “There was no need to worry.”

  His lips thinned but he didn’t argue. He practically lived in our apartment now, only going back to his place when he needed more clothes. I had apologized to Sarah since she had to put up with extra people always being underfoot, but she had waved off it off, telling me not to worry. She and Grant often spent the night at his apartment, but I still felt guilty about Simon’s constant presence. But not guilty enough to tell him to stay at his own
place. I was still comforted by him being around and it was hard to fall asleep without him next to me.

  Sarah was going out to dinner with Grant and sleeping at his place tonight so it was just the three of us in our apartment. Even though Simon and Ryan had gotten used to being around each other, there was always a palpable tension between them and it was a relief when it was time to go to bed.

  “I’m disappointed you didn’t tell me about your vision earlier,” Simon said once we had settled into bed. I sighed, hearing the hurt in his voice.

  “It was early when you left for class and I was still processing it.” I decided he deserved the truth. “I know you just want to protect me, Simon, but I’m a seer. This is what I’m supposed to do. As much as I appreciate you always wanting to be there, you can’t be. And I have to learn to do things on my own.”

  “But you weren’t on your own,” Simon said bitterly. “He was with you.”

  “There’ll be a time when he won’t be. Right now he’s helping me, but after I defeat my father, there’ll be no reason to see him again. But you and me… we have to figure out how to live our lives together. And I can’t live it with you always hovering over me.”

  My answer seemed to mollify him and I was relieved when he didn’t push the discussion. I feel asleep with the safety of his arms around me, hoping that this part of my life would never change.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I bolted into a sitting position on my bed, the scream fading from my lips. Simon was awake in an instant.

  “What is it? Another vision?”

  I shook my head as I felt my body start to tremble. I scrabbled for my cell phone on the bedside table at the same moment the door to my bedroom burst open. Ryan rushed into my room looking alarmed.

  “What happened?” His eyes narrowed on Simon. “What did you do?”

  Before they could get into an argument, I shut them up. “Stop! I don’t have time for this shit right now!” I hit a button on my phone and put it up to my ear, praying that she would answer. Fear seeped through every pore of my body when it eventually went to voicemail.

  “It’s Caitlin,” I said, my voice trembling. “Please call me as soon as you get this. I’m sorry for calling you in the middle of the night, but I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

  I disconnected the call and then tried another number, my heart sinking when it went straight to voicemail.

  “What’s happening?” Simon asked, gently but urgently.

  “I don’t know how it happened,” I said, horror making me tremble. “But the girl in my dream changed. It was Jenny! I swear it wasn’t her before!”

  Simon said an expletive under his breath but his expression remained calm. “You just tried to call her, right?”

  “Yes, but she didn’t answer. I tried Marcus too, but his phone went straight to voicemail.”

  I jumped out of bed and started changing quickly, not even noticing that I was stripping in front of Ryan. All I could think about was finding Jenny as soon as possible. And I had a horrible feeling that I would find her at the pool.

  Ryan and Simon seemed to be of the same mind. Simon quickly threw on some clothes and Ryan had done the same when we walked out into the living room.

  “Should we check downstairs first?” Simon asked. “Maybe she’s with Marcus.”

  “No!” I said, feeling frantic. I knew she was at the pool. Every fiber of my being was telling me I needed to get there before it was too late. “She’s not there. She’s at the pool. I can just feel it.”

  Simon and Ryan didn’t argue with me and we ran the whole way to the student gym. I took no notice of how my heaving lungs were in pain from the cold air. All I could think about was Jenny. Her bright personality and infectious laughter. Please, I begged in my mind, please don’t let me be too late.

  My fear grew when I saw that the glass on the door to the indoor pool had been smashed as if someone had thrown something through it, making it possible to reach inside and unlock it. My suspicions were confirmed when the door opened easily.

  Jenny’s name was pounding in my mind like a mantra as I ran inside. My heart almost exploded from fear and adrenaline when I saw the scene before me. Just as I had seen in my vision, Jenny was struggling as the vardoger held her mercilessly underwater, waiting for her soul to expire and leave her body.

  I immediately started gathering my energy, feeling the familiar thrum as it funneled together. Both Simon and Ryan ran to Jenny but the moment they touched her they were blasted back as if they had touched a live wire and had been electrocuted. I was shocked and confused by what happened to them, but I kept my concentration on my powers, my anger and fear making them even more potent.

  I shot out my gathered energy towards the vardoger with so much force that I was thrown back onto the floor. I felt relief course through me when the vardoger began to dissipate, but it was short-lived when the vardoger started to become solid again.

  “What the fuck…” I trailed off as I saw the vardoger turn and rush towards me. I had no idea how it was able to survive the energy I had crashed into it, but I immediately started gathering my powers again. Panic clawed at me but I forced myself to push my fear out. I had to concentrate on destroying the vardoger. I had to save Jenny’s life.

  I felt the vardoger trying to push into me but I ignored it. Pain was radiating throughout my body, setting every nerve-ending on fire, but nothing mattered except my energy growing into an orb of fury and rage.

  I shot it out towards the vardoger with all the force I had inside me. I wanted to sob with relief when it finally exploded and dissipated as if it had never existed.

  The relief disappeared when I saw Ryan leaning over Jenny, giving her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. I scrambled up from the floor and ran over, dropping to my knees in front of her. Each second seemed like an eternity as I waited for Jenny to cough, to sputter and spit the water out of her lungs, but she remained deathly silent.

  “What’s happening?” I screamed, feeling myself start to shake. “I destroyed her vardoger! She should be okay!”

  Simon gathered me in his arms as we watched Ryan trying to save Jenny’s life. “She was in the water too long. She must have been on the edge of her soul leaving her body when her vardoger switched its attention to you.”

  “We have to call 9-1-1,” I said shakily, scrambling for the phone in my pocket. “She needs an ambulance. She’ll be okay once she gets to the hospital.”

  Simon looked grim. “We already called. An ambulance is on its way.” He looked down at Ryan who continued to work on Jenny. His voice was gentle when he spoke again. “It’s not looking good.”

  I felt numb as I watched Ryan continue to give her mouth-to-mouth. I heard the sounds of sirens but nothing seemed real to me as I watched paramedics rush to her and check her vital signs. It seemed surreal when I saw them put her on a stretcher but when they started to lift her into the back of the ambulance, I broke out of my stupor.

  “Wait!” I cried. “I need to go with her!”

  I moved to hoist myself up into the ambulance but the paramedic stopped me. He was kind but firm. “I’m sorry but you’ll have to drive separately to the hospital. We have no time to waste. We’ll be using the sirens.”

  I didn’t protest, not wanting to do anything to delay them. I looked at Simon, feeling numb when he put his arm around me. “Come on. Let’s go back to the apartment to get a car. We should tell the others too.”

  I don’t know how I made the walk back home, but the moment we stepped in front of Grant and Marcus’ apartment, my insides caved in. “What the hell do I say?” I whispered. Simon wiped away the tears that I hadn’t realized were streaming down my face.

  “Whatever you think is right,” he said gently.

  Ryan was standing silently behind us and he didn’t have anything to add. I rang the doorbell with a trembling finger, the moments as I waited for the door to open feeling like a death sentence. I didn’t know whether or not to tell the t
ruth with Marcus there. He knew nothing about vardogers and the last thing I wanted to do was pull him into this nightmare. That wouldn’t change what had happened to Jenny. That wouldn’t determine whether she lived or died.

  Marcus looked groggy as he opened the door. “What’s going on?” he asked tiredly. His gaze turned alert when he saw our expressions. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s Jenny,” I said shakily. “She was just taken to the hospital by an ambulance. She was found in the pool at the student gym.”

  Marcus blinked at me, as if he was trying to determine if this was a dream. He shook his head with a frown. “You must be mistaken. There’s no reason for Jenny to be at the pool in the middle of the night.”

  “I’m sorry.” I couldn’t stop myself from sobbing even though I had told myself to be strong. “It’s her. We need to go to the hospital.”

  “What are you guys doing here in the middle of the night?” Grant had emerged from his bedroom and was squinting at us under the bright lights of their living room. I stepped inside along with Simon and Ryan, past Marcus who was just staring at us stupefied.

  “Jenny’s had an accident,” I said simply, not wanting to go into it in detail. “She’s on her way to the hospital in an ambulance.”

  Grant’s face whitened but he glanced at Marcus before speaking. He seemed to choose his next words carefully. “How did it happen? Do you know?”

  “She was found in the pool,” Simon said when I didn’t answer right away. I didn’t know what to say. “We can discuss this later. Right now we should leave for the hospital.”

  Grant nodded, seeming to understand we couldn’t discuss anything in detail right now. He went to go wake up Sarah, and I wasn’t surprised by her reaction. There was a lot of sobbing and asking of questions, but we shelved answering any of them until later.