“Like the Christmas song?” I blurted, and my face heated to boiling levels as he tucked a chunk of white hair behind his ear with another melodic chuckle.
“Yes, like the Christmas song.”
He offered his hand, and I accepted it automatically, nearly jumping out my skin the moment our palms met. Nostalgia crashed over me like a wave, and I felt the instantaneous sense of belonging, like coming home after an arduous journey. The urge to close the distance and embrace him like a long-lost friend overwhelmed me, but I fought it, locking my knees.
Like he feared hurting me, his grip was gentle as we shook hands, and I marveled at his petal-soft skin and delicately slender fingers. His hand swallowed my own completely.
Realizing it was my turn to speak, I forced my mouth to move only to regret it immediately. “That’s a pretty name.” I backtracked. “I mean, not pretty like girly, just that it sounds pretty. I mean, like, it’s a nice name.” I cringed. “Sorry.”
Noel bit his lower lip, staving off a laugh. “You’re right, it is a pretty name, isn’t it?”
My head twitched with a nod, my cheeks rosy. “Uh-huh.”
Wow, Riley, that was intelligent.
“Do you think I could have my hand back?” he asked kindly, and I balked at our hands, still clasped between us.
I ripped my hand from his, mortified at what the surrounding witnesses must think of us—two boys holding hands in the middle of the doorway. “I’m so sorry.” A strange tingle took up residence in my palm, and I hurriedly wiped my hand on my jeans in hopes of erasing the scary sensation.
What was wrong with me? Was I coming down with the flu? I did feel rather feverish.
“It’s okay.” Noel tilted his head, and a curtain of stick-straight strands blanketed the side of his face. “I should get going.”
“Right.” I sidestepped to give him room to leave and padded into the mess hall. “Sorry. Bye.”
“It was nice to meet you, Riley,” he said with a wave, backing toward the exit. “Maybe we’ll run into each other again.”
With a wink and flourish of white hair, he was gone. I gaped at the empty doorway as I did my best to quell the humiliated blush burning my cheeks. My embarrassment distracted me until I sat down at an empty table. It was only then the realization hit me.
He had called me Riley; he had said my name. Maybe I was misremembering or possibly losing my mind, but I could’ve sworn I’d never actually introduced myself. He knew my name, but I hadn’t told him. Had I?
Winding down the path leading to my dorm building, I trudged over gravel as a small patch of trees rose to my right. The late afternoon light cast long shadows along the trail, and I tugged my backpack higher on my back. A twig snapped, and I glanced over my shoulder.
The trail was abandoned, save for me, and I studied my surroundings a moment before pressing onward. I had laundry to fold and homework to do. My fingers itched to finish my adventure to save Zelda, and I quickened my pace.
Brush rustled and another twig cracked, closer this time. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I slowed, peering into the trees as the sensation of being watched coated my skin like oil. Chirping birds stilled, and the buzz of distant conversation turned to white noise as my ears strained to catch the specific noises of the woods.
Something snuffled, leaves crunched underfoot, and a rumbling growl traveled through the air.
What the…
I didn’t think wild animals lived this close to populated areas. It was most likely a dog, but my heart pounded in my chest as something large traveled through the brush. I caught a glimpse of black, a flash of ruby-red eyes, and I stumbled back as an aggressive snarl echoed from the trees.
Spurred by survival instinct, I spun on my heels and ran for it. Waiting to identify the mystery creature was the opposite of logical, and I pumped my legs as fast as they could go. The patch of woods faded behind me.
Too panicked to focus on my surroundings, I leapt over the curb to sprint across the parking lot to my dorm building. But I was tugged to a stop by the back of my shirt moments before a car screeched to a stop before me. I tumbled backward onto my butt as my heart pounded in my ears.
A car door opened. Hazel eyes widened in alarm behind black-rimmed glasses as a skinny boy rushed to my side. “Oh my God, are you okay? I didn’t see you until you were suddenly right there. I almost killed you!”
My tongue froze in fright as he helped me to my feet, his grip tight on my biceps as my legs wobbled. Freckles smattered over his nose, standing out starkly from his fear-whitened face. I released a shaky breath as his brown hair rustled in the breeze. Taller than me but nearly as thin, he barely managed to keep me on my feet as his own hands trembled.
“I didn’t hit you, did I? Oh God, do I need to call an ambulance?” His voice hit a painful falsetto, and I cringed away from him, jerking out of his hold.
“No, I’m fine. You didn’t hit me.” I ran a shaky hand through my unruly curls as the moments leading up to the almost-accident played through my mind. “Someone grabbed me. Someone—”
I spun in a circle, searching for the person who had hauled me back in the nick of time by my shirt. But there was no one there. Students milled about, some pointing and watching from afar like they’d witnessed my near-death experience. But no one was close enough to have been my savior.
“You just jumped back. Like, seriously, your reflexes are insane,” the boy said, and I tuned back into his voice as fear lodged deep in my throat. “One second you were there, and the next you were gone. I thought I ran you over.”
With a hand on his chest, he listed to the side like he was going to pass out. I tangled my fingers in his Mario Kart T-shirt to keep him upright. “Whoa, do you need to sit down?”
“I almost killed you, and you’re asking if I have to sit down?” He leaned his butt against the hood of his car and removed his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Oh shit, I feel lightheaded.”
“That’s why you should sit down,” I muttered under my breath.
Wanting nothing more than to escape this horribly humiliating situation, I checked my surroundings again to ensure I hadn’t missed whoever had saved me from certain death. But other than me and the boy with glasses, there was no one close by. Maybe I had imagined the pull on my shirt. It had happened so fast, and my mind was already panicked thanks to the scary dog. My body must have reacted faster than my brain could comprehend, leaping out of danger.
Yeah, that had to be it.
“Are you okay? Like, for real, did I hit you?” The boy’s genuine concern was sweet, and I patted his shoulder awkwardly as I shook my head.
“No, I’m fine. I’m not hurt. Promise.” Touching a stranger made my stomach cramp, so I withdrew my hand after two pats.
“Well, good.” He didn’t seem convinced, but he traded his concern for a sheepish smile as he tapped the side of his glasses. “Trust me, this was not how I ever imagined us actually meeting.”
As I tilted my head in puzzlement, he blushed red, the color crawling down his neck and disappearing under his collar. “Sorry, that sounded stalkerish. What I mean is, um, I’m in your biology lab. On Monday mornings.”
I didn’t recognize him, but that wasn’t too surprising. I couldn’t think of any faces from that class besides the professor. For my own sanity, I tended to keep my head down and my focus on the teacher. It was easier than traversing the stressful territory of social interaction.
“Oh,” I said to fill the expectant silence. “Um, sorry, I—”
“It’s fine. You keep to yourself, so I won’t take it personal you don’t recognize me.” He scratched the back of his neck before offering a hand. “I’m Danny, by the way. Danny Richards.”
Manners took over, and I slipped my hand in his. “Riley. Shepard.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” He grinned eagerly as we shook hands, and my eyes strayed unbidden to his car. He blanched. “I mean, you know, the attempted manslaughter not
withstanding.”
Flustered and embarrassed, he dropped my hand and tapped the side of his glasses again. His nervousness added to my own, and I chewed the inside of my cheek as I searched for an appropriate response.
“It’s fine. It was an accident. I wasn’t watching where I was going, so it was my fault, too.”
Danny looked at me like I was insane, and I fidgeted with the hem of my shirt as I shuffled around the nose of his car. Courtesy dictated I stay to verify he would be all right, but the adrenaline and nerves were too much. This was turning into the strangest day. Giddy and overwhelmed, I just wanted to get to my room and hide.
“Just forget about it,” I mumbled as I took another step into the parking lot.
“Wait, Riley. Hold on a sec.” He straightened as I paused in my retreat. “I totally owe you a coffee or something. I mean” —he waved at his car— “I almost killed you. Let me make it up to you?”
Coffee? With a stranger? I didn’t think I would survive without making an utter fool of myself. “I don’t drink coffee,” I said with what I hoped was an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I gotta go. It was, uh, nice to meet you.”
He deflated. “Oh, okay. Rain check, then.”
“Sure.” I backed away, offering a pathetic wave. “Um, drive safe.”
And with that, I turned and jogged across the parking lot, ignoring Danny’s farewell. I used my student I.D. to unlock the front door, and without a backward glance, I ran past the front desk to the stairwell.
By the time I made it back to my room, I was panting and sweaty, my pulse thrumming erratically. My fingers shook as I unlocked my door and shoved it open, stumbling into the room. Much to my disappointment, the room wasn’t empty, but my displeasure instantly morphed to astonishment. Could this day get any weirder?
Lying on my bed, reading what was surely my Robinson Crusoe book, was an unfamiliar figure. Long legs stretched the length of my mattress, clad in dark, holey jeans. Black military boots almost hung off the end of my bed, crossed at the ankles. The black hem of a T-shirt tickled a black belt, and the sleeves of a black leather jacket pulled back enough to showcase toned forearms circled with wristbands, also black—I sensed a theme.
My book blocked the face of the man, and even though I had clearly made noise in entering the room, he gave no indication he was aware of my presence at all. He continued reading, his feet bouncing as he whistled an unfamiliar tune. For a moment, I considered turning around and leaving.
Was I in the wrong room? Was I in another dimension altogether?
When my bookbag dropped to the floor with a loud thump, mystery boy didn’t even twitch. Seriously? I cleared my throat obnoxiously. Nothing.
Tugging on my messy curls, I caught my breath and spoke. “Um, hello?”
The whistling cut off, and he stiffened as the book—my book—slipped from his grip and landed on his chest, pages down, the paper wrinkling. Dark eyes narrowed, and his thin lips puckered in a comical O shape. Black scruff peppered his firm jaw, darkening his olive complexion further. One eyebrow arched in question.
“You talking to me?” he rasped, his voice filled with gravel like he had recently woken up.
I pointedly looked around the room, the two of us being the sole occupants. “Um, yes.”
A dangerous smirk curled his lips as his gaze traveled from the top of my head to my toes, then back again. “You sure?”
“There’s no one else here.”
As he uncoiled his body from its place on my bed, I shuffled back a step at his intimidating height. If I had to guess, he was as tall as Noel, yet there was a certain intensity surrounding him, making him appear larger. Perhaps it was the biker clothing, the black gauges in his earlobes, or the tongue piercing glinting behind his teeth as he grinned, but he was scary.
“Are you waiting for Brian?” I clutched at the first explanation my brain supplied, but the grunge-singer-wannabe scowled.
“Your roommate? Fuck no.” He raked a hand through his dark fauxhawk, ruffling the strands. “He’s an asshole.”
My eyebrows shot to my hairline at his crude language, but I couldn’t exactly correct him. Brian wasn’t the nicest person. It was true.
“Okay, um, what are you doing here?”
Cocking his head to the side, he contemplated me as the black ball nestled in his tongue clacked against his teeth. “Your bed looked comfy.”
“Excuse me?”
Throwing his head back, he laughed, and the husky sound skittered over the back of my neck in the strangest yet most pleasant way. His smile was as sinister as it was captivating, and my stomach somersaulted. Like Noel, this man was beautiful. It was rougher, harsher, yet undeniable.
My Adam’s apple bobbed as I gathered my bravery. “How did you get in here?”
With a sly smirk, he waltzed across the small room until we stood almost toe-to-toe. He bent at the waist to minimize the height distance, and spiced tobacco and sunshine swirled around us as he winked. “A magician never reveals his secrets.”
The heat of his proximity and the intensity of his scent hit me like a freight train, and my brain cramped with familiarity. I had never met this guy, yet I was certain we knew each other. The memories hovered in the back of my mind, just out of reach, until, all at once, the premonition faded.
“Who are you?” I searched his eyes for answers to questions I couldn’t ask, and his playful expression cracked, his gaze hardening.
“My friends call me Jai.” He straightened and clacked the metal ball in his tongue against his teeth again. “I was just leaving.”
Dumbfounded, I gaped as he brushed past me, my puzzlement bubbling up my throat only to freeze on my tongue. I should be asking him how and why he broke into my room. I should be checking to ensure he hadn’t stolen anything. I should be screaming for help. Yet I stood nailed to the spot as the crazy rocker sauntered from the room with a confident swagger.
“Riley.” I turned on wobbly legs as Jai’s upper body hooked around the doorframe, an indiscernible expression on his handsome face. “I’ll see you later.”
I wanted to ask him how he knew my name because I knew without a doubt I hadn’t given it, but my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. With lips sealed shut, I could only nod numbly. He grinned, sending me a parting wink.
Within the time it took me to blink, he was gone, the only evidence of his presence being my rumpled bedding, my still open book, and the dissipating scent of sunshine. I blinked once, twice, then collapsed on my bed with a shuddering sigh.
Today had been the oddest day, and it was still early. I had literally run into the mysterious man from yesterday evening, nearly been attacked by a rabid dog, almost ran over by a car, and then I found a stranger in my bed, reading my book. Either I was losing my grip on reality again, or someone was playing a cruel joke on me.
For the second time in twenty-four hours, I unveiled my prescription bottle and popped two pills into my mouth. Swallowing them dry, I shoved the bottle back into my pillowcase and reached for my laundry bag. Except, it wasn’t where I’d left it.
Had the crazy biker stolen my clothes?
After searching the room, I found the bag along with my clean clothes folded and put away in the plastic storage containers under my bed. I gawked at the neatly arranged clothes, the canvas bag lying limply in my hand. I could have sworn I left the bag of unfolded laundry on my bed this morning.
Exhausted, addled, and frightened, I stored the laundry bag under my bed and mechanically smoothed my sheets. I set my Robinson Crusoe book on my nightstand, then sat down on the edge of my bed.
Everything was okay. People had weird days. It happened. It didn’t mean anything, not really. I peeked at the crumpled pages of my book, resting in the exact same spot where the apple had sat all night.
Yeah, just another strange day in the not-so-normal life of Riley Shepard.
Chapter Four
Over the next few weeks, I noticed Jai and Noel around campus. They seemed to pop
up every now and then. Between classes, during meal times, and, rarely, around my dorm building. Thankfully, I didn’t find Jai in my bed again or cause Noel bodily harm by smashing into him head-first.
We traded silent greetings; Noel offered a wave and smile while Jai remained aloof, dipping his head in a reserved nod in the moments our eyes met across the courtyard. My social incompetence dictated I duck my head and hide, but I did my best to reciprocate. I would wave back tentatively or send a shy grin.
I wished I was brave enough to approach them, make friendly conversation, and perhaps forge a friendship. But my insecurity reminded me to keep my distance. Bethany was my friend, and Danny seemed like a potential candidate. It helped that he made the effort to talk to me during our biology lab as opposed to leaving the future of our possible friendship in my incapable hands. Maybe he felt guilty for almost killing me with his car, but I was willing to accept his friendship regardless.
So, I had two friends. That could be enough. I didn’t want to be greedy, after all.
Serpentining down the busy sidewalk, I hugged my load of books to my chest as I headed toward my cultural studies class. One of my favorite classes had quickly become the bane of my existence thanks to Brian’s cruel joke. I would sit in the back to hide from judgmental looks, but most of my classmates managed to shoot a few my way at some point. Others found the whole debacle hysterical and brought it up at every opportunity. I just wanted everyone to forget.
The now familiar sensation of eyes on me tickled the back of my neck, and I glanced up, meeting a dark gaze across the parking lot. Jai angled his head, inclining it just so to acknowledge me. Since my hands were full, I settled for smiling back. With the salutation out of the way, he looked away, raising his arms above his head in a stretch.
His shirt inched above his jeans, revealing a strip of rich, olive skin and dark hair below his navel, and my cheeks ignited. Distracted by the sight, I tripped over my feet and plummeted to the sidewalk as my books scattered over the ground. My palms stung as I caught myself on my hands and knees. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying Jai hadn’t seen my clumsy spill.
Revelations: Fire & Brimstone Scroll 1 Page 4