Hidden Wings (13 page)

“This tunnel doesn’t get any smaller than this, does it?” I said on the verge of hyperventilating.

“Nope. We’re almost there,” she replied.

“Good,” I huffed. “Just hurry up and get me out of here.”

Courtney giggled but I seriously couldn’t take much more of this.

We pushed forward through the tunnel for around a minute more and came to another little opening like the one that we’d started in. Courtney flashed her light at another ladder which led upward.

“There’s a door at the top with a latch that you have to push open. It’s not that heavy. Do you want to go first, or do you want me to go?” she asked.

“You go first.” I knew with the casted arm, there was no way I could hold on and push a door open.

She started up the ladder and I climbed after her. Her flashlight was tethered to her wrist, dangling, swinging light back and forth through the darkness. It made weird shapes and shadows on the walls. I hated that I couldn’t see anything behind me, and had an eerie feeling of someone watching that sent chills down my spine. I stayed right on her heels.

She finally stopped and I heard her grunt as she pushed open the small wooden door.

Sunlight and fresh air. Thank God!

Courtney crawled out and offered me her hand. The small wooden door was carefully hidden between several trees, and camouflaged with leaves and twigs so no one would ever know it was there.

I crawled out and stood in the middle of a spruce forest, just beyond the perimeter fence. I could see the top of the tower, looming in the distance above the tree line. The trees around us were dense; except for the small area that we were standing in. It was about ten feet wide all around.

Courtney pulled a medium sized box out from behind a few other trees, opened it up and took out a blanket which she laid out. Then, she pulled out some water bottles and Snickers bars and handed me one of each. The water was ice cold and the candy bar was rock hard. I tried to bite into it, but all it did was leave teeth impressions. If I bit down any harder, I’d probably break a tooth… or a few teeth, so I decided to push it back into the wrapper and tuck it into my pocket to warm it up a bit.

“So, what do you guys do out here?” I asked. It was a little unnerving being in an enclosed area, surrounded by dense trees.

“We usually just hang out. Caleb likes to read. Sometimes I make him play hide-n-seek. I know it’s a baby game, but it’s super fun out here because we can never find each other,” she said with a gleam in her eye. “Do you want to play? Please. Pretty please! Just one quick game,” she pleaded.

“Sure. Whatever.” I still had a few hours to kill anyway. A few games of hide-n-seek would probably help pass the time.

“Okay, I’ll count and you hide,” she said not so excitedly.

“No. I’ll count and you hide,” I countered.

“Are you sure?

“I’m sure.”

“Okay, count to fifty… and no peeking!” she exclaimed, running back and forth through the trees.

I pressed my forehead against a tree and started to count, slowly and loudly…”One, two, three, four…” I heard the pattering of footsteps all around me. She was trying to throw me off, but I was good at this. I listened carefully and heard braches snapping to my left. When I finally reached fifty, there was complete silence. “Ready or not… here I come!” I shouted into the trees.

I decided to go with my instincts and go left. I hoped she didn’t go too far because I would definitely get lost, and this place was a little too creepy to be alone and lost in. I decided to go in a straight line and peek behind trees, that way I could just turn around and walk straight back.

A shadow darted behind one of the trees.

A wicked smile formed on my lips, but I wanted to be sneaky. I wanted to scare her. She deserved it for bringing me out here and making me play hide-n-seek.

I quietly snuck up to the tree. My plan: jump, scream, and scare the hell out of Courtney.

“Gotcha!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, jumping around to catch her off guard.

I gasped, stumbling backwards. My body began to tremble and my legs instantly became weak.

It wasn’t Courtney!

Two arms wrapped around me, and a large hand clamped over my mouth.

I kicked and punched, but the grip was too tight. It was a man. A very strong man. He wrapped his arm around my throat, but not tight enough to cut off my breathing.

“Please don’t scream, Emma,” he whispered in my ear. “I’m not going to hurt you. Do you understand?”

It took me a moment to settle down and figure out what he was saying.
Did he just say my name?

“I won’t hurt you, Emma. I promise.” He breathed, relaxing his grip. “I’m going to let you go now, but you need to be quiet. I just want to talk. Understand?”

I nodded, so he released his grip and slowly turned me to face him.

He didn’t look anything like that creature in the bathroom. In fact, he wasn’t ugly at all. His features were sharp and defined under an unkempt beard. His face was a bit thin, like he hadn’t eaten in a while, and he stared at me through big, brown, friendly, but also weary eyes. Dark brown hair fell just below his shoulders. His long brown trench coat made him look a bit like a vagrant, but he didn’t smell like one. He smelled sweet, like expensive cologne. But what was he doing here? And how did he know my name? I didn’t know this man, and never saw his face before.

My pulse started to race again, and panic struck me. Was he evil? I sucked in air to scream, but just as I did, he placed one finger over my mouth.

“Shhh—” he whispered, and my scream fell silent. There was nothing. No sound escaped my lips, no matter how hard I yelled. He seemed to have put a magic spell on me.

“Emma, I promise I won’t hurt you. I would never hurt you,” he whispered. “Just promise me that you won’t scream and I’ll release your voice,” he said in a tired, wary voice.

He hadn’t tried to hurt me so far, so I nodded.

He slowly swiped his hand over my mouth, and I gasped, hearing the wind enter my lungs.

“Who are you?” I breathed.

“Just a friend,” he whispered, taking hold of my hand and kissing the back of it lightly. “My, my…Emma. You’ve grown into such a beautiful young lady. You look so much like your mother,” he said with a glimmer in his eyes.

“You knew my mother?” I asked.

“Yes,” he answered with a smile.

But how could he have known my mother? My mother never left California… unless he’d also lived or visited there.

“Emma? Emma? Where are you?” Courtney shouted from a distance. I looked around but there were too many trees obstructing her from my sight.

The man grabbed hold of my shoulders. “Emma, you must return to the protection of the property. You shouldn’t be out here alone. It’s not safe. It’s very dangerous, especially for you.”

“Why? Why am I in danger?” I questioned. Maybe he could give me some answers.

“EMMA!” Courtney screamed. She was standing about ten feet away from us, her mouth gaping wide, with a look horror on her face.

“Go, Emma. Get back to safety,” the man urged before disappearing into the thick of the trees.

Courtney ran to me and wrapped her arms tightly around my waist.

“Who-who was that?” she sputtered.

“I don’t know,” I breathed, trembling. “But he seemed to know
me
pretty well.”

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” she asked, studying my face.

“No. He didn’t hurt me. I’m fine…but let’s get out of here.” If this guy could find me here, how much easier would it be for a Darkling? They were hunters, and this time my protector wasn’t here, and probably had no clue where I was. A cold shiver ran up my spine making me feel completely vulnerable.

“Yeah, let’s get outta here,” Courtney urged.

We ran out of the woods and headed back into the tunnel.

Chapter 9:

As soon as we climbed up the rickety ladder, and exited the dark tunnel back in the confines of the labyrinth, Caleb was standing above us with his arms crossed over his chest. His baby blue eyes were cold and glaring at Courtney.

“What were you thinking?” he barked in a whispered voice.

“What the heck are you talking about?” she returned sassily.

“Emma’s not allowed to leave the grounds. It’s not safe beyond the gates,” he scolded. His eyes shifted to me and then back at Courtney.

Caleb must have known something, or did he think as Courtney did…that it was because of the carnivorous animals?

“I - I didn’t know. Nobody ever tells me anything!” she blurted, with her hands on her hips. She glanced at me with a sorrowful look, but didn’t mention anything to Caleb about the encounter I’d had on the other side.

I was still trembling inside, squeezing my shaking hands into tight fists. Who was that man, and how did he know my name? How did he find me? Maybe he
was
one of those Watchers? He seemed to be protective and concerned, but why? Why was everyone so concerned for my safety?

I had enough of all these unanswered questions. And the biggest question I had was… WHY? Why did my parents have to die? Why was I still alive? Why did I end up here, in Alaska? Why did that Darkling try to kill me? Why is everyone so protective over me? And…why was I so drawn to Kade? Why? Why? Why?

I glanced at Caleb, who must have noticed my internal agony, and his eyes suddenly softened.

“Hey, are you alright?” he questioned.

“She’s fine. You’re fine, aren’t you Emma?” Courtney questioned, shooting me a look of
please don’t tell
.

“Yeah. I’m fine,” I answered, swallowing hard. I knew I’d have to tell somebody about the incident in the forest. This wasn’t the sort of thing that was supposed to be kept secret. I wasn’t going to be the victim who kept vital information to themselves, and ended up getting into deeper trouble because no one had a clue. I decided that I would tell my aunt as soon as I got the chance.

“I’m sorry, Emma. Courtney shouldn’t have brought you out here, or taken you to the other side. Alaine’s come home and she’s been looking everywhere for you. Actually, everyone has. When they couldn’t find you, I figured that Courtney had taken you through the secret tunnel. But, don’t worry. I haven’t told anyone. I just wanted to make sure you were safe.”

“Thanks,” I breathed. His bright, blue eyes returned an unnerving look, which Kade had warned me about; a look that I’d recognized all-too-well in hormonal, teenage males. I was probably the first girl, near his age, that he’d encountered in a while. That’s what happens when you’re homeschooled. And that’s the future I had to look forward to. Ugh!

Courtney cleared her throat and glared at Caleb.

“Let’s get outta here before they find us. If they find out about the tunnel, our freedom will be history,” Caleb said, quickly slipping back out through the branches.

He quickly led us back through the labyrinth. Courtney stayed right at my side, and had a terrified look on her face, but it wasn’t her fault. She didn’t know there were evil things out there that were trying to kill me. She was just as clueless as I was.

“I’m sorry about your parents,” Caleb muttered, glancing over his shoulder.

“Thanks,” I replied. “I’m sorry about your mom, too.” There was an awkward silence, and I didn’t know how else to respond.

“So how was life in the big city?” he asked.

I cleared my throat. “Busy and a lot louder than it is here.”

“Our big city is Anchorage. We get to go there once in a while, but it’s been about three months since our last visit.”

“Wow. That’s pretty long,” I sighed. “So what do you guys for fun?” I questioned, trying to keep filling in the uncomfortable silence.

“Mostly nothing. It can get pretty boring around here. I usually hang in my room and read or play video games. Sometimes the guys will include us in their outdoor games, but they can get pretty rough. I broke my arm once, playing football with them. Since then, Alaine’s forbid us to participate. We usually just sit and watch,” he replied, rolling his eyes. “Courtney and I try and get them to play hide-and-seek with us. They don’t like it much because we always win that game. They can never find us when we go into the labyrinth,” he said wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

“How did you find it?” I asked.

“Well, we have a lot of extra time,” he huffed. “I just happened to pull some of the hedges apart, and noticed that a few places were hollowed out.”

“There are more tunnels?”

“No. Just that one. We’ve hid snacks, water, and books into each of the others though to help kill the time while they’re searching for us. They usually give up after a half-hour or so. Thomas is usually the first to give up.”

“Courtney, what do you do for fun?” I asked, surprised she hadn’t said a single word so far.

She shrugged, “Not much. Mostly read or watch movies. Alaine takes us on outings as much as she can, but lately she’s been really busy. Sometimes Miss Lilly lets me help make lunch or dinner. She’s teaching me how to cook,” she said with a half grin.

We finally reached the front of the house, and I was glad. Everything was becoming numb and frozen.

Caleb held the door open to let us in. As soon as we entered the hall, loud voices echoed from the upper levels. I glanced up to see Kade and Thomas rounding the corner of the second floor. As soon as Kade spotted me, he exhaled a deep sigh of relief and smiled. I could hardly suppress the smile or the heat that instantly flushed through me.

Thomas donned a wide smirk across his face; his blue eyes piercing.

“They’re fine. I found them in the labyrinth,” Caleb announced proudly.

“I checked the labyrinth…three times,” Thomas answered, arms crossed over his chest, glaring at Caleb through narrowed eyes.

“Well, obviously, you didn’t check well enough, did you?” Caleb returned smugly, shrugging his shoulders. Thomas mumbled a few unintelligible words through gritted teeth, while Kade chuckled, holding a hand to Thomas’ chest in a lame attempt to hold him back.

“Emma! Oh, thank God!” Alaine called from down the hall. She quickly made her way to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. She did the same to Courtney. “You girls just about gave me a heart attack!”