Matt Archer: Monster Hunter (Matt Archer #1) (20 page)

“It’s okay,” she said, but I saw tears well up in her eyes.
“After seeing you both in action, I should’ve….Sorry.”

We walked in uncomfortable silence for a bit, then I asked,
“So, why were you two camping in the middle of February? Not exactly the nicest
time of year, even if it has warmed up some.”

“It’s not that cold. My dad took us camping at Yellowstone
last Thanksgiving. Riding snowmobiles was awesome, but it got down to fourteen
degrees one night. Thirty-seven is warm compared to that.”

Ella was tougher than she looked. “No kidding. I couldn’t
have handled a fourteen degree campout.”

“You’re a wimp,” she said. We laughed a little, but she
still sounded sad. “We’re camping because Alyssa just broke up with her
boyfriend. She caught the jerk cheating. Anyway, he hates to camp. He hated to
do pretty much everything she liked to do, and she wanted go camping to
celebrate her freedom. Seemed like a fun idea at the time.” Ella shuddered.
“Who knew?”

We didn’t talk again until we reached the parking lot.
Alyssa drove a bright red Mazda sports car that screamed “speeding ticket.”
Will detached himself from Alyssa’s side to help me load the trunk and back
seat while the girls watched. Sounding really proud of himself, Will whispered,
“Dude, this is so weird.”

I glanced at Ella. She didn’t seem as upset now and even
smiled a little when she caught me looking. “Yeah. Weird.”

We split up to make our goodbyes. Will acted all manly and
strolled over to Alyssa with his chest puffed out. Too bad she was old enough
to be his babysitter, because she was buying his act. Ella giggled before
turning my way.

“Thank you both, very much. I wish you’d take your masks
off, so we could say it face-to-face.”

I wished I could, too—wouldn’t that have rocked? “I can’t.
Trust me; it’s enough that you’re both safe.”

I held the car door open for her. Before she got in, she
brushed her lips against my wool-covered cheek. I thought I’d spontaneously
combust. Secrecy sucked. With a cute smile, she settled into her seat and I
closed her door.

Alyssa held her hand out to Will, saying, “Yes, thank you.
Who knew a pair of eighteen-year-olds would end up saving our lives?”

We’d graduated from seventeen to eighteen. She must not have
met very many tall guys to believe I was a senior like Brent, unnatural growth
spurt or not. But Romeo over there had finally broken six feet in the last
month and Alyssa only had eyes for Will.

Will took her hand and shook it. “Glad to help.”

Again with the super-hero voice. I grunted in amusement.

Alyssa kept shaking his hand, smiling. “Oh, what the hell.
It’s Valentine’s Day.” She threw her arms around Will’s neck and kissed him
full on the mouth.

I cleared my throat. With an embarrassed smile, Alyssa
pulled free and got into her car. We stood at the edge of the lot, waving as
they backed out and drove away.

Once the taillights faded into the distance, I yanked off my
mask and punched Will square in the arm. “Dude, are you kidding me?”

Will just grinned before strutting into the woods without
saying a dang word.

The scratches on Ella’s cheek were already healing by Monday.
Her eyes still had a haunted look, but she smiled at me when she took her desk
in Algebra.

“Good weekend?” she asked.

I couldn’t even laugh at the irony. “It was okay. How about
you? Did you have a…uh…good time with your sister?” I flushed. Was there any
hope of talking to her without sounding like a dork unless I had a ski mask on?

She twisted her hands in her lap. “Not really.”

I slid to the edge of my seat, holding my breath, and put a
hand on her shoulder. “Anything I can do?”

Her lower lip quivered. “No, but thanks for asking.”

The conversation was cut short by the bell. Mrs. Burns
handed out a test on positive and negative polynomials. I couldn’t concentrate
and blew the exam, but it bugged me to see Ella so upset. Killing the monster
for her wouldn’t change the fact they existed.

When class ended, I stood before she could leave. “Let me
walk you to class. You look kind of tired.”

Ella blushed a deep pink, but nodded. We reached for her
books at the same time and half of them slid off her desk and hit the floor.
The corner of her math text landed hard on my foot. Dang thing would’ve broken
my toe if I hadn’t been wearing my hiking boots. Both of us bent to pick up the
books and we bumped heads. So far, not the coolest attempt. We laughed.

“Sorry, let me get those.” I said, then knelt to grab her
math binder and book. The gauze covering my injured collarbone rubbed the scabs
funny and I winced when I stood. “Okay, hand me the rest. I’ll carry them for
you.”

Ella passed me her books, giving me a strange look. “Have
you…been working out?”

Ha! I knew all that hard work would pay off. “Yeah, I go with
Will after school a few times a week,” I said, feeling proud my shirt was a
little tight through the shoulders. Too bad it was too cold for short-sleeves or
I could’ve put on a show.

She stared at my chest, blushing even more. “I, um, I can
tell.”

We walked to her next class together, me wearing a stupid
smile the whole way. When she turned to get her books, Ella looked me up and
down with a dazed expression.

“You’re a lot taller, too. We used to be the same height,
almost.”

“Some, yeah.” I stood up straight; the top of her head only
came up to my chin now.

“Um, well, thanks for walking me.” She patted my arm before
disappearing into her classroom.

I spun on my heel and tried not to dance down the hall.

In history, she stared at me some more. I couldn’t make
myself pay attention to Mr. Anderson’s lecture on Pearl Harbor. Ella was
staring
at me. I
kept my arms flexed to give her a better view.

When the final bell rang, she said, “Like your boots.”

I’d spent the last forty minutes showing off my biceps, and
she mentions my boots? What was it with girls and shoes? “Uh, thanks.”

“Are they new? Usually you wear sneakers.” She flashed me a
little smile.

I melted inside. “I got them last week; birthday present
from my mom.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “They’re nice.”

After a little wave, she left me standing there feeling like
I’d been knocked over the head. Ella had complimented me twice in one day.
She’d even noticed that I wore sneakers most of the time. She
noticed
. I floated
to Brent’s car. He took one look at me and shook his head.

I walked Ella to second period every day after that. We’d
say hi to each other at lunch, then bye at the end of the day in history. The fear
in her eyes faded and she started acting like her old self. We even graduated
from book-carrying to a quick hug before she went to class. I hadn’t worked up
the courage to ask her out again, but I felt like I was getting closer.

“Ask her to the lock-in,” Will said while we ate lunch one
Thursday. “I don’t mind hanging with the other guys tomorrow night.”

The Freshman Class overnight lock-in was a tradition at
Greenhill. Held on the first Friday night of spring break, everyone turned up
for it.

“She’s already going with a group of girls. I missed my
shot.” I rested my chin on my hand, wondering if I’d get a date with Ella
before I graduated high school.

“Find her tomorrow night and ask her then.” Will finished
off a handful of chips. “Simple.”

“Weren’t you the one going on and on about the ‘moment’ a
few months ago?” I asked, pointing my pudding-covered spoon at him. “Well, I’m
still waiting for my chance. And after getting shot down the last time I asked
her out, don’t you think I should take it slow?”

“Slow, not glacial.” He leaned across the table. “Dude,
sometimes you have to make your own moment.”

“Kissing a twenty-year-old doesn’t make you an expert on
girls.” When he sat up straighter in his chair and got a pissed-off look in his
eye, I raised my hands. “Okay, okay. I’ll ask her out at the lock-in.”

I turned and caught Ella watching me from across the
cafeteria. She smiled before turning back to her friends.

Maybe this wouldn’t be as hard as it sounded.

* * *

The big lock-in was at the Bowl‘n’Stuff party warehouse. The
huge, square building contained a bowling alley with thirty lanes, a laser tag
arena, video games and miniature golf. Making it all sweeter, Colonel Black had
given me a pass from the sat-phone. I’d left it with Mamie, just in case someone
called, but I was beyond thrilled to have a night off. I even dressed nice, in
a long-sleeved blue polo. I drew the line at Axe, though, no matter what Brent
said. Soap would have to do.

Mom dropped Will and me off at nine. “You two be good, okay?
I’ll be back at eight tomorrow morning to pick you up.”

“Sure, Mom.” I let her kiss my cheek.

“Wouldn’t dream of misbehaving, Mrs. Archer,” Will said,
leaning his cheek her way. Mom laughed and gave him a peck, too.

“Suck up,” I said.

We climbed out of the car to see what fun awaited. The whole
place teemed with activity while a deejay made cheesy comments and played loud
music. The bowling lanes were up front. A billiards room, a recessed bank of
small, square lockers for jackets, and the snack bar sat directly across from
the bowling alley. The arcade, golf course and laser tag room were in the back.
The sounds of bowling balls rolling, games ringing, and friends yelling echoed
off the walls.

In short, it rocked. And we got to stay all night.

I saw Ella playing miniature golf with a group of her
friends and wandered that direction, not sure what I’d do when I got there.
There must’ve been some kind of magnetic field leading me her way, that was the
only explanation. Ella looked great, though. She was smiling and laughing,
happier than I’d seen her in a while. I watched her for a minute. A strand of
her hair got caught in her lip gloss when she took her turn to putt and I
wished I could be the one to brush it away.

Will huffed out an impatient breath. “Seriously, we walked
this far, and you’re stopping
here?
Dude, get over there!”

“Shut up and let me enjoy the view a minute,” I said. Will
shook his head, but didn’t comment.

Ella caught me gawking and waved. My hiking boots suddenly
felt cemented to the floor. Any notion I had about talking to her evaporated.
Flushing, I waved back, then turned to go. Will grumbled something rude about
tearing off a corner of my man card as we walked away.

“Matt, wait!” Ella called. She bounded over to me. Her
girlfriends giggled and I broke into a sweat. “Do you and Will want to play
golf with us?”

I checked out the five grinning girls standing behind her.
“I, uh, don’t want to interrupt your game. I’ll…catch you later.”

Cringing, I headed for the bowling lanes. An eruption of
laughter followed us.

Will rolled his eyes. “Chicken.”

“Bite me.” I punched him in the kidney. “Seriously, why do
girls giggle about everything?”

“One of those mysteries of life, dude.” Will punched me
back. “C’mon. Let’s go find something else to do.”

We teamed up with four other guys from homeroom and bowled.
My accuracy had improved a bunch in the last year; I scored in the
one-seventies both games.

Will shot me a look. “Guess all that weight-training and
other ‘stuff’ helped.”

“Guess so,” I said, staring at the score sheet, pleased, but
surprised. “What’s next? Pool?”

“Yeah, that’s good. I’m going for some pizza first, though.
Want anything?” he asked.

“Nah, I’m okay. I’ll go get the pool table set up while
you’re gone. Oh, ask if any of the other guys want to play a round with us,” I
said before heading for the billiards room.

“Midnight disco! Time for glow-bowl!” the deejay sang,
sounding way too perky for twelve a.m. The overhead lights went out. Spotlights
hit the disco balls and the ceiling danced with white spots. All the bowling
lanes were backlit by black lights, making the fluorescent bowling balls glow
in the dark. When the deejay cranked up the music, the bowlers cheered.

Pretty awesome, actually.

It was dark in the lobby outside the bowling alley, and my
eyes hadn’t adjusted yet. I felt my way along the wall, heading for the neon
“Pool Hall” sign. As I passed the lockers, a pale hand reached out and grabbed
my arm. I tensed up, wondering if Carter had been lying in wait for at the
Bowl‘n’Stuff.

“Matt, relax, it’s me,” Ella murmured.

She pulled me into the back corner of the locker bank. The
forward rows hid us from the rest of the building. An emergency exit sign
bathed her in red light and her hair spilled down her shoulders, glowing. She
acted a little nervous, but excited, too. My heart pumped so hard I thought it
would tear through my shirt.

It was finally the “moment.”

“Sorry, you startled me.” Dude, chill. “What’s up?”

She looked down at the floor then back up at me through her
eyelashes. I swear, girls must know what they’re doing when they do stuff like
that. “I’ve been hoping you’d come talk to me all night.”

“You, uh, seemed busy with your friends. I didn’t want to
interrupt.”

Ella cocked her head to one side. “We never seem to get a
chance to be alone, do we?”

I flushed hot enough to melt lead. Good thing it was so
dark. “So, um, we’re alone now.”

Not smooth. Not smooth at all.

She smiled mischievously. “Yes, we are. What should we do
about that?”

“Maybe we should take advantage of the time.” I tried to
sound suave. Would’ve worked, too, if my voice hadn’t cracked.

Ella smiled wider. “How?” She took a step toward me,
standing mere inches away.

I thought my head might explode. “Why do you always answer
questions with questions?”

“Why don’t you shut up and kiss me?”

She didn’t have to ask twice.

I gently pushed her back against the lockers and slid my
arms around her waist. Her hair smelled like vanilla. New shampoo. I pulled her
so close that I could count every freckle on her nose. Ella wound her arms
around my neck. I closed my eyes.

Maybe I should’ve felt awkward, or nervous, but I didn’t.
Kissing her was easy. The words “die happy” ran through my head a few times,
but mostly I blocked out everything but the feel of her mouth against mine.

Her hands drifted from around my neck and slid down to my
shoulders, until she leaned her forearms against my chest. With fingertips as
light as a butterfly, she reached inside the collar of my polo to trace my
neck, eventually winding her way down to my collarbone. Her skin felt cool
against mine and my heart raced. This thrill was like no hunt I’d ever been on.

Then I noticed she was tracing the same spot on my
collarbone over and over.

The same spot the She-Bear had mauled only a few weeks
before, where the scrapes had left a raised scar.

Startled, I broke off the kiss and took a step away. Ella
nodded slowly. “It
was
you.”

I didn’t know what to say. “Uh, I’m not sure what you’re
talking about?”

“You. In the woods three weeks ago.” Ella put a hand over
her mouth, staring into space like I wasn’t there. “I knew it.”

“Ella, I –”

She pointed at my collarbone. “You got hurt that night. I
remember the slash marks, right there, on your chest. You winced when you
picked up my books the next Monday. And your boots—you have red and black
shoelaces on your boots. I recognized them. Plus, you’re the exact same height
and size as one of the guys in the woods. The one who pulled the wagon to the
car.”

Ella reached out tentatively, like she was scared I’d bolt,
to trace the healing scars again. “You saved me and Alyssa. You and…Will! That
was Will! I thought I recognized your voices, even when you disguised them. You
fought off the monster so Will could rescue us.”

There wasn’t any use in lying to her now. “Yeah.”

A dozen emotions crossed her face, eventually landing on
wonder. “You saved my life.”

“Will helped, but yes, I saved your life.” Damn, that
sounded awesome. “I couldn’t let the monster get you. I’d try to save anyone in
trouble, but you…” I brushed her hair off her face. “For you, I’d do it again,
a hundred times.”

Next thing I knew, Ella flung herself into my arms and
kissed me hard enough to knock me back a few steps. I must’ve floated off to
outer space, because it took me a minute to notice the lights were back on and
that we had company.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Will said, his pride at my success
plastered all over his grinning face. “Been looking all over for you. Mamie’s
here. Says there’s an issue; you may need to roll.”

“Is this about the monsters?” Ella asked, her voice full of
excitement. “Does Mamie know, too?”