Slayers (14 page)
Authors: C. J. Hill
W
hen Jesse dropped Tori off at cabin 27’s porch—literally dropped her, because he wanted her to practice landing from eight feet in the air—she was debating which was worse: that she had to risk her life fighting dragons, or that she had to rearrange her life until then. Spending every summer here would put a quick end to any plans she had for competitive skating, or, for that matter, vacationing. Her choice of colleges had just gotten a lot narrower—no Ivy League schools. No study abroad. And what if she had an appendix rupture or something? Was she supposed to tell the doctors to operate without anesthesia?
hen Jesse dropped Tori off at cabin 27’s porch—literally dropped her, because he wanted her to practice landing from eight feet in the air—she was debating which was worse: that she had to risk her life fighting dragons, or that she had to rearrange her life until then. Spending every summer here would put a quick end to any plans she had for competitive skating, or, for that matter, vacationing. Her choice of colleges had just gotten a lot narrower—no Ivy League schools. No study abroad. And what if she had an appendix rupture or something? Was she supposed to tell the doctors to operate without anesthesia?
The cabin door was propped open. Even though Tori felt far too wound up to sleep she went inside to get ready for bed. Lilly and Alyssa were already showered, in their pajamas, and sitting on Alyssa’s bed giving themselves pedicures. They regarded her coolly.
“I changed my mind about you bringing an iron to camp,” Lilly said. “It turned out to be useful after all.”
Tori glanced at the top of the dresser where she’d left her iron. It
was gone. “Where did you … ?” she started, and then caught sight of the iron. It was sitting on the floor propping the door open. She grabbed it and returned it to her dresser with a thud. The door swung shut.
was gone. “Where did you … ?” she started, and then caught sight of the iron. It was sitting on the floor propping the door open. She grabbed it and returned it to her dresser with a thud. The door swung shut.
“There goes our cross breeze,” Alyssa said.
Lilly calmly brushed red polish across a toenail. “That was great team support you showed up at the Easter grounds, Tori. If you storm off every time a fireball is launched your way, your team is doomed. Right now, you’re down by ninety points. I’m sure Jesse just loves you.”
Alyssa dabbed a piece of toilet paper across the side of a toe to wipe away a smudge. “Look on the bright side. You might start a new fashion trend at your prep school—the scorched-hair style.”
Then both Lilly and Alyssa giggled.
These were the people who needed her, the ones she was supposed to risk her life for? Tori ignored them and pulled her pajamas out of her dresser. She slammed the drawer shut, then grabbed the caddy that carried her facial soap, shampoo, conditioner, washcloth, and moisturizer. Without saying good-bye, she headed to the shower.
One glimpse in the bathroom mirror confirmed that her hair was every bit as bad as she’d feared. The left side looked like someone had taken a machete to it.
She let out a groan and ran her hand over it, hoping this would somehow encourage it to grow. And then, even though it was stupid to cry over hair, tears pooled in her eyes.
She’d come to this camp with gorgeous, swishably long, cover girl hair. Now it was gone—a symbol of all the freedom she’d lost in one quick night. She was stuck at this camp with roommates who hated her, a camp director who might kill her before summer ended, and no real talent to help her fight the monsters that had suddenly become real.
The tears came harder, and she sat down on the floor, ignoring the gritty dirt that was there.
If only she could go back and change this day: rewind it, get back in the car with her sister, and drive away.
Because anything could happen now. Instead of having to worry about homework and dates and finding high heels that didn’t cripple her when she wore them, she had to worry about fighting something that could roast her like a marshmallow.
How did Jesse do it? How did any of them? How did they manage to be Slayers and still live normal lives?
Tori took out the new phone and dialed her sister’s number. She made herself take deep breaths, calming herself so her voice didn’t crack. After three rings, Aprilynne said a questioning, “Hello?”
“It’s me, Tori. I need you to drive to camp and pick me up.”
Aprilynne let out a grunt. “It’s eleven o’clock.”
Tori stood up and checked the door to make sure no one was around to hear her. “You don’t have to come right now, but can you please come tomorrow? Early. At quarter till seven.”
“Do you realize what time I’d have to leave to make it there by six forty-five?” Before Tori could answer Aprilynne added, “Four fifteen.”
“My new Jimmy Choo shoes—they’re yours.”
A muffled sound came from the end of the line, probably not Aprilynne setting her alarm for 4:15. “How about I pick you up at nine o’clock and you just let me borrow them when I want.”
“It has to be six forty-five. I don’t want anyone to know I’m leaving.”
“Why? They’re going to notice you’ve gone.”
Tori moved back inside so anyone looking toward the bathroom wouldn’t see her on the phone. “I don’t want to tell anyone before I go. I’ll throw in my Gucci handbag.”
“That bad, huh?”
“You’ll see when you get here.”
Aprilynne let out a sigh. “Okay. The shoes
and
the handbag. I’ll see you at quarter till seven.”
and
the handbag. I’ll see you at quarter till seven.”
“I’ll meet you in the parking lot. Don’t say anything to anyone about picking me up.”
Aprilynne yawned. “You know, if you could have held out for two more days, I would have made a lot of money in the when-will-Tori-bail-out-of that-crappy-camp bet.”
“Gambling is bad for you anyway.”
“I’ll be sure to mention that to Mom when I tell her she won.”
That stung. Her own mother had given her less than twenty-four hours? “I’ll see you tomorrow,” Tori said and hung up. Then she leaned against the wall and shut her eyes. Even though she felt better now that she’d talked to Aprilynne, her hands hadn’t stopped shaking.
Finally she showered, changed, gathered up her things, and stepped outside. She stopped short. No glow illuminated the forest. Darkness had spread through the trees, leaving everything black and hidden. The only light came from the bathroom porch light behind her and the faint porch lights from cabins 26 and 27 in the distance. She peered into the night, trying to make out the shapes that had been so easy to see on her way to the shower. What had happened?
Tori grasped her shower caddy to her chest and considered the possibility that she’d imagined everything and had gone insane. She reached up and ran her fingers through the left side of her hair. It was cold, wet, and still mournfully short.
She hadn’t imagined the fireball.
But where had her abilities gone?
Taking tiny, cautious steps, she made her way toward cabin 27. She hadn’t seen any rocks or tree roots sticking up in the path on the way over, so nothing should trip her on the way back. Still, it was hard to make herself walk when she couldn’t see where to put her feet.
After several minutes, she made it to the cabin. The other girls lay on their bunks, unrecognizable lumps under the covers.
“I can’t see in the dark anymore,” Tori announced.
“That’s because Dr. B turns off the simulator when we get back to camp,” Lilly said from underneath her covers. “Otherwise we’d have too much energy to sleep.”
Oh. So it had just been longer than half an hour since she’d been in contact with the signal.
Lilly rolled over with an exasperated tug of her covers. “The last one in every night locks the door.”
Tori did, then made her way to where she remembered her bunk bed to be. She hadn’t noticed her energy leave. In fact, she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep for quite a while.
She fiddled with the cell phone Jesse had given her until she found the alarm function.
“What time do you guys set your alarms to go running in the morning?”
Alyssa, her voice already going flat with sleep, said, “You don’t need an alarm. When Dr. B turns on the simulator at seven, you’ll bolt out of bed.”
“Okay,” Tori said. She set the alarm on her cell phone to vibrate at 6:00, crawled into bed, and slipped the phone under her back.
The forest sounds filtered into the cabins. Crickets. A bird of some sort, or maybe a bat. Branches rustling. And then the dragon’s heartbeat.
Tori rolled onto her side. “I thought you said Dr. B turned off the simulator?”
“He did,” Alyssa said.
“No, it’s—” Tori didn’t finish her sentence. The heartbeat had disappeared. She strained to pick it out again, but heard only the crickets and the wind.
She rolled onto her back again, kept listening, kept straining. Nothing.
Perhaps she’d fallen asleep for a second and dreamed the noise. That was probably it. Because even if the simulator was on, she was too far away to hear it. She shouldn’t freak herself out about the noise. It wasn’t like the dragon eggs were buried underneath her cabin.
But just in case, Tori got out of bed, felt her way to the dresser, and retrieved her iPod. She put it on the most soothing playlist she had, then went back to bed. She listened to song after song, concentrating on the music, trying to make herself relax.
I don’t have to stay here
, she told herself.
Aprilynne is coming in the morning. I could tell my parents I want to go to that ice skating clinic in Denver. I could be on a plane by tomorrow evening.
I don’t have to stay here
, she told herself.
Aprilynne is coming in the morning. I could tell my parents I want to go to that ice skating clinic in Denver. I could be on a plane by tomorrow evening.
But every time she thought of leaving, she saw Jesse, his brown eyes somber, standing alone, in front of a dragon.
J
esse sat up before he opened his eyes. He stepped out of bed before he fully remembered where he was. He nearly bumped into Kody. Behind them, Dirk landed on the floor with a crash. Dirk swore, then stood up and brushed dirt off the front of his pajamas.
esse sat up before he opened his eyes. He stepped out of bed before he fully remembered where he was. He nearly bumped into Kody. Behind them, Dirk landed on the floor with a crash. Dirk swore, then stood up and brushed dirt off the front of his pajamas.
“That’s it,” Dirk said. “I’m not sleeping on a top bunk anymore. Only people who can fly should sleep on the top.”
“No way,” Jesse said. “I had the top bunk last year and never remembered I could fly until after I’d done a face plant.”
Across the room, Shang pulled a crisp, white T-shirt over his head. “That’s why I always set my alarm for five minutes before the simulator goes on.”
Kody stretched and grabbed a T-shirt from a drawer. “It only takes a couple of days to get used to it. We’ll be fine tomorrow.” He put a hand against the bunk bed frame, then lifted the bed’s legs from the ground and grinned. “Anybody up for a game of bed toss?”
“Save your energy for later,” Jesse said. “You might need it.”
After all, it had been two days since they’d come to camp, and Dr. B hadn’t thrown any surprises at them. Not even a paintball ambush. Dr. B liked to point out, sometimes a little too cheerfully, that the Slayers had to watch out for gunfire. Dragons couldn’t shoot guns, but Overdrake certainly could. They had to be alert and using their senses all the time.
After all, it had been two days since they’d come to camp, and Dr. B hadn’t thrown any surprises at them. Not even a paintball ambush. Dr. B liked to point out, sometimes a little too cheerfully, that the Slayers had to watch out for gunfire. Dragons couldn’t shoot guns, but Overdrake certainly could. They had to be alert and using their senses all the time.
Instead of putting the bed down, Kody pulled the thing into the middle of the room. It made a shuddering bang and undoubtedly added a new set of dents to the floor. “I sure wish I could have a simulator around when I play football.” Kody flexed his muscles with satisfaction. “I love camp.”
Dirk tossed his pajamas on his bed. “I bet Miss Socialite doesn’t. How much do you want to wager she pulls a Ryker before the end of the month?”
“A Ryker’s mother, you mean,” Shang said. He combed through his sleek, black hair and checked his reflection in a small mirror that hung from a nail in the wall. He was the only one of the guys who cared how he looked before running. It wasn’t that he was vain, just orderly. He had some philosophy about neatness being part of inner peace and was always trying to get the rest of them to pick up their stuff.
Shang put his comb back on the top of his dresser. “I bet Ryker still doesn’t even know about the dragons. He’s probably living on a houseboat with his parents in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.”
During one of their many talks about dragons over the years, they decided that the ocean was the safest place to hide. If a dragon had nowhere to rest from a flight, he couldn’t come after you.
“Tori’s all right,” Jesse said. “She just needs time to adjust.” He slipped one foot into his shoe and pulled the laces tight. “It’s a big shock for her to learn she has to spend the rest of her summers with Dirk. Anyone would freak out a little.”
Jesse didn’t have to look to see the shoe hurled in his direction. He felt it leave Dirk’s hands, felt the air around him shift. It was part of being a Slayer that came after years of practice—an internal eye that told you where danger was. He caught the shoe with one hand and threw it back at Dirk just as fast.
Dirk caught the shoe effortlessly. “She’d better not walk out of the competitions again. And if she can’t keep up on the run, we’re not slowing down for her.”
Jesse laced his second shoe. “Give her time to adjust.” He smiled, then tried to hide it. If he smiled too much while talking about Tori, the guys would razz him. But despite his thoughts yesterday about her appearance being a problem, it wasn’t really such a bad thing. It would just take some getting used to—that model-perfect face. He smiled again. He’d manage it somehow.
A knock sounded on the door, then from outside, Lilly said, “Jesse, I need you.”
Kody snickered and Dirk said, “Does she ever.” Which made Jesse wish he had something else to throw at him. Over the years, Lilly had rotated through the guys, crushing on them all in turn. He would be glad when she’d moved on to somebody else.
Shang glared at Dirk, and whispered, “Lay off. She’ll hear you.”
Shang, as Lilly’s counterpart, was always the shoulder she cried on when she got too upset about anything. None of the guys ever hassled him for defending her, though. It was nice that someone had a built-in, genetically appointed patience for her.
“What is it?” Jesse called back.
“Tori’s gone. When we woke up, we thought she was in the bathroom, but Alyssa checked and she’s not there. Plus one of the carts is missing.”
Jesse walked to the door and opened it. Both Lilly and Alyssa were there, already in their running clothes. Lilly had put on lip gloss. Probably for his benefit. “Did you call her?” he asked.
“She didn’t pick up.”
Jesse scanned the trees around them as though he might be able to spot her in the foliage.
Dirk walked up behind him. “Looks like she’s not adjusting so well after all.”
“Did she take her stuff?” Jesse asked.
Lilly shook her head. “Just her purse.”
Alyssa said, “Someone with that much money—maybe she didn’t care about leaving everything. If she had packed up her things, we would have heard her.”
Shang joined the group. “Maybe she was kidnapped.”
Lily tilted her head in disbelief. “Without waking up Alyssa or me? Someone picked the lock, carried her off, and then used one of our carts to get away?”
“Not really kidnapped,” Shang said. “Dr. B could have arranged it as a test of our rescue skills. At this point, she’s useless as a Slayer, so she makes a good victim. It would be hard to mess that up. She just has to sit there and wait for us to find her.”
Alyssa scrunched her nose. “But she doesn’t have a counterpart. How could we find her?”
Whenever Dr. B made them do rescue drills, it was almost always the counterparts who found each other first. Since Jesse didn’t have a counterpart, he’d never really understood how it worked, but when counterparts were close to each other, they could sense things about each other’s location.
Kody joined the group at last. “She might be up at the main camp trying to get something to eat.”
Dirk grunted. “She did a Ryker.”
They all looked at Jesse. As her team captain, he had the final say about what action to take. “I’ll let Dr. B know she’s missing. Dirk, take Lilly and Alyssa and search the main camp. Shang, take a motorcycle to the lake and see if she went that way. Kody, you try the
rifle range. I’ll check the road out of camp. Report back to me in half an hour—sooner, if you find any clues.”
rifle range. I’ll check the road out of camp. Report back to me in half an hour—sooner, if you find any clues.”
He didn’t need to say more. The entire group dispersed into the forest, each going in the direction Jesse had told them to go. He dove off the patio, soaring upward until he hovered below the treetops. The cool morning air washed into him, pressing through his thin T-shirt as he weaved around branches. Squirrels chittered up and down tree trunks, eyeing him suspiciously. He hardly ever flew during the day, and never close to the main camp. Usually he would have enjoyed winging through the forest while the sunshine lit up the leaves like a million emeralds. Today he felt nothing but a tight ball of worry in his chest.
Let it be one of Dr. B’s games,
he prayed as he headed toward the director’s cabin. But he knew that wasn’t likely. Dr. B wouldn’t have taken Tori’s purse as part of one of his exercises.
Let it be one of Dr. B’s games,
he prayed as he headed toward the director’s cabin. But he knew that wasn’t likely. Dr. B wouldn’t have taken Tori’s purse as part of one of his exercises.
Tori was gone.
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