The Hidden Door (3 page)

“Then why are we staying?” I ask, feeling a level of exasperation I have never felt before.

Finally Justin looks at me. Our eyes meet in the dim streetlight. The intensity of his gaze nearly knocks me off my feet. “I just have to know.”

I know exactly what he means, and he knows that I know. He knocks the wind out of me with that look. Slumping against the brick wall of the Health Center I shrug my acceptance. The cold from the bricks seeps through my sweater and a violent shiver races through me.

“Let's go get some coffee,” Justin says so quietly we all stare at him blankly. “We can work out our plan then.”

We trudge toward the student union. The night sky holds banks of thick, dark blue clouds, bunching chaotically together, threatening rain. I hope the weather holds for now. Nothing would spell swell evening like adding soaking wet to the frigid temps.

Clumps of happy, chattering students pass by. Some are dressed in costume, all seemingly oblivious to the dark menace
lurking in the shadows. I find myself glancing over my shoulder, hoping no one is following us. Riva clings to Malcolm, casually leaning her head against his shoulder as they walk. I quicken my pace to keep time with Justin.

We fall into a comfortable pace, not speaking. I still enjoy the safe, warm feeling of being beside him. The student union has so many nooks and crannies that I would get los
t if I hadn't been raised here.

The Coffee Spot serves some of the weirdest varieties of coffee drinks I have ever seen. Still all contain caffeine, and the place is open twenty-four hours a day. We order and mill around the counter while we wait. Riva starts explaining the dynamics of getting her hair perfectly straight every morning. Justin runs a hand through his hair, studying the menu intensely. Malcolm tries following along but as Riva waxes lyrical about hair gel, his eyebrows knit together.

When we finally sit down, Justin stares at his coffee for a long time. The rest of us stay quiet waiting for him to continue his story, even though I know the details by heart. I still love hearing Justin tell it. There is poetry and reverence in his voice when he talks about the Legend of the Hidden Door. I love that about him.

“I guess you probably want to know what happened after those fraternity guys took the gargoyle's head,” Justin says, swirling his coffee.

“How did they even get the head off?” Malcolm asks.

Justin taps the tabletop with his fingers. “No one knows for sure,” he says. “Regardless of how they did it, I'm sure that they regretted their actions immediately.”

“What happened?” Riva squeaks, and then swallows. Is she scared? No way. Like I said before, this girl lives for stuff like this.

“Horrible accidents, failed relationships, flunking out of the university. Some people have said that all the thin
gs that happened to these guys—there were seven of them total—
were just coincidences. But the sheer number of things makes it impossible for me to believe that.” Justin takes a long swig of his coffee then continues. “So after months of bad things happening to them, the guys got together and decided they had to do something.”

“What could they do?” Riva leans forward so suddenly that she knocks against her coffee, sloshing it onto the table. Justin and I reach for napkins at the same time, our hands bumping. I let Justin mop up the mess before he continues.

“At first they thought they would just put the head back on, but then they realized that they couldn't or they might be caught. That's when they decided to hide it forever.”

“Forever?” Malcolm leans forward, clearly caught up in the drama of the story. Maybe it helps that some creep is skulking around campus, terrifying people. I don't think a guy like Malcolm would ever really be caught up like this.

Justin nods. “Forever. One of the guys, his dad was a professor here. He knew the buildings inside and out. He swore to the other guys that there was a door to a room that never got used. Maybe it was a storage closet. I don't know but what I do know is that they put the head of the gargoyle in the room and locked the door. No one has ever found it. The Legend says that whoever does find the head and replace it will be granted luck forever.”

We all sit contemplating the door. I've never understood where this door could be that no one has ever found it. And what about the key? Even if we find the door tonight it's not like we can open it. I voice my concerns.

“That's my ace in the hole,” Justin says, touching his jacket. I know there's an interior pocket there. He used to let me wear that coat when it was cold and we were out searching for the door. What's in that pocket now is a mystery to me, though.

“So what are we going to do tonight?” Riva asks, bac
k to her usual, exuberant self.

Justin chews his lip, the first real sign of indecision I've seen in him tonight. “We're going to search all the old buildings for the Hidden Door. Just like we planned.”

“Will the buildings be open?” Malcolm asks. “We can't get in trouble or anything.”

I laugh. “It's Friday. All the buildings stay open until eleven. Don't worry about that. But…”

My laughter trails off as I think about The Vampire. Clearly he's not some mythical undead man, but worse. He's real and dangerous. Justin catc
hes my eye and shakes his head.

“We won't run into any trouble,” he says firmly.

Something in his tone makes me desperately want to believe him. Still, when I think about that girl, Margaret, and the look in her eyes, and the gash in her arm, I shiver. Did he use a knife? The girl had just babbled on the way to the Health Center about fangs and claws. Riva had listened with rapt fascination. Malcolm and Justin hovered reassuringly. I made sure to stay back just enough that I could roll my eyes without being rude to her face. I mean, I know she was scared and all, but who actually believes they have been attacked by a vampire?

I squirm thinking about it now, though. Because no matter what the girl thought happened to her, she was attacked by someone. But why? And how are we going to keep ourselves safe when we are voluntarily going out and searching for legends and trouble?

Justin must be thinking something along the same lines because he repeats that we will be fine as he drains the last of his coffee then crushes the cup in his hand. He always used to do that and it drove me nuts. I was constantly nagging him to stop. Little drops of beverage would splash out on me. Just gross. As he does it now, though, I find myself pining for those days. I can't even say anything jokingly now because the joke will come out flat and make me look weird.

“Let's get going,” I say, standing up purposefully. “I want to get home before midnight.”

“Will you turn into a pumpkin?” Riva teases, scooting out of the booth behind me. She tosses her half-full cup of coffee into the trash. She really isn't a coffee drinker. I think she just got something to fit in.

I ignore her comment and start walking to the exit, leaving the rest of them to follow me. Suddenly I am yanked back, and find myself caught in Justin's fierce glare. I have to
blink at the fury I see there.

“We can't be stupid tonight,” he says in a low voice. “You know there is something dangerous out there. We buddy up. You and me. Riva and Malcolm.”

I tip my chin up and glare back at him. The steady look he gives me takes all the wind out of my sails and I swallow my snide retort. Instead I nod my agreement, and am surprised when Justin keeps his hand on my arm as we leave the building.

“Where to first?” Malcolm says with a smile.
I realize he thinks this is all a big game. He's just been playing along for Riva's sake because he knows that's how he'll get with her.

A protective feeling races over me. This isn't a joke to Justin. He has been searching for this door his whole life. No one understands the importance of this mission more than me. I've heard his dad talk about the importance of the legend in the history of the university. Justin's determination used to awe me and scare me equally. I can feel his urgency even now.

“I want to check some of the older buildings first,” Justin says. “Then we'll hit up the law library and the castle again.”

Recently the university started a project to beautify the campus. They have been replacing all the light fixtures. Even though they should
all work because they are new, t
here are
still
long stretches of sidewalk lingering in darkness. As we enter one such section I am
so glad for Justin's presen
ce, sticking close by his side.

A clanging noise causes all of us to jump.
Instinctively I grab Justin's arm. Just as I am about to let go, he reaches out and readjusts my arm to draw me closer. My carefully built walls wobble. This is just for safety, I remind myself. As soon as we come to the next splash of lamplight I pull away. Justin frowns, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Before I can analyze any of this, the wail of police sirens fill the air. We turn toward the nearest street as four campus police cars go whizzing by in a blur of red and blue lights. The four of us step closer together, out of fear or guilt or…something else entirely. Riva and Malcolm don't look so sure about this little endeavor anymore. I know the only reason Malcolm's here is to get with Riva. The two of them have been dancing around their attraction for months. And as much as Riva craves excitement, she doesn't really want to get in trouble or be in danger.

“Maybe we should split up,” I suggest. “You know…cover more ground.”

Malcolm jumps on this immediately, taking Riva's hand and nodding his agreement. “Me and Riva will go look in that law library. You guys can meet us there. You've got my cell number.”

Before we can protest or make any other pl
ans, the two of them hurry off—
Malcolm looking relieved and Riva giggling. T
his is exactly what she wanted.

“We won't be seeing them again,” Justin says arching his eyebro
w and smirking.

I laugh. “No, probably not.”

Justin shoves his hands in his pockets, his shoulders slump. “I guess that means you're out too.”

The unspoken reason hangs between us. Logically I should say, “Yes! I'm out too because we haven't really even talked over the past year. Sure, we see each other. We have the same friends, but the two of us haven't been alone.”

Yet something holds me back from pointing out the obvious. Instead, I decide that I'm in. Something tells me that tonight will be the night we finally find the door.

“No way,” I say. “I'm in ‘til the end.”

Surprise and shock mingle on Justin's face with such intense joy,
I have to look away. He better not think that this changes anything between us. He made his choices and I made mine. That doesn't mean we can't work together, though. And heck, the simple fact that I was able to surprise Justin makes me glow a little.

“Okay then,” Justin says.

We set off again toward one of the oldest buildings on campus. The structure used to house the college gymnasium, back when they had that sort of thing. Now the building is home to some sort of engineering program. Whenever you pass by, the big garage-type doors are open and students (mainly guys) are working on bizarre robotics and animatronics projects.

This is one place we have never thoroughly searched mainly because there aren't many options. But maybe Justin knows something new. A sudden thought stops me in my tracks. What if Justin has been searching this past year without me? I look at him where he has stopped a few feet ahead of me on the sidewalk.

“Daph? What's wrong? Having second thoughts?” He tries to smile, but the corners of his mouth droop immediately.

I force myself to shake my head. The motion feels robotic as my mind swirls around the feeling of betrayal welling up in my chest. “No second thoughts,” I say, my mouth feels dry and cottony.

“What's wrong? Come on, Daphne, I know you. Something's wrong,” Justin says, taking a step closer.

The world spins around me.
Apparently Justin has the same thought at the same moment because he practically leaps at me, closing the distance between us in no time flat. He steadies me in the strong circle of his arms, and for some reason I let myself sink into his embrace. Lifting a hand gingerly a
long my spine, Justin calms me.

Then I remember what brought on this dizzy spell in the first place. I push Justin away. He curses under his breath but I don't stop to demand a replay. Instead I stomp several feet down the sidewalk, trying to find my equilibrium.

“What was that?” I say, cringing at my demandi
ng tone.

Justin runs a hand through his dark hair, ruffling it into disarray. He exhales, looking up at the dark night sky, t
hen back at me. “You tell me,” h
e says, his voice hard and resolute. The challenge is clear. We can't dance around our past forever.

“Have you been searching for the Hidden Door without me?” I ask. The question tumbles out of my mouth before I can stop it. I'm ashamed of the burst of tears that wells up in my eyes. An arctic wind blasts against us, and I pull my hands up into my sweater sleeves, balling them up in my palm to get even a tiny bit warmer.