***
Monday arrived too soon. I had shut everyone out, even Mom, and now I had to deal with school. I wished I didn’t have to go, wished I could stay in bed and never leave my room, but hiding wouldn’t bring Torin back.
I ate without tasting the food while Mom watched me from across the table with a worried expression. “Are you sure about going to school today? You don’t look too good. Maybe we should go see the doctor first.”
I shook my head and forced myself to smile. “I’d rather stay busy. Is Eirik coming to pick me up?”
“No, I’ll drive you to school myself.”
I couldn’t remember the last time she drove me to school. Kindergarten? In elementary school and junior high, Dad would give me rides whenever I needed, but I often used the school bus.
Eirik and Cora were waiting for me outside the school. He carried my backpack. According to my doctor, I wasn’t allowed to carry anything heavier than a two-liter bottle of soda. Cora opened the door and held it for me. Seeing the runes on the entrance sent a rush of anguish through me. Would everything I saw remind me of Torin? The walk to my locker happened in a haze. It didn’t sink in that Torin was really gone until my math class started and he didn’t appear.
“Do you need to see the nurse?” Mrs. Bates asked.
I stared at her with unseeing eyes. “No.”
She leaned closer and whispered, “You’re crying, Ms. Cooper. If you’re in pain, go home or take your meds. If you need a moment, go to the restroom and calm yourself down.”
I calmed down, but I couldn’t wait for the day to be over. Eirik was attentive, always outside my classrooms, walking me to class after class. When the bell rang and signaled the end of the day, I headed to his car. The closer we got to home, the tighter my stomach became. All I needed to see was Torin’s garage door. If it was open, then I’d know he was home.
The garage door was closed.
Days rolled by, his absence a festering wound that ate at me. A few times, I could have sworn I felt him, but it was only wishful thinking. Every time I turned around and searched the crowd for a pair of brilliant blue eyes and a wicked grin, the empty hole inside me grew.
At night, I cried myself to sleep, missing him. I wasn’t allowed to do any physical activities, so I couldn’t go swimming. Eirik and Cora filled me in on what was happening during practice. They came to my house most evenings after dinner. Not once did they mention Torin. Part of me appreciated it, while the other part resented them for not caring he was gone.
Eirik was attentive, loving, and patient. I couldn’t have made it through the week without him. He became my anchor. As for the swim team, I didn’t know what to do about them. The thought of either Eirik or Cora dying chewed my insides, but warning them wouldn’t change a thing. Cora had ditched Keith after the Homecoming Dance, but she didn’t seem too broken up about it. In fact, she seemed happier. He’d already moved on and had a new girlfriend.
On Friday, we entered the cafeteria, and the first people I noticed were Marj, Catie, and Jeannette. The three Norns were back. The swim team’s time was up. Fear rose to my throat and stifled me while they laughed and acted normal.
“You okay, Raine?” Eirik asked.
I shook my head, dizzy with dread. “Do you guys know those three over there?”
Cora and Eirik turned and followed my gaze. Marj and her friends were staring at us now. Eirik nodded at them. Cora waved.
“Yeah, we met them yesterday during practice,” she said. “They’re transfers from Doc’s old high school. They’re starting on Monday because we have the Crimson versus Gold meet tonight. Why do you ask?”
I shrugged. I didn’t have an answer for them. What could I tell them anyway? That another accident was about to happen? Without Torin to stop it, more people would be killed. My stomach churned, and my mind raced with possible things I could do to stop them. Would they strike tonight during the intrasquad meet?
“If I was a new student, I wouldn’t want to join the team now,” Cora said, drawing my attention to the conversation she was having with Eirik.
“Don’t start with that again,” he said.
“I’m not the only person thinking it,” she retorted.
Eirik rolled his eyes.
“Thinking what?” I asked.
“Doc tried to organize a dinner party, but there were no takers,” Eirik explained.
We always looked forward to team dinners. “Why?”
“After the incident at the club and last weekend, everyone thinks the team is jinxed or something,” Cora said.
Or something.
“Excuse me.” I stood on shaky legs and started across the cafeteria. I had no idea what I was going to tell the three Norns, but I had to try and reason with them. By the time I reached their table, I was shaking with fear and anger. The alarming coldness I always felt in their presence threatened to overwhelm me. I ignored it, leaned down and looked into Marj’s eyes. “Bring Torin back.”
She stared blankly at me. “What?”
“I want Torin back.”
She looked at the other two then pinned me with a glare. “Who are you?”
“You know who I am, just like I know who you are, Marj LeBlanc.” I glanced at the one with black hair and tan complexion. “Catie Vivanco.” Finally, my eyes connected with the blonde’s. “And you, Jeannette Wilkes. It doesn’t matter what names you’re using now. You are Norns. You were there when I was born. You were recently at the hospital when I got hurt, though I thought I was dreaming, and now you’re back. What do you want?”
They didn’t hide their shock, but Marj recovered first.
“You’re crazy,” she snapped. “We’re new here. We’ve never met you before.”
“Oh, stop it, Marj,” Catie said. “She can see right through our lies.”
Jeannette glared at Catie. “And whose fault is that? You just had to save her. She’s going to be impossible to control just like her—”
“Don’t,” Marj snapped and gripped Jeannette’s hand.
“My what? My father? My mother?” Catie smiled. She seemed to be nicer than the other two, but I wasn’t ready to play nice. “I won’t let you kill my friends or keep Torin and me apart.”
Marj’s brown eyes glowed eerily. “You won’t let us?”
I swallowed against a rising panic. “That’s right. My friend has a vlog that most students around here watch and millions more online watch. Starting tomorrow, I’ll use it to do an exposé on you, your world, and what you do.” They stared at me, then each other, and then back at me again. “Leave my friends alone, and bring Torin back.”
I turned to leave and bumped into Eirik and Cora. They’d followed me and were looking at me like I was nuts. How much had they heard?
“What’s a Torin?” Cora asked.
CHAPTER 16. A SURPRISE