Chapter 7
Although it’s still early summer, the heat in the evenings has been anything but comfortable for sleeping. I madly kick off my covers and stick out one of my legs from beneath the sheets seeking relief. It’s better, but the air is still sticky with humidity. Why is it so hot in here? Normally the light breeze that drifts through my window is enough to keep the heat at bay. Lying in the dark, I remember having locked every door and window in the house before going to bed, and once again, I let my paranoia get the best of me. I groan, opening my eyes to the dark space surrounding me, debating whether or not to drag myself out of bed to open the window. I glance over at my alarm clock, and the glowing red numbers tell me it’s just past midnight. I think of Marcie dancing the night away at prom, and I suddenly develop a twinge of pain in my stomach. I don’t regret not going to prom; it’s just that I hope I made the right decision. Now, without having anyone to catch me, I don’t want to make any mistakes.
Reaching over, I turn on the lamp and freeze with my hand still on the switch. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a dark figure move from the other side of the room. Oh my God. Quickly turning my head, I gasp and my eyes go wide and I start to scream bloody murder. There’s a man standing at the end of my bed.
“Anna, don’t,” the young man says urgently, rushing over and clasping a hand over my mouth. His expression looks almost as frightened as mine.
I don’t move. I can’t move. I’m frozen stiff with terror about the strange man kneeling beside my bed with his hand covering my mouth. My eyes are wide with fear, and my heart is working over-time.
“I told you not to be afraid, Anna,” he says in a gentle but husky voice. “I promise I won’t hurt you, Anna. Can you please calm down so I can explain why I’m here?”
How does he know my name? I search my memories endlessly for an explanation and I’m suddenly reminded of the mysterious message I discovered yesterday. Did he write that note? My breathing is still rapid and I nod my head in agreement, promising I won’t scream anymore.
“Okay.” He carefully lowers his hand, and there's a twinge of a smile growing across his face as he sits on the edge of my bed. He’s sitting on my bed!
I stare unmoving at him. Despite his kind words, something tells me not to trust this stranger. Before he has a chance to explain himself, my gut instincts take over and with all my strength, I swiftly kick him hard in the ribs and make a mad dash for the door. Behind me, I hear him groaning in response.
Before I can reach the doorknob and escape, the stranger grasps my arm tightly, his fingers digging into my flesh. I try to wriggle free, but he’s too strong. Still holding his aching ribs, he tightens his grip even more on my arm.
“What do you want with me? Why are you here?” I ask, distressed, thrashing my arm this way and that. My emotions are running wild, as I search his face for an answer, but to my surprise I’m presented with a sly smirk. He thinks this is funny. He thinks this frightening situation and my anxiety is amusing. How can he react to my terror so lightheartedly? "You're hurting me."
He immediate relaxes his grasp, giving me genuine look of apology “I'm sorry, Anna,” he says gently, “but if you’ll just come and sit with me, I’ll explain why I’m here. I’m not here to hurt you. I would never do anything to hurt you.”
I take a few deep breaths, allowing my body to calm down from the adrenaline overload. It’s pointless trying to get away. Watching me closely, he cautiously releases my arm and ushers me back to my bed where we both sit down. I don’t like him sitting on my bed. I sit back against the headboard and analyze the stranger in front of me. I guess he seems pretty harmless, but my guard remains intact. His bizarre actions don’t lead me to believe he’s a kidnapper or a murderer, but having little trust, I take this moment to memorize my perpetrator in case I need to give a statement to the police later.
He’s wearing a black V-neck t-shirt and light washed jeans. There’s a thin black leather string hanging from around his neck leading beneath his t-shirt. His chin length brown sun kissed hair hangs in pieces framing his face, shielding part of his eyes. His lightly tanned face is complemented by smooth features and a chiseled jaw line. I guess him to be maybe a year or two older than me.
“Anna,” he starts, his hand running through his hair, revealing his idyllic green eyes. There’s something familiar about…wait. I know those eyes.
“You!” I yell, sitting up on my knees. I’ve seen those eyes before. I’ll never forget the feeling that washed over me when I looked into them. They’re the same eyes that have been haunting my dreams and the same ones that gazed right through me at the hospital the night my parents died. “Who are you?” I demand, my strength coming back in full force. “Why are you here?”
He smirks, the corner of his lips rising slightly. “If you would give me a chance, I’ll tell you.” He shifts his body towards me, and I notice the way his sculpted arm muscles contract as he moves. “By the way, for someone so quiet, you sure do scream loud,” he says in a joking tone but I don’t find it funny. How does he know I’m quiet? How does he know anything about me?
“Fine, go ahead." I pull the bed covers up to my chin, acting as a shield and he grins watching me.
“My name is Aaden. Aaden Cross and I am a Scout,” he says confidently, waiting for my reaction.
“Okay…,” I respond, a glazed look covering my face, “…I don’t know what that means.”
Aaden, snickers a little.
“What? It’s not funny!” I practically yell, my impatience getting the best of me. “How would you feel if some stranger just showed up in your room during the middle of the night?”
“I know, I’m sorry,” he says, raising his hands in apology. “It’s just that I kind of find your anger amusing.”
Who is this guy?
“Well, I’m glad you find my state of panic so entertaining,” I say, annoyed. “Will you just get on with it before I call the police?”
“With pleasure,” he says, not hiding his sarcasm. “Like I said, my name is Aaden Cross, and I’m a Scout sent here from Everly.” His expression is serious as he looks into my eyes for understanding.
I stare back at him in complete disbelief. Am I even awake right now?
“What are you talking about?” I ask completely baffled. “What’s Everly?”
Aaden’s expression eases. “Everly, is the place where you and your family are from, it’s the place their ancestors founded. It’s kind of hard to explain until you experience it, but I’ll try to keep it simple. Everly, is a place that doesn’t exist in this world.” He gestures to the space around us with his hand and I raise my eyebrows in disbelief, wondering if this guy recently escaped from the mental hospital across town. “It’s a place in an alternate universe, parallel to this one in space and time.” He stops and reads my confused expression with those mesmerizing green eyes of his. “Sorry, I know it doesn’t make any sense now, but it will. Maybe your grandmother can explain it better.”
“My grandmother?” I ask shocked. “What does Gram know about any of this?”
“Well…,”Aaden starts, “….she used to live there, along with your parents, but they left before you and Kayla were born because —”
“Wait!” I throw my hands up in frustration. “This doesn’t make any sense! How do you know about my parents? How do you know about Kayla?” Adrenaline is barreling through my body like a freight train and I can’t sit still any longer. Throwing back my bed covers, I bound out of bed and stand in the middle of the room with my arms crossed. I am so confused and the feeling is unsettling. Who is this stranger telling me about my family and where I come from?
“Anna, please don’t get upset,” Aaden says, his voice full of concern as he stands up and walks over to me. He’s almost a head taller than me, and I feel abnormally small and defenseless when he stops only inches away. “You don’t have to understand all of this tonight and I don't expect you to. We have time to talk about all of this, but there is one more thing you should know.”
I break his gaze and stare up at the swimming poster hanging above Aaden’s shoulder. I wish it were possible to jump into it, into a place where life isn't complicated and where secrets can't be hidden. As I fantasize about escaping into the water, I wonder what more he could possibly tell me. His words sound like a web of lies, carefully constructed to yield the most punch without the pain. I don't know how much more I want to hear and I wearily look back at him without saying anything.
"Listen, Anna. If you don't want to hear anymore tonight, then —"
"No," I cut him off, my eyes wavering. "Tell me. I need to know." It doesn't matter what else Aaden has to tell me. My life can't possibly get anymore damaged than it already is. "It's okay," I say, noticing the question in his eyes. "You can tell me."
He brings his arms up to cross them in front, but then drops them back down. “Anna," he hesitates, "your last name isn’t Scott. It’s Everleen.”
I take a moment to process what he's just told me, like there has to be a clue planted somewhere inside my mind. “Everleen?” I ask, raising my eyebrows in question. “My name is Anna Everleen?” When I say my name out loud it doesn’t sound right. It sounds like I’m saying someone else’s name — someone I don’t know.
“Yes." Aaden confirms, his voice not quite as strong as before. “Everly is named after your family.”
“I…I don’t know what’s going on,” I stutter, feeling tears of frustration forming behind my eyes. “I feel lost all over again, and none of this makes any sense.” I try to hold them back, but the tears start to stream down my face, and I must look like a mess. I’m sure my hair is disheveled as it always is when I wake up, and my face blotchy from crying. I wipe away the tears with the back of my hand and take a few breaths to collect myself.
Watching me with careful eyes, Aaden tilts his head to the side. “I know you’ve been through a lot, with the loss of your parents and everything…”
Through bleary eyes, my breath catches in my throat and I look up at his sympathetic face. “How do you know about my parents?”
He sticks his hands in his pockets and looks away as if he's said too much. “I know almost everything there is to know about you, Anna," he starts. "It was part of my training in becoming a Scout. We’re required to study the individual we’re assigned to scout.”
The thought of this perfect stranger knowing almost everything there is to know about me makes me feel exposed, and I fold my arms tighter around my body. “What exactly is a Scout?” I ask quietly, having somewhat calmed down.
Having sensed my mood change Aaden smiles. He takes a step back and sits down on the bed. “A Scout is the title we use in Everly, for someone who is sent to seek and protect lost members belonging to the Infinite Eight.” He waits for me to question his explanation, but I just stay quiet, frozen, listening. “The Infinite Eight is the name we use for the founding families of Everly. They are kind of like a monarchy in a way. They are basically responsible for governing or delegating people to govern the village.”
Aaden puts his hands behind him and leans back on the bed. As he eyes me, I notice the way his black t-shirt pulls against his fit shoulders.
“So, are you telling me I’m a member of one of these founding families or something? Is that why you’re here? Why you came for me?”
He nods and grins. “Yes, you belong to the Everleen family, which is the first and most prestigious of the families.” Aaden looks into my eyes for some sort of reaction. Reading the confusion on my face he leans forward, and combs back the pieces of hair that hang in his face. “There’s a lot more I need to tell you, but we don’t have to go over all the details tonight. I don’t want to upset you any further. Like I said, we have time. Mainly my job is to watch you and bring you safely back to Everly.”
My head is spinning from trying to process all of this new information. I bring my hands up to cover my face as I try to internalize and make sense of this story. I have no idea what’s going on. All I know is I’m home alone and there’s a strange guy sitting on my bed telling me unbelievable stories about my family’s past and some place called Everly. How can I believe him?
“So…,” I say, in a serious tone. “Let me get this straight…are you saying I’m from another universe…?”
Aaden’s expression lightens. “Yes, a parallel one.” He brings his arms forward and cradles his hands in front. Once again the muscles in his toned arms contract and I quickly glance away before he catches me looking. “I’m here to bring you safely back to Everly. Back home, to where you truly belong.”
Back home? I don’t know any other home than the one I’m currently standing in. How can I be from somewhere else? If this all turns out to be true, then why didn’t my parents ever mention it to Kayla and me? I need proof. If what Aaden’s telling me is real, then I need evidence to back up his story. Then again, if what he’s telling me is just hocus pocus — and I’m pretty sure it is, then there’s a psycho in my room, and I’m all alone. Maybe I should have kept the rolling pin with me.
“Why should I believe you? Parallel universes don’t exist,” I say, this time with a hint of smugness in my voice.
Aaden looks at me with those alluring green eyes, contemplating my comment. I knew it. He’s trying to think of something clever to say to back up his make believe story. Standing, he walks over to me and like before, stops only inches in front of me. He’s in my personal bubble and it makes me feel uncomfortable. I want to take a step back, but I feel the need to stand my ground in order to prove my point. He’s got nothing.
“I figured you’d ask me that question,” he says sheepishly. Not taking his eyes off mine, he reaches for the leather string hanging around his neck and slowly pulls it free from beneath his t-shirt.
I follow the object beneath his shirt and gasp. “Where did you get that?”
Hanging from the thin leather string is the same symbol as my necklace: an infinity symbol encompassed by two parallel lines. It’s much simpler than mine being made only of silver rather than platinum, and there is no birthstone embedded in the center, but it’s just as unique and beautiful.
I raise my hand up to touch it, confirming it’s the real thing. “How did you get this?” I ask in wonder. “I’ve never seen anyone but the people in my family wear this necklace.” Forgetting my personal bubble, I reach up again and lift the symbol from Aaden’s chest, analyzing the shape.
He watches me closely as I run my thumb over the symbol’s surface. “It’s the symbol of Everly,” he answers, gazing down at me, pieces of his hair falling slightly forward. “It represents where you’re from, and where I’m from. Everyone from Everly wears one in some form or another.”
I don’t believe this. I don’t believe he’s wearing my family’s emblem around his neck. The necklace supports his story that we are somehow connected, but is it enough? Suddenly aware of our close proximity, I let the necklace fall back against his solid chest and retreat a step. “How can I be from another universe?” I ask flustered.
“Don’t worry, you’re not an alien if that’s what you’re thinking,” Aaden laughs, but I fail to see the humor. “And there isn’t another version of you walking around if that’s what you’re thinking. That’s not how it works.”
“None of this proves that there’s another universe out there,” I say, folding my arms.
He looks at me quizzically for a moment. “Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there, Anna,” he says, crossing his arms, mirroring my stance. “You’ll see. I have much more to tell you, but I think you’ve heard enough for tonight.”
Enough? I’m just supposed to go to bed now, and fall asleep with all of this on my mind? I want to know more. I need to know everything.
“Why don’t we talk about something else…Maybe something not quite so serious and life altering?” There’s something unnerving about the way his eyes settle on my every movement as if he’s memorizing my actions. Stepping back, he smiles and returns to his spot on my bed.
Why does he keep looking at me like that? Just because he holds the upper hand in this particular situation does not qualify him to act like a jerk. It’s as if my confusion is entertaining to him. I should have kicked him harder earlier.
Pulling me from my puzzled thoughts, Aaden asks, “Aren’t you supposed to be at prom or something?”
“What?” I ask, raising my head up to look at him. “What does prom have to do with any of this?”
“Nothing, just thought it might be an interesting enough topic to take your mind off of things." He shrugs his shoulders. “I thought every high school girl wanted to go to prom.”
“Well, I’m not your typical high school girl,” I retort, still crossing my arms.
“Believe me, I know,” he responds, smiling.
I don’t want to reveal to Aaden the real reason I didn’t go to prom. I don’t know him, and the thought of discussing my family with him already feels awkward enough. I quickly try to think of some reasonable explanation for not going. Quick, Anna, think. “I…I didn’t have a date.” There, that seems plausible. It’s kind of true. Anyone who has known me long enough would believe that explanation.
Aaden furrows his eyebrows as his eyes run up and down my body, and I suddenly feel very exposed in my tank top and shorts. “I don’t believe that for a second,” he says a little too sultry for my liking.
When his eyes land on mine, a rush of heat rises to my face and I look away, trying to mask my embarrassment. Really, who is this guy? “Well, whether you believe it or not, really doesn’t matter,” I reply, with about an ounce of confidence.
“Okay,” he laughs, raising his hands in defense. “For what it’s worth, I didn’t go to my prom either.”
I think about his statement for a second. He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to miss an opportunity to let loose and party with friends. I take the time to look at him for a moment, and notice that he isn’t that bad looking. In fact I’m sure some girls would find him attractive if you’re into that rough around the edges kind of look — which I’m not. Curious, I ask, “Why didn’t you go to prom?”
“I didn’t have a date,” he says, glancing away, his expression suddenly going serious. His sudden lack of eye contact makes me wonder if there’s something he’s not sharing. He’s definitely hiding something, and I’m curious to know what it is. Looks like I'm not the only one with something to hide.
I know what it feels like to be pushed for information, so I let it go. I could playfully reply with the same response he gave me, but that would definitely send the wrong message. “Okay,” I say. My easy response surprises him, and his face immediately relaxes. There’s a moment of awkward silence as we both look at each other, searching for answers, neither one of us is willing to break.
Aaden stands and runs his fingers back through his hair as he walks to the door. “Well, I think that’s enough excitement for you tonight. You don’t want to be tired for that bonfire tomorrow.”
“How do you know about the bonfire?” I ask, taken aback.
“Anna...,” he starts.
“Right,” I interrupt, “you know everything about me.” I don’t like that he knows everything going on in my life. Before tonight, I had the freedom to conduct my life as I saw fit. Not that it was all that exciting to begin with, but knowing someone is hovering over my shoulder and watching my every move is disconcerting, and it makes me feel like I’m on display.
Sensing my discomfort, Aaden places his hand on the doorknob to leave.
“When will I see you again?” I ask. Maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say, but I’m too tired and confused to think of something less needy.
He cocks an eyebrow. “So, you want to see me again?” he teases and I roll my eyes. I wish he would stop doing that.
“You know what I mean. When will you tell me more about Everly?”
With his hand still on the doorknob, Aaden leans forward and I can almost feel his breath warm against my cheek. “Don’t worry your pretty little self. I’ll be around."
He opens the door to leave and I want to stop him from going and make him tell me more, but I resist the temptation. Can I just let him leave as easily as he entered? “How did you get in here anyway?” I blurt out. “I locked all the doors and windows.”
Aaden tilts his head to the side and smugly says, “Breaking into a house doesn’t take much more skill than breaking into a locker. Goodnight, Anna. Sleep well.”
He leaves and I’m left standing in the middle of my room completely dumbfounded. I press my palms to my eyes. Did that just happen? Did a complete stranger just break into my house, sit on my bed and tell me fairy tale stories about my deceased family? Even after Aaden’s matching necklace, I still find it difficult to believe any of it. I tell myself that I’ll find out more later — whenever that will be.
Outside, I hear the roaring start of an engine, and I’m suddenly brought back to the present. Running to the front of the house, I pull back the window blind and look down into the dimly lit street to watch Aaden ride off into the night on a motorcycle. He’s wearing a black leather jacket and a bright blue helmet. “Jerk,” I mutter before heading back to my room for what will certainly be a troubled night’s sleep.