Oriana's Eyes Read online

  “We were just wondering … a few of us were going to head to the river to freshen up.” She looks back at Piper for reassurance and then turns. “Would you like to join us?”

  I look back at the flowers forlornly, knowing that I’d be wise to take this opportunity to meet new people. It isn’t just an obligation; I’m starting to enjoy making friends, at least the few I have made. I’m not too sure how Azura, Liam, or even Malise feels about me.

  I turn to the girls expectantly. “Sure, I’ll go.” They both grin and seem to relax a little.

  I follow them to one side of the pasture, toward the forest barrier. Piper and Lily are silent, glancing at one another occasionally. I decide to end the awkwardness.

  “Have you lived in the Great Oak all your lives?”

  It’s Piper who answers. “Just about. We were born into Odon’s lands, but were lucky enough to escape when we were children.” She clamps her mouth shut as if she might have offended me. Do they actually think I still follow Odon? Or perhaps assume I’m jealous of their early freedom?

  “Yes, you are lucky. It’s great to be welcomed into such a place; I couldn’t feel more fortunate.” I think back to the others, Lenora and Aurek. Do they think of me? Do they even remember me? If only they could leave that place and see all this. Would they change as I have?

  The girls slow down to walk beside me, one on either side. “What is it like there now?” Lily asks warily, yet eager to know.

  “Are they as strict as Dorian says?” Piper chimes in.

  I pause for a moment, unsure of how to describe it. “I—” I glance back and forth, looking into eyes that are still young and hopeful. “I would not wish it upon anyone.”

  Lily swallows. “I see.”

  I regret speaking so harshly when it causes another spell of silence to settle upon us. We enter the forest, and the air seems heavier, muffling any sound of wildlife.

  “This way!” Piper shouts and begins to jog through the trees. Lily picks up the pace behind her.

  I take a deep breath and urge my legs to move faster. They lurch into motion, feeling rusted and heavy. It isn’t long before I’m out of breath and straining to keep up.

  Once we’re past a row of evergreens, a cool breeze picks up, rushing through my hair and nudging me toward the drop to my right. I can hear rushing water nearby, and I can discern the sound of shouts above the din.

  The girls rush toward the end, stopping themselves by grabbing onto trees at the last minute, some of which grow outward into open air at a right angle, hanging on by merely their roots.

  I approach from behind carefully, unsure how steep the drop actually is.

  “How cold is it!?” Piper is calling down to someone as I walk to stand beside her. She is inching closer to the edge, both hands firmly grasping a sturdy tree trunk.

  I look down. The drop is shorter than I expected but still frightful. It overlooks a magnificent waterfall directly to my left, which is near deafening at this distance. Its spray reaches my cheeks, overlaying the beads of sweat that have accumulated from the run. The waterfall cascades in a spray of colors, thrusting into a deep river that sweeps off into the distance and out of sight. At the base of the falls I see the source of shouting, clearly the ones Piper was attempting to contact. A dark-haired boy stands beneath the thundering water, waving his arms for us to join them.

  The girls do not wait for an answer. They are already picking their way toward the falls by the near vertical stairway of flat rocks. I watch from a distance, trembling slightly as they find a ledge jutting out over the falls. The boy has swum to a group of other boys further down the river, leaving the space beneath Piper and Lily open. Lily steps to the edge first, slipping off her sandals and curling her toes over the side of the rock to remain balanced. Her arms over her head, she dives over the side. I wish to close my eyes, but instead find myself moving closer to see if she’s survived. The water barely splashes as she enters fingers first. I hold my breath until she reaches the surface waving her arms as the boys cheer and Piper claps, giggling to herself. I can’t hold back a sigh of relief.

  “Oriana, c’mon, it’s safe. We do this all the time. Just aim straight down. You don’t have to dive; just jump.” My stomach drops. Piper turns to me again, and I wish I could disappear within the trees. She reaches out to me, beckoning me to join her upon the rock ledge. I look down toward the others. Lily is shouting something and gesturing me to join her, which I’d gladly do, if only they’d show me a safe side path around the falls.

  I feel myself shaking, and it isn’t because of the cool breeze or the spray of water. I get low to the ground, sliding myself slowly down the natural rock stairs. Piper has her hands out to catch me, yet I can picture myself slipping and her going straight down with me. I close my eyes for a moment, erasing the image from my mind. Then in a short time I’m once again on a flat surface.

  Piper laughs. “I guess they don’t have anything like this at the University.”

  I shake my head. I thought nothing would be scarier than that place, which causes me to reconsider my circumstances. I have been through a lot, feared things much worse than death, so what makes this so much scarier? I get to my feet slowly, still trembling. Shouts rise from below, which I think are words of encouragement. I look over the edge. Let go, Oriana. I gulp at the thought. Let go of your fears, and trust yourself. I judge the center of the river, testing my footing and the bounce in my legs. I slowly take off my shoes, feeling the sun-warmed stone beneath bare feet. I close my eyes, and jump.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  I’m falling, the air sweeping past me, the spray of water striking my face. My eyes shoot open, and I see the river hurtling toward me. I close my eyes, holding my breath as I plunge into the icy water. Then my arms are straining to pull me to the surface. I feel awkward trying to find some kind of coordination in my strokes. The current is strong, and I fight off panic. Which way is up? I gave no thought to how ready I was to swim. I haven’t tried it since I was a child when a small pond outside the playground walls became a place to escape. They took it away from us once the Odonians noticed the children running back with wet robes. They locked the gates and shortened play time; then it was forgotten altogether.

  My lungs are burning, and my strokes are not doing anything but tiring me out. Has this all been worth it? Trying to face my fears, to look danger in the eyes? I feel foolish as my tense body relaxes and I let the current take me. I lose track of how long I’ve been under. A last fighting urge rises in me, and I reach upward. My hand breaks the surface, and another grabs hold of it, wrenching me against the pull of the river. A second hand takes me around the waist and hauls me out. I burst through the surface gasping and coughing, swallowing the fresh air frantically. The young man’s eyes show a tinge of fear as he brings me to shore where the others are waiting. Piper swims up after us, breathing hard and hurrying to reach me.

  “That was a close call. You nearly didn’t make it.” The man has calmed and wipes the wet hair back from my face as I lean back against a tree. Something glints in his eyes as he looks me over. “Well, now …”

  “Is she all right? Why didn’t you tell me you couldn’t swim?” Piper grabs my arm, and Lily comes up behind her.

  “We thought you were gone for sure!” Lily hands me a dry cloth, and I bury my face in it. It is warm from being left in the sun.

  My breathing has slowed, but I still hold back from answering. How can they understand my embarrassment at nearly drowning in front of everyone? I look down at my feet. They are slightly blue from the cold, and I pull them closer to my body. “I … I underestimated the current …” Then in my own defense, “I never swam in a river before.”

  Piper and Lily sigh as if they’ve been holding their breaths this whole time. “Well, I suppose we should’ve asked first,” Piper replies.

  “As long as you’re all right,” Lily adds.

  “You’re lucky I was there to grab you,” the young man chimes in from
behind the two girls.

  Lily rolls her eyes, “Yeah, you better thank Finley now, or he’ll be bragging about it forever.”

  Finley pushes the girls aside. “Don’t listen to them.” His bare torso shows he is a broad shouldered man. His dark brown hair is wet and plastered back from matching brown eyes. His tanned skin and a scar running down his right cheek give him a weathered look. He kneels beside me, studying me with a grin.

  “Thank you,” I state, trying to avoid eye contact without being rude, and unsure how to respond to his frank gaze. He seems a bit older than me and is missing that naivety that the others have. He has the look of someone who has been through a lot.

  “Oriana, I would save you again in a heartbeat.” He smiles, reaching out to take my hand and help me to my feet. Before letting it go he kisses it, giving me another long look with his daring eyes. The other boys I had seen from the ledge have gathered around us, and I hear them chuckle to one another and comment on their friend’s advances.

  “Finn!” Piper shoves him in the side with an elbow. “Are you crazy? This is Oriana, the pureblood.”

  Finley turns to her, shrugging. “I can see that.” He scratches the side of his hair, sending a spray of droplets.

  I begin drying my own hair with the cloth, acting as though I’m not actually noticing the conversation.

  “Well, she’s taken,” Lily explains.

  A guy from behind adds, “Dorian’s girl!” in a teasing voice.

  I can’t hide the blush that rises to my cheeks, though I act like I’m looking at something in the distance.

  Recognition lights Finley’s face, and he laughs. “Yeah, I get it, the half-let boy’s pureblood.” He looks sideways at me. “But how was I supposed to know she’d be so … what’s the word … beautiful?” The other boys burst out laughing. One even smacks Finley on the back playfully.

  Lily comes to loop her arm around mine, probably noting the look of complete humiliation on my face. “Don’t worry, he has an endless infatuation with pretty girls, and no amount seems to suffice.

  “Hey, Finn, aren’t ya goin’ to introduce us to the lady?” a blond-haired boy to his right responds.

  “Oh yeah, where are my manners? Let me introduce the guys.” Finley points to the boy on his right, short yet sturdy and taking the pose of a boy twice his height. “This is Jagger, he’s Dugan, that’s Buck, and the little one’s Weasel.”

  I nod to each one, Dugan being a boy about my age with his long black hair tied at the base of his neck. He gives a half grin, his eyes heavy lidded and calm. Buck is the tallest; strongly built and with chestnut colored hair and eyes, he appears powerful, but his smile proves he’s harmless. He places his large hand on top of Weasel’s head, nearly swallowing it entirely. The smaller boy peeks out at me to grin and give a floppy wave. His mop of mousy brown hair covers two wide round eyes.

  “Nice to meet you all,” I reply politely. It’s hard not to giggle at the motley bunch.

  “Well, now that everyone knows one another, we should probably get back to work,” says Lily whose arm is still wrapped around mine protectively. She begins to lead me away. Piper starts to follow.

  “Strange that you weren’t invited to Tor’s early meeting, don’t you think?” Finley comments while rubbing at the short growth of beard on the side of his face.

  We stop, and I slip my arm from Lily’s to face him. She remains still.

  “I mean, you’ve got to be wondering what he’s hiding from you,” Finley adds, knowing he has caught my interest. I notice that even the guys behind him have become nervous about the subject.

  “Finley, you shouldn’t …” Piper starts, but I cut her off.

  “Do you know what it’s about? What they’re discussing?” I watch his face eagerly.

  He shrugs. “Only what they’ve been telling the rest of us, which is probably more than he’s telling you.”

  I can’t help but feel his words hold truth. After all, Dorian left me without any explanation. How could he have known that I would meet up with Malise? I might have been wandering for hours! Not to mention keeping me in the dark about last night’s conversation. The thought is striking a nerve.

  “Finley, you really shouldn’t …” Lily stands beside me now, deciding whether or not she should take my arm once more or let me be. “She’s probably worried about him as it is …”

  “Worried? About Dorian?” I turn to her, trying to read the look of shock on her face.

  “Lily!” Piper shouts.

  “You mean she doesn’t—”

  “Shh!!”

  I nearly explode with frustration. “Is anyone going to tell me what is going on and why I should be worried?!” The others just stare at me silently. Even Finley is watching me guiltily.

  “Oriana!” Malise bursts through the woods followed by Aaron and a relieved-looking Toby. “We’ve been looking for you everywhere!” She holds up my discarded cloth bag with a stern look.

  “Toby found this, and we thought you were …”

  “We thought you had been taken!” Aaron states emphatically.

  “Taken?” I ask quizzically, unsure of what he means.

  “Never mind. Let’s just head back; it’s nearly lunchtime.” Malise begins to hand the bag back to me. “Oriana?” She looks at me oddly. “What’s wrong with your neck? Did something happen?”

  I reach up to stroke the skin and feel a tender lump. I gasp at the sudden pain. I try to remember how I got it, not from the jump—and then a memory flashes in my mind. The whiteness, the stinging pain. My brain feels as though it’s being crushed, my skull is on fire, and I cannot think at all. Something is strangling me, keeping me from remembering that moment. What they put into me. I struggle to hang onto it, to keep the images alive. But it is too strong, and I’ve grown so weak. I expend the last of my energy and collapse to the ground.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  A cool cloth is pressed against my forehead, and I open my eyes. Tor stares down at me, a smile pressing his lips and a look of relief in his eyes.

  “She’s waking up …” someone whispers at my side.

  I prop myself up on my elbows. The cloth drops to the ground, and Tor lifts it back to my face. For some reason I’m lying on the forest floor. I begin to remember … Piper and Lily, the river, Finley rescuing me and then Malise. But why did I pass out?

  “What happened?” I ask, taking the cloth from Tor’s hand as I sit upright and then wipe the back of my neck.

  No one answers, and I stop to glance at their faces. Piper and Lily are watching Tor nervously, and Finley has wandered to the back of the group.

  “You passed out suddenly, and Toby ran to get me.” Tor gestures to Toby who stands at his side, still breathing heavily from the long run. “Piper told me what happened. I think maybe you had a little too much water.” He grins, patting me on the arm.

  I nod but can’t help being suspicious as Finley walks away muttering something beneath his breath. Tor looks back at him and then turns to me giving a small shake of his head.

  “Well, I think it’s time you all headed back for lunch …”

  “Where’s Dorian?” I ask, wondering why Tor has come instead of him.

  Tor looks at me for a moment as if buying time for his mind to work. “He couldn’t …”

  “Can we go back now? I’m starving!” Aaron shouts from beside Malise.

  The thought causes my stomach to grumble, and Dorian’s absence loses its importance for the moment. I begin getting to my feet, and Piper takes my arm to help me up.

  “You’ll feel much better after you eat something,” she says, leading me away.

  I can’t help wondering why Tor came all the way from the Great Oak to make sure I was all right. If all I needed was a cold compress, what was Tor there for? Not only that, if the situation was so serious that Tor was sent for, why hadn’t Dorian thought to come? Maybe I’m thinking too much.

  I sigh as we reach the base of the Great Oak. I hang back as
the others begin to climb the ladder. I watch as Malise and her brother disappear behind the large bough. Why does it feel like there are even more secrets outside of the University? I thought I had solved everything by leaving, and yet this world is still a mystery. It’s hard not to question everything when the others keep carrying on silent conversations with their eyes.

  “Questioning your ‘friends’?” I jump, not having noticed Finley standing beside me. I can’t find the right answer, so he continues. “I recognized that look of suspicion on your face.”

  His smirk annoys me; his demeanor is too self-confident. I shake my head. “You’re mistaken.” I walk past him toward the ladder, not wanting to look back. I know he doesn’t believe me. It doesn’t matter. I need to get to lunch. But first, I need to find Dorian and clear my mind. I’ll ask him what the truth is and force him to tell me why I should be worrying about him.

  Climbing the ladder, I fail to notice the heights, and my determination to reach Dorian has me arriving at the platform before I know it. I look up when my hand is grasping solid wood instead of another rung. This time I pull myself up and to my feet. Finley swings onto the platform next to me. He doesn’t say anything else.

  The others are anxious for a meal and are starting down the platform toward the dining structure. Piper and Lily hang back to check up on me.

  “You’re going to sit with us, right?” Lily asks sweetly. Piper nods in agreement. I can tell they have honest intentions, and I reply with an equally honest smile.

  “Of course I will. I just need to find Dorian first.”

  “Right, okay then,” Lily answers. We walk the rest of the way in silence that I don’t have the energy to break. I’m concentrating too hard on finding Dorian. If I can just see him, things will be back to normal.

  The food has already been laid out as I enter the platform shelter. Flaps on the side of the structure that faces away from the Oaks’ trunk have been opened to let in a natural light, and a cool breeze sweeps down the table, sending a wave of sweet aromas. Piper and Lily follow me down the side of the table until they find their seats halfway from the door. I continue down, trying to see around the corner before I’ve actually turned it. As I round the bend, I see Azura and Liam sitting in the same places as last night. I notice that Tor has already made it to his seat, and again they are speaking animatedly across to one another. My stomach sinks; Dorian is nowhere in sight.