Gateway to Fourline (The Fourline Trilogy Book 1) (5 page)

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Nat! Wake up! Get up
now
! You have a midterm in thirty minutes!” Viv hung over her, a halo of magenta hair surrounding her face like a cloud of cotton candy.

“What!” Nat sat upright in her chair and scanned the room for Viv’s creepy cat clock. It grinned at her. “Nine thirty! Why didn’t you wake me earlier?” she yelled at Viv and scrambled up.

“I just got back from breakfast. You were still sleeping at your desk when I left, and I didn’t want to wake you since you were up so late. I figured you’d be up and gone by now.” Viv grabbed a granola bar and rummaged in the minifridge for an energy drink. She flipped the tab and shoved the drink into Nat’s hand. “You didn’t get back from wherever you were until midnight. Here.” She placed the unwrapped granola bar in Nat’s other hand. “Rally, zombie girl. If you fail this one and lose your scholarships, I’ll have to find a new roommate when you get kicked out.” She tossed Nat a sweatshirt. “It took me too long to break you in to have to go through that again.”

“Thanks for the words of encouragement.” Nat clipped back her hair while shoving her feet into a worn pair of sneakers.

“Don’t mention it. Seriously, though, after you get through this exam, maybe you need to rethink your work-life balance. I’ve hardly seen you this month except when you’re drooling on your pillow—or your desk.” Viv handed Nat her backpack.

Nat quickly riffled through its contents, then swung it over her shoulder. “Don’t have much choice right now,” she said, her mouth full of granola bar. She zipped up her blue plaid coat. “They can kick me out just as easily for not paying the rest of my tuition. I’ve got this exam down. Don’t worry.”

“Yeah, I’m worrying. Don’t forget, you’re coming home with me for the weekend.”

Nat stopped with her hand on the doorknob. “Viv, I’m sorry, but I’ve got to work tonight, tomorrow, and this whole weekend.”

“All right, fine.” Viv blew the bangs from her face with an exasperated breath. “I knew you were going to bail on me. Bad news for you is I’m taking my bike back to get the gear fixed. Get going.” She pointed to the door.

Nat nodded and headed out the door. A burst of cold wind stung her skin and pushed her slightly to the side as she left the dorm building. She pulled up the collar of her coat, then shoved her bare hands into the fleece pockets. The weather woke her up quickly. She hastened through the quad to the thick glass doors of the Science Center. She paused while looking at the reflection of a hollow-eyed girl clutching the neck of her coat. She could sleep later. Now she needed to push everything but this exam out of her mind, including the late-tuition notice she’d received in her mailbox yesterday. Her cheeks puffed out as she exhaled and opened the door.
Let’s go nail this and move on,
she thought.

Two customers were waiting with returns when Nat rushed into the shop, her head pounding. She felt like little fingers were digging into her forehead. She brushed the light snow off her shoulders while averting her eyes from the bright fluorescent light that hung from the ceiling. Andris stormed in from the costume room.

“You were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago,” he growled.

Her cheeks burned. “I told Estos I would be late. I had to walk from the bus stop.”

Andris ignored her excuse, dumped a load of costumes in her arms, and stormed off.

“I’ll be with you in just a minute,” Nat said over the pile to a young couple holding two matching starfish costumes. She dropped the load on the worktable and shoved her coat and bag under the counter. The back door in the costume room slammed shut.
Good riddance,
she thought. She’d rather work alone with her head about to explode than be subjected to Andris’ icy glares and guttural responses.

A few more customers trickled in with costumes to return. She accepted them with as little interaction as possible. The headache was unrelenting. She dug through her bag, found an old bottle of painkillers, and swallowed two pills dry. They stuck in her throat, sending her into a coughing fit.

When the store quieted, Nat reluctantly turned her attention to the packed return rack. She replayed the morning’s exam in her mind as she halfheartedly checked the costumes for stains. Five questions with two lab experiments. She knew she’d failed at least one of the labs by mistakenly using vinegar to distill the plant oil from the unidentified leaf she’d been given. The vinegar corroded the sample and caused the lab to reek like a pickling plant. How could she have made such a rookie mistake? If she received anything below a B on the midterm, she’d have no room to breathe for the rest of the semester. She had to maintain an A to keep her scholarships.

She sat back, surveying the heap of costumes, and sighed. Thanksgiving break was coming. The thought of going home brought her headache surging forward. Her family was a train wreck right now, and there was not a single thing she could do about it. She couldn’t heal her dad or meet any of his work orders. The last time she’d tried his lathe, she’d nearly lost her thumb. Conversations with Cal led to nothing but arguments. Her mom was already on her about how she was treating her sister. Nat fumed. Her mom was blind to how Cal manipulated her and wheedled her way out of any responsibility or chore. She couldn’t help herself. Someone had to get her to step up.

Nat laid her head on the counter and considered her options. The best thing for her and her family would be if she stayed on campus over break and tried to catch up on her studies. She gazed absentmindedly at the front door as she imagined her mom’s reaction to her not coming home. Splatters of snow covered the gold lettering painted onto the glass. The chime sounded, and Nat jerked awake. She feigned a cough to suppress a yawn as the customer walked into the store. Snow blew in, leaving a light cover on the doormat.

At seven p.m., Nat locked the front door and flipped the “Open” sign to “Closed.” She pressed her face against the glass. She was so tired. The glass fogged around her face. The sky was already dark, but she could see heavy snow whipping against the door. If she left now, she would have to wait for the seven forty-five bus in the snow.
I may as well get through more of this pile before I go,
she thought.

Nat separated the costumes that needed washing or dry cleaning, started a load of laundry, and began returning other costumes to their racks. She glanced at the back door of the costume room and remembered Andris’ tantrum. Hopefully someone other than Andris would come to lock the shop behind her as usual.

At seven twenty-five, she pushed the button under the counter and waited near the back door. The knob remained motionless. She glanced at her watch. She was going to have to run to catch the bus. A thin line of light shone underneath the door. Her knock was soft at first but then grew louder. She tried the knob and to her surprise it turned.

The door opened, revealing an empty hallway. The unadorned walls led to the most intricately carved doors she’d ever seen. Thick and made of dark wood, they stood like sentinels at the end of the hall. Carvings of vines, swords, birds, and suns covered their surface, and the handles were shaped like enormous flowers with their petals curved back. She could barely close her fingers around the handles, but they turned easily. She stepped into a foyer with a stairwell at one end and a smaller open door covered with entwined vines at the other end. The smell of rosemary and roast meat filled the room. Nat’s mouth began to water.

“What are you doing here?” Andris appeared in the doorway. A thin shirt of chain mail covered his broad torso, and a sword at least a yard long hung from a thick leather belt strapped tightly around his waist. The vein in his neck bulged. Nat took a step back.

“It’s time to close up the shop. I need to go home.”

“Go, then!”

“Someone needs to lock up after me.”

“You came back here to tell me that?”

Nat bit her lip and took a deep breath. “I’m leaving to catch my bus. Do what you want with the shop.” She slammed the metal door to the costume room on her way out. She pulled her coat from under the counter. The door chimed dully as she burst out of the store with an arm in only one sleeve of her coat. Snow pelted her skin, and the cold brought her back to her senses a little as the anger faded.

“Stupid Nat,” she muttered, pulling her coat tight. “That’s going to get you fired.” She trudged through a thick blanket of snow covering the sidewalk, cursing herself. Work, school, her family—it was all too much. Maybe she should take next semester off and work full-time. She could get a job at the restaurant back home where she waitressed in the evenings during the summer. She’d always been able to pick up odd jobs, and she could help her dad with his woodworking business and the farm. If she could keep her scholarships, she’d have enough money saved up by next year to come back and not stress so much.

The street was deserted as she continued her trek toward the bus stop. The streetlights gave off a foggy glow, and she slowed momentarily as she passed underneath them. The road and sidewalk were now indistinguishable. She pushed back her coat sleeve and checked her watch. 7:40. She quickened her pace and then broke into a run. Her sneakers were already soaking wet, and her feet were more than cold. If she missed this bus, it would be a long, nasty climb to campus.

Andris opened the door and watched Nat disappear into the storm. He turned and surveyed the quiet storefront, a line of worry set deep in his forehead.

“Andris, I heard yelling. What’s going on?” Estos emerged from the costume room.

“The girl came into the back. She almost made it into the kitchen before I caught her sneaking around. She won’t return after tonight. We’re better off without her around. It was foolish for you and Barba to hire her and bring her so close to the entrance. We’ve got enough problems on our hands without having to worry about that one.”

“What do you mean she won’t return?” Estos asked.

“She doesn’t seem to like my manner. She bolted into that storm like it was a spring day on the banks of the Rust River.” Andris smiled as he scratched his blond beard.

“You let her leave on foot in this weather?” Estos looked out the window. White flakes splattered the glass.

“She mentioned a bus.”

“She’s not going to catch it. Everything is shut down because of the storm.” Estos pulled a heavy felt cape off a mannequin and opened the door. “Lock up behind me, we’ll come around to the side entrance.”

“We?” Andris asked, looking at Estos as if he’d just gone mad.

“And tell Ethet and Barba that we are having company for dinner,” Estos called out.

Nat brushed snow off her watch. The bus was late. She shifted her weight from foot to foot. The road was a smooth layer of white. She looked through the falling snow to the Italian restaurant across the street. A “Closed” sign hung crookedly in its dark window. She straightened as she saw a pair of headlights in the distance. The vehicle slowly turned onto a side street. She shoved her hands deeper into her pockets. Viv was gone, and none of her other friends had cars that could handle this road. Calling anyone was pointless. She had just decided to walk downtown when she heard her name.

“Natalie!” The snow and dark obscured Estos until he was right below the halogen glow of the streetlight by the bus stop.

She squinted into the snow. “What are you wearing?”

Estos pushed back the hood and held up a snow-covered panel of his cape to examine it. “I think it’s from the Robin Hood costume. I was in a rush to catch you. Come on, this weather is getting worse.” He grabbed her arm and started to pull her back the way he came. Nat resisted and Estos let go.

“I’ll find a ride back to campus.”

“No, you won’t. Not in this.”

“Yes, I will. It’s not that far to town.” She wiped snow off her eyelashes so she could see better.

“I’m not trying to be difficult, Natalie, but they shut down the hill road. If you haven’t noticed, nothing is moving in this. Please come back with me. We have plenty of room for you to stay, and dinner is on.” He held out his hand. Snow plastered his hair. She looked through the swirling storm, down the dimly lit street toward downtown, then back at Estos.

“You win.” She sighed. “I’m so tired right now, I don’t even know if I could make it downtown. I’m not sitting next to Andris at the dinner table, though.” She gave Estos a sideways look, hoping he’d take it as humor and not offense.

“Fair enough.” They walked a few moments, then Estos added, “Don’t take Andris’ behavior personally. He’s stressed and preoccupied right now.”

Nat held her tongue. Andris must always be stressed and preoccupied.

They walked silently through the snow past the car-repair shops and auto-parts stores until the outline of the costume shop came into view. She slowed as they reached the entrance, but Estos took her hand, gently this time.

“There’s another entrance around the side. It’s not much farther.” They walked along the warehouse wall. Flurries of snow fell in waves from the gutters high above them. Nat heard a faint humming. When they reached the far corner of the warehouse, Estos pulled her round to a small door. The snowdrifts were knee high. Nat wiggled her toes, trying to regain some sensation in her frozen feet. Estos quickly punched buttons on a keypad and spoke into a snow-covered intercom. The door clicked, and the two stepped inside.