Gilded (19 page)

“You read Korean?” I ask.

“Naw, I just stare at the pretty characters for fun.”

“Cultured and a comedian.”

“I try to please. I expect to get through college on my comedy skills alone.”

I burst into a ridiculous laugh, and I can’t seem to stop.
This is probably what hysterics are,
I decide as I snort and hiccup like a complete idiot. At least the pressure in my chest seems to have released as we hurry up the stairs into the high school, away
from the February cold. I grab the side door, but the chill from the handle seeps through my bandages. Even with the wounds healing at impossible speeds, it still hurts.

“Wait,” he says, and the humor leaves his face. “I can’t let you go back in there after what just happened.”

“You know what happened?”

“I do. And I think you’re in terrible danger.”

The wind curls around me, frosty and sharp. “That was your voice calling me, wasn’t it? You saved me.”

“Yes.”

My head spins as if I’m going to faint. I shake my head against the dizziness and suck in a deep breath. Komo and Grandfather never mentioned that humans could see into the Spirit World without those spirits allowing it. Even I saw only what they wanted me to see.

“How could you see me? Did anyone else?”

“Something wild happened back there.” He massages his forehead. “We need to talk.”

We skip our calculus lesson to sit on the carpeted floor in the far back corner of our school’s auditorium. I’m slightly unsettled by the rows of empty maroon-colored seats and the stage, dark and silent; but it’s quiet and private here.

I lean against the dark-blue wall and cross my legs, trying to figure out how I feel about everything. Now that Marc seems to be drawn into this mess, it’s getting complicated. How much did he really see? Really understand? And then there’s the guilt—and the thrill—that’s tugging at me because I want him to be a part of this.

Marc settles beside me, releasing a long sigh as he, too, leans against the wall, stretches out his legs in front of him, and closes his eyes.

“What happened back there was crazy,” he says. “Did I see what I thought I saw?”

I press my sweaty hands against my jeans. I’m not supposed to tell anyone about this insanity. But that was before Marc had saved me. “What did you see?”

“Something that belongs in a fantasy film.”

My throat tightens.
He knows,
I think, and I don’t even want to think about the consequences. “What makes you say that?”

“My dad is a professor of religion at Yonsei University.” He twirls his gold ring around his finger. “So I’ve heard all the stories and memorized all the beliefs. It’s just—it’s different when you actually
see
it.”

I remember Haemosu’s anger when he heard Marc’s voice. That shot of light I thought I’d deflected. A sliver of cold slides through my body. What if I hadn’t deflected all of it? Marc is rubbing his eyes again. I reach out and touch his face.

“Your eyes. What’s wrong?” I grip his arm tight. “The monster hurt you, didn’t he?”

“Technically, these creatures aren’t monsters.” He half laughs, and then his jaw tightens as he focuses on me. “Think of them more as supernatural figures. In some cultures, people call them angels and demons. Some call them ghosts and spirits.”

“You can call him whatever you want, but the man you saw was a monster.”

“Dad used to explain it to me as if they were more than just fairy tales. I always thought he was a bit crazy, but I went along with it to keep him happy. I guess in theory I believed him. Now I
know
they’re real.”

I search his face for pain or some sign of Haemosu’s mark on him, but he seems fine.

“In the locker,” Marc says. “You faced one.”

I take a deep breath. “Yeah. I did. And I wouldn’t have found my way back if you hadn’t called my name.”

“You disappeared into your locker. And then I remembered
my dad’s stories about the Spirit World. I even remembered Kumar’s theory on different dimensions, and then all that stuff my dad had taught me made sense. I tried to climb into your locker. I beat on the back wall and started screaming out your name.”

I stare at him, surprised that he would be that worried about me. He could’ve strolled back to class, not giving me even a thought. But he hadn’t.

Marc burrows his head and rubs his hands over his face. “Then something crazy happened.”

Chills slide up my arms. And I’m afraid of what he’ll say next. Afraid my fears are reality.

“A flash of light filled the locker.” Marc stares at his hands. “It was so bright, it burned my eyes. The pain was so bad I couldn’t move.”

I turn to sit in front of him, grabbing both his hands. “What? Why didn’t you say anything to the nurse? Are you okay?”

“I must have sat there on the floor for nearly thirty minutes. When the pain left, I thought I was blind. I knew I should call someone, but then my vision started to come back.”

“You should never have stayed. You should leave right now and get as far away from me as you can.”

“I’m not that kind of guy.”

I yearn to reach over and touch his face and wipe away the pain in the etched lines on his forehead. “Does it still hurt?”

“No.” Marc blinks and then shakes his head slightly. “You?”

“I’m okay.” My hands are fine, but I can’t tell him the whole truth. That I never believed my fear could reach this level. That I’m always looking over my shoulder for the next monster to
terrorize me. I’m supposed to be tough and strong, but instead I am terrified to walk down the street.

“Watching you get torn to shreds—” His voice breaks, and my throat constricts, remembering.

“So at my locker,” I swallow hard, “what
did
you see?”

“My dad is really more the expert on this kind of thing. But I think your locker somehow became a portal into another world. I was watching you in the hall, and then you climbed right into your locker. It was wild. Then after my vision came back, I realized there was still this golden light coming out of your locker. When I looked back inside, you were standing on this high bluff and this man turned into a red bird and attacked you. Jae, you need to tell me what’s going on.”

“What you saw was the Spirit World.” I rub my bandages, afraid even to look at him. “Or at least that’s what my aunt and grandfather call it.” He’s going to think I’m insane. Besides, I’m not even sure if telling him will make things better.

He twists the ring around his finger and is silent for a moment. I wait, holding my breath, expecting him to laugh or say I’ve lost my mind. But then he looks up and nods at my hands. “How’re those injuries of yours doing?”

It’s ridiculous at how those words send my heart soaring, but they do, and I’m desperate to cling to the feeling that I can trust him. I peek under my bandages. My palms are smooth. The lines from the scratches have vanished like magic. I pull off the bandages and roll them into a ball.

“After our meeting today I wanted to talk to you about something, but Min showed up.”

“Forget about Min. What did you want to talk about?”

I bite my lip, slightly alarmed at how happy his words make me. It’s as if I want Marc all to myself. I say, “Last night I did some research on metamorphosis, transforming from one thing into another, and one of the articles was written by your dad.”

“My dad?” He sits back, brows pulling together. “I suppose it’s possible. He does a lot of research on stuff like that.”

“And then just now you mentioned he’s an expert on this kind of stuff. Don’t you think it’s a strange coincidence that my grandfather and your dad are friends?”

“Coincidence?” His body tenses, and the tendons in his forearms tighten. He opens his mouth as if he’s about to tell me something important but looks away. I wonder for a moment if he’s not telling me the whole truth. But then he says, “Yeah. That is odd. You want me to ask him about it?”

“No,” I say quickly, and then, “unless there’s a way without telling your dad about me. I’m not sure I’m ready for anyone else to know about this.”

“I got it.” Marc relaxes, and his smile reaches his eyes as if I’m the most important person in the world. I really am paranoid to think that Marc would be a part of anything to do with Haemosu.

“Maybe since I can see this place, I can help you. Who was that guy?”

I lean back against the wall again. Can I trust him? Komo said not to tell a soul. But he knows already. He saw the whole thing. And what if he’s right? What if he can help me?

Marc reaches over and takes my hand. His fingers skim over where the bandages once were, and my skin tingles at his
touch; but he stops at the golden bracelet. It has become a barrier between us.

“This bracelet has something to do with this, doesn’t it?”

“That bird you saw is a demigod who morphed into a bird. He put the bracelet on me. His name is Haemosu.”

“The five dragons.” Marc’s fingers intertwine with mine. “Of course. Haemosu is known to drive a chariot led by five dragons. The legends call his chariot Oryonggeo.”

So he does know a lot about mythology. “It’s so twisted, though. My mom always told me dragons bring good luck.”

“Sounds like Haemosu distorted everything. Why is he doing this to you?”

I pick up Marc’s book and fumble through it until I find the legend of Haemosu. “Do you know this story?” He nods. I continue, “My grandfather thinks the princess actually escaped and that Haemosu is still angry at her for leaving him. She’s supposedly my ancestor. He’s been kidnapping the firstborn girl in my family ever since. Komo believes he’s reliving the moment of courting Princess Yuhwa over and over again, hoping Yuhwa will change her mind and not leave him. Grandfather had a mural of her in his cave. I look just like her.”

Marc stares at me and then at the book.

“You don’t believe me,” I say.

“You’re the oldest?”

“Yes.” I twirl the bracelet around my wrist, the gold of the dragons’ twisted bodies glinting in the theater lighting.

There are now two dragons’ eyes gleaming red. My chest feels as if a chain has been wrapped around it and cinched tight.
“The bracelet won’t come off. Haemosu says every time we meet, another eye will glow. When all the eyes burn bright, I’ll be his forever. He said he’s been waiting for over a thousand years for me.”

“This guy’s really into you.”

“So you don’t think I’ve got a chance.”

“No. That’s not it.” He lets out a groan. “You can’t give up.”

“I’m not!” I tuck my knees to my chest. “But you saw me earlier. I’m no match for an immortal.”

Marc moves his body so he’s facing me. His lips are so close I can’t stop imagining how easily he could pull me into his arms.

“I saw an amazing girl standing up to a warrior. A girl who transformed into a bird and escaped. Don’t tell me that isn’t something.”

I want to believe Marc. I reach for him, his skin burning against my palms. Our lips meet, breathless. His lips are soft, tender, and I’ve lost control. Sinking into his kisses. Drinking in his smell and touch. I trail my hands from his face down to his shoulders and follow the line of his biceps. I draw him closer. So close until our bodies are practically one.

Because I won’t lose this moment. This kiss.

Haemosu can’t take this from me.

I won’t let him.

After school, Michelle races up and bumps me playfully with her hip. I cringe at the sudden movement.

“Hey, girl,” she says, sliding her bag strap over her shoulder. “You free this afternoon?”

“I’m heading to the archery center,” I say. I don’t tell her what I’m really doing. Heading off to practice #2 on my list of Ways to Kick Haemosu’s Butt: Shoot an arrow, aim for the heart. “I really need to practice.”

Because I must have perfect aim so I can watch his ugly grin falter when I slide my arrow through his heart.

“You’re always training.” She lifts her eyebrows. “It’s not like you’re prepping for a big tournament or anything. Come on. Have a little fun.”

“Right. Fun.” What a laugh that is. If only I could tell her the truth. That I’m just trying to survive. That I was torn to shreds only hours ago, and fun was tossed out of my vocabulary the day the creep showed up. Still, she’s right. If these are my last days, I sure as hell don’t want to be living them out as a sourpuss. “You
want to come with me? We can hang out, and I can show you how awesome I am.”