Page 3 of The Boys
Humans were strange and while I lived with them most of the year, I was never able to forget how different they were to us. Full of emotions, and so fragile—but tasty. Grýla—Mother, would be well fed this year, but the longer I spoke to this human, Syd, the stronger the desire to protect him grew. “You can sleep on the shuttle. It’s a boring ride anyway,” I said, and he smiled a sleepy smile at me. “Don’t worry about a thing, I’ll make sure you get where you’re supposed to go.”
Three
Syd
We’d just finished eatingwhen a man dressed in a heavy winter coat, a fur hat, and snow boots, walked into the food hall and looked around. “Anyone going to Northern Lights Hotel, your shuttle is here,” he said before walking back out into the cold.
“That’s us,” Caleb said and stood from the table we’d sat at. He had pulled the handle up on his small suitcase and I followed behind him as we walked outside where snow had begun to fall. “Looks like you’ll have a white Christmas.”
He smiled as he led me out to the shuttle and while he’d given me no reason to doubt him, something told me to be wary and not to trust him. The shuttle driver took my bag and stowed it in the back while I chose a seat. Caleb climbed in and sat right next to me. “The snow’s starting to get heavier,” I said and wiped at the condensation on the window.
“It probably won’t let up now until after Christmas,” the shuttle driver said as he slid into the driver’s seat.
“Really?” I asked. I had planned to stay the two weeks we’d paid for, but I didn’t want to be stuck anywhere during a storm. “Should I get a hotel in town?”
“You’ll be safe at the hotel,” Caleb said, and his eyes grew dark and intense. I wanted to believe him, but I didn’t know him any better than I knew the shuttle driver.
“You’ll be just as safe there as you would be in town. There’re a few small villages on the way that are near enough to the hotel. They’re all well equipped to withstand any storm,” the driver said and drove to the next stop where he picked up an older couple. And so it went, until every seat was filled.
We left the lights of Reykjavik to the deep dark of the surrounding countryside. I could barely make out mountains in the distance, and couldn’t see a tree or rock, or anything other than rough, uneven ground as far as the lights illuminated. “It’s all volcanic rock so nothing much grows here,” Caleb said, and leaned close to me to look at what we could see of the landscape.
“Are there no trees?” I asked because so far, I hadn’t even seen a bush.
He smiled and the warmth in his eyes drew me to him, and I forgot why I’d felt unsafe about him earlier. “There are a few in the mountains, and some in the cities, but most of the trees were cut down long ago.”
“It’s all so different than California,” I said and continued to stare out the window.
“Did you really leave your fiancé?” he asked, and when I glanced at him his eyes were on me. He had an intensity to his gaze that once again put my nerves on edge, but I couldn’t see him as a threat. He’d helped me more than once and seemed to be a nice guy. Hopefully my judgement wasn’t wrong.
“Yes,” I managed to say. It still wasn’t easy to talk about or admit how much it hurt. But I knew keeping it all inside wasn’t healthy either. “We were together for three years. I suspect this wasn’t the first time he cheated on me.”
“You didn’t deserve to be treated that way. Trust me that he will eventually get what is due him,” Caleb said.
“I don’t care anymore. I just want to move on with my life,” I said and told myself once again that I didn’t need him to be happy and I’d show the fucker that I was more than he ever thought possible.
“You’re amazing. I don’t know if I could be so strong.” I could feel Caleb’s eyes still on me as he spoke, but I turned again to look out the window. Being here was good. I was far away from everyone I knew, and I didn’t have to talk to anyone I didn’t want to, and after two weeks I hoped I’d be strong enough to go home and start a new life on my own.
“So, tell me about the hotel,” I said, changing the subject.
“Well, it was originally an adventure hotel. Since we’re so close to the mountains and one of the bigger glaciers, there were many that stayed so they were nearby to start day hikes or use the hotel as a starting point for longer excursions. It’s also an excellent spot to view the northern lights, but you were right before, not this time of year.” He smiled again, and I was filled with warmth that had nothing to do with the fact the shuttle was now so hot I was tempted to take off my jacket.
“Have you ever been snowed in?” I asked. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was in danger, but I put it down to being all alone in a strange country.
“A few times, but that was many years ago, now they keep the roads clear, and there’s a snowcat kept nearby just in case of emergency. My family tries to make sure everyone is looked after with the utmost care.”
I glanced at Caleb as he spoke, his eyes drew me in. Their clear blue depths were so inviting, and somehow also a warning. I didn’t want to get involved with anyone, and it didn’t matter to me that the holidays were coming up. I wanted to be aloneand learn how to be okay with it, and this was the perfect opportunity.Fucking Michael.
Four
Caleb
We were nearly tothe hotel, and I had to contain my excitement. This is what we were made for, but I’d need to be patient. The snow was falling heavier now, and in a few hours, there wouldn’t be a way out of the hotel unless one of us was involved. But I knew for a fact none of us would do that. We wanted our guests to experience all the days of Yule.
“That’s where we’re going,” I said to Syd and pointed to the lights that were barely visible in the blowing snow and gloom.
“I hope I’ll still be able to go on my tours,” he said, and I could sense his nerves.
“We’ll make sure you’re able to see anything you want to in the area. Part of the reason our hotel is so popular is we aim to please and we want you to enjoy yourself enough to return.”
