THE FANTASTIC FOUR
VIKTOR
WHEN I MAKE THE LONG TRIP BACK FROM GETTING A BEER, A SILENCE FALLS OVER MY NORMALLY chatty teammates.
What is it? I ask.
Sinc frowns. You were pretty harsh with that girl.
Mats nods. It’s not like you. Is everything okay?
I release a tensed breath. I’ve got some family stuff going on. But you’re right, I should have been nicer.
Evie makes me feel all kinds of confused.
On one hand, she’s gorgeous, even more so when she’s feisty.
But on the other, she’s fake and I don’t trust her at all.
I thought I had scared her off last night, but she came right back at me.
After tonight, I’m certain that I won’t hear from her again, and that will be best for both of us.
Coty laughs. You’re usually so charming, even when you’re rejecting women. But maybe you’re losing your touch. First Destiny, and now this woman.
What happened with Destiny? Burly asks. Sean Burlington is a sophomore forward who shows a lot of promise when he focuses.
When Zee broke up with her, she stormed out of our house and almost broke the front door on her way out. Woke up the entire neighbourhood. Coty exaggerates, as always.
It was the middle of the afternoon. Can we not find something better to talk about at a party? I’m not used to being the centre of gossip or drama. I prefer to bring the calm.
Hey, it looks like she’s already over you.
Burly points towards the stairs where some guy has his arm around a woman.
Even with her back turned I recognize the dark hair and endless legs.
And once again, there’s a sensation of wrongness which I try to shake off.
I never feel possessive about women. But the more I watch, the more something doesn’t look right.
I nudge Mats. Do you think she’s okay?
He watches them slowly climb the stairs, then shakes his head. He’s practically carrying her. And she didn’t seem drunk when she was telling you off ten minutes ago.
I sprint towards the stairs, dodging people left and right as I try keep sight of her. Mats, Sinc, and Coty are right behind me.
When I reach the second floor, I see a door closing down the hall. I speed up, but it’s already closed and locked when I get there.
Open the door, I yell and pound my hand against the door.
Fuck off. This is a private party, I hear a muffled male voice.
I know you’ve got a drugged woman in there. You can open up for me or for the cops, I yell.
When nothing happens right away, I turn to my teammates. Should we call the police?
Sinc nods and pulls out his phone. Maybe the campus police? The faster the better.
I grind my teeth as I imagine what this guy could be doing to Evie right now.
I’ll get Graham Thompson, Coty offers. Graham is the president of this fraternity and a good guy.
Coty takes off, and Sinc finds the campus police number.
We’re calling the police now, Mats yells at the door.
Suddenly, there’s a click and the door swings open. There’s a beefy blond frat boy standing there. I look over his shoulder and see Evie sprawled face-up on the bed. I’m relieved to see that she’s still completely dressed.
Why are you pussies spoiling all the fun? the guy grumbles.
I grab him by the collar and slam him against the wall. You fucking loser. What the hell is wrong with you?
My red-hot fury reduces him to a whimpering baby. He raises his hands to cover his face. No, don’t hurt me, please.
But it’s okay for you to hurt Evie? I pull back my clenched fist, but Mats grabs my arm.
Don’t hit him, Zee. He’s not worth the suspension.
I easily lift the guy and toss him into a corner. Then I walk over to Evie and crouch down beside her. I push her hair away from her face, and she groans.
Evie, it’s Viktor. Are you all right? I ask softly.
Home is the only word I can distinguish from her mumblings. There’s a clattering noise, and I turn to see her open palm and a pen on the floor. I pocket the pen.
Okay, we’ll get you home. I look around, but I don’t see her purse or jacket. And I realize that I don’t even know her last name. How can I already feel so connected to someone I hardly know?
Coty is back with Graham. We explain what happened, and he assures us that this asshole will be dealt with. He’s slumped in the corner with his head bowed. I still itch to hit him.
Omega Rho Chi does not tolerate behaviour like this, Graham states. He seemed half-drunk when he arrived but sobered up quickly, and now he’s genuinely pissed.
Is there a way we can take Evie out without going through the entire party? Mats asks with his usual foresight.
Graham nods. Yeah. There’s a back staircase.
Wait, there’s one more thing. I walk over to the asshole. Hey. What did you give her?
He looks blearily up at me, his face wet. Is he crying? Why is it always cowards who prey on people they think are weaker? Just a sleeping pill.
Show me, I demand.
He rummages in his pants pocket and holds up a strip of gelcaps. I grab it from him, and two doses are missing.
You planned all this bullshit ahead of time? Graham demands, crouching in front of the guy.
I walk over to the bed, wrap Evie in a blanket, and pick her up. She seems to be out, but still I murmur to her, You’re going to be fine now. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.
You need help? Sinc asks.
She’s light. Even as deadweight, Evie is easy to carry. Her head rests against my chest, and her soft hair tickles my throat.
Graham guides us down the stairs until we’re standing in the alleyway behind the frat house.
What should we do now? Sinc asks.
I guess we better take her to the St. Viola Hospital to get checked out. The student clinic isn’t going to be open this late on a Saturday. I turn to my friends. Look, you guys don’t have to come. I can take her, if you want to go back to the party.
Mats chuckles. I hate to tell you this, but a lone guy bringing in an unconscious woman is not a good look. They’ll probably call the cops on you.
Sinc nods. Besides, the party was boring. This is a lot better. I feel like a superhero or something, rescuing women. He looks around in case there are more damsels in distress.
Okay, thanks. I appreciate the support of my teammates and the way we work well together off the ice.
Mats jogs off to get his car, and Sinc goes back in to retrieve our jackets. Coty and I wait on a nearby corner. Evie has hardly moved. Her head rests against my chest. She looks peaceful…and young.
Once we get to the emergency room, it turns out to be almost empty. St. Viola is a pretty sleepy town, and student misadventures probably make up most of the Saturday night business.
What do you mean you don’t know her full name? The nurse on duty is not impressed with my impatient explanations. This is clearly a medical emergency, and they’re not even busy.
Mats pushes me to one side. It all happened so quickly. We saw this guy practically carrying a woman up to his room, and then we stepped in to prevent something bad from happening.
Sinc flashes his boy-next-door smile. And now we brought her here to make sure she’s okay.
The younger nurse at the station smiles back at Sinc.
Give them a break, Sharon. She points to me.
That’s Viktor Zelenko, captain of the Monarch Mustangs, and the rest of them are also on the team.
They’re not leaving town or anything. Get all their contact info.
They’ll call us tomorrow once they find out who this young woman is. Right, boys?
I nod, thankful for small towns and hockey fans.
The duty nurse sighs. Fine.
She takes our information and directs us to an examination room. I lay Evie out on the hospital bed and cover her with the blanket we brought. We stay there until the doctor arrives. Then the younger nurse tells us to wait in the lobby.
Maybe we can figure out where she lives. Someone may be worried about her, Coty suggests.
If she came to the party with friends, they certainly weren’t looking out for her. I search my memory for anyone I saw her with tonight, but I’m coming up blank. Then I remember last night’s party. Actually, last night she was with some girls from Alpha Zeta Mu.
Mats sighs. I’ll message Lana. His ex-girlfriend is now the vice-president of that sorority.
It seems weird that she didn’t even have a phone. Everyone has a phone, Sinc says.
It could be anywhere at the party. She probably had a coat too. Again, I regret that I wasn’t more observant. Of course I noticed Evie but deliberately tried not to look at her.
Lana says there’s no new member called Evie there, Mats reports back. I’m sure texting his ex on a Saturday night wasn’t his favourite thing to do. She probably thought it was a booty call.
The doctor meets us in the lobby. Gentlemen, your friend is very fortunate.
She seems to have ingested a light dose of the sleeping pills, so she should be fine by morning.
Maybe a little groggy at first. He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out the gelcaps, which are now encased in a plastic baggy, like evidence.
And thank you for bringing these in, that helped a lot.
Anyway, I’d like her to come back in tomorrow, once she’s conscious.
He looks at me. Viktor Zelenko, right? I’m Everett Arbor. Enjoyed your playoff run last year. Can you make sure she returns? Here are the times I’ll be here.
I take his card and pocket it. Okay, I’ll do that.
The doctor leaves, and the nurse takes over. It’s the younger one who likes us. She hands us a sheet of aftercare instructions. I wonder how often this happens.
Oh, we took out her contact lenses too. She passes me a bottle with violet lenses that explain her new eye colour. It’s like Evie was in disguise. What are your plans for her now?
We’ve been searching, but we can’t find anyone who knows her. So, I guess she’ll have to stay at our house, I reply. In her own room, of course.
Look, I’m sure you’re good guys, but it might be better if there’s a woman around when she wakes up. Memory loss can be very traumatic.