by S. E. Akers
Mike seemed at a loss for words. “Some,” he muttered. “We drove around the site for a while. Then we came back to his office and ate lunch.”
“So you’ve already eaten?” Ms. Fitz asked.
“Yeah. He had this big meal brought in. I couldn’t say no.” Mike should have left that part out. We were all ready to grab a rope and lynch him.
“We’re leaving,” Ms. Fitzpatrick informed him. “Some of us haven’t had the luxury of dining yet.”
“Malachi is heading back to Veracruz in a couple of hours,” Mike announced. “He offered to give me a ride in his chopper.”
“You most certainly will not be traveling back with Mr. Xcavare,” Ms. Fitz said swiftly. “We haven’t finished for the day. We’re stopping to tour an ancient Mesoamerican civilization on our way back.”
“Great,” he grunted. That did nothing to soften Ms. Fitz’s scowl.
“You’re still a part of this group, Mr. Riverside, and it’s your duty to participate in all of our scheduled activities. And as your chaperone, it’s my job to keep an eye on you during this trip and make sure that you do.”
“But—”
“Get on the bus, NOW!” Ms. Fitzpatrick ordered.
Mike stormed up the steps while Ms. Fitz sent word that he would be traveling back with us. I saw her talking to a lanky, pale skinned man as I boarded. He really stood out. Everyone else who worked here had skin the color and texture of leather, but his was pasty-white. Whatever he was telling her eased a smile back on her face. Ms. Fitz bounced aboard the bus like she’d just won the lottery.
“Everyone,” Ms. Fitzpatrick called out. “I was told that there’s a café not far from here…and it’s located near a cenote. So after we fill up, we’ll squeeze in a quick tour.” Our Geology teacher sounded excited beyond words.
“A what?” Kara asked.
“You’ll see,” Ms. Fitz replied with a wave of her hand.
We pulled into a small village a little ways down the road. It made Welch seem like a bustling metropolis. The outdoor café looked like a dump, “questionable” at best, but the food turned out to be delicious. I think most of us were expecting something along the lines of Taco Bell, but instead, we were treated to platter-sized fajitas that even a giant couldn’t finish choking down.
The cenote Ms. Fitz wanted us to visit was well within walking distance. Just over a low-lying hill stood a small shack with a sign hanging from its roof that read:
Visitas Cenote
250 Pesos
Ms. Fitz paid for everyone out of her own pocket, claiming we were in for a real geological treat. Once we were all square with the woman manning the cashbox, a middle-aged man with skin the color of a burnt sienna crayon approached us, waving and beaming a hefty smile.
“Hola, Amigos! I am Javier. I will be your guide. This way, por vavor?” The dimples in his cheeks were as deep and robust as his voice. He directed us up a winding path that eventually stopped at a large opening in the side of a mountain.
“Does anyone know what a cenote is?” Javier posed before leading us inside.
Anna raised her hand. “It’s a sinkhole that exposes water underneath the ground’s surface,” she replied.
Mike let out a snide laugh. “Great… It’s a well, full of water,” he mocked. Ms. Fitz tossed him a classic & curt “zip-your-lip” look and cleared her throat.
“Actually, Mr. Riverside, they’re surface connections to subterranean bodies of water,” Ms. Fitz clarified. “An intricate labyrinth of tunnels under the earth’s surface. Some of them even lead to the ocean.”
The flamboyant tour guide smiled even wider and clapped his hands. “Excelente, Señorita! Everyone, this way,” Javier instructed as he removed a flaming torch from off the wall and led us into the cave. Those same torches lighted our path down the rugged, narrow tunnel. Faint traces of archaic drawings were scribbled all along the walls of the cave. Our guide explained that the sacred markings dated back many centuries. One symbol appeared over and over — a lighting bolt. I could have done without that reminder.
We came upon a stairway formed from natural stacked stones. It gradually led us down into an enormous cavern underneath the mountain where an almost perfectly round pool of crystal blue water lay nestled in the ground. Thousands and thousands of caramel-colored stalactites dripped down from the ceiling above us. The light from the torches made their moving shadows dance fluidly along the surface of the hypnotic, aqua-blue water. Ms. Fitzpatrick was right. The earthly wonder was seductively stunning. Spellbinding. You couldn’t help but want to dive in for a quick swim.
Javier stood on a large boulder that hung over the water’s edge and gave us the low-down on the cenote’s history. He even offered up some of its mythical lore. “Rain was very important to the people who lived nearby. They would come here to pray. Some cultures offered human sacrifices in hopes of a good harvest,” Javier revealed.
“So that’s what happened to all the virgins,” Mike teased to Ty, loud enough for Ms. Fitz to whack him on the shoulder.
The theatrical guide raised his brow ominously at Mike as he prowled towards him. He continued, “You should be respectful of this place. The Mayans believed a cenote was a gateway to the underworld, which was guarded by a monstrous witch who couldn’t marry the man she loved. Legend says that if you stand too close, she will take you into her underwater lair, turn you into a creature, and enslave your soul for eternity.”
Ty gave Mike an abrupt nudge towards the edge, causing him to flinch and lose his balance. Lucky for Mike, Javier grabbed him before he fell in.
“She would spit you out, Señor,” our saucy tour guide announced with a confident grin as he helped Mike steady himself. We couldn’t help but laugh. The “spooked look” on Mike’s face was priceless. “Come, my amigos. I will take you to see some of the other caves.”
As soon as the tour guide turned his back and started leading our group up a steep rocky trail, Mike snatched Ty’s cap off his head and sailed it into the water like a Frisbee.
“Dick,” Ty grunted, totally ticked.
“Looks like you’re the one going for a swim,” Mike laughed and hurried to catch up with us.
“Payback’s a bitch,” Ty laughed smugly as he scooted out of his sneakers.
One by one, we entered the cave. I ducked into a dark alcove to hang back and wait for Ty. My patience was spent, and I was dying to hear what lies Kara had been spinning. This was my perfect chance. Just as Mike strolled past where I was hiding, Ms. Fitz grabbed his arm and held him back.
“Mr. Riverside, please remember that we are on a class trip…one that YOU pushed for, and you will treat everyone with respect. Not just the one’s whose bank account is larger than yours. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Mike replied in a muddled roll.
“Listen here! I’ll end this trip right now, Mister! You haven’t seemed the least bit interested in learning anything. Not on the field trips in New Orleans. Not during any of the lectures on the ship. And quite frankly, even today, I couldn’t tell where Mr. Xcavare’s rear ended and your head began!” Ms. Fitz fussed.
I had to cover my mouth. Mike’s blatant glare did nothing to help his cause. He was really going to have to work on his tact.
“I don’t know what your angle was for arranging this trip, but it certainly wasn’t for the school’s benefit,” Ms. Fitz charged.
“That’s not true,” Mike defended.
“Then prove it!” Ms. Fitz demanded and then stormed off to catch up with the others. As soon as she was out of sight, Mike kicked his foot against a wall.
“She’s right,” I said as I stepped out of the shadows. “Maybe cutting this trip short is the best thing for everyone?”
“What’s your deal, Shi? Why are you so concerned?” Mike snapped.
“Because…” I paused. I couldn’t tell him the truth, and it felt wrong to compel him, so I just blurted, “Because I care.” I did. That shocked me the most. Mike
wasn’t the same jerk I’d known for years. He had changed. His father’s death had a big hand in that. I kind of liked the “new” Mike, and a part of me ached for him, knowing he would never get the answers he sought.
Mike didn’t say a word, but I could tell he was touched by the watery gleam in his eyes. He took off after the others instantly. I held back for another minute to wait for Ty. I leaned against the rocks and sighed. How long does it take to pull a baseball cap out of the water?
From out of nowhere, an ominous vibe rattled my brain. A memory of me in a pool of water surfaced. The more I focused, the clearer it became. I’d seen Ty last night, when I was in the fountain. He was being dragged under the water and drowning. I was sure of it. I looked towards the rugged doorway of the cave, now fully alarmed.
Oh no…
I hurried to the entrance of the cave and slid to a stop as I gripped the sides of the opening. The cenote cavern was dark. All the torches were now out. Only a faint trace of natural light was streaming down the stone staircase. Quickly, I illuminated my golden topaz and followed the rugged trail down to the pool of water. I held out my ring and panned the cavern in all directions, but Ty was nowhere to be found. His shoes and socks were lying on some rocks beside the still, dark water. Just as I bent down, I spotted something else beside them. I jerked back when a wicked shock coursed through the tips of my fingers, right after touching the fluorescent green weed — the exact same kind I’d found at the cemetery and that Bea had tried to pass off as some insignificant old plant scrap. With a pensive gaze, I turned towards the cenote. A faint neon-green glow was shining under its surface, deep down…and it was moving.
Ty…
I dropped my purse and dove straight in after him. My arms pushed through the deep water quickly, swimming towards the eerie fluorescent glow. I reached him to find his body bound in a twisted clump of seaweed. The iridescent vine seemed to stretch off in the water with no end in sight. Ty was still struggling, but his motions were starting to slow. I had to get him loose. Blinding sparks flew out from the seaweed when my nails chopped through the sections. That was nothing compared to its wicked sting. It delivered a fiery shock to my hands every time I touched it. But for Ty’s sake, I kept whacking at it, fighting through the bitter pain. I finally ripped enough of the knotty mess away to free him from its deathly hold. Ty’s eyes were half-closed. With my arms locked tightly around his waist, I pulled his limp frame up to the surface and guided him back to the rocks. He was barely breathing when I got him out of the water.
“Ty!” I yelled repeatedly through his hacking coughs.
“Shi,” he finally mumbled.
“Do you feel sick?” I asked as I scanned his body. I knew the seaweed packed a harsh punch, but I wasn’t sure if it was poisonous or not.
“No,” Ty groaned. “Just sore…and my arm hurts.” He nodded to his right one. I didn’t even have to touch it. I could sense it was broken, clean down to his wrist.
“Stay here,” I ordered. “I’m going to get you some help.” Broken bones I could heal, but I didn’t want to, for the same reason I couldn’t screw with Mike’s thick skull. I’d done enough damage. If this wasn’t a life or death situation, I wasn’t about to indirectly tamper with anyone’s body or head. I ran over to grab my purse. I couldn’t believe I’d left it unguarded with my hilt inside, hiding spell or not. A silly part of me thought I might destroy the gris-gris’ power if I got it wet, and I wasn’t about to take that chance. I’d earned this precious commodity.
Just as I bent down and draped its strap around me, Ty let out a loud moan. I whipped my head around. More vine-like plants were wiggling their way out of the water and coiling around his body again — all on their own.
Just as I started to jump down, something rose out of the cenote in one huge, sweeping splash. I watched as a figure emerged, wading through the water and pulling on the seaweed clenching Ty’s neck. My eyes flared. Though the features of her face were generally the same, her perfect ivory skin was now the color of rotting driftwood and layered in thick gruesome scales.
Lorelei.
“Don’t try to resist. I’ll break something else if you do,” Lorelei cackled while she stroked the side of his face. “And it would be such a shame too.” She gave his right arm a good twist. Ty let out an agonizing bellow. “Now that I have your attention…finally, you are going to tell me where you got this?” Lorelei demanded as she yanked Ty’s diamond off his chest. “I know you’re not who I’m looking for. Your bones wouldn’t have snapped like a twig if you were.” She hovered over Ty, dangling the stone in his terror-stricken face. “But now this… This tells me that you must know something I can use.” She gave the seaweed another tight tug. “OUT WITH IT!”
“LET HIM GO!” I raged as I stepped onto the rocks. Lorelei didn’t flinch. Her stare remained locked on Ty.
“If you know what’s good for you, then you’ll turn around and run back to your group,” Lorelei growled.
I wasn’t going anywhere, and she knew it too. With a rigid hold on the string of seaweed, Lorelei turned and started wading towards me. Though my eyes were locked on hers, glaring fiercely, I became a bit unhinged by the ghastly tentacles I spotted swirling in the water where her legs should be. And I thought her skin alone was horrid enough.
What the Hell ARE YOU?
She picked up on it too. “Does that frighten you?” Lorelei asked as she swayed her slithery limbs all around. She edged towards me and extended one of her tentacles towards my face. I turned my head as it slid across my cheek and brushed back my hair. Gallia’s bracelet was right there, hanging on her wrist. I didn’t dare move. I wanted her to come closer. I needed her to.
“No?” she posed, noting my firm stance. She rolled her eyes harshly. “Ah, how I cringe at the desensitization of youths nowadays. Self-absorbed, unaware fools.” Lorelei wrapped her tentacle around my throat and locked it in place. But it wasn’t a tentacle anymore. A jarring hiss rattled my ears, causing the muscles in my face to twitch. The scaly appendage had turned into a black, scaly sea serpent with savage fangs the size of my fingers.
“How about now?” she taunted with a laugh. Suddenly Lorelei’s eyes flickered with a blood-curdling vermilion light. “I know you,” she said like a bulb had just gone off in her head. “You’re the girl from Lá Léo’s store.”
“Yeah,” I confirmed as I subtly slipped my hand into my purse. I eyed Gallia’s bracelet directly as I gripped the hilt.
Lorelei glanced at Ty and then leaned closer to me, eyes glaring vehemently. “And it was your picture I saw that night at the graveyard.”
Mystery officially solved. “That’s right,” I replied and then swiftly whipped out the hilt. One quick twirl and the diamond shot out of its haven. My eyes crinkled as I announced, “And I know what you did!”
Aghast by the sight the wand, Lorelei’s eyes burst open as she shirked back. Without a second to lose, I sliced right through the snake-like limb clenching my throat. Lorelei let out a scream and jerked away as I lunged for her hand. She dove under the water before I could snatch the bracelet. My eyes followed the trail of seaweed that was disappearing right along with her. It was still tied around Ty. She was dragging him back into the water. I retracted the blade and shoved the hilt in my pocket as I hurried over to him. I managed to grab one of his arms before he was completely submerged. Her grip was fierce. She wasn’t letting go, but neither was I. I couldn’t let this tug-of-war continue, not at Ty’s expense. His head was under the surface, desperately needing air, and the way we were headed, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up ripped in two.
I tightened my grip and dug my other hand into my purse. It took me a second to unzip the side pouch, but I pulled out what I needed and not a minute too soon.
This is for Gallia, I thought as I summoned as much strength as I could. I pulled back hard on Ty’s arm and managed to get him fully out of the water. Lorelei surfaced, like I knew she would. As soon as I saw her sinister red eye
s, I hurled Gallia’s diamond her way — the one charged with about a billion volts.
It landed in the water just a few feet from her. A scorching-hot jagged bolt of lightning exploded out of the stone when it struck. She let out a screech and dove under the surface. I wasn’t sure how much damage I’d done, but by the sound of her scream, I had to have at least clipped her good. The water in the cenote began to calm. I turned to Ty. His handsome face was almost as blue as the water. He wasn’t breathing, but he did have a pulse, barely. I held firm on my earlier decision. Good old mouth-to-mouth, first.
I tilted back his head and pinched his nose. Surely this doesn’t freakin’ count, I brooded as I took deep breath. Cautiously, I blew four quick puffs of air into his mouth. I glanced at his chest. It remained as flat as a board. I locked my lips around his mouth again and tried one long breath this time. Five seconds later, I filled his lungs with another one, and then another when I still couldn’t revive him.
Just when I was about to change to a more supernatural course, his chest began to slowly rise. That was a welcome sign. Before I could get too lost in my euphoria, I noticed the water in the cenote swirling violently, churning like a ferocious whirlpool. Lorelei surfaced in a violent splash and directed the water towards us in the shape of a powerful tidal wave. I pulled the hilt out of my pocket and threw myself on top of Ty to brace him from the harsh blow.
Just before the crashing wave reached us, the water around the edge of the cenote rose in the air to form a wet barrier-like wall. It absorbed the tidal wave and blocked her crafty attack. A familiar energy flooded my senses immediately and whirled my head around.
Tanner. The Talisman whose stone reigned over the water was standing on the rocky bank with his arms pushed out forcefully, fending her off. With one quick shove, he dispersed the water and forced it back inside the cenote.
“You know, I’ve heard the locals speak of a hideous witch that frequents this spot. Why am I not surprised that it’s you?” Tanner scoffed.
