Everyone cheered loudly and laughed. The whole auction building celebrated that someone had won the largest lottery in the history of the Hub. The young lady came down from the stage and through the crowd to Charles. He was barely able to get the crystal back into his pocket before she took his arm. Carson followed. She escorted Charles to the stage and had Carson wait on the steps. Then she walked Charles to the center of the stage and gave him a black shiny lacquered box with a purple and gold ribbon around it. Charles’ figure was darkened for his protection. His silhouette was flashed on all the screens in the entire Grande Auction House. The Sojourners occupying other rooms, and the Sojourners from the street, cheered so loudly Charles could hear them. Airabelle gasped when she and Bev saw Charles’ silhouette on the screen in the lobby.
Charles looked at the young lady and then at the box. She said, “You may open it now.” She had an accent. Charles thought it sounded Russian.
The room was silent. Charles pulled on the ribbon. It fell to the floor as he lifted the lid. Inside was a card that said ‘look at the screen’. Charles looked up and on the screen was a treasure chest full of gold coins. The crowd went wild. They were cheering as confetti fell from the ceiling. They were dancing around the room. Charles looked dazed not exactly knowing what had just happened.
Airabelle said, “Charles, you just won the lottery!”
Bev was crying. She couldn’t believe it. Carson was holding the top of his head in disbelief.
Dimitrios, not knowing who the winner was at first because the spotlight was shining in his eyes, soon came and shook Charles’ hand. As he reached for Charles, he looked shocked. Then he raised Charles’ hand into the air.
The young lady escorted Charles and Carson from the room, backstage behind the heavy velvet curtain. “My father will be here shortly to escort you to your prize.”
It wasn’t long until Dimitrios was there beside Charles. He said, “Mr. Brookfield it is my pleasure to present you with the grand prize. The Prime Minister is waiting. This way shall we…” As they walked Dimitrios continued, “Absolutely amazing.”
Bev and Airabelle were already waiting for them as they came out of the auction room. Carson called for her to join them. Bev and the young lady looked at each other. The young lady ran to Bev. Bev said, “Natalie. Oh my goodness, I didn’t recognize you. You are all grown up. Let me look at you…”
Natalie put on a show for Bev spinning around. Bev reached out and hugged her. Then, Natalie said, “Beverly, are these people related to you?”
“This is my husband Carson, and this is my grandson Charles.” Natalie smiled and nodded.
Dimitrios put his hand on Charles’ back to guide him into the Prime Minister’s office. The Prime Minister was signing some papers as they entered the room. He stood up from his desk. Charles could tell the Prime Minister thought he recognized him but couldn’t quite place him. Then, he looked over at Bev. He smiled at her and knew who Charles was. “Ahhh, Mr. Brookfield.” The Prime Minister looked at Dimitrios, then shook hands with Charles and said, “I was just filling out your paperwork for your prize. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“You are very welcome. I wish I could say I had something to do with your good fortune. However, I cannot take credit for it. The crystals magically, or should I say mysteriously, decide the winner amongst themselves. They only do this approximately every one hundred and seventy-five years. It is a phenomenon of sorts.” He smiled at Charles. Charles smiled back. The Prime Minister continued, “My assistant Dimitrios, with whom you have already become acquainted, will show you to the acquisition room. It was nice to meet you, and I look forward to our next meeting.” Once again Charles shook his hand before the group left with Dimitrios.
Dimitrios somehow opened a hidden door. It led through an underground maze.
Charles thought: If Dimitrios doesn’t know his way to our destination, we could become lost in this maze and left to wander, possibly forever.
Finally they arrived at their destination. The door opened. Inside the dimly lit room was a black briefcase sitting on a table in the middle of the area with a spotlight shining on it. Covering it was a security glass box. Dimitrios vanished briefly and turned a key on the other side of the room. The glass box lifted. The lights slowly turned up to reveal security guards all around the room watching them. One of them stepped forward and stood beside Dimitrios.
Dimitrios said to him, “This is our winner. Please escort his group immediately to their Passageway.”
The officer turned, looked at Carson and then to Charles. Dimitrios introduced him to Charles. The officer looked dumbfounded and said, “I beg your pardon. It’s just that you’re so young. That’s amazing. I am happy to escort you, sir, to your Passageway.”
Dimitrios asked Charles to sign for the briefcase on a gold sheet of paper that he took from his breast pocket. He then turned to Charles and explained that the lottery was twenty million dollars in gold coins and two million in silver coins, which would be deposited in the Hub Bank in his name. Dimitrios handed Charles a small passbook. He pointed to the briefcase and said, “The briefcase contains gold coins that are an exclusive gift from the Sojourners’ Council.”
Charles stared at the case and the shiny gold coins in their holders. The security officer closed the case and turned the combination. Then he gave the combination to Charles and asked him to please open it to make sure he could. Charles did as he was asked. The briefcase opened slowly and smoothly. The officer closed the case again and Dimitrios walked them back through the maze.
Dimitrios told Charles, “This is not where we entered, but for security reasons this is where I will leave you to exit the building. You are in good hands.” Charles shook his hand. He told Charles he was looking forward to their next meeting.
As they left the maze and entered the alleyway, the secret door closed behind them. There was no trace as to where the door once was. They followed the officer to their Passageway. Charles thanked the officer, who in turn gave Charles the lottery travel case and paperwork. He stood and watched as Charles safely disappeared through the Passageway. Carson gave him a two hundred dollar tip for their safe journey to their Passageway. The officer was pleased and thanked him.
In the Grande Auction House, a pair of eyes was searching for Charles. How could he just disappear?
As they stood inside their Passageway they could hear the continued celebrating taking place from the Hub. Carson smiled at Charles. He closed the door and secured it.
Once on the other side the whole family hugged. They were so excited. No one knew what to say… Even Airabelle was at a loss for words.
Charles looked at the passbook to the Hub Bank that Dimitrios had given him. The writing in the passbook stated just what Dimitrios had said. It didn’t look like an ordinary passbook. Charles handed it to Carson. He and Bev looked through it.
Bev hugged him and said, “Charles, I honestly can’t believe it! It is so amazing. I have no idea how to explain this. Though I guess it really doesn’t matter.”
Charles shook his head and said, “Let’s put this briefcase in the safe. Then we should go back to the Hub Bank and put both of your names on the account too.”
Carson and Bev looked at each other. Bev asked, “Why would you put our name on your account?”
“I believe it belongs to all of us. If something happens to me, you both need to be able to get into the account.” They agreed to his plan and put the briefcase, plus Carson’s purchase in the vault.
**********
Meanwhile Dimitrios made his way back to the Prime Minister. Once there they began discussing the odds that Charles Brookfield had won the lottery.
The Prime Minister said, “Dimitrios, maybe there’s something more to this young man than I have given him credit for. What are the chances…?”
There was a knock on the door and Dimitrios crossed the room to open it. An officer was standing there. Dimitrios stood aside to allo
w him to enter. Standing in front of the Prime Minister, the officer said, “I have a report for you that pockets of ‘Unknowns’ have broken out in the most populated areas of the Hub, and are causing havoc. We already have numerous reports of crystals being stolen and one confirmed abduction with witnesses.”
The Prime Minister stood up and followed him out the door. Dimitrios stayed behind to wrap things up before he headed in their direction. He knew where they were going. As he walked he turned in another direction. This hallway led directly to an exit in the Hub.
He opened the door and waited for it to close and lock before he walked into the crowd and began looking around to see if he could detect any “Unknown” criminal activity occurring in the vicinity.
An officer spotted him and ran to meet him. “Sir, I don’t think this a good time for you to be out here unprotected. I am going to have to report your whereabouts to my superior.”
Dimitrios scowled at being reported. He walked away and into the sea of people. The officer followed him making his report. Dimitrios heard him say, “Sir.” He kept walking. “Sir! Sir!” Dimitrios briefly stopped. The officer said, “I am to immediately escort you to the control area.” Dimitrios began walking again and took several steps. The officer said, “I have an order to use force if I have to. Sir, I don’t want to follow the instructions I was given, but you know, well you know, I have to follow her orders.”
Dimitrios stopped again, turned around and walked back to where the officer was standing. “Okay, if you were given orders then I guess I should go with you. How about if we make our way through…” He pointed to the sea of people. “There.”
The officer swallowed hard. “Sir, I was instructed that we are to take the underground tunnels to the control area. Immediately.”
Dimitrios sized him up. He was young and inexperienced. He could tell the officer was praying for him to go quietly. Dimitrios sighed. “All right.”
Just then he turned his head and saw the number two in charge, Xander on his flying disk. “Sir, the Prime Minister sent me on orders that I am to escort you to the control area and make sure you are unharmed. I understand you want to survey the situation. I scanned you, and as you are aware, you are not armed.”
Dimitrios looked at the new officer, then walked to Xander. “No, but you are.” Xander put down his force field and Dimitrios stepped on his flying disk. The young officer breathed a sigh of relief as the two of them flew in the direction Dimitrios had pointed.
CHAPTER 30
Joseph’s father looked at him and said, “I’m not going to ride in that car. What are you trying to do get us both killed? I’ve seen you drive that death contraption! You can drive all right. You can drive something with real class. Show some respect, and don’t try to give me a heart attack this time. Stop at the stop signs. Last week was the last time I’m going to court on your behalf. It’s becoming harder and harder to get your tickets knocked down to faulty equipment when you’re driving a Rolls-Royce.”
Joseph put their clubs in the trunk. He hated driving his father’s car. He got in and drove them to the exclusive country club. Joseph’s family had been members there since it opened. He parked the car. Just as he suspected, with the exception of the employees’ cars, they were the only members there. He got out and went to get their clubs. Just as he set the clubs down on the asphalt an employee pulled up and offered to put their clubs in the cart for them. Joseph’s father thanked the young man and sat down. Joseph tipped the man after he put the clubs in the back of the cart. They drove away leaving the young man to walk back to the clubhouse.
Donovan began to rant quietly about old money versus new money as he saw a gentleman walk out of the clubhouse. Joseph glanced in the man’s direction. He left his father sitting in the cart in order to let the man at the counter know they had arrived.
When Joseph returned to the cart, a man he’d had never seen before was standing beside Donovan. The two men were having a dispute of some sort. Joseph moved swiftly to get to his father’s side in case he was needed to intervene. When the man saw Joseph approaching, he quickly walked in the other direction.
Joseph sat down next to his father. “Was that man bothering you?”
Donovan looked at him and scolded, “Mind your own business. Did I ask for you to interfere? You still have a lot to learn son, in the dealings of real men. If I want your help I’ll tell you, otherwise just keep your mouth shut.”
Any other man might have taken offense to his father’s words. Not Joseph. For weeks something had been troubling his father. Somehow he sensed something was going to happen. Joseph remembered, when he was younger, a conversation he overheard between his father and grandfather.
Not that the circumstances were the same in this instance, but he distinctly heard grandfather tell his father, “You are at the age that soon there will be a changing of the guard. You must go through a rite of passage...” That seemed troublesome to his father at the time. Joseph overheard bits and pieces of the conversation between the two men when they had thought he was too young to understand their words.
Grandfather at one point said to Donovan, “It’s time to discuss the logistics of the family business. Shouldn’t we send Joseph out of the room.” They turned to look at the young boy playing with his cars.
His father sighed. “Why bother? He doesn’t know what we are talking about. He’s just a stupid kid, and Joseph is dumber than most.”
They turned, ignoring him and went about discussing their business. He couldn’t hear all of their words, and maybe he didn’t quite comprehend all the details of what the discussion was about, but he did understand the gist of the conversation. From the look on his father’s face after the meeting with Grandfather, Joseph could tell something was troubling to him. He’d never seen that look before or since on his father’s face until now. This was the same look he had seen on Donovan’s face after the discussion with Grandfather all those years ago.
From then on the two men kept their conversation on the golf game. To Joseph’s surprise his father remained quiet with the exception of a few helpful hints on his swing.
When they finished Joseph drove his father back to the law firm. Donovan went inside. Joseph put his clubs back in his sports car. When he walked into the office he heard his father talking to Seamore. Joseph decided to change in his office. When he finished changing he sat at his desk. He looked over his calendar. Nothing. He sat back in his chair and thought to himself it was going to be another long night of cards with the guys.
His father hollered his name from his office. Joseph stood up. By the time he was halfway to the door his father yelled for him again. He walked to Donovan’s office.
His father motioned for him to come in. “Close the door behind you.” Joseph reached back, and closed the door. He stood there and stared at his father wondering why he had called out.
Donovan was pacing back and forth. “We have a problem.” Joseph stood still. He didn’t dare move, his eyes just followed his father. His father paused and looked up at him. “Did you hear me?”
“I did. I’m waiting for you to tell me the problem.”
His father coughed and put his pointer finger in the air to signal him to wait. Then he said, “Get your papers and crystal. We have to go now. This can’t wait.”
Joseph left Donovan’s office and returned to his own. On the wall beside his desk was a large oil painting of his grandfather. Behind it was a safe that he opened. Joseph pulled out his paperwork and crystal. He put them in his pocket and met Donovan back in his office.
The man from the golf course was talking to his father. His father looked at Joseph but didn’t introduce him to the man. Upon seeing Joseph enter the room, the man brushed by him and walked out of the office suite without saying a word.
At the back of his father’s office was a door leading to a smaller room. They walked through the doorway. In the center of that room was a large metal hoop suspended in the air hovering over a large magne
t. Donovan walked over and opened the Passageway. They walked through the corridor to the other side. Once they arrived on the other side, the father and son split up. Two men approached Joseph’s father. Joseph always referred to the imbeciles as his father’s “goons.” They began yammering at Donovan as soon as they saw him. His father began barking orders over their nonstop racket.
Joseph immediately walked in the other direction. Those two drove him crazy. If his father wanted to tell him what the emergency was then he’d have to come find him. He wasn’t sticking around for that freak show. No telling what the two “goons” had been up to in his absence. It only got worse from there. Joseph heard loud voices shouting from all over the building. He rolled his eyes when he heard his name being called out from down the hall. He stopped, and considered continuing to walk away. He slowly turned around. “What do you want and what’s going on around here? What is everyone freaking shouting about?”
A teenager jogged up to Joseph. “Someone won the lottery!”
Joseph glared. “Are you sure?”
The punk nodded. “Yep.”
Joseph shook his head and barked, “So why are you all here and not out there? Everyone should be out there right now looking for the winner! Do I have to do everything around here?” Joseph walked away. He was furious these idiots couldn’t think for themselves. He’d have to find his father, and that was something he really didn’t want to do right now. He had other plans and someone always had to interfere. He found Donovan in his office along with other men. His father had obviously calmed them all down because no one was shouting.
Donovan looked up at Joseph. “Where did you go? Glad you could finally join us.” He had a map out on his desk. He began pointing to the sectors where he wanted his people stationed. Once he finished the men ran out of the room.
The Xidoran Prophecy Page 33
