Men of the Cave (Symbol of Hope Series)

by Burgess, Marisette

  11. Kasey and Hercules

  Dion and I spent the next two weeks casually dating. We saw each other every other afternoon. He backed off some after our bizarre first date. He didn’t try to kiss me again. Could he be waiting for me to make the first move?

  His answers to my questions were always fascinating. I became familiar with how his world worked, and the awkwardness of it didn’t bothered me. Instead, I became engrossed in his magical supernatural world.

  Madhu and Bernardo lasted a week; he wanted someone who would go the distance. It didn’t faze her, she had already moved on to someone else at the local bakery. I spoke with Nolan once a week. It went well for him in his new living arrangements and my parents are my parents.

  Tonight I was going to Dion’s opening night at the theater. The anticipation of seeing him on stage prevented me from focusing on my term paper. A knock on the door came as a welcomed distraction.

  “Entra,” I yelled out.

  Señor Castillo opened my door and walked in. I stood.

  “Kasey, un momento, do you have a minute?” he asked. He held an old cigar box.

  I gestured for him to sit on the desk chair while I sat on the bed.

  “Kasey, I was hoping I could speak to you about something personal.” He stumbled with his words and looked quite uncomfortable. His hand rubbed the back of his neck as he stretched it out.

  I became apprehensive myself, “its okay senor.”

  He let out a deep breath, “Kasey, I know I am not your father, but you are staying here under our care, and I feel …I feel I should at least give you my advice.”

  Oh no, he’s going to talk to me about Dion.

  “I know you have started relations with Dion Kleon and even though they are a nice good family…” He paused. “Please be careful for yourself. They…well they are a different kind of family and I wish you to be cautious. Try not to get yourself involved with them too much.” His eyebrows furrowed.

  Did he know their secret? It sounded like he was warning me against what they are.

  “Here, in this box, are some old pictures of my family and our restaurant here in Deia. It shows how time has not affected the village. Take a close look at the first one. If you wish, we can speak again.” He left the cigar box on the chair and walked out.

  I opened the box and saw a pile of black and white photos inside. I picked up the first picture. A man and his young son of eight or nine were standing in front of the El Caracoles restaurant. The restaurant looked different, but not too much. I flipped the photo over and the writing on the back read 1938, Alejandro y Rodrigo Castillo. I’d seen other photos of the Castillo family and knew that Alejandro was Fernando’s father and Rodrigo was Fernando’s grandfather. Turning over the photo, I examined it further. That’s when I saw it. In the background, five men sat at a table. Their faces were like haunting ghosts. The Kleon brothers, dressed in outfits from the early twentieth century, looked preserved in time.

  A chill ran through my body. The reality of Dion’s immortality hit me like a stone hitting a serene pond. I knew he was immortal, but the visual left me sick and confused. Not sure what emotions I should be feeling, I put the picture back in the cigar box and closed it. What did I get myself into?

  The phone rang at that moment. Dion was calling, and it was probably not a coincidence.

  “Hi.” I attempted to sound normal.

  “Hello, is everything all right?”

  “Yes, why would you ask? You don’t have Martin and John spying on me, do you?”

  “Well… are you sure everything is all right?”

  “I’m fine. Are you ready for the performance?” I tried to redirect our conversation.

  “Okay… yes. I am ready. Quite nervous.”

  “Why? Haven’t you done this for thousands of years?”

  “Um …yes and normally I would not be this nervous. But your presence in the audience has me anxious.”

  “Would you rather I not come?” I asked coldly.

  “Well no, I want you to go. Are you sure nothing is bothering you?”

  “I’m fine. I’ll be there,” I snapped.

  “With Sam and James still hanging around the island it would put my mind at ease, if you rode with my brothers.”

  “That’s fine then. See you later.”

  “Bye Kasey.” He hesitated before he hung up.

  I ate my seafood medley soup around eight and decided to wait downstairs for his brothers to come pick me up. Fernando avoided eye contact the whole evening. The black Mercedes van pulled up, and I walked out to it. Antony was in the driver’s seat. John, Martin, and Max sat in the back seats. Martin opened the sliding door, hopped out and opened the front door for me.

  “Buenasnoches Kasey.”

  “Buenasnoches,” I replied in kind. I wasn’t sure how to feel about a whole car ride with Dion’s brothers minus Dion. It was unnerving. I had never hung out with any of them, just Dion. As we got going, the awkward silence in the car got to me, so I broke it.

  “I’m sure you guys have seen Dion do this a million times. Is he good?”

  “Very,” Antony answered.

  “What was his best role?” I asked.

  “Phantom,” Martin, John, and Antony said simultaneously.

  “He was the phantom in Phantom of the Opera?”

  “He has done that one a couple of times, but that first time he performed it, was the best performance I have ever seen him do,” Martin answered.

  “He also did a stellar job with Laertes, back in the day.” Antony chimed in.

  “Hamlet’s Laertes?” I asked.

  “Yes, under the direction of Shakespeare in the Rose Theater. That was memorable to watch,” Antony elaborated.

  My jaw dropped. “Seriously?” I asked, dumbfounded.

  John chuckled. “Seriously Kase, we have met some pretty significant people through time.”

  “Most of the time, we had no idea they were going to be these world icons,” Antony said.

  “Who has been the most memorable person you have met?”

  “That’s a loaded question,” John said.

  “I would say Joan,” Martin said without a hesitation.

  “Joan who?”

  “Joan of Arc,” Antony answered.

  I turned and looked at Martin. “What was she like?”

  “Amazing. The will-power she had for her cause made even the immortals feel inconsequential.”

  Before now, I’d never seen Martin demonstrate such passion for anything. I could hear longing in his voice.

  “Martin crushed on her,” John teased.

  I smiled at Martin. He turned and looked out the window bothered.

  “I’m sorry. Was she close to you guys?” I didn’t know much about her. Only that she burned at the stake.

  “No, we met her a few times. She was a busy girl. She would not even look twice at Martin,” John said.

  “It was her God given destiny to lead the French army against the English. She was given a great purpose in this life to fulfill and she accepted it nobly,” Martin honored her with his words.

  Since Dion and I started dating, Max avoided me. He never came by the restaurant anymore. No one said anything, but by the way he treated me I could tell he was not fond of the fact that I was dating Dion. I couldn’t help wonder if it was because I was human or not religious.

  We pulled into the packed dirt parking lot. The theater was unique and something I’d never seen. It was an open-air theater on the side of a mountain. The stadium style stoned seating sloped downward to a state of the art stage. Complete with orchestra pit, sidewalls, and ornate curtains. It was a perfect blend of a sixth century Greek theater with modern day characteristics.

  Max led the way to our center stage seats, but John stopped me from sitting.

  “Would you like to see Dion back stage before the show?” he asked.

  “No, I’m okay. I’ll see him after,” I replied.

  “Um…well he wants to
see you. Come on.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

  “Did you have a vision?” His actions confused me.

  “Nope, he told me he wanted to see you before the show. I was to make sure I brought you by.”

  We walked behind the stage walls, and like any typical theater the manic and mayhem that goes on before a show was at full blast. Despite the hectic atmosphere, John took me right to the actor’s area. All the actors were in costumes, huddled together, down on their knees deep in prayer. I felt strange watching them pray, as if I walked in on a private moment. John left me there and returned to his seat. When the group finished, they made the sign of the cross and stood. Dion came to me at once.

  “Hola, I am glad you came.” He gleamed.

  “Me too,” I answered giving him a hug. His skin felt warm. I felt guilty for being cross with him earlier. I couldn’t imagine how he wasn’t cold in his short roman toga. Then again, did he even get cold?

  “Really?” He questioned, “You seemed upset earlier. Was something bothering you?”

  “Yes, but I’m okay. I don’t want you to worry about me. I want you to worry about your performance.”

  “Why would I worry? I have this down.”

  I scoffed, “You’re a Saint. Aren’t you supposed to have humility?”

  “Yeah, I am bad about that one from time to time.” He shrugged his shoulders. “You know, you can always come to me with anything that is bothering you.” He lifted my chin with his closed fist forcing me to look at him.

  “I know…I know…” I removed my chin from his hand.

  “We are going to start soon. You should probably get back to your seat. Thank you again.”

  “It’s my pleasure. Break a leg.”

  He grinned at my comment. We kissed on the cheek and parted. I went back and took my place between John and Antony. As the orchestra started the overture, I looked around at the audience, amazed at how many people filled in since we arrived. I gazed to my right and my heart stopped.

  I must have stiffen in my seat because Antony leaned over and asked, “Kasey, what is wrong?”

  “Sam and James are sitting over there.” I motioned my head in their direction. Antony looked, and then, without saying a word, he caught the eyes of John, Max, and Martin to let them know. They nodded when they saw what we had.

  The lights on the stage dimmed, and the play began. Dion was incredible. A true actor. I forgot Dion played a role and accepted him as Hercules in Spanish. The orchestra, cast, and crew all did such a phenomenal job. The audience gave a standing ovation. As soon as the curtain came down, the bright lights on stage were back, Max huddled close to us.

  “Let us go back stage I want to avoid Sam and James.”

  We did what he commanded and made a beeline for the back stage. The celebrations were loud and chaotic. I followed the Kleon brothers putting my faith in them that they would lead me to Dion. Max spotted him first. He was by the dressing stations receiving congratulations.

  “Job well done, brother,” Max said grabbing Dion’s shoulder and shaking his hand.

  “You were amazing.” I hugged and gave him a pop kiss on the mouth without any thought to it, but it caught him off guard. His other brothers congratulated him, too.

  “Thank you let me go change out of the costume. Give me about ten minutes.”

  We waited for him to return. When he came back Max said, “We should get out of here. See you back home.”

  “Thank you, thanks a million,” Dion smiled and said his farewells to his brothers.

  “Kasey, you shall ride back with me.” He led me through all the chaos and celebrations stopping at brief times to say congratulations or to receive congratulations from fellow cast mates.

  As soon as we approached the car, we heard someone screaming Dion’s name. We turned to see John sprinting toward us, his face troubled. When he reached us, he pulled Dion away and spoke to him in private. Then Dion looked anxious he nodded and John left. Dion came back to the car looking stone serious.

  In the car I asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” he said, frigid.

  I began to buckle myself in and his hand stopped mine. “Do not buckle.”

  “What! Why not?”

  “Kasey please…”

  “Dion, did John and Martin see something?” I asked alarmed but returning my seatbelt back in place. He began to open the roof to the convertible.

  “Isn’t it chilly tonight to ride with the roof down?” I was annoyed at his strange behavior.

  “Kasey, trust me, please,” he placed his hand on my leg and gave me a nervous smile.

  “Errr, you drive me nuts,” I turned my head toward the road.

  “So, how did you like the play?” he asked changing the subject.

  “It was great. You’re talented.” I grumbled. I developed a nasty chill from the cold wind that blew at us. I shivered several times in my seat. He looked at me apologetically, “Thank you, you really thought so.”

  “Of course I did. You certainly have a gift. Have you ever tried Hollywood?”

  “Naturally, in the forties and fifties, but it was not for me. I prefer the theater feel with a live audience.”

  “You mention the forties and fifties like they were yesterday.” His nonchalant manner toward time amused me.

  “When you live as long as I have the forties and fifties seem like they were yest…”

  He jerked the wheel violently swerving the car. My screams bellowed through the open car. A huge boulder fell from nowhere and landed directly in front of us. With Dion’s quick reflexes, he veered the car, screeching the tires around the boulder. Once we were driving straight again, I braced myself with the side of the door. Tiny pebbles hit the windshield, imitating a downpour. In a matter of minutes, the glass shattered into a million pieces.

  Dion grabbed the back of my neck and pushed my head down toward my lap. I covered myself with my arms as I felt the glass fall upon me. When he let go, I dusted off the glass pieces and sat upright in my seat. I looked out through the glassless windshield in time to see a giant tree flying toward us. He swerved the car attempting to miss the tree, but the tree seemed to be mimicking the car’s every move. If he jerked right, the tree swiftly glided through the air to its right. If he jerked left, the tree followed in the same pattern. It finally landed a few feet from the car. An impact was inevitable.

  Dion let go of the steering wheel and jumped over me. He picked me up and pressed me close. The pressure felt like I hit a stonewall. He held me tight against him and evacuated our bodies from the moving vehicle.

  We rolled through the air, and his back hit the pavement hard. At speeds, I cannot imagine, he skidded on his back holding me close to his chest. He roared in pain. I held on tight to his shirt, but as we were slowing, my lower body slipped off him and my hip skidded on the pavement. I felt a low stinging sensation. When we stopped, he rolled me off and grunted in pain. His shirt shredded. There was a brief second of pain in his face then he popped up on one knee, as if the road hadn’t ripped off his skin. His flesh healed rapidly. Any injuries were disappearing.

  “Kasey, are you hurt?” Dion drew my attention to him. My heart pounded with every heavy breath I took. The impact knocked the wind out of my lungs. I wanted to reply but couldn’t.

  “Kasey, say something, can you move. What hurts?” He placed one hand behind my ear and the other on my rib cage. He looked panicked.

  “Kasey, look at me. Are you hurt?”

  I shook my head no. I pointed at what I was seeing. The front of the car hit the tree at such speed that the car flipped foreword. Beyond the tree, James ran disappearing into the forest. I whispered, “James.”

  “Stay here. Do not move. Let Max look at you.” He took a quick look up and down my body. Once he was content I wasn’t hurt, he was gone.

  Seconds later, a black Mercedes pulled up with great urgency, and his brothers ran out. Max reached me first. The others followed Dion.
/>   “Kasey, hold still.” Max said. His hand began to glow, and he scanned my body as Dion had with his eyes.

  I sat up and pulled my shirt over my hip concealing my torn clothing, “I’m fine.” I managed to say.

  Max’s eyebrows wrinkled. “Kasey, are you sure?”

  “I’m okay, really. I’m not hurt.” I ignored the stinging coming from my right hip. Max placed his hand on my shoulder.

  “Kasey, if you are injured I can help.” He was troubled. Did he know?

  “I’m okay. I don’t need your help.” The tears began to stream down my face, even though I didn’t want to cry. I tried to wipe them away. At that moment, the Kleon brothers came back huffing big breaths of cold air. Dion came straight towards me and helped me up. We hugged. I buried my face into his cold, frayed shirt. Underneath the slashed shirt, his skin was warm and comforting.

  “What happened?” Antony asked.

  “The tree flew toward us. It landed right in front of the car.”

  I trembled, “So, I did see that right! How?” My voice hoarse from all the screaming I did.

  “James’ telekinesis. He moved the tree with his mind,” Max said.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “I am not sure,” Max answered.

  “Man, I really liked this car too,” John said. He and Martin examined the wreckage.

  “Did you find them?” Max asked upset.

  “No, I could not even pick up a trace.” Dion’s muscles tensed under my arms.

  “Wait we have something!” Martin and John said simultaneously. Their eyes were the most disturbing eyes I had ever seen. Their dark eyeballs disappeared into their eyelids, and all that remained was the glossy white. They looked like they were some form of human aliens.

  “I see Sam and James fleeing. They are not on main roads,” Martin said bringing his eyes back to their normal state.

  “I see them in Soller. They will check into a hotel room.” John looked like himself again.

  “I doubt they will remain there all night,” Max said.

  “Should we go after them? Soller is not far,” Dion asked.

  “No, I do not think they will be back, but we should stay on high alert throughout the night. John, Martin anymore visions let us know,” Max’s authoritative nature felt comforting.