“What was the name your parents, or creator gave you?”
“My parents? That was so long ago,” he said, stroking his chin, “but I recall they named me Alexis.”
“Perfect. Alexis it is!”
He smiled.
“Now can I get some answers?”
“With pleasure.”
“Who are you? And how did you get here? And what’s with that outfit and your personality?” I asked in one breath.
“One question at a time; we have all the time in the world. I am a monk tasked by the High Priestess to aid Calia in her attempt to seal Chronos’s Watch and become a guide to those who will unseal it and use it in the future. My soul is carved into the Watch, so as long as it exists, I’ll be around as well. My outfit? This is what we wore at the temple, and as for my personality, there’s nothing much I can do about it. It changes according to the person I’m serving at the moment.” He stopped talking for a moment and looked at my puzzled face. “But we have time later for this kind of silly questions. Isn’t there something important you need to ask me?”
“Why was Leah absorbed by the Watch?”
“That’s an easy one. Because the Earl had no ability of his own. The Watch needs one’s ability to run smoothly, but because it was the Earl’s ambition to unseal it, and Leah was used as a key, this is how things turned out. Though I can’t say it was in his advantage anyway.”
“What do you mean?” I asked scowling.
“You know its main use is to extend life.” I nodded. “Well, he was convinced, by someone, that it’s possible to bring someone back to life, which is not.”
“I see . . . then Leah and Chance?” I looked at the floor, ashamed, clenching my fists.
“You don’t have to let them go if you don’t want to,” he said, somehow understanding.
“I can’t do that. I can’t.” Tears came down, flooding my face. “If I don’t let them go, their lives will be exploited by the Watch!” I said, hugging myself. “They’ve suffered enough. Leah suffered enough.”
“You don’t need to worry about the curse anymore.”
“What do you mean?” my eyes widened.
“The curse was engraved in the glass you broke. Heh, who knew?” he said it as if it was nothing but a joke which flew over our heads.
“Oh . . .,” it was the only thing I could say.
“So, Scarlett? What is your command?” Alexis asked, his tone suddenly serious.
I wiped my tears, and straightening my back, I raised my chin and said determined. “Free my friends!” and I slammed closed the Watch’s golden facet.
“Yes, master!”
I expected something to happen, I assumed my hair would turn back to its natural colour, and Chance into sand, then Alexis would disappear, but nothing happened.
I looked confused at Alexis, waiting for an explanation, but he only looked at me calmly.
“Well?” I finally asked, losing my patience.
“Oh, right! Before I work my magic, I took some liberties you should know about. First, you’ll need this.” And he handed me a paper bag. “You’ll find in there everything you need; clothes, papers, everything. Second, on the second floor, there are some rooms that can be used as bedrooms; they’re a bit dusty, but you can handle it. And third, the ambulance is on the way, so we need to hurry.”
“Wait, wait! What’s all this? Papers for what? Clothes? Bedrooms? What are you going on about? And an ambulance? For who?” Everything was spinning in my head, and I was unable to make any sense.
“Listen,” he grabbed my shoulders, “being part of the Watch since the beginning evolved my ability to see the future. I had prophetic dreams before, but now I can see everything clearly. I knew we’d get to this point from the moment you stepped into the museum the first time. The papers are for your friends and a little surprise for you. I had a friend of mine make them; you’ll meet him at some point. The clothes are for that big guy over there.” He pointed to Chance. “You can’t take him outside dressed like that, and the ambulance is for Leah. She might’ve been alright while inside the Watch, but once she returns to the real world, her body will be in the same shape it was two-hundred years ago, a complete wreck.” His jaw clenched.
“Feel free to call me stupid, but I don’t get it. I thought you can’t bring people back.”
“I can’t bring back dead people, but they were never dead to begin with, just captives. One more thing. In time, I imprinted in Chance’s mind all sorts of information, so when he will wake up, he’ll be a perfectly functional modern man, except for his gentlemanly personality, there’s nothing I can do about that.” He rolled his eyes. “Call me if you ever need me again.”
Alexis disappeared, leaving me behind with a lot of things to wrap my head around, but I had time for that later.
Pacing around the room, I waited for something to happen. I emptied the paper bag on the desk and checked its contents. I was amazed by Alexis’ meticulosity. Apart from clothes for Chance, which seemed to be a perfect size, a sports drink, and a thin blanket, he made them everything from Birth Certificates to Passports, even College and University Diplomas, along with some paper cut-outs about a young woman who got kidnapped some time ago, supposedly Leah. According to those things, it seemed as if Leah and Chance were siblings now. There was also a big envelope with my name printed on it, marked as ‘IMPORTANT’, but before I could open it, a flump and a short grunt made me jump. Turning, I saw Chance laying on the floor, struggling to wake up. I rushed to his side, supporting his weight as he tried to stand, but feeling unsteady, he leaned against the wall.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” he said in a throaty voice, showing half a smile and caressing my cheek.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, concerned.
“A bit dizzy and thirsty.”
I moved to get the bottle from the desk, but he grabbed my wrist and pulling me to his chest, Chance buried his face in my hair. “Don’t go. If you go, I’m afraid everything will turn out to be just a nice dream. If it really is a dream, let me stay in it for a bit longer,” he pleaded, shivering.
“It’s not a dream,” I said gently, touching his face, “you are here to stay.”
I held him for a while, until he calmed a bit, absorbing the shock of his awakening, but where was Leah? I could hear the ambulance’s siren in front of the museum and people, the paramedics I presumed, calling. The main door opened, and their footsteps grew closer, when out of nowhere, lightning struck the middle of the floor, leaving behind Leah’s unmoving naked body. Full of bruises, scars, open wounds and so thin you could count her bones, she looked more dead than alive. Her abdomen was still round from the pregnancy, but the haemorrhage put a significant danger on her life. Ripping myself from Chance’s arms, I ran to Leah’s side and covering her with the blanket, I began to shout, “We are here!” I shouted as loud as I could. “Come quickly!”
Three paramedics rushed in and placing an oxygen mask on her face, they put Leah on a stretcher and ran back to the ambulance.
“Wait!” I stopped one of them. “Where are you taking her?”
“Are you family?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered without delay.
“Then you can follow us to The Royal London Hospital. Enter through A&E!” he shouted back while running after his colleagues.
Putting my hands together in front of my chest, with tears in my eyes, I raised a prayer to the gods.
Chance came from behind, and putting his arms around my shoulders, he whispered while kissing the side on my head. “You know she’s strong.” He tried to comfort me. “She didn’t fight this long just to give up now. We need to have faith in her. She will get over this.”
My knees gave out, and I started to cry, but Chance was right. She needed us, and we were going to be there for her.
THE END
-FOR NOW-
TO BE CONTINUED IN BOOK 2
ALSO BY:
Beyond Dreams – Book
1 – Fateful Dreams
COMING SOON:
Recurring Dreams – Book 2 – Fateful Dreams
The Blood Watch – Book 2 – The Cursed Watches
* * *
[1] Sculpting technique. Relief sculpture that stands out from the background.
The Curse of Time Page 18
