Declan had helped her get off the train wagon and carried her suitcase to the narrow alley that led the main entrance of the Clocksworth Academy. He remained silent, signaling that he didn’t want to say a word about what had just happened. After they bypassed a row of teal wooden doors and windows, they stopped in front of the large cypress door with centenarian ivy that distinguished the entrance of the Academy. A wave of sudden happiness had run through her body as Floriana pushed the button of the bronze Victorian doorbell. She felt so happy and relieved to be back.
Valerie and Carson welcomed them when they entered the three-story baroque building. Valerie told her that her grandfather was still busy in a meeting and he would welcome her later in the day.
They crossed a hallway with white and black marble floors that led to an inner courtyard full of rose bushes bearing black blooms. Large, vaulted doors made of wood and glass lined each side of the rectangular courtyard, and a few iron tables and chairs filled the space.
Carson helped her carry her backpack to the third floor where the dormitory was. The building was large enough to accommodate up to a hundred people at a time, and all active members of Order who lived in Weengarts had chosen to reside under its roof. The Master’s study was on the second floor, along with the dining room, the kitchen, and two common bathrooms. Larger chambers, such as the two living rooms, a reception hall, and even a home theatre room were on the ground floor, while the Grand Chamber of the Roses, where all secret ceremonies used to take place, was located at the back of the building.
After she thanked Carson for his help, Floriana entered her bedroom and closed the arched door behind her. She looked around the large bedroom; everything was exactly as she had left it. The rosewood furniture, the green velvet armchairs with the fluffy cushions, the elegant ivory lace curtains, even the heavy crystal vase with red roses was there on the nightstand.
The warm welcome had distracted her from unpleasant thoughts, but only briefly. She couldn’t wait to share her thoughts with her grandparent about that mysterious Dr. Declan Davis.
Still standing in front of the mirror, she took off her yellowish-green floral romper slowly. She looked at herself standing there in her underwear. Whatever she wore, she would still give the impression of an inexperienced young student. She always looked younger than she was, and she always felt that was a drawback; she was never taken seriously by anyone. However, she knew that she had a lust for life along with a thirst for adventure that didn’t match her immature appearance. And she was determined to prove that to everyone. Especially to Eric. And grandpa, she thought.
She unzipped her suitcase and pulled out her favorite pair of skinny jeans. After she put them on, she paired them with a black and white cropped tee and a pair of black old-school sneakers.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She opened the door to see Valerie’s smiling face. Her blond hair was up in a messy bun, and the loose strands that fell like a garland over her ears gave her wonderfully mature face an ethereal look. Floriana had always admired Valerie. She was a woman in her fifties with a chiseled body a young woman would kill for and the self-confidence of a badass woman. Every experience she had in her life was artfully drawn on her beautiful face.
“I’m sorry to bother you, sweetheart. I hope I didn’t wake you up. Oh, I see you changed clothes. Did you get some rest?” Valerie asked with concern.
“No worries, I’m not tired,” Floriana said as she gave Valerie a hug. “I was wondering when I am going to see my Grandpa. Is he still busy? You told me earlier that he was in a meeting. Isn’t it over yet?”
“That’s why I’m here. The Master is waiting for you in his office. However, this is not a private meeting; it seems that we are in the middle of an emergency and you are called to join them.”
“Nice. Let’s get the party started,” said Floriana.
“WELCOME BACK,” THE Master said in his deep serious voice as Floriana entered his office.
Ganni Rose took a black staff with a silver handle and stood up with difficulty from his old, heavy desk. The shadow of a large bookcase in dark cherry wood dropped on him as a contrast to the bright rays that sneaked into the room as the sun set.
Floriana moved to give him a hug but then she noticed that they weren’t the only persons in the room.
“I’m afraid we don’t have the luxury of a chit-chat. As Valerie told you, I’ve called for an emergency meeting,” the Master said.
“I can see that,” said Floriana, glancing around the room with its familiar leather couches and heavy wooden furniture.
Valerie and Carson had already taken their usual place on the sofa placed in the middle of the chamber, while Eric had nestled into an armchair across from them. His gaze flickered over her as she glanced at him.
“We are waiting for a special guest, and our emergency meeting won’t get started until he’s here. Before I call him in, there is an announcement I want to share with you all.”
Floriana looked at him with curiosity.
The old man leaned on his staff and opened his free arm in a welcome gesture as he made the announcement.
“Floriana is going to join our travelers team, and she is going to team up with Eric,” the master announced, and an outburst of applause followed.
“But, time traveling is a semester three course,” she said confused.
“You’ve already succeeded in your first jump in World War Two Germany,” the Master said. “Eric has been monitoring your progress since then and he assured me that you have surpassed his expectations. He finds you pretty skilled, and he’s willing to train you.”
From the corner of her eye, Floriana glanced at Eric, who was now staring at her as if he was trying to read her mind.
“Moreover, we all know how intelligent you are. You’ve already proven that,” the Master continued. “So, we all agreed that you have the whole package. You have the wits; you can develop fighting skills. And you couldn’t have asked for a better mentor and partner than Eric. So, Floriana, what do you think?”
“I think...” She paused as she saw Eric biting his lip. “I think that is awesome.” She grinned from ear to ear.
“SO, IS THAT WHAT THIS urgent meeting was about?” asked Floriana with a big smile on her face.
“Not really,” the Master replied as he walked to the door that led to a small room attached to his office and put his hand on the handle. “Dr. Davis, could you please come in?"
Declan entered the room with confidence.
"Hiya," he greeted as he scanned their faces. His gaze was so intense that it made Floriana feel uncomfortable.
“Dr. Declan Davis has just arrived from Romania. There are signs that a new biological weapon has been developed and every country is a possible target. Dr. Davis, let me introduce you to Valerie, Carson, and Eric. You already know Floriana. Declan, the dance floor is yours," the Master said when introductions were over.
Putting his hands in his pockets, Dr. Davis took a step forward. "Please call me Declan. As you may know, I'm a genetic engineer, and for the last three months, I've been tracking down a series of incidents that imply that a biological attack is on the way."
Declan cleared this throat. "There were several incidents during the last months that drew our attention. More precisely, unidentified deaths in rural or underpopulated regions of the world that could easily pass unnoticed by the scientific community. It would take months before it came to the attention of WHO and the media. It couldn’t have gone unnoticed by the Order of the Rose, though.”
“This is our job, after all. To dig where no one else digs and throw ourselves into battles we can’t win,” said the Master.
Declan started pacing around the room, staring consecutively to each one of them.
“I’ve been to several countries in East Europe and Central Asia these past months. Each of my trips followed a report of the deaths of villagers and people who lived in secluded areas away from medical centers. I was in Romania whe
re five people died from the same unprecedented causes, scattered across Transylvania. I traveled to Tajikistan. There, at a 1,500-meter altitude on the snowy Pamir mountains, Ι found the bodies of a family of five lying lifeless in their hut. From Tajikistan, I traveled straight to Uzbekistan, only to find a whole group of workers deceased and their bodies scattered along the cotton fields of Aydar Lake. I examined the samples of the corpses I had taken throughout my mission. The findings were incredibly alarming.”
Dr. Davis took a deep breath. “Have you ever heard of suicidal crickets and zombie caterpillars?”
Everyone stared at him with a perplexed expression on their face.
“It isn’t science fiction, in case you wonder. These things really do exist,” Dr. Davis continued. “I guess you haven’t heard of parasites manipulating insects. A caterpillar virus sends its victims running for the treetops, where they die.
“Zombie caterpillars are not the only example of zombie insects; there are also the zombie ants. Those ants are lured to their death by a fungus. When the parasite infects an ant, it convinces it to climb to the tops of the blades of grass; and there, the ant is eaten by sheep.
“What you may know is that there are also parasites that can manipulate humans. For example, there is a trophozoite called Naegleria fowleri, a type of warm-water-loving microorganism that enters the human body and works its way into the human brain. Once there, it eats brain tissue and causes the victim’s death.”
Dr. Declan Davis took a short break as he noticed a look of disgust on their faces.
“There have been reports of mysterious deaths in different parts of the world recently,” Declan continued. “Dr. Akio Sato and I have been tracking down all reported incidents, from the ices of Greenland to the steppes of Mongolia. I have been traveling across the world for the last six months. After endless laboratory tests, we finally came to this conclusion. All deaths were caused by a worm we named Worm-V, the Vampire Worm, which acts in two ways in the victim’s body and causes a painful death in just a few minutes.”
Declan took a breath before he continued his narration. “All the victims showed a pale white skin and bloody eyes. All deaths were caused by a worm similar to tapeworms. That worm enters the victim’s body, travels all the way to the brain, and takes over it. Once the worm is in one’s blood system, there is no hope for the victim. They will either die by their own will or through anemia. When the worm reaches the brain, it conquers their power of will and manipulates them into believing that death is all they want. The victims try to kill themselves in any way possible, jumping off roofs, stabbing or hanging themselves, etc. From what I collected from witnesses, all victims developed a strange behavior similar to the zombie insects I described. There have been cases where the victim’s actions indicated that they tried to fight against what the worm wanted. They didn’t manage though, as they died from anemia. As the worm swims through the blood to the brain, it spreads a substance that kills the blood cells, causing small explosions in the victim’s bodies. Usually, a worm that takes over an insect's brain causes it to seek water and drown itself, thus returning the worm or its eggs to water. In the case of the Vampire Worm, the worm doesn’t survive after the victim’s death. And that didn’t make sense to us. We couldn’t understand why the worm would kill its host if it wasn’t for its own survival or reproduction. And that’s why we concluded that this was not nature’s doing, but rather a creation of man.”
“Sounds incredible. Is this why you believe a new biological weapon has been created?” asked Eric.
“Exactly,” replied Declan.
“How can this organism enter the human body?” asked Floriana.
“It’s a warm-water-loving microorganism, able to grow or survive in any temperature, warm or cold. All affected areas I examined were close to bodies of water, such as lakes, wetlands, reservoirs, even water tanks,” explained Declan.
“How could that be prevented?” asked Valerie.
“By regular tests on water systems. All governments should also work on raising the levels of chlorine in several dozen water systems. Citizens should be advised to take special precautions when showering and when swimming in nearby lakes, streams, and pools that have been filled with tap water,” said Declan.
“However, once a human is infected, there is no cure. And water systems could simply be infected with no one noticing,” Floriana said, appalled.
“Exactly,” Dr. Davis replied. “And no one knows how to stop this. There is not even an antidote, and every human infected by the virus meets his or her end within a few hours.”
“This is dreadful,” said Valerie. “That means that practically no one on this planet is safe.”
“This is the most extreme biological warfare this planet has ever seen.” Declan nodded.
“I’m going to summon an urgent meeting of travel Masters. Carson, please call Mirko in. I need him to start sending out invitations immediately. All masters should be here within 48 hours. This must be a top-secret gathering; they all have to take the necessary precautions to ensure they are not followed. They should keep secret the reason for their trip, even to their closest associates. This isn’t just a case of biological warfare; it’s an attempt to altering history.”
The Master signaled them to leave his office. They slowly walked out except Eric who turned around and discreetly asked the old man, “Did the baculus flash?”
“It did,” the Master said in low voice. “The whole world is facing a dangerous situation, and it’s our duty to find those who can reveal the villains and stop their vicious plans. Once again, the Order of the Black Rose will take up its duty.”
AT THE MASTER’S SUGGESTION, they moved to the private dining room, leaving Mirko behind to make all the arrangements for the forthcoming Masters’ summit.
They were sitting around a long wooden table, porcelain plates in front of them, surrounded by silver flatware and crystal glass full of red wine. Floriana’s stomach grumbled as Elena, their cook, placed steaming dishes of rabbit stew, beef olives and Kapunata, a Maltese version of ratatouille on the long white-sheeted table.
She realized that she had not eaten since breakfast; she was so hungry and tired. Her grandfather was sitting on her left side and Valerie on her right. Eric was sitting across the table, fringed by Carson and Declan, their new acquaintance.
They were dealing with another world-threating situation, but this time she was not the centerpiece. Thank God, she thought. She wanted to be helpful, she wanted to become as effective an agent as Eric, but no, another family drama was not what she wished for.
“How was your trip to Romania?” The Master leaned over her shoulder and whispered in her ear.
“Confusing.”
“What happened there?” he asked.
“Do you really trust this Declan?” She avoided giving a straightforward answer.
“I trust no one. Except you. Maybe.”
“I think he’s dangerous.”
“Aren’t we all?” he said before he took a sip of red wine.
“I think he committed murder.”
“You think or you’re sure he did?”
She wasn’t even though all had happened in front of her. And she would have admitted that to the Master if she didn’t have second thoughts.
Admitting she wasn’t sure what she had witnessed in Romania would be like admitting her failure. She could say that she was mistaken, and no foul play took place. Or she could go on and confirm that Declan was a murderer and the Order should expel him from Weengarts. In both cases, her assumption would be false. Should she cover her failure behind a lie?
“I’m not sure he committed murder or it was self-defense,” she finally admitted. “I’d rather be called incompetent than a liar,” she thought.
“I see,” the Master said as he cut a small piece of meat on his plate.
“I admit my failure.”
“Life is built upon failures.” He put the small bite of meat in his mouth and c
hewed slowly. “I shouldn’t have sent you there. You weren’t ready.”
Floriana slid her plate closer and pressed her fork deep into the meat. Lost in her thoughts, she started cutting her meat into pieces until tiny bites filled the plate.
“I’m sorry I failed you,” she told the Master quietly as she forked a nibble of meat.
“You didn’t fail me,” the Master replied in a strict voice. “I still believe in you. You’re smart and courageous. You have the whole package required for a Black Rose traveler. However, you are also my granddaughter and I can’t display favoritism. You aren’t fully trained yet; but Eric is ready to take over. You couldn’t wish for a more skilled mentor, a more trusted and loyal partner. He’s the best apprentice I’ve ever had, and then he became the most fearless agent this Order had seen in years. There is only one thing he’s afraid of; falling in love. But I guess that’s not something you are interested in.” He sipped his red wine as he glanced at her through the corner of his eye.
“Me?” She almost choked on her wine. “With Eric! God forbid!”
She took a napkin to wipe the split wine off her lips and rushed to change the subject. “Where is Vittor?”
“He said he had to visit a friend who was in trouble. I was disappointed he didn’t join the meeting, but he’s an adult, and I can’t tell him to do anything.”
“Shouldn’t you be stricter to him? I mean with all due respect, sir.”
“Vittor is not a member of the Order and he isn’t an active traveler. As a scientist he could have a direct update from Declan about his scientific findings, however, he chose to miss the meeting.” His face clouded at the thought. “That’s why I had Bill, Valerie’s son, spy on him. He hasn’t reported back yet,” the Master said as a story on the TV caught his interest.
Clocksworth Academy Page 11
