by PJ Hoover
“Good,” Cory said, and Benjamin felt his relief. “We have a lot we need to talk about.”
They severed their telepathic talk, and Benjamin looked up at the Moai again. Nothing about them had changed. No strange telepathic or telegnostic communications. Maybe they’d left their essences back on Easter Island. He figured it was possible. Heck, it seemed like anything was possible these days.
Benjamin turned around and stared walking back toward the door. He’d get Cory, and get his friends, and then they could all head back here together.
And then Benjamin heard the sound. It started as a low humming—almost inaudible. In fact, for a human, it probably would have been impossible to hear. Benjamin stopped and turned. The largest Moai flashed and the humming stopped. Benjamin walked back over to the three statues, but stayed a few feet back. And then he waited. Waited for what would be next.
He expected an explosive voice, like the Moai had delivered before. But it didn’t come. Instead, the humming began again, this time from the middle Moai. Benjamin dared to take a step closer, and the statue flashed and the humming stopped. There must be a point to the humming, but whatever it was, it totally escaped Benjamin.
And then, as he’d suspected it would, the third Moai began to hum. Benjamin walked the few steps over to its base and looked up at it. He stepped closer until he was able to reach out and touch it. And when he did, everything went black.
CHAPTER 17
As If Things Weren’t Complicated Enough
It didn’t take Benjamin’s aching head to let him know he’d screwed up. Big time. If finding himself in an empty room wasn’t enough of a clue, the fact that he lay slumped on the floor would have been. Benjamin checked his heads-up display. And then he checked it again. A whole day had gone by! Had he seriously been unconscious for an entire day?
He sat up and surveyed his surroundings. The room had windows and a door. Aside from that, the only piece of furniture was a paisley arm chair that looked like it had come from some fancy frou-frou museum. And on top of the chair, a tray of food materialized in front on his eyes.
Someone knew he’d woken up.
Benjamin made a mental note that he was being watched. Closely by the looks of it. And then, even though he hated to do it since he now knew he was being watched, Benjamin peed in the toilet in the far corner, because, really, what other choice was there? He could only hold it so long.
He walked over to the tray and without giving it a second thought, devoured the food. Why would someone go to all the trouble to keep him here overnight just to poison him on his first bite of food? But even after the tray was empty, Benjamin’s stomach still growled.
“Hey, how about some more food in here?” he said. If someone was watching, then someone was listening. And his guess was valid, since in a matter of minutes, the empty tray was replaced by another filled one. Benjamin ate what he could and then sat in the chair. There was nothing else to do, and besides, the floor was harder than bricks.
The hours passed. Benjamin wasn’t tired yet, so he tried telepathy with Cory. Nothing. Then Heidi. Still nothing. He kept going through the list, trying to form a telepathic link with anyone he could think of. Even Morpheus Midas. But the room was jammed. He could tell by the way his thoughts kind of bounced back to him, but he still had to try.
Pretty soon, Benjamin gave up on telepathy and fell asleep in the chair.
Benjamin woke to the sun shining through the windows and the door opening.
“You!” he said when he saw her. It was the girl from the party—the girl wearing the long red dress. Except she had on jeans and a t-shirt instead of the dress.
“Hello, Benjamin.” She walked over to the chair. “Are you feeling rested?”
Benjamin jumped to his feet. “What’s going on here? Where am I?”
“We’ve invited you to be our guest for a while,” the girl said. “My name’s Phoebe.”
Benjamin’s head spun. Guest for a while? “Listen, Phoebe. I have things I need to be doing. I don’t want to be anyone’s guest right now.”
She shrugged, and they both turned at the sound of the door reopening.
“Nathan!” Benjamin said.
Nathan Nyx strode into the room and walked straight to Phoebe. He leaned over to her and gave her a long kiss. In spite of the mass of confusion in his head, Benjamin noticed that the girl, Phoebe, cringed and tried to pull away. But Nathan held her firm.
When the kiss ended, Nathan leaned back, and Phoebe raised her hand to slap his face. But Nathan caught her hand midair and laughed.
“Not happy to see me, sister?” Nathan asked.
Phoebe glared at Nathan in return.
Sister? What in the world was going on here?
“As I was saying, Benjamin,” Phoebe said, “you’re our guest. You should make yourself comfortable.”
As if a chair would make him comfortable. Benjamin glared at her. “You tricked me. You made me follow you to the Moai. And then you kidnapped me.”
“I hardly had to do anything,” Phoebe said. “Just a little telepathic suggestion. You seemed happy enough to follow me on your own. Not a minute too soon, either. We barely got you out of there before our brother came along.”
“Brother?” Benjamin said. And then it dawned on Benjamin. This girl must be another one of his half siblings.
“Yes,” Phoebe said. “Our brother—Cory.”
“Half-brother,” Benjamin said. He didn’t want this girl to claim Cory as a brother. She was as bad as Nathan.
But Phoebe shook her head. “No, Benjamin. Brother. Full brother. Haven’t you figured it out yet? Can’t you feel it inside you?”
And then Benjamin’s head started spinning, and his heart started pounding, and sweat broke out on his forehead. He knew what she meant. He could feel it. How had he missed it before? Unless she’d masked it somehow. He wracked his brain, trying to remember what Helios had said. Had he ever actually said all three of the triplets were boys?
“You’re my—” Benjamin said.
“Sister,” Phoebe said. “I’m your sister. The third of the triplets.”
CHAPTER 18
Three’s a Crowd
They left Benjamin in the room for another four days. Sure, food got teleported in and teleported out, but Benjamin still felt like a caged hyena.
Halfway through the first day, Phoebe came in to check on him. As she walked in the room, she glanced back over her shoulder.
“Looking for someone?” Benjamin asked.
She covered the distance to the chair. “No.”
“Sure you are,” Benjamin said. “I can feel it. You’re looking for your boyfriend—Nathan.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Phoebe said. “And Nathan Nyx is not my boyfriend.” She glared at Benjamin as she said it.
“He sure seems to think so,” Benjamin said. “I saw him kiss you.”
She sighed. “Like a brother would kiss his sister. Actually, a half-brother.”
Benjamin shook his head and laughed. “I don’t think so. I may not be an expert, but that was no brotherly kiss.”
Phoebe shuddered and looked down. She took a deep breath and then looked back up at Benjamin. “How are you enjoying your stay?”
“It sucks,” Benjamin said. “If this is how you treat all your guests, it’s no wonder everyone hates the ruling family.”
“What do you mean everyone hates the ruling family?” Phoebe scowled at him. “The people love us. We rule everything here in Atlantis. And soon, we’ll rule the entire world.”
“The people are scared to death of you,” Benjamin said.
“That’s not true,” Phoebe said.
“Phoebe,” Benjamin said, “have you ever been to Lemuria?”
She shook her head.
“You should visit sometime,” Benjamin said. “You’d see what I mean. In Lemuria, the people are free to do what they want, act how they want, and think what they want.”
“
That’s how it is here, too,” Phoebe said.
“That’s what Caelus and Gaea have probably brainwashed you to think,” Benjamin said. “I’ve been both places, and I’m telling you the truth. Atlantians are oppressed.”
“I don’t believe you,” she said.
But Benjamin could tell she was lying. She was trying to mask her doubt—he could feel it. He’d gotten to her, and that could only be good.
“So how’d you get here in the first place?” Benjamin asked. “Didn’t you have a guardian or a family you were placed with?”
“I’ve been raised here since I was just a baby,” Phoebe said. “My guardian and my caretakers all died when I was under a year old.”
“They all just up and died?” Benjamin said.
Phoebe nodded. “Yes, it was very tragic, or so I’m told. There was an accident, and before anyone could do anything, all three were dead. That’s when our father found me and brought me here to Atlantis to live with him. I’m forever grateful to him for that. I’m not sure what I would’ve done if he hadn’t come along.”
Benjamin’s mouth dropped open as she spoke, and when she finished, he couldn’t keep it shut. “Don’t you think it’s a little bit strange that all three died in an accident?”
Phoebe shook her head. “Accidents happen all the time. It’s just a part of life.”
“Phoebe, you were entrusted to your guardian as soon as you were born,” Benjamin said. “He placed you—”
“She,” Phoebe interrupted. “My guardian was a she.”
“Fine,” Benjamin said. “She placed you with a family to be raised until you were old enough to know your destiny.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Phoebe said. “I was stolen away from our father against his will. If anything, my guardian is the one responsible for taking me away from him. It’s a good thing she died, or I’d never have been reunited with him.”
“Caelus killed your guardian and adoptive parents,” Benjamin said. “Can’t you see that?”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” Phoebe crossed her arms. “Look, just because you didn’t have as nice of an upbringing as I did doesn’t mean you should create lies.”
“I have a wonderful life,” Benjamin said. “My parents love me and always took care of me.” He decided to leave out the part about his own guardian, Mr. Burton, really being evil. It was kind of beside the point.
“But you were raised ignorant,” Phoebe said. “And then you were lied to. Look around you, Benjamin. You talk about the people of Atlantis being oppressed. Why do you think that is? Because they aren’t happy with the rulers? No! It has nothing to do with that. Atlantians have been kept imprisoned for thousands of years now. Kept down by Lemuria. That’s why the people seem oppressed. But all that’s about the change, and soon the tables will be turned.”
Benjamin shook his head. Okay, sure, he’d questioned the validity of the shields in the past himself. And, you know, it really wasn’t fair for Atlantians to be kept inside a dome against their will. But it was reality. Without the shields, the earth would have been overrun and enslaved. He knew, deep down, that at some point the shield around Atlantis had to come down. But he wasn’t the telegen to decide when. And neither was Phoebe.
“Nothing is going to change,” he said with more conviction than he actually felt. “The shields aren’t coming down.”
Phoebe turned and walked back toward the door. “You’re wrong, big brother. Just wait and see. Our dad and Gaea have it all figured out. And trust me—you don’t want to be caught on the wrong side when it all comes crashing down.”
She came back to visit the second day, but his efforts to engage her in another debate proved futile. Phoebe had a different agenda, though Benjamin wasn’t sure what it was.
“Your girlfriend’s been looking for you,” Phoebe said.
“Heidi?” Finally, a glimmer of hope; his friends hadn’t given up on him.
Phoebe put on a sly smile. “So you admit it. She is your girlfriend.”
Benjamin shook his head. “No. She’s just my friend. She has a boyfriend back in Lemuria.” Now why had Benjamin gone and told Phoebe that? It had no relevance to anything.
Phoebe smirked. “It looked like you guys were pretty cozy the other night at the museum. That is at least until you saw me.”
Benjamin shot her a look that would have frozen fire. “You tricked me.” He felt stupid for having fallen for her. And his own sister! How gross was that?
“Tricked you,” Phoebe said. “All I did was come up and talk to you.”
Benjamin blew out a breath. He knew she’d put some sort of hex on him or something. “Yeah, whatever.” What he really wanted was to learn more about his friends. But he didn’t want Phoebe to know how interested he was. “So were they having any luck?”
“Who?” Phoebe said.
“My friends,” Benjamin said. “Were they having any luck finding me?”
Phoebe laughed. “Hardly. We’ve got you tucked away so well, no one will ever find you here. Not that you’ll be here for much longer.”
Panic rose, but Benjamin tried not to let it show. If they moved him from his current location, his friends might never find him. He’d been holding out hope that from just being in one place for long enough, they’d be able to pick up on some kind of DNA signature or something.
“Oh,” Benjamin said. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll find out soon enough, big brother,” Phoebe said.
“So how’s Nathan?” Benjamin asked.
He’d caught her off guard. She flinched but recovered quickly. “Nathan? He’s fine. Why?”
“I was just wondering,” Benjamin said. “You know—since you two are so close and everything.”
“We’re half-siblings,” Phoebe said. “But we’re not close.”
“Are you on his list then?” Benjamin asked.
“What list?” Phoebe said.
“His hit list,” Benjamin replied.
“I don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about,” Phoebe said.
Benjamin smiled inwardly. Now he was the one with the information. “You heard about his visit to Delphi, right?”
Phoebe shook her head. “Nathan never went to Delphi.”
Benjamin held his smile inside. “Someone’s been keeping you in the dark, little sister. Nathan went to Delphi last year, and the oracle told him one of his half-siblings was going to kill him.”
“You’re lying,” Phoebe said in almost a whisper.
Benjamin shook his head. “No. And I’m only telling you this so you can protect yourself. Nathan killed the oracle and then started killing his half-siblings. That is until Caelus told him to stop.”
“Nathan hasn’t killed anyone,” Phoebe said. “He may not be the nicest guy in the world, but he’s no murderer.”
“Listen, Phoebe,” Benjamin said. “You need to be a little more attentive given the company you keep.”
“Stop talking about this,” Phoebe said. “I’m done hearing your lies.”
“All I’m saying is that Caelus only asked him to stop for a while,” Benjamin said. “At some point Nathan’s going to start it up again. Just watch your back.”
It was on the third day that Benjamin finally managed to form a telepathic link with Heidi. There were any number of reasons why it finally worked: she was just about the strongest telepath in the world; they’d joined minds in the past; he’d done nothing but think about her since he’d been captured. And when he heard her voice in his head, it sounded sweeter than the most beautiful music in the world.
He knew how corny that seemed, but honestly, he’d even come to look forward to Phoebe’s visits each day; the room was a quiet, empty place.
“Benjamin.”
“Heidi?” Benjamin stopped the pacing he’d been doing around the room.
“Benjamin!” Heidi’s telepathic thoughts felt clear as spring water. “Where are you?”
&nbs
p; “I’m being held prisoner,” Benjamin said.
“We can’t find you anywhere,” Heidi said. “We’ve been looking for days.”
“I know,” Benjamin said. “And I don’t think they plan to let you find me.”
“Who’s holding you?” Heidi asked.
“My sister,” Benjamin replied.
“Sister?” Heidi said. “Not your baby sister?”
Benjamin shook his head though Heidi didn’t see it. “Heidi, the third of the triplets is a girl. Cory and I have a sister. Her name is Phoebe, and she’s been raised by Caelus and Gaea her entire life.”
Heidi didn’t immediately reply, and if Benjamin hadn’t felt it, he would’ve sworn she’d lost the telepathic link.
“Heidi?” he asked.
“I’m still here, Benjamin,” Heidi said. “Just a little surprised. Cory mentioned something about a girl from the museum the other night.”
“It’s the same one,” Benjamin said. “She’s here with Nathan, but I think they plan to leave soon. With me.”
“To where?” Heidi asked.
“I don’t know,” Benjamin said. “Maybe to wherever my father is.”
“Benjamin, we’ve been so worried about you,” Heidi said. “I’ve been so worried about you.”
Benjamin smiled when she said it. It was nice to know she cared.
“I’ve been fine,” he said. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Benjamin,” Heidi said, “do you remember what I was talking about right before you went off to the bathroom?”
Benjamin felt a pang of guilt. He hadn’t gone to the bathroom. He’d been following Phoebe. “There’s something I want to tell you about that,” he said.
“I know, Benjamin,” she said. “It doesn’t matter. I just wanted to say that what we were talking about—about me and Josh—well, it’s over between us. As soon as all this is over and we get back to Lemuria, I’m going to tell him we’re through.”
