I swallowed hard against the dry tightness in my throat and wiped the sweat from my forehead as I fought to hold down the vomit that threatened to rise. “No, tell me now.”
“Andelyn–”
“My name is Andie,” I corrected impatiently. “Now, just tell me what’s wrong. It’s my father, isn’t it? Did you hear back from him? What happened?”
A heavy breath of air crackled across the receiver from the other end. “It’s not just your father, Andie. There was an accident. An explosion of some kind–you know, I’d much rather speak to you in person about this–”
“Howard,” I snapped, holding back tears as I pressed hard against my forehead with my thumb. “My father and…Silas.”
A long pause held the line, dragging on with the sounds of our heavy breathing.
“I’m so sorry, Andie. There was a cave-in. They’re…dead.”
Chapter Four
“Space exploration. Ancient religions and civilizations,” the deep voice rang through the giant speakers on either side of the stage as I sat in the crowd and listened intently. “Two different topics, both existing thousands of years apart.” Howard walked across the platform with purpose, knowing he’d captured the room’s attention. “But what if I told you they were one and the same?”
The theater of eager minds gasped in unison and erupted into busy whispers as I sat with my notepad in hand, admiringly watching my father’s old friend, Professor Danes, discuss a topic I knew all too well. He held a small device in his hand, a slideshow controller, and took a long pause as he glanced down at me in the crowd of dozens.
“For decades, we’ve wondered just how the ancient Egyptians built great monoliths and grand structures such as the pyramids. Speculations, theories. These are all we’ve had to go on.” Howard grinned madly. “Until now.”
The audience began to whisper again, and he threw another lingering glance at me before clicking the device in his hand that commanded the massive screen behind him to come to life. An aerial view of Cairo.
“Egypt. The birthplace of our obsession. The reason we’re all here today, why we study under those who’ve dedicated their lives to uncovering its secrets. Those like the late Professor Alistair Godfrey and his crucial findings with the secret chamber beneath the Great Pyramid.”
Another click of the device.
The screen turned to images, amateur photographs that struck a chord in my memory. Pictures that Dad had taken himself of the interior of that very chamber in the Great Pyramid. Runes and hieroglyphs. The carvings of Osiris followed by an ankh appeared on the screen and the long-buried memory of kissing Silas flashed across my vision. I blinked away the thought and shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Wishing I had read the details of this particular presentation before I decided to come. Wishing I could drink the tiny bottle of vodka that sat somewhere at the bottom of my purse.
My failsafe.
“We know most of these symbols,” Howard continued as he clicked through. “But not all. These ones, in particular, had us scratching our heads for months. Until another structure, a much older one, had been uncovered in the Brazilian rain forest a short while later.”
Professor Danes clicked the device, filling the screen with a grand image of the giant pyramid found in Brazil. Dark stones partially covered in the relentless green of the surrounding forest.
Another click.
The close-up of the same unknown runes from the Giza chamber.
“Immediately, Godfrey and his team flew to Brazil and spent weeks there, uncovering the secrets of this hidden structure. Only to find a symbol we know all too well.” Click. “The mark of an ankh. Instantly verifying and linking the two ancient buildings across thousands of miles. Across an entire body of water.”
The crowd erupted with more whispers, heavier, clearer. I could pluck out certain words and phrases and I wondered if they were intended for me to hear. Alistair Godfrey. That’s his daughter. She was there, you know. I sighed and slumped down into my chair, cursing the closeness of the people on either side of me. That tiny shot of vodka would be welcomed right about now.
“So, what does that have to do with today’s special lecture?” Howard asked the crowd confidently. He looked at me once more, a hint of something in his eyes. An apology, perhaps? Another click of his handheld device sounded in the air. “It stems back to the very last project Godfrey worked on.”
No. No, no, no…I could feel my face pale and all the eyes in my vicinity fell on me. I ignored them and stared ahead, unblinking. Willing Howard not to do what I already knew he was about to do. My fingers twitched, and the miniature bottle burned a hole in the bottom of my purse. Begging to be cracked open. I chewed at my lip, the inside of which was already toothed raw. An unfortunate coping mechanism I picked up over the last couple of years.
Among others.
Howard paced the length of the small university stage. One hand in the pocket of his beige slacks, the other still controlling the device in his hand. I only came because I’d heard he was announcing his next big project and, with my final classes ending last week, I needed a distraction. I had forgotten just how much he knew about my father’s work; how close they’d been. Like brothers at times. Especially during those early years.
It wasn’t until Silas came into the picture that Howard began to branch off into other areas of study. He never said anything, neither did Dad, but I sometimes wondered if he felt shoved aside. Now, sitting there, watching Professor Danes move across the stage with a renewed enthusiasm for my father’s work, a small part of me knew for sure.
“The adventure in Brazil led the team back to Egypt in search of more connections. More proof. A reason, even.” Click. An image of the Giza pyramids, far in the distance as the photographer stood from the viewpoint of a large rock formation. “To this very spot. Nothing more than a mere bump in the vastness of endless sand dunes. Until a local team of scientists discovered what looked like the marking of an entrance behind a slab of rock. Once removed, they confirmed it was indeed the sealed entrance to an unknown tomb of sorts. One of the largest to ever be found. Alistair Godfrey and his team of experts were onsite immediately, expecting a single chamber or perhaps the burial ground of an exiled royal. But what they got was so much more.”
My stomach clenched in unwelcome anticipation. After Dad and Silas were declared missing and presumed dead during the cave-in, I’d set all of this aside, unable to face it. Unable to bring myself to continue the research. A part of me died that night and, like the one dead leaf on a plant, was slowly killing me as its darkness spread. I was simply a shell. Andie Godfrey on the outside. Vodka, anguish, and stale pizza on the inside.
Someone from the crowd raised their hand and Howard motioned to them to ask. “Is this the same tomb that had the cave-in?”
Howard’s eyes flicked to mine and I had to look away. “Yes, the very same. The last known location of Alistair Godfrey and his team.”
Team? It was just Dad and Silas down there. The only casualties. The deep-set rage I harbored at that fact never dissipated over the last two years. Why were they down so far by themselves? Where was the rest of the group? The excavators? The safety monitors?
The two women sitting next to me stood and left the room, leaving no one in my way if I wanted to slip out to the side aisle. It was tempting. The vodka in my purse beckoned me with ill promises but I willed myself to stay put. Professor Danes continued to address the question, speaking to the room.
“It’s taken many months of dangerous, grueling work, but we’ve finally removed the last of the rubble. The tomb has been deemed safe for re-entry and that’s where my next project will take place.”
Bile burned in my stomach and I shot up out of my seat, darting for the exit. The heavy metal doors closed behind me with a loud clamor that echoed throughout the empty halls just outside. My chest heaved as I fought to control my breathing. No one had told me. No one had said they were digging out the tomb.
I ran
to the closest bathroom and locked myself in the handicapped stall. I plunked my ass down on the closed toilet seat and buried my face in my hands, wiping the unwanted tears away as my knees bobbed up and down with a nervous jitter.
Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open.
“You know, I heard she only got accepted because of her dad,” spoke a voice. A young woman.
“Who?” asked another.
“Jesus, Marnie, keep up. Andelyn Godfrey, duh,” the first girl replied. “I also heard she was having an underage affair with her dad’s assistant and that’s why they left her behind.”
“Well, it was probably for the best,” the second said. “She would have died down in that tomb, too.”
More tears spilled down my face. Their words cut deep, slow gashes on my insides. Part of me did die down there, a hole in the ground on the other side of the world. I’ll never get that part of me back. And I’ll never be the same for it.
With shaky hands, I pried open my shoulder bag and dug around for the tiny flask. The smooth surface brushed my fingertips and I clenched it tightly, still debating whether or not to give in.
“Maybe she should have,” the first girl said with a sly curve on the last word. “What good is she doing here? Best in our class and zero enthusiasm for the science. What a waste.”
My stomach clenched, not so much at the insult–I was well aware of how much I was wasting my mind–but at the realization that these were classmates of mine and I couldn’t have picked their voices out from a crowd if my life depended on it. I had coasted through my entire course without getting to know so much as a name.
With only a sliver of regret, I pulled the bottle of liquor from my purse and cracked the twist top before pouring the whole thing down my throat. It burned with a cool fire, soaking into the inner walls of my esophagus, and creeping down where it pooled in my gut. Smug and satisfied with its win.
I tore some toilet paper off the roll and wiped the mascara from underneath my eyes. The cheap material scratched the sensitive skin and I could feel it reddening. But I swung open the stall door with a deep breath and looked the two women square in the face as I walked to the exit. Their expressions pale and eyes widened like two deer caught on the highway.
I wanted to duck out. Go home and spiral. My weakened legs carried me toward the front entrance of the building, past the gymnasium doors that I ran out of earlier. The sound of the metal push bar clanking caught my attention and I turned to find people exiting. The lecture had ended so I sped up.
“Andie!” someone called.
I knew the voice, but I kept walking.
“Andie!” they called again, and I could hear their footsteps approaching from behind. “Andelyn Godfrey.”
He said my full name with a fatherly disappointment and I immediately felt compelled to stop. I turned to face Howard with a sigh and hoped my breath didn’t reek of vodka. I gave no verbal response, but he smiled nonetheless as he came to a halt.
“I’m sorry,” he said in a huff. “I wish I had known you were coming to the presentation. I would have–”
“Would have what, Howard?”
He tilted his head to the side as his loving eyes scanned my sweaty face. “I would have given you a heads up. With the anniversary coming up next week, I can’t imagine what you must be going through right now.”
Anniversary? Wasn’t that a word reserved for dates you enjoy celebrating? We stood in silence for a moment as the crowd rushed by. I chewed at the raw bit of skin on the inside of my lip, drawing a drop of blood. The metallic salt touched bitterly on my tongue. I knew he wasn’t going to let me go so, finally, I responded.
“How long?”
“How long what?” he asked, eyebrows creasing in the middle.
“How long have you guys been digging it out? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“Andie…” Howard’s hand reached over and gently squeezed my arm. I flinched. “I tried to call you. Dozens of times. Left voicemail after voicemail. Even stopped by the house a few times. But you’re like a ghost, Dear.”
I pursed my lips and fixated my gaze in the obscene black and white checkered pattern of the floor. He wasn’t wrong. I was a ghost by choice, not wanting to spill my sorrow into the world. I only reared my head when necessary. An exam, for groceries, a trip to the liquor store.
“About eighteen months ago,” Howard then added. “I made a very convincing argument about the science and undiscovered history going to waste. A small team of volunteers worked for over a year to remove the rubble. Stone by stone.”
I nodded, fury bubbling in my gut. “So, did they…”
Howard sighed and answered the question he knew I could never finish. “They didn’t find anything, Andie. I’m sorry. It’s been two years under tons and tons of stone. There’s still a small amount of rubble down there, at the very bottom. We could still–”
“No,” I shook my head and turned away. “I don’t want to hear it.”
The last of the crowd finished filing out the front doors of the building. It had begun to rain, and I watched as they covered their heads and ran for the shelter of cars and taxis. I couldn’t look Howard in the face but also couldn’t bring myself to peel away from him. He had always been like a second father to me and I shut that door the moment Dad and Silas disappeared. Howard was the only link I had left. The only person who knew Dad like I did. Which was exactly why I couldn’t face him. A few moments of silence held us together until he finally spoke.
“Classes ended last week?”
I nodded, chewing at my lip. Wishing I had more vodka.
“Any thoughts to your next move?”
“Thinking about continuing my studies with Anthropology, most likely,” I replied with a shrug.
“Anthropology?” he guffawed. “Jesus, Andie. You should be in the field. You should be doing something with your–”
“What?” I snapped to attention, looking him in the eye now. “I should be doing something with my life instead of just pissing it all away, moping around that house?”
Howard pursed his lips and stared at the space next to my head, collecting his thoughts. “No, I was going to say you should be doing something with your talents. With the knowledge and experience that runs in your very blood. Andie, you experienced things in your childhood that most of your classmates can only aspire to one day catch a glimpse of in their careers. You’re not meant to be contained within four walls. You should be out there.” He pointed to the world outside the building and then placed his hand on my shoulder as he ducked his head a few inches to my height. “But you’re not wrong, either.”
I slowly slunk my shoulder from his grip and crossed my arms tight across my chest. “So, when do you leave?”
“Sunday, first flight out,” he replied. “You know, I have room on my team. Aside from the excavators and the local brains, it’s mostly volunteers and a couple of grads. I could use someone like you down there.”
A wave of nausea swirled through my body. “Me?”
Howard smiled and shrugged. “Of course. Why not? You need to be out there in the field. I could use someone with your experience by my side. And to be frank, I believe you should be there. You have a right to it.”
Thoughts of stepping foot where my father once walked flooded my vision. My voice echoing off the very walls that once heard Silas’ final cries…I knew my fragile shell of a heart couldn’t handle it. Not now, not ever. My stomach clenched as it smashed down the emotions that threatened to rise and spill over me. I felt sick. A new sheen of sweat broke out across the surface of my skin and I suddenly needed air in a desperate way.
“Thanks for the offer, Howard,” I said, managing a twitchy half-smile. “But I have too much on my plate right now. I shouldn’t…I shouldn’t be traveling.”
Lies. Big fat lies. I had exactly zero on my plate. That’s why I came to his damn presentation. I was bored out of my mind just five days out of school and was beginning to sweat vodka profusely f
rom my pores. Truth was, I wasn’t sure if I were fit to be in the field. I had spiraled down to a dark place over the last two years and it was too far to climb back up. I shouldn’t let that spread. I shouldn’t take it to the other side of the world where I’d be facing the root of the issue head-on.
“Oh, well,” Howard replied and cleared his throat as he tucked his jacket collar tight around his neck. “I won’t keep you, then. Did you want a ride? I’m heading that way.”
I politely waved off his offer. “No, thanks. I think I’ll walk. I have a stop to make anyway.”
“Walk?” His eyes widened. “In this weather?”
I smiled and shrugged. “I like the rain. Especially this time of year.”
Howard shook his head and chuckled. He tucked an umbrella under the same arm that held his briefcase, so he could swing his free arm around me. Gripping my upper body tightly.
“Be careful. We’ll speak soon,” he assured and then pulled away as he headed to the door, a downpour of water filling the background around him.
I watched as he hopped in his small, tan colored hatchback and drove off before I yanked the thin cotton hood out from inside the back of my leather jacket to cover my messy black hair and stepped calmly out into the rain. I took a moment to stop and let the warm, heavy droplets cover my face. The smell of ozone and damp flowers filled the air and I sucked in a deep breath before casually strolling down the sidewalk toward my house.
After a quick pit stop, I finally walked up the wobbly steps to my emerald green front door and jiggled the key a few times until it eventually turned the ancient brass knob. I shut and locked it behind me before slugging off my soggy Doc Martins, leaving puddles dripping across the house as I headed to the kitchen and laid down the paper bag containing a new bottle of vodka. My friend for the night.
With great difficulty, I peeled off my leather bomber and hung it over the dining room chair closest to a radiator and then rummaged the fridge for old pizza. But all I found were half empty boxes of stale slices, beyond saving.
Ancient Hearts: A Time Travel Fantasy Romance (Kingdom of Sand & Stars Book 1) Page 4
