Enigma

by Aimee Ash

  “We’ve never heard him mention Marcus Anderson. Our father isn’t the type to have friends,” Seb said. “Is that everything you know?”

  Ethan nodded.

  “Well, it seems our father has some explaining to do, Jack,” Seb said angrily.

  My heart sank. Ethan obviously didn’t know about the curse, and we knew Jonathan didn’t have the answer to destroy it. I slumped back into a corner of the boat feeling completely deflated.

  We arrived back at the house a few hours later with a new family member in tow, and Jack told me to get some sleep. I hoped that Jonathan had the answers that we needed to break the curse, and after tossing and turning for a couple of hours, I finally fell asleep.

  CHAPTER 24

  The next morning, Jack opened the door, and the smell of freshly ground coffee filled my nostrils as the four of us walked into the kitchen. Lindsey was setting a spread of muffins and pastries next to a pot of coffee on the table.

  “Where’s Dad?” Seb and Jack spat at Lindsey. Jack held my hand and Ethan tried to blend in behind us.

  “He’s—”

  Jonathan waltzed into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. He poured a second cup and handed it to me, but before I had the chance to take it, Jack snatched the cup and launched it across the kitchen. Everyone gasped as the cup shattered against the wall and coffee spilled all over the table.

  I shot Jack a disapproving look.

  “How dare you disrespect your mother’s kitchen? What’s wrong with you?” Jonathan asked, staring at Jack. “You’re embarrassing yourself, Jack. And who is he?” Jonathan pointed at Ethan. “A new friend of yours?”

  “Oh no, he’s not our friend,” Seb replied.

  “Then who is he and why is he in my house?”

  Poor Ethan didn’t know what to do or where to look.

  Seb looked at Lindsey. “Mom, you’d better sit down.” She refused, so Seb continued. “Let me introduce you to our half-brother, Ethan Anderson: the son of Marcus Anderson.” Seb dragged Ethan forward.

  Jonathan looked at Ethan, his face as white as snow. He dropped his cup, which shattered against the floor, and grabbed hold of the table. Lindsey ran to his side, also looking pale.

  Ethan looked uncomfortable. Lindsey looked fragile and as she was about to sit down, she fainted and Seb caught her before her head hit the floor. He took her into the living room and laid her on the couch. I sat next to Lindsey, fanning her with a dog-eared magazine.

  “Our brother has been looking for you, Dad. He seems to think that you were Marcus Anderson’s best friend. He thinks that you may have some answers for him.” Seb glared at Jonathan and Jack followed suit.

  Lindsey groaned and her eyes opened. I helped her sit up.

  “Tell them Jon, tell them. The boys deserve the truth. We can trust Kate. It’s time for the secrets to end,” she said weakly.

  Jonathan looked over at his wife. “Lindsey, this isn’t a good idea. We spoke about this. We agreed—”

  “Tell them or I will,” she demanded.

  I smiled at her. It felt good knowing she trusted me. Jack and Seb also looked at Lindsey, but with hurt and disappointment in their eyes. They’d suspected their father had been dishonest with them, but not their mother.

  Jonathan remained quiet and Jack and Seb were both becoming impatient.

  “I’ve asked you both several times about our biological parents. You told us you knew nothing about them. You said you didn’t even know their names, so whatever it is you’ve kept from us, tell us now. No more lies,” Seb said calmly.

  Lindsey began to cry and Jonathan looked down at the floor.

  “Mom, please! We need to know everything. We trusted you!” Jack yelled.

  Lindsey sighed. “I’m sorry, boys. We only kept secrets to protect you. I may not be your biological mother, but you’re my sons and I love you both dearly.” She began to cry again, and I handed her a tissue. Jonathan remained in his chair, unwilling to look at any of us.

  “Mom, tell us everything. Don’t lie to us anymore,” Jack said.

  “We want to know why we have these powers. We need to know who we are, where we came from,” Seb said.

  “We’ve lived eighteen years wondering why we are the way we are. I can’t believe how you’ve both deceived us!” Jack yelled.

  Lindsey was inconsolable; I held her as she sobbed in my arms. For the first time since we’d entered the room, Jonathan looked up at his sons.

  “Please, give me a chance to explain everything before you judge us. Like your mother said, we kept these secrets to protect you. We thought we were doing the right thing.”

  We were all on the edge of our seats, having no idea what secrets Jonathan was about to reveal. Thankfully, Lindsey had calmed, and Jonathan wiped beads of sweat off his forehead with a folded handkerchief.

  “Marcus was my best friend and his wife, Alissa, was Lindsey’s best friend. The four of us were inseparable. Marcus and I were in medical school together. The science behind the medicine intrigued us, and at twenty-five, we thought we were invincible scientists. We thought we could create magic; we thought we were unique given our high IQs. Looking back, we weren’t special—far from it. We were immature and incredibly stupid.” Jonathan wiped his forehead again. “We were fascinated by energy, dreaming that we would one day find a drug powerful enough to keep someone’s energy level up so high that they wouldn’t need to sleep for days. We finished medical school and worked in the same hospital lab, spending most nights there experimenting—without the consent of the hospital of course. We were obsessed over our project, and one night, it all came together; we had created what we thought was a drug for energy stimulation. We worked on it further and came up with a name for it and its administration: adrenalization.”

  “This is crazy,” Jack said, and Lindsey shot him a look.

  “Listen to him, Jack,” she snapped.

  “Marcus was so excited at the prospect of endless energy that he volunteered himself to be our guinea pig. He wanted to be the first person to trial the drug that we’d illegally created. Lindsey was cautious, but Alissa wanted in on the experiment, too. She was so daring. Both of them were so full of life and intrigue. I had my concerns, but they talked me into it.” Jonathan took a breath, wiping his sweaty forehead again.

  “I was happy to test the drug on myself, but they wanted me to administer it. Alissa and Marcus were very persuasive and insisted that they both trial it so that we had results for both sexes. They both lay on steel beds in the basement of our house, pinned down with leather straps; we were testing a new drug and had no idea how they’d react to it. I remember them lying there on those beds, looking at each other with excitement.” Jonathan took a breath.

  Lindsey sat with her head in her hands. As Jonathan told the story, it was like Lindsey knew what was coming and it seemed that she didn’t have any desire to relive it. Jonathan hung his head and continued.

  “I simultaneously injected Marcus and Alissa with the drug and for hours, they screamed, winced, and pulled on the leather belts. I had to cover their mouths to stop the neighbors from calling the police. Your mother and I had to endure the screaming, but Alissa and Marcus had to endure the pain.

  “I immediately put them on an IV, desperately trying to flush out the drug, but it didn’t work. Nothing I tried worked.” Tears slid down Jonathan’s face, and he mirrored Lindsey. It was obviously a traumatic memory.

  Jonathan calmed himself and with his voice wavering, he continued. “After five long hours, Marcus and Alissa lay unconscious. Their hearts were beating erratically, and they remained like that for eight days. Lindsey and I sat by their sides the entire time, praying that one of them would wake up. At that point, hope was all we had. Eight days later, your father finally opened his eyes and an hour after that, your mother opened hers, too. I’ve never felt such relief. But we had no idea what damage had been done.” Jonathan took another exasperated breath.

  “When Marcus
awoke, he pulled off the straps and got up, saying that he felt amazing. He explained that his body felt as light as a feather and claimed that his head was clearer than it had ever been before. His eyes sparkled with excitement. He couldn’t wait to start living in his modified body to see how many days he wouldn’t need to sleep. I listened to his heart and although it was slightly faster than normal, I chalked it up to his excitement and the adrenaline from the drugs.”

  Jonathan began to cough, holding his chest. Ethan ran to the kitchen and brought him a glass of water. He took a sip and continued.

  “When Alissa woke up an hour later, she described the same feelings, but when I examined her, there were three heart beats: one was hers and the other two were Jack and Sebastian’s. She had no idea she was pregnant. I was petrified, thinking I may have damaged the babies with the drug. I would have never agreed to the experiment if I’d known your mother was pregnant. I took blood samples from them for analysis, but to my horror, their blood was no longer red. It was the wildest, brightest purple color you could imagine.”

  Lindsey stood up and walked over to Jonathan. He stood up and they hugged each other and then held hands. Everyone remained silent, eager for Jonathan to continue.

  “Alissa had a normal pregnancy up until her last trimester and she and Marcus were so excited about having twin boys. They even picked out your names; the baby on the left was Jack Jonathan and the baby on the right was Sebastian Marcus.

  “When Alissa was seven months pregnant, she began experiencing sharp, stabbing pains. The babies were constantly kicking and the pain was excruciating. She had visible bruising on her stomach and we could clearly see the babies’ limbs through her thinning skin. She was unable to consult a regular doctor, so Marcus and I prepared to deliver the babies ourselves.”

  Jack and Sebastian glanced over at each other. Their eyes filled with disbelief.

  “Jack and Sebastian were born seven months into Alissa’s pregnancy. But we weren’t prepared enough, and worried that the babies wouldn’t survive. Marcus couldn’t cope with seeing Alissa in so much pain, so Lindsey took him out of the room. The babies were incredibly strong and I had to cut through Alissa’s thinning skin to deliver them. They came out so fast that they split her sides too widely.” Jack winced and Seb sat open-mouthed. “Alissa lost too much blood and I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t call Marcus back in, because the sight of Alissa was horrifying. Sadly, your mother died before she’d gotten the chance to see either of you.”

  I felt sick and couldn’t stop crying. I looked around the room and saw that Lindsey was sobbing again, too. Jack sat motionless, his face unreadable; Seb’s eyes were glazed with tears, and Ethan sat with his hand over his mouth.

  “So what happened after my mom died?” Jack asked.

  Jonathan looked over at Lindsey and she urged him to continue.

  “Marcus left the day Alissa died and we didn’t see him for weeks.”

  “What happened to my mom?” Jack wiped away tears.

  “I buried Alissa and Lindsey vowed to take care of you and Seb.”

  “So our dad abandoned us?” Seb asked.

  Lindsey sat next to Jack and held his hand. She looked over at Seb. “Marcus returned three months later and blamed Jonathan for everything.”

  “So to get back at me, he cursed Lindsey, and she was never able to have children.”

  I was beginning to wonder how much more of the story there could possibly be and how much more everyone could emotionally cope with, when Jonathan continued.

  “Marcus returned when you were two years old. He was remorseful when he learned that Lindsey had been unable to get pregnant. His wicked words had come true and he begged for her forgiveness. He apologized, taking equal responsibility for the experiment that should have never happened.”

  “So he came back for us?” Jack questioned.

  “Marcus said he couldn’t cope with taking care of you and Seb. He wanted Lindsey to have the chance to raise a family, so he asked us to take care of you,” Jonathan answered.

  There was so much to absorb. Lindsey had just stopped crying, but I hadn’t. Ethan looked bewildered and Seb and Jack looked like they’d gotten punched in the stomach.

  Ethan stood up. “I’m going to go,” he said awkwardly. “I feel responsible for all of this. I didn’t mean to cause a problem; I’m sorry.”

  Jonathan stood up. “Sorry, Ethan. I’ve left you out of all this. This is far from your fault; the truth was bound to come out eventually. I’m sorry; I had no idea how to contact you after your mother left town.”

  Ethan looked stunned. “Do you mean you knew about me all this time? You knew that I existed and kept it a secret from my brothers?” He looked furious.

  Seb shook his head and Jack looked at Lindsey.

  Jonathan cleared his throat. “I’m sorry Ethan. It wasn’t my decision to keep your brothers from you.”

  “What do you mean? Tell me everything you know.”

  Jonathan wiped his brow and took a sip of his water. “Marcus was a complete wreck after Alissa died. He met your mom in a bar and they spent the night together. When Marcus found out that Shelly was pregnant, he told her everything, but she refused to abort the baby. She agreed to have the baby in secret and stayed with us until the day she gave birth. Shelly made it to eight months and gave birth to you without any complications. The next day, she disappeared and we never saw her again.”

  “Ethan, how is your mother? Does she know you’re here with us?” Lindsey asked.

  “My mother is dead,” Ethan said flatly. “She was hit by a car, only living long enough to tell me about my brothers and a man named Jonathan Jones who would help me.”

  Lindsey stood up, walked over to him, and hugged him.

  “Ethan, I’m sorry. When did this happen?” Lindsey asked, releasing her hold on him.

  “Six months ago.”

  “You can stay with us for as long as you like. You’re family. We’ll take care of you,” Lindsey offered.

  “Thank you, Lindsey, but I don’t want to intrude, and I’m old enough to look after myself.”

  “Nonsense! I won’t hear of it. You’re staying with us,” Lindsey insisted.

  My head was pounding and I had no idea what Jack and Seb were thinking. Jonathan was breathing heavily again and holding his chest, and then blood began to drip from his nose. We all rushed over to him, but Lindsey shouted for all of us to move away while dabbing his nose with a tissue. Jack carried his father over to the couch where we all left him to rest.

  Although our conversation was short, it was far from over.

  CHAPTER 25

  While we left Jonathan to rest, I made a fresh pot of coffee and watched Jack, Seb, and Ethan as they sat around the kitchen table in silence. When I placed the pot on the table, Jack pulled my arm and I sat on his lap, which made me feel uncomfortable. Seb looked away from us. Ethan poured a cup of coffee and finally broke the silence.

  “Do you wish I hadn’t turned up today? If you want me to leave, I’ll go. I’ll go right now. We may be related by blood, but I understand that we’re complete strangers.”

  “No, I’m glad to know the truth,” Jack stated.

  “Sebastian? What about you? How do you feel about me being here?” Ethan asked.

  “I have nothing against you, but you’re a stranger to me. All I want is an antidote for the curse that I stupidly created. I want to set Kate free.”

  “Oh yes, the curse. Your situation kind of sucks doesn’t it? I hope you find some way of destroying it,” Ethan said.

  “How do you know about the curse?” I asked, knowing none of us had mentioned it to him.

  He glared at me and then over at Seb. “Like I said, I’ve been watching you for a while and listening to everything.”

  I walked over to the counter to get a tissue that I didn’t really need. I just wanted to get away from Jack. And when I did, he picked up the chair and smashed it on the floor. I jumped.

  �
�What exactly do you want to free her from, Seb? Do you want to free her from me?” Jack screamed. Much to Jack’s fury, Seb stood up and walked over to me. “That’s right! Go and protect her! Protect her from me! I’ll never get to live my life with the girl I love because of you, Seb! The only satisfaction I’ll get is that when I die from a broken heart, you’ll die with me.”

  Jack stormed out of the back door, and Jonathan and Lindsey walked into the kitchen, looking at the broken chair.

  “What just happened in here? Is this about Jack and Kate and that damn curse?” Jonathan seethed.

  I sobbed, falling onto the floor. Seb crouched down next to me, trying to pull me up, but I was too weak. He scooped me up in his arms and placed me in a chair while Ethan stood up and said that he would go and find Jack.

  After a good half hour of relentless tears, I managed to compose myself. I had to ask Jonathan the question that had been on my mind since we’d all met Ethan.

  “Jonathan, can you help us? Can Marcus help us? I don’t want Jack to die and I don’t want Sebastian to die either.”

  Jonathan sat in thought for a moment. “I’m sorry. There’s no way to break the curse.”

  Devastation didn’t even come close to how I was feeling. Seb placed his arm around my shoulders.

  Lindsey jumped up out of her chair. “Wait! I know what we can do to save you all!”

  I looked up at her, eagerly waiting to hear what she had to say, then Jack and Ethan walked through the door, and Lindsey told them to sit down. Jonathan looked concerned about what his wife was going to announce.

  “I know how we can break this curse,” she said, smiling.

  “Lindsey, what are you talking about? We’ve been over this. There’s no way to break—”

  “I know this will work. It’s guaranteed.”

  My stomach churned.

  “For the curse to linger on, there has to be a human involved. No one who’s adrenalized can be cursed without human involvement. Kate is the human associated with this curse. If she were adrenalized, the curse wouldn’t be able to prevail. If we adrenalize Kate, Jack and Sebastian won’t die.”