“Londinium?” I asked.
“The Roman name for the city of London. They ruled the city until the early fifth century,” Noni answered. “Someone must’ve discovered the ring, perhaps on an archaeological or building-site dig, and removed it. There was no record of it until the mid-twentieth century in Germany and India. A few decades later it reappeared in Saudi Arabia. After that, we lost track of it. We didn’t know what had happened to it … until now.”
“So where exactly does the ring belong, if it doesn’t belong to anyone?” I asked. “If it’s being used to help Smith with her twisted plans to make Torontonians turn on each other out of paranoid fear, I’d say it belongs at the bottom of the ocean. Or at least at the bottom of Lake Ontario.”
“There’s so much more to the mayor’s plans than you could ever imagine, Jasmine. Her reach and plans are international in scope.” Noni paused and clenched her teeth together, causing her jaw muscles to pulsate. Her hatred of Smith came to me, loud and clear, at that moment. “The ring needs to be placed back at the Roman Wall in London. Into it, actually.”
I laughed. “Well, good luck with that. England’s borders are closed, like everybody else’s.”
Noni ignored my comment. “According to the fragments of the scrolls Craig and I have managed to piece together thus far, the global events happening right now may signal the coming of the Final Battle. At that time, the Daughters of Light — the Seers — will be pivotal in deciding the fate of humankind. If the ring is not in its rightful place when that happens, and someone has control of the demons during that time …” She trailed off and gazed at me, her eyes darkening with concern.
“Let me guess. It would be a very bad thing. I still don’t see how anyone can get the ring back to London, though.”
“You’re right. Virtually no one can do it with the borders closed the way they are. The thing is, the ring needn’t be returned, as far as we can tell, to the wall at this precise moment in time. And that’s where you come in, Jasmine.”
JADE
To say I barely slept after Mr. Khan and Mr. Jakande left would be a massive understatement. By the time the sun begins streaming into my window, triggering the birds to act as my alarm clock, I realize sleeping isn’t going to happen for me.
Rubbing the grit from my eyes, I swing my legs to the side of the bed and grab my video watch off the side table. It’s only a few minutes past six. Nothing from Jasmine, and nothing from Mr. Khan. Not that I really expected to hear from them yet. And Mom will be asleep for another couple of hours, if not longer. I heard her quietly sobbing in the living room for at least an hour last night after she thought I was asleep.
I’m going to lose it if I just wait around to hear from Mr. Khan. And god only knows how long that will be.
Slipping into a light dress and ballet flats, I decide to walk. I won’t go far, and I’ll take my pole for good measure. But if I don’t move and get out into the fresh air (or at least into the humid morning air of drought-ridden Toronto), my sanity is going to disappear like a magician’s bunny.
My pole is stuffed under my bed. I grab it and a water bottle out of the fridge and tiptoe my way out of the apartment. Once outside, I pause for a moment, holding my hand over the top of my eyebrows to shield my eyes from the bright morning sun and take in my surroundings.
It’s quiet. Maybe a little too quiet. After the events of last night, I realize this walk is probably a totally stupid move, but there’s this annoyed feeling building up in me like a sneeze, and I need to try to walk it off. It’s seems to be constant now, simmering just below the surface. I guess it’s mainly directed toward Jasmine and Mr. Khan. Walking might allow me to work it out, sort of like a knotted and sore muscle.
I begin walking without any real destination in mind. The streets are virtually empty, with only a few people out walking their dogs and some either leaving for work or coming home. No one can travel during curfew unless they have a special pass, so a lot of employers schedule their workers’ shifts around it. Of course a few drones buzz overhead, competing with the cicadas. They’re used by the police and Smith’s government to try to thwart future CCT terrorist attacks. Basically, they’re insect-like, robotic spies. And they’re everywhere.
As I walk, I think about how easily I become annoyed with Jasmine. It makes no sense. I mean, it’s not like she’s really doing anything on purpose to me. If I’m dead honest, she’s not doing anything at all. She can’t help that she was chosen by Smith to be the youth representative. And really, would I want to be running around being the mayor’s little puppet?
“Penny for your thoughts?”
I jump at the sound of the voice directly to the right of my shoulder, swivel around with the speed of a ninja, and raise my pole to strike. My heart’s pounding, jackhammer speed, in my ears.
It’s Seth, the cute boy from the grocery store.
“How did you sneak up on me like that?” I ask, slowly lowering my pole.
He holds his hands over his head in a gesture of mock surrender. “Don’t kill me. I honestly just wanted to see when we might be able to go on that date,” he says, shooting me a lopsided smile.
My heart is still doing nervous flip-flops in my chest. “Do you live around here?”
Seth shrugs. “I guess you could say not far from here.” His eyes travel to my pole. “You’re pretty fast with that. A very famous man once said it was a good idea to walk softly and carry a big stick. He’d likely be impressed with you. What’s it for?”
I can’t tell if he’s making fun of me. The pole, and my reaction with it when he scared me, must’ve seemed more than just a little over the top, even with curfew and the kidnappings and murders happening in the city.
“Um, I … I’m learning kendo,” I reply. “And I figure it’s better safe than sorry to carry it at this time of day when I’m on my own. Especially with everything that’s going on. It’s hard to believe how our world changed into being crazy violent and everything so fast.”
Seth’s smile fades a bit, but his eyes stay fixed on me. His gaze is full of understanding. “It’s pretty crazy for sure. Makes everything seem so unfamiliar, doesn’t it? That must be hard.”
I pause. The loneliness … that sense of being empty that I’d felt the entire time I was captive in the Place-in-Between comes flooding back. It’s like he’s just read my mind. I reach out and try to listen to his thoughts. Nothing. It’s like hitting a blank wall.
“I …” Words escape me. Why am I drawn to him so strongly? Every molecule in my body wants to reach out and touch him.
He slips his hand into mine. His freckled skin is warm and sends little sparks of electric energy into the core of my body.
“Let’s go for a walk,” he says. “I’d like to show you some of my favourite spots, if you’ll let me.”
I nod. Mr. Khan and Jasmine can wait. God knows they don’t respect what I have to say most of the time. But I should get home to Mom. She’ll worry so much if she wakes up and I’m not there.
“I just need to contact my mom and let her know I’m going to be out for a while,” I say, slipping my hand out of his. Despite the sun already heating the air like an oven, my hand suddenly feels cold, and I want to message Mom as fast as possible so that I can be touching him again.
As though sensing this, he puts his arm around me as I text her.
“You’re very special to me, Jade,” he whispers.
JASMINE
It’s hard to tell whether it’s day or night in the warehouse. Most of the sobbing seems to have stopped, and I guess that’s because a lot of the survivors have fallen asleep. I wonder if they’re dreaming of a happier time, of a time before they had to flee their homeland, before climate change made them refugees, and then prisoners.
It makes me think about Jade. Did she dream about Mom and I, about Toronto,
about her life here after she was abducted and taken to the Place-in-Between? She says she doesn’t remember a lot but recalls that her memories of life before slowly faded away during her time there. Kind of like the way a mug of hot water can dissolve sugar cubes. They were there, but she just couldn’t detect them any longer. I don’t really get it, and that must be hard for Jade. Sometimes I think the loneliness she feels now must be even worse in some ways. At least when she was trapped in the Place-in-Between, she didn’t fully realize what she was missing. Now everything she missed during those years she was gone is painfully clear.
The heat in here is getting unbearable, and the darkness from the covered windows makes it impossible to tell the time. I roll over on the mattress and check my video watch. It’s nearly 6:00 a.m.
A faint shadow falls over me. I look up.
It’s Raphael.
“What the …” I begin, but he crouches down and places two fingers over my lips. The touch is gentle, but it’s effective. I fall silent.
“Shhhh … the others can’t know I’m here with you. No one can. But I wanted to tell you I’m sorry. You don’t know how sorry I am.” He stops speaking and looks at me. The pain is evident in his eyes. “I know you were hurt tonight.”
“Really, Sherlock?” I whisper. “Do you think so? Or maybe I love being treated like the Invisible Man.” Despite trying my best to push his affection away, I’m unable to.
“I can’t be around you. I’ve been told that.”
“Told?” I retort, narrowing my eyes at him. “By who? Mr. Khan? The Protectors? Your brother, the great Archangel Michael?”
He grimaces. “Things are so much more complex than you realize … and so much simpler in some ways as well. You must prepare for excruciatingly dark times ahead. You will be so challenged, Jasmine.” Reaching out, he brushes the hair off my forehead. It’s been sticking uncomfortably to my skin. The heat in here is stifling due to the lack of ventilation and the overcrowding.
“How did they get me here? I mean, that guy — I really fought. How did he hold me?”
Raphael shakes his head. “Gabriel and I helped. You needed to be brought here. You needed to see the truth about what’s happening. About what cruelty is happening.”
“I’m so tired,” I say, the words catching in my throat. A tear slips down my cheek. “There’s so much suffering. The boats of refugees, Isabelle the dog, Penelope …”
Raphael nods. “Allow yourself to feel it. It’s your burden. It’s part of what you’re meant to be.” He takes my hand. “Close your eyes, Jasmine. Rest. You need to rest.”
“Jasmine? There’s someone here to see you.”
I bolt up. How long have I been asleep?
Raphael’s gone and Eva is standing over me.
“To see me?” My heart does a nervous somersault. I run a hand through my tangled hair. My fingers get stuck midway through.
“Noni is with them in her office. She wanted me to come and get you.”
I slowly hoist myself off the mattress and to my feet. Exhaustion has left me feeling slightly shaky. Definitely not great if any threat should rear its ugly head.
“Where is this office?” I ask, following Eva as we weave our way in between the survivors, many of whom are stretched out on the floor, still asleep. They likely didn’t get much rest during their time in the camp … or before that.
“Just through that door,” Eva answers, pointing just ahead and to our left. It’s where Noni, Raphael, and Gabe came out of last night when I first arrived at the CCT headquarters. “They’re waiting for you.”
I raise an eyebrow at her. “You’re not coming?”
She shakes her head. “Craig and Noni want to talk to you alone. Well, along with the man who’s come here with Craig.”
“Craig?” I ask. “Is that someone I’m supposed to know?”
“Oh, I thought maybe you’d met him. His twin daughters attend the same grade as you at Beaconsfield. He and Noni have been studying us — the Seers — for a long time. They’re pretty much the lead team of the CCT. If they want to speak to you privately, it’s something pretty critical for sure.” She stops talking and quickly looks me up and down. “You definitely have a lot of people paying close attention to you.”
I ignore her comment. There’s no need for me to read her mind. The jealousy in her voice is so strong, I can almost taste it.
“Okay, see you in a bit,” I say with a shrug. I’m trying to seem unfazed by it all, but my curiosity has definitely been piqued.
There’s a window beside the door to Noni’s office, but the glass is the frosted kind that ensures privacy by allowing only the silhouettes of the people inside to be detected. I knock twice and wait. That little butterfly of nervousness unfurls itself again, even though I know the chances of Raphael being in there are next to nothing.
The door opens. Noni pokes her head out. “Jasmine. Good. We’ve been waiting for you.”
She steps aside to let me in. I slip past her and into the room.
As soon as my eyes adjust to the brighter light, I see him. He gets up from his seat at the table as I enter.
“Mr. Khan!” I cry, running over and throwing my arms around him. He hugs me back tightly. Tears spring to my eyes. “How did you find me?”
His gaze travels to a tall, distinguished-looking man sitting at the table who looks even more like a teacher than Mr. Khan. “Craig … I mean Mr. Jakande brought me here. I’m so glad you’re okay,” he says, his voice shaking with emotion as he lets go of me.
Mr. Jakande stands up. He’s much taller than Mr. Khan and built a bit like a professional football player. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Jasmine. I’ve heard a great deal about you from my daughters, Amara and Vivienne.” He extends his hand toward me.
“You’re Amara and Vivienne’s dad?” I ask, shaking his hand.
He nods and pulls out a seat for me beside Mr. Khan’s. “I am. These are interesting times to be the parent of Seers. I’m sure your mother would agree.”
I sit down, lean back in the chair, and fold my arms across my chest. “My mom has no clue that my sister and I are Seers.”
“Actually, she knows now,” Mr. Khan says, his voice heavy with fatigue. As he takes his seat again beside me, I notice that dark shadows ring his eyes. I imagine I look just as bad, if not worse.
“What?” I ask. “What do you mean she knows? How?”
“Long story,” Mr. Khan says. “And we have more urgent things to discuss with Noni and Craig at the moment.” He stops and stares hard at me. “Jasmine, I really need you to be open-minded about what’s going to be suggested here. I’m not happy about it either, but it needs to be done.”
I look around the table. “Okay,” I say, slowly dragging out the word. I’m not loving Mr. Khan’s implication that I can be closed-minded.
Mr. Jakande clears his throat. “Jasmine, Jamil tells me that you’ve actually been to the Place-in-Between. Twice. It’s quite incredible that you’ve lived to tell him about it, don’t you think?”
My eyes shoot daggers at Mr. Khan. What’s he doing telling people about this? Suddenly, I feel so vulnerable, I might as well be sitting here completely naked.
“Yeah. I had help, though. Lily and Cassandra — they’re these two other Seers — were with me. And Raphael. He goes to Beaconsfield as well.” I watch for Noni’s reaction. This is my chance to see what she knows about Raphael’s true identity.
“We know Raphael well,” Noni says. “His sister, Uriel, helped guide us to the fragments of the Dead Sea Scroll that contained a vast amount of information about the Daughters of Light and your powers as Seers. And Raphael helped guide us to you.”
“The thing is, Jasmine,” Mr. Jakande continues, “the world as we know it is changing, evolving … collapsing. Humankind is responsible for one p
art of that. Climate change, as you know, is a threat that has wiped out most of the Earth’s species. Now the rest of the world’s biodiversity is at risk of extinction — including homo sapiens. It has also triggered great intolerance and cruelty. Greater than any of the earlier genocides in our history.”
“Well, I knew things weren’t exactly upbeat, but I’ve always looked at the future through a kind of glass-half-full kind of lens. You know, being just a few months short of turning sixteen and everything, what you’re talking about is a pretty big downer.”
Mr. Jakande grimaces. “I was told you have a sharp wit. That very well might be an asset.”
“Naw, you think I’m a smartass,” I say with a smile. “And that I’m always thinking about some quick comeback, rather than listening like I should.” I tap the side of my head. “Seer mind-reading talents.”
“For god’s sake, Jasmine,” Mr. Khan interrupts. “I’ll make this very clear. You need to go back to the Place-in-Between. The ring has to be put back in the Roman Wall where it belongs. Otherwise, not only will someone else be able to control the demons during the time of the Final Battle, but we’ll also lose our safe space in the city of London. We need that space because it’s the only way we can ensure sanctuary from the demons and any other dark forces during the battle. You’re one of the seven warriors for certain. One of the seven Daughters of Light who will fight in this battle. You have a lot resting on your cheeky little shoulders. The fate of humanity, in a nutshell.” He stops and, hand shaking, wipes away a few drops of spittle near the corner of his mouth.
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