by Muse, M. W.
“Well, he lives right next door to Calli. Why drive all the way out here to get you too?”
She shrugged and spoke with practiced calm. “River will use any excuse to spend extra time with me. Besides, I think Calli preferred I pick her up, but River offered before I got a chance to. This way, we’re all riding together.”
Lissa smirked. “Yeah, sounds like River is trying to stay relevant in your life.”
She smiled at her. “He is relevant.”
“That’s not what I meant,” she mumbled, but then she got up and hugged her before leaving for work.
About ten minutes later, she heard River pull into the driveway, so she grabbed her backpack and ran outside. She slid into the backseat, and they made their way to Pike County.
Legacy had contemplated all day yesterday whether or not to tell River and Calli about the rose and her conversation with Rose. She figured she needed to, but she wanted to get this research completed first. If she could find out if Casey was really dead, then that’d mean there was another man who wasn’t dead, and maybe that man was Adin.
After the two hour drive, they finally arrived at the police station. They went inside and approached the front desk. The receptionist was young, blonde, and well-endowed. River flashed a smile and whispered, “I’ll do the talking.”
Legacy rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm.
The pretty, young thing noticed them walking in—well, noticed River—and smiled a playful smile as he approached her. She and Calli stood back a couple of feet.
“Hi there, darlin’, I was hoping you could help me,” River said smoothly.
“Why, I’d love to see how I can be of help to you. My name’s Heather.” She smiled at him.
River leaned against the counter, cocking his head to the side. “We’re looking for a police report or some kind of paperwork about a guy who died here back in December. His name is Casey Jones. He was—”
“Yeah, Casey.” Her smile faded. “How do you know him?”
“I’m a basketball player too,” he said, slyly. “Maybe you’ve seen me play?”
Her waning smile reasserted itself. “I think I’d remember you.”
“Maybe you should see me play then,” he murmured, leaning closer.
Good grief, he was good. No wonder Legacy had such a hard time rebuffing his advances. When River set his sights on something, he definitely knew how to turn on the charm.
Calli gave her a slanted look. “Stupid little twit,” she whispered. “She should see he’s playing her.”
Legacy glanced at Calli. “Take it from me, it’s not so easy seeing through his charisma,” she whispered.
Calli gave a short, acknowledging laugh and nodded swiftly in understanding. “I guess you’re right. You’d know.” She laughed again.
Heather giggled, feeding right into River’s hand. “I’ll copy his file for you, Mister…” Heather trailed off, waiting to find out River’s name.
“Gorgos. But you can call me River. We should be on a first name basis.”
“River,” she murmured. “I’ll be right back. Don’t you go anywhere now.”
He winked at her. “I’ll be waiting right here for you.”
Once she left, River turned to face the girls.
“Nice,” Legacy mumbled sarcastically. “Do you think all girls are gullible enough to fall for that?” She figured it’d be best not to let him know just how good he really was. He already had a hard time keeping his ego in check.
“No.” He chuckled. “But I’m not scamming her. I’m being polite. Most girls like it when guys give them a little attention. Nothing wrong with some harmless flirting.”
Heather walked back and noticed River was turned around talking to them.
“She’s back,” Calli mumbled.
River turned and looked at her with a crooked smile.
“Who’re your friends?” she asked as she sorted the papers.
“My classmates,” he said dismissively.
She smiled at him as she gathered and shucked the papers into a nice short pile. “Here you are, River.”
“Why, thank you, Heather.” River took the papers and tore a piece from the bottom of the one on top. He scribbled something on the paper and handed it to her. “My number.” He shrugged. “In case you missed something.” He turned, but glanced back over his shoulder to look at her one last time. “Or miss me.”
He turned around, and they all walked back to the car. Calli and Legacy were laughing before River even pulled out of the parking lot.
“It worked,” he defended himself.
“I’m not saying it didn’t. You definitely know how to work the ladies,” Calli said.
River chuckled. “Not all of them,” he said, glancing at Legacy.
She shook her head and laughed. After they made it to the next county, River pulled off the road, and they started reading the forms, each taking separate stacks.
They spent about an hour reading, but none of them found anything suspicious. Casey was attacked by a bear. His body was found by a group of friends. He was cremated, and his family had a memorial service.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
Since Casey seemed like a dead end as the man that was not dead who her dream warned her about, she felt it was time to bring her friends up to speed on what she’d found out. There was no easy way to start.
“Um, guys, I’m worried my dream is warning me about Adin, not Casey.”
River turned to face her. “So you do think Adin is evil?” he asked, shocked.
“No. But Hades is.”
“What does Hades have to do with this, Legacy?” Calli asked.
“I’m concerned Adin might not be dead—dead in the sense that he’s not gone for good. I think it’s possible since Adin died, or whatever, that Hades has him trapped in the underworld.”
Calli’s brow furrowed as she stared at her. “Why would he do that?”
“To use him to lure me to the underworld.” Legacy glanced at River, and his eyes were wide. “I’m sure he realizes that if I believe Adin can be saved, I’d do whatever I could to save him.”
“There’s no way in hell I’d let you do anything to stupid!” River yelled.
“I’m not saying I’m going to the underworld. I wouldn’t even know how to get there. I’m just trying to tell you about my theory.” She sighed. “I went to mine and Adin’s picnic spot on Saturday night to watch the sunset. It was how he spent Valentine’s Day last year, so I wanted to do the same. On my way there, I thought about the seventeen roses and idly thought I’d like a sign if Adin was trying to reach me somehow. When I leaned against the tree we always sat under, I found a fresh rose placed there. I tried to think of who I could talk to about it, so I visited Adin’s grandmother. She was the one who mentioned the possibility of Hades using Adin to get to me.”
“And she expects you to save him?” River roared.
“No, no! She didn’t want to tell me her theories. I think she did because she didn’t want me hoping Adin was alive and going to just show up on my doorstep one day. She knows Adin would never stand for me to be in any kind of danger. She’s not even sure if Adin is alive. He wasn’t a god, and according to her, once mortals die, that’s it for them. There’s no going back. But since Adin’s dad is a god, and Adin was killed by me—a new, soon to be goddess—then she thinks there’s a small chance that maybe he’s not gone forever since his life and death were spiritually linked. Which means if he’s not dead, Hades has him trapped.”
“And if he is gone, then Hades is playing you,” River said curtly. “I bet your dream is about Hades.”
“I think you could be right about that. I think it’s time I talked to Lissa about this. Can you talk to your dad too?” she asked River. “Maybe he could shed some light on the likeliness of Adin not being dead.”
“Yeah,” he mumbled, glancing at her and then Calli before looking down.
River didn’t seem too thrilled about this, and she di
dn’t understand his reluctance. “What’s the matter?” she asked.
He shut his eyes and shook his head with irritation. “Nothing. Let’s just figure out what’s going on.”
He turned to start the car and pulled back onto the road.
“River, if there’s something you’re thinking about, then I think you should tell us,” Calli said.
“Fine,” he said, looking out the side window briefly before turning his gaze back to the road. “If Adin’s not dead, then the prophecy is still valid.”
Legacy hadn’t thought about it that way. “So if Adin’s alive, then we’re still destined to be together,” she mumbled, looking down.
River sighed. “Yes.”
“But we don’t have those kinds of feelings for each other anymore.”
“It doesn’t matter, Legacy. If the feelings were fabricated to further my mother’s plan or Hades’s plan, then the feelings could have been taken away to make us believe Adin is really dead.” River shook his head. “Or maybe our feelings weren’t fabricated. Maybe we weren’t under some kind of spell before. Maybe we are now.”
She groaned, leaning back against the seat, covering her face. She didn’t want to have any romantic feelings for River!
“And,” River continued, “If Adin isn’t dead, you could still kill him. I know I never want to see you go through something like that again.” River looked at Calli, and she was eyeing her warily. “I’m sure Calli feels the same way.”
If her energy was any indication, then he’d know.
“Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Calli suggested. “It sounds like you two have people to talk to about this. Let’s find out what’s even possible before we let our imaginations run wild.”
River nodded, looking at her through his rearview mirror. “Yeah, we need to stay objective.”
They grabbed some lunch and spent the rest of the day taking their time making their way back to town. They needed to time their arrival so that it’d coincide with school letting out.
After River dropped Legacy off, she waited patiently to talk to Lissa. Olive was out, and she hoped she’d continue to be gone when Lissa got home from work. When she heard Lissa pull in, she breathed a sigh of relief. Now she just needed to talk to her quickly before Olive arrived.
“Hey, Legacy,” Lissa said as she walked in and put her briefcase down.
“Hey. I need to talk to you,” she said, getting up and walking over to her.
“All right. What’s going on?”
“What do you think are the odds Adin isn’t really dead? That Hades has him trapped in the underworld?”
Lissa’s eyes popped open. “I think that’s highly unlikely, Legacy,” she said softly. “We saw Adin die. You saw his body. Why would you think that?”
“Besides the flowers, there was a new message in my dream saying someone isn’t really dead. I thought it might have been Casey, but his death checks out. Adin, on the other hand, is a descendant of Greek gods and was created in the likeness of Adonis. Even though he didn’t ascend, he is part of this life, and he was killed by me—a new goddess.”
“So you think there’s a possibility he might not be dead?” she asked blankly.
“I don’t know. That’s what I’m asking you.” She sighed, looking down. She wasn’t sure how much she should tell her, but she figured she could let her know one other detail. “I also found a single rose at the picnic spot when I went to watch the sunset. I found it after I wished for a sign Adin was trying to reach out to me,” she mumbled.
“Oh.” Lissa hesitated, looking away from her briefly before meeting her gaze again. “I’m not sure what to think here, Legacy. Maybe we should talk to Olive and see—”
“No!” She blurted out before she had a chance to consider a valid reason.
Lissa’s eyes squinted. “Why?”
“I, umm, I don’t want anybody else knowing about this. Not even her. It’s too painful as it is.” She shook her head, shutting her eyes.
“Okay,” she said slowly. “What about your mother? Do you mind if I tell her what you’re thinking? She might have some information for us.”
She opened her eyes. “Yeah, that’s fine. Just don’t tell anyone else besides her.”
Lissa eyed her before she walked into the kitchen. Legacy followed.
“Why do you think Adin may be alive, or at least, trapped in the underworld?” she asked slowly.
Legacy took a deep breath as she turned to face her. “Because Mom said Hades knows I’m here and that he has a plan. He could be using Adin as bait to get me down there.”
“And what do you expect to happen if Hades has Adin in the underworld?” she asked cautiously.
She crossed her arms as she stared at her. “I expect him to be freed.”
“How?”
“I’m not sure.” She didn’t want to tell her she’d go get him herself if she had to. If she told Lissa that, she might limit her efforts or lie about what she discovered. “We can consider our alternatives once we know if Hades has Adin. If I try to think of ways to save him, then I’ll get my hopes up that he’s retrievable. I want to find out first if that’s even a possibility before I allow myself to hope.”
“It sounds like you already hope that’s the case,” Lissa said softly.
“Of course,” she whispered. “But I need to keep that hope reigned in as much as possible.”
Lissa didn’t push it any further, so Legacy excused herself. She thought all night about the possibility of Hades having Adin without trying to hope he was alive. She tried not to the think about seeing his face again, feeling his touch, smelling his breath on her face, but she wasn’t having much luck with that.
She reread parts of his journal, but instead of feeling sad, she felt happy. She imagined the emotions he must have felt when he was writing the words, feeling his love, his hope. She fell asleep thinking about Adin’s arms being around her and feeling at peace. But it was short-lived. She soon found herself in her familiar dream once again.
Legacy awoke with no new clarity, but she figured River was right. The dream must be about Hades, but she’d already assumed that.
She got dressed and went to school. River was bringing Calli today, and she was taking her home. It was a more convenient arrangement since River lived right next door to her, but he did have practice in the afternoons. Calli’s car was supposed to be ready in a few days—she drove an import, and they did live out in the country, so the part had to be ordered. Legacy walked to the picnic table that she always met River and Calli at, but neither was there yet. She sat and waited, but they never showed.
She figured they were just running late and would show up at any minute.
She was wrong.
By lunchtime, neither had arrived or called, so she decided to go find them. She tried calling them both on the way to their neighborhood, but neither answered. She pulled up to Calli’s gate and buzzed her, but she never opened the gate or responded. Then she pulled up to River’s gate and saw his car and motorcycle parked out front, so it would seem he never left his house. She used the gate code to get in and then knocked on the door.
No answer.
She turned the knob, and it was unlocked. She walked in and called for River, but he didn’t respond. She walked in his fake bedroom first because it was closer, but he wasn’t in there. She went to his real bedroom, and he wasn’t in there either.
She didn’t know what to think about this, so she walked around in his bedroom, looking for clues. There was a towel tossed on his bed from his morning shower, his backpack on the floor. It looked as if he were getting ready for school this morning. Something must have happened to stop him from coming to school. But what about Calli? After she finished looking around here, she’d have to get into Calli’s house and figure out what happened to her too.
Legacy walked out and explored the rest of the upstairs, except for one room—it was locked. She walked downstairs and looked around, but no one was hom
e. She was just getting ready to go outside to investigate Calli’s house when she heard a faint sound. She followed it to the kitchen pantry. When she opened the door, she just saw shelves of food. But standing in the large pantry, the noise was louder, and she felt a chill crawl down her spine. The noise sounded like faint cries from a woman. She walked around in the pantry and found a seam in the wall where the noise was escaping from. She pushed and pulled on the shelves by the seam and discovered that the shelving was also a door. She pulled open the concealed door and found stairs that led to what she could only assume was a basement.
As she maneuvered quietly down the stairs, the screams became more pronounced.
She suppressed a gasp when she realized it was Calli. Medusa must have her, and she must have done something to River too. She took a deep breath as she continued to stealthily descend, trying to ward off the shakes that were consuming her body. She couldn’t show any fear.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was in a short hall that opened into a room with a light illuminating from it.
Calli cried out, “Why are you doing this?”
Her fear froze her for a moment, and she had to will her feet to move again. She knew she had to do what she could to help her BFF.
“You’re just a means to an end,” Medusa responded with a purr.
Legacy eased into the room and saw Calli was chained to the wall. She glanced around to see if there were any other ways to escape. She had to map out all possibilities before she tried to rescue her. But from what Legacy could see, there was only one way in and one way out, but she wasn’t sure if the shadows in the corners concealed alternate routes.
Her plan of attack should be a surprise hit, so she crept toward Medusa, not taking her eyes off her. But when she got close, the evil wench whirled around.
“Legacy, so glad you could join us,” she said, taking a step toward her.
Legacy froze in place, staring at her. She reminded herself she couldn’t show any fear. She was going to be the one that prevailed. She had to be. She couldn’t allow herself to think about what would happen if she couldn’t get Calli—and herself—out of here alive.
