by Rae Else
Tia flashed a smile. ‘All we need to start are the seeds, and then we grow food in abundance. We run an organic veg box service from here, and out of a few other locations–’
‘And don’t forget the tea shop. My Tia’s Tea is the best in Camden,’ Adam said with a heartfelt look at the girl opposite.
El regarded the couple. A couple with powers. Normal, in that they didn’t need to worry about hurting one another. She thought how comforting it must be to feel that way, to have someone that understood you. She thought how strange it was to be talking about their business when an hour ago she’d been bundled into a van and hooded by them.
‘This Order – who are they?’ El asked.
Both Adam and Tia grew serious and their eyes trailed to Dan. His intense gaze was trained on her again. He seemed to be assessing her in some way.
‘The Order is controlled by arete called graeae,’ he said. ‘They can see the future, or more specifically, can see arete power and trace it into the future. The most powerful graeae – called the Triad or the All-Seeing Eye – lead the Order. When you used your power tonight, they were the ones that saw you.’
El’s heart quickened. She remembered the sinking feeling of guilt at Cobbold House. At that very moment, when she’d used her power, these arete had seen her. These graeae had foreseen her future. She wondered what they had witnessed.
‘But,’ Dan said, ‘Anna wants to tell you about the Order herself.’
El frowned. She’d thought they were all getting on fine. They’d started to tell her about arete but Dan’s deliberative tone killed the conversation.
She stared at him. Despite the physical warmth his gaze gave off, his tawny eyes were hard. There was something inscrutable about him. Yes, he was being guarded with her, but El got the impression that he never gave much away. Everything about him was dark: his hair like billowing smoke, his stubble like soot. His gaze was more like the tail end of a fire – its light and warmth choked by ash.
She crossed her arms. She would love to get the truth from Anna, but where was she? Her eyes threatened to tear up. It wasn’t fair. She’d been pushed into this world and now no one would tell her anything. Anna better come soon or she’d go mad. She didn’t care how many flowers brightened the rooms or how many types of herbal tea there were here, what she needed were answers.
She felt the hot tears prickling just behind her eyes and got up. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
‘I’m tired,’ she said. ‘I’d like to sleep.’
Tia rose. ‘Here, I’ll show you your room.’
El just waved back at Adam who called goodnight. It seemed that Dan didn’t waste words on niceties.
As El followed Tia up the stairs, she spied more plants. They hung over the banister, their fronds and vines spilling from hanging baskets and pots. From the corner of her eye, the curling masses of leaves seemed to multiply, forming long, green snakes that twisted downwards in search of the shadowy floor.
At the top of the stairs, Tia showed her the bathroom and opened the door to another room. Relief flooded her as she looked around. The room had bare floor boards, a couple of pale rugs, white-washed walls and a high ceiling. A double bed rested in the middle of one wall, a spartan bookcase, desk, full-length mirror and chest of drawers on the other. Best of all – no plants. The minimalist space was exactly what her tired mind needed. With a quick good night, El closed the door.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, El reached for her handbag. She wanted to check her phone. She needed to call her grandma. Ingrid would be wondering too why she hadn’t texted. Perhaps her manager would have left a message with an update from the hospital about the guest. As El searched her bag she remembered that she’d given the phone to Dan. She thought about stomping downstairs and demanding to have it back but her tears had already started. She threw the bag on the floor, scanned the space again and suddenly hated it for its plainness, deciding it was more of a cell than a bedroom.
She pulled off her shirt and jeans and crawled into bed. This was the first time she’d spent a night away from home and as angry as she was about her grandma’s lies, she knew she’d love nothing more than to be with her. She pictured her grandma wandering around the manor, worried and alone. She pondered what she’d have said to Ingrid if she’d had her phone. “Sorry, in London seeing my mum! Will explain everything when I see you.” It occurred to her that she didn’t even know when that would be.
Lying in the gloom, she wondered if this world, with all its possibility, would prove as closed to her as the life she’d left behind.
- Chapter Five -
Hidden Worlds
The van door slid open and El wrenched the bag from her head. This way of travelling was becoming a far too frequent occurrence. She blinked and saw her mother who didn’t seem the least troubled by her blindfold. Again, she was touched by her maternal concern. Jumping out, El saw that they were in the same car park as last night.
The knock on her door had sounded early this morning. Tia had told her to be in the van in ten minutes. El had thrown on the clean clothes left for her and hurried out. She felt strange in the low-cut vest top and flowery kimono. They were far too conspicuous for her liking. At least her jeans still had another day’s wear in them. Best of all, she had her boots with her. They made her feel more comfortable. Growing up and helping out in the fields had meant that she’d never worn anything else. Ingrid often said that they made her legs look short, but even her friend’s teasing added another layer of comfort to them now.
‘Thank you,’ Anna said to Dan and Adam, who were still in the van.
Dan went to close the door, but at the thought of Ingrid, El remembered her phone. ‘I’d like my phone back.’
Dan looked at Anna, who nodded cautiously before he reached into his jeans pocket. El wondered if he’d looked at her messages. The phone had a passcode but maybe he’d found a way around it. She thought about how few texts she had and experienced a swell of embarrassment, hoping he hadn’t seen her meagre handful of contacts.
Shoving her phone into her bag, she hurried after Anna. ‘So, what are we doing here?’
‘I want you to see Alex, the doctor I told you about,’ Anna said.
Was this to see why she’d lost control of her power yesterday? Was there help she could get? Or was it to do with why the Order was looking for her?
‘We’ll talk inside,’ Anna said.
El bit her tongue. Wasn’t it safe here? She suspected Anna just wasn’t a morning person. Her mother looked as polished as the day before. Today’s number was a floral silk, but her air was even more severe than yesterday’s. El thought it was funny that she chose such soft materials as if to offset her severe personality.
They stopped at a blank wall. El searched about, remembering how cautious Anna had been yesterday. The black mark rose to the surface of the brickwork. The cross with the ribbon: the kerykeion. Elevator doors appeared beside the mark, and Anna placed her finger on the panel by the entrance; a laser flashed beneath.
‘A finger vein scanner,’ Anna said. ‘The door will open for those with arete blood.’ They went into the lift and the doors closed.
The elevator ascended and its doors chimed open to a glossy lobby. A well-groomed receptionist sat behind the front desk. At first, El tried to figure out which arete she was. She didn’t gauge any temperature change when her eyes greeted her, but remembered that Adam’s eyes didn’t have any either. He was an earth manipulator. Perhaps this receptionist was the same, or an air manipulator.
Signed in and presented with visitor badges, they sat in the waiting room. El wanted to ask her mother about what they were doing here and about the sign on the wall. In silver capitals the word “Endon” was emblazoned. She recognised the name as a leading skincare and cosmetics brand. El rarely wore makeup, but Ingrid was always lending her a new eyeliner or lipstick to try, and Endon was one of her friend’s favourites. Howeve
r, there were other people sitting in the waiting room, and El didn’t know how cautious she needed to be. If she asked about where they were, would she make them conspicuous? She wished Anna had met her somewhere more private and regretted not bombarding her with questions in the car park.
Annoyance filled her as she regarded Anna, cross-legged and flicking through a magazine. She glanced at the couple of other people in the waiting area. Their attention was on their phones and El examined them, wondering if they were arete too. As her eyes ran over the man who sat opposite, he looked up. She felt as though she was being pulled down in her seat, her body heavy in the chair and her feet rigid on the floor as though fused to it.
The sensation was familiar; she remembered the peculiar awareness she’d had of her seat in the van, her body heavy beneath Adam’s gaze. An earth manipulator. She’d mistaken the feeling for lethargy when she’d started to argue about wearing the hood this morning. It had been the same yesterday and the reason for not getting out of the van when Dan first insisted she wear the bag. Adam had stared her down, using the residual energy his eyes gave off to keep her there.
She made a mental note to have a go at the dryad whenever she next saw him. El supposed that, like Adam, this man was an earth manipulator of some sort. Embarrassed at being caught staring, she sought a distraction in the assembly of glass and concrete buildings outside. It still felt surreal that she was in London, let alone that she was in this strange, hidden world of arete.
There were countless offices and cubicles housed in the surrounding area, hordes of workers milling about their daily tasks. Millions of people. The sense of the city's immensity loomed over her, sending a tremor through her. A maze of people surrounded her. The sounds of the city came together as she listened to the goings-on: the hum of engines, footsteps, voices merging on the air. A foreign cacophony.
El's vision became grey and clouded. Could she ever be part of this world? Even if her grandma said that she’d concealed it from her to keep her safe, El still couldn’t forget how dangerous she was, and the injury she’d already inflicted. She fished out her phone, wondering if there were any updates about the man in the hospital. There were a few missed calls from Ingrid and a handful of texts. She read the one from her manager first, sent earlier this morning. Relief washed over her: the guest had regained consciousness. He was being treated for broken bones and concussion, but he was expected to make a full recovery. He was going to be alright.
El started to text Sandra back.
‘Who are you texting?’ Anna whispered, suddenly alert.
‘My manager,’ El said.
‘Say to everyone that you’re away because of a family emergency and don’t text your grandma.’
El frowned but nodded.
She had been wondering how best to explain what was going on. You couldn’t describe being on the run from this mysterious Order as taking a break. A family emergency definitely fit the bill better. She felt a sting of guilt as she sent a similarly ambiguous text to Ingrid. Her friend would be hurt by the lack of explanation. However, Anna clearly thought secrecy was necessary and she put her phone away.
Even with news of the guest’s recovery, El still felt the weight of remorse as she pictured him lying in hospital. She looked out on the city, its indomitable buildings reaching skywards. Despite their height they seemed fragile. She imagined their glass shattering, their frames exposed to reveal cramped compartments of people – people running to the ledge, and jumping.
El closed her eyes, willing herself to stop her thoughts from spiralling. She reminded herself that she didn’t have a choice about being here. She had used her power and the Triad were looking for her. Perhaps this doctor could make her power more stable. Perhaps he could even cure her. She’d probably be home with her grandma in no time, carefree and finishing her studies in a few weeks. She’d spend the summer helping at Cobbold House and, with the threat of her power gone, would finally be able to come through to London just for fun.
A tall, brown-haired man who looked to be in his mid-forties, in jeans, a tweed jacket and white shirt was coming over and interrupted her daydream. Of course, if he was arete that would make him much older. He looked more like a university professor than a doctor. She imagined him at the manor and thought the backdrop of the old building would suit him more than this sterile environment.
‘It’s nice to see you, El,’ Alex said shaking her hand. He got straight to business when he looked at Anna. ‘Shall we go up?’
They followed Alex to the lift.
‘How do you like London?’ He scanned his finger on the entry panel.
El smiled. His tone was light as though he thought she was here to visit all the typical tourist traps. Did he know that instead she’d experienced a car ride that could only be described as getaway paced, been blindfolded multiple times and spent the night a prisoner amongst strangers? She guessed not.
‘I’d like to see more of it,’ she said.
He gave her a cheerful look. ‘I’m sure you will.’
They stood in silence for a few seconds until the lift doors opened onto level fourteen.
The first thing that caught El’s eye was the wall at the far end, constructed of one clear panel. Myriad buildings outside reflected the never-ending jungle of glass and steel. On one side of the area were partitioned rooms – a round table and leather chairs in one and a kitchen with a small dining space in the other. The central area was set up with gleaming counters and luminous, stainless steel cupboards below. A few microscopes and vials rested on the workspace. Along another wall, computers and chairs were interspersed with various refrigerators and machines. A slight odour of disinfectant encompassed everything.
El looked over at the assortment of machines and wondered what Alex did here. ‘So, what type of arete are you?’
Alex laughed. ‘I’m not. I’m human.’
‘But … the finger scanner – the one in the basement – scanned Anna’s blood…’
‘Most of the staff here are arete,’ he said, ‘but any humans working here are on the database and allowed entry. The bottom part of this building, visible to humans, operates as a cosmetic surgery company. It helps to camouflage the fact that the vast majority of people who come through to this part, look no more than thirty. Nymphs working for Endon also make most of the cosmetics here – in the arete section.’
El frowned. ‘So you work for Endon?’
Alex nodded. ‘Anna’s company.’
El gawped at Anna. ‘You own Endon?’
‘Yes,’ Anna said simply as if owning a multi-million, perhaps billion, pound company was the most ordinary thing in the world. ‘Most arete operate companies within the human world. Particularly serpents – the likes of sales, advertising and marketing are suited to our particular skills.
El blinked, startled by her mother’s words. ‘So, arete make money by brainwashing the general public?’
Anna didn’t shy away from El’s judgement. ‘All people use the unique toolset they are given to live in this world,’ Anna said. ‘I choose to use mine to make products that are grown and sourced by nymphs and market and distribute them to humans through serpents. I make a profit, but by using arete to manufacture and circulate, our product is of higher quality to most synthetically produced alternatives and has minimal effects on the natural world. Other brands are contributing to deforestation, the destruction of animal habitats and climate change.’
El didn’t know what to say, but stood looking at her mother. She struck her as a little less aloof – perhaps her detached manner was indicative of her efficiency. A business woman.
Alex laughed and El, realising she was looking rather shell-shocked, rearranged her expression.
‘I know,’ he said, holding open the door to one of the side rooms. ‘A lot to take in, even without Anna’s sales pitch. Basically, the arete world operates within the human world, but uses it as a smokescreen too.’
Alex
showed them into the room with the round table and they all took a seat.
‘What I’m trying to do here on the side,’ Alex said, ‘– through Endon’s backing – is research into arete molecular biology. I think it holds the key to curing several, if not all human diseases. As I’m sure you’re aware – arete have an immunity against all infection and disease. The only thing that ages them and ultimately limits their lifespan is that their cells do deteriorate, just at a much slower rate than humans.’
El nodded, but thought about how arete could still be hurt or injured. When she was twelve she’d cracked a rib horse riding and a doctor had come to the house.
She frowned and scrutinised Alex. ‘You were at the house…’
‘When you took a tumble from your horse,’ Alex said. ‘Of course, like you that day, arete can suffer injury, but their treatment is usually managed by friends and family, just as your grandma handled it then. My father treated arete patients and his father before him. You’ll find that the arete world is kind of like the mafia – it’s all kept in the family.’
Anna’s tone was brusque as she chipped in. ‘I’m going to have to leave soon as I’ve got a meeting.’ She looked at her watch.
Her mother’s manner seemed stark following Alex’s jovial tone and El’s temper rose. What was so important to Anna that she was itching to leave again? And still without any real explanation as to what was going on.
El narrowed her eyes. ‘Not until you tell me who the Order are and why they’re interested in me … or I’m going home.’
She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, staring Anna down, determined not to take her eyes off her until she got something. Anna was startled into silence. She stared at El but was the first to look away.
‘El, I want you to go back to a normal life,’ Anna said slowly. ‘Or as normal a one as you can. The threat from the Order should pass in a few days or weeks – Alex is going to give you more of the serum in the meantime, which will keep you hidden.’ She paused, regarding her. Her mother’s eyes were the same bluebell shade as her own but had the addition of a yellow ring like gold dust. ‘In the meantime,’ Anna continued, ‘I’d prefer you not get involved with more than you need to, with anything that might draw you into this world. Can you understand that?’
