Protogenesis: Before the Beginning

by Alysia Helming

  But how, and who moved it? I can’t imagine anyone coming through my locker to access the secret room. There must be another entrance.

  I need to hide it someplace safe for now, at least until I can return it to the secret room. While I might have returned it to Janus before, now that I know he works for Sarantos, he can’t be trusted. I’m not sure why, but I feel strongly that no one can know that I have the iPad. I should protect it at all costs.

  I can’t think of any place in the apartment where Janus won’t find it, though. This is so frustrating! The only thing that is truly mine here is my suitcase, which is shoved under the side table, overflowing with clothes, next to the couch that is my bed. Who knows if Janus will snoop there? I don’t know after he rummaged through my things and tossed out my birth control pills on my first day here.

  Bastet jumps onto my lap, then springs down on the top of the suitcase, flexing her claws on its side.

  “You need a scratching post!” I exclaim.

  She seems to enjoy herself as she kneads her claws back and forth, purring loudly. But this joy swiftly shifts to alarm as her claw catches on a seam. When I try to help her, I spot a hidden zipper in the seam of the suitcase that I hadn’t seen before. A concealed pocket. The perfect hiding place.

  Bastet’s claw breaks free. She steps aside, regarding me carefully. It’s almost as if she’s fully aware of everything and has carefully orchestrated this turn of events. I wrap the iPad in a shirt and shove it inside the hidden pocket. Then I get ready for bed and fall asleep.

  A grinding, grating sound wakes me up. I hear Janus’s dusty old grandfather clock, slow and steady like a heartbeat. I look up at the clock face, which is backlit to cast an eerie glow and long shadows across the room. Then I see the time. I sigh. It’s 3:00 a.m. Argh. I hate waking up at this hour because going back to sleep seems impossible. Then, the entire next day, it’s like I’m comatose.

  The noise is back, so I switch on the lamp. Bastet furiously claws at the door that leads downstairs. While I love Bastet, there are times when having a pet is a chore, and this is one of those times.

  I open the door and Bastet darts downstairs to Janus’s forbidden shop. I creep down the stairs and almost run smack into an overflowing bin that is filled with faceless hand-woven dolls. Creepy. I wonder what Janus does with these? Voodoo?

  With only the faint light of the street outside shining in through the dusty front windows, I carefully sidestep the bin, only to knock the side of my ankle into some other unseen item on the floor. Where’s Bastet?

  I hear scratching. There she is! She’s worked herself into a frenzy, scratching frantically at a tiny crack at the base of the bookshelf. I point my index finger at the narrow crack in the bookcase.

  Zap! A bolt of electricity flies out of my finger, just like when I was in the secret room. The next moment, I hear a click, and out pops a quarter-sized tray from the side of the bookcase. I can barely make out anything in the faint light, but when I get close enough, I’m stunned to see the now-familiar symbol of the twelve-point star, identical to the symbol in my locker that led to the secret room under the school. Of course! My ring is the key!

  Excited, I stick my ring finger out and press it firmly into the little tray. At first, nothing happens. Then, about ten seconds later, I hear another click. The bookcase creaks open. It’s a doorway.

  “Hello?” I call out and proceed inside. No answer. Thankfully, there is a light switch to my right on the wall, which I flip on. A dimly lit gray stone stairway winds down in front of me, off to some distant place beyond my sight.

  I fly down the stairs, Bastet at my heels, padding noiselessly behind me.

  At the bottom of the stairs, drab cement walls surround me to form a perfectly square windowless room, maybe twenty-five feet in both length and width, topped with a low-beamed ceiling. The floor looks like it’s made of dirt, but then I realize it’s cement covered in a fine layer of dust. It’s as if no one has been here in a very long time. All the furniture and other items are draped in old white sheets. It looks like a roomful of ghosts.

  I yank a musty sheet down from a tall bookcase that stands up against the wall, packed with old, worn, yellowed books. Every book is about Greek mythology. One of my favorite topics! I’m giddy. The titles cover the well-known deities such as Athena, Zeus, and Poseidon, but also some I’ve never heard of before, such as Epimetheus. I brush the dust off the cover, open it to the first page and read:

  “Epimetheus (“hindsight”) was the twin brother of Prometheus (“foresight”), a pair of gods called the Titans who acted as patron-gods of mankind. Epimetheus, depicted as foolish and malleable, accepted the gift of Pandora from the gods that unleashed all evils unto the world. Conversely, Prometheus was depicted as clever and defiant, and was sentenced to eternal torture by Zeus for stealing fire for the humans.”

  I bump up against a large painting hanging on the wall, which I can’t see because it’s draped in a filthy gray sheet. I take a step back, but a piece of the sheet catches on my hand. It falls swiftly to the floor in one fluid movement, exposing what’s underneath.

  It’s an enormous rectangular mirror. The highly polished marble-framed mirror stretches from the floor almost all the way to the ceiling and is maybe five feet wide. It’s not the incredible size that gives me pause, though, but the ornate frame that surrounds it. The glossy marble is edged in a magnificent gold-braided trim embossed in an intricate pattern. It makes the mirror look like a grand antique that must be worth a lot. I’m surprised that Janus hasn’t sold it. Perhaps if he peddled all this stuff, he could stop pushing drugs, or whatever he does for Sarantos.

  I catch my reflection in the mirror and I’m struck by how ordinary I look. My thick, square glasses so totally overwhelm my face that my violet eyes appear way too small in comparison. My dark brown hair is a little frizzy from sleeping on it. I’m wearing a flowery night shirt that drapes down to the middle of my thighs.

  The top of the mirror, where the gold braid decorum seems much more intricate, is inlaid with a gorgeous amber-colored stone. As I try to get a closer look at it, I first stand on my tiptoes, but then I drag over a wooden chair to stand on. The shiny stone feels cool and smooth under my fingers as I trace a stark black line down its amber face. I realize with delight that I’ve seen something similar recently. “Ah, it’s the cat’s-eye stone again,” I mutter softly to myself.

  I’m startled out of my reverie by the sound of pattering little feet. It’s Bastet. She strides purposefully forward as her long, lithe body jogs gracefully up to the base of the mirror. Her tail forms a question mark with a twitch at the top as her bright golden eyes greet me eagerly.

  “What on earth are you up to this time?” I ask as I step off the chair and scoop her up. She starts purring wildly, rubbing her ear affectionately against my hand.

  Just then, the cat’s-eye stone at the top of the mirror starts to glow, casting an eerie light throughout the small room. It brightens gradually before erupting into a dazzling blue light. Bastet drops down to the ground with a thump as I step back on the chair with startled amazement. Tentatively, I reach up to touch the glowing blue light, which immediately grows warm to the touch, forcing me to pull my hand away in surprise. Bastet starts pacing back and forth anxiously.

  A low humming sound fills the room, and the mirror starts to vibrate. Its face transforms into a brilliant blue sheen that looks like a free-flowing waterfall. Entranced, I touch the shimmering, water-like substance that coats the mirror.

  Slowly, my fingers extend forward, attracted as if by a magnet. First my fingers, then my hand pass through, but I feel nothing but pleasant warmth, as if the sun is shining down on me during a bright, cheery day. I can’t stop there. I’m consumed with terror as my face passes through
the mirror.

  Washed-out sands extend up to what look like war-torn ancient ruins. Something like the Parthenon, but out in the desert. What is this place? Wherever this is, it is clear as day to me. I swiftly withdraw my head from the mirror, back into the safety of the room.

  “Meeeooooowww!” It’s Bastet at my feet. The cat’s-eye stone attached to her collar is glowing brightly. She twitches her tail once as if to tell me something important. The black-tipped end of her tail extends my line of sight back to the top of the mirror, where the stone glows with equal intensity.

  “So…you…you are doing this?” I exclaim, astounded.

  Yes! I hear a voice sing in my head. Wait…did I just hear the cat talk to me?

  Bastet leaps past me into this strange new world. “Bastet, wait!!” I yell over the hum, but she doesn’t seem to hear me.

  I reach steadily through the shimmering surface of the glass. There’s no stopping the forward momentum as I’m completely sucked inside. My vision starts to spin out of control as the world around me swirls into a spectacular blur of colors and lights, all racing forward to merge dynamically into the epicenter of a massive vortex.

  Darkness swallows me whole.

  For a moment, I can’t see anything. As my vision starts to come back into focus, everything is blurry. My heart beats furiously. Suddenly, the world in front of me clears, and I take in the image of crumbling ruins half-buried in vast desert sands that surround me.

  Oh my god. I’ve been here before. It’s the place from my dreams. My mother’s words echo through my mind: Anything is possible.

  I look around but see no sign of Bastet. My ears pick up a soft shuffling noise to my left. I whip my head around and suck in a breath at the sight in front of me.

  An oversized mountain lion, as large as a tiger, is sitting on the sand directly in front of me, staring me down with intense amber eyes. My body feels paralyzed, frozen in place. The giant lion roars, instantly severing the icy stillness between us. I start to shake violently. I am too terrified to move, so I hold my concentration and continue to stare at the lion.

  Suddenly, the lion gets up and saunters closer to my frozen body. He’s so close to me that I can smell the large cat’s breath on my face. It smells like…wait, is that cat food on his breath?

  Just as I’m sure that I’m going to be eaten, the massive lion slurps a big sloppy, wet kiss across my face. Ugh. My cheek is dripping with saliva, rubbed raw by the lion’s enormous tongue, which was rough like sandpaper. Next, he brings his face up under my hand, rubbing back and forth. It’s almost as if he wants me to pet him…like a house cat! I allow my hand to fall onto the lion’s soft head. He moves his head around in circles on my hand as if with affection, and a low thrumming sound begins. Is this lion purring?

  I scratch the big cat’s ears. More purring, but much louder this time. Something about him seems familiar. I scan the big cat’s strong body and don’t see any male parts there. I whisper, “Oh, you’re a lioness.” As I stroke her ear, I feel the cool metal edge of something under my hand…a collar! This cat belongs to someone. But then I recognize this collar. It’s the same ancient, bronze finish with the cat’s-eye charm embedded in the center that belongs to…

  “Bastet!”” I say, incredulous.

  The enormous lioness utters a small sound, barely audible, then lifts her tail up, forming the sign of the question mark that I’ve become so familiar with.

  “It is you!”

  She nudges her head under my hand for another pet. Convinced I’m still in a dream, I just go with it. This is so totally cool!

  Now that I know that Bastet is here as a fearsome lioness who can protect me, I’m filled with courage. I decide to explore this strange new land. We’re standing in front of an arched gateway in some sort of large open-air structure, perhaps the size of a football field. It looks like the Colosseum in Rome, but rather than being constructed from stone, the building’s materials appear to be rusted-out steel, as if this was once a modern building of some type.

  The arched gateway, which was the doorway that brought me here, has the same ornate stone inlaid at the top, which now glows a bright blue similar to the stone at the top of the mirror on the other side. The sheet of water hums softly behind it. Sandy dunes cover the floor of the vast room, so we trek across it to the other side to find another arched open-air passage that leads outside.

  It’s the same vast desert landscape from my dream, but this time, I see the extensive abandoned ruins of an old city. A swift wind whips my hair across my face as I take in the sight.

  At one time, this city must have been the size of Manhattan. Jagged remains of rusted-out skyscrapers, now partially engulfed by light brown sand dunes, dot the surface. The skies are filled with what look like dark, menacing clouds, which partially obscure a giant red sun. Angry lightning bolts strike the vast dunes as they disappear into the horizon where an enormous smoking volcano rises out of the sands.

  Just outside the entrance to the gateway that we passed through, we come across a rusted sign that is half-buried in the sand. It squeaks back and forth on its hinges in the gusty wind. As the sand blows fiercely in my eyes, I can barely make out a printed word on the sign, but I don’t recognize the language. It looks to me like some strange dialect of ancient Greek.

  My head starts to throb. I wince in confusion and pain. When I open my eyes, the sign now clearly reads, “OLYMPUS.” The city of the gods.

  But this can’t be the glorious and ancient city of Olympus! Where are the grand pillars and other hallmarks of traditional Greek architecture? This place looks like the apocalypse hit a modern city maybe a hundred years ago leaving it utterly abandoned and decimated in ruins.

  A loud cracking noise comes from beneath me. The earth starts rumbling, shaking violently. Fear passes over the features of my giant lioness. I glance back across the large open-air room to the arched gateway that leads back home. There, the bright blue waterfall starts to shimmer and fade, pulsing and flickering. Bastet’s amber eyes meet mine, and I know instantly that we should go back…now.

  We run full speed towards the flickering blue light. Bastet leaps through the shimmering surface of the gateway. Fear and adrenaline propel me forward as I follow her through to the other side. My world fades to black as my vision is lost. I’m falling…and falling…then nothing.

  I’m back in Janus’s basement. As I turn to look towards the mirror behind me, the shimmering blue substance shifts and transforms instantly back to solid mirrored glass. The humming sound halts.

  Beneath my feet is Bastet, lying sprawled out on the floor in front of the mirror, sleeping soundly as if deep in a dream. There is no sign of the mountain lioness. The room is quiet, as if nothing ever happened.

  I touch my face. My glasses have fallen off! I feel around on the ground. When I don’t find them, I panic. Now what will I do?

  The shiny stone on Bastet’s collar catches my eye. It dawns on me that I can see just fine. The room…the mirror…the sleeping cat at my feet…they appear crystal clear to me!

  I don’t need my glasses anymore.

  15 – Transformation

  I take in the room around me. What was dull and muted before now appears vibrant and bold. The change is more than just the clarity that comes from wearing glasses. Every color and hue is brilliant and ethereal in a way I never thought possible.

  The caution and fear that consumed me before seems so very far away, like a distant memory. As if someone else had been living my life for me.

  My body is stiff and sore, as if someone has beaten me all over with a large bat. Every muscle in my body cries out in agony as I crouch on my knees and try to stand up. I have no idea how I can go to school today like t
his; the pain is almost unbearable. If it weren’t for my pristine eyesight and renewed zest for life, I would be seriously worried about myself right now.

  Bastet jumps up and nuzzles my knees, so now I have no choice but to stand up. Painstakingly, I get up and slowly turn around. I glance at myself in the mirror for a split second, sure that I must look as horrible as feel.

  “Wait…what?” I stop and look at the person in the mirror staring back at me. Without my glasses, my violet eyes look much larger and more vibrant. My lashes are long and curly. My face has always been blemished and scarred from old breakouts, but now, all the scars are gone. My skin looks so clear and luminous that I can’t even see any pores. In fact, my whole body appears visibly darker with a rich tan, smooth as honey.

  There are other changes as well. My jeans are now too short, as if I’ve grown an inch or two, and they’re loose around the waist. The material of my shirt drapes over my body, accentuating my curves. It’s not like I’m super skinny now, but I flex my bicep and am pleasantly surprised to see a sculpted, lean muscle there. I feel strong and fit, like I could really kick some ass.

  My hair is a lush and shiny rich chocolate brown, which hangs long and straight almost down to my waist. Who is this person in the mirror? Honestly, I kind of miss the freckles on my nose and can’t believe my pierced ears have closed up, but I won’t complain too much about it!

  “How is this possible?” I wonder.

  Since there is no way the deserted city of Olympus could be real, I must still be inside my dream. I’m probably upstairs resting on the couch, and the mirror and the basement are part of the dream. In the morning, I’m sure I’ll wake up and it will be as if none of this ever happened.

  I’m suddenly startled out of my thoughts when I hear a noise. Croak! Bastet’s eyes grow wide and her ears perk up as the sound transforms to a squeak and then a low groan. I hear footsteps, like someone is coming down the stairs. It must be Janus! What am I going to do? I look around the room. There’s no place to hide.