Protogenesis: Before the Beginning

by Alysia Helming

  He avoids eye contact, nodding thanks, and departs quickly without a word.

  What just happened here?

  17 – Prophecy

  Saturday and most of Sunday passes with no word from Nick. Why did I have to go and do such an idiotic thing? Nick was trying to tell me not to take my top off, and then I had to go ahead and do it anyway. What was wrong with me?

  Still, it was his dare, after all. He was the one who teased me, “lied” was the exact word he used. He asked for this, and now he can’t handle it. So how is it fair that it’s now my problem?

  I like Nick…that’s how. I like him a lot.

  My mind swirls with elation at the memory of us sitting on the beach under the magic of the moonlight…and oh, that kiss. I want to feel like that again. My heart aches. I miss Nick.

  My hand hovers over my phone. Maybe I should just call him. At least then I’d know where things stand, and I wouldn’t have to waste any more effort worrying about him.

  But then my mother’s words echo through my mind: “Girls don’t call boys.” I had argued vehemently with her that this view was sexist and old-fashioned. Modern women should be able to do exactly as men do, right? Wrong. Mom always had a way of making her point so that no one could argue with her. Her argument centered on the evolution of our species and animal behavior. At the pinnacle of the hunt, men need to experience the thrill of the chase, and in this case, I am the prey. And as much as it bothers me, I see her point. If he’s not calling, texting, e-mailing – whatever the communication – there’s something wrong. The hunt is not in play.

  “Oh, Mom, how I wish you were here with me,” I whisper to myself.

  My head aches and my temples throb. I’m in so much pain that I don’t even care about avoiding Janus anymore. Besides, it’s probably about time to face the music, time that we talk. I’m tired of trying to forestall the inevitable.

  And I need help for this pain.

  I start down the stairs to Janus’s shop to see if he has some holistic headache remedy. Even though it’s late, he must be down there since I don’t see him in the apartment or hear him up on the roof. He literally never leaves this house. I have no idea how he buys groceries. It must be when I am away at school.

  The shop is full of Janus’s usual cast of characters. I see lots of familiar faces from yoga, acupuncture, and who knows what else Janus does. In the middle of the shop, they all sit quietly in a circle of chairs, listening intently to something that Janus is saying. His voice is patient and quiet. Must be Oprah mode today…thank God.

  It looks like this could be a self-help group or, knowing Janus, some sort of séance. He holds up a book, and everyone bobs their heads up and down in excitement. Maybe it’s a book club meeting.

  As I attempt to walk past the group, Janus’s eyes catch mine. Argh. Even though I need to face him, I was hoping to do it alone. First, his eyes narrow as if he’s just tasted something unsavory. But then, just a few moments later, his eyes light up as if he’s happy to see me. Inviting me to join the group, he assumes his sing-song voice. “Helene, come on over. I want you to meet some of my friends.”

  Like I have a choice. I try to talk my way out of it anyway. “I have a really bad headache. Do you have anything I can take?”

  I hear a lot of snickers around the circle. Some of them stare at me with a little too much intensity, like they’ve never seen a teenager before.

  “It’s better to suffer through the pain so you know what true pleasure feels like,” says the redheaded nose-hair guy whom I hit with the hidden door the other day when I was trying to escape from the basement. Everyone nods in unison.

  Janus smiles with a gleam in his eye. “He’s right, Helene. Besides, with the new improved you, pain medication shouldn’t be necessary.”

  What is that supposed to mean? He must know about the mirror!

  Begrudgingly, I sit down in the only empty chair next to a woman with a rainbow scarf covering her head. I assume that they’re all speaking in Greek, but I have no idea because both English and Greek are now completely interchangeable in my head.

  Janus walks over to me and whispers in my ear with a sneer, “Have you been snooping around my shop?”

  His tone becomes menacing, accusatory. “I think you’ve done something that you shouldn’t have. You know what I’m saying? I know you do.”

  I just shrug, totally mute. There’s no way I’m admitting anything right now.

  This just angers Janus. He raises his voice. “You’re going to tell me everything, understand? I’m not—”

  “Hey, Janus?” nose-hair guy abruptly interrupts. “We need to get started.”

  Janus’s demeanor completely shifts back to pure calm. He uses a little mallet to ignite a small tabletop gong, and the group chants, “Do as you will, but harm none.” I notice now that there’s a small altar in the center of our circle covered with statues and figurines. It looks like all the key ancient gods are there. Dried flowers and the multicolored faceless dolls I saw before are scattered on the altar. What is going on here?

  A knocking sound interrupts the group, and through the glass I see Nick standing there. He’s looking down at his hands as if he’s deep in thought over something important. His pressed white polo shirt looks bright against his olive skin, and he’s wearing his usual khakis from work. His blond hair is slicked back in a tidy way. He’s quite handsome all cleaned up. His gray-green eyes light up when I wave him inside.

  As quietly as possible, I leave the inner circle of the quietly chanting group to join Nick near the door.

  “Hey,” he says quietly.

  “Hi,” I say with a smile. I twist my hands nervously.

  I glance over my shoulder and see Janus frowning at Nick. Nick isn’t exactly smiling back at Janus either.

  “I just wanted to apologize about the other night,” Nick whispers.

  “Oh?” I stare straight ahead, making him wait.

  The look in his eyes seems genuine, like he’s really sorry. “Look, it’s all my fault. I asked you to do that, but then when it happened, I didn’t know what to do. I panicked.”

  I nod and smile as if to say it was fine when I see Nick’s ears perk up as if he just heard something scandalous.

  Rainbow-scarf woman is holding up a book titled Before the Beginning: The Primeval Gods. A woman with long gray hair and a ring in her nose asks with an empty, vacant look in her eyes, “Uh, April, is this like the primordial deities, similar to the creation story in Genesis and the Torah?”

  April rolls her eyes as if the answer should be obvious. “Well, yes, Cindy, we’re talking about the building blocks of the original creation story, which are earth, air, sea, sky, fresh water, underworld, darkness, night, light, day, procreation, and time. The primordial gods represented each of these basic elements in ancient mythology.”

  Nose-hair guy gets excited. “The Protogenoi!”

  Cindy’s eyes grow wide. “Like the Prophecy!”

  What prophecy?

  Janus is suddenly nervous. I can sense it when his eyes meet mine. “Let’s stick to the book, okay? We’re not talking about the Prophecy here.”

  April cuts in, ignoring Janus. “Yes, the Prophecy! The Protogena will be born from the virgin goddess to one day save all worlds.”

  The room erupts in applause, which stops when they chant, “Glory to the Protogena.”

  Next to me, I hear Nick utter under his breath, “Seriously? Is this some sort of religious worship of the…gods? Holy crap. I knew it! Your godfather is a pagan!”

  April clears her throat, looking directly at Nick. “I heard that.”

  Nick’s eye
s grow wide in surprise, then narrow at her.

  Janus, clearly irritated, glares at Nick, then sneers at me. “Helene, I told you, no boys allowed in here!”

  “I was just leaving,” Nick says in a tight, controlled voice. This can’t be good. So much for his apology. A look of distress passes over his features as he turns to me and whispers, “Helene, you don’t buy into any of this, do you?”

  “What? No.” I shrug.

  “I need to go,” he says.

  “Okay. Sorry you came?” I ask tentatively.

  “Yes…no. I mean, no. I…” He looks frustrated. “Well, I’m glad that I saw you tonight, but that’s all I can say here.”

  Nick disappears through the glass door and off into the night. I’m glad he apologized, but where does this leave us now? Better or worse?

  As I come back to the group, Janus announces that we will be hosting another guest here at the villa for the next few days. “Everyone, please meet Thomas,” Janus says with a warm smile.

  An odd-looking boy, maybe seven or eight years old, sits quietly in the chair that I was just occupying, looking down at the floor. Thomas is odd mostly because of the strange color of his eyes. They are pure silver. His skin is very pale, almost translucent, and his hair is blindingly white.

  Janus explains that Thomas will be staying with us for a couple of days. I have a zillion questions, such as where in our teeny-tiny little apartment will Thomas sleep? Better not be on my couch.

  “Thomas will be staying in the Tranquility Room, so it won’t be available for the next few days,” Janus states. Groans fill the room. The rainbow-scarf woman and nose-hair guy exchange disappointed looks.

  Janus sounds the mini-gong. Everyone starts to disperse. Just then, a mysterious businesswoman, impeccably dressed in high heels and fashionable suit, pushes the front door open. April and Cindy’s eyes light up at the sight of her. The group greets the woman as if they all know her.

  Janus and the woman talk in the corner of the room. It’s a heated discussion, motioning over and over to where Thomas sits. I overhear the woman say, “I am certain that Georgios will welcome him with open arms into his home. There won’t be any problems.”

  Janus whispers, “Ah, but Aliki, are you sure that the police will not catch wind of it?”

  The woman assures Janus that the proper people have been paid to keep this quiet.

  What is going on here? Could this be child trafficking?

  After Aliki leaves, the shop is eerily quiet. Janus scurries back to the Tranquility Room with Thomas to settle him in for the night. After a moment, Janus comes back into the room.

  “Janus?” I ask. “What is going on here? Are you…engaged in…illegal activity here?!”

  “You’ve got to keep Thomas’s presence here an absolute secret,” he says urgently. His eyes are tired. “There’s nothing to worry about, Helene. This is a humanitarian effort, and we are the good guys. The government here is good at some things but very bad at others. Some things need to be handled outside of their purview, and this is one of them. I told you before, it’s all very complicated.”

  I hold my breath listening to this as absolutely none of it makes any sense. I’m not sure I buy it, but on the other hand, it doesn’t sound like a story he could easily make up on the fly either.

  Janus sits down on a tattered old sofa, twisting his wristband that he always wears round and round in a swift, monotonous motion. He explains that the boy is an orphan from one of the neighboring countries and that he has no home. Janus sometimes helps to locate homes for these refugee orphans. “Haven’t you heard about the refugee crisis here, Helene? So many people are in dire need. I’m doing my part to help.”

  I need more answers.

  “Who was that woman? And why was she so concerned about the police not getting involved with Thomas?”

  Janus looks surprised. “Oh, you heard that?”

  I nod. “Yes, and I also heard her talk about Georgios. Are we talking about Georgios Sarantos?”

  “You know that I work for Sarantos. That’s no secret.” Janus explains that the woman, Aliki, is the personal assistant to Georgios Sarantos. The police cannot be involved because most levels of government are corrupt and can’t be trusted. Sarantos is the good guy. He is planning to adopt Thomas in a few days.

  Still, it feels like Janus is telling me only part of the story. I’m so tired of his lies and confused about whom I can trust. What if Janus is one of the bad guys?

  “Speaking of Sarantos, I want to meet him,” I say boldly.

  Janus’s eyes grow wide in surprise. He twists his terry cloth wristband around a couple of times before responding. “Absolutely not. You’re not allowed.”

  “Why am I not allowed?” Suddenly I’m distracted. I hear a low, continuous beep like an alarm coming from up in our apartment.

  Janus’s eyes grow wide in suspicion. “What is that?” he asks.

  At first, I’m not sure, but then I think I know where the beeping is coming from. My stomach churns, making a loud sound like hunger pains. But really, I’m suddenly terrified. It’s got to be the strange iPad! I need to stall Janus long enough to disable it.

  “It’s just my alarm,” I stammer, already heading for the stairs. I race upstairs and pull my old, ratty suitcase out from where it was hidden under the end table. Carefully, I unzip the secret compartment where I last hid the iPad.

  I feel around and breathe a sigh of relief as I sense the cool metal cover of the iPad under my fingers. As I pull it out, I hit a button on the side, trying to turn off the beeping sound. Something works because a moment later, the sound stops.

  I sigh in relief. But then, not even a second later, strange words in an unfamiliar language and a perplexing image flash onto the screen. The image appears to be two planets joined by what looks like a connecting tube. I’m not sure what it could be. Possibly a wormhole?

  Just then, recognition hits me hard. It’s a portal bridging two planets located in two different realities or universes.

  In a split second, the words appear easily to me in English:

  Gate construction commencing in 30 seconds.

  No, this can’t be right. How can I stop this thing?! I smack the iPad on the couch. Nothing. Next, a countdown starts on the screen…30, 29, 28...

  What is this thing doing? Clearly, it is counting down to something.

  I hear Janus’s bedroom door creak open, then the sound of mumbling, as if he’s still engaged in some pretend but heated conversation with someone. Bastet wedges her body through the crack.

  I’m totally freaked.

  I’m running out of options and time.

  18 – Gaea

  I totally panic. 24…23…22… I hit the red button on top. The countdown continues. 20…19…18… An awful thought hits me. What if this is a bomb?! Oh my God! 7…6…5…4… I slam it hard on the wall. Smack!

  The device beeps, then shuts down. The words appear: Gate construction aborted. Suddenly, the screen goes blank.

  I fall to my knees as overwhelming relief floods me. I praise God, the universe, the gods, or whomever will listen to my gratitude. Thank you!

  The beeping sound must have alerted Janus that something is awry because he’s in quite the turbulent mood when he rushes into the room. “What the hell is going on here?”

  “Uh, nothing.” I quickly stash the iPad device behind me before he has a chance to notice.

  Janus’s eyes grow erratic as he frantically looks everywhere for Bastet. “Where are you hiding, obnoxious cat? This is all your fault. All of it!!” He starts pulling the pillows off the couch, which is peculiar beca
use I don’t see how it’s even possible for Bastet to hide under there. “You’ve got to stop your meddling!” he screams, but there’s no sign of the cat. She’s gone. I can’t say that I blame her.

  “Um, Janus,” I say meekly, not wanting to set him off further. “I don’t think Bastet is here. She must have gone outside.”

  Suddenly, he stops, eyes wide and frozen in place. His scarf is lopsided, exposing the shiny bald patch on the top of his head. Time stands still as we stare at each other in absolute, eerie silence. What can this mean? Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, Oprah, or something else?

  “You’ve been in the basement!” he shrieks, so loud that I jump out of my skin.

  “No!” I yell back. But then I realize that I’m not supposed to know about the basement. Time to fake him out. “Wait…what basement? You have a basement here?”

  Janus frowns as his face starts to grow that deep red color that tells me he’s going to totally lose it. He’s not buying it. “You know all about the basement. I’m sure of it.”

  “Even if I did – which I do not – but if I did, what are you so worried about, Janus? Are you hiding something down there?” I say with a confident sneer.

  His eyes light up, ablaze with fury, but then a moment later, something dawns on him. As if none of this has just happened, his face completely relaxes. He shifts his scarf back onto the top of his head, turns on his heel, and enters his room, slamming the door behind him.

  That was close! I still feel the residue of his chaotic energy here in the room with me. Adrenaline surges through my veins, like I just jumped out of a plane.

  I sit down on the couch-that-is-my-bed, numb over what happened earlier with the strange iPad device. The stark image of the planets connected by some sort of bridge between them fills my mind. Gate construction…the countdown…to what?

  The realization of what this means hits me like a brick. My heart rate quickens. The iPad device must have been trying to create a new “gate,” like a portal between our universe and some other reality. OMG.