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Girls' Night Out_A Novel

Page 14

by Liz Fenton


  Two hours later, Lauren opened her eyes as the car turned down a long driveway. She immediately noticed the silence in the car. Natalie was reading something on her phone, and Ashley was staring out the window. She wondered if they’d talked at all while she’d slept. She hoped they had, but there was tension in the air.

  The driver dropped them off at Villas Arqueológicas, a hotel just outside of Chichén Itzá. Felipe, a stout man with a thin mustache that tipped up at the ends, found them as dusk was approaching and quickly explained that they would be cutting through the jungle that connected to the back of the ruins. “You’ll need to be quiet,” he said. “We have to pay the security guards when we get to the back entrance.”

  Ashley reached into her bag and drew out a stack of pesos, counting them quickly. Felipe took the stack from her and deposited it into his fanny pack in one swift motion.

  Two stoic men stood guard behind the ruins and gave a slight nod of recognition when Felipe’s profile became clear. They spoke in rapid Spanish, Lauren picking up only a few words. Señoritas. Dinero. Subir. Women. Money. To climb.

  After a dramatic pause, the men pulled back the thick rope that balanced the battered wood “Closed” sign, waving them in with their guns. Lauren tried not to look at their weapons, but they were so ominous, almost taking over their lithe uniformed bodies.

  The women walked past tentatively, finally breaking stride as they came into a clearing, Felipe pointing out El Castillo, which was dazzling in the fading light. Lauren felt a shiver slice through her body as the pyramid came into view. She couldn’t be sure whether it was a confirmation that they were on the right path or a warning to leave.

  Felipe turned to them, tightened his fanny pack, and smiled for the first time. “Are you ladies ready for a life-changing experience?”

  Lauren walked behind the others as Felipe started talking about the ruins. She took in the majestic view of the ancient Mayan city that stretched out before her. She held out her hand and let the vibration in the air penetrate it. Felipe explained that the Mayan culture was one of deep religion and human sacrifice, and if you concentrated, you could feel their spirits. Lauren could definitely feel their energy. She had so many questions about who they were—why so many of them had chosen death.

  Geoff hadn’t chosen death. It had struck him quick as lightning. Ashley and Lauren were the bolts that killed him. Ashley, who had stumbled upon Lauren’s deepest secret, that Geoff was physically abusive. And Lauren, who had let herself be convinced by Ashley to leave him, adamant there was no other choice. But there had been no choosing for Geoff. One minute he was there, in their foyer, as Lauren announced she was leaving, and then he was gone. Leaving her first, in the most final way. Intellectually, she understood they hadn’t killed him. But in her darkest moments, the small tendrils of guilt still haunted her.

  “This is the observatory, also referred to as El Caracol, or the snail, because of the sprawling spiral staircase located within the tower. It is aligned with the movement of Venus,” Felipe said, gesturing toward a pyramid. “The Maya were incredibly gifted astrologers. The staircase here in front”—he pointed—“faces west and is where Venus and El Caracol connect perfectly. At summer solstice sunrise and winter solstice sunset, the northeast and southwest corners align.”

  “Wow,” Natalie said, stepping closer to the pyramid. “How could they have ever known that?”

  “The Maya were very advanced for their time,” Felipe mused. “It’s why Chichén Itzá, and El Castillo in particular, is thought to be the eighth wonder of the world.”

  “Yet no one knows why they just disappeared?” Natalie asked, frowning. “Their civilization was just wiped out?”

  “There are many theories. Great floods, civil wars, even aliens. Although that’s more of a conspiracy theory.” Felipe walked ahead. “Other structures of Chichén Itzá include the Temples of the Jaguar, the Temple of the Warriors, and the Great Ball Court, and all have significance to Mayan mythology.” Felipe paused. “Do you know what cenotes are?”

  “Sinkholes?” Ashley responded. “I heard some people at our hotel talking about them.”

  “It is true that cenotes are natural sinkholes that result from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes the groundwater underneath. But they are also very spiritual. They are mouths that opened into the underworld. For example, the Sacred Cenote, not far from where we are standing now, is believed to have received many human offerings.”

  “Really?” Ashley asked.

  “Sí,” Felipe said. “The Maya believed it was an honor to be sacrificed.” He turned to face Lauren, holding her gaze.

  She felt tingles through her entire body. Had Geoff ultimately been sacrificed for her own freedom? She glanced at Ashley, her face scrunched up as Felipe spoke. It was the same look she’d worn when she met Geoff, as she silently calculated his power suit and dark hair, peppered with gray. The same look she’d tried to hide when Lauren showed up for brunch in the brand-new silver Audi he’d purchased, which Lauren had paid for with the bruises hidden under her lilac wrap sweater. She was upset with Ashley for so many reasons, but the hardest thing to swallow was that it was likely she had known all along who Geoff really was.

  “They did not fear death the way people do today. They saw it as an opportunity for passage to the underworld. Where they could begin again. According to many people who have studied the symbols carved into the walls of the Great Ball Court, where I will take you next, it was interpreted as a positive to be the loser of those games. The team captain would sacrifice himself to the gods—getting beheaded, his skull then thrown into the Sacred Cenote. They say there are thousands of skulls at the bottom and also gold, carved jade, pottery, flint—offerings from the Maya.” Felipe paused, seemingly for effect. “There’s also a cenote that was discovered under El Castillo.”

  “Wow,” Lauren said, looking toward the bottom of the pyramid then over at Ashley, who smiled.

  “It’s so overwhelming—in a good way,” Natalie said, looping her arm through Lauren’s.

  Lauren walked with Natalie over to Ashley and wrapped her free arm around Ashley’s. “Now we’re all joined,” she said.

  “Just how I want it,” Ashley said, and rested her head on Lauren’s shoulder briefly.

  Felipe continued his tour and the women shared a silent smile at his lack of understanding of their moment. “They found the cenote in 2009, and they are planning an excavation,” Felipe said. “They are quite certain that the cenote is over one hundred feet long and sixty-five feet deep.” He started to walk and motioned for them to join him. “Come, now I will show you the Great Ball Court.”

  They walked in silence, finally arriving at a grass court surrounded by huge limestone walls, a large ring high above on each side.

  “So the Maya played this ball game on that court hoping to lose, hoping to die?” Lauren asked after Felipe explained the ancient ball game, her mind gravitating toward Geoff again. At the hospital, when she’d said goodbye to him, she’d been numb. At the funeral she’d felt almost as if she were acting the part of the widow—her true feelings of grief just beyond reach, blocked by her irrational anger. But here, surrounded by the spirits of hundreds of thousands of people, she felt him. She felt connected, the conflicted feelings she’d often experienced while he was alive filling her thoughts. How he swung from affection to anger in the blink of an eye, the very smallest things setting him off. Lauren had often felt as if she were walking a tightrope—one small deviance and she’d get badly hurt. She truly hoped he was settled now—that his death had ultimately brought him peace. In life, it had eluded him.

  “Don’t think I didn’t see the way you were looking at him,” Geoff had said one night as Lauren set her red clutch on the kitchen counter and began to peel off her jacket. His voice was low and deep, often the prelude to his rage. She didn’t have to ask who he was talking about—the server at dinner had winked at her when he’d placed her petite filet with béarnaise
sauce on the table. She hadn’t needed to look at Geoff to know there would be consequences either. She barely made a sound when he slammed her against the taupe wall of their living room, curling into the fetal position as he kicked her.

  The next day she’d winced when Ashley touched her arm, and her secret had come spilling out, like a milk carton crashing onto the kitchen floor. Ashley had bundled Lauren into her car and driven her to her house, refusing to let her leave until she agreed to end things with Geoff. They’d walked down to the beach and sat on the sand, Ashley holding her tight as she cried. Promising her she could stay with her as long she liked. Promising that she deserved better. Promising it would all be okay.

  She didn’t keep those promises.

  Their fight at Geoff’s funeral was ugly, the three of them shoved into the coat check, Lauren broken and desperate to place blame. Standing just inches from Ashley’s face.

  You killed him. You are the reason he’s dead.

  Ashley exploding with tears as she defended herself. He was hurting you. I was trying to help you. Save you from a monster.

  Natalie coming to Ashley’s defense. Calm down. You can’t really believe she’s responsible. I would have tried to help you too, if I’d known.

  Neither of them understood how you could both love and fear someone, how you could wish to be free but then lament your freedom.

  I’ll never forgive you.

  The words had escaped Lauren before she could take them back. Anger raged inside of her, and she pointed at the door. I don’t need friends like you. Leave. And don’t come back.

  So they had, hesitating slightly at the door, Lauren finally exhaling when it clicked shut. Lauren studied Ashley and Natalie now, standing close, their arms crossed over their chests, almost as if they had planned it. Last year, they’d all come to a crossroads, and Lauren had taken a sharp right turn, away from them. She could sense that she was in a similar place now. Walking a fine line between moving forward or falling back.

  Felipe shook his head at Lauren’s speculation about the Mayan warriors. “It’s hard to say if they were hoping to lose so they could be sacrificed. There are just as many who have looked at those same carvings on the walls and have interpreted them differently—believing that it was actually the winner who was sacrificed. That it was a great honor.”

  “So who should we believe?” Lauren asked.

  “Like anything in life, it is up to you. Your thoughts are your own.”

  “Why did they presume that the underworld was better than this one?” Lauren asked tentatively. People had told her over and over how Geoff was in a better place now. Maybe this visit to Chichén Itzá would give her proof.

  “The Maya were deeply religious. In their eyes, it was a great honor to die for their gods. Their faith was everything,” Felipe said simply, and looked at Lauren, offering her a sympathetic smile, as if he knew she had lost her faith somewhere.

  “They really thought dying was better than living?” Ashley asked, staring at the carved walls.

  “Yes, their belief in the afterlife was that powerful.” He tilted his head to the east. “We must keep moving. It’s getting dark.”

  Lauren followed the group to the base of the north side of El Castillo and tried to concentrate on Felipe’s voice as he explained the significance behind its dimensions. “It is believed the pyramid was built around 800 AD. It has ninety-one steps on each of its four sides. There are ninety-one days between each annual solar cycle—winter solstice, spring equinox, summer solstice, and fall equinox. So, if you take the four cycles per year, which is ninety-one times four, that equals three hundred and sixty-four days. Then you add the top step.”

  “That makes it three-hundred sixty-five. It matches up to our calendar,” Natalie said, and Felipe nodded.

  “Sí. And what’s also quite amazing is the alignment of the pyramid is such that in the late afternoon of March 21, the low sun casts a shadow resembling a wriggling snake. Thousands of people come during the spring equinox each year to watch the feathered serpent god appear to crawl down the side of the pyramid and illuminate one of the serpent heads at the bottom.”

  “That’s unbelievable,” Ashley said, reaching out to touch the serpent’s head.

  “Also, you’ll see that there are nine levels of El Castillo. One for each level of the afterlife that a person has to traverse to achieve exaltation or euphoria,” Felipe continued.

  Lauren heard Ashley suck in a deep breath next to her, as if she was going to say something. Lauren waited, but she remained silent.

  “It’s stunning,” Lauren said after a beat. The pyramid was massive. She listened as Felipe explained that the structure was as tall as a ten-story building—and made from tens of thousands of limestone blocks that the Maya carried in on their backs. Concealed beneath it was another pyramid that El Castillo was built on top of. She craned her neck—the stairs leading to the top were so steep that she had to walk backward to take them in. At the base of the staircase were twin serpent heads carved from limestone that appeared to guard the bottom of the stairs. Lauren touched the rough stone of one of the serpent’s heads, across its eye and over its nose, imagining the men who’d painstakingly carved it, believing that it would protect their people. She was grateful she was getting the chance to climb to the top of the pyramid. She couldn’t wait to look out over the entire city, absorbing as much of its energy as she could. She wished she could bottle this feeling—take it home with her. It made her feel strong. Like she might finally conquer her own demons.

  “Before we climb to the top of El Castillo, there is one more thing I must show you.” Felipe stood still. “The quetzal was an important part of Mayan culture. Its feathers, along with jade, were among the most precious commodities. The Maya believed the quetzal’s emerald-green tail feathers were more valuable than gold. The bird also had a distinctive chirp. If you stand right here at the base of the stairs of the pyramid, you can make the same sound.” Felipe looked up then clapped his hands together, and the tone of a bird’s trill echoed loudly.

  “That’s amazing!” Natalie said.

  “Come.” Felipe beckoned them. “You try.”

  Lauren stood quietly while Ashley and then Natalie clapped their hands and were rewarded with the same note. “Now you,” Felipe said, pointing at Lauren.

  Lauren pulled her purse onto her shoulder and clapped, the chirping echo that followed much louder than the others. She felt her skin prick slightly.

  Felipe studied her for a moment. “Very good—the gods would approve. Are you all ready to climb?”

  Lauren turned to Natalie. “Will you reconsider coming? I really think we should all do it together,” she pleaded, grabbing her arm. “I’m feeling the love here,” she added shyly. “I want you to be part of it too.”

  Natalie drew Lauren in for a hug. “I’m so happy this place is opening your heart,” she said, and pulled back to face her. “But I just can’t. I’m scared of heights on my best day, and the whole illegal part of it is freaking me out. I’m sorry.” She looked over at Ashley, who was watching them, her mouth hovering between a smile and a frown. “It will be good for you two to do it together.”

  Ashley nodded and looked at Lauren hopefully.

  “Just you and me, then?” she said, pointing at Ashley, her heart feeling lighter than it had in months. She felt hope. Hope she could find a path back to her friendships. That she could carve a route back to herself. “Let’s do this.”

  “I’ll wait for you over there.” Natalie pointed to a patch of grass nearby. “Please be careful. Those steps are really steep and narrow.”

  “She’s right,” Felipe said. “We must be mindful. The stones are not only thousands of years old, but they are shallow and worn, and you must climb them carefully. I suggest you get down like this.” He pushed his fanny pack around to his back and knelt. Placing his hands on the steps above him, he showed them how to crawl up the stairs. “You must respect El Castillo. This is why they stop
ped letting tourists ascend this pyramid—because, even before the woman died, people were defacing it with graffiti.” He shook his head at the memory. “You are lucky to be here—with me—now. Don’t forget that,” he said firmly, then turned to Natalie. “And please know that your friends will not get into trouble. I only do this for very select people. And you were brought to me through a source I trust. So, if you want to change your mind—”

  “No, that’s okay. I’m better here with my two feet planted firmly on the ground,” Natalie said primly.

  Lauren could feel the pull of thousands of years of spirits buzzing around her—she hoped it would guide her to find the strength to forgive Ashley. Maybe it was a good sign that they were going up without Natalie. As much as she would have liked for her to experience it with them, maybe she and Ash were meant to come to a resolution in this sacred place. But as she glanced up to the top, the stairs appearing so much steeper now, she was gripped with fear.

  “You okay?” Ashley sidled up to Lauren and grabbed her elbow, propelling her gently toward the first step. “All this talk about death . . .” Ashley didn’t finish her sentence. She didn’t have to.

  Lauren dropped down, her knee finding a groove in the weathered stone. She looked up. It appeared as if there were more than the ninety-one steps Felipe had mentioned. She glanced at Ashley, who still stood steadfast beside her. “I’m scared,” she said before she could stop herself from being honest. But as she said the words, she realized it wasn’t the pyramid she feared. She was terrified she’d never be able to move on from what had happened. That she could never get past the fact that Ashley had pushed her to confront Geoff, and that he had died because of it.

  Ashley’s eyes were warm.

 

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