“I mean it. I really do.” Maya kept her eyes locked on mine.
Maya kept advancing toward me, backing me into a corner.
“Enoch is bad news.” Her brows knotted together.
There was an awkward silence as I kept staring at her.
I sighed. “Okay, fine,” I finally conceded. Maya’s sparkling eyes flamed with fury – she didn’t back down.
“I will stay away from him,” I said, choking on my words, scared by Maya’s forceful side.
“Besides, I’m in love with someone else.” I tried to convince her, and felt hope rise inside me.
Maya nodded. She had undoubtedly heard what had happened the night before between Troy and Enoch. But somehow, she didn’t seem pleased with my answer.
At ten past one, we made our way down the stairs, leaving the huge heap of clothes bunched together in one corner of the room.
“I’ll get them from you some other time,” Maya said casually – like she was used to sharing her trunk of clothes with other girls.
Standing between Maya and Sam as the front door slid shut behind us, Sam and I exchanged a look confirming that we were both still a bit weirded out by the noise in the other dormitory room early that morning. We weren’t sure if someone had been in our apartment or if we were going insane together. Maya and I locked arms and Sam joined in as we walked down the path toward our gate. Outside, dozens of students were grouped together. Excited murmurs buzzed through the air. Some girls’ dates were waiting for them on the steps outside their apartments. Each apartment housed two or three dormitories, depending on one’s rank and age. It was getting darker as the clouds blanketed over. It was indeed going be one of the most interesting bonfires we’ve ever had, I thought. Shadows splayed across the lawn, black tree branches twined together to form a web over the path above our heads. The eeriness was getting to me. We headed toward the main street where dim, white lights lighted up the path leading the way out of the school grounds. Bodies bunched together for heat as students walked down the narrow forest path toward the bonfire. The three of us huddled in closer as the unusual wind nipped at the little bit of open flesh. I started to regret not having put on another layer underneath the beautiful white coat Maya had borrowed me. I had dared wear it in the presence of our keepers, my way of outing them out in front of everyone. Now that they needed me, I would test and bend every rule I could. I would push against the measures they put in place to control us. I was going to expose the Council for who they really were, every chance I got. Guards were stationed at approximately every five hundred meter intervals, all the way toward the Minoan village – to protect us from the position we were putting ourselves in that evening. This too was our Council’s way of challenging the threat, but their intention was to show their superiority. My eyes fell on the guards armed with small daggers and what looked like hand grenades. I had seen enough Jean-Claude van Damme films in my lifetime to know what a hand grenade looked like, but these differed from the hand grenades in those Earth movies in that they looked to be a tenth of the size. Rows of these shiny, slim torpedoes were stacked around their black leather utility belts. I looked around for Dave or Robert, disappointed to find that my usual escorts were MIA. I guess they have to sleep sometime, I thought, hoping that I’d bump into them soon. I wanted to surround myself with my new friends, shove it in all those girls’ faces that now I was what they had always pretended to be. My stomach churned at the idea of seeing Troy. Sam and Maya’s chit-chat broke me out of my daydream. The three of us walked in sync as if we had been like this forever. Sam was on my right, Maya clung to my left arm for warmth; our boots echoing throughout the main street as we hastened our pace to get to the bonfire. Our scarves flapped in the breeze as the wind rushed past. Maya’s loose black hair was picturesque as it fought against the bleak, gray background of overcast skies and opaque rows of peach trees, leafless and meekly twisting in the wind. It was a dark and dreary day in spite of the festivities. A morose blanket of black clouds seemed to be pushing down on us. Something was coming, or was I paranoid with good reason? The attacks on me happened almost every time I found myself outside, with or without protection. On that day and in that moment, I should have been delighted to be a part of something. Us three, strolling down to the beach; like sisters whose finals were over, having plenty of time for leisure. But, I wasn’t feeling delighted. I wasn’t sure what I was feeling. All I knew was that I was going to the bonfire for one reason and one reason only. Troy. He was something I could never obtain but yet the lure was there, I was taking the challenge – my time was right. Once more, my stomach churned as I felt more nervous than excited. What would I have to say to him? As we walked past the café, a dark reflection in its window jumped out at me. I shut my eyes for a few seconds and when I opened them again; the shadow was gone. My insides felt like they weighed a ton, the heaviness matched by the sudden slow pace. Each step felt leaded to the ground. Slowly, I took one burdensome step after another, nearing the narrow path that intertwined through other little paths coming out from the forest, marking the hunting grounds. My favorite place had become one of bad memories, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Guards were stationed all the way into the forest. Standing firm, they illuminated the path as it curved around the boulders. My heart raced as we went deeper into the forest. It seemed to get darker and darker the closer we got to the bridge. The guards’ attempt along this path at supplying light fell short on this cloudy day. I swallowed loudly as the clearing before the boulders came into view. Behind those boulders was where everything had happened. The sting in my thigh burned once more, accompanied by a dull ache in my ankle; both were scars I wanted to leave in the past, but it was too soon for me to have forgotten what had happened. How could I forget those foreign hands pulling at me, the violent killing of one of the Zulu warriors? I thanked my lucky stars that I had been blinded by the poison. I hated violence, but I’ve told you that already. As we passed over the bridge, I felt my insides knot together. I hesitated. Maya peered down over the side of the bridge. Her eyes met mine for a moment. I searched the shallow river, focusing on the spot where I had landed after going over the edge. How I hadn’t hit my head against any rocks was a mystery to me.
“It’s over,” Maya whispered in my ear.
I felt Sam tense up. She looked straight ahead, a hurt look in her eyes like I had somehow betrayed her. First, the faint glow of the bonfire engulfed the sky in the distance with hues of purples and pinks. Then, the sharp loud crackle of the huge bonfire echoed throughout the valley below, at odds with the soothing and peaceful hum of the shallow rapids. The smell of burned wood filled my lungs. I paused and concentrated on how I felt at that very moment – something like a flame yearning for life, but a stream of cold, smooth numbness still touched the outer edges of my doubt. How can I possibly be the girl from the prophecy? I was uncertain where I belonged. I thought I belonged with Sam most of the time, yet at one stage I had thought I might belong in a small Minoan family with Maya, but I also felt as if I would be out of place so far away from Troy. That’s weird, I thought. I barely know the guy. I can’t have these feelings already, can I? Mist escaped my mouth with a loud sigh. We had cleared the bridge safely. Turning into the clearing of what used to be the huge Minoan market, it was filled with tiny wooden fountains forming a musical masterpiece as the water flowed from one funnel into the next. Tiny bells and water chimes rang a soft tune all around us. Strung high up on the silver branches of the silverwood trees, turquoise beads clattered together, illuminated by dozens of orange lanterns. It was beautiful. Maya hugged my arm, smiling and pointed to herself.
“My idea,” she boasted.
I nodded and returned her warm smile. My eyes followed a fierce light, the heat from the gigantic bonfire already warming my face. Our feet sank into the soft beach sand. Drums were being beaten to a tune that no student had ever danced to before; they probably would have if the download was available. My heart beat at almost the same pace ou
t of nervousness and excitement, together with an underlying fear stemming from never quite fitting in. I didn’t want Troy to see what a social outcast I was; he was the complete opposite. The fire rose high above the world, blanketing the entire beach in a soft golden haze. Fog rolled in over the waves as the water pulled back. It all seemed so magical. It was a moving scene of two cultures coming together for one cause – the same cause I believed in. I wished to rid the galaxy of every shred of violence. I dreamed of the Heaven my mother used to write about in her journals; a place where everyone belonged and was as one. Despite the celebrations, I couldn’t relax or enjoy myself. I didn’t feel that there was anything to celebrate. Sage was still gone. The Zulus were still out there, plotting against us. We couldn’t hide forever. After everyone had settled down, Maya and I sat on a log wedged against an embankment waiting for the tension to subside. Who would have thought that Minoans and humans would interact this soon?
Enoch, Tatos, Willard and two other Minoans escorted Anaya and Arriana back to the village once all the speeches were over. I had hardly spoken to them that night as keepers and students kept their eyes on me, waiting for that one moment where they could judge and belittle me. All of the formalities took up most of Arriana’s time. She somehow seemed more drained than before. I should have been able to put two and two together at that point. Maya had told me that every time her mother used her powers, she aged. Amazonian-looking women finished the festivities with a dance thereby opening the dance floor and setting the teenage fun fest into motion. Minoan fire dancers and sword swallowers entertained the students. The military students pulled out a funnel and began inviting the Minoan students who were more or less their age, to chug down a mug of beer through the narrow pipe. This was also something we picked up from Earth movies. Trust alcohol to be the ice-breaker. As I looked around, I thought that things were just too perfect. Our professors, keepers and even the Dean, mingled with the Minoan folk, exchanging knowledge and gratitude for trying to overcome their differences. It was a happy ending to a grand story of triumph and glory. I didn’t buy it, or I just wanted to be a dramatic little girl and wish upon a star for more than this once again.
The bonfire showed no signs of burning out and I was pretty sure that magic was involved. Pulling my knees closer to my chest, I kept staring into the fire. I hadn’t seen Troy yet and there was no sign of any of the gang. They were probably guarding the perimeter. After a while boredom was my only companion. Sam had left me in order to mingle as always. At least Maya was standing nearby, talking to her village friends. I had distanced myself from everyone, maybe too conveniently. I wasn’t interested in anything other than the chance of seeing Troy. But as the night was drawing to an end, my chances of seeing him grew slim. I needed to explain to him why I had gone to meet Enoch on the bridge. That had been a huge mistake. I buried my face in my hands and let out a sigh, feeling the weight of that mistake. It might have ruined any chance I had with Troy. Looking up, I gazed in the direction of the ocean. Half of my view constricted by an insanely huge flame, licking at the dark, purple, inky sky. A tiny orange glimmer adorned each dark wave before it broke onto the shore, and a dim orange streak of flame reflected in the distant waters, but other than that, the ocean was as black as the unknown of the night ahead. I could only hear the loud crashing of the waves over the vast, cold stretch of ocean. I wondered if the Minoans had ever traveled into the nether realm of uncertainty. It was said that the Zulus occupied the islands which were out there somewhere. Nomsa’s evil witchdoctor brother had been sent into exile after he had inhumanely killed their father, murdered his own father in one of our labs when he was still a teenager. The Change had truly changed him forever. Even though it had happened years ago, every time I entered that specific lab, a ghostly feeling washed over me. Maya is wrong, it isn’t over. It is far from over. That man, no, that thing out there has to be stopped, I told myself. I didn’t know how, but I knew that we had to do something before he used the stolen mirror to wreak all kinds of havoc on other planets just like ours, possibly even older planets that were home to millions. All those women and children in danger as long as he was around seeking infinite power, or whatever it was that he wanted. But, there was more to his plan – it didn’t add up. Why he needed the White Divine from the prophecy as part of his army was still playing havoc in my mind. I had read all about his kind. I thought that they should be called monsters; they had to be monsters to be able to do those kinds of things to people. Yes, he was compared to Hitler from Earth; their goals and means the same and of equal measure. But the Zulus’ way was the way of craft, cutting limbs for muti (medicine/potions), leaving victims to bleed to death as the essence of their ancestors filled the severed parts. At that point, I realized that I had to get away from my thoughts as they were killing me slowly and painfully from inside. Fighting back tears I looked around in an attempt to find Sam. At social events she always made her way through the crowd. Usually, I didn’t mind, but I felt more alone than ever and Sam knew that. She was mad that my situation was pulling us apart, that I was no longer just her Ava. Unexpectedly, Maya tugged at my coat before she sat down next to me.
“Look there,” she said, squeezing down on my left arm, her eyes as bright as the flames reflected in them. “He is coming this way,” she said excitedly.
I looked up to see a very good looking, young Minoan boy walking toward us. His golden skin illuminated by the flames, his square jaw softened by his big, dark eyes.
I kept staring, “He seems cross,” I said to her.
“He is,” she said, giggling. “I haven’t spoken to him in two days.”
“Oh.” Was all I said, feeling uncomfortable as he came to a sudden stop before us, his eyes fixed on Maya. His ox-blood boots very shiny com pared to mine. His necklace of turquoise beads hung over a belt that carried a number of differently sized hand weapons. I guessed the Minoans had to recruit quite a few trainees for the event. My eyes fell to his brown leather pants sitting snug against muscular thighs. I looked away feeling atrocious at my behavior. What was happening to me, ogling boys?
“Watch this,” Maya said softly, releasing my arm.
She got up and standing on the tips of her toes, planted a soft kiss on his cheek. The boy’s resolve instantly weakened and he wrapped his arm around her.
“I missed you too,” he said beaming.
“Ava, this is Rion,” Maya said, introducing us.
“Nice to meet you, Rion?” I said quizzically, frowning at Maya as I remembered her mentioning that she was meant to marry someone else entirely. I made a mental note to ask her about it later. He pulled her even closer, staring into her eyes.
Maya and Rion stroked each other’s faces, smiling and cooing quietly to one another before my unease reached a climax.
Clearing my throat I grumbled, “Oh, please just go already. You’re making me ill,” I ended snappishly.
Maya giggled as they glided away from me. I found myself alone at last. What would I have to say to anyone that I hadn’t already said? I reflected. The Zulus were looking for a victim, but not just any victim, a special victim who will turn into a super human within the next few weeks, and one who will be able to assist an evil witchdoctor in his relentless quest to rule the planet, I summarized. I thought how clichéd breeding a super human army was and how no one would believe me anyway. All around me I saw happy faces, ecstatic even, as the differences of the two cultures were forgotten for one night. Everything seemed ideal from a distance, but I knew better. I saw a group of boys coming my way before I stood. Chris, accompanied by his friends, was coming straight for me. They usually sat behind Sam and I in genetic biology. They were more than a group of boys to Sam though. They were her friends. What would they possibly want from me? More questions? I took off. Chris’ face dropped and his girlfriend pulled him away, glaring at me. I smiled my best sarcastic smile at her and made my way around the other side of the bonfire. I really didn’t feel like having any company that ni
ght. I didn’t want to have to summon the energy to answer the millions of questions that plagued curious minds. Deciding to go for a walk, I meandered around the tiny groups of people huddled around the warm fire. I drew in a deep breath, enjoying the last bit of warm air and blew it out as the coldness hit me. I wrapped my arms around myself for warmth, the light from the bonfire giving way to the shadow of the night nearing the large rocks that blocked Silverwood Cove off from the forest. I was far enough away from everyone to be able to think with a clear head when I heard people laughing somewhere ahead of me. My boots sank into the sand as I picked up my pace to pass them. I was thinking how good it was to be alone and not have to try and impress anyone, when I heard her.
“Freak, I tell you.” A girl said out loud as I came around the bend to find a small group of girls huddled together under a blanket.
“Shh!” One of the girls whispered. She spitefully made sure that it was loud enough for me to hear.
The girl dropped her beer on the sand as my eyes threw daggers their way. They sat in silence until I was far enough away not to hear them anymore. They knew how to make someone feel horrible. But, I draw strength from pain so I kept going, fighting against myself to go back, to run home crying. As the cove wall ended, the wind blew forcibly stronger. The soft glow from a light fell on the water beside me. I looked up at the large boulders that had been stacked up on top of each other to form the cove wall. A single lamp lighted the wall, enabling me to see what looked like man-made steps carved into the rocks. They must have extended the wall, I thought to myself, spreading my hands across its cold damp surface. I held my device and pressed the power button twice to increase the intensity of its blue light. It served as a torch while I pulled off my gloves and shoved them into my pockets. I held onto the corners of the carved steps and pulled myself up, steadily climbing toward the top. Reaching halfway, I turned to see my view. I could see all the way to the clearing, and I could make out each person that walked through the entrance and onto the beach. But I needed to get higher to see the furthest side of the beach, so I climbed even further. My feet suddenly slipped out from under me, fear rushing through at the realization that I had almost fallen from that height; I could easily have died. I hurried to the top. Once there, I breathed a sigh of relief that I had made it up safely as I explored the amazing view. I bet people come up here all the time, I mused. Crawling on all fours on the narrow wall, I came to a halt beneath the single lamp. I hung my legs over the edge and looked down at the black floor of water beneath me. I was so high up; I couldn’t see where the waves broke. I sat for moment thinking about how those girls had acted toward me. Sure, they had been nasty to me before, but what they had done had been hurtful, even for them. Childish, I decided.
The Broken Destiny Page 17
