by P. J. Hoover
I walk into the room, trying to keep my composure, but my mind is spinning.
“I found this,” I say, and I lay it down on top of the sketch.
Uncle Randall sucks in a sharp breath. “Where did you get that?”
I force myself to hold back the tears that brim at the edges of my eyes as I speak. “Mom left it for me.”
CHAPTER 11
LUCAS AND I EXPLAIN ABOUT THE CANOPIC JAR. UNCLE RANDALL DOESN’T even flinch when we tell him how Castor and Pollux knocked it over and shattered it. All he can do is stare at the rubbing of the Deluge Segment in front of him.
“So this means we can find it,” Ethan says. “Right?”
It’s a little unexpected. I get that I want to find it. If my parents are still alive, then this will lead me right to them. But I don’t understand why Ethan would care one way or the other.
Almost like Lucas can read my mind, he says, “Why do you care?”
Instantly the room ices around us.
Ethan bites his lip. “Because … well, it’s the right thing to do to find it.”
“Why?” Lucas says. “Didn’t you hear the part about how dangerous it is?”
Ethan glares at Lucas. “Of course I heard that. That’s what I’m saying. If it really does exist, and if we can find it, then that means other people could find it, too.”
I want to pretend it’s not a valid point, except it really is. The thought of someone else finding this artifact makes my stomach twist into a knot.
Uncle Randall looks away from the rubbing to Ethan. “You said your dad had a renewed interest in it?”
Ethan nods.
“Why?”
Ethan swallows. “I don’t know. He’s just been talking about it a lot lately. Talking about finding the third piece. He’s probably just curious.”
I highly doubt it’s just curiosity. He wanted to find the Code of Enoch before because of Caden. If he’s interested in it again, then that means he wants to find it, for some reason. There’s no other explanation for the interest.
I instantly want to snatch the piece off the table and tuck it away. What if Ethan takes a picture of it? Then his dad would have all three pieces. And given that his dad works for Amino Corp … it’s not hard to connect the dots.
“He wants it for the company,” I say.
Ethan scowls at me. “He does not. If it’s dangerous and if my dad found it, it’s not like he’d hand it over to Amino Corp so they could destroy the world. And it’s not like they would destroy the world. You guys are being really paranoid about this whole thing.”
Maybe so, but every word out of Ethan’s mouth is making me only more paranoid. I’m about to grill him some more when Lucas picks up the rubbing. “Hannah, can I use your computer to scan this in?”
I look to Uncle Randall who nods. I trust Lucas with my life. Ethan? Not so much. I follow Lucas from the room toward my lab. Uncle Randall and Ethan trail behind. Uncle Randall asks Ethan something, but he whispers so I can’t hear. I walk faster so I don’t have to listen to them.
In my lab, Lucas sits at my computer and scans in the rubbing. Then he loads it up in Photoshop.
“Where’d you store the picture you took the other day when you busted into Amino Corp?” he asks.
“With an accomplice,” Uncle Randall says.
“It was completely her fault,” Lucas says. “I told her it was a bad idea from the start.”
“A likely story,” Uncle Randall says. But I can tell from the tone of his voice that’s he’s not mad anymore. He’s too focused on what’s here in front of us.
I point Lucas to the right directory, and he loads in the picture I took. He does a bunch of stuff that I definitely don’t follow, merging the two images, making the background disappear, flipping them around. Pretty soon, the two images are the same size and layered on top of each other.
“We did stuff like this,” Uncle Randall says. “The images didn’t line up. The symbols didn’t make sense.”
“Maybe,” Lucas says. “But did you try this?” With the cursor, he points to the five notches at the top of one of the pieces. “The ratio for these notches isn’t random. You ever heard of the golden ratio?”
“Like seashells, right?” I say.
“Exactly,” Lucas says. “You see it in art all the time, for as long as art’s been around. If we use that ratio to line up the notches, rotate them just right …” He rotates one of the images, leaving the other as is. Then he messes around with the opacity of the images and makes a few more adjustments. Instantly, the image comes to life, almost like the symbols are popping off the screen in a three dimensional display of art that may have never been seen before.
Uncle Randall sucks in a breath. Maybe I do to.
“The map,” Uncle Randall says.
“Except it’s not complete,” Lucas says. “We still need the third piece.”
Uncle Randall, Lucas, and I all look to Ethan. He takes a step back.
“What?”
“May we see it?” Uncle Randall asks.
“Um …,” Ethan says, but his hand reaches toward the phone in his pocket.
“Come on. You have a picture,” I say, grabbing for the phone. Which is totally irrational. It’s not like I’d be able to unlock his phone even if I wrestle him for it.
“It’s just that—” he starts.
But I can’t let this opportunity slip away. If there is a map and if there is some way to read it, then I need all the pieces of the map to do that.
“Please,” I say. “You have to help me. This is my parents we’re talking about. They’ve been gone for eleven years, and I’ll never get those years back. But if there is any chance that they’re still alive …” My voice catches, and I can’t go on. But this is everything to me. All I’ve ever dreamed of.
Ethan narrows his eyes at me like he wants to disagree, but then his eyes soften. He reaches for his pocket and pulls his phone out, unlocking the screen and passing it to Lucas.
Lucas downloads the image onto my computer and then brings it into Photoshop also. Then, with a couple more rotations and adjustments, the entire image comes together. It’s like a real map, complete with hills and valleys and rivers. The image is in black and white, but with the adjustments that Lucas has made, color appears, highlighting everything, almost to the point where certain sections glow. The map is alive. The map is complete.
The map is going to lead me to my parents.
CHAPTER 12
“I CAN’T BELIEVE IT,” UNCLE RANDALL SAYS. “WE TRIED EVERYTHING TO discover the map.”
Lucas pushes back from the computer. “Well, you didn’t have the advantage of layers and adjustments and opacities back in the old days, did you?”
Uncle Randall slowly shakes his head. “No, we didn’t.” Then he says, “I need to make a phone call,” and leaves the room.
“Glad I got you into digital art,” I say once Uncle Randall is gone.
“Who’d have thought?” Lucas says. “So what next?”
That’s easy. “We follow the map. We find my parents.”
“When?” Ethan says.
Lucas and I turn to him.
Ethan stares me down. “What? You think you’re going without me? No freaking way. I contributed to this. I get to go.”
“But—” I start.
“But nothing,” Ethan says. “I’m going.”
I shake my head. “This isn’t about finding the Code of Enoch. This is about finding my parents. There is a really good chance that they’re still alive.”
A chance so good that even Uncle Randall believes it.
“Look, Hannah, I appreciate that,” Ethan says. “And I get that you miss them. But I’m going to find the Code of Enoch. If I can find it, it could …” His words trail off.
“It could what?” I ask.
“Nothing,” he says. “It could just make a lot of things better at home. That’s all.”
“You can’t be thinking that you’re going
to bring this thing back. Were you listening to Uncle Randall even the tiniest bit? Because I’m pretty sure that he mentioned this Code of Enoch being the equivalent of a nuclear bomb that could wipe out all of humanity.”
Ethan crosses his arms. “Even if I did bring the stupid thing back and give it to my dad, it’s not like he’d do anything bad with it. He’s not that kind of person.”
“I’m not saying that he is,” I say. “But what if you brought it back—which you’re not doing by the way—and someone took it from your dad. Some terrorist group or something. Then what?”
“That’s not going to happen,” Ethan says. “And it’s irrelevant anyway. I gave you my piece of map, which means I have as much right to go on this adventure as you do. And if you don’t take me, I’ll go to the news. Is that what you want?”
My chest tightens. That is definitely not what I want. The last thing we need is anyone knowing about the Code of Enoch. It’s bad enough that Ethan knows.
“You wouldn’t do that,” I say, glaring at him.
“Do you want to test me?”
Crud. This is the worst. I ball up my hands in frustration. There is no way I’m going on some archaeological quest with Ethan Oliver. I hardly even know the guy. I don’t trust him. I don’t trust his intentions. But I also don’t see much of a choice.
“This is really not cool,” I say.
“Never said it was,” Ethan says. “But it’s reality. You can either bring me along, or the entire world can know about the Code of Enoch, and that will be on you. It’s your choice.”
Lucas steps forward. “This is blackmail. You realize that, right?”
Ethan crosses his arms and stares Lucas down.
“So?” Ethan says.
The whole situation makes me feel completely helpless. I don’t want Ethan coming along. And I sure as heck don’t want him telling his dad about this.
“One condition,” I say.
“What?”
“You can’t tell your parents anything.”
Ethan’s mouth drops open. “Are you kidding?”
“No, I’m not kidding. Not a single word.”
If he doesn’t tell them, then I’m sure I can convince him along the way to give up any dreams of bringing back the Code of Enoch, if we even find it.
And we will find it because we will find my parents.
“They’re going to want to know where I’m going,” Ethan says.
“Uncle Randall can figure that out,” I say. “If you come along, it stays between the four of us.”
Ethan glares at Lucas. “Is he coming, too?”
I smile at Lucas. “Of course.”
“Hannah, you know I—”
I put up a hand to stop Lucas’s words. He and I can talk about that later.
“Do we have a deal or not?” I ask.
Ethan blows out a long breath. “Fine. I agree. But only because you’ll need someone along to keep you safe.”
I let out a laugh devoid of humor. “What did you say?” I can’t tell if Ethan is joking or not. He’s got a funny little smirk on his face, like maybe he’s trying to push my buttons.
Ethan shrugs. “You know. Someone to protect you on the journey.”
At this I really do laugh. Lucas lets out a low whistle like he knows what’s coming.
I smile at Ethan. “Just so we’re clear on things, I’m not afraid of bugs or snakes or spiders. I camped in the wilderness with Green Peace for two weeks last year. I helped build libraries in Uganda. I climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. I can take care of myself. Got it?”
Ethan twists up his lips, again in a way where I can’t tell if he’s being serious or not. “If you say so. And just for the record, everything you just said, the same goes for me.”
Small streams of relief begin to trickle through me. I can make this situation work.
“Well, except the Mount Kilimanjaro part,” he says. “I never went mountain climbing.”
I narrow my eyes at him.
“And the bugs part,” Ethan says. “Bugs kind of freak me out.”
I further narrow my eyes and shoot him a look of pretended annoyance because at this point, I’m pretty sure that he is joking. “Anything else?” I ask.
Ethan shakes his head. “No. I can take care of myself, too. I spent a month building houses for Habitat for Humanity last summer.”
“Seriously?” Habitat for Humanity is an amazing organization. I’ve thought about volunteering for them lots of times.
“Yeah, seriously,” Ethan says. “Why? What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing,” I say. “It’s pretty cool actually.”
“So is building libraries in Uganda,” he says. “I was thinking about doing that later this summer.”
There’s this weird silence that passes between us, almost like some kind of unknown camaraderie. Then Ethan’s phone rings.
He looks at the screen, and the muscles around his mouth tighten.
“It’s my dad. Don’t say anything, okay?”
Lucas and I nod. It’s almost like Ethan is scared of his dad.
“Hey, Dad,” Ethan says.
I can’t hear the other side of the conversation, only hear that sound is coming out of the receiver.
“Nothing. I was just out with some friends.”
Pause.
“At your work? No. Why?”
Crud. Maybe his dad found out Ethan had been using his badge at Amino Corp the other day.
Pause.
“You’re sure? Maybe they made a mistake.”
Pause. Then he looks right at me.
“No, I don’t know her,” Ethan says. “She was there? At Amino Corp?”
Whoa. That’s not good. I don’t know Mr. Oliver, but I also don’t want him having anything to do with this whole thing. Not when my parents might be alive. Especially not if there was some argument between them.
Pause.
“I didn’t see her. I just dropped by to say hi to you. That was all.”
Pause.
“I told you. I’m just out with friends. I’ll be home later.”
Pause.
“No, I’m not coming home now,” Ethan says.
Pause.
“Fine. I’ll be home in fifteen minutes,” Ethan says, and then he hangs up the phone.
I’ve been trying not to completely eavesdrop, but it doesn’t take a genius to see that Ethan’s entire demeanor has shifted. The light in his eyes is gone, whatever small hint of a smile he wore before has evaporated, and his face is flushed red like he’s embarrassed.
“What’s up?” I say, trying to keep it light.
“I gotta go.” Ethan won’t look me in the eye as he answers.
“Your dad found out about the other day, didn’t he?”
He nods. “The guards reported it. But … well, you heard me. I won’t tell him.”
I’m not sure if I can believe him.
“You can’t tell him, okay?” I say. “You really can’t.”
“I won’t. I said I won’t. Look, let’s just talk about this tomorrow, okay?”
Ethan’s face is bright red, from anger or embarrassment. Or maybe both. What kind of jerk is Mr. Oliver anyway?
“Tomorrow works,” I say. “I’ll see you then.”
Lucas and I walk Ethan to the front door. Outside is a beat-up old green Bronco sitting in the circle drive. Normally I’d say something about it, but Ethan hasn’t uttered a word since the conversation with his dad. So we say goodbye, and he leaves.
“I don’t trust that guy,” Lucas says the second the door is closed.
“He’s fine,” I say. “It’ll be okay.” Maybe I’m trying to convince myself.
We make our way back to the lab where Lucas prints out a picture of the complete Deluge Segment for me. Uncle Randall still hasn’t come back. But I’m ready to get started right now.
“I’m serious, Hannah. I don’t think he should go with you,” Lucas says. “You only just met him, and you�
�re going to go on some world adventure? That doesn’t sound like a good idea.”
I cross my arms. “Well, you’re coming along.”
“Yeah, right,” Lucas says. “What if you find out you have to go to Siberia or something like that? And you have no idea how long you’ll even be gone. There is no way my mom and dad are going to let something like that fly. Not to mention, I have to work.”
“Maybe we’ll find out that we have to go to Florida for a short weekend trip,” I say, trying to give him hope.
“Oh, sure,” Lucas says. “You think some genetic artifact that is so secret it isn’t even in the Bible is hidden underneath Disney World?”
“I was thinking more of Key West,” I say. “Sand. Sun. Drinks with umbrellas in them.”
“You’re just trying to make me feel better,” Lucas says.
“Maybe.”
“I appreciate it,” Lucas says. “But the odds of it being in Florida are pretty slim.”
I know he’s right.
“Uncle Randall will be there.” There’s no way he wouldn’t go. If anything, he’ll try to leave me at home.
“He better be,” Lucas says. “Anyway, I gotta head out also. I have one more job lined up for today. But I’ll come by tomorrow after I finish my gigs.”
Lucas is such an amazing friend. Not only is he always there for me, if it hadn’t been for him, we may never have decoded the map.
“Thanks, Lucas. For everything.” I give him a hug.
“Yeah, you’re welcome,” he says. “As a reward, I’m putting in an order for cheesecake tomorrow. With caramel drizzled on top. Oh, and whipped cream on the side. You remember that one time Chef Lilly made it?”
“Deal.” I remember the cheesecake perfectly. Lucas and I had almost finished the entire thing ourselves.
I walk Lucas to the door and then check on Uncle Randall. He’s on the phone almost the entire rest of the day. He’s closed himself in his office, and the few times I peek in on him, he’s drawing on the sketch while speaking in another language. One time I swear he’s whispering, and I’m sure he says something along the lines of, “I miss our time together, too.” I immediately walk away.