“Okay, that’s good.” I like the thought of having my own place. “You can stay with me. I’ll take care of you.”
“I know you will Sis.”
“So now, you have three weeks to figure out something before they move. Do you have a game plan?”
“Yeah… I do,” he said hesitantly.
“Really? That’s great.” I felt bad for my brother. I really wished I’d been there to help him with our bizarre parents. “What are you going to do?”
“When you didn’t pick up I…well, I… called him Kase. He said I could live with him, and I think I’m going to take it,” he said in a whisper.
“HIM! Him who, Nolan?”
“You know who, Kase,” he said gently.
“Aww, Nolan. Not Teal!”
“Kasey, I don’t care what happened between you two. He was always nice to us, and we all got along with him. I’m like his brother and he’d gladly take me in. I would rather live with him over our parents. It’s not going to matter for you; you are half across the world!” I heard the resentment in his voice.
“Don’t you think you could’ve come up with another option?”
“No! You left me here with these crazy people. I have to figure out how to take care of myself because of you, and that’s what I’m doing.”
The tears rolled off my face. As much as I hated what was going on back home, I knew my brother would be safe and taken care of at Teal’s place.
“I’m so sorry I’m not there.”
“He still loves you Kase. You are all he talks about. He says you won’t call him…”
“Nolan, that’s none of your business.”
“You can’t ignore him. You were the one who was wrong.”
A big lump formed in my throat, “Enough! You’re going to be fine, right?”
“I guess,” he mumbled.
“I love you, please take care… call me often.” The tears streaked down my cheeks.
“I love you Sis, you take care too.”
We hung up. I tried to call my parents. I was going to give them an earful on their ludicrous infatuation. As usual, the phone went straight to voice mail. I didn’t bother wasting any more time leaving them a message. I hung up. Burrowing my face into my pillow, I wept for my little brother and my inability to help him.
6. Kasey and the Gladiators
Every hour of the night passed slow, unbearable. The mad behaviors of my family were a source of constant agony in my mind. In the dark hours, I felt sick to my stomach. I turned and tossed. I watched the hours go by until six o’clock in the morning. Finally, I dozed off into a deep sleep.
******
I’m standing on a cloud, a hazy mist, cool in temperature, surrounding my feet. Somehow, I move forward even though I wasn’t walking. It was on a moving sidewalk. On my left, I pass a young couple sitting on a bench drinking coffee in the nude. They don’t see me. I shudder with a cold chill. On my right, I pass Dion in his stunning blue shirt. He hops onto the moving sidewalk and wraps his arms around my waist. His embrace feels tight and cozy. Just ahead, I see the back of a red sofa with two people on it. In front of the couch there’s a coffee table with a bonsai on it.
We approach the sofa. It spins around and another couple sits there pruning the bonsai tree. They are my parents, naked. “Sue! Frankie! What are you doing?” I scream. As I utter the words, Dion pushes me away with disgust. He shoves me so hard that I fall off the sidewalk and into the cool hazy mist. I fall into nowhere and nothing. Then gravity and wind start to pull my clothes off my pale body. First, I lost my shoes, and then my pants and my shirt followed. I fell into a white cool haze in only my underwear and bra. The mist is cold and my skin feels like a corpse. The haze subsides and everything is black.
That’s when the strange force of nature rips off the only two garments left on me. Still falling, below me, I see I’m heading for a big black jar. The jar had hieroglyphic writings and trimmings in gold. On the top was the word “Pandora.” I fell into the jar and the lid closed.
******
I hit the floor of my bedroom with a harsh thud. I checked myself over and was extremely relieved to see my plaid pajama pants and purple t-shirt still on my body. Taking a deep breath and pulling myself together, I glanced at the clock on the desk. If I hadn’t fallen out of bed already, I would have again. It was almost eleven thirty in the morning! Thankful it was Saturday, I stretched and prepared for a run. I couldn’t believe that I slept that long. I needed to decompress. Slipping into my green track shorts and pulling my hair back, I prepared my IPod. With music blaring, I concentrated on the goal to get outside and run ignoring everyone I passed in the restaurant.
I headed up the street toward the cliffs. The run was peaceful with hardly any cars on the cobblestone street. Stunning hedges and ornate iron gates lined the road at every driveway entrance. I enjoyed pumping the salty air through my lungs. It was almost impossible to keep my mind off all the mayhem that was happening.
One thought though, one thought was a piercing knife in my mind, him. Nolan would be living with him. What was his motive for taking my brother in? Did he think I would come running into his arms when I came back? I had been avoiding his phone calls, but now I thought I owed him a chat. I wanted to talk to him about Nolan, and a small, a very small, part of me wanted to hear his voice.
After crossing the street, I came up to an open black iron gate with golden tipped spearheads. The nameplate on the gate read, “KLEON.” I slowed my pace way down. All this time riding in Dion’s Mini Cooper we never talked about where he lived. I was not surprised to see that the Kleons lived in an art deco style mansion. From the look of the property size, it appeared as if they owned a good chunk of land along with the beautiful home. A forest of Junipers surrounded the house. No one would ever know that the ocean lay on the other side of the mansion. I decided that a chat with Dion would be a great distraction, so I invited myself into the open gate.
Half way up the long driveway, I heard the most unusual sound. “Clink, tink, tank.” The sound repeated with different rhythms. I couldn’t make out what it was, but it sounded metallic. Following the sound, I walked into the forest. I didn’t keep track of where I was, and realized I couldn’t see the driveway or the beautiful house. I started to panic. I hoped the sounds would lead me to one of the Kleons. I trusted they could rescue my lost self. I walked toward the sound of metal clanging. It got louder as I approached.
Hidden behind tall trees, I came to a small natural clearing of low grass. In this patch, the twins battled with swords. I could tell they had been at this for a while. Sweat soaked their shaggy hair. Droplets poured down their bare muscular chests. It was hard to distinguish who was who. One wore black shorts and the other blue. They grunted with every swing, and I could see all their teenage boy muscles flex when their swords struck.
“Clink, clank,” the swords sounded with each smack. Their footwork was impressive as they anticipated the other’s move. They were in a dangerous synchronized dance. I recognized the swords from research for an extensive history report. The assignment was on the Roman Coliseum and the Gladiators. The men used these swords during the mid-first century. I couldn’t believe the twins were fighting with this type of sword.
The swords were about two feet long with a diamond cut, pointed tip. They swung them around with ease and precision as if they were mere batons. Is this what these boys did for fun? One twin thrust his sword straight down toward the other, but he masterfully blocked the strike. I found it odd they fought with no shields like true Roman Gladiator would have. The twins locked with swords crossed, and the twin in blue fell to one knee. The twin in black, almost sinister said, “I have you now.”
He swung his sword over his head like a helicopter, then aimed it dead on at his brother’s chest. The twin on the floor tried to block the oncoming sword. A tragic miss. His brother’s sword plunged into his chest.
I gasped as the twin fell struggling with his last few breaths. Like a movie scene
, the victor’s sword pierced through the young boy’s body. The twin fell to the ground. The sword handle stuck out of his chest and the tip out of his back.
His brother smiled and said, “Finally,” then left through a path on the other side of the clearing.
I bent over and tried to breathe. My body shook. I felt as if someone twisted my stomach like a soaked towel. I took a few steps forward and looked around. I heard nothing, only silence. I hurried to reach the brother lying dead before me.
“Martin, John…,” I whispered. The boy didn’t move. I took another step forward to see his face. As I peered over his shoulder, his haunting open eyes and mouth sent me into a complete earthquake. Panicked, I staggered backwards. My back felt the prickly sting of a Juniper tree. Then I ran. I sobbed, and sprinted as fast as I could. I anticipated seeing the winding driveway that would lead me out of this monstrous nightmare.
Soon, I was running on gravel, out through the open gate, and back down the road toward the restaurant. My mind was a soup of images and thoughts. Whom do I tell? I must call the police. A gladiator fight to the death! Will anyone believe me? Was all this real?
With the images in my head, I didn’t realize how fast I ran back. I reached the restaurant and collapsed at the first empty table. There were no customers, Garcia placed glass cups upside down on the tables. Fernando filled vases with fresh wild flowers. Both looked at me, and based on their facial expression, I must have looked as bad as I felt. My body shook. I could barely stand. Fernando and Garcia came rushing to me.
“Kasey, que paso!” Fernando said with alarm. He placed his arm around my shoulders holding me up.
“Papa, que hago?” Garcia asked.
“Go get her some water. Tell your Madre in the kitchen, quickly.”
Garcia ran toward the kitchen. The world started to spin.
“Kasey, what is wrong?” Fernando said urgently. The kitchen door swung open and in a matter of seconds, Garcia and Beatriz stood next to me. Garcia placed a glass in my hands. I tried to lift it but had limited control of my gross motor skills.
“Kasey…do you need to lie down?” Beatriz said, stroking back a few strands of hair.
“Papa, here comes Doctor Kleon.” Garcia looked out toward the street. The world stopped spinning when I heard that. I looked up to see Max, Dion, Antony, John, and Martin sauntering toward the restaurant.
I dropped the glass. Tiny pieces of crystal splatter across the floor at my feet. I watched the Kleon brothers as if they were in slow motion walking up to us. John and Martin were, breathing, walking, and alive. Their faces looked stone serious and concerned. This couldn’t be. Was I crazy? What the hell was going on? Was I even breathing? I took a quick look at the other brothers and they all had the same quizzical expression.
“Ah, Doctor Kleon. Please come. Kasey is not feeling well,” Fernando said as they approached.
Max Kleon knelt down beside me, “Kasey, take slow steady breaths.” He grabbed my wrist to take my pulse. “You are ice cold. Please, calm yourself,” he said.
The way he said it and the way all the Kleons looked at me, they knew. They knew what I had seen. I couldn’t be here. I pulled my hand away, forced myself up and ran out. I had to get away from them. They were mad! Or was it me? My ribs protested, and my legs barely worked. I headed down the sidewalk with a determined, but wobbly, stride.
“Kasey, wait…” It was Dion. I wanted to stop. I wanted him to hold me. But I couldn't, and I sped up. I didn’t look back. Then out of nowhere, I felt his grip on my forearm. He jerked me to a stop.
“Please. Let me help, or you will make yourself ill.”
I wouldn’t look at him. I began to cry. He pulled me close, and I collapsed burying my face in his chest.
“Everything will be alright,” he said as he stroked my hair. I believed him. I believed his words.
After I stopped trembling he whispered, “Come, let us go somewhere and talk.”
I let him take my hand and lead the way. My body didn’t protest. I followed him willingly. We walked in silence until we came to a road that followed the cliff’s edge. Between the road and the cliff, a three foot stonewall went for miles. We walked the road for a while and then sat on the wall. The crashing waves below us were loud, but calming. Inhaling and exhaling the air felt pure. I sat next to him. We both stared out across the water.
“Tell me what happened, Kasey,” he said serious.
I recalled his brother lying dead on the forest floor. I didn’t want to cry, “I must be crazy.” My voice sounded distant even to me. Had I lost my voice?
He looked at me and smiled, “You are not crazy. I promise.”
“You know what I saw, don’t you?” I challenged.
“Why not tell me what you saw, and we will go from there.”
Still uncertain, but wanting to trust him, I took a deep breath and explained what I had seen.
He interrupted before I finished, “Did you see any blood?”
“What?” I snapped.
“Did you see any blood?” he asked again in the same monotone voice.
I summoned up the memories of the gladiator fight. I tried to remember and realized he was right. It was a very clean scene, no blood.
“I don’t understand how…” I whispered.
“Kasey, the world as you know it, is not what it seems.” He stared across the ocean.
“What do you mean? What’s going on Dion?” I demanded.
“Kasey, before I explain what you saw, there are a few things you need to know.”
Where is he going with this?
He continued, “God does exist and oversees the heavens currently, but that was not always the case. Thousands of years ago, many gods once governed the heavens and Earth…”
“Dion are you going to tell me this is some kind of freakish religious thing!”
He rolled his eyes, “Simply hear me out. History as humans presumed happened is not entirely factual. Everything you think is a myth or legend, most likely happened.”
“What are you talking about?” Was he trying to get out of explaining why his dead brother isn’t dead?
“God created the Earth and all its inhabitants. However, after He created Earth and man spread throughout Earth’s lands, God decided to leave for a while. In his place, He left his sons and daughters to reign above humans as Gods. Humans gave them various names; some refer to them as the Greek Gods.”
I leaned back and crossed my arms over my chest then let out a huff.
He ignored me and continued, “As you know, there were numerous gods. They had the power to reproduce with each other and with mortals. They created many more gods and demigods. After time the heavens overcrowded with gods and goddess, so some left. In the end the only ones that truly remained to govern humans were the Olympians with their leaders Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon. I am sure you are somewhat studied in the area of Greek mythology?”
“Yea, somewhat, I read the Odyssey last year, what are you getting at?” I asked.
He chuckled, “Unfortunately, humans did not get all those facts right either. As Paganism was a popular belief system at the time, the gods were less than kind to humans who believed in the one God. So one day, as the Greeks refer to it, Chaos, or the one true God of us all, returned to Earth. He was appalled to see how his children’s children were mistreating humans. He decided that He wanted full control over Earth again and demanded that all the gods step down and banished them from the heavens. The gods and goddess; were self-righteous and got extremely angry. They refused and declared war on the one true God. This is why God created his army of angels to battle the Greek gods. They battled in the heavens for thousands of years.”
“Wait, are you telling me all those tales and stories are real, angels and gods do exist?” I couldn’t believe he was feeding me some child’s tale.
“Yes, they most certainly do exist. Finally, the one true God had enough. He knew the only way to win the battle was to have humans believe in Him a
nd only Him. Therefore, He created his half-mortal son, the Christ child. He was the key, and even though the gods tried to stop his martyrdom; they failed. Jesus died, resurrected, and Christianity began. The war that started in the heavens now spread to Earth. Humans took sides; Paganism was destined to become extinct. As Christianity prevailed on Earth, the battle in the heavens was ending. The Greek gods and goddess surrendered to the one true God. God’s archangels, led by Michael, gathered the Pagan gods for sentencing. The three leaders, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, vanished from Earth. The other gods had two choices, to leave Earth forever, or to live as an immortal with limited powers among humans. Most decided to stay. Any demigod or mortal who had direct interactions with the gods received the same fate. Most of them stayed on Earth.”
“Are you telling me that your brother is an immortal Greek god?” I asked.
He smiled and half laughed, “No, we are immortal but we are not, nor ever were Greek gods.”
“Excuse me…WE!”
“Yes, we, my brothers and I, we were born around two hundred years after Christ’s resurrection. At this time, Christianity was still struggling against the Pagans on Earth. In the year 250 AD, my brothers and I were Ephesians, and at that time Artemis was the city’s pagan goddess. The Roman Emperor Decius prosecuted Christians. When he came to Ephesus, he told us to pray to Artemis or die. Because we were the sons of a nobleman, he gave us a chance to ponder our decision. We were to tell him our choice upon his return. While he was away, my brothers and I climbed up a mountain and hid in a cave. We are not sure why or how exactly it happened, but we fell into a deep sleep.”
“When the Emperor returned, he heard that we escaped to the mountain and were hiding in a cave. He had the mouth of the cave-sealed shut. My brothers and I lie sleeping in that cave for about one hundred and fifty years. Then one day the man who owned the land opened the mouth of the cave and we awoke. We had no idea what happened. Max went into the city to find out if the Emperor still wanted to persecute us. He was shocked to discover that there was a new Emperor, Christianity was the main religion, and it was one hundred and fifty years later.”
Men of the Cave (Symbol of Hope Series) Page 5