Ninth Lord of the Night

by Diana L. Driver

  Kyle and Josh were seated at the long wooden table when he arrived. Kyle was devouring a sandwich. A slender girl wearing a yellow sleeveless blouse and tan walking shorts was bent over, reaching into the back of the refrigerator for a soda. She had brown skin and long black hair.

  She straightened and Zack realized that she was a short teenager, not a little girl. He remembered Josh telling him about Mrs. Sanchez and her daughter. “Get me whatever they’re having and a Pepsi,” he said.

  She froze then turned slowly, one hand on her hip, her black eyes glaring. “Who do you think I am? The hired help?” She slammed the refrigerator door. “Get it yourself, stud. Your legs aren’t broken.” She grabbed the bottle opener, flipped the cap off the Pepsi, and then tossed the opener on the table as she stomped out of the room.

  “Way to go Zack,” Kyle said. “You sure do know how to make an impression.”

  “Who was that?” Zack asked.

  “That was Maria,” Josh answered. “And, as you might have guessed, you don’t mess with Maria.”

  “Geez, I guess not. What an attitude,” Zack said. “Okay if I help myself to a sandwich and a soft drink?”

  “Sure,” Josh said. “Mrs. Sanchez is around here somewhere. She cooks breakfast and supper, but otherwise we fend for ourselves. Just help yourself anytime you want anything.”

  “You call me?” A short, obese woman in a colorfully embroidered white cotton dress entered from the back door. Her black hair was wrapped around her head in braids.

  “I was just explaining about meals,” Josh said.

  “Oh,” she looked at Zack. “Zack? Right?” she asked with a smile.

  “Right,” he answered.

  “Already I made Kyle a sandwich. You hungry? You want a sandwich, too?”

  Zack nodded. “Please.”

  Mrs. Sanchez beamed at him before turning to the counter and quickly making a ham sandwich with tomato, lettuce, and pickles. She put it on a plate along with a handful of potato chips and placed the plate and a bottled Pepsi on the table.

  “Thank you,” Zack said.

  She smiled broadly. “You good boys. You have nice manners. You have good mama.” Zack nodded taking a bite. “But, why you want to look like a girl?”

  Zack choked and Josh slapped him on the back. “Mrs. Sanchez,” he said after Zack had coughed up the small bit of food. “Zack just got here and already you’re trying to do him in.”

  “Do him in?”

  “Kill him off,” Josh explained.

  “Oh. Do him in,” she repeated slowly. “Zack a good-looking boy. Nice eyes. Why does a good-looking boy want to wear an earring and have hair like a girl? I don’t understand you Americans.” She shrugged and left again through the back door.

  “What is this obsession everyone has with my hair?” Zack mumbled. “It isn’t that long, only a little beneath my collar.”

  “She just likes to tease,” Josh said, picking a chip off Zack’s plate. “Lots of the guys who come here have long hair, some of the archaeologists and anthropologists do too. Now, the earring, that’s different. That’s something new for her.”

  “You said she and her daughter run this place?” Zack asked, tempted to slap Josh’s fingers. “I take it Maria-with-an-attitude isn’t her daughter?”

  “Oh, no. Maria’s dad is a professor, an archaeologist from Tulane University. He’s at a site about forty miles north of here.”

  “Then Maria isn’t part of our little study group?”

  Josh answered with a smirk, “Maria could teach Maya history, that’s how knowledgeable she is. If its been published, she knows about it. She can even decipher quite a few of the glyphs. Plus, Maria’s multi-lingual. She can speak some of the Maya languages plus English and Spanish. She knows a lot and makes sure you know she knows a lot. If you catch my drift.”

  “Good for her,” Zack said taking another bite. He’d tired of talking about Maria-with-an-attitude.

  “What’s on the schedule next?” Kyle asked.

  Josh picked up Kyle’s plate and took it to the sink to wash it. “We don’t really have a schedule, and this isn’t really a study group. Linda wanted to come to Tikal to be with her dad and he suggested she bring along a few friends so she wouldn’t get bored. You should know that mornings and late afternoons are the best times to go out to the ruins because of the heat. In the meantime, we usually lounge around the pool. Or read, although the reading material is a bit sparse.”

  “I had the impression that we would be coming and going in a tight knit little group,” Zack said.

  “Naw, we’re pretty much on our own.” He finished with the plate and put it in a plastic drainer by the sink. “You learn what you want to learn. No one’s going to shove anything down your throat.”

  “In that case,” Zack said, handing Josh his dirty dish. “I’m going swimming.”

  Chapter Seven

  A redhead beat him to it. When he came out of his room there she was, stretched out on one of the chaise lounges in an eye-catching floral bikini, her fiery hair blazing in the sunlight. She looked up as Zack placed his towel on one of the tables.

  “Hi,” she said, lowering her sunglasses, her blue eyes peering over the frames. “You’re one of Cliff’s nephews aren’t you?”

  She had freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose, down her chest and arms, and up her legs to her thighs. He forced his eyes back to her face. “I’m Zack.”

  “Nice to meet you, Zack. I’m Samantha. Sam for short,” She replaced her glasses and added, “You have the right idea. There’s absolutely nothing to do here but swim.”

  “You’re not into archaeology and ancient cultures?”

  Sam laughed showing flawless white teeth. In fact, everything about her that showed was flawless. And, her bikini showed a lot. “Not even a little.”

  “Oh yeah? If you hate it, why are you here?” he asked.

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Because Linda’s my best friend. Plus, I was bored. Don’t you ever want a change of scenery?”

  “Sure,” Zack answered before executing a perfect dive from the edge of the pool. The cool water felt splendid as it cooled off his rapidly overheating body. He just couldn’t believe his luck. It seemed incredible that there was another person here who had the same attitude he did about ancient history. And, not just a regular type person, but a girl with brilliant red hair, blue eyes, and a terrific shape.

  He surfaced, aware that her electrifying blue eyes were following his every move. He did a few laps, not just to impress Sam, but also for the fun of it. When he finished, he swam to her side of the pool and placed his arms on the rounded brick edge.

  “You have good form,” she commented, a mischievous smile on her lips. “Do you surf too?”

  “Yeah, some. Do you? Aren’t you guys from Florida?”

  “No, I don’t surf. And yes, we all are from Florida.”

  “Not Maria.”

  “Maria doesn’t count,” Sam said. “She’s not one of us.”

  “Us?”

  “You know. The group. She’s not part of the group.” Sam looked beyond him to the doorway. “Here come Josh and Bruce. Is that your brother with them? Wow! Talk about tall, dark and handsome.”

  Zack turned his head. Kyle walked between Josh and a guy so blond he didn’t appear to have eyebrows or eyelashes. Plus, he was big. Bigger than any tackle Zack had faced on the field. The short sleeves of his polo shirt cut into arms larger than Zack’s thighs.

  “That last Super Bowl, did they kick butts or what?” Kyle said to Bruce. “I was there and I was glued to my seat the whole time.”

  “You were at the Super Bowl?” Bruce asked. “Hey, me, too. Turnovers and fumbles will get you every time. I know I’ve had my share.”

  Kyle nodded, as if remembering past mistakes, although Zack knew he hadn’t made many.

  Sam flashed Kyle a smile. He returned it and for a moment everyone was blinded by two sets of brilliant white teeth. She parted
her lips and licked them with the tip of her tongue. “Hi, I’m Samantha. You can call me Sam.”

  Kyle took her hand. “Nice to meet you Sam,” he said.

  “Like to swim?” Sam asked.

  “Sure,” Kyle answered, still holding her hand.

  “You play ball?” Bruce asked Zack. Obviously he was a jock like Kyle, and only interested in babes and football.

  Kyle answered for him. “Duh, you’re kidding, right? Zack doesn’t play. He’s nothing but a bench-warmer.”

  Bruce snickered.

  “There are other things in life,” Zack retorted. “Not everyone lives and dies by football.”

  “Yeah,” Bruce said, looking serious. “When you’re not good enough for football you have to do other things.”

  “Zack surfs.” Samantha flashed Zack a gorgeous smile and then winked at him. He was surprised. He thought she’d already forgotten he existed. “Zack’s a real surfer dude from California.”

  Bruce laughed. “You know what they say about California, don’t you? It’s the land of fruits and nuts. From your long hair and earring I can guess how you fit in.”

  Kyle narrowed his eyebrows, giving Zack a look that meant, ‘stay cool, don’t lose it.’

  “Now Bruce, be nice,” Sam giggled.

  “Yeah Bruce, be nice,” Zack mimicked. He cupped his hands under the water and brought up a splash that smacked Bruce full in the face and soaked the front of his blue shirt.

  “Hey!” Bruce jumped back after it was too late. Samantha howled with laughter.

  “A bit slow on the uptake, isn’t he?” Zack commented.

  Bruce took a step in Zack’s direction, but both Josh and Kyle intercepted him.

  “Let’s get changed,” Kyle said, “then you can drown the pervert.” He looked down at Zack. “You better watch it. Not everyone is willing to put up with your crap.”

  Bruce didn’t move.

  “Bruce, let it go,” Josh urged. “Come on.” Bruce gave Zack a long stare, but let Josh lead him off. Kyle just shook his head.

  “What’s the big deal?” Zack called out. “It’s only water.”

  “He’s going to kill you,” Sam giggled.

  “He can try,” Zack answered. Guys like Bruce didn’t bother him, he could hold his own against them. Girls like Samantha bothered him. Girls like Samantha got boys like him into deep shit. “Don’t you swim?” he asked her.

  “Sometimes,” she purred. “When I get hot and need to cool off.”

  “Hot yet?”

  Kyle, Bruce and Josh soon reappeared, all suited up. But, instead of getting into the water Josh sat at one of the tables by the back door of the house while Bruce and Kyle parked their muscles in a couple of chairs beside Samantha. Zack watched from the water as she laughed and smiled at their lame jokes. They must have gotten Bruce to cool down because he didn’t even glance in Zack’s direction.

  Zack swam a few more laps, but it wasn’t as enjoyable now that Sam’s attention was riveted elsewhere. He got out of the water and joined Josh.

  “Didn’t take you long to get on Bruce’s bad side,” Josh commented. “You seem to have a real knack for bringing out the worst in people.”

  “In case you didn’t notice, Bruce wasn’t exactly on his best behavior either.”

  “He has a reason. You were flirting with Sam.”

  “She didn’t act like she was his girl.”

  “She’s not now, but she used to be. They split up about a month ago.”

  Sam must have gotten hot. She got up and dived into the pool. Kyle and Bruce followed her in. That didn’t make Zack feel any better. “What about Kyle? He’s laying it on thick and Bruce doesn’t seem to care.”

  “Kyle and Bruce are the same type of guy. They’re equals. You’re not in their league.”

  Zack couldn’t tell if Josh was putting him down or not. It sounded like a put down, but Josh didn’t look like he was being disrespectful. He decided to change the subject. “Aren’t you going in?” he asked.

  “In a minute,” Josh answered. “I’m waiting for Linda.”

  The door squeaked and Maria came out of the house. “Josh,” she asked. “Have you seen Dusty?”

  Josh shook his head. “Not since this morning. He said he was going into Santa Elena to get supplies and make a few phone calls.”

  “When was that?”

  “A few minutes after Cliff came back. I’d guess around eight-thirty or a quarter to nine.”

  Maria looked at her watch. “He’s had plenty of time to drive over there and back. I am so sick of Dusty never being around when he’s needed.”

  “What’s he needed for?” Josh asked.

  “One of the local workmen wants him. It has something to do with reinforcing a platform. Michael was supposed to have taken care of it.”

  “Oh,” Josh said. “Well, if I see Dusty I’ll let him know you want him. You going swimming?”

  “I don’t think so,” Maria said, staring at the pool. “It looks pretty polluted to me.”

  Zack knew that she didn’t mean the water. Maria went back into the house and another perfect body came out of the end bungalow. This one had short blonde hair, brown eyes, and dimples.

  “There’s my sweetie,” Josh said. She came over to their table, gave Josh a quick kiss, and slid into a chair.

  “Linda,” Josh said, “this is Zack, one of Cliff’s nephews.”

  Linda smiled as she placed her towel on the table. Zack wondered briefly how a skinny, oily, pimply guy like Josh rated a girl like Linda. Maybe not everything was about looks. “Is that your brother in the water with Sam and Bruce?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Zack said. “Kyle.”

  “I saw Maria go in just before I came out,” Linda said. “So I guess you’ve met everyone now.”

  “This is it?” Zack asked. “Somehow, I had expected more people.”

  “Maria, Bruce, Sam, and,” she took Josh’s hand. “Josh and me. That’s all. Now, of course, you and Kyle.”

  “What about Dusty? The guy Maria was looking for?” Zack asked.

  “Dusty is employed by the university. He supervises the local workmen.”

  “Oh.”

  “There was another person staying here,” Josh said. “A grad student named Michael. He and Sam were an item until he left a couple of days ago.”

  “So this is it,” Zack commented. “The crew for the next thirty days.”

  What a bummer.

  Except, of course, for Samantha.

  ###

  Gripping her ponytail with her right hand, Maria rummaged through her top dresser drawer searching for a Scrunchie in a color other than hot pink, lime green or bright orange. Her mother was ruining her life, Maria was sure of it. She should have known better than to let her mother pack her stuff. If only Mama had stayed home in Louisiana, but no at the last minute Mama had decided to visit relatives in Guatemala City and that had changed everything. As soon as they set down on Guatemalan soil, her mother had gone into her overprotective subservient Ladino mindset that wouldn’t allow her only daughter to be alone in a jungle environment with a bunch of male undergraduate archaeology students.

  So, instead of being with her dad at his dig in Nakbe, here she was in Tikal with Dr. Collins. Even this had been a hard fought for compromise, but there was no way she was going to spend her summer with her Ladino relatives especially the uncles and male cousins. Maria groaned just thinking about those conceited, macho, egotistical jerks.

  She sighed as she wrapped her thick black hair with a bright pink band. This meant she’d have to change her blouse, because while she never considered herself a follower of fashion there was no way she was going to adorn her hair with hot pink and wear a yellow blouse. She’d look like an Easter egg.

  She took a long drink of Pepsi and set it down on the dresser next to the sketchpad Clifton had given her. She picked up the pad, sat down on the bed, and flipped through the pages.

  The first few pages were charcoa
l drawings of wooden lintels as well as temples from different angles. Then, she came to the pages where he had sketched her in various poses. One was of her curled up on the rattan sofa reading a book, her face peaceful and serene. The second drawing was of her asleep in one of the hammocks. Again, she had a peaceful look on her face. A feeling she hardly ever felt.

  But, it was the last page that touched Maria’s heart and brought her comfort. He’d drawn it for her when she mentioned that she’d forgotten to bring along a photo of her dad. Sketched from memory, it was of the time Cliff and her father had taken her on an excursion down the Manzanita River. She and her dad sat face to face in a canoe, her father smiling broadly as she pointed to one of the trees on the riverbank. Her face was ecstatic. She remembered that incident. She’d just seen her very first green and gold quetzal bird.

  She placed the pad back on the dresser, leaning it against the wall so that she could gaze at the drawing. She stretched out on the bed, her head on the pillow.

  It wasn’t fair that her only choice was to be with her mom in Guatemala City or be stuck here with these idiot kids. Okay, maybe not all the kids were idiots. Linda and Josh weren’t too bad. But Bruce and Samantha made her blood boil. She’d hoped that Cliff’s nephews would be as nice as he was, instead, one was a jock and the other had treated her like a maid.

  She listened to the sounds coming from the pool and watched the ceiling fan whirr overhead. She thought about going swimming, but knew if she did that she’d spend all her time avoiding Bruce. He thought it was funny to wrap his giant hand over the top of her head and push her under water. His other little trick was to scoop her up and pitch her from one end of the pool to the other. Both antics scared her half to death, and it amused him to frighten her. With the arrival of Zack and Kyle he’d have a new audience.

  She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. When she woke, she was soaked with perspiration. No sounds came from the swimming pool. She got up, took a white sleeveless blouse from the dresser and kicked the drawer shut. The impact brought tears to her eyes and she hopped over to the bed. Better get some control, she told herself. You’re losing it.