Labyrinth Society

by Angie Kelly

  "Harsh," whispered Tomi.

  "How long were you there?" asked Lily.

  "Five years. My father died a year after I was sent to the convent, and my mother remarried. Her new husband didn't want me around. I had no choice but to stay. But when I was nineteen, something wonderful happened. A strange man was brought to the convent. He'd been found injured in the nearby woods by some hunters. He wore odd clothing and the French he spoke was unlike anything I'd ever heard before. All the other sisters were afraid of him. But I wasn't. So I was tasked with caring for him."

  "It was Dr. Tarpley?" I asked. Mrs. T. nodded. Her eyes glistened with tears.

  "Once he'd been nursed back to health, he told me the most amazing story. He said he was an archaeologist from the future. At first I didn't believe him. But he showed me a coin from 1969 to prove it. He wore a ring with a labyrinth design and needed the matching amulet to get back to his own time. But he'd lost it in the woods and asked for my help finding it. By then it was winter and the ground was frozen and covered in snow. We couldn't search. Instead he taught me English. By the time spring came we were in love. I honored my promise to help him and we searched the woods for months until one day the inevitable happened."

  "You found the amulet?" I said.

  "I was the one who found it. It was still clutched in the dismembered hand of the person who tried to kill him!" Mrs. T. glared at Morgan. "Your grandmother!"

  "She was only after what was hers! She was the one who found the ring and the amulet," said Morgan. "Why shouldn't she profit from it?" But Mrs. T. ignored her and pressed on.

  "Everett told me he'd discovered his colleague and fiancée, Regina, was stealing from their digs. The night he disappeared, he'd caught her in the act of stealing the labyrinth ring and matching amulet they'd found at a Roman settlement outside Lyon. He managed to get the ring and amulet away from her, but in the struggle she stabbed him. He fled into the woods with Regina in hot pursuit. He was losing a lot of blood and didn't get far when she caught up with him. She was about to stab him again when he inadvertently touched the ring to the center of the amulet. A portal opened and he fell through, but Regina managed to reach through the portal and grab the necklace. Then it closed and sliced off her hand."

  "Speaking of hands," said Alex in a hoarse whisper. "I can't feel mine anymore. Just an FYI."

  Mrs. T. tried to go to him but Morgan fired a bullet into the dirt at her feet. "Not so fast. I want to hear the rest of the story."

  "He could bleed to death!" Mrs. T. shouted.

  "Then I suggest you make it quick,' replied Morgan through gritted teeth. Mrs. T. sighed and went on.

  "Once we'd found the amulet, Everett opened the portal. Neither of us could imagine a life without the other. So, when he asked me to come with him to his time, I didn't hesitate. We didn't discover the consequences of my coming to the future for a long time, when Everett started aging and I didn't. You see, I'd stepped out of my natural timeline. I do age but at a much, much slower rate. For every five years Everett aged, I was only aging two. Four decades passed. I watched the man I loved grow old while I'd barely aged more than fifteen years."

  "Couldn't you go back to your own time?" I asked.

  "No," she said, shaking her head. "Everett realized how dangerous the necklace and ring could be in the wrong hands. Once we got back to his time, he tossed the amulet back through the portal before it closed to separate the two forever. But a few years after Everett died I did try to go back to my own time. But the labyrinth wasn't made for solo travel and my dear friend, Dr. Flores, Lily's grandfather, tried to stop me. But I wouldn't listen. I didn't have the real amulet. I tried to recreate it. But it wasn't the same. Instead of the seventeenth century France, I ended up in the year 1941 in an alley in East London during the blitz and I met Alex."

  "1941!" Tomi, Lily and I blurted, looking over at Alex who managed a weak grin.

  "I was a soldier trained for combat and all those bombs goin' off didn't faze me one bit. But I just about wet meself when she popped up in front of me outta thin air," croaked Alex.

  Lily's grandfather grabbed me at the nursing home and called me Maddy because he was remembering the time he tried to stop Mrs. T. from traveling through the labyrinth alone.

  "My grandmother had been searching for the amulet for forty years," sneered Morgan. "When she found the reference to a necklace matching the description of the amulet in Father Billon's journal, she knew they were one and the same. But she had no idea how to track it down. Then she had a stroke and made me promise to find it before she died. It was my idea to give the journal to the Price Institute and infiltrate your little society as Morgan Lake. I couldn't believe you recruited me so easily."

  "And you also didn't realize you'd have to give your labyrinth ring back once you left the society," said Devon. "You faked your kidnapping. You knew I'd get your ring from the safe so I could get you back home. But you actually wanted it so you could use it with the amulet to open portals to the past."

  "Yeah," said Lily, who'd managed to get close to Morgan without her even noticing. "You couldn't have stolen one of our rings because they're custom made for each of us and won't work for anyone else. You had to have your own ring back."

  "You girls are much smarter then I gave you credit for. I've already been to the Louvre and made a shopping list of items I plan to steal from the past. I have a list of clients a mile long. Imagine being able to get a brand new Monet or Rembrandt painting. They'd be worth a king's ransom. And I'll never get caught. I'll just escape to another century."

  Morgan pulled the amulet out from under her shirt and a glint of silver flashed at her wrist. It was the astral cord, or rather the part she cut from the original. It had been Morgan I'd seen at the Louvre, or rather her astral self. She used the cord to be in two places at once, at the Louvre and at the farmhouse at Versailles. I wanted to say something until I remembered my grandma's warning, "Never let anyone know you can see the unseen."

  "But why'd you have to pretend to be my friend? Why'd you have to lie to me?" said Devon in a small voice. Tears flowed down her cheeks. She was so hurt. Then she got mad. Devon's eyes flashed with fury. "You knew how worried I was about you! I lied and stole from the people I care about all because I thought you were in danger! I thought I was doing the right thing and it was nothing but a sick game!"

  Morgan took the straw hat off and with a loud pop the hat morphed back into a tweed cap and she was back looking like herself.

  "I swear I never meant to hurt you, Devon," said Morgan. "You're the only real friend I've ever had. But I had to honor my promise to my grandmother."

  "Like you'd know anything about honor!" shouted Lily. She jumped up and kicked the gun out of Morgan's hand. Tomi ran over, picked it up, and flung it over the nearest hedge.

  Caught off guard, Morgan stumbled back but managed to press her labyrinth ring to the amulet. Suddenly, a large swirling portal opened next to her and through it we could see an open, grassy field and a large castle on a hill in the background. The castle was new. Morgan held out her hand to Devon.

  "Come with me. You don't belong here. Think about all the fun we can have in the past. Seeing treasures we've just read about in history books."

  Devon's mouth fell open in shock.

  "Don't be daft, Dev, she's crazy," croaked Alex. Blood had soaked the entire front of his shirt.

  "You can't trust her!" shouted Tomi, tears streamed down her face.

  "Please, don't go!" shouted Lily.

  Devon took a step back. I was about to grab her and shake some sense into her when what Morgan said next stunned us all.

  "We can go back three years and save your mom, Devon," said Morgan, wearing the same smirk I'd seen on her face when Devon had given her the labyrinth ring.

  Devon's head jerked up turning from Morgan to us in confusion. Then she straightened her shoulders like she'd made up her mind and took a step towards Morgan.

  "We love you, Devon,"
called out Mrs. T. "Please don't do this. You can't change fate."

  "I'm so sorry," said Devon. "But I have to," she said, reaching out to take Morgan's hand and giving us a regretful look, "make sure she never hurts anyone else again!"

  Devon pulled the labyrinth ring from Morgan's finger, and shoved her through the portal. Morgan screamed a high-pitched, "Nooooooo!" as she was sucked in. And then with a sound like someone pulling on a giant zipper, the portal closed stranding Morgan Amelia McFarland in whatever time she'd landed in. They all ran to Alex to get him to the hospital. But I stayed behind and sat with Devon in the grass. I held her hand as she sobbed.

  Mia and the Epilogue

  It's been two weeks and things seem to be back to normal. Well, as normal as anything at the Tarpley Estate could ever be. Alex's hand is on the mend, though he's milking his injury for all it's worth and making us do his chores and yard work. Mrs. T. confiscated all the cool stuff the girls had filched from the vault. But they're already plotting how to get it all back without her knowing. Devon's doing better. She was hardly Miss Sunshine to begin with, but at least she's not moping around anymore and is even being nicer to me. We'll see how long it lasts.

  As for me, I wish I could say I wasn't seeing ghosts anymore but it would be a lie. I was officially introduced to Ammon, the Egyptian death mask in the foyer. I had to practically bite my lip to keep from laughing when I saw the ghost of a gorgeous bronze-skinned boy leaning against the death mask wearing only an elaborate gold headdress and collar, a long white cotton skirt, and a haughty — or should I say hottie — expression? But when he realized unlike the others, I could actually see him; he vanished. This seeing ghosts, thing might be cool after all. But I'm still not telling anyone.

  The biggest news of all is… I got my very own labyrinth ring! I'm now an official member of the Labyrinth Society, though I still have tons of training to go though, once Alex's hand heals up. And there was still one thing I had to go through to make it official — initiation.

  "Where are you guys taking me?" It was early in the morning; I'd been blindfolded and was being led someplace by the girls. Tomi and Lily each had me by the hand and Devon had a hand on my back pushing me along.

  "You'll see. We all had to do it," was all they would say.

  Once the blindfold was off, we were back in the center of the labyrinth. Only there were tons of white candles everywhere. Mrs. T. and Alex were there, too.

  "Wow! This is beautiful. But what are we doing here?"

  "This will be your first official trip as a member of the society," said Mrs. T. "Girls, don't stay gone too long. Be back by dinner."

  "You get to pick where we go," said Tomi, beaming.

  "Just make sure it's not the palace of Versailles, since we're kinda wanted there," said Devon. We all laughed.

  "And it better be someplace fun," added Lily.

  "Okay, I got it," I said, stepping onto a copper disk and knowing wherever I went, I'd have a wonderful home to come back to.

  About the Author

  Angie Kelly is the pseudonym of a former member of the Labyrinth Society. When she’s not writing about her adventures, or reading about other people’s adventures, she’s busy traveling the world and indulging her inner twelve year-old. Although she was last sighted lurking around the British Museum after hours, her current whereabouts are unknown.

  Also from Astraea Press

  Chapter One

  “Do you know who that was?”

  Sarah Cole whirled around and spied a tall, skinny girl standing a few feet behind her. “Are you talking to me?” Shading her eyes, Sarah cocked her head to get a better look at the girl.

  The skinny girl nodded, her mop of wild curls dancing with her movements. “Yeah, do you know who she is?”

  Sarah gazed down the street at the wizened old woman shuffling away. She wore a faded housedress, which appeared to have been slept in for at least a couple of nights. It looked like the wrinkles had wrinkles.

  The woman’s hair was a listless gray, trapped in a feeble bun at the nape of her neck. Some of it had escaped and trailed behind her as she walked, the limp strands swaying with the old woman’s faltering steps. Minutes ago, Sarah had helped her with her cart—it had gotten stuck on the doorjamb as she left the corner drug store.

  Pulling her honey colored hair out of her eyes, Sarah spun and studied the skinny girl, not quite sure what to make of her. “No, I don’t.”

  Sarah continued her scrutiny and noticed the skinny girl stood at least five inches taller than she did. Her curly hair burst from her scalp in a frantic frenzy. She looks like an exploded cotton swab. Pursing her lips, Sarah suppressed a bubble of laughter.

  “She’s the Cat Lady,” the bony girl said, an expression of guarded curiosity mixed with fear on her face.

  “Who’s the Cat Lady?”

  The skinny girl pointed at the old woman shuffling away. “She’s a crazy lady. A witch.”

  “A witch?” Sarah scoffed. “I don’t believe in witches.”

  “It’s true,” the skinny girl whispered emphatically. She stared at Sarah, her dark eyes reflecting the conviction behind her words.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “No one has seen her in years. She never leaves her home.” The skinny girl glanced toward the Cat Lady again, and then walked closer to Sarah.

  Realizing the skinny girl was scared, Sarah glanced down the street a second time. She watched the hunched, old woman make her painful shuffle down the sidewalk. The Cat Lady didn’t look dangerous to Sarah. She appeared to be a weary old lady making her way home.

  “There’s no such thing as witches,” Sarah said.

  “She’s a witch, an evil witch,” the scrawny girl insisted. She nodded her head again, sending her dark curls into another wild dance.

  Sarah glanced down the street a third time and watched the old woman limp away. She didn’t look like she had the strength to pull her cart, let alone perform black magic. “How do you know? Does she practice voodoo or something?” Sarah smirked at the skinny girl, realizing she had a flair for the theatrical. “And if she never leaves her home…why is she out on the street now?”

  The girl opened her mouth to speak, and then shut it again as if she realized Sarah had a point. “Well…the delivery boy must have quit.” She pulled on a wayward curl and frowned. “Because there’s no way she leaves her home. I haven’t seen her in years.”

  “Uh huh,” Sarah said, raising her eyebrows and pursing her lips.

  The skinny girl must have seen the doubt in Sarah’s expression, because she crossed her arms over her bony chest and moved another step closer. “Just let me tell you the whole story; I’m sure you’ll change your mind. My name’s Jacqueline Jenkins.” She drew out the syllables emphasizing her name like a movie star or the Queen of England, JAAAQUELEENE JEEENKIINS. Jutting out her hip, she faced Sarah as if she were posing for a magazine. “What’s yours?”

  “Sarah Cole.” Speaking through tight lips, Sarah was able to stifle another bubble of laughter.

  “You can call me Jackie, though. That’s what my friends call me.” She studied Sarah for a moment. “You’re new in town, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah. We’re staying with my aunt and uncle while my parents are on vacation.”

  “We?”

  “Me and my sister, Lacey.” Sarah scrutinized her surroundings. “Is this the whole town of Harrisburg?”

  “Yep, this is it,” Jackie said. She opened her arms wide as if she were presenting the town to her.

  Sarah stifled another giggle. She looks like Vanna White on the Wheel of Fortune.

  “Where are you from?”

  Sarah cleared her throat and sighed. She wasn’t looking forward to being stuck in this podunk town for the summer. Looking down the street, she realized there were only two traffic lights in the tiny burg.

  “We’re from Walker, you know, the big city.” Sarah held up her hands and formed quotes with her fingers when she sai
d the words ‘big city’. “Do you guys have a bookstore?”

  “Nope, but we do have a library.” Jackie pointed to a weathered, old building standing on the corner. “But no one goes there this time of year.”

  “Why not?” Sarah’s spirits sank even lower as she realized she wouldn’t be able to buy her True Crime novels.

  “Because, it’s summer, silly.”

  Sarah rolled her eyes. “Oh, I thought you were going to say it was haunted by the Cat Lady.”

  Jackie cracked a wide grin. “Nope, she never comes out of her house.”

  “Except for today.” Sarah shot Jackie a skeptical look.

  “Once I tell you the whole story, you’ll be a believer.” Jackie hooked her arm through Sarah’s. “Good thing you ran into me, otherwise you would have gone the whole summer without this knowledge. Come on, let’s follow her home.”

  Sarah chewed on her thumbnail. “I don’t know—.”

  Jackie pulled on her arm. “Come on…she’s a legend in this town. Don’t you want to see her house? People have gone in…and never come out.” Jackie’s eyes darkened with the mystery and her voice dropped for emphasis.

  Sarah continued chewing on her nail; she thought about her options and realized she didn’t have many. She could go home and hang out with her younger sister, yuck, or check out the supposedly crazy Cat Lady’s house.

  Sarah’s inquisitive nature got the better of her and she pulled her thumb out of her mouth. “Okay, let’s go.”

  Jackie beamed and pulled Sarah down the sidewalk. “So, what grade are you in?”