“Betrayed us?” Aazuria asked. “Why would you say that?”
“Because he’s related to me,” Vachlan explained.
Aazuria pulled her lips into a grim line. “You have never truly betrayed us, Vachlan. Let’s turn this sub around and head back to Atlantis to check on my daughter.”
“Oh, that’s right!” Vachlan said cheerfully, putting down his phone. “I have to tell her about the audition I got for her. It’s this movie about a high school outcast who joins the swimming team…”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, of course. Just because we’re at war doesn’t mean that our lives should come to a standstill. The kid loves drama and the theatre just as much as I do. She deserves a chance to shine.”
“Should that really be her focus while her uncle is missing and the CIA is hunting her great-grandmother?” Aazuria asked.
“Well, what can she do about either of those things?” Vachlan asked. “There’s always time for art, even during times of tension and escalating violence. In fact, some of the best art has been created during the most violent periods in history—war inspires us.”
“But will she be able to concentrate on an audition with everything going haywire around us?”
“She’ll have to learn.” Vachlan turned to the controls of the submarine and began driving it toward Atlantis. “Varia should be encouraged to continue pursuing her dreams even during the worst of times. And this is far from the worst of times, Queen Aazuria.”
Visola and Sionna stood at the airport in Diomede City, the wind whipping their hair around furiously. Several of their friends and family members were gathered around to see them off. The sisters were heading off in opposite directions across the world, and for very different purposes.
“I wish I could come with you,” Visola told her twin in frustration. “I can’t believe Vachlan is forcing me to hide in New York of all places. I would have preferred a remote desert—maybe even Zuri’s little hole in Antarctica. Or Vegas. Definitely Vegas!”
“Just trust his wisdom,” Sionna assured her sister. “Our enemies know about Lake Vostok, and it isn’t safe there. Sometimes it’s best to pretend to be a plain-Jane girl-next-door, and simply hide in plain sight.”
“When are you coming back, Mommy?” Ivory asked. “Ronan’s going to cry a lot with both you and Daddy gone.”
“Am not!” Ronan said defensively. “You were the one crying last night!”
“Aww,” Visola said, lowering herself to her knees so she could hug the twins. “Don’t worry, cupcakes. I’ll come home as soon as I can. Until then, listen to Uncle Trevain and Auntie Elan, okay?”
They nodded solemnly.
“Well, this is goodbye for now,” Visola told everyone, standing up and waving. “Smell you later, folks.”
Sionna smiled as she watched her sister board her plane. She turned to her side. “You sure you want to go to Cairo with me, Dylan?”
“I always find it interesting to listen to your lectures,” Dr. Rosenberg told her.
“But you’ve heard me speak at least three times at conferences,” she said in confusion. “You know me. You can ask me questions at any time.”
“I still don’t understand your tissue reanimation technique, Sionna. Hardly anyone in the world can recreate your results. It’s like you’re some sort of medical magician, so I am honored to get the chance to travel with you and listen to your theories.”
“Honestly, I can smell the lust in the air,” Princess Yamako groaned. “At least wait until you’re a few feet away from me before you start with the foreplay!”
Sionna smiled and reached out to hug the Japanese woman. “I’ll be back in a few days, Yama. Hold down the fort for me?”
“Sure, thing,” Yamako told her.
“Bring something cool back from Egypt!” Kaito told her. “I like mummies, so maybe you could bring back a mummy and then bring him to life?”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Sionna said with a chuckle.
“Can she really do that?” Ronan asked his sister.
“Kaito knows a lot about monsters,” Ivory whispered. “He said mummies are like the ultimate zombies on steroids.”
“Ohhh,” Ronan said in wonder.
“I really hope you’ll get a chance to check in on Zuri and Varia,” Trevain said to her. “The last updates we got from Atlantis were pretty dismal.”
“We’ll definitely pop over there,” Sionna assured him. “Don’t worry—Vachlan is with them! What could possibly go wrong?”
“Be safe, my friend,” Elandria said softly.
Sionna scoffed. “Me? I’m always safe. If you’re going to waste time worrying, you should worry about my madcap sister. After all, she is the one wanted by the CIA.”
“Is it just me, or does she seem to enjoy this attention?” Dylan asked.
“Are you kidding? Getting officially labeled as the ‘World’s Most Dangerous Woman’ and knowing there’s about to be an international manhunt launched for her?” Sionna grinned. “She’s in heaven. It’s like Christmas came early.”
Submerged in Atlantis was a beautiful palace, styled with ancient architecture. The crumbling structure had been renovated recently, while trying to preserve some of the splendor of the archaic façade. Varia had been somewhat on edge about the place; it looked like the kind of building that ghosts or serial killers would find cozy. She had always lived in fresh environments that had been largely untouched by man. Atlantis had thousands of years of history, and much of it was unfortunate. Hundreds of thousands of people, perhaps millions, had lived and died in this city over the past few centuries. Even as she slept, she was aware of the heavy presence of history all around her.
It was not that Varia feared history, but when it was floating thick in the water all around her, she could not help wondering if it was inescapable. Would Adlivun someday end up as dilapidated and derelict as Atlantis was? By simply being here, and breathing this water, would the misfortunes of Atlantis infuse and infect her own body and mind?
She tried to ignore her surroundings and concentrate on her reading. Flipping the electronic page of her tablet, she tried to focus on the words of Atlas Shrugged. She had only gotten through a few pages when the door to her room swung open. Glais entered and swam to her side.
“Varia, do you remember how I used to have those premonitions?” he asked nervously.
She could see from a glance that something had him greatly unsettled. She dropped her tablet on the bed beside her. “Sure. I thought you stopped having those?”
“I did, for a while. But I think I just had another one. Don’t go to your audition tomorrow.”
Varia frowned. “Why?” she signed. “You helped me practice lines all week.”
“I know, but I saw the outcome. This other girl, a famous actress is going to get the part, and you’re going to be really upset about it. You’ll be crushed. Please don’t go, Vari.”
Her eyebrows drew together in annoyance. “That’s really cruel of you, Glais. Even if I thought you were going to lose your fencing tournament—which you are, unless you practice more—I would still encourage you to try so that you would get the experience for next time. Don’t you think I’m mature enough to handle rejection?”
“No,” Glais answered immediately. “Forgive me for saying this, Vari—but you’re used to getting what you want. I’m not calling you spoiled, I’m just saying that as a princess…”
“Great Sedna, you are calling me spoiled!” she said in surprise. “Well, if that’s so, then a little failure could be good for me.”
“Think about it logically,” Glais told her. “The only reason you’re getting this audition is because of Vachlan’s connections. Your resume is so limited—you haven’t done any film work, just a few theatre shows in Adlivun. Do you really think you’re competitive enough for…”
“Well, I have to start somewhere,” Varia said angrily. “I have to try!”
Glais shook his head. “You
don’t have a lot going on in your life, Varia. You tend to place too much importance on one thing you really want. You focus on that one thing until you get it, and sometimes you can’t get it. I just want you to have a 100% success rate. I want you to feel only good feelings. If you lose, it’s going to crush you, and I just don’t want to see you hurt.”
She stared at him uncomprehendingly. “I can’t believe you would say this to me. Don’t you have any faith in me at all? If I don’t try, then I’ll be a total wimp. I’ll never go anywhere or do anything. And I have lots going on in my life!”
“You don’t have anything that’s yours,” he explained. “You do lots of stuff to satisfy others, but you don’t really have anything that you want, just for you.”
“I have you, don’t I?” she asked him angrily. “Or at least I thought I did. I thought you were on my side. I thought you were going to cheer me on the way I always cheered you on…”
“Varia…”
“No. Leave my room, Glais. That’s an order.”
Varia picked up her tablet and tried to continue reading, but she was too upset to focus on the words. Once Glais had left the room, she tossed it down and allowed her body to sink back into her bed. She was sure that a good night’s sleep was all she needed before her big audition.
Of course, Glais had been right. Varia sat outside the theatre where her audition had been held in Athens. It seemed that her best friend knew her far better than she knew herself, for she had not imagined that she would feel this crushed. She had already been dreaming of taking her family and friends to see the finished film. Visola would surely make fun of the sensitive bits, but Varia would be too proud of her work to let that bother her.
She had imagined that maybe, once Glais saw her on the big screen, once he saw all of her pores magnified and her voice seeping through the speakers all around him, he would fall in love with her. Maybe he would see that she was also capable of creating beautiful artwork. Perhaps she could not draw for beans, but she knew that she could act if someone gave her half a chance. She could hit any role out of the ballpark, because she would become the character and play it like her life depended on it. But now, she was seriously considering giving up on this dream altogether.
It had been foolish and selfish to chase rainbows in the sky when her place was deep in the sea. Her mother needed her help establishing order in Atlantis, even if Aazuria refused to admit this. Varia knew that she should sacrifice her hopes of a career in film or theatre, and focus on her pre-paved political pathways. She was ashamed of how frivolous her hopes had been. She was ashamed of how excited she had been.
She was ashamed of not listening to Glais. She did not know how she would face him again.
A pair of shoes appeared in front of her, and she looked up at their wearer with surprise. “Aunt Sio?”
“Hello, niece,” Sionna said cheerfully. “How would you like to spend the day hanging out together. Just us girls?”
“But I thought you were at a conference in Cairo…”
“I was. But today, Dylan’s going to a bunch of exhibits and lectures on pseudopsychology—whoops, I mean ‘progressive’ psychology, and I decided to skip town. Wanna grab some espressos?”
“You flew all the way from Cairo just to see me?” Varia asked, feeling a rush of warmth.
“Sure,” Sionna said, extending a hand to help the girl off the ground. “It’s only two hours. Vachlan’s busy, probably killing lots of people or something like that. Zuri’s busy too, so I figured I might as well take advantage of your free time.”
“They want you to babysit me,” Varia translated in disappointment.
“Nothing of the sort, my dear.” Sionna took Varia’s arm, and guided her to the patio of a nearby café. “I need your help in my romance problems.”
“Really?” Varia asked with growing excitement. “You want to ask for my opinion on whether you should end up with Dr. Rosenberg or Princess Yamako?!”
Sionna smiled as she sat down and signaled to the waiter. “Yes, but I need some caffeine in me before we can talk about that. Why don’t you tell me about your day first?”
Varia sighed. “Some bitch named Sally Neptune stole my part.”
Sionna snorted. “What kind of a name is Sally Neptune?”
“A ditzy one,” Varia complained, “but she’s popular. She’s famous. And she’s… well, of course, she’s older.”
“Older?” Sionna asked with a lifted eyebrow.
“The role I auditioned for was a seventeen year old girl in high school. Sure, I’m only fourteen, but I look the right age. Sally Neptune is twenty-seven. Sure, she’s a sea-dweller, but she looks older too. It’s not fair, Aunt Sio! How can they give her the role? I’m so good at this—this is what I’m best at, and I’ve never had a chance to show anyone what I can do!”
Sionna smiled, reaching out to touch Varia’s hand. “Hey, kid. Chin up. I know it hurts, but you’ll get past this. Let off some steam. Go do something crazy!” Sionna said lightly. “You’re a Ramaris woman, and we don’t take rejection well. But I can promise you, Varia, soon you’ll get back in the saddle and push for your goal way harder than before.”
“Everyone’s older than I am,” Varia complained as their coffee arrived. “Everyone’s more experienced than I am. I feel like I’m going to explode with all this wasted energy inside me.”
“I remember that feeling,” Sionna admitted. “You know, when I became a doctor, women didn’t become doctors. It just wasn’t done. I wanted to learn so desperately and every door slammed in my face. In fact, I had to cross-dress as a boy for many years. Shawn Roberts.”
Varia laughed at this. “You don’t look like a Shawn Roberts!”
“You’d be surprised what you can do when you have no other choice,” Sionna said with a sly smirk. “I wasn’t the only girl who went through that crap, of course. Viso had to do it too in order to train with the men. We had to use bandages to strap our boobs down and make ourselves flat-chested. Luckily, we have pretty large physiques, so we were usually able to fool everyone. It was uncomfortable, but looking back, it was tons of fun.”
“That sounds so cool,” Varia said in wonder.
“Yep. So you come from a long line of actresses, kiddo. We had to act to live. Sometimes I think that women have always needed to act to live. We aren’t always exactly what men expect us to be—and sometimes that can damage our careers or our lives. So, we act.”
Varia nodded slowly in understanding. “I understand. I wish it didn’t have to be that way.”
“It doesn’t matter how it is,” Sionna said with a frown. “What matters is what you choose to do about it. If you want something badly enough, you’ll jump through the hoops and leap over the hurdles. You’ll knock down all the people who want to take your trophy away from you. You’ll do this naturally; it will feel like the most exciting battle of your life, and you won’t waver.” Sionna’s lips curled into a gentle smile. “I promise that you’ll find your path, kid.”
Varia was floored by this speech. She was humbled by the knowledge that she was sitting down to have coffee with one of the most brilliant, successful, and pioneering doctors in the world. And she was related to her! Surely, if Sionna could achieve so much, Varia must have something of that drive and motivation inside of her too? She surely hoped so. She felt a little stronger simply by being in her great-aunt’s presence, but Sionna’s words made her heart soar with the possibilities. Her life suddenly seemed like a great, exciting thing that had yet to begin.
“Thank you, Aunt Sio,” she said sincerely. “I’m so glad you flew to Athens.”
“I’m so glad that Princess Yama stuck microchips in you so I could find you easily!”
The girls laughed.
“Hey,” Sionna said mischievously. “How about after this, we go for a swim and I can show you how to collect some simple poisons out of fish?”
“Really?” Varia breathed. “That would be so cool!”
Glais ha
d been swimming back and forth in front of Varia’s bedroom for what felt like hours. By the time she arrived home, he was tired and irritated.
“What took you so long? It’s way after midnight!” he signed furiously.
“Relax, Dad,” she said sarcastically. “I was hanging out with my Auntie. Why are you in such a bad mood?”
He moved forward and grabbed her shoulders, looking at her with frantic amber eyes. He lowered his gaze nervously and shifted his eyes to the side. Releasing her, he began to speak slowly in sign language. “I don’t know what it is about this place, Varia. Maybe it’s because the castle’s old, or the water is a different temperature than we’re used to, with different minerals. But I had another premonition. This one was important. Someone we love is going to die.”
Varia frowned. “Why would you have two premonitions back to back like that? The last one you told me you had was… my mother’s death.”
“I’ve had a few since then, but I wasn’t sure whether they were regular dreams, or visions. For some reason, I’m absolutely, 100% sure that these ones are real.”
“What did you see?” Varia asked, swimming closer to him.
“I saw Visola,” he signed hesitantly. “She was in New York City…”
“Stop. Don’t tell me.” Varia grabbed Glais’ arm and began to pull him through the castle. She turned back and mouthed the words to him as they both swam. “We have to tell my mother and Vachlan before it’s too late.”
Chapter 22: Miss Sophia Jones
Visola strolled through LaGuardia Airport, dragging her suitcase behind her. Her flight had been re-routed through four different cities, and she had used a different passport and name for each trip. Finally, stopping in Montreal for the night, she had dyed her hair black as per Vachlan’s instructions, and applied dark contact lenses. She had liberally doused herself with self-tanner, and disguised herself to the best of her ability. All the while doing so, she had whistled, thinking of how much better her disguise would be than the one Aazuria had used to go undetected in Adlivun. She was fully committed to disappearing off the radar until all this excitement died down.
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