by Dale Mayer
She gave a happy sigh and slowly straightened to find she wasn’t alone. She looked up to find Sebastian staring at her, an odd look on his face. She frowned and asked in a low voice, “Have I done something wrong?”
He shook his head and pointed to where she’d been crouched. “What is it you see?”
“I see where the past meets the future,” she said quietly. “And I guess that probably sounds frivolous, but I look at it from behind the camera. I see the collision, not of the past with the volcano, but as the future reaches deep into the past.”
That odd look crossed his face yet again. His gaze intensified as if probing into her psyche, holding her captive by his will alone. She stood uncertainly, her fingers fidgeting on the camera. And then, as if she had been finally released from his hold, he gave a quick nod and spun away again. Shaky, she sat down on one of the steps and took several deep breaths. What the hell just happened?
*
Sebastian would have to find out more about his new photographer. Something about her was … familiar, … odd, … insightful. She was a puzzle. He loved solving puzzles of the past. Puzzles of the present never interested him. They were too young, held no mystery, no depth. But something about Lacey went beyond deep.
He really liked the answers she’d given him. He could see an old soul reaching through the centuries. Did she realize she’d been drawn here and why?
He glanced back to see Lacey sitting, taking several deep breaths as if he’d unnerved her. Fine if he had. She’d unnerved him too. He walked toward Chana, seeing her stiffen, waiting for his condemnation. “If anything else happens, no matter how minor it may seem to you,” he said in a stern voice, “I want to hear about it, and I want to hear immediately. Do you understand me? You don’t call anybody else, including the rest of the team. You pick up your phone, and you dial me.” He leaned forward just a bit, satisfied when she leaned back reflexively. “No exceptions.”
She took a deep breath and nodded. “I am sorry.”
“I know you are,” he said absently. His mind had already moved forward. “I’ll be in Pompeii for the next week. We have several board meetings. I’ll be on-site a lot. So, when you least expect me, I’ll be here.”
And with that warning and a hard look at the rest of the group, he turned and walked away, satisfied the team would follow his orders. Still, there was nothing like seeing things from his own eyes too. What he really wanted was to see what Lacey saw. He stopped at the edge of the dig, turned and called back, “Chana, come here please.”
She raced over.
“What’s the deal with Lacey again?” He watched the color blanch from her face. He shook his head. “It’s fine that she’s here. I just don’t remember what the arrangement was.”
“She’s a middle-school history teacher, out for the summer holidays. I told her how we had lost our photographer, and she volunteered to come. She’s really, really good. But she’s not a pro, and we’re not paying her,” she said very clearly. “But we are covering her costs.”
He shot a glance toward the woman who, even now, was absorbed in a pattern of rock on the ground just off to the side. The mystery of what it was, what it had been, remained buried beneath the ground. Her aura was cream-colored and glowing brightly, even from a distance … “Okay, that’s fine.”
“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Chana said quickly. “She’s my cousin. She’s really doing this as a favor for us.”
He nodded absentmindedly. “I said it’s all right. I do want to see the photos she takes.”
“I didn’t get her to sign a nondisclosure agreement,” she said quickly. “If that’s something you want.”
His mind contemplated the issue. “I’ll think about it. Depends on how willing she is to share her photos.”
“She does this for the joy of it,” Chana said. “For the love of the world around her. She has a very unique insight into everything.”
“And why is that?”
Chana lowered her voice. “I honestly think it’s because she spent years caring for her dying mother—tried to make each moment count before she lost her. No treatment was working, so they knew the end was inevitable, and yet, every day they tried to do something to make that day special. After her mother passed away six months ago, Lacey continued the practice. And coming here has been a dream of hers since forever. All I ever heard from her was how she wanted to see Pompeii.”
He’d taken a step away when he heard that last bit. He spun around and looked at Chana hard. “What do you mean?”
He watched as his team leader shrugged her shoulders. “Honestly? She saw a documentary when she was young, like six or seven. Since then it’s all she’s talked about.”
“And this is her first time here?”
Chana nodded. “I really want to make it a good visit for her. She deserves that. She’s a good person, and she spent a lot of years of her life making her mother’s life easier.”
He kept his thoughts to himself, but he couldn’t keep his gaze off Lacey. What did she see behind that lens of hers? Did she see the people of the past? The death and disaster? The good? The evil?
Voluntarily taking that walk of grief with her mother was difficult. He’d only seen one person do it well—his own mother had nursed his sister to her early end. It took a lot of spirit, a lot of heart, but it could also break someone. And the breaks could be hidden inside where no one knew. That could make them weak, make them easily accessible, make them susceptible to all kinds of dangers. All kinds of evil.
He could admire what she’d done, but she needed watching.
A lot was going on here that nobody knew about, that nobody understood because they couldn’t relate to the dark forces underneath. But anybody who had been called from halfway across the world, with a need instilled at such a young age—well, that meant that person needed to be here. He didn’t know why. But he’d find out. His visit just became open-ended. He didn’t dare leave the site or Lacey alone …
Things were happening. Or maybe evil Mayan god-driven things were happening considering people were doing things they weren’t aware of. He’d seen the anomaly before—starting, as a young man, at a Mayan ruin dig where there’d been similar incidents to what he saw here. Only back then, things got much worse, starting with accelerating verbal squabbles among the crew, for no good reason, but they saw the negative energy coming from one very strong and powerful male energy who was very, very, very angry … ending with several deaths.
The locals blamed Kisin, the Mayan god of death. Sebastian didn’t know what to call it. It was a violent nightmare he was desperate to get out of and by the time it came to a stop, there were only a couple of them left alive.
Deaths that had haunted him ever since. When he’d heard about the incidents on this site, his heart had damn-near exploded in his chest. That was partly why he’d been so angry that his team hadn’t contacted him. They didn’t understand the danger. And they definitely didn’t understand how the darkness underneath was attracted to the light above.
The darkness especially liked the innocence, the energy, the purity of someone like Lacey. More than liked—it fed on it …
Chapter 4
By the end of the day, Lacey was tired, dusty, exuberantly overjoyed, and oddly at peace. She walked back with the crew as silent as they were jovial. They had survived the boss’s visit and had spent the afternoon joking about always looking around to see if he was close by.
Lacey hadn’t felt the same amusement, the same hilarity or release from the tension of having him here. Because she didn’t feel like she was released from it. Something dark and intense had been in his gaze. Something knowing, something powerful that scared the crap out of her. But, at the same time, it attracted her like nothing else. It was otherworldly. It had nothing to do with a male-female sense of attraction; more like a moth to a flame, knowing it would get burned but unable to stop the flight into the direct path of destruction.
“Why are you so quiet, Lac
ey?” Tom asked. “Your first day too much for you?”
She gave him a bright smile. “It was perfect.” Her tone was a happy one. “It was absolutely perfect.”
He shook his head. “Then you obviously didn’t have a trowel or a small brush in your hand.” That brought out everybody’s hilarity.
She just smiled and nodded.
When they got home, they split off and had showers in turn. When they were all clean and redressed, Lacey walked out to the kitchen to see the group waiting for her. She raised an eyebrow. “Sorry. Am I late for something?”
“Tonight is a beer-and-pizza fest at one of the pubs,” Mark explained. “We always try to hit it every week.”
She smiled, hooked arms with her cousin and said, “Well, don’t leave me behind.”
They walked out, all of them laughing and joking.
She stared at the sun sinking slowly and commented, “The days seem so long here, and yet, it’s already eight o’clock. I’m really tired but too pent-up to sleep yet.”
“I know,” Chana said. “It took me a long time to get accustomed to it. But it’ll be dark soon enough. The town comes alive at night.”
“With the ghosts of the dead,” Tom said jokingly.
Lacey wondered about that. “All joking aside, have you guys ever felt any ghosts around?”
They all looked at her and broke out laughing.
Chana shook her arm. “Of course not, silly. These people died quickly and a long time ago. No haunting spirits here.”
“I was reading some books about that,” Lacey said, trying not to feel mocked by their comments. “Sometimes spirits who die very quickly don’t know they have passed away, so tend to haunt, not understanding why nobody’s talking to them.”
“Can you imagine?” Katie said. She was the only other woman in the group. She stayed in the other apartment with Matt.
“I think it would be pretty horrifying myself,” Chana said. “Can you imagine everybody walking past you and never seeing you?”
Lacey nodded, turned and stepped off the curb into the street.
“Look out.” Chana grabbed her arm, but it was too late.
Lacey took a blow as the vehicle slammed to a stop, tires screeching as it hit her, sending her flying. Instantly she was surrounded by the others. She lay there on the street for a long moment in shock, pain radiating up and down her left side. Yet feeling very stupid.
She tried to sit up, trying to make light of it, she said, “Wow, that was a really stupid thing to have done.”
“Don’t move,” Tom warned.
“I’m fine,” she exclaimed. “Help me up, please.”
Tom bent and slowly helped her to her feet. “Are you sure you should be standing?” he asked worriedly.
She nodded. “If you give me a minute to assess the damage, I’m pretty sure I’m fine.” She gently stood on her left foot and was delighted it could accept the weight. She checked everything else. “I’ll be fine. Nothing’s broken. I’ll end up with a little bruising that’s all.”
Trying to minimize the attention she was getting, hating that it was due to her clumsiness, she motioned ahead. “Could we please go to the restaurant? I can sit down then. And I’m sure food will help.”
“Absolutely,” Tom said, but he hooked his arm through hers and half supported her.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Honestly.”
Only he wouldn’t listen.
She glanced over at Chana, who just shrugged.
At the restaurant, Tom let her go. They walked in as a group but waited until they were seated.
Lacey gratefully sank onto a bench seat at the back of the table. “This is nice.” She glanced over at Chana, who was busy texting. Everyone did these days. Considering so much of her hurt right now, Lacey looked forward to that beer and pizza they’d promised. By the time the pizza arrived, so had the beer, except the guys wouldn’t let her drink.
“No. No alcohol for you.”
That just frustrated her. Why didn’t they believe her? She was fine. “Come on. That’s exactly what I need right now,” she pleaded.
“No. Because, if you need any medication,” Chana said quietly at her side, “you can’t have any alcohol first.”
Lacey groaned and accepted the rationality of what Chana said. Just then the double front doors blew open, and everybody turned to look at the new arrival. Sebastian strode across the restaurant. Everybody cleared a path as he came to their table. He caught sight of Lacey, his gaze pinning her in place as he headed toward her. When he reached them, everyone fell silent.
He glared at Lacey. “What the hell happened?”
He plunked himself down in an unoccupied chair directly across from her. “Talk to me. What happened?”
Lacey wasn’t even sure what to say. So she said nothing.
After a moment Chana spoke up. “She was hit by a car.”
Lacey winced. She didn’t know anybody would use that term. “I stepped onto the road without looking. I got hit.”
He frowned as if thinking about it. “How bad?”
She shrugged. “It’s not bad.” But the truth was, she felt pretty shaky and tired, and everything on her left side burned.
He wasn’t fooled. “We’ll take you to a doctor after this.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she protested. The thought of all the damn insurance forms she’d have to fill out was a nightmare in itself. “Nothing a hot bath and a good night’s sleep won’t help.”
The second round of pizzas arrived then. She tried to eat, but it was a little disconcerting having Sebastian sitting here. He was moody and frustrated, possibly angry, and she didn’t know what she might have done to have deserved it. She wanted to keep a low profile so her trip was not cut short, but, ever since she’d been here, it seemed like there had been nothing but problems. And he might be the biggest of them all.
She wasn’t sure how to get back on the right track with him. Everything she said seemed to be the wrong thing. And because she felt just rough enough, she decided to say nothing since talking might make it worse.
She waited until the group finished eating, and then, with a nudge at her cousin, she asked, “Do you mind if we leave early? I’d like to go to bed soon.”
Chana studied her face in worry. “You aren’t looking all that good.”
With effort Lacey bolstered a bright smile and said, “Thanks.”
Her cousin flushed. “You know I didn’t mean it that way,” she said quietly. “I think you should listen to Sebastian.”
Lacey glared at her. “That’s not what I wanted to hear.”
“Too bad.” Sebastian stood, tossed some money on the table, motioned at Chana and said, “You can either come with us or go home, and I’ll bring her back afterward.”
Chana looked at Lacey, as if wondering what she should do.
Lacey shrugged. “You might as well go home and get some rest.” Her tone held a little resentment that she couldn’t quite hold back. “I’ll be fine. The doctor will check me over and send me off anyway.”
With everybody getting up at the same time, Lacey waited and squeezed out from the table, desperate to hold back her cries from pain that just moving her body created. Everything was stiff for having sat so long. She knew it’d be better when she walked around a bit again, but right now trying to get outside would be brutal.
Her right arm was grabbed gently but firmly, and she was led to the front door. There she stopped and took several deep breaths.
Chana turned to look back at her. “Are you sure?”
Lacey gave her a bright smile. “Go. I’ll be home in less than an hour.” She turned to look at Sebastian, adding, “Right?”
He stared at her steadily. “I guess it depends on how bad it really is. You think I didn’t see the sweat coming off your forehead? You think I don’t see how much pain you’re in?”
She winced. “And here I thought I did a great job of hiding it,” she muttered.
He
led the way around the corner. She followed him without having any choice in the matter as he had retained his grip on her arm.
“How far are we going?”
“Luckily not far,” he said. “A friend of mine is a doctor here. We’ll take you there. I’ve already contacted him. He’s expecting us. He’ll give you a quick glance over and see if it’s any worse than you think.”
“Oh, good. Okay,” she said, feeling better. “I was thinking of sitting at a hospital for hours, waiting for somebody to take a few minutes to look at me.”
“No, this is much faster.”
He kept walking, and she followed. However, with every step the pain seemed to kick in heavier.
Finally he paused in front of a large door, hit several buzzers, and a resounding click replied on the other side. He pulled the door toward him. “The good news is, he also has an elevator.”
She stared at him, her brain fuzzy. “That’s a good thing,” she said faintly. “I hadn’t even contemplated how hard stairs would be.”
It was only a few steps to the elevator, and thankfully it was open and waiting for them. He led her inside, propped her against the back wall and said, “Don’t move.”
She snorted. “There aren’t a hell of a lot of places I can go right now.”
The pain was getting worse. She knew it was just fatigue, but that ache was deep and intense. The elevator opened directly onto somebody’s apartment. She frowned. “How does that work?”
“You have to have a pass code to get in.”
He led her forward a few steps, calling out, “Juan, where are you?”
“I’m coming. I’m coming,” a man called out from somewhere in the depths of the apartment.
It was dark, but then it became super bright as an overhead light came on. She closed her eyes and bent her head against the light.
“Oh, interesting,” the stranger said. He stepped forward and grasped her hand gently. “I’m Juan. Let me take a look at you.”
She smiled as much of a bright cheerful smile as she could, hiding the pain she was in. “Thank you so much for seeing me.”