“Why are we even arguing over this? You and Eva are just paranoid, being overly superstitious.” Warren added.
“Look, let’s just drop it. Nothing is gonna happen. GG and I are just crazy.” Rolling my eyes, I had to shut them up. I reached down and touched my fanny pack, where the shell rested wanting to understand the mystique behind it. “I’d like to sleep. I don’t want to play video games.”
“We can go up to my room.” Ben offered.
“Okay…no, never mind, let’s go to the arcade.” I changed my mind, maybe a little fun would help ease my nerves. Then I’d sleep a little better.
Pac-Man kept me sane for about 30 minutes, before I felt that same lurking evil, surround me. Something bad was going to happen and I knew it. I looked up to see GG staring at me, she knew it too. I closed my eyes and focused on breathing, touching my waist purse again as if the shell was my salvation. Not that it made sense, but the shell made me feel safe and peaceful. Like no matter what was to happen, things would be okay. It was a complete contradiction to the eeriness, but maybe it was my way of finding hope.
I slammed my fist down onto the yellow button as Pac-man was being devoured by the ghosts. I lost. I glanced around the dark arcade. Glowing lights from game systems barely lit the place. Different game sounds bounced off the walls. Pings, bings, gun fire and car engines…
“Boo!” I jumped. My heart nearly in my hands.
“Ben!” I gasped, clutching my chest—closing my eyes for a long moment, kind of giggling. “You scared me.” Running my fingers through my hair. I looked up into his limpid eyes and unexpectedly for him at least, I wrapped my arms around him pressed my ear to his chest and listened to his steady heart beat.
“This is so silly Eva, we’re gonna be fine. I promise.” He hugged me back.
“I know.” I whispered lying to him, to myself. “I know.”
“Are you ready?”
Somberly, I glanced at GG and Warren nodding at them before answering Ben. “Yes.” He grabbed my hand and led me out of the arcade.
We rode the elevator up in silence, mainly because there was an old couple riding up with us. So I just stared at him, his features were broader than mine, his nose, even his lips were fuller than mine and the perfect shade of pink. All he needed was a toga, and he’d be the perfect image of a Greek god. I smiled and for a moment gazed at the old couple. Both their hair white, faces filled with deep wrinkles.
“What are you thinking?” Ben asked, trailing his fingertips down my nose, my lips. We lie facing one another on his bed. I laid my hand on his cheek.
“Nothing.”
“You have to be thinking about something…maybe you’re thinking about my overwhelming irresistibility?”
“Yeah, that’s it.” I rolled my eyes and chuckled.
“I know.” His smile was glowing in the faint darkness. I inched closer to him, keeping my eyes locked with his. “So do you?”
“What?” I asked as he moved closer to me, his lips only a breath away from mine.
“Find me irresistible?” He didn’t bare any teeth, just a simple smile. He brushed my hair back and I leaned in and pressed my lips against his. My heart thumped against my ribs as I held my lips in place.
He slowly parted his mouth and his tongue softly brushed against mine. He shifted and was halfway lying on top of me, his hand cupped my neck, my fingers ran through his hair and down his chest.
I pressed my lips more firmly against his and finally, I was relaxed and undisturbed by the danger that swirled around us.
Ben pulled away, staring down at me, he ran his thumb across my lips and then bent his head to kiss me and then rested his forehead against mine.
“Let’s go to sleep.” He kissed me again.
“Are you sure?” I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing my body upwards so that he was forced on his back. I smiled and forcibly pressed my lips against his. He moaned and tangled his fingers in my hair and pulled away again.
“You’re bad.”
“I try to be.” I laughed.
“So, you do find me irresistible? I knew it!”
“Shut-up.”
“I can’t wait to get home…take you out, make you my girlfriend…” He eyed me from the corner of his eyes and smiled. His hands dangled above his head for a minute then his right hand lazily found mine and he locked them together.
“You’re crazy, Ben. You don’t know me.”
“I know enough to know that I like you, plus I’m already apart of the family.” He smiled, “my plan has worked!” Making some generic evil cackle. “I’m kidding. Well not about the girlfriend part.”
“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes.
“You know it’s true.”
He rolled onto his side. He ran his hand up my fore arm and then in all seriousness he said: “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I can’t wait to get home.” I whispered.
“Me too.”
“New York?”
“Home to me is California. I plan on staying there after I graduate…I’m ready to be off this ship.”
“You’re worried?”
“Just a little, enough to make me feel…anxious. I’ll just be more relaxed when we reach the states again. When you’re safe, I’m safe, we are all safe.” He let out a drawn breath, then grabbed the remote and turned on the T.V.
“We’ll be fine. Let’s just pretend everything will be fine.” Laws of attraction right? Think positive, receive positive results?
“Everything is gonna be fine Eva…I promise.”
“You can’t promise.”
“Yes, I can promise to control whatever is in my power to control. So I promise you that.”
“Okay.”
“Tomorrow, night, let’s have dinner just you and me.”
If we make it to tomorrow night, I thought. “Okay.”
We slipped under the covers, and I fell asleep wrapped securely in his
arms.
Chapter 10
Hanan
I held my triton above my head, waiting for the moment to spill the blood of a great. Fresh blood, of something worth the sacrifice, something powerful. Blood is what makes us, where the power within us rests. Connects us to our kindred. It is the make-up of our being and the sacrifice of it sends a forthright message of need.
As I waited, my own blood rushed through me, the dominion I was birthed with and the dominion I sought to avenge. Not only did I fight for myself and Tahirah, I fought for the future of my child. If I did anything, I would pass on to my son his birthright.
The water was calm. The only sound was the voice of the great and that of the power which whispered to me. “Great you are, great is the power that was bestowed upon you. Great is the seed that will be birthed for you…” I closed my eyes as the words echoed silently in my mind. As the current pulled from the core of the sea, I pulled from the core of my being, my spirit for power, power to defeat my brothers, power to surround me as I embarked in the battle that waited. As the wave sought to overtake any in its way, so did the authority of the Spirit that rushed over me, and overtook me with its power. I had not even made the sacrifice, and Adonai He was with me, and for my reign.
I glanced around the wide open cave—it was hidden under a bed of colorful flowers. It had been my place of sacrifice and worship for years. It was completely bare, except for the dangling green vines of living flowers—pink, purple, blue—crawling along the walls and the large stone slab in the middle of the space.
The stone slab Aella prepared with delicate purple sea blooms, red sponge coral and jewels of a surface creature and lastly my crown. My crown which bound my reign. I reached out and brushed my hand against the jagged and shaped shell, rubbed my finger across the purple stone placed in the fragile skeletal. I had long awaited our reunion…
I sat unmoved, waiting…
Closing my eyes every now and then when I thought I felt the shift and then it came, and with that the direction of the water changed. It
was time. The pit of my belly burned as a surge of heat filled my body. The screams of fear came, the pleas for help. I could smell the earth dwellers, their hearts spoke the terror they felt from the nishant—the evil ones. My patience was tested when I sensed the presence of Kosey. My heart thrashed around, I wanted his blood.
I averted my eyes upward, the darkness had come, the water was filled with peril…it grew and grew as I pushed my patience.
“I offer unto you, Adonai, the sacrifice of these two greats, asking for your guidance, seeking covenant so that in my journey to reclaim my seat, you will welcome me into your grace and shower me with your mercy, granting me favor among my people, dominion over the Kingdom of Tahirah. I call upon the powers of Chike the almighty, Bomani the brave warrior, Hakisimana the savior and Anugya the authority. Receive my offering a gift, receive the souls of the great, a symbol of I, Hanan offering up my soul unto you.” My triton pierced the first great, the high pitch of its cry sliced into my mind. The second was silent. I watched as the blood spilled, spreading over the stone, running over the edges. It dripped thick and red onto the floor, seeping and connecting to the essence of the water, spreading into every grain of earth. Giving life to the ancient who once lived and ruled, the ancient sea gods. Chike, Bomani, Hakizimana, Anugya. Their old power pushed through the floor as Adonai called it, and ordered the influence over me. I kneeled down, and in silence I received.
The spirits of the fallen swirled around me, speaking chanting the song of praise to Adonai…and in the midst I heard my father, Chike speak, ‘it is done.’ I glanced up and saw his intangible face, strong and sure as if he had never suffered pain before his passing. His crown rested on his head, shield strapped across his chest, he held up two fingers and bowed his head, ‘go…’ he said.
“My King, it is time.” Aella placed the crown on my head and placed Enya in my hand. I stood up.
“I will return…”
Chapter 11
My eyes fluttered open, when I heard it. My eyes shot toward the t.v, but the sound didn’t come from there. There was no way tummy control panties could make the sound of a gun. My heart jerked and tension spread throughout my body. Slowly I raised my head to look up at Ben. He was sleeping peacefully, unaffected by the loud continuous shots that rang out. My stomach immediately lurched, and I instantly felt sick. This really couldn’t be happening… I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again, hoping, praying that maybe I was dreaming. I was not.
When I opened my eyes again, there was a bright light shining through the room. It burned past the thick curtain. I untangled myself from Ben’s arms and slowly sat up. Swinging my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. I stared cautiously at the window. The window that overlooked the ocean…where else would it look out to Eva? My body trembled and I inhaled a half controlled breath, a tear slipped from my eye, this was it, the end I knew it. The old woman was real. She foresaw danger. I wanted to burst into tears but I knew I couldn’t…hope still lived, telling me it wasn’t as bad as I thought.
I watched the curtain for sometime, debating on whether or not I should pull them back, hoping that nothing would be there. Fat chance.
More shots rang out, and my body sort of jerked with each gun fire. My heart was already rapidly moving, the sound of it filled my ears. And then there were voices…shouting, yelling, screaming. A definite commotion was going on outside—something was clearly happening.
That darkness spread over the ship like black death, that shadow was real and not my imagination. And death, I was sure, would come. “with death comes life…” Ms. Reba’s voice whispered in my head.
I couldn’t exactly make out what was being yelled, but the gun shots—I knew what those were, I heard them before. From the times my dad took us on trips to the shooting range. My family… I thought, clawing at my aching stomach?
With a shaking hand out stretched, I began edging my way toward the window…I shouldn’t be doing this, I thought, I should be on the floor. Bullets flying recklessly—I could be hit.
The closer I inched toward the window, the harder my heart beat against my bones, rattling them down to my wobbly legs. I swallowed a hard dry breath—sweat drizzled down the sides of my face, the pits of my arms were moistening. I had to close my eyes and control my breathing before I got too excited. I wanted to avoid an attack.
As soon as my finger tips touched the soft curtains…
Fear etched itself in my heart as if it were a premonition of what lie behind the veil. I knew what was behind the veil, it was death celebrating the collection of souls that would be had. My soul.
More shots… They were close. If this window were open I would have probably felt the kickback from the shot-gun.
This was bad.
Voices…
Yelling…
My heart thudded, resounding in my ears, echoing in my brain, yanking at my nerves—fear surfaced…
I gripped a handful of curtain with my right hand, my left pressed against the wall for support. I swallowed hard one last time and slowly pulled the curtain back, just enough for me to peek out and get a clear view of what was going on.
At first the light blinded me, then the position changed and it shined down onto the water. And when that visual came into view, I fell back immediately landing hard on my butt—my breathing…
I couldn’t breathe…
The images, the sight of…I shook my head free of what I saw.
I couldn’t breathe…
I grasped for my waist purse…It wasn’t there. My lungs were closing in tight. My gasps were running out, very little air passed through. I clutched at my throat and rolled over onto my stomach, dragging myself to the bed, trying to get Ben’s attention.
I gripped the comforter and pulled as hard as my feeble arms allowed…I tugged and tugged and finally I couldn’t pull anymore and just let the weight of my body do the work.
It wasn’t me yanking on the comforter that finally woke him, it was the loud and close shot of a shotgun being fired, it stunned him awake.
He sat up, like a zombie, seeming confused, staring at the light showing through his window. Rubbing his eyes he looked over to his right and said, “Eva?” I tugged again and he saw me on the floor. I rolled over onto my back and stared wide eyed and blankly at the ceiling. I tried to focus on breathing, but the strain in my chest got the better of me…it felt as though my chest cavity would crack.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” he continued to repeat this as if he were responsible for my attack. I should have woken him when I first heard the shots, but instead I wanted to play detective. He scrambled in his pockets for an inhaler that wasn’t there, “shit…Where’s your fanny pack?” If I could breathe I probably would have laughed had this been a laughing occasion—it was the “fanny” in the pack. He lunged forward—over me and away, and then returned shaking the inhaler. Ben knelt beside me lifting my head with one hand behind my neck and he pushed down and pumped a puff of the aerosolized medicine into my mouth, and then again when the one pump didn’t help (it’s kind of hard to inhale when your lungs are inflamed and closed off).
It was the third pump that calmed me. I choked and coughed, patting my chest while I tried to sit up.
He wound me tightly in his arms and cradled my head, smoothing my hair over and over again, kissing the top of my head.
“You’re alright.” It was comforting until I remembered what caused the attack. I pumped again.
Mute, I pointed to the window where the light was shining through. Shots were still being fired, but my episode drowned them out.
He stood up, pushed the inhaler into my hand, “What’s going on?” Jumping as a loud bang sounded.
He gave me this confused look and turned his head walking over to the window. I swallowed my thick saliva and pushed myself onto my feet into a crouched position and hugged my knees.
“What the hell…” He continued to stare outside the window. There was another loud shot outside and Ben jum
ped back. He quickly turned from the window and pulled me all the way up onto my feet. “Come on… I gotta get you back to your room.” He threw a brown jacket over my shoulders and forced my arms inside—he gripped my hand and we were out the door.
“My fanny pack.” It was a quick thought, the shell was inside and if the old woman was right I would need it. He went inside and grabbed the purse. I fastened it around my waist, pushing my inhaler inside.
We passed the elevator and went through a door that led to a stair well. The lights in the hall flickered, off and on. A terrible sign.
Hysterical voices echoed inside the well. Then suddenly my legs were logs—heavy, and I nearly tripped down the stairs trying to move, my legs were locked in place. It was reality, it hit me like a bomb, and my mind couldn’t wrap around a sane calming thought, I didn’t know what I was doing or what to do period, so my body reacted and I couldn’t move, I froze. Ben scooped me up into his arms and carried me down three levels. Children cried, frantic voices yelled and echoed in the stairwell. The ship shifted and threw Ben off balance and we collided into a man against a wall.
“Sorry.” We continued to move.
“What did you see?” I needed to know that I seen what I really seen… I stared into his wild blue eyes. They were dark, his brow pressed down above them, casting an almost demented shadow. He wasn’t friendly about pushing past other guests—knocking people over with his elbow. He was a man on a mission, occasionally shouting for people to move.
“I don’t know exactly, pirates?” he nodded. “Can you walk?”
“They seemed different.” I said, not necessarily avoiding his question, my mind was stuck in his room. “I saw floating heads, they were cutting off heads.” Nauseated, I tried to hold it in. I tried, but I couldn’t and I vomited on Ben’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” I cried. I was ready to give up right then and there, ready to sit in a corner and just die.
“It’s okay.” He said, though he looked disgusted.
We made it to my room, the door swung open before we even knocked.
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