by Tim Mettey
**
I was busy getting ready to leave for the Council meeting when Genevieve knocked on my bedroom door. I hadn’t seen her since we discussed me going to the vault.
“Before you leave, I would like to talk to you for a minute, if that’s okay.”
“Of course, come on in.” I sat down on my bed and she walked over and sat next to me.
“Do you still have that coin I gave you?” she asked.
I reached into my pocket and retrieved it.
“Have you discovered its meaning?”
I looked down at the blank coin, still seeing nothing, and shook my head.
“Don’t worry, because I didn’t know what it meant either when it was given to me.” She reached out for the coin and I placed it in her hand.
She took the coin and showed me the edge. It never occurred to me to look on the side. It read “0.999% pure silver” in very tiny print, almost undistinguishable if you weren’t looking for it.
“The reason why the coin is blank on both sides is because it doesn’t matter what’s on the outside, it only matters what’s on the inside. The face of the coin is where you expect to find the decorations. But that is just for show. What it’s made of is what counts the most. I couldn’t think of anyone that represented what this coin means better than you. You are as pure as anyone could be on the inside: 0.999% pure.”
I just sat there. That was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to me.
“Genevieve, thank you so much, but I can’t keep it. It was given to you.”
She took my hand and put the coin back into it, covering my hands with hers.
“When my father gave it to me, I really didn’t understand what it meant. And up until I met you, I still didn’t know. You can obviously tell that from the way I treat people. But the way you are and how you treat others is inspiring. You are definitely the kind of person my dad was talking about when he told me the meaning of the coin. And I am happy knowing that I was carrying it all this time, just waiting to give it to you, a person who is truly deserving of it.”
Hearing that her dad gave it to her made me want to give it back even more.
“I can’t take this. Your dad gave this to you. Please, Genevieve, take it back. If my dad had given me something like this, it would have meant the world to me. I would never give it—”
“Nicholas,” she interrupted, “I think you know this by now, but you and your happiness mean everything to me. That’s the reason why you must keep it.”
I knew she had feelings for me, but all of this caught me off-guard. She got up and left my room. I was left sitting there, speechless. I knew how I felt about Elle, because that would never change, but the feelings I was having for Genevieve were unlike anything I had ever known before.
I wandered into Cora’s room with the silver coin still in my hand.
“Nicholas, I’m glad you came in. I need to tell you how to get into the Thusian Vault.”
I nodded my head, still speechless after my time with Genevieve.
“Once you are at the entrance, it takes 144 steps until you get to the door that leads down the stairs. When you get to about step 130, close your eyes and walk carefully. Open the door and then slowly open your eyes so you aren’t blinded.” She looked at me to make sure I was listening, and then she continued. “After you walk down the stairs, you go inside the copper room with all of the wheels on the right side. Remember each wheel has a series of letters going around the outside of it. It’s important to line up the knobs on each wheel exactly with the right letter to complete the combination. Did Beth or Joseph sing you a lullaby when you were little?” What a weird question.
“Yes, I think they did, but I can’t remember it.”
“Did it go like this? Go to sleep, my little one. Go to sleep, my little one. Close your eyes and rest your head. Dream sweet things while safe in bed,” Cora sang.
“They did sing that to me, almost every night.”
“That is the lullaby that most Thusians sing to their children. Start with the first wheel closest to the large metal door and work your way back to the entrance. The first letter of each of the words from the beginning of the lullaby is the combination to get in. Once you are finished, make sure you hold onto the last wheel until the door starts to click. After the clicking stops, a handle will appear. If you let go too soon, the room will flood, trapping you inside. The second part of the lullaby is used to get you out of the records room if you shut the door.”