by J. W. Lolite
I explored the streets for half an hour before deciding to check out the arcade. I didn’t have any change, but since it was Saturday, the place would be packed. I might be able to bum a few coins off some chump or watch a competition. Those could be pretty entertaining. It was amusing to watch the arcade dwellers get into fist fights over who had the best stats. Feeling energized by the prospect of a good time, I made my way to the arcade center.
It had been easier than I originally anticipated to get some spare coins. I’d like to think it was my reputation that helped me out, but I knew deep down that being the only girl in the room was the sole factor. It was a shame, my contributors soon found, that physically being a lady did not warrant lady-like behavior in the field of gaming. As I let out my latest steam of expletives and kicked the machine, I saw my last charitable admirer sprint for the door.
“No! Damn it!” I cursed, kicking the machine. “I’m so close! I just need one more!” I screamed, watching the countdown to failure start ticking. I scrambled for my bag, starting a desperate dig for anything that resembled a round, shiny object. There had to be at least one lost in here somewhere! My fingers grazed what felt like a slip of paper and I stopped. I barely even registered the “Game Over” as I pulled out the paper, a little pink note that read:
Go to the temple.
Love,
Lesia
Grumbling, I balled up the little note and chucked it into the nearest trash can. She must have slipped it in there while I was still asleep. Not that it matter how it got there. Nothing could make me go back to that crazy place. I did feel a little bad about telling my friends I would when I had no intentions of going, but they didn’t understand. No one could truly appreciate the madness that was Meissa without encountering it first-hand. After grabbing my bag, I exited the arcade and found a nearby bench to rest on.
I couldn’t understand it. It seemed like I was the only one in the whole town that had any idea of what was going on. All I really wanted was to find out more about my father and maybe learn a little something about myself on the way. My mind kept drifting back to the other night. I’d like to think this was just about me, but the more I thought about my attackers, the more I knew there was a bigger picture I was missing. Something big was happening, and my only leads were a drunk and a retirement home escapee. Sighing in frustration, I stood up and started walking again. I let my feet do the guiding, still encapsulated in my thoughts. I had no idea where I was heading, but I knew where I wasn’t.
This was unbelievable. There were only two destinations I was determined not to end up at, yet somehow, I managed to daydream walk right to one of them. I can’t believe I came back to this stupid temple. I even managed to find the stairs this time, too. As I ascended the last stair, I narrowed my eyes and set my jaw.
“Well, well,” Meissa’s arrogant voice rang out. “This is a surprise. I thought you could at least make it forty-eight hours.” She leaned the broom she was using to sweep the walkways against a nearby wall and smirked at me.
“What makes you think I’m here to see you?” I argued hotly. “I just went for a walk and ended up here.” At that, her lips stretched even wider.
“Is that so?” she questioned, turning away from me. She started walking down the path towards her home. I glowered at her back, fighting the urge to shout after her. As it turns out, there was no need. “What are you doing still standing there, silly girl? Unlike you, I don’t have all day to piss about.”
I could feel my blood pressure rise, and as I often found with this woman, I was caught between curiosity and murder. Swallowing my pride, I briskly took after her. All I could say was this better be worth it.
Chapter 13
Constellations
I followed Meissa with reluctant obedience. I honestly couldn’t say what brought me here in the first place, but since I made the trip, I figured I might as well see what fantasies the old crow had come up with this time. She entered her house, and I paused in the doorway, my eyes burning with the memory of what happened last time I was in this room.
“Are you going to come in or just stand out with the pigeons? Should I get something shiny?” she mocked. I gritted my teeth and stomped into the little hut.
I took a few steps past the threshold when my foot hit a sudden slope, and I stumbled to catch myself. Looking down in bewilderment, I saw I stepped into a wide hole. The wood flooring was completely shattered around it, and it even extended a few feet into the hard clay of the hill. It was as if a small crater had been created in the floor.
“A memento from the last time you were here,” Meissa said. “I haven’t had the chance to repair it, but since you’re here . . .”
“You mean I did this?” I asked in awe. I must have been more enraged than I thought.
“No need to be so impressed with yourself.”
“Well, I mean,” I began, looking at the hole again, “it’s enormous.”
“Tell me,” she said, sitting at the table in the center of the room, “did you come to hear what I have to say or to admire your handiwork?”
Tearing my eyes away from the “Ingrid Crater,” I glared at her before moving to the chair on the opposite side of the table. Plopping down in the seat, I gave her the most unpleasant look I could think of. She raised an eyebrow and puffed on her cigarette. She must have retrieved one while I was occupied.
“You’ll never get a boyfriend if you keep making faces like that,” she commented. I bit back the retort that was dancing on my tongue. The more I argued with her, the longer this would take. I wanted to be done with this place as quickly as possible. Seeing I wasn’t going to feed her anymore material, she started, “Now, where did we leave off?”
“You just assaulted me with a strobe-light-rock-thing,” I spat out.
“Oh, yes,” she said, amusement glinting her eyes. “Do you remember what I told you about the five keystones and the warriors?”
“You said each of the warriors was given a statue to guard,” I recalled. “That each one had been passed down in their families.”
“Correct. Perhaps this won’t take as long as I anticipated.”
“Perhaps I’m not as dim as you think I am,” I shot at her.
“On the contrary, Ingrid, I believe you to be quite sharp,” she retorted. “If only with your tongue and nothing else.”
I watched her smoke her cigarette, not quite sure if that was a compliment or some back-handed insult. It was almost weird to think of it as the first. I’ll admit, I’d done my share of trash talking while at school, but this woman was something else. She was a fine one to talk about having a sharp mouth.
“That rock I ‘assaulted’ you with wasn’t just some fancy trinket. When Ourania made the keystones, there were some pieces of the meteorite left over. That was one of scrap pieces,” she explained.
“So, you mean to tell me,” I said, skepticism setting in, “that was some kind of ancient space rock that your family has kept for –”
“Over twenty-two hundred years,” she finished. “Yes, it has been in our possession for as long as the Orion Stone.”
“But if you had the key, then what was the point in keeping some leftovers?” I asked, wondering where all this was going. It was unreal. When I was away from this place, it was so easy to convince myself that everything this woman said was just a bunch of bulk, but when I was sitting in front of her, I couldn’t help but want to go along with it. I’d spent the last six years learning to accept the harsh reality that was my life, and now that reality was being broken down. No matter how hard I tried to rationalize all that I witnessed, there was a small part of me that refused to cooperate – a part of me that so desperately wanted to believe.
“While the stones are the most important objects passed down, that jagged piece is quite special. You see, each of the keystones has a connection to the individual bloodline that was chosen to protect it, but that piece has none.”
“What does that mean?”
&nb
sp; “It means,” she stressed, “that the shard can react to any one of warriors.”
“So why did it glow when I grabbed it?” I asked, my patience threading.
“Why do you think?” That unbearable smirk was back.
“‘Cause it thinks I’m one of those Ankida things. It tried to attack me,” I accused, remembering the bright light that shot out and temporarily blinded me.
“An interesting theory,” she responded, “but incorrect. The stones do not lash out and attack anyone, Ankida or otherwise. You’ll have to try harder. I suppose that mouth is the quickest talent you possess,” she teased.
I pushed down the annoyance that was rising in me and focused on puzzling together my connection the meteorite. If it wasn’t because of the Ankida, then there was really only one other possibility. The small, fantastical part of me pulsed with excitement.
“You think I’m a descendant of one of those warriors?”
“I know you are,” she said smugly.
“But there’s just no way – ”
“Did you speak with your aunt?”
“I asked her about my father,” I told her, my mind whirling. “And she said he came looking for something. It was something that had been lost, and they had to learn to fight.”
“The keystone,” Meissa said as if it was the obvious thing in the world.
“You don’t know that! It could be – ”
“Impertinent and obstinate,” she cut me off again. “Definitely someone I know. Must be my punishment,” she muttered, taking a deep drag from her cigarette. “Orion, Cygnus, Hydra, Leo, and Therion.”
“Huh?”
“Those are the five keystones.”
“The five keystones,” I repeated. The names danced through my mind, some having a familiar ring to them. I wracked my brain and had a vague recollection of what Lesia said about Orion being a constellation. I’d heard of some of the names, but one in particular I couldn’t place. The more I dwelled on the name, the more a certain question kept popping up.
“So,” I started slowly, “which one is mine?”
Meissa smiled around the cigarette. “Therion, absolutely.” Her smile grew wider. “The beast.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. Through my teeth, I gritted out, “Never heard of it.” Honestly, even when I bought into this woman’s tales, she still managed to insult me.
“Ah, well, the name has been changed. Now they like to call it Lupus,” she sneered.
“Like a wolf? I like that better,” I said.
“Call it what you will,” she said, flicking her hand at me. “It’s still the same.”
“I’m still not sure I believe any of this,” I said, speaking my mind. “This is just way too incredible.” I looked over to see what her reaction would be. She didn’t say anything for a few seconds, studying me with her intense eyes.
“I’ll tell you what,” she propositioned, “providing you don’t put another hole in my floor, come back tomorrow. I’ll prove you are the Therion warrior’s descendant and,” she paused, “I’ll teach you how to fight.”
“What if I’m not the descendant?” I queried with a smirk of my own. “You’ll be wrong.”
“Trust me, silly girl, I’m never wrong,” she said with complete confidence. “If you’re still stubborn enough to deny what’s in front of you than think of it this way; at least you’ll get some useful self defense tips.”
“All right. I’ll take you up on the offer,” I agreed, standing up and gathering my things.
“Good.”
Avoiding the hole in the floor, I made my way to the door. I just passed through the threshold when Meissa’s voice called out behind me.
“I’m glad you remembered where the stairs are!”
Rolling my eyes, I continued on. There was so much for me the think about; I didn’t want to waste the effort getting worked up over that hag. I couldn’t deny as I walked home there was something that made my whole body feel lighter. That small part of me that reveled in the impossible radiated with intrigue and grew a little larger.
Chapter 14
Inertia
My stomach knotted with anticipation and a hint of nervousness as I ascended the final steps to the summit of the hill that housed the temple. Normally when my friends were busy during the weekend, I spent my days struggling to waste time. Recently, I’d found the task to be even more daunting because I refused to acknowledge Aunt Kaline. It was a nice change to have something to look forward to. I reached the top and found that, unlike last time, Meissa wasn’t anywhere in sight. I decided to wait and see if she would come greet me. I should have known better. It only took a few short minutes and my patience was worn to a thread. A person of action: that was me.
I made my way over to the building that I had come to know as Meissa’s house. I was about to make my presence known by inviting myself in when the sound of a deep voice caught my attention. Managing to creep closer to the closed door, I leaned forwards and began to listen. If you didn’t want people eavesdropping, you shouldn’t speak up so much.
“You are making a mistake, Meissa. That girl is nothing but trouble!”
“That is for me to decide,” replied a voice I immediately recognized as Meissa’s.
“Her very presence is a danger to us all! Didn’t you hear what Ka – ”
“Yes, I heard what she said. My ears haven’t begun to fail me, yet!” Meissa snapped. “She is mistaken. The time is upon us, and in case you haven’t noticed, we don’t have the numbers to pick and choose!”
“You can’t let regrets from the past cloud your judgment! That girl is different!”
“I assure you, Rigel, my judgment is as clear as ever,” Meissa’s frigid voice informed him. “You would do well not to question it.”
“There must be someone else.”
“There is no one. Now get out. I’ve made my decision. I’m not going to bicker about this any further.”
I had time to just scramble away before the door violently thrust open. A man with the same graying hair as Meissa strode past me. He didn’t even so much as glance at me with his now furious ebony eyes. I watched after him for a few moments as he stormed his way into another of the small buildings.
“Ignore him. He’s been in a pissy mood since the keystone was stolen.” I turned to see Meissa in the doorway. “He’s supposed to be searching for any clues to the locations of the other stones, while I find talented individuals.”
“Sounds to me like he wants to be in charge of human resources, too,” I noted with a hint of bitterness. If the guy had a problem with me, he needed to come tell me to my face.
“Then he should have made a better effort to beat me out of the womb,” Meissa bit out. “Come,” she commanded while stepping down from the porch and following one of the paths.
I caught up to her and asked, “Where are we going?”
“I told you I would prove you are the Therion descendant, didn’t I?”
I followed after her wondering how exactly she was going to do that. Did she have some type of blood test kit stored away somewhere or something? That seemed a little too technological from what I’d seen so far. Maybe she had five objects laying around, and I would have to pick which one belonged to the The – I mean Lupus warrior. That would be kind of cool, but I wasn’t sure it fit with Meissa’s M.O. Knowing her, it was probably another weird-ass stone trick.
Meissa stopped, and I had to balance on my toes to keep from crashing into her. I looked up and noticed we arrived at the large dirt field that was set off to the side of the temple grounds. It was actually much larger than I thought it was from a distance, and standing right in the middle of it –
“What is she doing here?”
Ignoring Kaira’s not so warm welcome, I smiled and waved to my two favorite saviors. The gesture was a wasted effort, however, as Kaira looked totally offended by my presence and Markus just looked confused. I didn’t let it phase me, though, and Meissa and I walked up to the pair.<
br />
“She’s here because I asked her to be,” Meissa replied in a tone that left no question as to who was in charge here. “Like I also asked the two of you. I want all three of you to go to the end of the field.”
“Why?” I couldn’t help but ask. Boy, was I off with my predictions.
“Because,” Meissa answered, her eyes glinting, “you are going to race. Once to the end of the field and back.”
“Wait, what? What the hell is racing going to do?” I asked, flabbergasted. I glanced at Kaira’s long, toned legs and Markus’s fit physique. What was the point of this? There was no way I would even stand a chance against these two. “Why should I do this?”
“Because I told you to,” Meissa hissed back.
“What’s the matter? Don’t think you can keep up?” Kaira sneered. “I have no problem with it. You should just leave if you’re too scared.” She turned and started walking to the edge of the field. Markus didn’t say anything and just shook his head and followed. I growled and was about to yell something nasty her way when Meissa looked at me.
“Just do it, Ingrid, and don’t worry,” she assured me in what had to be the most unassuring way possible. “If you have any trouble, just think of your legs as your mouth and there’s no way you can lose.”
I sent a half-hearted glare her way before walking to the edge of the field. I still felt pretty doubtful about the whole thing. I wondered if this was some effort to embarrass me into never questioning her again. When I made it to the end, Markus and Kaira adopted positions similar to that of a runner on a track team. I had never partaken in such events myself, but I’d seen enough T.V. to get a general idea of how it went. Crouching next to Kaira, I set my legs into position.
“Don’t think because Master Meissa invited you here I’m going to take it easy on you,” Kaira whispered, scorn dripping on every word. “I’ll never lose to someone like you, Ankida.”