FIERY ILLUSIONS (Keeper of the Emerald Book 2)

by B. C. Harris

  WISDOM: Welcome Comic Man.

  I’m curious about my code name so I begin to type.

  GLOW: Why am I called Glow?

  COMIC MAN: Think emerald.

  Oh, I say to myself. He must be referring to the glow that sometimes comes from my emerald.

  WISDOM: We need to talk about our current mission. After school, I talked to Hunk and Drama about everything that has happened over the past week or so. They now understand that our current mission is to learn more about the New Messiah. Our first step in doing this is to locate Glow’s aunt to see if she can help us to learn more about him. We also need to protect Glow from the tall woman who we have decided to call the Stalker.

  COMIC MAN: Exactly. Glow, we need you to give each of us a job.

  I type.

  GLOW: I’ve already already talked to Wisdom and Comic Man about finding my aunt so it makes sense that they continue doing this.

  WISDOM: Comic Man and I are ready to get started.

  GLOW: Terrific. Drama and Hunk, I need you to keep your eyes open for the tall woman, the Stalker, with short black hair who has been following me. At school, it would probably be best if you stayed away from me so that you can look for anyone who might be following me.

  There’s a pause before there’s any reply.

  HUNK: Ok.

  WISDOM: It’s important that we don’t appear together as a group at school or in the community. This chat room gives us a secret way to communicate with each other.

  COMIC MAN: We have to assume that Glow’s life may be in danger.

  WISDOM: Time to get to work.

  COMIC MAN: I’m ready.

  WISDOM has exited.

  HUNK: Good night Glow. Drama and I will let you know if we see the Stalker.

  GLOW: Thanks.

  - 18 -

  SANTTONNICE

  At 10:25 p.m., I’m glued to my basement television. With everything that’s been happening in Rome, it’s hard to believe that Christmas is less than a week away.

  My mother is not home from work yet. My homework is completed. I haven’t heard anything further from any of my friends.

  One of the TV stations is showing early morning views of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. A camera pans an energized crowd that is crackling like a bag of popcorn spinning in a microwave.

  The announcer continues, “It is estimated that there are more than two-hundred thousand people surrounding the Vatican.

  There are fists waving in the air. There are people pushing against each other.

  The view turns to an army of bulldozers and other assorted heavy construction equipment that is inching through the restless crowd towards St. Peter’s.

  The few hundred guards protecting the historical church will have no chance to stop the impending onslaught.

  “The presence of the construction equipment suggests that a well-orchestrated plan might be unfolding,” the announcer continues.

  I hear a beep on my computer monitor.

  WISDOM has entered.

  It’s Jamie. He’s in our chat room

  WISDOM: Just heard one news analyst who says an attack on St. Peter’s is imminent. The New Messiah is about to unleash his terror.

  I begin to type a response to Jamie as the announcer says, “The sun is now rising. Will something unexpected happen when its rays hit the entrance to the Colosseum?”

  The view on my TV screen returns to a shot of the Colosseum entrance. There must be more than a million people crammed into every nook and cranny surrounding the Colosseum. Candles and cell phones, being used as flashlights, are casting a ghostly flickering light on the walls of the ancient wonder.

  GLOW: I can’t believe how many followers he now has. Are people really like a flock of sheep? Can’t any of them see that the New Messiah is evil?

  The TV screen shows a beam of sun inching across the massive crowd as it travels directly towards the Colosseum entrance.

  WISDOM: Unfortunately many people are swayed more by appearances than by the truth.

  “There’s a movement near the podium,” the announcer says. The crowd goes hysterical as several burly men appear on the sides and in front of the podium. A close up of the men is shown. They are all carrying guns.

  WISDOM: Automatic assault rifles. These guys mean business.

  At the moment the light from the rising sun reaches the podium, there’s a blinding flash.

  As the brilliant light fades away, the New Messiah is standing at the podium like an illusionist who has come out of nowhere.

  The crowd goes wild. A wide range of camera shots show many weeping. Other people in the crowd have fallen to their knees in worship, while others are raising their hands upwards as though they are reaching to God. The only common thread throughout the endless sea of humanity is a look of stupor. It’s almost as if they have fallen under the spell of the troubling man at the podium.

  I shudder as I remember him attacking me in the fire at my mother’s work last year. He grins at the massive crowd in the same manner as he did to me when he gripped my neck in the fire. Can’t these throngs of people see that he’s about to cause great destruction and violence?

  The TV screen splits between what’s happening at the Colosseum and what’s happening at the Vatican. The difference between the two crowds is unbelievable. While the Colosseum throng is enshrouded in reverence, the mob at the Vatican appears to be enraged.

  WISDOM: St. Peter’s is about to fall. This is the beginning of a war that will leave every corner of our planet smoldering.

  The man on the podium holds his hands upwards as though he’s asking the crowd to be quiet. Almost instantly the huge crowd falls silent. A camera shot of the throng at St. Peter’s shows that they have fallen silent as well.

  “My name is Santtonnice. I have come to bring peace to your world.”

  Thousands and thousands of people begin to cheer their new god.

  “I bring love.”

  The cheering increases.

  “I bring hope.”

  “Yes. Yes,” voices are chanting throughout the hysterical audience.

  “I come to break the chains of religion that have made you captives. I will set you free.”

  At the very moment that these words leave his mouth, a view on the TV of the crowd outside St. Peter’s shows the beginning of their attack.

  Gunfire explodes everywhere. The crowd moves forward like a massive swarm of ants.

  The Swiss Guard, Italian army and the police have no chance in fighting back. They are quickly massacred by the crowd that surges towards St. Peter’s.

  As the angry mob reaches the massive church, an army of bulldozers smash their way behind them towards the walls of the famed structure.

  “My religion will be for all people. It will not cater to the priests and ministers of an old religion that was more interested in your money than your faith,” Santtonnice announces with confidence. “This great Colosseum reflects several religions of the past. This was a structure that was built with riches from the Jewish Temple that was destroyed in 70 AD by Titus. Many centuries later, this massive structure was stripped of its marble and glorious statues to help build St. Peter’s. The Colosseum was built from the treasures of one religion and destroyed by another. Such is the way of your religious leaders. There is no harmony. There is no peace. I will end wars. I will bring peace.”

  A shot of St. Peter’s shows a rampage that is beginning to demolish the great home of the Catholic Church.

  As the view returns back to the Colosseum, a burst of light explodes at the entrance where Santtonnice had been standing.

  The light is blinding, even on TV.

  When if finally subsides, Santtonnice is gone.

  WISDOM: Catch his name? Santtonnice. Is this a word play that could read “Satan is nice”?

  There’s a movement on one of the monitors in front of me. The garage door is opening. It’s my mother. Was she listening to what was happening in Rome?

  - 19 -
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  REBIRTH OF THE COLOSSEUM

  History class this morning is far more exciting than usual. After all, here we are learning about the Colosseum at the very moment when it’s reemerging in the eyes of the world.

  Before coming to school, I learned that the marble was already being stripped from the walls of St. Peter’s and being brought back to the Colosseum where this ancient wonder of the world is about to be resurrected to its former glory.

  “In 217 AD, the Colosseum was badly damaged by a fire that was reported to have been caused by lightning,” Mr. Kraviak reads from the screen at the front of the room. No one in my class seems to be bothered by his droning monotone today. Something huge is happening in our world, and the Colosseum is playing a prominent role in whatever it is.

  As I listen intently to Mr. Kraviak, I wonder if there’s a clue in the past history of the Colosseum that might help to explain what’s happening in the present.

  “Almost fifteen years passed before it was repaired. Then in 443 AD, a major earthquake caused further damage to the Colosseum. It would appear that the arena was still in use until the 6th century. During the 6th century a small church was built inside the Colosseum. Next, the arena was converted into a cemetery.”

  Church? Cemetery? Is there some significance in this? Is this why Santtonnice has chosen the Colosseum as his home?

  “Around 1200, the Frangipani family took possession of the Colosseum and fortified it as a castle. In 1349 another great earthquake caused the outer wall to collapse. A religious order moved into the Colosseum during the mid-14th century. In 1506 the construction of the present day St. Peter’s began across the Tiber River. The Colosseum, once covered in beautiful white marble, was stripped of this valuable rock so that it could be used in the building of St. Peter’s. In 1749, it is said that Pope Benedict XIV declared that the remaining skeleton of the Colosseum was to be considered a sacred site because early Christians had been martyred here, although there is some controversy as to whether Benedict did this or not.”

  Mr. Kraviak has confirmed some of the things that were said by Santtonnice in the TV broadcast last night.

  I remember last week Mr. Kraviak talked about the riches the Romans took when they destroyed the Jewish temple in 70 AD. This stolen wealth was used to help finance the building of the Colosseum. While Santtonnice’s historical facts might be correct, his promise of peace were certainly not. Rome has now turned into the site of great atrocities with the New Messiah’s followers openly slaughtering anyone who does not support him.

  Rome is in chaos. The UN and many world leaders are asking for a peaceful solution to the crisis. Many church leaders are outraged. St. Peter’s is considered to be one of the holiest Christian shrines. It was built on the site of St. Peter’s tomb, a disciple of Jesus. The words of Jesus in the Bible are, “On this rock I will build my church.” Peter was known as the rock. St. Peter’s has now been desecrated. Even some leaders from churches that are not Catholic are incensed.

  The world is embroiled in a great debate as to whether Santtonnice could possibly be the Messiah, the Son of God. Adding fuel to this debate are those who believe we have entered the last times as predicted in the book of Revelation in the Bible. Is the world coming to a violent end?

  I’m the one person, as hard as it is for me to believe, who might actually understand what is happening. Santtonnice is an alien. He’s pretending to be a human. I’m sure that his ultimate goal is to take my emerald and become the sole ruler of my planet. I might be the only person who can stop him. I shudder with fear as I consider what appears to be an impossible task.

  As we near the end of class, my cell phone vibrates in my sweater pocket. Several students turn towards me as if to say, “You’re not supposed to have a cell phone in class.”

  Mr. Kraviak stumbles in his constant rambling.

  “Mr. Kraviak,” I abruptly interrupt his teaching, “I have to go to the washroom.”

  Before he can reply, I’m almost out of the room.

  Once I’m safely in the hallway, an area that is ominously devoid of any other students this morning, I take my cell phone from my pocket.

  I have a text message from Jasmin.

  I was on my way to the washroom when I noticed a tall woman with short, black hair standing outside your classroom. When she saw me, she rushed away. I’m following her.

  I reply back to Jasmin.

  Where are you?

  There’s no reply.

  My mind races through the options that face me. If Jasmin is following this woman who is capable of murder, her life is in danger.

  What if Jasmin is captured? What if the woman kills her? Should I call the police?

  I had previously told myself that I would never use my emerald in a public place, especially not at school, but this is a crisis.

  Holding the emerald in front of me, I gaze intently into it. My mind concentrates on finding Jasmin. Once I locate her, I can decide what I should do next.

  My mind goes blank as I concentrate. Where is she? She doesn’t appear in my emerald.

  A clamoring bell shatters my concentration. As my mind comes back to reality, I notice the hallway is filling with students, some of them looking at me as though I’m crazy. Did they see me staring intently into my emerald?

  I duck into a washroom. I start firing off texts.

  Jamie, bring my books. Meet me in the foyer outside the cafeteria doors. Bring Michael with you.

  Drew, get Jasmin’s books. Meet me in the foyer outside the cafeteria doors.

  I hope that each of my friends who I have texted have their cell phones in their pockets. I’m pretty sure that Jamie and Michael both realize that something must be happening after I never returned back to my history class. Similarly, Drew was in Jasmin’s class last period. He must have wondered what happened to her.

  My phone vibrates.

  It’s Jamie.

  Where are you? Are you okay?

  Before I respond, I see Drew rushing through a mob of students as though he’s looking for Jasmin. He’s carrying her books.

  “Drew,” I shout. He sees me and turns in my direction.

  While he’s still several steps away he says, “Jasmin is missing. She left class to go the washroom, but never returned.”

  Drew hasn’t seen my text message.

  “I know,” I reply. “She texted me. Jasmin discovered the Stalker in the hallway. She followed her outside the school. I can’t make contact with her.”

  Before Drew can reply, Jamie and Michael arrive.

  “Jasmin discovered the Stalker and followed her outside the school,” I say frantically to Jamie and Michael.

  “Do you know which way she went?” Michael asks.

  “No,” I reply. “I tried to use my emerald to locate her, but it doesn’t seem to be working. It’s almost as if she’s vanished.”

  “Let’s get outside where we can discuss a plan,” Jamie says urgently.

  We follow him through the front doors.

  It’s another mild December day.

  Pausing on the steps leading into our school, Drew pulls out his cell phone.

  “I have several messages,” he says as he places an armful of books on one of the stairs.

  Before Drew is able to tell us what the text messages say, I hear my name being called by a voice that I don’t want to hear right now.

  “Emily. Emily, come with me immediately.” It’s Ms. Cathbert.

  I turn to face her. I notice that Mr. Kraviak is standing beside her. He must have told her that my cell phone vibrated in class. I’m not sure why he would do that unless he was somehow trying to redeem himself in her eyes for the previous problem with Susan in his class.

  I freeze.

  “Go with her,” Jamie whispers. “We’ll look for Jasmin.”

  I hesitate. I can already visualize Ms. Cathbert calling my mother and telling her that I used my cellphone in class, after it was my mother who had firmly told the vice-principal
that students shouldn’t be permitted to use cell phones in our school. Ms. Cathbert would love to be able to humiliate my mother. In addition, I would lose time in trying to find Jasmin. Even worse, I suspect Ms. Cathbert would take my cell phone. If she read the message I got from Jasmin, there would be a lot of questions that I don’t want to be answering.

  “Hold my hands,” I say to my friends in a manner that suggests I’m not giving them a choice.

  “Emily, come here right now,” Ms. Cathbert states again as though I’m a two year-old. She continues to walk angrily towards me.

  As my friends group around me, I turn my back to Ms. Cathbert. I stare into my emerald and whisper, “Sandarium, my history class.”

  Suddenly my friends and I are back in my history class. Their faces reflect their surprise. Fortunately the room is empty.

  “Cool,” Michael says. “Can you imagine the look on Ms. Cathbert’s face when we disappeared in front of her?”

  “You’ve got to get out of here,” I say as I hand my cell phone to Drew. “Hide it for me Drew. I will deal with Ms. Cathbert.”

  “Go,” I say. “I’ll meet you in the cafeteria.”

  My friends begin to leave. I snatch my books from Jamie.

  Exiting the room, I purposely turn directly towards the main office, hoping I’ll run into Ms. Cathbert.

  A few steps later, a furious vice-principal turns a corner in the hallway. Once she spots me, she rushes directly at me. Mr. Kraviak is a few steps behind her.

  “What are you doing young lady?” Ms. Cathbert shouts before she reaches me.

  “What do you mean?” I ask.

  “Don’t play games with me,” she angrily replies. “Mr. Kraviak told me you used your cell phone in his class. You of all people should know it’s not permitted unless the teacher gives you permission to use it to conduct research. And how did you get back into the school when you were just standing outside on the front steps? Give me your phone.”

  “I don’t have my phone with me,” I strongly respond.

  Ms. Cathbert glares at me as though she’s trying to decide how to proceed.