by Orts, Teresa
Lined under the eaves and set parallel to the side wall, there were seven stone coffins.
“It’s the third one,” I exclaimed, letting go of Nate’s arm and rushing to it. I recognized it immediately from the Internet.
I squatted down to examine it closely and noticed there was a tree carved into the side.
“This must be the oak tree of Gienne,” I murmured as I ran my finger along the engraving.
I glanced back at Nate to observe his reaction, but he was looking right over me. “Come here, Sophie.” He sounded bewildered.
I looked over the coffin to find Preston pointing a gun at us.
“Come over here slowly,” Nate repeated without moving his gaze from Preston.
I stepped back little by little, and as soon as I was by Nate’s side, he guarded me behind his back.
“So sweet! You guys are going to make me puke,” Preston said.
He was wearing a tuxedo—his hair combed back for the occasion.“Move over here where I can see you.” Preston waved the gun toward the edge of the eaves, away from the coffins.
“Why are you here? What do you want from us?” Nate said angrily.
“Looking good, man! You certainly look as scary as I expected.” Preston’s mouth lifted into a smirk.
“What do you want from us?” Nate stressed each of the words; Preston had tried his patience.
“What do you want from us? What do you want from us?” Preston said mockingly. “You’re boring me with your questions.”
“Let her go. This is between you and me, isn’t it?” Nate stepped slightly to the right, making sure I was hidden behind him.
“She’s not going anywhere,” Preston announced coldly, making it clear Nate wasn’t going to be able to negotiate my release.
Raindrops trickled down my back.
“How did you know we were here?” Nate didn’t seem to fear Preston, even with the gun.
My teeth chattered uncontrollably. My back was getting soaked and the wind was freezing.
“I’m impressed by her. You made it this far on your own.”
Lightning struck in the far distance. Then seconds later, thunder reverberated all around.
“What do you want from us?” Nate repeated, ignoring Preston’s comments.
“Well, since Sophie might not make it past tonight, I feel I ought to at least tell her she’s smarter than I thought.”
As soon as Preston said that, Nate took one step back and tightened his grip on my waist.
“You hide behind him now. You might not do that later.” Preston smiled at me. “Sophie, step away from him. I want to be able to see you both.”
“Stay behind me, Sophie,” Nate ordered.
Preston raised the gun higher, aiming at Nate’s head. “Would you?”
Against Nate’s will, I stepped to the side so Preston could see me.
“I have a question for you. Why did you bring her here when you knew what the quatrains said? You selfish bastard!” Preston rolled his eyes at Nate.
Nate glanced at me, confused.
Preston laughed humorlessly. “She didn’t tell you, did she?”
“The body without soul no longer to be sacrificed: Day of death put for birthday.” Preston recited the quatrain as though he was reading a love poem.
“Hint for you, idiot! Her birthday is in…” Preston moved the gun away from us for a second to check his watch. “Seventeen minutes.”
I looked down at my feet, unable to look at Nate. Now he obviously knew I’d omitted a quatrain. If he’d known, he would’ve never let us come together. I knew my presence here was vital to save Nate and not for a minute did I regret my decision. We were in this together, until the end.
“How did you know we were here?” I insisted, frustrated.
“You did really well, Sophie. You made it to the end right on time.” Preston congratulated me as if we were contestants on a TV show and I’d won the biggest prize. “But I’m a bit disappointed. You missed an important piece of the puzzle. When you were researching the prophecy, the obelisks, the crabs, didn’t you see a similarity between Nate and our grandfather? The doctors thought he was losing his mind, but he knew exactly what was happening. He knew he was turning into something similar to that.” Preston waved the gun at Nate in disdain.
“He knew that as time went by, he was losing more control over his actions, and as the prophecy says, he would eventually be unable to stop himself from killing the love of his life. That would be our grandmother, and it would happen on the day of her birthday. Once this happened, he would transform and he would acquire the power of the forebears of the curse. His humanity would be lost—some would say his soul, but I think that’s a harsh word—but he would obtain immense power to control and manipulate the will of millions. Our grandfather knew there was nothing he could do to stop the prophecy from coming true.”
Preston moved his gaze to my wrist. “He knew the Syenite stone would protect our grandmother, but he also knew it would end up killing him. It was unavoidable. And what did the coward do? It’s despicable.”
“How do you know all this?” Nate asked, confused.
There was not a trace of Nate’s appearance left of him; even his voice was starting to sound different.
“The curse is carried in the bloodline. It’s inherited by the youngest in the bloodline when the older dies. The curse can never be broken. Our grandfather wrote it down for me in a journal he placed in a bank safe deposit box. His will only allowed me to open it several years later. I guess he was trying to protect me.”
The thunderclaps became stronger as the eye of the storm moved over New York City.
“However, he made two mistakes. The first one: When he died, he didn’t know Nate’s mother was two weeks pregnant, and so the successor to the curse wasn’t me, but Nate. The second mistake: he assumed I would do the right thing.”
“You’re going to go to hell! When I get my hands on you, you’re going to regret it!” Nate threatened Preston, enraged.
“Funny you say that. Soon, you’ll be the one who doesn’t have a soul. If there’s anyone who’s going to hell, we all know who that’s going to be.” Preston spoke proudly as if he’d pulled off the joke of the night.
“What’s in this for you?” Nate said defiantly. “If what you say is true, and I were to die, the curse would move to our thirteen-year-old cousin, Cameron.”
“You’re wasting your time here, you see?” I managed to say.
“There’s another way to get the curse, and that’s by killing the monster after he fully transforms.” Preston held the gun with both hands tightly. “But you need to go through the full transformation, and for that, we need you, Sophie.”
“If you touch her, I’m going to kill you!” Nate shouted.
“Indeed, you’ll be killing someone tonight, but it won’t be me.” Preston chuckled. “I’ve been waiting for this night for many years to get back what’s rightfully mine.”
“And why would you want the damned curse?” I yelled at him.
“Do you know the first date set in the future from the Nostradamus quatrains, the ones engraved in the Great Seventh pyramid? ‘The year of the great seventh number accomplished.’ That’ll be November 4th next year.” Preston smiled proudly.
“What’s that date?” Nate said, confused.
“The day of the senate elections,” I said out loud. “He’s planning to—”
“Lead this country to its rightful place in the world.” Preston finished my line. “And I won’t let anyone ruin it. After I’m blessed with the curse, or shall I say gift? I’ll win the nomination for the next presidency.”
“We’re going to do whatever it takes to stop you.” I’d had enough of Preston.
“What would you know?” Preston looked at me with disdain. “So let me fill you in… This is how it’s going to work. ‘Ammateus, marked by the legend of Orion, will suffocate with his own hands the life that guides him.’ That’ll be you, Nate. When y
ou fully transform, you’ll kill your beautiful lady and began the prophecy. You have an important role here, Sophie, you see?”
Preston continued. “‘Only the divine stone found where heaven meets earth will save her.’ If you keep the bracelet, you’ll save yourself, but kill Nate. You see how romantic? Like Romeo and Juliet!”
Inside, I was empty because I realized no matter what happened, we’d lost.
Nate glanced at me for a second. His eyes were asking for forgiveness. He could probably sense that my mind was reeling out of control.
How could I have missed the connections? Cleopatra and Mark Antony committed suicide the day before Cleopatra’s birthday. Cleopatra had obviously built the Caesareum to protect herself and Mark Antony. They must have reached the same point as Nate and me at this moment, with Augustus descending upon them. Cleopatra must have left the warnings on the crabs for their children. But was suicide the only option?
It was too late for theories about Cleopatra now. I had to find a way out of this for Nate.
“What about ‘Beneath the oak tree of Gienne, struck by lightning, the treasure is hidden not far from there?’” I tried to buy us some time.
“Nice try. No one’s ever deciphered what that means.”
“I’ll do anything you want. Just let her go,” Nate begged.
Preston shook his head from side to side. “You know that’s not going to happen. I need you both here.”
The garden seemed to be flooding from the rain. Streams of water were flowing under the eaves.
Nate begged one more time. “Please, let her go. I’ll do whatever you tell me.”
“I don’t think so. We’re going to have some fun, right, Sophie?” A spur of a smile appeared on Preston’s lips.
Nate took a step toward Preston with his fist raised up in the air. “Enough!”
He moved the gun over to me. “Stay where you are, or I’ll shoot her. And you know I will.” Preston checked his watch. “Anyway, my only purpose here is to make sure you take off that bracelet and let the prophecy take its course. So enough with the talking. Let’s get down to business. We’re running out of time.”
Looking at me, he ordered, “Take it off!”
Nate’s arms and chest seemed to have expanded. The seams in his shirt were bursting. He was gasping as if he were going to run out of breath.
“Don’t do it!” Panic had taken hold of Nate.
“Take it off!” Preston shouted. His voice echoed under the eaves.
“Listen to me, Sophie. Do not take it off. Don’t listen to him.” Nate’s eyes fixed on Preston, trying to anticipate his next move. “Everything’s going to be okay. No matter what he says, don’t take it off. He needs us both alive for the prophecy to happen, so he’s not going to shoot us.”
“You guys are exhausting my patience, and believe me, you don’t want to do that.” Preston shifted the gun again from me to Nate.
“Take it off or I swear I’ll shoot your… boyfriend.” Preston dragged the last word out with irony.
I was shaking. I clenched the bracelet tight with my hand. I had to do it. I knew Preston was going to shoot Nate if I didn’t take it off.
Nate looked at me. “Listen to me. He won’t shoot me! Don’t do it!”
The click of Preston arming the gun was clear over the pattering rain. I couldn’t tell if Nate was telling me the truth. I feared Nate knew Preston would shoot him, but he would do whatever it took to save me.
Preston fired a shot.
My heart hammered inside my chest. “Nate!”
I looked over, but Nate was still standing next to me, intact. Preston had fired a shot at the ground behind him.
“He’s just trying to scare you. He won’t do it,” Nate said quickly.
“If I have to shoot Nate, I can always go through this all again with Cameron, Sophie. I bet his girlfriend doesn’t know about the stone.”
Preston pointed the gun at Nate’s head. “Sophie, I won’t waste another bullet. I’m going to count down from three. This is your final call. Make up your mind. Three.” The rage in his eyes told me he wasn’t bluffing. He was going to shoot him. “Two.”
With shaking hands, I started to take off my bracelet.
“Stop it! Please! Sophie, look at me!” Nate begged in agony.
“Good girl. Throw it over here.” Preston nodded.
As he instructed, I hurled the bracelet over to him. Then he checked his watch. “Nice timing—five, four, three, two, one. Happy birthday! Let the party begin.”
I glanced at Nate, and the grimace on his face made my heart sink. The three of us stood still, looking at each other for a few seconds, and nothing happened. The silence made me more aware of the drumming rain. Lightning flashed and thunder simultaneously roared in the sky. It illuminated the building for a moment, then cast it back into shadow.
My hopes began to build.
Then it all started.
Nate’s body started sputtering as if he’d been struck by the lightning. His head bobbed from side to side. He couldn’t control his body anymore. His arms and legs started to swell and his clothes tore apart. He started blinking quickly.
Another clap of lightning and thunder, then he stopped. He shifted around to face me and stood still, staring directly at me.
Preston took one step back and hid behind one of the coffins.
Nate’s arms were stretched to his sides. His hands were balled into fists and they quivered as if he struggled with himself.
“I’m so sorry, Sophie. This is the end for you. This is the end of your line. You will never serve any purpose other than this.” Nate spoke with a deep voice that I no longer recognized.
“Nate, is that you?”
But he didn’t respond. His eyes were now completely white, and he stared at me blankly. Then a tear dripped down his face. Only then did I realize everything was over.
Thunder rumbled again, and like in the strobe light at Ethan’s party, I saw Nate’s fist travelling in slow motion toward me. I didn’t fight. I didn’t try to dodge it. I was numb. I couldn’t believe this was going to end the same way it started.
The blow on my jaw sent me flying and my head hit the corner of a coffin as I fell. The truth was that the punch hadn’t hurt much, or at least, the pain in the back of my head was so agonizing that I didn’t feel anything else.
Thunder rocked the sky violently.
I was lying on the ground, facedown, but I couldn’t move. I could see Nate’s feet stepping in my direction with the same sense of slow motion created by the lightning. He picked me up by the neck, and I looked into his eyes, only to realize that Nate was gone.
He tossed me into the air like a ragdoll. This time I landed sideways, my hip hitting the ground first. I started coughing and I couldn’t move. I tried to wipe the blood away from my mouth.
I searched for Preston. But like the coward he was, he still hid behind one of the coffins. The moment his eyes met mine, he ducked down.
Lightning lit up the sky again.
Images of the night at Ethan’s party flashed through my mind. Strangely, only the happy parts. The crowd gathering in the middle of the dance floor. Chase and Tyson talking to Catwoman. Alex and Megan whispering into each other’s ear, their chemistry floating in the air. Emma rocking it in the middle of the dance floor. The strobe lights flashing.
For some reason, I wasn’t scared of dying anymore. I’d had the best life that I could’ve ever hoped for: my beloved parents, my friends, and even Nate. I was fortunate to have had every single one of them in it.
Nate kicked me in the stomach, hurling me out into the garden. A grunt escaped as I hit the ground in agony. I couldn’t do it anymore. I felt as if my body were made of stone. Closing my eyes, I let myself be drawn into that peace.
The rain tapped softly on my skin. I could hear Mom’s giggling. I could smell her as if she were right here with me, protecting me. I knew that everything was going to be fine. We’d been so close to getting out
of this one, but I also knew I had to let go.
“Beneath the oak tree of Gienne, struck by lightning, the treasure is hidden not far from there. That which for many centuries had been gathered, when found, a man will die, his eye pierced by a spring.”
Lightning again. This time it hit the Vault of Iron, breaking it open with a huge roar. I could see the underside of the coffin as pieces of it shattered on the ground. It was engraved with many trees. All the branches were interconnected from one tree to the next. The Egyptian symbol for the number seven and the symbol of the ankh, also known as the key of life, were engraved under the trees.
Then I understood.
Dad had spoken about the seven levels of consciousness the day he gave me the Syenite necklace. I remembered the different levels. The first is the waking; the second the evolution; the third the sleep; the fourth pure consciousness; the fifth is the cosmic consciousness; the sixth is the God consciousness; and the seventh, the supreme consciousness, or nirvana stage of the soul, where the mind can control the sequence of the universe.
I heard Nate’s steps splashing in the garden puddles. He was coming for more. He stood next to me for a moment, and when I thought this was over, he knelt down and grabbed me by the throat.
My body wasn’t going to be able to bear it much longer. I tried to breathe, but the air wouldn’t flow in. He was strangling me. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the first level, the waking. My broken bones made me aware of every part of my body.
I didn’t have much time left, so I moved to the next level: the evolution. Slowly, I let my mind fall into the numbness. My arms, my legs felt heavy. I began gradually detaching from my body as I could no longer sense his hands pressing around my neck.
I moved to the third level: the sleep. I allowed my mind to go into those hidden places. Those that you lock away in the back of your mind to never bring back again. It brought me right back to Ethan’s party. Nate stroked his fist against Ethan’s face. The fear paralyzed me. I stood still in the middle of the chaos without knowing what to do. I wanted to scream, but the words weren’t coming out.
The fourth: the pure consciousness. Suddenly, all fear vanished. I was a little girl. The sky was overcast and I stood on the beach, watching the unrevealing waves break on the shore. I liked the roaring sound. Drops of water from the breaking waves sprinkled my face, and the smell of the ocean filled my nostrils.