Escaping Fate

by Gladden, DelSheree

  Kivera took the most defiant stance she could muster. “They stole me from my bed!” she screamed. “In the middle of the night they killed my father and tied me up and carried me away.” Her stance softened. Her anger dissipated, replaced by fear and grief. “Please help me,” she begged. “I don’t want to die.”

  “Stop sniveling!” He paced a few steps. “Regardless, you should be proud to be offered to Tlaloc, not crying on the ground begging for rescue!”

  Shame for her actions had no place in Kivera’s heart or mind. “Please! You must help me. Please!”

  A muscled hand slapped her face, leaving rising red welts. He shuddered, struggling to restore his calm. Torn between his duty and desire to please his god, and the terrified girl before him, a feral growl escaped his throat. “You do not willingly submit to Tlaloc, but there is no one else! There must be a sacrifice. There must!” He turned to her glaring. “You must submit!”

  “No! I will not die for any god!”

  “Tlaloc will be angered. The rains will not come. Sickness will spread. This will all be on your head. You must submit!”

  “Never!” Anger shook her body. “The gods are immortal. Why do they need my blood? I will not submit,” she growled.

  “The gods need blood to be sustained. Since they have no blood of their own, we must offer them ours. You foolish girl. You know this! Every child knows this. You must die, to save us all.”

  He raised the obsidian blade high above his head. Her chest heaved in strangled gasps and pleas for mercy.

  “No!” she screamed relentlessly, her eyes wide with terror. “I will do anything you want. Anything. Please, don’t kill me. I’ll do anything. I don’t want to die,” she sobbed helplessly. Tied to a stone altar, she begged for her life. “I’ll do anything.”

  The priest’s blade faltered, still held high above his head. Slowly his hands fell back to his sides. Eyes glazing over, he lifted his face to the sky. Perfectly still, he listened. Even Kivera could not help reducing her mewling and begging to a quiet stare of amazement.

  Finally, his faced slackened. Eyes focused once more. The oily black blade twitched in his hand. A painful smile creased his features.

  He lowered the wooden mask from his face. The high priest’s skin was smooth and unblemished. Younger than any other high priest in remembered history, he was revered by all of his fellows, and many believed that he had risen higher than any other in his standing with the gods. His next words confirmed those beliefs.

  “Tlaloc has spoken to me. He will not accept an unwilling sacrifice.”

  The bound woman gasped, but a vicious snarl quelled her relief instantly.

  “Tlaloc will accept the Eunuchs,” he gestured to her guards, “as sacrifices this day, if you are willing to give up all of your daughters to Tlaloc on the last year of their childhood. If you do this, Tlaloc will allow you to live through this day.”

  Kivera’s hesitated only a second. “Yes, yes I will do this. I will give my daughters to Tlaloc if he will only let me live. I will do it,” she cried, relief flooding her soul.

  Her bindings were cut from her hands and the covenants were made. Her tear streaked face lifted upward to the heavens in pure exalted joy. The sun shone on her face, burning her eyes. She blinked only once.

  ***

  I opened my eyes. The room was dark, a shock after the bright Aztec sun. My eyes burned with unshed tears. I pressed myself against Tanner’s still sleeping form and knew I was facing the end. “No,” I whispered as I cried, “please, no.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  His fingers brushed away my tears before I even realized he was awake. My crying must have woken him.

  “Hey,” he whispered, “what’s wrong? Did you have another dream?”

  All I could do was nod. Tanner’s lips came down and touched my temple. His hand came down to my shoulder and ran up and down my arm. His touch slowly sent the pain far enough away that I could feel his warmth surrounding me. Reaching up for his hand, I grabbed it and pulled it across me so I was wrapped in his arms. I felt protected in that moment. I never wanted to move.

  “What happened in the dream,” Tanner asked.

  I did not want to think about it, but I answered anyway.

  “She gave us all up. She promised her daughters’ lives to her god so she could save herself.” I choked back another fit of crying. I could hardly believe the words I was saying. This belonged in a bad Hollywood movie, not in real life. Blood thirsty gods thousands of years old did not exist, I told myself over and over again. Tonight I would go to dinner and watch a random movie with my parents. I would.

  “Are you alright?” Tanner asked, shattering my weak fantasy.

  “How could she?” I questioned, the tears and sobs flowing freely once more. I was amazed to find I even had any tears left to cry. “How could she condemn her own children, condemn me and Katie and everyone else, to death? She had no right to offer what wasn’t hers to begin with. How could she?”

  “Some people are just so selfish they can’t think about anything beyond what they want,” Tanner said.

  “What do I do now? There’s no way to stop this, is there?”

  Tanner’s body stiffened and he moved my face to look at him. “Arra, you are not going to die today. Do you hear me? It isn’t going to happen.”

  “Yes it is. There’s no way to stop it. I don’t know how many girls have died already, but I know I’m going to be the next one.” I just wanted to curl back up and close my eyes.

  “What about your grandpa? You said he had some kind of theory or something. What was his plan?” Tanner asked.

  “I don’t know. He said he had an idea, but he never told me what it was,” I said. “He might not actually have a plan. He might have just been saying that to make me feel better.”

  Tanner rolled onto his back, but did not let go of my hand. “There has to be something we can do.” He looked back over at me. “I wish you’d told me sooner. Maybe if we had more time we could find something.”

  I almost laughed. “Tanner, for one thing, if you hadn’t mentioned going to the bonfire Saturday, I don’t think I would have told you at all. I mean, ‘Hey, Tanner, I’m gonna die tomorrow. Wanna hang out?’ just isn’t something you really say to someone. And two, I have been trying to figure this thing out since I found out about it. There’s just nothing left to do.”

  “I won’t accept that, Arra.” The seriousness in Tanner’s face startled me.

  “Why do you care so much?” I asked. “You’ve know me for less than a week. I mean, I’m glad you do, and I’m glad you even believe me, but why? Why aren’t you running from the crazy new girl as fast as you can?”

  Tanner’s face softened as he looked at me. I was no shrinking violet. I didn’t fall all over myself or spend hours in front of the mirror, but I knew I was attractive. Being pretty was definitely not the whole reason for Tanner sticking by me, though. It would take way more than pretty to make up for everything I had laid on Tanner. There had to be something more.

  “Why are you still here?” I asked.

  “I…I don’t really know,” he admitted. “I remember seeing you walk down the dirt path that day and I was completely mesmerized by you. You were so focused that you didn’t even notice us even though Evan was laughing like an idiot about something. I didn’t know what you were thinking about, but it seemed important, and I instantly wanted to know more about you.” He paused and his boyish grin returned. “Plus I thought you were absolutely gorgeous.”

  That broke through my hopeless pallor and elicited the tiniest smile. Tanner leaned down and kissed me lightly, transferring a little more of his hope to me.

  “Well, now you know what I was thinking about that day,” I said. “And you’re still here.” I wanted to believe him so badly. I had nothing left to put my hope in but him. “Do you have any ideas? I’m willing to try anything.”

  Tanner considered my question for a few minutes. I could see the barest hi
nt of the morning sun starting to edge into the sky.

  “I may have one,” Tanner said.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Hello?” a voice mumbled into the receiver.

  “Grandpa?”

  “Arra? What’s wrong honey? What happened?” His voice was frantic. I could hear him shoving away his blankets. I thought he would be up already. Weren’t all old people up before sunrise?

  “Grandpa, it’s okay,” I said. Well kind of. “Grandpa I saw the end of the dream. Kivera did exactly what you said she did. She gave up the lives of her daughters to save herself from being a sacrifice.” Tanner took my hand and rubbed his hand up and down my back to give me strength. I soaked up every ounce he could give me.

  “Was there anything specific in the agreement? Anything we could use to undo it?” he asked.

  “I don’t think so, Grandpa. She made a covenant with the priest and then they sacrificed the guards in her place. It was just a promise. No secret steps or magic potion. It was just a promise between her and Tlaloc.”

  My grandpa sighed. I had been hoping for something more useful too.

  “Arra, go back to sleep if you can. If Katie and Maera were any indication, you should have until about noon,” he said. His voice was steady, but I could hear his fear. He hadn’t formulated any plan yet. That seemed clear. Because there was no plan that would work, I told myself grimly.

  “But, Grandpa,” I began before he cut me off.

  “Now listen, Arra, I don’t completely understand all of this, but whatever happens, you will need all your strength. I will get you through this, I promise. Please, get some more rest. Meet me at the park near your house at ten o’clock. I haven’t given up yet and neither should you.”

  “Grandpa, wait,” I said, “we had an idea.”

  “We? Did you tell your parents?” He sounded absolutely horrified.

  “No,” I said quickly, “of course not. But I did tell someone. I told Tanner everything.”

  “Tanner? Why?” he asked.

  Wasn’t that the question of the day? “Because, Grandpa, I needed someone to talk to and he was willing to listen. We were talking about it this morning after I woke up from the dream and he had an idea.”

  “You talked to Tanner when you woke up from the dream?” Silence. “Is he there right now?”

  For crying out loud. Was that really what he needed to be worrying about right now?”

  “Yes, Grandpa, he’s standing right next to me. And he has an idea,” I repeated.

  “Arrabella, it isn’t even dawn yet. How long has Tanner been there?” he asked.

  My body was rigid with anger, embarrassment, frustration, and just about every other emotion. Tanner looked at me with a question in his eyes. My grandpa was not going to let up. I didn’t have time to try and lie to him.

  “He stayed with me all night because I was too afraid to fall asleep alone,” I said quickly. Tanner’s eyes widened in alarm. “And before you ask, no we didn’t do anything and no my parents don’t know he’s here, and please don’t tell them. I promise it won’t happened again.” Tanner pouted at that. I couldn’t help but throw him a devilish smile. “That is, if I ever even get the chance to sneak a boy into my room again. Okay? Now can we get back to what’s really important this morning, Grandpa?”

  My grandpa cleared his throat. I think my mentioning that this would be a totally moot point if I didn’t make it past noon alive quelled any further desires he had to question my choices or threaten to tell my parents. “So, uh, what was Tanner’s idea?”

  “Do you know Father Margulies?”

  “The priest over at Saint Michael’s Parish? What does he have to do with anything?” he asked.

  “Tanner attends church there. He thinks Father Margulies might be able to help us think of a way out of this mess,” I said. “Would you please just meet us there? It’s worth a try, isn’t it?”

  It took him longer than it should have to answer. I did not understand his hesitation. He had promised to help me in any way. Why would talking to a priest seem so bad? My family wasn’t particularly religious and neither was my grandpa, but I was perfectly willing to go.

  “Grandpa?” I urged.

  “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” The line went dead.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  After my grandpa’s reaction, I walked toward the church fearing what I would find. I’d seen pictures of some of the old Catholic churches, complete with gargoyles and stone saints staring out at the sinners, but this church was nothing like that. A simple building stood in front of me. The red brick walls stretched up to plain slate roof.

  No snarling animals or stern visages were anywhere to be seen. I couldn’t imagine what my grandpa’s problem was. In fact, where was he? I looked up the street toward his house. I thought he would beat us here. Tanner and I waited in front of the building for several minutes. Fidgeting in my irritation, I started pacing in front of the steps, dragging Tanner along with me because he refused to let go of my hand.

  My grandpa still hadn’t appeared when the old door of the church creaked open. I spun around to lock eyes with a middle aged man dressed in black. The little square of white on his collar and the cross dangling from his neck named him as Father Margulies.

  “Good morning,” he said.

  “Um, good morning,” I said, glancing around for my grandpa. Where was he?

  “Good morning, Father,” Tanner said.

  “I saw you two arrive a few minutes ago. I waited for you to come in, but you seemed to be reluctant to open the door,” Father Margulies said. “I thought I would make it a little easier for you. I often counsel youth in need of answers. If there’s anything I can do to help, I would be happy to listen.”

  He watched us carefully. He knew Tanner, obviously, and I supposed he could probably guess who I was, but his focused gaze suggested he was searching our faces for something more than our names. Suddenly the fact that he was a priest and that we were two teenagers standing in front of a church very early in the morning without our parents seemed to click and I realized he was wondering what sin we were there to confess. Tanner seemed to come to the same conclusion.

  “Father Margulies, we aren’t here to…confess anything. We just needed to talk to you about a, uh, point of doctrine, I guess.” Father Margulies raised an eyebrow. “We were only waiting for Arra’s grandfather to get here before we came in,” Tanner said.

  I was grateful to him for speaking up. I was still tongue-tied with embarrassment.

  “Alden Malo is your grandfather, isn’t he?” Father Margulies asked. I nodded. “Why don’t you come on in. Alden knows to come right in when he gets here. He and I have visited many times.”

  “You have?” I asked.

  “Oh yes, many times. We do not often see eye to eye on many points because of Alden’s strong aversion to religion in general, but we do often speak of spiritual matters,” he said. “Follow me inside and we can speak about whatever you like.”

  Tanner and I did follow him, but I could not help glancing back before the door swung closed. Why was my grandfather so hesitant to come speak with the priest if he had done so plenty of times before? Would he not show up just because he doesn’t like going to church? Anger had me tightening my hold on Tanner’s hand. He only squeezed my hand in return. Grandpa would be here soon, I told myself. He promised.

  “So, Miss Arrabella Malo, what exactly would you like to ask me?” Father Margulies asked after we were all seated in his office. “Would it have anything to do with Aztec gods?”

  Apparently he and my grandpa had talked quite a bit. “Yes, it does,” I said.

  “What is your question?”

  “Are they real? Can they really make promises with people?”

  Father Margulies seemed to be expecting the question. “When is your birthday, Arrabella?”

  “Today. I’m sixteen.”

  He nodded as if expecting that as well.

  “Fathe
r, it seems that you know why we’re here,” Tanner said. “Is any of this real?”

  “Do you believe it is real?” the priest asked Tanner.

  “Yes, I do.”

  Father Margulies nodded. I wondered whether he was ever going to actually answer a question.

  “I have met with Alden Malo several times to discuss the reality of the curse he believes is on his family. A few years ago I would have said that it was all a delusion, but Alden has some very convincing evidence. I never knew his sister Maera, but I knew Katie,” he said sadly. “I remember her death. I remember the strangeness surrounding her passing very well.”

  “Do you believe the curse is real? Tanner asked.

  “I fear I have no choice but to believe,” the priest said. He looked up at the door behind us. Tanner and I followed his gaze. The door now stood open, my grandpa holding it open with one hand. The other hand was stuffed in his pocket. “Good morning, Alden,” Father Margulies said.

  My grandpa’s eyes fell to me. They looked tired and worn. He must not have gotten very much sleep last night either.

  “I thought you weren’t coming,” I said quietly.

  “Of course I was coming, it just took me a little longer to get ready than I thought it would. I wanted to give you something,” he said. Taking his hand out of his pocket two thin strands of gold trailed after his fingers. One held a simple locket, the other a small gem. “These belonged to Maera and Katie. I wanted you to have them. I know that they would both want to help you if they could.”

  I let him slip the necklaces around my neck. The warm metal pulsed against my skin. I imagined that I could feel them placing their hands on me, lending me strength and hope. “Thank you, Grandpa.”