by Jamie Summer
What was it about Nathan that drew me in, making me want to run as far away as I could at the same time?
The waiter took our order, then walked off. I had ordered pasta, and Nathan opted for pizza. Silence descended upon us. I wondered if we were both caught up in our own memories now.
I didn’t want to be caught up in the past.
I didn’t want to think about something I probably couldn’t change.
Yet wasn’t that the whole point of this trip? Changing the past? Seeing if I could start my life over again?
“What do we do if we don’t find any clue?” Nathan wanted to know, and our eyes met. The gray in his was illuminated against the flicker of the candle, and the haunting look fit the enigma I found him to be. Mysterious, daring, yet I saw a glimmer of something more gentle behind all that. Something he let show in the moments he talked about his parents and his brother.
“I don’t know. I haven’t gotten that far in my thought process.” I shrugged. “I’m more of a take-it-one-day-at-a-time person.” It was the truth. I’d thought about what I wanted to do once I got here, but thinking about what would happen if I didn’t find anything wasn’t something I allowed into my head. I couldn’t. The seed that had been planted there wasn’t going anywhere. It had dug its claws into me so deeply, getting it out again would leave permanent scars.
Failure wasn’t an option. Hope and determination were the only things I had to go on.
“Maybe, but that might not get you far in this case.”
I wanted to snap at him for his negativity. “How about we look at the rest of the words tomorrow, then see what we’re gonna do. Positive thinking. It’s what I’ve been taught and what I’ll always hold true to my heart. If there’s no hope, we’re all lost.”
Something flashed in his eyes that conveyed my words meant so much more to him than the mere search for hidden clues. Did it have to do with the answers he refused to give me?
He swallowed. “Early on in life, I learned there’s no hope, no matter what. You put your trust in the wrong people and they only break your heart, your spirit. You hope they’ll change their mind, change the way they act, but they disappoint you time and time again. They take everything you’ve ever offered them and rip it apart, like it never meant anything in the first place. That’s why hope is a very dangerous thing, Emlyn. You should not hope. That one word might be the very thing that destroys you.”
After Nathan’s statement, my hunger vanished. It had been replaced with a lump so heavy, it felt like there would never be any room for anything else. It started dragging me down, second by second, minute by minute.
We finished our food quietly, only speaking a few words. Once back at the hotel, we said a short goodbye and parted ways. I realized I looked forward to the time I’d have to myself.
While it was nice to not travel alone, having Nathan along had proven to be intense…in more ways than I imagined. The way he talked about his family, his view on death and hope… Everything painted a very bleak picture of life. I still felt the ache in my heart when I thought back on his words about losing hold on the very thing that kept me going—hope.
How did a person become so bitter? How could he not comprehend the one thing that never failed me?
Since I knew I wouldn’t be getting any answers tonight, I got ready for bed. The king-size bed looked rather inviting. The moment I put my head on the soft feather pillow, I was out.
Before I knew it, the sound of the alarm jerked me awake. I had no idea how I managed to sleep through the night. However, despite getting eight hours, my body felt as if I’d merely gotten two. It was a confusing mix of jetlag. Nathan and I had agreed to meet up for breakfast, so I knew I needed to jump into the shower. I quickly grabbed my toiletry bag and went into the bathroom. The warm water felt heavenly, and I stayed in there longer than I intended.
After I dried, I realized I was already ten minutes late. Thankfully, I had put out my clothes the night before, so I quickly threw them on and went downstairs. I saw Nathan sitting at a table, waiting.
“Sorry. I got lost in the hot water,” I apologized, mentally smacking myself a moment later.
The expression on his face turned from a broody frown to a wide smirk. “Is that so?”
I looked over my shoulder. “Is the breakfast over there? I’ll be right back,” I said before he could say anything else. He didn’t need to see the blush creep onto my face. As I stepped up to the buffet, I marveled at the various meats and cheeses I was able to choose from, as well as an assortment of fruits and cereals. If my stomach could eat all of that, I’d be happy…as long as I didn’t gain any weight.
I delayed going back to the table as long as possible, but I eventually needed to because I was hungry and the plates in my hands started getting heavy. Sadly, Nathan had already helped himself, so he didn’t need to get up again.
“So, what was it that made you late again?”
Digging into my food, I said, “I thought maybe we could go to the lake first, searching the other side this time.”
Nathan seemed to sense I wasn’t in the mood to humor him, so he nodded before taking a forkful of eggs and putting them into his mouth. “Sounds like a plan. We can get the rest done today, and if we don’t find anything, we’ll go home tomorrow.”
I knew he was right, yet his words left a bitter taste in my mouth. Did I really travel all this way for only one-and-a-half days? For nothing? I hadn’t booked my return trip yet since I hadn’t been sure how long this was going to go on, so there was nothing I needed to do tomorrow. I could very well stay a few days. Jeff had given me two weeks off, and I planned on using them.
“I get the feeling flying home so soon wasn’t on your agenda,” Nathan remarked, searching my face.
I nodded. “Even if we don’t find anything—and that’s not to say we won’t—I’m not flying home when my body hasn’t even gotten used to the time change yet. I want to explore the city a bit more, maybe travel around Switzerland or the surrounding area. But only if this is a bust. I told you I’d try everything to get to the bottom of this, and I wasn’t lying.”
Determination must’ve shown in my eyes because he leaned back in his chair, the smirk already gone from his face.
“I didn’t think you were. However, there is a real chance we won’t find anything. Which, quite frankly, would be a very good and healthy thing for both of us. So excuse me for wanting to get you out of here before anything happens.”
“What’s going to happen? For all I know, this keyholder doesn’t exist. Someone could’ve written the note, created the website, everything…just for a fun time. Granted, it would be a rather elaborate joke, but who knows what kids are into these days.” The more I talked, the less I believed what came out of my mouth. I couldn’t shake the lingering feeling something about the whole thing was off.
“Let’s just have breakfast, then go and search some more. Okay?”
I wordlessly nodded, knowing there was nothing else to add. He didn’t look at me again while we ate our breakfast, but it didn’t matter. I didn’t care.
Every time we talked about our reason for being here, we argued. Every…freaking…time. I was frustrated with the fact I knew he was hiding something, and he was just as frustrated with me because I didn’t listen to him and pack my bags. It was an endless circle I wasn’t sure we could break out of until we searched the whole of Lucerne and I was positive there was nothing there.
Twenty minutes later, as we left the dining room, my mind went through all the stops we had yet to make, wondering if we had time to go back to the ones we went to yesterday. Nathan would probably kill me if I suggested it.
After deciding to meet back in the lobby in ten minutes, I went upstairs and brushed my teeth. The worn blue jeans and black sweater I had put on seemed to be a safe bet for the dark clouds I spotted through the windows earlier, so I didn’t need to get changed.
As I walked back downstairs, Nathan was already waiting for me o
utside. I headed in his direction.
“There you are,” he commented, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
“It wasn’t even ten minutes,” I remarked with an arched brow.
He looked momentarily confused. “It wasn’t?”
“Nope. It was eight, to be exact,” I told him as we started toward our first stop. Since the lake was the closest to us, we decided that would be our starting point.
“It definitely felt much longer.” His voice was subdued, as if this were his way of apologizing. I studied him out of the corner of my eye, wondering why I had the feeling something was off with him. He looked the same as always. His hair was wet from the rain drizzling down on us, and his dark blue parka and jeans were what I’d grown accustomed to. Everything looked normal. So why did I get the feeling something had changed. I couldn’t exactly pinpoint it, and it bugged me to no end. I didn't like mysteries I couldn’t solve. It was why I was here in the first place.
“Lyn?” Nathan’s voice brought me back to the present, making my body turn to ice.
“What did you just say?” I growled.
He was visibly taken aback by my tone and took a few steps back. “I called your name.”
“No, you didn’t. You called me Lyn.”
“I wasn’t aware it would be a problem. I’m sorry,” he replied.
I was sure he had an expression on his face to match, but I didn’t see it at all. The images of that night assaulted me like a freight train. It became hard to breathe, and the more I tried to control it, the worse it got.
“Emlyn, I’m sorry. I’m here. Deep breath. It’ll be okay. I’m sorry I called you Lyn.” His voice was close. I glanced up to see him standing mere inches away, his hands running up and down my arms.
“Don’t…call…me…that,” I managed to croak out. He nodded. I knew he had no idea why I reacted the way I did, but I couldn’t tell him, either. Some things were better left buried. My heart slowed, and I knew the attack on my mind was over. For now.
I blew out a deep breath. “The lake?”
If the sudden change threw Nathan off, he didn’t show it. Instead, he just nodded. We strolled along the sidewalk in silence for a few minutes, then joined the morning crowd and crossed over to the train station. As we fought our way through the throng of people trying to catch their transportation, the lake appeared in front of us.
“Where to now? Any suggestions?” Nathan asked. I had no clue where to start searching. Just like the day before, the lake was way too big to know where to look.
“Do you see any benches?” I asked, craning my neck to see if I spotted any structures that resembled a seat.
“No, none. Those were all on the other side, I think. Do you still wanna check along the boardwalk?”
I nodded. We made our way to the left where a small path ran along the shore of the lake. I searched for anything resembling a clue, but I couldn’t spot anything. Nothing at all.
Weirdly enough, I wasn’t disappointed. Something inside me knew we wouldn’t be successful on this side of the lake. Nothing screamed mystery here.
“Emlyn?” Nathan’s voice called from a little to my right. I saw him kneeling down next to one of the vendors on the boardwalk.
“What is it?” I asked as I reached him.
“Sir, are you okay?” Apparently, the owner didn’t appreciate people loitering around his booth.
“Sorry. We’ll be out of your way in a minute,” Nathan said. The owner huffed once before turning to the new customer who had just come up to him. Distraction was always good.
“Here. Does this look weird to you?”
I knelt next to Nathan and studied the spot on the vendor booth. Something was carved into the wood.
“Is that… Is that a key?” I asked, shocked.
“Looks like one. That’s what I thought when I saw it.”
I took out my phone and took a picture of it before the vendor owner yelled at us to get away. I wasn’t sure why he was so adamant about us leaving, considering we didn’t do anything, but we weren’t about to wait around for him to call the police.
We walked a few feet away. “Can I see the picture?” I pulled up the picture, then handed my phone to him. “Doesn’t look like any key I’ve ever seen,” he commented. I felt the same way. The key looked old. Maybe like the kind you used for castles or old buildings. There were intricate lines woven together at the top, their formation reminding me of a butterfly. The front was the typical key shape, but it was also outfitted with several lines bound together. Something about it looked familiar. Then again, maybe it was the mere fact that it looked to be one that opened a magical wardrobe where you could escape into a new world. Yep, Narnia was waiting for me.
I shook my head with a smile. “It’s beautiful.”
“It truly is. But I’m sure it’s nothing you’d find anywhere here.” I glanced up at him. A soft smile spread on his lips, as if the mere sight of the key made him remember something pleasant.
“What is it?” I wanted to know, curious. The smile fell, and he looked at me with sheer determination.
“What is what?”
I was pretty sure he hadn’t wanted me to see the expression on his face, but why? What was so bad about a good memory?
“What were you thinking about just now?”
“Nothing important.”
Fine. “If you say so.”
His posture let me know he was done with that part of the conversation. He crossed his arms in front of his body, my phone still in his hand. I held out my hand and he put the device into my palm.
“What is the key supposed to tell us, though? If it even has any meaning. It might just be something that ended up there by accident,” I remarked.
“Maybe, but maybe not. Was there anything on the website that resembled this key?”
My eyes widened. “That’s it. The website. That’s where I’ve seen it before. The key was portrayed right next to the explanation of the keyholder. I didn’t think about it at that point because I figured they had simply put a random key on there to make it more realistic.”
Nathan stared at me. The lines on his forehead were furrowed deeply, as if he were thinking hard about something. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. I should’ve recognized it, but I had assumed it had no connection to the quest.
“Okay, so the carving itself doesn’t tell us anything,” he added.
“It does tell us we’re on the right track, which is more than we had ten minutes ago.” Our gazes met. We both knew what neither of us said. It could still only be a random coincidence.
“Then let’s go and see if there are any other keys like this one, shall we?” he suggested. I pocketed my phone before following him toward the bridge. I figured he wanted to check the other side of the lake once more before going to the walls of the city. They were another stop from the list we wanted to check out.
When we made it to the middle of the bridge, it started to shake.
Violently.
Feeling like it was moments from collapsing.
And we had nowhere to go.
Chapter Seven
“What’s going on?” I yelled as I ran over to the railing and grasped it. The trembling happening under us almost threw me off my feet. Nathan managed to avoid a huge crack and jumped over to the railing himself. Then it stopped.
“I have no idea,” he replied, his eyes searching for a way out of our predicament. People around us scrambled to get off as it shook another time. Could this be an earthquake? In Switzerland? I had never been good at geography, but knew it was highly unlikely.
If it were possible, it felt like the shaking was more violent this time, making me see the appeal of getting off. The longer I thought about it, the less likely I thought we’d make it to the other end. Or any end. The stone structure wasn’t high, maybe ten feet, and there was water underneath us, but I wasn’t keen on taking any chances if I didn’t have to. I took in the scene around me, noticing small chunk
s breaking off the bridge and falling to the water below.
What the heck is going on?
“Emlyn, move!” Nathan yelled as he grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the side of the bridge that led to the new part of town. We sidestepped the holes and cracks and sprinted toward safety.
When I saw the hooded figure out of the corner of my eye, I skidded to a halt. “What the…”
“Emlyn, what are you doing? We need to get off here!”
Nathan stood a few feet from me, but I barely heard him. My whole focus was on the figure near the railing to my right. I saw nothing except the full-length, black hooded cloak he wore, yet I was certain he stared straight at me.
“Emlyn!” Nathan called out again.
Subconsciously, I moved in the figure’s direction. It was like something pulled me. I knew this person was responsible for the earthquake. It seemed impossible, but it was a deep-rooted certainty within me.
“Who are you?” I asked when I was close enough.
There was no reaction. The person stood there, motionless, while the bridge around us continued to crumble. My hand shot out to hold onto the railing to steady myself.
You aren’t worthy.
“What did you say?”
You aren’t worthy, the voice—robotic, but with a deep intonation—repeated.
“What are you talking about? Why are you doing this?” I was one hundred percent sure he was the one responsible for the bridge moving, which wasn’t possible. Right?
“What are you doing?” I hadn’t heard or seen Nathan approach, but he was suddenly just there. “We need to get off this bridge. It’ll collapse any second,” he urgently said, taking my hand and pulling me toward the safety of land.
“No. I need to talk to him. He’s the one doing this.” I hoped he’d see the urgency in my request.
His eyes met mine in irritation. “Who? Who do you need to talk to?” While holding onto me and trying to keep us both upright, his eyes searched the area, apparently coming up empty.