There was something captivating about the medallion though, and I sat there for almost an hour rolling it around in my hands, thinking of any realistic explanations. Frustrated, I finally stood up and walked to my desk, hoping that an answer would hit me out of the blue. When I sat down and stared at the blank computer screen, it finally came to me. Ancient looking artifacts and creepy, unexplained symbolism only led to one possible conclusion.
I turned my computer on and waited eagerly for it to boot up. When it was ready to go, I couldn’t open my email fast enough.
“Professor Woodward,
I hope you had a good holiday. I’m writing because my roommate received a very strange package today. It’s this strange looking medallion and there wasn’t any note telling us who it was from. There is something weird about it though, and with everything that you’ve told me about, I can’t help but think this has something to do with Common Ground. Could I possibly swing by this week and have you take a look at it? Let me know!
Zoe”
Once it was sent, calmness overtook me. I tossed the medallion lazily onto the desk and pushed away. As I was standing up, a loud knock emanated through the apartment. I slowly meandered to the door, wondering who could possibly want to see us.
“Zoe!” Steph yelled, bounding into the apartment with Hope timidly following behind her. “How was your Thanksgiving?”
“Um, great, just great,” I muttered.
“Where’s Annie?” she asked, looking around.
“She had to go to the library for a little bit, big paper due this week,” I lied quickly. Annie was in no mood to see anyone, especially after the anonymous package.
“So, how’d it go?” she whispered, still lingering around our front door.
For the first time that I could remember, I wasn’t happy to see either of them. With everything that had happened over the weekend, the last thing I could deal with was making up lie after lie about what really went on.
I shrugged. “We really didn’t talk much, which is better than what it’s been lately. It went about as well as I expected.”
Steph looked a little disappointed. “Oh, well at least you guys didn’t fight again right? That’s a good sign!”
“Sure, I guess so,” I replied, desperately wanting to change the subject. “Forget about us though, how was your vacation? How was Tucson?”
“Oh, hot and boring like usual,” Steph said nonchalantly, already sounding bored with the conversation. “But, that’s not why we stopped by. We just got back and don’t have much time. I’ve been dying to talk to you. I’ve got an invitation for you guys.”
“An invitation? For what?”
“Well, I was talking to Damien this weekend on the phone, and he was telling me about this place called the Spring Mountains. Apparently it is just awesome camping, and only about an hour away from here. We kept talking and thought that maybe it would be fun to have a post-finals camping trip up there,” she gleefully explained. “So many people are already coming!”
My eyes squinted in suspicion. The last thing I would want to do after finals is go and spend time with a bunch of random people I’d never met before.
“Oh, don’t worry; you’ll know most of them! Right now it’s me, Damien, Hope, Sean, Emily, Tyler, Chase and the two random girls they invited,” she said, counting the names off on her fingers. “And, I know you guys still aren’t talking to each other, but we really want all three of you to come. It may be exactly what will fix things!”
“Three of us?” I asked.
“Yeah, you, Annie and Liam of course,” she said in surprise. “Who else would I be talking about?”
My fists clinched in rage at the mention of Liam’s name. It seemed to be a massive couples party and with Liam’s recent betrayal, it didn’t sound very fun to go and sit with Annie and Hope, being the three odd girls out.
“Um, I don’t really know. Annie and I are heading back to Seattle pretty soon after finals so we may not even be around,” I said offhandedly.
“Oh,” Steph responded, sounding disappointed. “Why don’t you and Annie talk about it and let me know as soon as you can. It’s only three weeks away and we’re trying to finalize numbers.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” I exhaled.
“We should get going,” Steph finished, looking at her watch. “Our kitchen is empty, so we’re taking a quick trip to the store. You guys need anything?”
“No, we’re fine but thanks anyways. I’ll let Annie know you stopped by and we’ll talk about the trip,” I reassured her.
“Excellent! Hope, let’s rock and roll!” Steph said, giving me a small hug. She bounded towards the door and flew down the stairs.
“See ya,” Hope mumbled, walking past me.
“Are you alright?” I asked concernedly.
Hope just looked at me and smiled halfway. “Yeah, you know how it is with Steph. Can’t ever get a word in. We’ll talk later though. See ya Zoe.”
There was something strange in her appearance. She sounded eerily similar to the first time we met, nervous and quiet. I watched closely while Hope followed Steph down the stairs before I shut the door behind them.
I was almost positive that Annie would not want to go on the camping trip. She would be forced to watch other couples enjoy life after finals while Liam would be far away. Even though Hope and I would go solo, Annie’s attention would be focused on those who had what she wanted. These thoughts all raced through my mind while I headed towards my room to unpack my bags. When I passed Annie’s door, a small ray of sunshine come from the tiny crack the door left open and stung my eyes. I took a deep breath and pushed it open.
Annie was sitting, cross legged on her bed, holding one of her pillows. There was a box of tissues resting next to her, and her eyes were glued to the outside window. Her head snapped in my direction the moment the door creaked open.
“Oh, hey,” she sighed. Her eyes were red and raw again.
“I thought you were going to try and sleep,” I inquired.
“I was, but I heard Steph’s voice so I decided to hear what she had to say.”
There was no point trying to hide anything from Annie. If she heard Steph, then she already knew about the planned trip and who was invited.
“Look, Ann, with everything that is going on right now, the last think you need to worry about is going on some camping trip,” I started. “You’ve got finals to worry about and then we’ll need to pack for our trip home. If you don’t want to go, we don’t have to go.”
She studied me for a moment. There was no expressive look on her face and I couldn’t tell if she was angry or sad.
“I don’t know what I did,” she started to cry. Her sudden shift in emotion caught me completely off guard.
“Oh hon,” I said, sitting down next to her. I placed a reassuring arm over her shoulder and pulled her close. “You didn’t do anything. He’s just not good enough for you. He doesn’t deserve you!”
It felt good to finally say those words without fear of being ripped to pieces.
“I just don’t know what happened,” she said with a sniff. “One minute, we’re on the bed making out, the next minute he’s running out the door looking freaked. Maybe I’m too fat or ugly for him, that’s it. What was I thinking? A guy like that would never want to be with someone like me.”
“Ann, look at me,” I said sharply, handing her a tissue. Her red eyes met my warm face. “You are a beautiful girl. I’m not sure what happened but I guarantee you it wasn’t because you’re too ugly or too fat. You’re perfect and if he can’t see that, it’s his loss!”
She gave a weak smile and blew her nose. I knew that she would be okay and that it would just take time.
“We should go,”” she said suddenly. The tears had slowed with her breathing.
“We don’t have to,” I said slowly.
“No, we should. Who cares if he won’t be there? It’s the end of finals and we should celebrate!” she said while her v
oice started to sound more stable and normal.
“Okay, we can go, but if you change your mind, I won’t care,” I said reassuringly.
“Deal,” she said. “I think I’m going to really try and get some sleep now.”
“Okay, sleep well,” I said.
I started to walk towards the door when she stopped me.
“Zoe?” she said weakly.
I turned as she was climbing into her sheets.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. For everything. I’ve been such a bitch to you and you were there with me every second. I don’t deserve you,” she said.
“It’s nothing,” I said. “You’d do the same for me.”
I gave her a soft smile and closed the door behind me. Even though it didn’t happen the way I expected, our friendship had finally started to get back where it used to be.
Before I knew it, night had fallen. Annie remained in her bedroom all afternoon and evening with the light in her room fading along with the sun. Most of my day was spent checking my email every minute for any possible reply from Professor Woodward, but with no success. The black mystery medallion was still resting on the desk, and I kept trying to figure out a way to get quicker answers.
There was a creepy darkness to the medallion and the more I looked at it, the more hypnotized I felt. Without even realizing where I was going, I picked it up and headed out of my bedroom. I didn’t feel tired at all and there was nothing else I wanted to do but keep studying the medallion more. I snuck my way out of the front door and took a seat on the top step of the staircase in case Annie woke up.
I couldn’t help but continue thinking that the coin had something to do with Common Ground. If mostly everyone I had grown close to, one way or another, on campus was part of it, it made sense that maybe the medallion was too. But who had sent it was the biggest mystery of all. While my mind ran through possibilities, the light above me started to flicker. After a minute, it turned off completely, leaving me alone in the dark. Just before I stood up to head inside, a startling voice came from behind me.
“I see you made it back safely,” a dark but resigned voice sighed.
I leaped up with a mix of surprise and anger, the medallion barely hanging on in my grasp. The sound of Liam’s voice brought back all of the rage that built inside. I spun around and saw a shadowy figure sitting on one of the rod iron bars. The whites of his eyes were the only visual sign he was there, but almost immediately, his figure started to become as clear as day to me.
“How dare you show up here,” I said angrily while I cautiously approached him.
“Zoe, relax before you do something you’ll regret. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I know exactly what I’m talking about,” I hissed. “Do you think I’m stupid? I’ve been spending the last three days thinking about what I’d do to you the next time we met. But now that you’re here, all I want is for you to leave and never bother either of us again.”
“I’m sorry,” he started, “I can’t do that.”
“Oh you can’t?” I replied, my voice gaining strength while I walked towards him. “Why don’t I help you leave then?”
At that moment, my hand opened up to slap him. Forgetting what was in it; the medallion fell quickly out and made a hard landing on the concrete floor below. I bent down and picked it up immediately.
“What is that?” he asked, as a dark shadow crossed his face.
For the first time since I’d known him, a real sense of fear was clear in his voice. There was no doubt in my mind he was a demon, and the fact he seemed to recognize the medallion confirmed that it was somehow part of the world of Common Ground, just like I feared. The anger I felt towards seeing him died away immediately, only to be replaced with an unquenchable thirst to find out the truth. Not thinking twice about it, I opened my palm.
“Can you explain this?” I asked, tossing the medallion directly at his chest.
He jumped back instantly and caught the coin like it was on fire. He looked at me and then flipped the coin over in his hands. The moment the image on the front of the coin reached his eyes, his face turned a ghostly white.
The darkness that had engulfed us disappeared while my eyes finally adjusted to the night. Everything around us slowly started to shine from a hidden light source. There was no moon in the sky, but yet I could see perfectly well. The dark staircase and Liam’s shadowy figure both gleamed softy in silver light.
Without warning, he grabbed my shoulders forcefully and pulled me close. The familiar scent of roses overtook me again but before I could get lost in his gaze, the coldness of his voice brought me back.
“Where did you get this?” he whispered curtly in my ear.
“It was on our doorstep when we got back today,” I said in a weak attempt at regaining my composure.
“Who sent it to you?” he demanded, still in a whisper.
“I, I don’t know,” I stuttered. The force of his voice and strength of his grasp had started to frighten me. “I thought it was you.”
“I didn’t send it,” he said. “Was there anything else with it? Who was it addressed to?”
“Do you know what this is?” I asked cautiously.
“I do,” he said softly, releasing me from his air tight grip. “But, you didn’t answer my questions.”
“But,” I started.
“Damnit Zoe, this is dangerously important. Answer the questions!” he said, still not raising his voice. It remained very strong and forceful, but quiet.
“Um,” I stuttered. “There wasn’t anything else with it, and the only thing on the box was Annie’s name.”
The coin fell from Liam’s hand and he stared at me with horror. Even though I didn’t know what he was talking about, the fear etched in his face told me enough.
“Liam, what’s going on?” I asked, barely able to get the words out.
“She’s been marked,” he whispered, not taking his eyes off of me.
“Who? Annie? Marked with what?” I asked.
“She’s been marked for death.”
Chapter 15: Secret Meetings
“Marked for death?” I gasped. “How do you know?”
Liam’s face looked nervous. He pulled me even closer to him and I felt strangely protected. His eyes squinted and he scanned the darkness that encompassed the cul-de-sac.
“We need to move,” he said quietly.
He grabbed my hand and quickly pulled me down the staircase and away from the apartment. I felt uncomfortable leaving Annie alone, knowing that she had been marked for death, but Liam appeared unconcerned while we crossed the street to campus. He didn’t slow down until we passed the Pit and a dark, empty and quiet campus surrounded us. Once we reached the Quad, Liam finally released my hand and took a step back.
“What’s going on Liam?” I asked quietly, not sure it was safe to speak normally yet.
“Is Annie alright?” he asked, ignoring my question.
“Yeah, she’s fine, she was sleeping when I left,” I responded. “Should we go and get her?”
Liam stood there for a moment looking around, studying the dark and deserted campus.
“No, she’ll be okay,” he said after a minute, in his normal voice. He then let out a huge sigh and relaxed his tense shoulders. Any fear or nerves he had minutes ago had dissipated completely. But, every second he looked more relaxed, I felt more anxious and irritated. Telling me Annie was marked for death without explanation was unacceptable.
“What the hell is going on?” I lashed out.
“We should walk,” he said, slowly starting to walk away. “Are you coming?”
My feet felt cemented into the ground. “I’m not going anywhere until you start giving me some answers!” I shot back.
He chuckled and shook his head. “Just come with me, you’ll get all the answers you want, but we should keep moving, it’s safer that way.”
My feet hesitantly started to move towards him and my body followed suit.
When I came level to him, a friendly, not cocky smile spread across his face. It looked similar to his expressions at Thanksgiving, which had made me feel a little more comfortable. Feeling a little more at ease, we started to walk in the direction of Professor Woodward’s building, avoiding all the lit sidewalks.
“What is that medallion? How do you know what it means?” I asked, pointing to his pocket.
“How much do you know about Common Ground?” he asked. His eyes continued to alertly study the empty campus around us, but nobody was there.
“Liam, we’re not going to get far if you keep answering my questions with a follow up question,” I said frustrated.
“Humor me,” he smiled.
“Professor Woodward told me it’s the place where angels and demons live with humans,” I sighed.
“Okay, what else?”
“I remember something about the three rules. He told me about the connection that formed between humans, angels and demons because the rules were broken. I also remember him talking about the different philosophies between both sides,” I finished.
“Wow, Woodward really overloaded you, didn’t he?” he chuckled. “Did he tell you anything about what our main purpose is now?”
“Not really. All he told me was that when the rules were broken, some demons turned violent against everyone,” I trailed off.
The memory of Professor Woodward’s earlier warning sent shivers down my spine as we passed his building and continued on in the dark. I hadn’t forgotten the demon he’d told me about, or what he was known for. A part of me knew where Liam was going with his questions, but I couldn’t accept it. It was too depressing.
“So he told you about him?” he asked, his smile fading quickly.
I nodded. “He sent the medallion, didn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“But what is it?” I asked immediately. “Why did Annie get it?”
“This medallion” he said, pulling it from his pocket, “is Ignacious’ calling card so to speak. Every time he marks an angel or demon for death, he sends a medallion to their human to pass judgment. It’s a sick game to him and his followers, which he named the Brood. The human gets it, has no clue what it means, and before they can find out, they and their link are both dead.”
Common Ground (The Common Ground Trilogy Book 1) Page 28