by Ellis, Tara
“Okay, gotta open your eyes before you can see anything,” Tyler whispered into the worn tile pressed against his face.
“What happened?” someone cried, sounding far away.
Tyler pushed himself into a sitting position and gave his head a shake. It was like his ears were full of water and they were ringing. It was similar to the day after the only rock concert he’d ever been to. Sniffing, he cringed at the pungent smell of his own nervous sweat, and looked to the front of the class.
“Everyone just stay down!”
Yup. Mr. Suthers was freaking. The teacher was crouched down behind his desk and Tyler could just see the top of his frizzy, grey-streaked head.
“Was that a sonic boom, man?” A boy squatting nearby suggested with a weak voice.
A small pane of cracked glass at the far end of the wall collapsed and fell inward, striking the floor with enough force to make everyone jump. Anja screamed and Tyler realized she’d been the one shrieking earlier. He didn’t blame her.
“A sonic boom?” someone echoed. “From what?”
Tyler had grown up on military bases and he was positive it wasn’t a sonic boom, unless it was from a meteor or something. He’d read about one in Russia that blew out a bunch of windows some years back. Just as he was warming up to the idea, Tyler’s breath caught as he remembered his mother’s words from the other night. They weren’t safe. Could it have been some sort of attack? “What about an explosion? Like a bomb?” he offered, throwing his theory into the pot as more students got shakily to their feet.
Mr. Struthers was peeking out from behind his desk. “Stay away from the windows!”
Half the class responded by immediately gathering at the windows. Tyler was the first one there, and he pressed his face to the only pane he found without a spiderweb of cracks. Expecting to see smoke, fire, and debris strewn across the schoolyard, he was surprised to see everything looked relatively normal.
“My mom says everyone’s freaking out at her work,” a girl chimed, holding her phone up for emphasis. “No one knows what it was.” Several other kids were already on their phones, searching for an answer.
The PA system crackled, and the high school principals voice echoed through the room. “At this time, we’re asking that everyone remain in their classroom. We are in communication with local authorities and will release you as soon as we are assured it is safe to do so.”
Tyler craned his neck to look up at the sky before turning from the window. Nothing. His thoughts drifted again to his mom and her warning to his dad, making his stomach cramp painfully. He might need a bathroom.
“Tyler!”
His bowel problems forgotten, Tyler felt a surge of relief as he watched his dad run in. He was holding his phone and brought it up to his ear when it rang, obviously expecting it. Stopping in the middle of the room, he gestured once for Tyler to follow him before turning back, totally ignoring Mr. Suthers.
Tyler waved at his teacher in passing and was so focused on his dad’s back that he didn’t even think of Anja until he was jogging down the hallway.
“Way to be the hero, Tyler,” he muttered. He would have continued to chastise himself and his lack of chivalry, if it hadn’t been for his dad’s words as they stepped out into the deceptively normal, sunny day.
“I understand, Theresa,” he said with a tone Tyler had never heard his father use before. It was void of any emotion. Not a trace of fear, confusion, or compassion. “We’re on our way to the house now. We’ll do everything just the way you told me to.”
Tyler stumbled over the curb of the parking lot. What was he talking about?
“Get in the car.”
Tyler stood frozen at the passenger door, staring over the top of the small compact vehicle at his dad. “No.”
He was rewarded with a flash of anger from his father, something nearly as alien as the lack of empathy from only a moment before. “What do you mean, no?”
“Tell me what’s going on.” Tyler looked up at the sky again, confirming it was still the normal blue.
“We don’t have time for this, Tyler. Get in the car and I’ll explain on the way.”
“Tell me what happened!” The hysteria in his own voice shocked him, and Tyler choked on the last word, almost throwing up. His ears still throbbed, reminding him he wasn’t in a dream.
Blinking twice, Tyler’s dad placed his hands palms-down on the top of the car and leaned forward, leveling his son with a steely gaze. “There has been a catastrophic event at the MOHO,” he said slowly, like he was speaking to a young child. “If you don’t do what I say, Tyler, we are both going to die.”
Tyler got in the car.
Chapter 3
JESS
Amazon Jungle near Kumalu, Suriname
Northeast interior of South America
The persistent scream of a red Macaw chased after Jess as she hopped a small stream and landed haphazardly on the far bank. Sliding sideways in the mud before catching her footing, she flailed her arms momentarily while letting out a sharp laugh. A strawberry red curl had worked its way loose from one of her braids and stuck to Jess’s pursed lips so she swatted it away good-naturedly before stopping to whistle for Goldie.
A high-pitched chirp answered within seconds, confirming the monkey was following her through the canopy of dense trees. Jess knew it was a silly name, but the small Golden Lion Tamarin had befriended her four years earlier, when she was only ten. It had seemed perfect at the time.
Jess grew up in the Amazon rainforest of Suriname, and lived on a sprawling estate that used to be a sugar cane plantation owned by the Dutch. It was now the center of a research organization run by her father, devoted to studying and preserving a rare geothermal feature in the nearby jungle. Jess never cared much about the science, though she loved the hot springs and the local indigenous people who lived around them.
As Jess sprang forward on the well-worn trail, a rustling of leaves above her was the only warning before a blur of hair flew through the air near her face. “Oh!” she gasped. Skidding to a stop, Jess squealed involuntarily as she hopped over the monkey dashing under her feet. “Goldie!” she chastised without any heat. “Every time.” Muttering, she smiled at the small monkey looking up at her and dropped a piece of fruit for him. “Every stinking time. You know if Dad heard me, he’d have a fit.” Goldie’s lips peeled back into what looked like a smile as he squeaked before shoving the chunk of dried papaya into his mouth.
While Dr. Eric Davies was seen as an adventurous Indiana Jones type, when it came to Jess her dad was a prude. Even though she’d spent years traveling the same two-mile trail to the springs, he gave her grief whenever she went on her own, lecturing her on the dangers of the jungle. There was a nice gravel road connecting the plantation to the site, but Jess preferred the scenic shortcut.
Normally, she’d just drag her nanny, Akuba along with her after completing her morning lessons with the tutor. However, it was a special day and Jess’s lifelong caretaker wasn’t there after breakfast like usual. The plantation had been Akuba’s second home since she was sixteen, when she began taking care of Jess after her mom died during childbirth. Akuba’s own mother was the Captain of the nearest indigenous village and tradition stipulated she would take her mother’s place soon, which meant she had to help lead the annual celebration of the Libi Nati.
“You aren’t going to want to come with me this time,” Jess said to Goldie, feeling a slight pang of guilt for knowingly disobeying her father. “There’ll be way more people than usual.” Grabbing a thick root of a rubber tree, she hoisted herself over the crest of a steep rise and then stood gazing out from a rare vantage point. The morning mist of the Amazon had yet to burn off, creating a thin shroud which hung draped among the tall canopy of trees. Jess was above the layer of rising condensation and had to shield her eyes from the intense early light of the summer sun.
A quarter-mile away, the first pool of water shimmered in the filtered light, it’s steam mixi
ng with the jungle haze. Jess scrunched her nose at the thought of the pungent sulfur odor associated with the hot springs. Although her father stressed how unique and unexplainable the Libi Nati geothermal features were, they sure did smell like all the other hot springs she’d ever seen.
There were a dozen pools spread out over a hundred acres. Some were so remote that they were rarely visited, while the six largest attractions had been commercialized and turned into a tourist destination. Enter her father.
Jess let out a puff of air before turning away from what most people would consider an other-worldly view. She frowned at Goldie before squatting down to give him another treat. “You thought last year was bad? I heard the resort’s sold out, and people are even staying at other places miles from here just to come for today’s show.” Goldie squeaked in approval, making Jess smile. “Right? I agree with Akuba; her mom should close the Libi Nati ritual to outsiders. Heck, I wouldn’t even be offended if they told me I couldn’t go!”
Though Dutch was the official language of Suriname, the springs were named by the indigenous people of the region long before a Dutchman ever set foot on the land. In the native language of Sranan Tongo, it translated to Life’s Waters and reflected the deep beliefs of the waters’ healing powers.
The celebration of the water was rooted in ancient history and though Jess had witnessed the ceremony several times, she only understood part of what was being said. Akuba told her how even the elders weren’t certain of the exact meanings of some of the words because they were recited in the Lost Language. Of course, the mysticism of it all only increased the interest of the tourists, which drove her father crazy.
The top priority of the Libi Nati Foundation was to study the springs, though it seemed to Jess that her dad spent much more time protecting it. He’d worked with the local tribes for almost twenty years, trying to balance the scientific research, native beliefs, and greed of the third-party owner of the resort built near it ten years earlier. In Suriname, most of the indigenous land was considered State Domain, and a tribe sometimes didn’t know it had been sold to a third-party until the bulldozers showed up to level the village.
Between the land her father owned with the plantation, the cooperation from the owners of the resort, and some legislative work with the government, they’d managed to save most of what was eventually called the Libi Nati Preserve. The annual celebration was a test of their efforts to minimize the tourist damage and as much as Jess loved to watch it, she was already dreading having to listen to her dad commiserate about it later that night.
Before heading down the last portion of the steep trail, Jess paused to look at her watch, the most recent gift from her father. Cell phones were notoriously unreliable in the jungle, and the rugged terrain watch had a compass, barometer, altimeter, and thermometer, just to name a few features. Jess ignored all the other gadgets and swore under her breath when she saw the time.
“I definitely should have left earlier with Dad.” Goldie didn’t respond and Jess didn’t look back to see if the monkey was still following her as she ran off. It was almost eight thirty and she’d be lucky not to miss the opening procession.
The sun became muted as Jess dropped down below the canopy, the trail darkening and making her reckless sprint all the more precarious. Instead of slowing, Jess laughed aloud and did her best to keep her long limbs from getting entangled in any of the heavy undergrowth.
She might have known the worn path well enough to run it with her eyes closed, except that her father was right about the dangers of the jungle. It was constantly changing and was full of very real threats. So, when she spotted a coral snake slithering across the open space up ahead, the young girl’s demeanor completely changed. Jess’s expression grew serious as she focused on the venomous snake while side-stepping into a Walking Palm to stop her forward momentum. All thoughts of the ceremony faded as her world was momentarily reduced to watching the snake until it moved to a safe distance.
Her heart slowed enough to enable her to take a breath, and Jess raggedly sucked in some fresh air. The aquatic coral snake was incredibly poisonous and she didn’t see them very often. Akuba would have said it was a bad omen.
Rubbing at the chill tingling along the base of her spine, Jess decided it would be a good idea to slow down. She was already going to be in trouble for taking the short-cut, no need to add being snake-bit to her list of offenses.
Five minutes later, she breathed a small sigh of relief when the jungle foliage opened up to reveal the first of the pools. It wasn’t a popular one and most of the tourists would be gathered at the main hot spring, so there wasn’t anyone nearby to witness her arrival. It wasn’t like she’d tell an outright lie to her dad about how she got there, just that she wouldn’t volunteer the information if he didn’t ask…or if no one else informed him.
Beyond the steaming pool was a wide swath of maintained grounds, with the upscale resort spanning the far side of it. It was set up like an outdoor museum, with wooden boardwalks weaved in between the different varieties of trees and plants. Signs were conveniently placed at intermittent locations, explaining the different species of both vegetation and often-seen animals.
Jess jogged around the pool and headed for one of the footpaths that would lead to the Libi Nati. She was almost there when a sudden drop in pressure caused her to freeze with her foot hovering in mid-step. Her ears popped and there was a chaotic flurry of motion from overhead as thousands of birds startled from the canopy of the Amazon Rainforest. Jess flinched but didn’t have time to react before a sound exploded, resonating in the air and filling her head. It faded as fast as it came, leaving her blinking rapidly in confusion while looking to the heavens for the source.
The last of the mist was burning away, giving a partial view of a clear, seemingly peaceful blue sky. The jungle had fallen silent, which scared Jess even more than the freakishly loud noise. She’d heard some big explosions in the past, when developers mishandled their dynamite, but it wasn’t anywhere near the amount of energy she’d just experienced. The animals knew it, too. Something had happened. Something big.
Forgetting any pretenses of being too grown up to need her father, Jess began running again, blindly, and she was fortunate there weren’t any other venomous creatures underfoot. As she collided with the groups of tourists and was jostled amongst the panicked foreigners, she decided she knew less about them than she did the snake. It was up in the air as to which was more dangerous.
“Jessica!”
She could see a large group of people on a main pathway up ahead, their darker skin in beautiful contrast to the ornamental gowns they wore. However, the powerful voice had come from behind Jess, and she spun around gratefully to face her father. He was lunging toward her, a large leather duffle bag in one hand and his phone in the other.
“What was that?” Jess wailed, her legs going weak as he approached her.
Shaking his head in obvious confusion, her dad scowled. His deeply tanned face was lined with worry. “Where have you been?” His strong arms enveloped her before she could answer, and Jess felt the cellphone vibrate against her back with an incoming call. While it saved her from having to explain how she was delayed by trying to catch her pet iguana after it escaped into his office, she was more interested in who the caller was. Maybe they knew something.
“Kofi!” her dad spat into the phone while still keeping one arm draped protectively around her shoulders. Shoving his wire-rimmed glassed up onto his mass of wild white hair, he shifted into researcher mode. “Did you hear that? Do you know what it was?”
Kofi was a local man who’d worked with her father for many years, and was also a good friend. He had political connections and knew pretty much everything that happened in their region. Jess’s anxiety grew as she watched her dad’s frown deepen. He stepped away from her so she couldn’t hear the rest of the conversation.
Frustrated and scared, Jess scanned the increasing number of people milling about, looking for A
kuba. The ceremony forgotten, no one knew what to do with themselves and the hum of voices grew louder as the shock wore off.
“Jess!” Akuba was waving an arm back and forth to get her attention. Jess had almost missed her, with the elaborate clothing and feathered headdress woven through her thick black braids that hid most of her features. While Akuba was thirty, her radiant sun-kissed skin was ageless and Jess thought she genuinely looked like a tribal goddess. It was nearly enough to make her smile.
As the two reached each other and Akuba took her by the arm, Jess noticed the stark difference between the indigenous people and tourists. She was close enough now to see the hot spring at the end of the trail and there were dozens of foreigners milling around it. It wasn’t the color of their skin or clothing she found to be so contrasting, but their behavior. While the Lokono villagers stood silently huddled, the tourists were running around yelling at each other excitedly, and virtually all of them had their cellphones out. The primary grounds had a weak Wi-Fi signal, broadcast from the resort, and Jess knew most of them wouldn’t even be able to use the stupid things.
The whine of a golf cart drew everyone’s attention as Mr. Sandwood, the resort’s general manager, came zipping up the boardwalk. He leapt from the vehicle before it had come to a complete stop and clapped his hands together loudly, even though pretty much everyone was already staring at him.
“Good news!” he shouted, smiling broadly. “I just heard from a reliable source that the unique and somewhat frightening sound we heard was caused by a seismic event out in the ocean thousands of miles from here.” The heavyset man raised his hands to deflect the questions shouted at him and cleared his throat. “I’m afraid I don’t know any more details, except that you are all perfectly safe and there isn’t any reason why the ceremony can’t continue as planned,” he added, looking pointedly at Akuba’s mother.