“Mom?” she said awkwardly.
Suddenly, Anaya welcomed us with a bow of her head from behind the door, like she was waiting for us, and then leaned down to kiss Maya on her forehead. Four older faces turned toward us. Their hair plaited behind their heads, deep crow’s feet around their crystal blue eyes, smiling solemnly out of politeness. They could have passed as identical quadruplets. All Minoans looked similar in that they all had the same tanned skin, square features, light eyes and straight, thick, black hair pulled tight against their heads. Maya bowed, punching me in the stomach to get me to mirror her. Awkward, I thought to myself as all eyes fell on me. A crowd had gathered in the small cottage, making me panic and think of how unwelcome I must have been just then. We were interrupting what seemed to be an assembly of elders and Minoan Council members. Recognizing the Council Symbols on their beads, I bowed hesitantly, not sure whether I should maintain eye contact as a sign of respect as we did for our kind. I decided to maintain eye contact anyway – it was my way. Their harsh faces broke into broad smiles as they returned the gesture, the laugh lines around their eyes, not crow’s feet as I had originally thought, deepening. Each Minoan Council member wore long, deep-purple caftans. Golden stitching circled the hems of the sleeves and meticulously woven symbols adorned the collars. Around their necks hung long strands of turquoise and pearl beads, which clattered as they stood back to let us pass. Their peaceful auras made me feel at ease as I passed by trying not to stare; they were a gorgeous race.
“Girls!” a sweet female voice called out to us.
A warm glowing fire burned in the corner of the room transforming the cottage into an orb of coziness, its orange haze warming a large seating area. We stepped onto a soft carpet that stretched right across the room. Long bookshelves stacked neatly against one wall. As we crossed the large room, I peeked into the open-plan kitchen separated from the seating area by an extensive antique table. A second group of people, comprising of younger men and women had to stand aside to let us through the crowd; the scent of wood, welcoming and humbling.
“Ah, my sweet Maya,” a middle-aged lady pronounced.
Must be her mother, I thought. She was sitting on a large, dark wood, wingback chair, her hands tucked neatly in her lap. Her dark hair pulled tight above her head into a thick silky black ponytail. Thin, silver streaks of hair ran down her middle parting and into her fringe. She looked nothing like Maya – not that I thought she would. She was tall and slender with a dark-olive complexion. I noticed her eyes, she was blind. She rose to her feet. Four young bare-chested men stood taut beside her, spears in their hands. I felt myself blush at the sight of their naked chests that bulged even more as the grips on their lengthy golden spears tightened upon me nearing them. Flushed, I looked away quickly. Minoan warriors… primitive indeed, I caught myself thinking and immediately felt ashamed. The woman seemed to tense up before she raised her hands in front of the crowd. Everyone bowed and made their way out the door. The room was silent once more. Awkward, I thought for the second time. I hoped they had not left on my account. My suspicions rose as to why they had adjourned when we had arrived, by now accustomed to hushed reactions and secrets. I had become suspicious of everything lately. Sam might have been right about those journals driving me insane.
“I’m glad to see you’re okay,” the woman said, pulling Maya into her arms, a soft sigh escaping. “It’s been a while.” She mumbled.
“Mom,” Maya said softly, her mouth pressed up against the nape of her mother’s neck.
I felt a spike of jealousy but I dispelled it quickly, replacing it with happiness. Maya had something we always dreamed of – a mother – a home.
“I’m so glad you’re back,” Maya said, almost in tears. The words got stuck in her throat and had to be forced out. “I was so scared.”
“Me too, my girl,” her mother replied, giving her a good squeeze.
“You should not have taken your young friend out this morning,” Arriana started.
“Mom, she is fine and strong – see for yourself.”
Feeling awkward, I averted my eyes and caught one of the warriors glaring at me, his eyes cutting through my thoughts. I gasped.
“Enoch!” I heard Anaya call.
Almost instantly, his pull released me and the four warriors strode past mother and daughter who were still caught in each other’s embrace. The tallest of the four, the one glaring at me – the leader, approached and bowed with a scowl. My stomach churned. I was sure I had heard that name before. I searched the edges of my mind but I could not think clearly when he was standing so close to me; so close, I could feel his warm breath on my face. His chest rose and fell rapidly with unrestrained emotion as he looked down on me. I didn’t take a step back – I wouldn’t.
“You!” he whispered, his eyes ablaze with fury.
Those eyes of his were the lightest shade of blue I had ever seen, no, bluer than a glacier. I shuddered internally as his gaze intensified. Maya pushed him away from me. Our eyes unlocked. I felt both relief and want at the same time.
“Enoch!” everyone shouted at once.
“Some manners, please,” Maya’s mother scolded.
“Mother,” he said calmly in acknowledgement, bowed and turned on his heel gesturing for the others to follow.
Stepping aside to let them pass, I kept my eyes straight ahead. A younger boy bowed to greet me, a quirky smile plastered on his face. I was busy bowing back when one of the older boys smacked him on the side of his head. I noticed that his eyes were a dark, forest green unlike the others, and that he was shorter and stockier than his warrior buddies. He continued to flash a weird smile in my direction as he walked away.
“Willard!” Enoch shouted from his position near the door.
I assumed he was annoyed that the boy had lingered in front of me a little too long.
“When did you get back?” Maya asked her mom, holding onto her mother’s hand.
“Not long ago.”
I cleared my throat.
“Mom this is…” Maya started to say.
“Ava,” her mother interrupted, immediately reaching for my hand.
I was startled at how precise her perception was. Her sudden movement toward me caused her long dark ponytail to swing over her shoulder and come to rest on her hip.
“Of course,” Maya said as she fell back into her mother’s chair.
We both bowed at the same time and bumped heads. I was about to apologize profusely when I realized I didn’t quite know what to call her. She chuckled softly, her hands covering her mouth.
“Arriana,” she said, taking a step back.
“I’m so sorry, Arriana,” I said shyly, my cheeks glowing bright red with embarrassment.
“Not at all, my dear,” Arriana said pleasantly. “You’re quite a treat, just as I imagined you would be.”
I looked at Maya who was rolling her eyes. “Mom, you’re freaking her out.”
“Am I?”
“Yes!” replied Maya, pinching the bridge of her nose.
I stepped closer.
“No, not at all, Mrs.…”
“Arriana,” Arriana said firmly.
“Arriana,” I repeated, bowing apologetically.
Arraina was wearing a black and purple dress – unlike that of the other Council members, but still, the turquoise and pearl beads tucked into her bosom confirmed that she was a member of the Minoan Council.
“Mom reads minds,” Maya said through a yawn.
I turned suddenly, but Maya waved it off.
“You’ll get used to it.”
Anaya walked in and sat next to the long sofa by the fire. She was disturbingly quiet, as was I. I followed her letting out a sigh as I sat beside her, the warm fire soothing my tense shoulders.
“I must apologize for Enoch’s behavior, Ava,” Anaya said bluntly, keeping her gaze on the fire’s warm flames tenderly licking the logs.
“It’s fine, really, I understand,” I said, in a feeble attempt
to try and convince her that I was fine, which I wasn’t. It was all too much. I told myself that I should have stayed with Sam, but I actually believed I was right where I was supposed to be, in a twisted kind of way. One becomes addicted to sadness, and sometimes that was not enough to allow you to feel. Something big was about to happen and I was a part of it. My curiosity got the better of me.
“Anaya,” I whispered. “I’m worried. Should I be?”
“I don’t know,” she said, staring into the fire somberly.
“Is someone going to tell me what happened yesterday?” I asked. But I did not ask why they didn’t take me back to school. I was enjoying my freedom a bit too much.
I bit down on my lip and looked down at my hands. I was shaking. I trembled every time my mind turned to thoughts of the attempted kidnapping. Anaya sighed deeply.
“Oh Ava, if only I could explain everything, but you see, we are unsure ourselves.”
Keeping her gaze on the fire, she placed one of her hands over my nervously twitching fingers.
“I want to go home,” I said faintly, but only to be with Sam because no other reason existed for me to want to go back.
She didn’t respond to my request. Tears began to well up in my eyes and I swallowed against the tightness in my throat. I felt I could open up to Anaya. There was something proverbial about the whole family and the entire situation, almost as if I had been there a dozen times before and I wondered why I felt that way.
“I know,” Anaya finally replied, pushing her hand down harder on mine, “but it’s not safe for you to go yet.” She breathed out heavily, like she was about to cry.
I decided to accept her answer for the time being. The truth was, a large part of me was not yet ready to go back, and I would not be ready until I knew exactly what I was up against. Some part of me wanted revenge. That should have been another sign that I was not myself.
I tried to silence my busy mind by taking a long hot bath. Another thing not accessible back home – our showers were timed. I lay back against the stone bath and peered up at the gray sky through the small window above the bathtub. What was going on? Why wouldn’t anyone talk about the attack on us yesterday? What were they afraid to tell me? What did the Zulus want with us… with me? I sat up suddenly, the water rocking forward violently and then returning to splash back against me. Sage. I don’t know what made me come to this realization, but I suddenly knew that the attack was somehow connected to Sage’s disappearance. I leaped out of the bath, and dripping water all over the wooden floors, pulled a towel from a nearby hook. I hastily made my way past the small wall toward Maya’s wooden-framed canopy bed. Some clothes were spread across the surface of the bedcovers. I grabbed a pair of jeans, held them up to my nose and inhaled the fresh scent of lavender. I loved the smell of clean laundry. I dressed quickly as there was a slight chill in the room. I couldn’t help but feel that something was odd. Maya entered and was startled by the angry look on my face.
“Ava?” she asked softly, closing the door behind her.
“What are you hiding from me?” I asked loudly, angry and frustrated.
“Nothing,” she answered nervously.
“Don’t lie to me,” I said abruptly. I began to feel ashamed at my temper and my harsh words.
“Ava, please, I wouldn’t lie to you,” her sweet voice breaking under the pressure.
“Then, what… what are you hiding from me?” I inquired.
I looked down at my hands, nervously rolling my shirt around my fingers.
She didn’t reply.
“I want to go home!” I yelled and made my way around her.
Each step I took was loud and demanding. I was right to be suspicious, I thought angrily. They know what happened to Sage. I was sure of it. I don’t know how I knew. It was just there, inside me.
“Ava, wait!” Maya called.
I spun around.
“No! No more waiting. I think I have been patient enough, sitting in this unfamiliar place and swallowing my fear while everyone tiptoes around me.”
A rush of adrenalin pulsed through me. I had never spoken to anyone like that before. I was losing it.
“What’s going on? Why won’t you talk to me?”
She hung her head.
“Just as I thought… nothing!”
I stomped off, leaving the door swinging wildly behind me. Anaya stood in the hallway, poker-faced as usual. I couldn’t read her at all. She was absolutely beautiful though. Her long, brown hair was the color of dark chocolate and was streaked with golden brown curls, high lighting her luminous blue eyes. She was not like the other Minoans in looks, but in demeanor she was as calm as she was humble. Anaya stood tall and slender. My eyes right in line with her perfect bust. As perfect as an anime character, I thought to myself. When I realized what I was doing, it made me feel ill. I hated that I constantly dwelled on looks, never satisfied with my own. Looks meant a lot to me. I was so shallow. Another starburst of anger began to erupt inside me. I had had enough of myself and this place. This place somehow created conflict inside me, something I understood and was used to, but this time I couldn’t ignore it any longer; somehow yesterday’s attack had changed me and somehow this place was changing me. I had reached boiling point and wanted to go home. Anaya took a tiny earpiece out of her jacket pocket. I noticed her clothes for the first time. She was wearing jeans and a Minoan caftan which tied in a knot above her belt, and oxblood boots laced up to her knees. I guessed that she wore the best of both worlds because she was a Council member. She got to wear our jeans, which formed part of our uniform, with her Minoan caftan.
“Oh,” she said softly. “A flat battery. I can’t get used to this technology.”
I pulled my earpiece out of the pocket of my jeans and handed it to her. Luckily, I had grabbed it off of Maya’s dresser before I stormed out. I didn’t want to go back into that room and face Maya after I had yelled at her like that. I followed Anaya into the kitchen.
“Call Kim, please,” she requested handing the device back to me.
What was unique about these earpieces, or devices, was that they were voice activated. This meant that my earpiece was perfectly synced with my voice and my voice only. All our devices were linked to satellites and a vast information network, where every person’s number on the planet who owned such a device was stored. I held the device up to my mouth.
“Kim,” I said bluntly, and handed the device back to Anaya.
I was trembling. Kim would be furious that I had not phoned her as soon as I had woken up. Maya called out my name and upon finding me in the kitchen, placed her right hand on my shoulder. I let her, and maybe needed her to. I looked at the ground shifting my balance from one leg to the other on hearing the beep on the other side of the device. Tears began to burn my eyes, the lump returning to my throat. I let the tears roll down my cheeks freely. I felt safe with Maya and Anaya; safe enough to reveal my fears.
“Everything is going to be fine, I promise,” Maya said, a glint of compassion gleaming in her eyes. She pulled me into her arms and I hugged her tightly. Maya and I had never been that devoted to each other before and yet it felt strangely familiar. I swept her black locks over her shoulder, clearing my view as I stared at Anaya. Her conversation with Kim had ended. I held my breath in fear of Kim giving me over to strangers as they had done with Errol. Her shoulders sagging, Anaya placed my device down on the counter behind her. I slowly pushed Maya aside, her left hand lingering on mine before she let go.
“Just as I thought,” Anaya said in a distant voice as she turned toward the dining table.
She sat down and pulled out a chair as a gesture for me to take a seat. I didn’t. My frustration flared up again. Did they expect me to just be okay with everything?
“Is someone going to tell me when I can go home? I need to know what’s going on. Why was a Minoan Council meeting held here today? Why did Kim agree to let me stay the night? What did you say to her?” My anxiety got the better of me. “The
Council doesn’t want me anymore, is that it?” I could have only hoped. The words just spilled out from a place long hidden from me. For once, I didn’t care. Something had changed inside me and I liked it.
“You were in no condition to go anywhere yesterday,” Anaya said firmly.
“Sam…” I said softly. “I need to let her know where I am.”
I reached into my pocket for my device, but all that was there were a few coins left over from my weekly allowance. I looked to where my device lay on the counter – not flashing.
“I need to let Sam know where I am,” I repeated. “Why hasn’t she called yet? Why did you turn my device off? Am I a prisoner like Sage?” My voice trailed off. My chest ached with unease, the sound of rushing water surged through my ears as the adrenaline in my body spiked. I was seriously going to lose it. Struggling to catch my breath, I declared loudly, maybe a little too loudly, “Give me my phone!” The usual ‘please’ not added – something that would have made our Behavior Lecturer so mad, had she seen all her hard work going to waste.
I held out my quivering hand. My throat burned as tears threatened again. Both of them stood there, gaping at me. I had basically accused them of kidnapping.
“Calm down, girl!” I heard a deep voice shout from behind me.
Maya stood in front of me silent and sad, her eyes catching the edge of the shadow coming toward me.
“Sage,” I said quietly, not taking my eyes off Anaya for one second. “You know what happened to Sage, don’t you?” I exclaimed, the volume of my voice slowly rising again. The words were bitter poison in my mouth. But they came anyway – fast and fuming. “You are all a bunch of liars. I can sense it!” And, at that time, it was not that they were liars; it was more about withholding information from me.
I felt two strong arms seizing me and spinning me around before lifting me from the ground. I hadn’t noticed that a crowd had gathered in the room, a sea of ‘too calm’ faces staring back.
The Broken Destiny Page 6