Awaken (20 page)

             
“And that, Pasha, is the understatement of the century.”

Thursday:
October 30th

              “Where do they take him?”

             
“Phoebs, she already told you she doesn’t know,” Carmen answered for me with annoyance.

             
“I know, but what if it’s somewhere awful?  Like a dungeon or a cave?  Or what if it’s somewhere really amazing like a Spanish castle or The Hilton?”

             
I snickered at Phoebe’s imagination, (along with her belief that a Spanish castle and The Hilton were remotely on the same level) as I placed my valise on the coffee table in our living room; surrounded by my roommates.  After the fastest two days known to mankind, I was awaiting Finn’s text message to tell me he was home so that I could head over to Rostrum and stay with him until midnight.

             
“I seriously doubt it’s a Spanish castle or The Hilton.  He said himself he was just hoping it had a bed, so I don’t think he has any idea either,” I responded absentmindedly.  As I carefully lifted the valise lid, I took a deep breath; inhaling the leftover lavender scent from The House of Thetis, or I guess technically, my house.  The fact that I
had
a house was still beyond my comprehension.

             
“I just don’t know if I could go two days without eating,” she professed in horror.

             
“They give him water, right?” Willow asked; concerned.

             
“I’m pretty sure he can have all the water he wants, just no solid food,” I explained.

             
“And then he has to fight for his life…” Carmen thought out loud, shaking her head in disgust.  I was ready to talk about something else.  Thinking about Finn starving and then fighting for his life was quickly bringing on an anxiety attack.

             
“Okay you guys,” I surveyed my roommates, “Here’s everything she left me.”  I cautiously pulled out each item from the valise and laid it on the table for them to see.  We had inspected the items before, but never from the perspective of what, if anything, I should take with me on my journey to the Underworld.

             
“Hello?” A deep voice from the kitchen called out, making us all jump except for Phoebe. 

             
“Come on in, baby!” she called to him.  Ian continued into the suite as Phoebe jumped up and hugged him.

             
“What is it with Sons and their inability to knock on a door?” Carmen hissed under her breath.  He just flashed a smile at her and sat down across from her on the loveseat with Phoebe.  He was wearing snug gray jeans and a bright orange shirt that matched his black and orange wayfarer sunglasses. Somehow the orange of his shirt outshined his diamond studded earrings. 

             
“Did ya’ll go on a treasure hunt?” he asked, squinting at the items spread out on the table.

             
“We’re trying to figure out what Stasia should take on her journey with her,” Phoebe informed him happily. “This is all of the stuff Thetis left her.”

             
As everyone began to pick up objects and investigate them, I stared at each one, trying to figure out why in the world my mother would have left them for me: three skeleton keys, a dark stone, a piece of rope, a conch shell, and a beautiful aquamarine, diamond, and pearl encrusted dagger.  I had also been keeping my jewelry and the moonstone I had found at the shipwreck in the valise as well.  Ian, of course, was instantly drawn to the dagger.

             
“You should definitely take this,” he suggested, looking it over. 

             
“Definitely,” I agreed, “I just hope I don’t have to use it.”

             
“I don’t think I could stab anyone,” Willow doubted.

             
“I bet you could if they were trying to kill you,” Carmen speculated.

             
“Aren’t you supposed to be able to hear the ocean in conch shells?” Phoebe held the large shell up to her ear and listened intently.  She gave up and handed it to Carmen; already moving on to the piece of rope.

             
“I think this stone is a hematite,” Willow told us from behind her laptop.  She held up the stone and examined it further, “Yep, definitely hematite.”

             
Carmen got up and peeked over her shoulder at the screen, “Does it say what it’s used for?”

             
“It says that it absorbs negativity. Gives optimism and courage. Calms the emotions, and treats hysteria,” Willow read out loud.

             
“Hysteria?” Carmen nodded her head in consent, “I could see that being a strong possibility in an Underworld filled with evil queens and rivers of fire.”  I fought the urge to heave.

             
“Oh and it helps maintain the balance between body, mind, and spirit!” Willow added. “I definitely think you should make sure you have this with you for the journey.”

             
“Okay…here’s the ‘taking’ pile,” I advised.  Willow placed the black stone in the space I had designated, along with the dagger.   I picked up the conch shell and eyed it closely for any sign that it may have a specific use.

             
“See if you can hear the ocean, Stasia,” Phoebe recommended.  I held it up to my ear, and then almost threw it across the room.  My shocked look immediately caught everyone’s attention.

             
“I heard…somebody’s…in there…” I spit out incredulously.  Carmen snatched it from my hand and covered her ear with it. 

             
“I don’t hear a thing,” she shrugged her shoulders and passed it to Willow, then Ian.  No one else heard anything but silence.  Ian handed it back to me as I stared at it; waiting for a troll to come crawling out.  When it didn’t explode or sprout legs, I held my breath and put it to my ear again.  Just as before, I heard it immediately.  A…mumbling.   The sound of someone talking, but it was as if someone had pocket dialed me and I could only hear a muted version of their conversation.  I listened harder.  There was only one voice; a male voice.

             
“I swear I hear somebody talking or mumbling something,” I interpreted, hoping that I didn’t sound too crazy.  “And you guys didn’t hear anything at all?” They shook their heads and I stared at the shell for another moment before carefully setting it down on the table.  If that shell was talking, I wanted it as far away from me as possible.  Shells were not supposed to talk.

             
“What does it sound like?” Willow asked; poking the shell with her finger apprehensively.

             
“It sounds like a guy mumbling.  Kind of reminds me of a pocket dial,” I offered my example.  Carmen bolted upright, suddenly getting an idea.

             
“Maybe it’s a portal!  But only a sound portal!  It could even be a different realm or even a different time that you’re hearing,” she surmised thoughtfully.

             
“I guess it’s possible, but I’ve never heard of anything like that before,” Willow countered.

             
“And why am I the only one who can hear it?” I asked; not enjoying that particular aspect.  I didn’t need even more reason to think I had a couple of screws loose.

             
“Maybe it’s linked to your family, somehow,” Willow speculated.

             
“I don’t think I’ll be taking that with me,” I muttered as I transferred it to my newly formed ‘NOT taking’ pile on the floor.

             
I was still perplexed and slightly disturbed by the shell, when my phone vibrated in my lap. Finn was back at Rostrum.  I didn’t want think about the fact that tonight would be the last time I’d see him until after his fight.  Or possibly the last time I’d see him.

             
“Finn?” Phoebe asked gingerly.  I nodded as I wrote him back to say I’d be over in a minute. “Tell him we’ll be thinking about him.”

             
“I will,” I smiled at her; suppressing the agonizing desperation that crept into my bones at each moment’s passing.

~~~~~

             
“How will I know?”

             
“You won’t until afterwards.”

             
“I can’t live with that,” I pleaded. “Could I come to the fight if I’m back from the Underworld in time?” Finn was emptying the cabinets and refrigerator with more cans, boxes and containers than an entire army could eat.

             
“They won’t allow it, but it might be possible for Mom to talk to you.  Text message?” he suggested, after smelling a jar of pickles to see if they were still edible.

             
“I don’t want to find out you’ve been killed by text message,” I frowned at him. “So who
does
get to go to the fight?”

             
“One family member can visit me during isolation, but all family and Sons are required to be in attendance for the fight.  There will be a ceremony following - regardless of who succeeds.” He tapped his chin as he scanned an open cabinet.

             
“There are no exceptions?” I tried, alluding to myself.

             
“It’s a once-in-a-century event for the Sons.  People come from all over the world and security has a huge presence.”

             
“Then they wouldn’t notice one more person,” I uttered with frustration as he handed me a bag of unopened Doritos.

             
“Another thing you have to be cognizant of is the time vacuum in the Underworld.  An hour there could be three in this realm.”  That could get tricky.

             
“Then I’ll wear a watch,” I declared stubbornly. “Where does the fight take place?” I thought about the stone amphitheatre and where something that old would be located.

             
“It’s on an island off the coast of Greece.”

             
“Greece!?” I shrieked.  “That’s so far away!  Even if I got back in time, I have no way of getting to Greece!”

             
“I want you to be there too, but while you’re in the Underworld you’ve got to stay focused on what
you
are doing.  You can’t afford even a moment of weakness by worrying about me.  I will be successful.  I know I will.”

             
“But my vision-”

             
“Your vision wasn’t finished,” he said quietly as he took my hands in his. “As far back as records have been kept, only one Scion has ever failed to become Prime.  You have nothing to worry about it.”

             
“Only one?”

             
“Only one.”

             
“Why did he fail?”

             
“That’s a story for another day,” he grinned at me. “At the moment that cherry cheesecake is calling my name.” He licked his lips and gestured at the wide array of various desserts, snacks, and drinks he had compiled on the bar; all of which were his favorites.  My mouth began to water as I took it all in.  Several choices were questionable, such as the Vienna sausages (I’m pretty sure no actual meat was used in the manufacturing of those) and pigs feet (anything with the word feet in the name will not get anywhere near my stomach), but I didn’t argue.  This was his ‘last meal’ as he had called it, which only succeeded in bringing images of death row and electric chairs to the forefront of my mind.  Not very comforting.  I reached down to pick up a Little Debbie oatmeal crème pie, when Cage and Ricker came crashing through the door.

             
“Well, hey there, Patience!” Ricker affectionately threw an arm around me as Finn shook his head in annoyance.

             
“Pasha,” I corrected him.

             
“Okay, Pacemaker, whatever you say.” He popped a chocolate chip muffin in his mouth and smiled down at me with it smeared in his teeth. 

             
“You got something in your teeth, Rigor-mortis,” I gave him a dose of his own medicine and he grinned up at Finn; food still in his teeth.

             
“I like her.  She’s feisty.”

             
“How about you like her from across the room where you can’t spit crumbs all over her,” Finn smirked at him.  I laughed when Ricker flipped him off and sat down on the couch across from Cage.  ESPN fired up on the giant flat screen television.

             
“Where’s Ian?” Cage asked while flipping through the channels.

             
“He’s at my place,” I answered for Finn.

             
“That dude’s whipped,” Ricker criticized under his breath.