Charade (34 page)

But today, it was almost as if they felt fake.

It wasn’t something I had really thought about before.

“How are you feeling today, Cole?” I asked, leaning toward him.

He shrugged and sat down his glass of orange juice. “Fine.”

His aura looked like it always looked, which
was
usually filled with blues and greens. Of course, the magenta was there, a burst of vibrant color around his head. “Never mind.” I sighed. Even if everyone’s mood was being influenced, who’s to say it would work on Cole? He is a Supernal Being, after all. Plus, if everyone else’s auras were being manipulated, wouldn’t that mean mine would be too? Wouldn’t I be feeling calm and happy like everyone else?

I didn’t feel like I was being influenced, so maybe I was just being paranoid.

“What is it, Heven?” Sam murmured.

I pushed my oatmeal away, done with even pretending to eat. “Everyone’s aura looks a lot alike this morning.”

Sam frowned. “You think it’s a charade?”

An interesting way to phrase it. Could an entire room full of people’s aura’s be disguised and replaced by something more favorable? I shook my head slowly. “I don’t know.”

Without thinking about it, my eyes went back to the teachers’ table and I remembered what I saw when Ms. Merriweather thought no one was looking. Her aura blanked out to be replaced with a cloud of black for a few moments…

“I’ll be right back.” I pushed away from the table and walked across the room.

Mrs. Britt looked up from her plate. “Heven? Is something wrong?”

“No, Mrs. Britt. I was wondering about Kimber. Is she all right?”

“She’s still under the weather, I’m afraid. Ms. Merriweather checked her this morning.”

I turned to the teacher’s aide. She smiled up at me and I couldn’t help but notice that the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Kimber vomited until the early hours of this morning. She is just too weak to join the class today.”

Her aura remained exactly like everyone else’s.

“I want to see her.”

Tabitha Merriweather narrowed her eyes just a fraction at my words, but otherwise remained still. Mrs. Britt drew my attention away. “We have to be on the bus in just a few minutes, Heven. Kimber’s probably sleeping. I will take you to her room this afternoon when we get back from the Via Appia Antica and you may see her then.”

If I put up a fit, then Ms. Merriweather would know that I suspected something. There was nothing I could do but agree and go back to where we were sitting.

“Hev?” Cole asked when I sat back down.

“Something isn’t right,” I murmured, hating the fact I didn’t know what it was.

Sam covered my hand with his. “You’re just nervous that we’re returning the scroll today. Once it’s where it belongs, you’ll feel much better.”

I nodded, threading my fingers through his. I sincerely hoped he was right.

Deep down, I knew that he wasn’t.

It was a beautiful day in Rome. The sun was shining, filling everything it touched with light and joy. The sky was a cloudless blue, brilliant and perfect. Yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling of impending doom and it darkened my mood. I wasn’t sure what to expect at Via Appia Antica because I had never been there, so when we pulled up, I climbed off the bus feeling a little nervous. It was unnecessary. The place was beautiful and I understood its tourist appeal even though it didn’t seem like much. It was green and lush with trees and plants of different shapes and sizes. There was a long road that ran through it and people of every age were running, walking or cycling along the path. Others were picnicking on blankets and soaking up the sun’s rays.

“Feeling better?” Sam asked, his hand rubbing my back.

“Yeah.”

We all gathered around while Mrs. Britt outlined the activities that were available. A group would be formed for those who wanted to walk and explore, stopping at the shops that lined the street. Another group would be formed for those that wanted to cycle along the path and explore.

The cycling group would be led by Ms. Merriweather.

How would we manage to get away from the group to ‘get lost’ with her leading us? She seemed to have an eagle eye trained on me at all times. But we had to try because this was our only shot at getting the scroll into the catacombs.

Luckily, the cycling group was larger than the walkers. Being on a bicycle allowed us to cover more ground and see more of the attractions, so most wanted to do that. Ms. Merriweather led us to the rental place and we were all given a bike and a map, highlighting the main attractions and best eateries along the road. It also boasted a lot of history and trivia. I noted where the catacombs of San Sebastiano where located, then shoved the map into my bag. I didn’t need information about anywhere else.

We started the tour in the center of the group, then gradually fell back until we were the last three, trailing behind. It was good that Ms. Merriweather headed south because we could travel that way with the class and then “accidentally” separate later.

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach and I ignored the fine shaking of my hands as the time drew closer for us to go off on our own. What if she saw us? What if she kept us from doing what we needed to do?

Turns out, separating from the group wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. Small groups of students began going to the attractions that they wanted to see most. We fell in with a bigger group that was heading toward where we wanted to go. They all passed where we stopped, probably because it didn’t look like much.

The small two-story church told of its age. It was made of stone with three great arches and large columns at the front. The church had a pitched roof and windows along the second story. There were tourists here, of course. Inside was a marble slab with the impression of Christ’s feet. It was said to be the original with a copy housed somewhere else in Rome. Most people were studying the marble, so it was easy to find the staircase that led down into the catacombs without much notice.

The Catacombs of San Sebastiano is one of the smallest cemeteries, so it wasn’t preserved very well. The stairway that led down was dark and murky. The stairs were covered in dust and dirt and very steep.

Sam went first and I was next with Cole bringing up the rear. We each had a flashlight, but none of us turned them on because while it was pretty dark, we could still see due to what lighting there was. At the bottom of the staircase was a restored crypt. It was the crypt of San Sebastiano that held a table altar. On top of the altar sat a bust of Saint Sebastiano. Underneath were platforms which were the tombs. I shivered, knowing that people were buried there. It seemed like such a desolate, creepy place for such revered men to be buried. The platforms were covered in paintings; some were faded because of their age.

Tourists were down here as well. Everyone was hushed out of respect or maybe fear. We stood amongst the people, pretending to study the paintings. Most people did not linger down here long and soon Sam was tugging me across the crypt and pointing down a narrow hall. I nodded and the three of us began walking. We were alone here, probably because the crypt had been creepy, but this narrow, dark stone hall was downright scary. As soon as we rounded the bend, all three of us clicked on our lights. The walls were dark stone, and when I say stone, it isn’t the pretty kind that people put in their kitchens and bathrooms. It’s little more than rock. Black rock that appeared to have been chipped away with old-style tools to make room for the burial places. The walls were jagged and uneven, dusty and dark. The place smelled musty and old… A scent I was beginning to associate with death.

“This place is scary,” I whispered.

Sam stopped walking and turned. I ran right into his chest. Cole bumped into me from behind.

“You can go back. I can do this.”

I shook my head and he sighed, and the three of us started walking again. Paintings and drawings lined the walls here too. They were of crosses and men dressed in robes. There were a few that I thought might be of God and Jesus. Wine and fish, angels and men also made up many of the drawings. The next corner we rounded brought Sam to a halt. Built into the stone walls were arches with ledges. Upon these ledges rested corpses dressed in dirty brown robes with hoods. One of them clasped a giant silver cross in his hands.

“Wow,” Sam said, hushed.

“I hope those aren’t real mummies,” Cole murmured.

“I really don’t think they are props.” I said, goose bumps racing along my arms.

“Where are we supposed to leave the scroll?” Cole asked.

I looked up to shine my light around, looking for a sign. The rays of my flashlight fell upon another drawing. This one wasn’t as faded as the others and I was drawn to it. I stepped away from Cole to study it.

It was of a dagger with gems on the handle. The dagger had great white wings that jutted from behind and it was surrounded by yellow, representing a bright shining light. Beside the image was another of a man lying on the ground with another dagger sticking out of his chest. The man’s eyes were yellow as well as his mouth and ears. His face was full of pain and I imagined his screams.

“Stop,” Sam said, gently turning me from the sight. “Come away.”

I allowed him to lead me away and I tried to banish the sight from my thoughts. It didn’t matter though because my mind would hold onto the picture and it would haunt me forever.

It was cold down here. Without windows or light, warmth could not get in. There was also no sign of life and I had a feeling if a person stayed here long enough, this place would suck the life out of them too. I never imagined that crypts were so sad.

“Maybe we should go. Maybe we are in the wrong place,” I told Sam, my steps faltering.

He pulled me against his body, wrapping his arms around me. Warmth from his skin seeped into me and I sighed.

“Up here!” Cole called from ahead of us and we went running.

Cole was standing in some sort of alcove in the crypt. Like everything else, it was made of rough, dirty rock. Inside was another archway, but there was no body resting on the ledge. The feeling around this little corner was different than the rest of the catacombs. It wasn’t depressing or sad. I felt better in here, like this place really was blessed and was the resting place of the most sacred of men. The air wasn’t warmer here, but it didn’t have the chill of the other areas, and it brushed against my skin in welcome. “This is the place,” I murmured.

Sam and Cole looked at me. I stepped further in the room, as if being called. Along the top of the archway were words written in script in what I assumed were Italian or maybe Latin. “I wonder what they mean.” I said, studying the words.

Here lies hope.
The words drifted into my mind and settled. I repeated them out loud and knew it was right.

“How do you know that?” Cole asked.

“This place told me.”

“Let’s leave the scroll and go,” Sam murmured, unzipping his bag and pulling it out. I grabbed it and felt it begin to vibrate in my hand.

“It knows it belongs here,” I said.

“Where do we put it?” Cole asked, looking around.

Why were they in such a hurry? Couldn’t they feel the power and peace of this place?

“Heven, we need to go. It isn’t safe here,” Sam said, tugging my arm.

“Of course it is,” I said. He gave me a little shake and I looked up. His eyes were filled with concern and maybe a little fear. I reached into our Mindbond and felt his anxiety.

“I’m all right,” I promised. “We’re fine.”

He didn’t look convinced.

“Okay, let’s get this done.”

We spent the next several minutes looking for a place to leave the scroll. There weren’t many places in this tiny alcove. “Just leave it on the ledge and let’s go,” Cole said restlessly. “People are going to start looking for us.”

It felt all wrong. We couldn’t just lay it there and go. “Maybe there’s a trap door in the stone,” I said, walking to the arch.

All three of us began tapping on the stones and feeling for loose ones. I pushed on one in the center of the archway. I heard the softest of clicking sounds before the stone came out, falling to my feet. From the wall a blinding white light shone out. It illuminated the space and infused us with warmth.

“Here,” I murmured, reaching my fingers into the light.

There was a great cracking sound behind us and we turned. The alcove was empty, but as we looked, the floor began moving and crumbling. From beneath the floor rose a demon. Its eyes were red and its teeth were black. It crawled out of the floor, bringing with it thousands of black bugs. The bugs began scattering everywhere, up the walls, across the floor and onto my shoes.

I screamed and began stomping on them.

The demon launched itself at us, teeth barred. Sam and Cole attacked it, sending it backward, only to have it come at us again. In one swift move, Sam hit the demon, sending it backward into the hole it climbed out of. It didn’t appear again.

Cole walked over to the hole and looked down. “That’s a long way down.” Sam joined him and they both stood staring down into the pit.

“I wished it had taken these bugs with it,” I screeched, stomping on another. “Come away from there,” I ordered, bending to pick up the scroll, which I dropped in the chaos. A large black bug was crawling on it and I flicked it, sending it into the air.

It morphed and turned, landing as a snarling demon. I swore and turned to run, but the demon was fast and caught me around the waist and hefted me up to rush out of the alcove. Bugs all around us began turning and twisting into demons, blocking Sam’s path and keeping him from following.

I fought as hard as I could as the demon ran through the crypt. In one swift move, I hit him upside the head with the very scroll he was after. He screamed and dropped me. I landed hard, but scrambled to my feet. I was trapped against the wall and he came at me. I backed up, bumping against something. I turned to see one of the robe-wrapped men fall to the ground. He hit with a sickening thud and I watched as his head detached from his body and rolled away. Thinking fast, I scooped up the head and threw it at the demon; my aim was good and the head smacked into the demon’s face.