Imagine (13 page)

 
              Out of nowhere, we are completely surrounded, wooden crossbows, swords and sharpened sticks, aimed at us from every direction. The people holding the weapons are all wearing the same loose fitting dark clothes that the people in Haven wore. Their faces are covered in cloth hoods though too, making it impossible to even distinguish who is male and who is female.

Keagan raises his hands
immediately in surrender. We do the same. He doesn’t seem afraid, I can see determination and strength in him as he speaks slowly and clearly “We seek your protection, I need to see Riley immediately” he tells them.

A tall figure steps forward and takes off their mask to r
eveal the face of a beautiful young girl. Dark flowing hair, big green eyes and incredible facial features.  She does not look happy to see Keagan though.

“You have to help us!” plead
s Keagan. His calm demeanor now changed to one of uncertainty, making me uneasy too.

“Why should we help you?” The dark haired girl asks. “You’ve always believed everything that they have told you. So why do you come begging for help now? How do I know that I can trust you? That you wil
l not betray us to Brother Lorrus?”

“Look, I know that I haven’t always agreed with everything that you and your group here have st
ood for, but certain things have happened over the last few days Riley. Things that have made me re-analyze the beliefs I had. While I still believe in making sure that Young Creators don’t turn dark. I’m also starting to see that some of the methods at Haven were extreme and indeed unnecessary” he replies.

The girl first turns to Kia, looking her up and down, seeing that she’s now having to be held up by Sam she comes to some kind of a conclusion. With it she turns to me, scrutinizes me from head to toe too, just
as she did Kia. She comes closer to me, stares into my eyes, like we’re having a staring competition. I stare right back at her, not knowing what else to do, while everyone watches. I raise an eyebrow and tilt my head slightly, asking her ‘What’s happening here?’ without opening my mouth.

She chuckles to herself and grabs my hand, pulling me along with her as she skips away from the group.

“Come on Keagan, follow me. I’ll take you to safety. But I bet your change of opinion had something to do with this young lady.” She throws over her shoulder as she’s still pulling me along.

Slightly out of breath she turns to me and says happily “Hi there
, my name’s Riley, Keagan’s little Sister.”

XVII

imagine joy

After Riley dropped her bombshell she leads us through a passageway and into the mountainside tunnel. The entrance to which was skillfully hidden by several tall shrubs. The tunnel is pitch black, it’s so dark that I have no idea where I am heading. Riley is still holding my hand and I am blindly feeling my way along the side of the tunnel with my free hand, taking small shuffling steps to make sure I don’t encounter any nasty surprises.

She talks to me as we move slowly.
“I am really excited to meet you Trish; Mom has told me so much about you. She told me all about just how much grief you have been giving my brother. She really likes you, you sound like exactly the kind of person we need with us here.” She tells me excitedly.

“No-one ever told me about you Riley,
now I think about it your Mom did say children, as in plural but I don’t think it registered with me. I didn’t have a clue that Keagan had a Sister, but I’m glad that I’m here now. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks; I’m beyond relieved to be away from that place. Those people are completely out of their minds.”

“Yup, you got it. Haven is all kinds of messed up alright.” Is her only reply.
I wonder just how much her Mom has told her about Keagan and I. If she only knows about my stay in Haven or if she knows about everything that happened during our time at Dalton Academy too? Come to think of it, does Helen know about our budding romance? Is that why she was so nice to me.

After what seems like eternity I see a glimmer of light ahead of us. Riley tugs on my hand and pulls me in that direction, she
seems to bounce with excitement; she’s Keagan’s Sister? Wow!

While they do look sor
t of alike, they’re total polar-opposites personality-wise from what I’ve seen and it’s abundantly clear that they have some issues. She does seem to have taken a liking to me. But I get the feeling that it may be because
anyone
who has any issue with how things are done in Haven are all right by her.

We have reached the end of the tunnel, the sunlight hurts my eyes. I have to
squint and it takes a number of seconds until I am able to make out my surroundings. We had stepped out onto a wooden platform with steps that lead down into a lush green valley. We make our way down then and I, as always, look around.

The valley is flanked on both sides
by mountains; there is a gorge that appears to lead to the ocean on one side too. The scene is truly breathtaking; I can smell the salty ocean air too, which makes it even more beautiful. It’s so refreshing after our long walk here. 

This side of the
mountains that overlooks the valley is really cool; the smooth rock looks worn in places. The mountains range in color some areas are a dark brown, some bright orange and every shade of red. When I glance behind me I discover that water is making its way down the smooth rock which I bet is what has caused all of the erosion on the rock face. 

Big green trees and colorful wildflowers litter the valley for as far as I can see. The only break in the
vegetation is a small patch of land near the foot of the steps. There are three or four caves in the hillside next to the steps, there must have been water running through this valley at some point in time.

In that patch of land is a
camp that has been erected in the shape of a semi-circle. Tents, made of rough canvas, have been built; they are mostly the same size apart from one. It’s on the right hand side of the semi-circle and is at least three times bigger than the others. I figure whoever is in charge here must live in that tent. 

“Come on lets go, I want to introduce you to everyone.” R
iley tugs my hand and leads me, skipping still, in the direction of the camp. Once again I sense her energy and where Keagan is calm and mellow Riley is full of energy, her attitude is definitely contagious. She reminds me a lot of Chelsey. Thinking of Chelsey makes me worry about her and I really hope that leaving her behind was for the best, hopefully not being able to use her to manipulate me will result in them returning her to Dalton Academy. Dalton Academy – it seems like forever since I was sitting in History class with Mr. Monous. So much has happened over the last few weeks; hopefully things will improve from here on.

We walk down a well-worn path that leads to the camp, the trees and flowers on both sides of the path.  It’s such a beaut
iful day today, the sky is completely cloudless, and a gentle breeze is blowing, making the trees and flowers wave slowly. Birds are singing.

I can’t help but feel hope for the first time. Maybe I will f
inally get to go home to see my Mom, tell her that I am sorry for all the times I didn’t listen. Tell her that I appreciate her and everything that she’s done for me; I know in my heart that she is my mother regardless of what anyone else may say. It makes me realize how selfish and self-absorbed I have been.

I remember Mom telling me when I was you
nger that life is too short, that I should treasure every moment. At that point in my life I still felt like I had so much time to live, all I wanted was to have freedom, not to have to listen to my Mom nagging at me, telling me how to live my life.

A little screech escapes my throat when Riley nudges me, I realize that I’ve been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn’t realize we had walked through the entire camp, now standing in front of the largest tent.
She turns to me, puts my arm and says.

“Go in there with an open mind
Trish; I know that while you were with the Artemisians they told you things about your history and where you came from. You will now find out the complete truth.” Riley then turns to Keagan.

“I know that you and I have had our differences in the past not always agreed on many things. I’m glad that you are here now big brother, I hope that you will give what you are about to hear a chance. Remember your reason for being here.” She looks at me and ba
ck at him; I guess she does know about our romantic involvement.

“Remember you said that you felt like something was not quiet adding up Keagan? Maybe they will provide you with the answers that you’ve been looking for. Ones that make complete sense” I tell him. He barely acknowledges me and Riley once again grabs my hand, pulls me towards the tent while she opens its big canvas flap to let everyone inside. She gives me a quick hug before pushing me through the opening. There in front of me
, sitting on cushions, are Keagan’s parents and … Mr. Monous? Next to him is my Mother.

XVIII

IMAGINE
HISTORY

All four of them wear warm smiles on their faces but don’t move from their places. Tears begin streaming down my face; I rush over to my Mom and throw my arms around her. An overwhelming sense of home and that everything in the world has been set to right instantly overwhelms me. I’ve never been happier.

After several min
utes of me crying and snotting all over my Mom’s shoulder she gently separates us and takes my face in her hands. One moment I see nothing but joy and happiness in her eyes but all too soon they cloud over and her forehead wrinkles with worry. “Mom, I promise I’m alright. Don’t look so worried; now that you’re here I know that everything is going to be alright.” I wrap my hands around hers, still on my face.

“I wish that that was the truth T
rish, but there is so much I have to explain to you, so much for you to try and understand.” She leans forward and kisses me on the forehead and then completely separates herself from me.

I had
completely forgotten about everyone else in the tent and as I look around, I can see worry in Keagan’s face, curiosity fills Sam and Kia’s. I sit on a cushion in front of the adults; Riley takes the spot next to me. She whispers “Remember, your mind is like a book Trish, it’s only any use to you if it’s open.” As she hands me a metal mug of cold water. I gulp it down.

Everyone
sits in silence, completely still for what feels like the longest time. It makes me angry that no-one is explaining things to us. “You guys are really starting to annoy me now, can someone please start talking. Curiosity is killing me, just spill it. I’m a big girl; I’ll be able to handle it.”

I look at all of them expecting someone to start
talking but all that greats me is quiet. It’s beyond frustrating now. I look over at Riley, who simply shrugs her shoulders.

“Well?” I throw up my arms in agitation and roll my eyes.
Mom looks at Mr. Monous with pleading eyes. ”Please!” she begs.

“Trish, My name is not Mr. Monous. I am Maximus and right now we need to discuss
your
history.” He turns on his pile of pillows and retrieves a much worn, battered old book. It looks like it has come across many hands over countless years. Mr. Monous, I mean Maximus, carefully flips to a page about half way through the book, he stops and makes eye contact with my Mom. “They all need to know the truth Maximus, even if parts of it may be very painful to take on board. We have to begin preparations as soon as we can.” She tells him.

He takes a deep breath then looks at me, Kia, Sam and Keagan in turn.
They too are drinking from metal mugs. “Alright then, you three may wish to be seated. This may take a while.” He tells the members of my group that have remained standing. They do as he commands, Keagan sits next to his Sister and Kia and Sam join us too.

“Back at Haven you would
all have been told many things about yourselves, all of which is indeed the truth. But they left out a lot of important details, details that make all of the difference in the world. Let us start with a little history lesson, concentrating on mythology. Have any of you ever heard of The Furies?”

We all shake ou
r heads in acknowledgment. Like kindergartners listening intensively to their teacher at story time. He continues “As you may know, a lot of the Greco-Roman mythology stories are derived from facts. One such story is that of a group of people called The Avengers of the Underworld. The infamous Greek poet, Hesiod, actually wrote about them. The Furies were the daughters of Gaea, also known as Mother Earth. She had three daughters, their names were Allecto ‘Unceasing in Anger’, Tisiphone ‘Avenger of Murder’, and Megaera ‘Eraser of Jealousy’.” Maximus takes a deep breath and makes sure that we are all still paying attention, when he is satisfied that he still has our ears he continues.

“Without mercy, the Furies would
punish all crimes committed in the world, including simple breakings of rules. They would strike the offenders with varying degrees of punishment, depending on their crime, but then they would never stop following them. The most heinous of all of these crimes were patricide or matricide, the killing of one’s parents. This drew the most of the Furies’ attention and the greatest punishments known to man.” Another pause, Maximus takes a sip of water before continuing. I follow so far, I think.

“They would watch for ethical
crimes too. For example, they would protect beggars, punish those who stole birds' young and they even looked out for dogs. The Furies played a huge part in facilitating the relationship between gods and humans, if there was too much crime, hatred or greed in one place then the Furies would wipe that particular place of the face of the earth. In a way they were the god’s executioners, the gods may decide who would live or die but the Furies would carry out the dirty work. Arriving with a vengeance and only leaving when all that was alive before their arrival had ceased to be. There would no mercy” He pauses again, I am completely sucked in. This is the first time I have ever found listening to Mr. Monous speaking so captivating. But I do wonder what all of this has to do with Sam, Kia and I.

“I know that all of you are familiar with the story of Atlantis, a land of much beauty and far more advanced than it should have been for its time. While the rest of the world speculates if it is fact or fiction, I can assure you
that Atlantis was real, it was destroyed by a giant Tsunami.” He signals for my Mom to talk, she continues the story.

“
All regions on Earth were protected by one of the 12 Olympian deities of The Pantheon. Atlantis was watched over by Poseidon, God of the Sea. Atlantis was his pride and joy; no other place came close to comparing. The other gods grew to dislike Atlantis, urging their cities to make advancements to try to keep up with Poseidon and his city. In turn this spurred Poseidon on further. The people of Atlantis, who had been a very family oriented and giving society, became greedy, selfish people because of his ambition, they would not have thought twice about starving their own children to make the advancements that pleased their god so much, because of the lavish gifts he bestowed upon them. The gods watched this growing greed and by the time Poseidon realized what was happening, the order had been given to destroy Atlantis for the good of earth. The Furies swooped in and with their combined gifts willed the ocean to take back the land that it had given. Nothing was left, millions of people vanished.”

I am completely stunned, imagini
ng the pain and suffering that The Furies brought upon Atlantis and how so many people’s lives they ended because of what was happening. This all reminding me of the carved doors back in Haven. A feeling of dread comes over me and I don’t want to hear the words that I know are coming. 

             
“You, Trish and Kia, as well as Helen here, are direct descendants of those very Furies.” Maximus tells us.

             
Sam and Keagan have the same look of horror on their faces, Kia has started sobbing loudly and I just sit there unable to move.

             
Maximus takes up the story once more “This way of life continued for centuries. The gods depended on prayers to keep their immortality, so when humanity turned from the old gods to follow the monotheistic faiths we know today as Judaism, Islam and Christianity, their prayers disappeared and most of the gods faded into nonexistence.

             
The last to go was Artemis; she was the Hellenic goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness, childbirth, virginity and protector of young girls. She knew that instead of prayer, The Furies survived on pain and fear, things that would always exist in the world. She felt remorse to have made them do all of her dirty work over the years, she wanted to make sure that they would have choices. So with the last of her strength she did two things, she freed them from the underworld, and she gave birth to 3 male Artemisians to act as guides and protectors to The Furies.” He again signals for my Mom to take over.

             
She is looking at her hands and fidgeting with a piece of paper as she speaks “Together they come to find that earth was a beautiful place to live, there was so much life around them. So much joy and happiness. They discovered that even though some humans were inherently bad, not all of human kind were the same. Allecto seemed not to be fazed by the discovery but Megaera and Tisiphone took it hard, life on earth had caused them to feel humility and for the first time, much regret for the many lives that they had taken. Megaera decided to diminish her guilt by secluding herself from her Sisters and indeed the entirety of humanity. She was not seen or heard of since. Tisiphone, on the other hand, found peace in the arms of one of the Artemisian men.  She was the first to have a child, a child that was human but had all of the powers both of Creation and destruction that the Furies had wielded for centuries. Something that you have to understand is, only The Furies can have human children with Furies’ powers.” My Mom says in a trembling voice. She finally lifts her eyes and meets mine.