Return to Eden (14 page)

Mara pressed her lips against his forehead then lowered her face to meet his and closed her eyes. "Thank you, Henry. It couldn’t have been easy to relive that story."

"No."

"Why do you think God wanted you to tell me?"

"I think she wanted me to know that if you moved on, there was a way I could go with you. I could offer someone else the challenge."

Mara frowned. "Oh. I don’t like the thought of you sacrificing yourself for me."

"Maybe it’s time, Mara. You, William, my parents, it might be nice to be together. It would be nice to rest."

Pressing her cheek against Henry’s, she watched the hourglass out of the corner of her eye and wondered why going to heaven didn’t feel like a happy ending at all.

Chapter 20

Jacob and Malini

Inside the secret cavern under Laudner’s Flowers and Gifts, Jacob led the new Soulkeeper, Ethan, to the boat wedged in the white sand. After helping Malini over the side, he motioned for Ethan to take a seat at the bow. Jacob positioned himself next to Malini near the mast.

"Are we being mean, Jacob?" Malini whispered into his ear.

"Absolutely not. If we have to take him, we might as well enjoy it." Jacob grinned.

Since Dr. Silva and Gideon weren’t human, they couldn’t get past the cherubim at the gate into Eden. Lillian was already in Eden, running the school and teaching the Guillians, Jesse, and Master Lee. That left Jacob and Malini to chaperone the newest Soulkeeper.

At the front of the boat, Ethan was roughly the color of glow-in-the-dark slime. "I didn’t ask about the creepy passageway under the flower shop, or why there’s a boat in a cavern without any water. But I'd really like to know how we plan to get where we are going." He eyed the solid wall behind him. "Is this going to hurt?"

Malini unhooked her sunglasses from her t-shirt and slid them on. Jacob did the same. "Nope. Won’t hurt, but you might want to hang on." Jacob yanked on the rope to raise the sail.

A roar like a freight train rumbled through the cavern, starting far off and low but growing to an eardrum-crushing decibel. The ball of fire that exploded toward them surrounded the boat with heat and light before ricocheting off the back wall and catching the sail.

"HOLY SHIIIIII—" Ethan white knuckled the wooden hull.

Jacob and Malini exchanged grins and stretched their arms above their heads roller coaster style. A few seconds later they were drifting down an aquamarine river surrounded by white sand.

Ethan turned toward them in his seat. From under a mop of disheveled black hair, dark under-eye circles loomed above an unshaven face. He looked like someone found him on the side of the road, and maybe Dr. Silva had. Jacob hadn’t had the chance to ask.

"That was...that was...," Ethan stuttered.

Malini reached for Ethan, as if she were going to apologize. Her eyebrows knit together in empathy.

"That was AWESOME!" Ethan said. "If this is the ride there, I can’t wait to see what Eden’s like."

Malini laughed and returned to her seat.

"You
are
a Soulkeeper." Jacob reached his fist forward to bump Ethan’s. "What can you do, anyway?"

Ethan leaned against the side of the boat and gave a half grin. Jacob’s sunglasses flipped off his face and landed on Ethan's, who then tilted his chin toward the sun.

"Thanks. It’s bright out here."

Malini arched an eyebrow. "Impressive."

The boat coasted under the perpetually flaming swords of two towering angel sculptures. Jacob’s body slid through the invisible membrane like gelatin through a strainer. Even though he'd been through it before he'd never get used to the way the gate to Eden sifted his cells, making sure he was worthy and human. Ethan must have felt it, too, because he brushed his hands over his face like he was clearing away spiderwebs.

"It takes a few times to know what to expect," Jacob said.

"Do you get the slice and dice on the way out, too?" Ethan asked.

"No. It’s a one-way security system," Malini answered.

A purple and red Macaw flew overhead, disappearing into the exotic foliage as the boat docked itself. Jacob climbed out first, offering Malini his hand. Ethan tossed his bag over his shoulder and got out on his own.

"This way." Jacob headed up the path toward Eden.

“Where are you from, Ethan?" Malini asked.

"Los Angeles. I’m supposed to be a freshman at UCLA, but I guess that’s on hold now."

"How much has Dr. Silva told you about what’s going on?" Malini asked.

"Not much. Aside from convincing me I’m a Soulkeeper, she wasn’t exactly forthcoming with the info."

Jacob grunted. "Sounds like Dr. Silva."

"So, she’s always a distant, self-serving crab?" Ethan laughed.

"Not always, but frequently, yes."

Malini nodded in agreement.

"I would have asked more questions but she said I needed to get some rest to be ready for today."

"Well, that was probably good advice," Malini said.

"Might have been if I actually got any. The fighting was too loud. Dr. Silva and Gideon were at it for hours."

Malini stopped mid-stride. Jacob did, too, turning toward Ethan on the path. "Gideon and Dr. Silva were fighting?"

"Like cats and dogs, no pun intended."

"What were they fighting about?" Malini asked.

Ethan crossed his arms over his chest. "I didn’t hear the whole thing but there was something about loyalties. Gideon didn’t want her to do something because he was afraid they couldn’t be together if she did. She wanted him to realize they might never be together anyway. He offered to fix the problem. Someone broke something. I’ve gotta tell ya, it was scary. More than once I thought about sneaking out and going home. But then it was over. I guess Dr. Silva left because Gideon brought me to the shop this morning."

Jacob narrowed his eyes toward Malini. "What’s going on, Healer?"

"I don’t know. She’s bringing in two more Soulkeepers this afternoon. Maybe she wanted to get an early start. When we’re done here, I’ll talk to Gideon and find out." She placed a hand on Ethan’s shoulder. "Don’t worry. I know this is overwhelming. Dr. Silva isn’t usually that bad. I don’t know what’s going on but we’ll figure it out. We’re going to take good care of you here, I promise."

Ethan bobbed his head. "Thanks."

They continued around the corner and up the hill, until the jungle ended and a manicured lawn reached toward a stucco mansion. The freshly painted sign in the yard read Eden School for Soulkeepers, Est. 10,000 B.C.

"Mom has spruced up the place." Jacob opened the door and led the way into the jewel-encrusted foyer. "She’s even dusted."

"How did she get this done so fast? This place is huge." Malini eyed the cobweb-free chandelier inquisitively.

Jacob advanced down the main hallway to the lecture hall in the west wing. His mom's voice filtered through the door. He slipped inside and took a seat in the back. Malini and Ethan followed.

Lillian lectured to the five Soulkeepers at the front of the room. "We know that becoming a Soulkeeper requires a specific gene, hereditary and recessive. Those with the gene may or may not become Soulkeepers in their lifetime. The gene activates when the person is put through an extreme circumstance, usually a threat to their life or the loss of a loved one, sometimes both."

She used a pointer to circle the adrenal gland on a medical diagram. "We think that the flood of cortisol in the system triggers the gene to activate. Once activated, the gene produces proteins that enable our special abilities. Much of this is speculation as we have limited capabilities to perform medical testing here. What we know for sure is that practicing the use of your skills decreases the side effects associated with the flood of proteins in the body.

"For example, my gift is the ability to wield any weapon. In the beginning, using the gift would result in severe muscle fatigue. But with practice, Master Lee and I were able to exponentially increase my endurance. In addition, practice helps us fully expose the extent of our power. So, continuing with my personal experience, practice brought out complimentary qualities of super human speed and superior kinesthetic intelligence."

"Kinesthetic intelligence?" Ethan asked Malini.

"It means she’s a whiz at acrobatics. I’ve seen her hit a bull's-eye with an arrow she shot while executing a full layout."

"Oh."

Lillian pointed to a list on the whiteboard. "Besides fatigue, here are other side effects we’ve logged within our Soulkeeper population: burning heat, freezing cold, nose bleeds, dehydration, migraine headaches. Have any of you experienced any of these or other symptoms?"

Jesse raised his hand. "If I try to disperse for more than five minutes, my molecules snap back together on their own, and it feels like I have the flu."

Lillian nodded.

Samantha piped up. "When Bonnie and I join, if we stay together too long, we can’t always separate equally. Once it took us an entire day to get back to our normal size."

"Interesting," Lillian said. "As we practice, be aware of your body and know when you need to stop. I’ll be teaching you basic defensive skills so that even if your power wanes, you can get yourself out of a dangerous situation. Any questions?"

Heads shook in the front row.

"Excellent. First training session will be in two hours in Room 115. Right now, it looks like we have a new student." Lillian looked toward Ethan, as did the rest of the class. "I’ll get him settled in and we can make his acquaintance before we start."

Everyone stood and waved their hellos on their way out the door.

"You must be Ethan," Lillian said.

He accepted her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Lillian stepped to the side and embraced Jacob. "Good to see you. Are you enjoying your summer?" She winked.

"Right, Mom. I love traveling all over the country fighting demons," he said in a sarcastic tone. But then his face softened. "Actually, you know what? I do. I’m having a great summer."

Lillian smiled. "I thought so." She gave Malini a quick hug. "I need to talk with both of you once we get Ethan settled in. It’s important."

"Of course," Malini said.

She led all of them into the hall. "Ethan, come with us and we’ll show you to your dorm room. It’s in the east wing."

"Mom, the place looks great. How did you get everything cleaned up so quickly? The grounds alone must have taken days." Jacob eyed the polished brass room numbers to the right of each door.

"You know, it’s the damnedest thing. The school had its own..." She cleared her throat. "Maintenance system. The system stopped working when everyone left, but has revived with our presence here."

Malini giggled. "What type of system mows the grass and clears away branches? You’d need a team of landscapers for that."

Lillian smiled and shook her head. "You won’t believe it, Malini, but Eden is a garden and the Lord provides."

Just then, a small man with a face like a monkey’s appeared in the foyer wearing green lederhosen and a tall pointy hat. He didn’t walk in the front door; he literally appeared out of thin air. Ethan leaped backward into Jacob.

The man removed his hat and held it in his green-stained hands. "Ms. Lau, the room has been prepared for the new student. Is there anything else I can do for you today?"

"Yes, please, Archibald, I would love it if you and the other gnomes took a long break before dinner to do as you please."

Archibald flashed a set of ragged yellow teeth. "As you wish, Ms. Lau." He disappeared as quickly as he’d come.

"Mom, what was that?" Jacob asked.

"Shhh. Jacob, be respectful. Who not what. That was Archibald. He’s the head of the pod of garden gnomes that takes care of the school. They’ve been here from the very beginning. Besides getting the place cleaned up, he’s shared a wealth of knowledge about the school’s history."

Malini nudged Ethan who was still staring at the place Archibald had been. "Lillian, what were the gnomes doing this whole time? When Jacob found this place it was completely overgrown and left to rot."

"Before Warwick left, he ordered the gnomes to take care of themselves until his return." She lowered her voice. "The gnomes do exactly as you tell them. Exactly and nothing more." She crossed the foyer leading the others into the east wing and up a spiral staircase.

Cave-like drawings covered the walls of the stairwell. One, a stick-figure boy riding a horse, caught Jacob's attention. White dots of paint shot out of the boy's palm toward black shadows gathered behind a tree. "Look, Malini. Neanderthal Soulkeepers."

Malini stopped and perused the painting. "Not Neanderthal, Jacob, Native American. Look at the handprints on the horse. It’s domesticated. And over here, behind the rider, those look like stone dwellings."

"This place really has been here a long time."

Lillian cleared her throat. "This passageway is a progressive mural. Look in the upper right corner at the top of the stairs."

Jacob followed her line of sight as they climbed. A peace symbol and a flower were spray painted in neon colors. Overwhelmed by the legacy of Soulkeepers that had come before, Jacob reached out for Malini’s hand. She squeezed it three times, a silent I love you, their own personal sign language.

"So, how did you find the gnomes?" Malini asked.

"I didn’t. They found me. When I moved into Warwick’s office, Archibald came and asked if he’d returned. After my heart started beating again, I realized he wasn’t a threat. I explained Warwick was dead and that I had taken his place. The rest was just a matter of me asking the right questions."

They reached the second floor landing, and Lillian opened the door for them.

"Everyone stays up here?" Ethan asked.

"No. Just the boys. The girls are on the third floor. For now, while Jacob is on the outside, it’s just you, Jesse, and Master Lee." Lillian walked to the third door on the left and turned the knob. "Here we are. Room 206."

The room was about the size of a college dorm with walls in the same stucco as the rest of the building. One window brightened the room from the far wall. A dresser, a nightstand, and a twin bed were the only furniture.