EIGHTY-NINE: Siobhan’s song

EIGHTY-NINE: Siobhan’s song

Jude had warned Arous about Ricci. She believed him. Now.

            Ricci and Arous walked into the HaleSpa together and right to the Purple Ward. Just as instructed, no one stared at her.

            She wished Jude was with her.  He could hold her and make her stop shaking.

            When the arrived in the room, Arous saw at Siobhan’s weak body limp on the bed.  She was cocooned in a mass of light and fog. Her eyes were closed and her breath was shallow.

            “What have you done?” Arous was almost in tears.

            “She’s been sick for awhile,” Ricci said. “I’m only trying to save her.”

            “I think I can save her,” Arous mumbled.

           

            “You can,” whispered Edlawit. “Try Arous, you have to try!”

            “The fog has already entered her lungs. The transformation has already started, if we stop now, she’ll die.”

            “The transformation?” she whispered.

            “Soon it will aspirate her skin, sucking in on itself from her lungs and blood, like a black hole. But, just before that, we’re going to save her but I’m not sure you should be here for that. Most people find watching it quite traumatic. I thought I’d try starting it without him since I don’t think you two should be in a room together.  You might just cancel him out, I don’t know.” Ricci was rambling now.

            The two cocoons on either side of the cage became tangible Miasmen in their pinstriped suits and red rimmed glasses.  They breathed fog that swirled around Siobhan.

            “It’s not too late,” Arous said, “I have the power.”

            “I’ve seen your Skin-dancing skills. Quite impressive,” Ricci sucked his breath in. “But, your life saving skills, I’m not too sure about. They certainly couldn’t save Priscilla.”

            “You don’t need to mention my past,” Arous voice was soft. “I can remember.”

            “I will say, your work on that Momo back in Plateau Drop was impressive but Momos and people aren’t the same thing, really.”

            “Call back your fog,” Arous voice was solid now.

“Ooooh. Really? Hmmmmm. If I stop now, she might die.” He paused and then said to the Miasmen, “Remove your fog.”

            Arous ran to Siobhan scooping her up in her arms. Arous began to sing. Her song faltered, like magic hands sweaty with nerves.

            Arous meditated on the Bowl.  The weeping willows swaying in the wind, the poisajos.  She could see the Mist rolling over the meadow in the pre-lighting.  Edlawit was there calling to her.  She could see her mouth moving.  But no sound escaped her screaming mouth.

            Ricci began to giggle, then guffawed out loud.  Arous tried to ignore him.

            “I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s just so cute.  You trying to save her.  She was so willing to sell you out to be my Idelle.”

            Arous song broke.  The fog stopped coming from Siobhans mouth.  She wasn’t breathing.

“No, no, no. It’s not working. Why isn’t it working?”

            “What is your source?” asked Ricci.

            “My - ?”

           

“That shouldn’t matter. It shouldn’t. I have the gift,” Arous began to sing again, meditating on those weeping willows, Arcadia, the meadow, the song of the Oak trees.  Her notes rang true, pure. Siobhan took a deep breath, her eyes fluttered.

She could see Edlawit clearly now.  She could almost hear her words like echos in a barrel.

“The Diofe. The Diofe. He is your Source. Meditate on him. You can save her. He can save her. Don’t be afraid.  The Diofe”-

Arous’ mind snapped to the word traitor.  The vision of home blurred and faded. Her song faltered.

            “Arous, I’m not,” whispered Siobhan.

            “But I am,” Arous whispered back.

            “No, Arous! Don’t run. Come back,” screamed Edlawit. “Arous!”

            She continued to sing but she could no longer hold on to the feeling of the water-filled air on her skin, or the smell of the Mist that enveloped the Weeping Willows or the sound of the songs of the Oak trees, or the sound of the poisajos as they mimicked Priscilla. It was gone and the blackness and doubt in her filled her song and her voice cracked.

            Edlawit’s voice was silent.  She had disappeared like everything from home.

            “No” said Arous. “No, no, no.”

            “Arous, love, sweet, I can help you,” he said.

            “No, this is the Mist, not you Ricci,” Arous said but she wasn’t sure anymore. “He made me, I know he made me. You are not the maker of me.”

            “But, Arous, we’re alike. You and me.  I am your father. You are me . . . and your mother. That’s all.”

            “What?” asked Arous.  Her mind raced between him, the Diofe and Siobhan. Siobhan and Simon betraying her, manipulating her, paid by Ricci, telling Ricci everything. Back to Ricci.

            “What?” she asked again.  He was beaming.

            “I’m your father, Arous.”

            “No – don’t.”

            “I’m reaching for your Arous, let her go, just for a moment, and grab my hand.”

            “I -.”

            “Think Arous,” he said. “Think Arous, where is your source when you need it most? If he’s so powerful, the Diofe, if he knows everything, he could help you now. He could or he can’t. Or he won’t. But I’m here now and all you have to do-”

            She looked up at him for the first time. He was glowing. There was a warm orange halo all around his body. He was smiling that beautiful winsome smile that made everyone love him, trust him.

            “I’m not your enemy, Arous, I’m your father.”

            “My-?”

            “Say it!” Ricci was thinking: Just say it; all you have to do is say it and I can make you believe all the rest.

            “You and me, kid, we could rule the world. You with the power of Life and me with the power of Death. Nothing could stop us. Shoot. Even we couldn’t stop us. The greatest father, daughter team ever.”

            Siobhan gasped. The rattling sound of her breath jerked Arous back from Ricci’s mesmerizing voice.

            “Siobhan, Siobhan. Hang on.” She tried to sing and no song came out.

            “If you grab my hand I can save her,” he said. “Forget your song from the Mist. Forget the Diofe and Miguel.  Let me be your source.”

            “No,” whispered Siobhan. “No, Arous. I don’t want to be like them.”

            “Arous,” said Ricci, “I can give Siobhan the breath she needs. Your power is gone. Let me help you help her.”

            “Come closer,” Siobhan whispered.

            Arous leaned down, putting her ear to Siobhan’s lips.

            “He wants to make me like them. He wanted you to see. Queztacoatyl . . . I never believed . . . He’s here . . . He was here . . . Ephor Sextus and Ricci . . . before Ricci . . . the Thirteen.” Siobhan didn’t finish and Arous pulled away.

            “Siobhan?”

            Siobhan’s eyes opened and the muscles on her face relaxed.

            “No, Diofe, no. Help me. Help me. Miguel! Edlawit!” It was too late.

            Arous froze but she didn’t cry. Her face tensed and for a moment she looked like a statute. Ricci continued to glow steady. The only movement was one of the two Miasmen shivered, almost coming out of his cocoon. A flash of light shot from Ricci’s eyes and electrified the Miasman in the cocoon, lighting him up, exposing his features: tall, strong, a boy of sixteen, large eyes, Jude.

            His cocoon tensed and sighed and was still.

            Arous didn’t notice.

            Ricci narrowed his focus back to her.

            “I am here, Arous,” smiled Ricci.  “When no one else can be, I am.”

EIGHTY-EIGHT: Trust

EIGHTY-EIGHT: Trust

Jellina walked Arous into Ricci’s office and they were ushered right in by a Spartan Guard who smirked at her. She was expecting to confess to everything. She looked at Ricci, then down.  He smiled at her.

“Jellina, do you mind.  I’d like to be alone with Arous.”

Jellina left.

“So we meet again.  It’s nice to see you, Arous.”

He was too nice.  Arous was too nervous to respond.

“What’s wrong? It’s a beautiful day out.”

She looked at him and knew the surprise was all over her face.

“I’m not surprised you’ve come for me.  I expected something different, though,” her voice sounded braver than she felt.

“What?” he looked at her still smiling, then laughed, “Oh, that!”

“I’m not talking about the Rose Gazebo,” she said feeling a bit irritated and wondering if he was that dumb.  He laughed even harder.

“No, no you’re not,” he said. “That was mild compared to the fiasco at the HaleSpa.  You’d better be glad that I’m . . . I’m on your side. I’m a good friend of your mother.”

“How good?” Maybe her mother hadn’t lied.

“You have a lot of questions to be the one who should be here on the hot seat? How’s your father, the Diofe?”

“But I’m not here to talk about my father,” she said. “I’m here about my mother.”

“I know, but I brought you here to talk about your father.”

Arous didn’t understand and didn’t know what to say.  She looked into Ricci’s face. It was serious.

“I’ve already cleaned up that mess at the HaleSpa,” he said.

“Is Jason really . . .”

“Yes, but that is minor, compared,” he started but didn’t finish.

“Simon?”

“He’s fine.”

“He’s not . . . in trouble?”

“Oh, no, his first priority was,” Ricci hesitated, “protecting you.”

“Me?”

There was a moment of silence between them.  Arous looked out the windows behind Ricci.  His whole office was glass.  The walls of his office were double-paned glass filled with water that swirled around and constantly ran down inside the glass.

“I’m your father, Arous.  What did you expect?” he asked. “What has Miguel told you about me?  No, nasty stories, I hope.”

“No.”

“Go, ahead. Sit,” a chair had moved into place behind her.  She fell into it.

“Water,” he said and a glass pitcher pour a glass of water and the water came to her.

“Arous, we could be a team.  All that I want to do, with my gifts and your gifts: we could  be a force of nature the world has never seen. Literally,” he said.

“How did you do that?”

“And you thought only your Diofe was magic.  He tries to act like he’s the only Source but he’s not.  There is another Source. That’s how I do that.  I was saying? Oh, yes.  We could be a team.”

Arous didn’t know what to say.

“I just want to see my mother.”

“Arous,” his leg began to pump up and down. “Don’t you think it’s a fair exchange?  You came to find your mother. Instead, you found your father and he’s one of the most powerful men in the world.  He loves you.  He wants you to be his daughter . . . create a relationship with you  . . . If I’d known you existed, I’d come for you years ago. Don’t you think?”

“I don’t know.  I didn’t expect . . . I didn’t really think . . . I came here for my mother.”

“I’m sorry, Arous,” Ricci began.

“Sorry?”

“I was hoping we could at least, be friends?” his pumping knee barely masked the irritation in his voice.

There was a bit of silence not snapped up by crickets or pins.

“I’m your father. You trust me? Hell, everybody trusts me I’m an Ephor for crying out loud.”

“I’ve only just met you.” She agreed.

“Well, there’s something I have to tell you.”

“About my mother?”

“I’ll get to that,” he said with a timed pause.  “You’re friend Siobhan, she’s sick.  You knew that right?”

“I knew she hadn’t looked well and wasn’t well enough to -”

“Arous, don’t say it, I know what happens to Siobhan.  Don’t say that she was going to help you at the HaleSpa,” Edlawit whispered.

“I think you should come with me?”

“Where are we going?”

“To the HaleSpa to see Siobhan. I think you can save her.  Then we’ll see you mother.”

EIGHTY-SEVEN: Reach

            “But he can’t leave,” said Edlawit. “Who’s going to watch after Arous?”

            “That’s not his job, Edlawit. It’s not for him to do,” I said.  I could tell that she couldn’t feel it but I asked anyway. “Can’t you sense it, Edlawit?”

            “What?”

            “Something’s coming.”

            “Here,” said Edlawit with confidence.

            “No, there.  Something is about to happen.  If Jude doesn’t leave, he’ll get swept up in it.  He won’t make it out alive.”

            “MiJin? James? Mori?”

            “MiJin and James are already on their way out.  Mori died last night.”

            “And, Arous and Siobhan?”

            “Arous’ Guardian will see she makes it out.”

            “I guess we already know what happens to Siobhan,” said Edlawit. “I was beginning to like her, even after all she’s has done.”

            Edlawit became silent.  She began to shake.

            “What is it?”

            “Here wasn’t a question.  Something is coming here.  I can feel it, smell it running up the drive but I don’t know what it is.  It smells warm and tired and loyal.”

            “It’s good.”

            “The sense of it was strong with that last sight but it is still some time away. A week maybe. Could it be Arous?”

            “Probably not. Not yet.”

            “What’s going to happen that’s so bad?” she asked. I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was unsure if she really wanted to know.

            “Blood and fire and smoke.”

            Edlawit’s eyes got big but I could tell it had nothing to do with what I said.

            “Miguel, something weird is happening.  I think MiJin is coming to me.  I can sense her.  How is she doing that? How is she sending a sight to me?”

            “MiJin believes.  She has the gift of faith.  She’s reaching out for the Good. Try to reach back to her.”

            “MiJin is scared. James is with her.  I can’t see anything.  It’s just like her thoughts are in my head. But I can’t see.”

            “Just relax.  Because you don’t have a connection with her, it makes it harder.  Try to relax. See if you can reach out to her.”