The Broken Destiny (6 page)

“Hey, you okay?” I heard Maya ask.

“Sorry, I’m not used to people complimenting me, that’s all.”

“That’s nonsense!” Maya shrieked with disbelief.

“I’m serious. If people do, I don’t notice or pretend not to.”

“Well, if it counts for anything, you’re hot,” she said and smiled.

“Hot?” I queried. “I didn’t know that Minoans used words like ‘hot’.”

“You don’t think we just hang around our village the whole day and twiddle our thumbs, do you?” she asked playfully. “My mom says I can attend the same school you go to next year,” she noted, changing the subject. Her navy eyes twinkled brightly.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

“That’s…”

“Cool, I know. The only reason why I’ll be able to go to school in the city is because it seems the Council owes my family a favor.”

“A favor, for what?” I asked way too bluntly, slapping my hand over my mouth, instantly recognizing my own pig-headedness.

“I’m sorry,” I said timidly and somewhat embarrassed.

“No need.” She waved her hand at me, smiling sincerely.

I felt ashamed that I, who hated judgment, had judged her.
Why would the Council owe her family a favor?
I wondered. The thought lingered for a while, twisting and turning in the back of my mind. I hated the Council for the simple fact that they dictated what we did and who we were. Their wish was our command! I wasn’t that narrow minded. I wasn’t satisfied with the life they gave us and I never would be. I could feel the pull of adventure and a better existence tugging at the strings of my heart, my dreams, my everything. The next fifteen minutes of our stroll to the market was spent in silence. I loved to be quiet when walking through that particular part of the forest as it was my favorite. I loved the way the forest opened out onto smooth, gigantic boulders, like something out of one of those fantasy books I read as a child. Behind the boulders, water flowed in a snaking stream that trickled down the rocks, and a beautiful wooden bridge stretched over the stream before the stream cascaded down into the valley below. I could never make out the valley below the falls because of the tree cover, but I could hear that it was a fair drop. The huge trunks of the silverwood trees bowed over the narrow winding path. Silverwood trees were evergreen and lush and they emanated a refreshing scent that held notes of fresh pine. During the summer months, the ground was a carpet of tiny purple flowers. Somehow, the forest seemed larger, emptier and quieter than I remembered it. I reasoned that I was probably just imagining things, that perhaps my heart was reflected in what I experienced around me. But something was troubling me – something seemed out of place. The hairs on the back of my neck tingled as a cold breeze cut through the air. Maya must have noticed how drawn in I was by my surroundings and broke the eerie silence.

“It’s said that the forest originated from Earth.” She smiled plainly. “Or at least, its genetic make-up did.”

She cocked her head to one side in front of me to catch my attention. She knew it was hard to snap me out of my dream world. I had known Maya for almost half my life. Her cousin sold jewelry at the market and owned a jewelry store on the shopping strip as well. Sometimes her aunt, Anaya, sat beside Kim during my sessions in which they
‘
observed my case
’
. Anaya was also one of the Minoan representatives on the Council. I thought about Kim for a moment and felt a sharp pain in my stomach. I wondered what ‘suitable punishment’ the school board would decide on for Sam and I this time. Having to see Kim first thing on Monday was making me feel queasy. I wished I could run away, but that was insane.
Where on Poseidon would I go?
I realized that Maya was still talking and tried to catch up with the conversation.

“…nearly died out some time ago. Our people made a deal with your scientists.”

“A deal?”

I looked down at my feet.

“Humans could share this island with us and in return, the scientists would provide us with trees and other plant life that would bring Poseidon back to life. No one has figured out why this planet just decided to quit on us.”

“Hmm,” I said thoughtfully. “What else did we trade?” I asked, my suspicions rising by the minute.

“Anaya could tell you more,” she said.

I silently glanced back down the narrow path over my shoulder. Ahead of me, the dark forest floor curled around a big silverwood tree and disappeared behind the boulders. I listened for the trickle of the small stream that cut through the boulders like a dancing blade of silver.

“You don’t like her?” Maya asked faintly.

“I do. I do!” I protested hastily.

“Good,” she said and smiled. “I was beginning to wonder if you liked anyone.”

“Ha, ha. Funny,” I said sarcastically. “I like
you
, don’t I?”

“You better!” she replied, squeezing my arm tightly.

She kept both of her hands wrapped around the top of my arm as we walked around the bend. In a somewhat unexpected state of silence and serenity we followed the path deeper into the hollow of the canyon. Between two sets of large boulders that were separated by a long wooden bridge, the canyon opened up onto a dry river bed, resembling a wide expanse of desert seemingly covered by blue and gray stones. White pebbles, small and round, lay loose on the parched surface waiting to be swept away by a raging river, to be taken away from their concave limbo of loneliness and relieved of having to spend an eternity in a place where they did not belong. Somehow talking to Maya stirred something inside me; I would find my answers only from the Minoans. I began walking with a little more haste as urgent questions started to form in my mind. I now knew why we weren’t allowed to interact with Minoans and that they knew all about us, yet, I suspected that they knew more. I needed answers in order to uncover our true identities and to unlock the mysteries behind our origins, our home planet, and my mother, who was said to have died giving birth to me. There were so many questions I hadn’t even thought of.
Where did I begin?

“May I ask you a personal question, Maya?” I asked.

“Sure,” she hesitantly remarked, uncertain.

“I’ve heard the others say that… that your Minoan parents took you in… that your uncle found you in the caves. Is that true?”

“Yes, it’s true, except for the part about my uncle. I don’t have an uncle or a father anymore for that matter.” She lowered her eyes. “No one really knows who my real parents are.” I wasn’t sure if I should continue, but I felt compelled to ask anyway.

“You have no recollection of your parents?”

“No,” she said openly. “I don’t have any memories from before I was found. I remember nothing of where or who my real parents were. I don’t even know if I am from this planet.”

I stared at the smooth surface of the boulders thoughtfully.

“Does it hurt?” I asked, deep in contemplation, my index finger curled around my mouth.

“Sometimes,” she answered, turning to face me.

I could see the hurt was there, somewhere out of reach, behind her navy blue eyes.

“Should I say I’m sorry?”

“Do you feel you have to?”

“Maybe,” I said.

“Not at all. My mom loves me and that’s a blessing on its own.”

I shot her a look of amazement.

“Wow!” I said with conviction.

Maya looked puzzled and tucked a strand of dark hair behind her small ear.

“I’m just amazed by you,” I said. “It would eat at me every day.”

“Well, do
you
remember your life before you came here?” she asked without hesitation, almost as if she had thought of the question beforehand and rehearsed her answer.

I paused.

“No,” I answered solemnly.

“So, there’s not much of a difference between us then, is there?”

Did she seem angry or proud? I couldn’t tell.

“I guess not,” I said, as we continued to walk toward the village.

The angle of the trees became more severe. They seemed to be reaching over the large terracotta boulders. It was almost as if they were fighting for a view of the ocean.

“Don’t you feel alone?” I asked Maya with sorrow in my voice as this was how I felt most of the time, like I was missing out on love.

“Yes,” she admitted, looking down at her feet. “Some days I do.”

When she lifted her head, I saw a longing in her eyes that I understood all too well. I understood feeling like you didn’t quite belong, like a starfish among an ocean of mindless squid, waiting for a chance to break free, for your light to shine through and for something or someone to pull you out of the mess you’re in.

“That sucks,” I said, drawing in a deep breath.

“Yes, but it doesn’t help to feel like that all the time. I’ll never be happy if I do and my happiness is all I have right now. If we allow ourselves to get lost in self-pity, we lose everything.”

“Well, that puts things into perspective for me,” I said.

Maya let out a soft laugh. Small dimples in the corners of her mouth framed her slightly rounded cheeks. Her dimples reminded me of my own, which I didn’t like because they made me look younger and cute. I hated cute. I thought they looked much better on her.

“You know,” she pronounced. “I have this strange feeling that we’re supposed to be here together right now, like it’s a part of our destiny.”

I smiled because I didn’t find it strange. Sometimes, not often, but sometimes, I would connect with someone and it would feel like I was knocked back on course, but I had never for one second believed I might have a destiny. I didn’t like to think of the future. To me, the future was just an illusion, because in my mind I’d been stuck in a meaningless cycle all my life; my existence.
Would there ever be anything like marriage on this planet
, I wondered. A wedding was unheard of among our people but I had seen it in the movies and loved the idea. I knew that it was part of a human’s evolution.

“Huh?” Maya shoved me playfully in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Oh! Sorry, Maya. Was I thinking out loud again?” I couldn’t recall whether I had actually spoken out loud or not.

Her laughter rang through the forest. Reminiscent of Sam’s, her loud laugh also came from the pit of her stomach.

“My parents have chosen my husband already. When I come of age, I will belong to Toto, the Chief’s son,” she said as she broke off a twig from a nearby bush and began chewing the one end.

She seemed sad. I wondered what it was I had said out loud.

“Things happen because they have to,” she continued.

“No, they don’t!” I shouted defensively. “No one can force you into a life you don’t want.”

My heart was racing but the look on Maya’s face made me calm my anger and consider my words carefully, because the truth was that people did make me do things I didn’t want to. Maya didn’t speak for a moment. From her facial expressions, I could tell she was having a fascinating debate in her own head. By now we were halfway over the bridge. I could see the path on the other side leading to a clearing of golden sea sand, encircled by charcoal-colored rocks. This clearing formed the entrance to the Minoan village’s marketplace. Beyond that was Silverwood Beach which bordered its namesake, the Silverwood Forest. Mostly made up of silverwood trees, the Silverwood Forest stretched right around our vast island. My eyes fell on the small stream. Only, the stream was no longer gentle.

“What do you suppose this means, then?” I asked Maya as I stopped to look over the edge, my hands grasping the railing firmly and peered all the way down the shallow canyon.

By the look on her face, I knew I wasn’t imagining things and that she was as concerned as I was. She stood motionless on the overpass. We were both looking down on what used to be the tiny stream that snaked through the pebbles and disappeared over the ridge among the rocks. The stream had suddenly gotten much stronger.
It can only mean that…
I didn’t know what it could mean.

“Rain!” Maya shouted with excitement, although her tone betrayed her nervousness.

I stood listening to the flow of the river and the cascading waterfall that had formed where the brook fell over the edge. The sound took me back to when I was younger. It hadn’t rained in so long.
Was it going to rain? Why now? What had changed? And, how?
I pondered. As far as I knew, the weather machine had failed due to Poseidon’s weak magnetic field. Maya grabbed my right arm tightly and lugged me away with such force that I almost fell over my own feet which had been firmly planted on the solid, wooden platform. Our feet clattered loudly against the planks, the bridge slowly swaying underneath us as we headed toward the middle.

“Slow down, will you!” I yelled at her in frustration. “What’s going on, Maya?” The urgency in my voice momentarily startled us both.

“The prophecy,” she said distantly, keeping her eyes straight ahead.

“What?” I snapped.

But all she would say over and over again was: “It’s too soon! Too soon. Something’s wrong.”

I heard a loud thud. The bridge suddenly swayed heavily beneath us. I looked down, trying to figure out what could have caused the sudden motion and noticed Maya extracting a sharp object from her boot. She was crouching down, baring her teeth like a wild cat. I tried to turn but a sharp sting shot through my thigh. I looked down to see a long red splinter or needle protruding from my thigh. Maya shrieked and came at me, a thin dagger gripped tightly in her hand. She came hard and fast. I stood frozen with shock.
What is she doing?
My vision blurred and I started feeling dizzy. Maya yelled for me to get down, but I was frozen with fear. Suddenly, she ran around me and up onto the railing. She came crashing down, not on me as I had expected, but on something behind me. I staggered and fell on my hands and knees, barely feeling the hard wood as it pressed against my delicate palms and bony knees. There was more shouting. The bridge continued to sway beneath me, making it hard for me to clear my head – to get away. I managed to turn my neck just in time to see two dark figures climbing over the railing, reaching for me. Four powerful, dark hands clamped down on my arms and legs and lifted me off of my feet. I heard Maya scream my name, but I was limp and couldn’t move. As I was hurled away, unable to struggle, I could make out Maya’s form standing over the body of one of our attackers. She struck out at the two remaining assailants who were dragging me over the bridge. Another sudden shudder shook the bridge. I could hear the sound of weapons and fists flying around me. I dropped to the floor, suddenly free. By now I was completely numb. I didn’t feel the thud. It should have hit me full on. Instead I tasted dust and then copper.
Blood.
Maya stood over me and yelled for someone called Enoch. I looked up at her as my vision faintly perceived two Zulu warriors grabbing her. I shouted for her but the words got stuck in my throat and I was lifted to my feet once more as they tore her off of me. Maya screamed and fought her way out of our attackers’ claws. I heard an object slice through the air, passing over my head with a soft whistle. This was followed by a dull thump and a soft growl and the hands let me go. This time I didn’t hit the ground. I kept on falling. I could barely hear the water over the shouting, and after what felt like an immense splash, I was underwater being overpowered by its cold darkness. Two crystal blue eyes floated toward me like shooting stars and I allowed the darkness in.