“What? You’re kidnapping me and you want me to listen to the reasoning behind it?”
“Yes,” David said, undisturbed by my reaction.
“You’re a lunatic, you know that?”
I turned away from him and looked over the luxurious red interior of the car. I touched the silver word embossed on the dashboard in front of me: Maserati.
“Did you steal the car, too?”
“I’m no thief,” he frowned. “Gifts and offerings from kings and queens established my financial platform. I’ve collected and reinvested my capital for centuries. I don’t require, much less condone, theft.”
Centuries? He was a lunatic.
From under his seat, David pulled out a bottle of water and held it out to me.
“And, let this be clear: I’m not kidnapping you, nor will I attempt to hurt you in anyway. I simply wish to speak with you.”
He placed the bottle of water on my lap since I wouldn’t take it from him.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Here.” He pointed to the navigation system.
We were headed to South Padre Island, a beach and tourist hotspot about half an hour away from Los Fresnos. I had about twenty minutes to either conjure up an escape plan or convince myself that I was under no danger.
“I think you should call your mother to advise her that you’ve left school grounds. You have three missed calls from her.” He held up my cell phone so I could see the display screen and handed it to me. “I trust you won’t breathe a word of what has just happened?”
“And what makes you think I won’t?”
“I trust you,” he said, reaching for my hand. “Trust me in return.”
I glanced at his hand on mine as he spoke, and then I looked him over. The black shirt he wore brought out his deep blue eyes, which contrasted with his black hair. He had the palest and most perfect pink lips I’d ever seen. In my opinion, he was an architectural and anatomical marvel. Too bad he was a nut.
I dialed Claire’s cell number, but she didn’t answer. I left her a voice mail.
“Mom, I know you’re probably worried, but I’m fine. I don’t know what the nurse told you, but there’s no need to check up on me. I got a ride home with… uh… someone, but I’m swinging by the library to work on a project, so I’ll see you this afternoon, okay? Love you.”
“Thank you,” David said when I ended the call.
As we approached the bridge that connects the mainland to “The Island,” I sensed David glancing at me. My stomach started to ache from nervousness. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but I was afraid that I might end up in a shallow, unmarked grave.
After we crossed the bridge, David pulled in to a fast food drive-thru and ordered one bottled water and an orange juice.
“Juice?” He held the cup out to me.
“Thanks,” I said, and I wondered why he was being courteous.
Kidnapping aside, I remembered the rude words I had called him earlier. I felt uncomfortable with the thought that I had come off as some snotty, foul-mouthed kid. I turned to face him as he pulled into a parking space near the beach. “I’m sorry about earlier… for the name-calling and all.”
“Under the circumstances, I suppose I should’ve expected it. I just never thought to hear those words spoken by you.” He paused to turn the car off. “Thank you for the apology.”
David was starting to act more like a gentleman and less like a psychotic killer. My nerves eased a little, but my guard was still up. He was, after all, the reason I didn’t sleep for three months.
“Isis, I’d like to share with you who I am, where I come from and how I came to be here. If I do this, you must swear by whatever you cherish the most that you won’t repeat any of the content we discuss today to anyone.”
He rolled down the tinted car windows and waited for my response.
“Lips sealed. Heart crossed,” I said, raising my hand.
I turned my body toward him and rested my back against the car door. I figured if I wasn’t going anywhere, I might as well get comfortable.
“My history is long lived. I am descent of a divine lineage of immortals long forgotten by mortal man. We are many, yet few, compared to mankind. Our history and names have been misconstrued throughout the centuries. I am one of those immortals.
“Your people referred to us as gods.” He paused as if waiting for a reaction from me, but I said nothing.
“Deities were once worshiped by every culture in ancient times⎯before the age of the Greek and Roman Empires, before the age of the Neanderthal, and from the very moment in which mortal man was birthed on Earth.
“We lived in harmony with each other—the mortals and deities—, that is, until the age of the Roman conquest.
“Two problems arose during that time period: First, a small number of deities became egotistical with their power. A fair number of unscrupulous deities used humans for their own pleasures. They conceived half-human, half-godlike creatures, which resulted in abominations. They were evil and incompassionate beings—savages. The Creatura, as they were called, caused humans to despise gods.
“It was then that humankind rebelled, claiming the gods had cursed them when all humans ever did was offer the gods praise. They saw that fiends were being born of relationships that were strictly prohibited by Deus, the Creator. This created verbal feuds between deities and men.
“Humans then began to accept other faiths, opening the door to religious warfare.
“A war ignited among men, gods, and Creatura. All Creatura were slain. Man, however, was spared by the mercy of Deus, demanding deities to retreat after he saw the tragic bloodshed.
“The Runes—they held the gift of foresight—saw that man and deity would destroy themselves if this continued. There was only one option that could be deemed rational; the gods were instructed by Deus to become invisible to man—all were compelled to obey.
“It was not for hunger for His own worship or conceit from which Deus placed this law in order; but because, you see, man cannot exist without faith. Faith cannot exist without man, for it is faith that keeps the soul aflame. Even His.
“As time progressed, some deities were forgotten and others became fictional characters—their purpose, names, and adventures were continually altered by man through generations. So it came to be, that deities became legends for the children of men to tell.
“Since then, there haven’t been any humans in the lands of gods—except for you. You are the reason why I am here now.
“The land you enter in your dreams rests under my rule. I shape and inhabit dreams. I give divine messages… and divine nightmares to some. Human subconscious structures these dreams. I am, for the most part, a silent contributor. My existence makes it possible for the brain to continue its function while sleeping, keeping it from falling into a coma and certain death.”
“You’re Morpheus?” I asked.
David shook his head. “He was killed in battle.”
“Uh… You do realize how irrational and deranged you sound, right? Everything you’ve told me goes against every one of my beliefs. I mean, how can you be a god?”
“Isis, I will never lie to you. The truth has been hidden from your kind for thousands of years. Some of us lead incognito lives amongst humans. Doctrinal law prohibits deities from having any type of intimacy with humans; we’re not allowed to harm them or transport them to our world. This is why I can’t understand how it was that you found Somnium.”
“Right,” I nodded. “Does the Tooth Fairy visit you there, as well, or…?”
“Be serious.” His lips formed a straight line. “If I’m not who I claim to be, how do you explain my being here?”
“I don’t know.”
“I believe the score is two to one, isn’t it? Accept that I’ve rendered you sufficient evidence to prove my existence.”
“But, if you were so curious about me, why did you torment me every night for months?”
&n
bsp; “I was trying to make you flee and never return. I was concerned for your safety.”
“I’m always safe in my dreams. Well, until you happened to barge in on them.”
“Those weren’t dreams. You entered my domain, Terra Somnium. There is a balance there of good and bad, right and wrong, just like on Earth. Deities are very protective of their lands and of humans. I was afraid someone or something would see you and imprison you in the dark realms.”
“For what? I did nothing wrong.”
“Your simple presence. You can never go there again.”
“You won the bet, remember? I can never go back.”
“Glad you remember your end of the bargain.”
David tapped the steering wheel with his index finger.
“I need to understand you. There’s something about you that’s different from other humans. While I’m here, I’d like to observe you, just as I observed you for that year in Somnium.”
“It was three months.”
“Just because you didn’t see me doesn’t mean that I wasn’t there.” He smiled. “I was somewhat reluctant to try to frighten you away.”
“Why?”
Instead of answering, he reached over and touched my cheek with the back of his hand. I pulled away and hit the back of my head on the window.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “You just look so… innocent.”
David opened the driver’s side door and circled the car to open my door. “Take a walk with me?”
When I didn’t attempt to move, he offered me his hand to help me out. I hesitated for another moment before I took it.
The beach wasn’t empty. There were people walking on the shore so I felt reasonably safe. David walked beside me to the sand dunes, and then stopped.
“Should we speak here, or should we walk further into the beach area?” he asked.
“Further in,” I said. I wasn’t taking any chances. I needed to be in the public eye, in case I had to cry out for help.
“Ask me anything you’d like to know. I know you must be curious about me, as well,” he said, picking up a sand dollar.
“You mentioned you were immortal… so, does that mean you don’t age or die?”
“No, we do not die, but we do age. Age depends on how fast one reaches maturity on many levels. It may take millennia. The aging process doesn’t vary much from deity to deity. It’s the same as the human stages of growth, only deferred; the only difference being that at some point in a deity’s life the aging stops.”
“And just how old are you?”
“In human years, I would be in the age range of eighteen.”
“That’s not what I asked. How old are you, really?”
David scratched the side of his mouth and smirked. “Does it matter?”
“If you want me to trust you, answer my questions. What’s your real age?” I asked again, starting to feel annoyed.
“You won’t believe me.”
“Answer the question or I will scream ‘bloody murder’ for all these people to hear.”
“Two millennia… well, essentially, closer to three.”
I stopped walking. “Millennia?”
“Mhh hmm.”
“Okay, then…” I kicked some seashells into the water as I walked on.
“Do you have a family?” I asked.
“I do. I have a mother, a father, and two brothers. My mother knows of you and expressed her interest in meeting you.”
“Really? You told your mother about me?”
“Yes, I had to tell her. She started growing curious about my whereabouts a month after I first found you. I would disappear at the same time every day. I couldn’t keep the secret from her. ”
“Why didn’t you make an attempt to talk to me earlier?”
“I was curious. I didn’t know if you were a deity I had never met before or something else. I noticed you were just interested in walking through the fields and talking to yourself. I didn’t see any harm in that, but when I mentioned you to my mother, she was very surprised. And when I told her I thought you might be human, she advised me to drive you away by any means necessary. If any other deity found that I let you roam Terra Somnium freely, I’d be set to trial. Luck for us, no one discovered you there.”
“So these laws are very strict?”
“Incredibly.” He pointed to a solemn spot on the sand. “Would you like to take a rest?”
I nodded and walked toward the place he indicated. I sat cross-legged on the sand and looked at the waves.
“But, if these rules are so strict, why are you telling me all of this? Why are you here with me now? Won’t you get in trouble?”
“You’re captivating. I suppose I could regard you as a personal project. I need your cooperation to find out how you found your way to Somnium. I also want to be assured that you won’t return.”
“So, in essence, I’m your lab rat?”
“I didn’t mean it in that sense.”
“Why is it so important that you find out how I go there anyway? I’m sure anyone can do it. I’m not special.”
“There’s no possible way that any human could just stumble upon it, much less return as often as they like.”
“Apparently, there is,” I said. “Besides, I’ve already told you all I had to do was think about it.”
“That’s not enough. I thrive on knowledge. Aside from the teachings of other gods, I’ll have you know I studied under some of the most brilliant minds in history: Galen, Galileo, Socrates, Newton, Darwin, Einstein, and Freud, to name a few. Their theories were very interesting and quite exact, actually.”
“Wait, that means you’ve attended school on Earth.”
“Yes, and I’ve been privately tutored, as well. Contrary to what you may think, we’re not born knowing everything. An education is a privilege your kind sometimes takes for granted.”
“You attend school on a voluntary basis?”
“Well, I find it astonishing to see how much man has evolved in his education over so many centuries. You wouldn’t believe the ridiculous theories they taught children in the past.”
“You sound like my grandfather. A word of advice, if you plan on attending school, you’re gonna have to tone it down about three millennia and not act your age. How in the world do you plan on getting away with that anyway? You talk so… strange.”
“I can lower myself to the elementary level again.”
I rolled my eyes.
“What about your laws? You said you were banned from socializing with humans.”
“As long as we’re undetected, we may live amongst you.”
“But you’ve revealed yourself to me. Isn’t that breaking the law?”
“Not when it was you who found me—loophole.”
“Says who?”
“Says the Doctrinal law. My father is a Council member; therefore, I have access to ancient scriptures. I studied volumes of literature on the subjects of conviction and perjury and not once do they mention this situation.
“Because of my father, I would assume they would be lenient with me. So I decided to take you up on your invitation. However, I did take precautionary measures. The only person that knows I’m here is my mother.”
“What if they aren’t lenient on you? What happens then?”
“I’d be quarantined to my own land…” His lips formed a straight line. “Worst case scenario, I could be beheaded, gutted, incinerated…”
“Wait. I thought you said you were immortal.”
“Immortal until Deus decides you are no longer immortal. He bequeaths the final judgment.”
“If I were you, I wouldn’t be telling me any of this. Your life is at stake.”
“I have nothing to fear. I’ve done nothing wrong.” He shrugged a shoulder. “Besides, I told you no one else is aware of this situation.”
The deep blue ocean seemed to reflect in David’s eyes. How could this boy be
so old? How could anyone be so gorgeous? And why did his eyes reflect such agony?
“What are you thinking?” David interrupted my musings.
“Oh, n-nothing,” I said. “It’s just that you’re looking at me like…”
“Like what?”
“Like it hurts,” I said, and his face turned hard. “Never mind. I think we should leave. My mom will probably drop by the city library to check up on me during her lunch hour.”
“Very well,” he said, wiping his neck. “It’s quite warm here, isn’t it?”
“Wow, you’re using more and more contractions. I’m thoroughly impressed.”
“I aim to please,” he grinned.
“So am I still captive?”
“But you never were.”
“I’m going to let you in on a little something you might not have learned under all your genius teachers: when you take someone against their will, it counts as abduction.”
“At no instance do I recall you voicing the words ‘I don’t want to go’, so technically…”
“Do you always have to win an argument?” I asked.
“Yes.”
I rolled my eyes and stood up. “Drop me off at the library?”
“As you wish.”
***
Driving back to town, David’s lips pressed together. I could see him restraining a smile, but the dimples on his cheeks gave him away. He swiveled his head and looked out the window to hide his face.
Blushing, I turned my head away too when I realized he caught me checking him out. How long had I been staring?
“You look a little flushed. Do you need me to pull over for a—?”
“I’m fine,” I said, my sight on the visor in front of me.
As we cruised through the main intersection in Los Fresnos, I kept an eye out for Claire’s car in the courthouse parking area. Luckily, it was still there, which meant she hadn’t gone looking for me—yet.
David pulled up to the city library and turned the engine off. I tried to open the door to get out, but it was locked.
“Uh… I thought you said I wasn’t a captive?”
“May I join you?” he asked.
“Do I have a choice?”
“Yes, you do. But I’d like you to know that today I’d very much like to serve as your chaperone.” He ran his finger along the edge of the dashboard. “You might enjoy the company.”
“I don’t need a chaperone,” I said, pulling at the door handle again. “Can you unlock this?”
“Please, allow me,” he said, sliding out of his seat.