Chapter 19 The Room of Transition
“Sebastian, wake up! Come on, we've got to go.”
Sebastian moaned, not wanting to move his stiff body. He could still feel the sharp pain from yesterday’s fight. When he opened his eyes, he found Ethan standing over him, dressed and ready to go. Grabbing his ribs in agony, he couldn’t remember ever feeling so miserable. Of all the times to be completely incapable of moving, it was just his luck it would happen today. It could be the biggest day of his life.
“What time is it?” Sebastian couldn't see around Ethan to look at the clock on the nightstand.
“Its 4:30 in the morning. Come on, get up. I'll help you get dressed.” Ethan supported Sebastian as he slowly sat up, guiding him toward the bathroom, where he had already laid out some of Sebastian’s clothes. Pride found its way into his throat, wanting him to scream out in objection of needing help, especially now. However, nothing would come of a pointless argument now. The lump had to be swallowed and he would have to gratefully accept. He was so used to taking care of them. Not the other way around. Sebastian pulled out the contents of his pockets from yesterday and shoved them into his fresh jeans.
Ethan shot him a worried look, “Are you up for this? You look terrible.”
“Thanks a lot. Yeah, I'll be fine.” The bottle of pain killers was still open from last night. Grabbing more than necessary, he swallowed them down.
There was a light knock on the door, and Marshall peered in. “It's time to go. The taxi will be here in a few minutes.”
“Taxi?” Sebastian raised his eyebrows in question.
“Well, while you were out cold last night, we put our heads together. We decided to call a taxi for this morning, knowing you couldn't walk there, let alone to the bus stop three blocks away. So we called the cab instead.” Ethan was holding up him coat, patiently waiting for him to put his arms through the sleeves.
“Anything else I need to know about?” He instantly regretted missing last night's pow wow. Gentle hands of his brother helped him pull his coat on, while he tried not to grimace at the fresh wave of pain the motion shot through him.
“Well, the place we are supposed to go is under construction. Apparently, it doesn't exist, yet. But we kind of already knew that, since I've been trying for days to find it on the GPS without much luck. So, we have some hunting to do.” Ethan flashed him a confident smile and shrugged his shoulders as if this was no big deal.
Sebastian knew better than to argue, reminding himself again that picking a fight didn’t seem like the thing to do right now. He grabbed his pack, surprised at how light it was.
Makayla snatched it from him before he could get it on his back. “We divided up all your stuff into our bags. We figured you'd be in too much pain to carry your pack. Sorry.” She knew it would hurt his already tattered ego.
“Thanks, guys. You've been awesome this trip.” Sebastian thought he'd have to do everything while they were here, but he was being proven wrong at every turn. He didn't know what he would've done without them.
The taxi was waiting for them when they reached the front lobby. They quickly climbed into the back seat, Ethan showing the driver where on the GPS they wanted to go, or at least the area. Trying to hide the pain he was in, Sebastian turned away from them and looked out the window. He scanned the seemingly quiet hotel lobby that was only hours away from being awakened with demanding guests. Just behind the glass revolving doors, a strange-looking lady was standing near the front desk. She was leaning against the counter, watching them leave. Remarkably tall, her legs were exaggerated by the tight high heel leather boots that laced up to her knees. She wore a short black skirt that hit her mid-thigh, drawing even more attention to her skinny legs. Her black leather coat hung open to her waist, revealing a sheer black tank top underneath. The shirt clung to her tiny torso, but instead of making her seem emaciated, it hugged the tone shape of her mid-section. Messy dread locks hit her waist, reminding him of fraying ropes he had seen on some family friend’s yacht. She was fairly dark skinned, but had the same translucent complexion that Gina and Cyrus both had. The thought caught Sebastian off guard. Instinctively moving to her eyes for a comparison, he was surprised when he found two huge, very dark pupils meeting his gaze. Her eyes were dead, not like the lively colors Gina and Cyrus had. Sebastian was holding her gaze, when Marshall tapped him on the arm.
“Look at the lights!” Marshall pointed to the map.
Sebastian glanced at his little brother, and when he looked back, the dark lady was gone.
As the taxi made its way through downtown Boston, the lights on the map were going dim the closer they got to the sight. Only the last light was getting brighter, so bright that it was casting a ray of light into the taxi. Sebastian nudged Marshall, nodding toward the front seat, where the taxi driver was peering into the rearview mirror, trying to see what they had in their hands. Taking his cue, the map was tucked into Marshall’s pocket once more.
The taxicab pulled up in front of Faneuil Hall Market Place; the driver anxious to get a new fare started pulled away leaving the four Hanks children standing in the middle of the street. Ethan gently guided Sebastian by the arm into an alley, heading toward North Street. They had walked about three blocks toward the harbor when Ethan finally motioned for them to stop.
“Marshall, pull out the map.” Ethan looked anxious.
The two boys studied the map for a few moments, while Sebastian tried to rub the pain out of his side.
“This is it! This has to be it!” Ethan looked at Sebastian, as if waiting for him to take over.
To their left was a giant construction site. You couldn't see much because the sight was still and dark, waiting for the morning crew to arrive and pick up yesterday’s activity. However, the light from the surrounding tourist attractions was enough to illuminate the area. Dusk was just an hour away, and people were starting to surface for the start of the work day. But darkness was still the backdrop of their comfortable morning routine.
“This is it,” Ethan said again, pointing toward the construction site. Sebastian looked around and saw that a large fence was keeping out unwanted visitors and wondered how they were going to get in. But even then, what next? Where on earth were they supposed to find a key in this mess? There were trucks everywhere, unearthed ground sitting in large piles, and caution tape strung tightly around various parts of the site. Sebastian studied the signs on the fence. There were bank signs, announcing who was funding the project, a large sign with the construction company's name on it, and another that said, “Future home of the Trans Hotel.”
“Now what?” Sebastian asked, to himself, feeling a little defeated. This was the most impossible and ridiculous thing he had ever done in his life. What was he thinking? Dragging his young siblings here in an unfamiliar town, staying in a hotel with a complete stranger, hunting for who knows what, and standing in downtown Boston at five in the morning injured, tired, and without a plan. This was absurd. Sebastian was just about to turn them around and march them back to the bus station, when Marshall pulled on his hand.
“Sebastian, it's going to be all right. Look.” Marshall pointed to the map. He unfolded it, so they could all see. The map exploded with light, just as it had in their attic. A small blue stream swirled out of the brilliant light in the paper, weaving its crystal-like dust into a steady beam that radiated over them. Gracefully, it slithered down along the pavement, across the opposite sidewalk and through the gate of the construction site.
“I think we should follow it,” Marshall whispered.
Sebastian hesitated, not trusting himself. His instincts were also telling him to follow the light, but now that those same instincts had almost gotten Makayla hurt and he killed, he wasn't sure he wanted to listen anymore. But what other choice was there? If they didn't follow, there would always be this unanswered question about the box, the trunks and all the crazy stuff that's
been going on. He knew it wouldn't stop either; that he was meant, actually born, to follow that light and until he did, bizarre things would just keep happening to him. He wasn't sure how he knew this, but he just did. It was the same way he knew that the sun set every night, that the earth rotated on its axis, that snow was frozen water. It was just something that was fact to him, not theory.
“Let's go.” Sebastian grabbed Marshall by the hand, more out of habit than anything. A quiet sigh was heard by his side, but his brother remained silent as they all crossed the street.
They followed the light to the fence and stopped. There didn't seem to be any way through. Sebastian looked all around, but there wasn't an opening large enough for them to crawl through. He looked up, but the barbed wire on top killed any ideas of climbing over. Marshall wandered off a few feet to their left, pulling at a gate that was chained together. The rest walked over to try and help him pull, managing to open it just enough in the center to provide a small hole. Marshall beamed, pushing himself easily through. He motioned from the other side for rest to join him. For the first time, Sebastian was glad that he was small. Makayla and Scotty were the only ones who were tall, like Grandpa Hanks. But Makayla was pretty skinny, so they all slid through the opening fairly easily.
They followed the light past a couple of piles of dirt, past a bulldozer, past equipment strewn on the dirt floor. The farther they walked, the more of the hotel came into view. Sebastian figured it was going to be a luxury hotel, based on its size, probably for people like his parents. The light continued to lead them through the maze of trucks and equipment. They stopped and put on their head lamps they purchased at The Outfitter’s store. Sebastian noticed a trailer to the left and saw a couple of trucks pulled up next to it. These were marked with the construction company's name, the same company on one of the signs outside the fence. He suddenly panicked; worried that someone might be there. But he relaxed a little, remembering most construction sites don't come to life until around seven. He was banking on this being the case here, hoping to be in and out within the hour. The light finally seemed to be slowing down, heading toward the back corner of the partially built structure. Just as they drew nearer, they saw it turn, shooting itself into the concrete wall. Sebastian stopped, turning around to see where they stood. It appeared they were in the middle of the first floor, back in a deep corner of the main lobby. At least that’s what he thought. He was used to looking at blueprints of buildings with his dad, so from what he could tell, this was the central part of the main level. It had to be the lobby.
“Now what?” Makayla asked, scanning the wall, looking for the light.
The four of them stepped back, looking at the spot where the light disappeared. There was no indication anywhere that a strange light had just absorbed itself into the newly formed cement. While they were staring, Marshall walked forward, letting his fingers skim the surface of the outside wall.
“What are you doing?” Ethan whispered.
“I don't know.” Marshall paused, continuing to run his fingers over the concrete, searching for a clue. “Something just told me to feel for a hole.”
Sebastian looked sideways, exchanging looks with Ethan.
“This is what I was looking for!” Marshall shoved his finger into a tiny crevice in the wall, pulling it toward him. All of a sudden, the shape of a small door began to expose itself within the wall, finally opening as Marshall continued to pull. The blue light exploded in their faces, exposing a staircase heading down into darkness.
“I don't like this.” Makayla was grabbing onto Sebastian's arm. She looked as if she'd just seen a ghost.
“I don't either. But we've come this far, we might as well finish this. Come on, let's go find the key and get out of here. Ethan are you sure you know what we need?”
“I think so. I have that box memorized. When I see the key, I'll know it.”
“Then let's go.” Sebastian took the lead and started down the stairwell.
When they got inside, the door automatically closed behind them, snuffing out the blue light that had guided their way. Their head lamps were now the only illumination they had. They switched them to the brightest setting possible, Ethan helping Makayla with hers. Sebastian put his hands on either side of the wall, expecting to feel dirt. Instead the walls were smooth and cold, like hard rock. He turned his head to shine his lamp onto the wall. It was stone, but not the kind normally found in the outdoors. It was refined with a finished look to it. The black smooth stone glittered with specks of silver and gold, making it look like someone had glued glitter all over its surface. He remembered seeing stone exactly like this in a kitchen once.
“Granite.” Marshall confirmed his thoughts from behind.
“Sure.” Sebastian replied, wondering who could have put granite on walls like these.
hey walked straight down into the dark, when suddenly, the stairs took a quick turn to the right and started to spiral down. Sebastian lowered his head, trying to focus his beam down the hole in the middle of the stairs. The bottom didn't seem anywhere in sight. Silently the four Hanks children climbed further and further down into the darkness. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, they stumbled onto an uneven cobblestone floor, reaching the end of their descent.
They were in a circular room with no other entrance or exit, except for the staircase behind them. Above them, a large domed-shape ceiling reached about 15 feet high, looking like the night sky with stars twinkling back at them. The floor was a pattern of brown and gray stones, not unlike the kind in their mother's garden. Except here some of the stones seemed to be corroding with age. The room itself was disgusting. There were cobwebs strung over almost everything, making it impossible to walk around without batting them down. The light from their head lamps caught the specks of dust flying through the air, their presence seeming to have disturbed it for the first time in years.
Sebastian turned around, trying to see everything in the room. The walls down here were made of the same granite stone in the stairwell. He aimed his light at the circular wall, seeing that there were several niches, like display shelves, circling the room. There were seven in all. They reminded him of something in the lobby of a hotel or fancy house. Each niche had an empty stand, as if waiting for something to be put inside. As far as he could tell, they were all exactly the same.
“I know this!” Makayla was tracing her hands on the walls, knocking down cobwebs to clear the surface. Walking closer, Sebastian noticed that there were etchings of large shields in the granite, in between each display shelf.
Makayla dropped her pack and pulled out the photos of the box. She started flipping through them, finally holding up one next to the engraving.
“What do you see?” Ethan walked to where they stood.
“They're the same! These markings are the same as the ones on the box.” She traced her fingers delicately over one of the markings. “Well, we at least know we're in the right place.”
Ethan began wandering around the room, feeling the walls with his hands, trying to knock down the cobwebs as he went.
“Where do you think the key could be?” he whispered.
Makayla was now running her finger through the crevices of the drawings on the shields, looking for some hidden compartment.
Following her cue, Marshall began running his hands along the display shelves next to him, when they all heard a jingling sound.
“Look, is this it?” Marshall held up a large curved golden rod, shaped like a horseshoe with a single rod poking up out of the bottom of the “u”.
Ethan grabbed the rod from his hands and studied it for a moment. He looked up, wide-eyed, beaming at his little brother. They knew they had finally found what they came here for - the key.
Suddenly, they heard clapping coming from the stairwell. The four of them spun around. There standing at the foot of the stairs was the lady from the lobby, clapping as if they had
just found the lost ark. She looked scarier up close, her features darker than in the lobby. A feeling of evil came over the room, causing a flash of cold shivers to run down Sebastian’s spine.
“Bravo! You've done very well!” She sneered at the children. His mind was racing through possible outcomes that they now faced. None of them seemed happy.
“Well, well. The Hanks children have come through after all. Who knew? Mommy and Daddy couldn't do the job, so their pathetic offspring had to carry the burden instead.”
Sebastian had no idea what she was talking about but was too afraid to ask. What did she know about his parents? Perspiration began to cover his palms; his chest feeling like it would explode from his quickening pulse. What could they do to get past her? Sebastian looked around, desperate to find an escape.
“Oh, don't worry about that. There isn't a way in or out of this room except up those stairs.”
Sebastian looked back at the lady, eyes flashing in fear.
“Now, now, don't go getting yourself all worked up. We need to save your energy for later.” The lady smiled at Sebastian. “Oh, yes, you are going to be of much use to us, aren't you?” She grabbed his chin and studied his face. “I'm not sure about the rest of you lot, but yes, you Sebastian are the one.”
He felt his eyes grew wide. How did this lady know his name?
She began to laugh at him, as he trembled in her grasp. “Ah, I see you still don't know. Perfect! That, my dear boy, makes my job much more fun. Now, be good boys and girls and say night night.”
Before Sebastian could see what the lady was doing, a funny odor hit his nose. His lungs suddenly began burning with each breath he took. His eyes instantly becoming heavy, he collapsed to the floor deep in sleep. The others fell beside him.
The lady walked over the children, pulling out her phone. “I've got them, and he isn't here.” She moved all the children into the middle of the floor, when a sudden flash of blue light exploded from the push of a button on her phone. The five of them disappeared in its shimmer.
Cyrus was running down the staircase cursing under his breath at his carelessness, wondering how the children got away from him, when he saw her take them. He had just reached the bottom when the familiar flash of blue went off. “No!” He screamed. The last think he saw was the lady snarl at him; a face from his past.
Defeated, he sat in the middle of empty room, reaching for his own phone. With little else to do, he waited for the voice on the other end to answer.
“Alice, it’s me, Cyrus. I've lost them.”