Chapter Seventeen
"Fine be a fool! Stay away from me then!" Luna screams in frustration as Apollo retorts, "Fine!" And charges up the staircase. As soon as the boy finds his room he falls on the bed, exhausted. The reality of all that happened and all that didn't, fights in his mind as he stares at the fish darting back and forth in the aquarium.
What plagues him most of all is the thought of meeting Sabrina. Apollo was so used to seeing her practically every day of his life, but now she seems like a stranger. He begins to drift off to sleep, when suddenly, a loud explosion shakes the entire room. Apollo quickly jumps from his bed, looking out the window. It's nighttime now so there's nothing but darkness. He can barely make out the walls of the city but even in the shadows something doesn't seem right. Then the bedroom door bursts open, and Apollo catches the silhouette of a woman in the doorway. He instantly recognizes her but it's not his mother. It's his grandmother, Myra.
"Come Oriah, we don't have much time." Apollo begins to protest but she just ignores him, quickly cutting him off, "I need you and your brother to get to the bunker, now. I will meet you there as soon as I can. I love you." In an instant, she's gone from the room and another blast rocks the building. Apollo impulsively runs out into the hallway after her.
People are running back and forth obviously in a panic. A young boy, about eleven or twelve, rushes up to Apollo, "What's going on, Oriah?" Apollo can't think of anything else to tell the little boy, so he just plays along, "We're being attacked. Mom told us to meet her under the school. We must hurry, come on!"
The boy follows him as they make their way down the stairs and outside. People flee in all directions as buildings burn and the boys run toward the school. They finally make their way down to the front entrance when a familiar voice comes from behind, "There you guys are!"
Apollo turns to see a young woman with long blonde hair, it's a younger version of Julia. "Quickly now!" She ushers them inside and over to a staircase leading underground, "Down here!" At the bottom, she opens the large metal door and two men with rifles peer through, welcoming them inside. Julia addresses the guards, "These are Myra Lex's children, protect them with your lives." She turns quickly back, running up the steps.
Hours pass before Apollo sees that door open again. When it does only a small group of people stumble in, bloody and limping and among them is Julia. She immediately approaches the boys, pulling them close and Apollo immediately asks, "What's wrong?" But a reply never comes.
Suddenly, Apollo jolts in his bed to the bright morning sun beaming through his window. He sits up, wiping cold sweat beaded on his forehead as remnants of the nightmare linger in his mind. That's when I enter his room and surprisingly, Apollo doesn't object when I sit on the edge of his bed. He doesn't exactly offer any concern either, so I cut to the chase.
"I need you to understand something Apollo. Your mother had no choice in any of this, it's not her fault." I sense his attention focused on me so I continue, "But she still refused to leave you, left me instead, and the only reason she never told you the truth was because she knew, deep down, it's was the only way to preserve our way of life."
I go on to try and answer his question from earlier, or to use his words, why I put him through all of this, "There are forces beyond our walls, Apollo. Forces that plot and scheme to destroy what we have here, some of which you have yet to understand. So you see, I had to allow you experience loss, to feel what it's like to lose what you love the most. It was the only way you wouldn't become one of them." I put my hand on his shoulder and this time I get no resistance, but no response either, "Whatever happens Apollo, and however you feel may about me, just don't take it out on her. She doesn't deserve it." He finally speaks,
"Well, why isn't she here?"
"She had to take Solomon home. I'm sure they are there."
The mention of Solomon sends my thoughts immediately to my own brother. He's still in the infirmary but the surgeons say he'll make a full recovery, at least physically anyway. His mental state is still unknown as I have not been able to reach him ever since Brutalius started his cruel experiments. Nathan's part in this ordeal was something I did not anticipate, let alone prepare for.
Then Apollo says something that helps my spirits and definitely confirms he has fully embraced his gifts. "Nathan doesn't blame you. He says he just needs some more time." Before I can reply, Apollo quickly changes the subject, "What happened to her? And I can only respond with my ignorance.
"What happened to who?
"My grandmother?"
I hesitate for many reasons, most of which has something to do with cowardice. Finally, I offer a vague answer in hopes that it will satisfy him, "She died so we all could live." Apollo responds in a way that painfully reminds me of his mistrust, "There's definitely more to it than that." His statement echoes the thought I've had since that day it happened. "Believe me son, I wish there were more answers out there."
Surprisingly, I feel his empathy, so now it's my turn to change the subject, "What about your mother? When are you going to see her?" Apollo counters with something I definitely didn't expect, "I was waiting for you to go with me." I reluctantly agree and Apollo offers to drives us there in Nathan's car. "I guess you've learned some new skills as well, well done." Still, Apollo doesn't give me much of a response.
When we get in the car, it's hard to tell which one of us feels the most anxiety. The combined emotion is enough to send both of us running, but yet here we are, riding to Sabrina's house. We pull up to the curb, get out and walk to her front door. I knock and within moments, it slowly creaks open revealing a chubby teenager.
"Apollo!" Solomon yells as he leaps to embrace his friend as the two exchange hugs. I decide not to waste time and quickly venture inside, "Where is your mother, Solomon?" And he quickly responds, "She's in the kitchen." I try to find my way back there and I hear Sabrina exclaim, "Oh my! They didn't tell me you were hurt!" I feel her hand on my wrist, leading me to a chair. As I take the seat, Sabrina inquires about the bandages covering my eyes and I respond as brief as possible, "They just tell me there is no chance I will ever regain my sight."
"I'm so sorry Oriah, is there anything I can do?"
"No, but thank you, I will manage."
"Knowing you, you'll probably find a way to use it to your advantage." I'm taken back by her assurance and use it as an opportunity to get a laugh out of her, "Yeah, maybe I can use it to make you take pity on me." I feel her fingers run through my hair, "Oriah, I could never pity you, you're the strongest person I know." Suddenly, she lets go and I get the strange impression she's hiding something.
A attempt to change the subject to our son, "He came with me you know, it's the reason why we are here." I feel Sabrina's uneasiness build and I try to calm her nerves, "It's alright, he wants to see you." That's when I hear Apollo's voice, "Hey, Miss Jon." And Sabrina's anxiety saturates the air now and I know Apollo must feel it. But in her usual fashion, she manages through it with poise and a warm smile, "Hey there Apollo, I'm glad you're here. I've been wanting to show you something."
I hear Sabrina leave and minutes later, come back. I detect the thud of something being placed on the table. It's apparently a book because Apollo reads the title out loud, "Apollo's Baby Book?" Sabrina explains, "Yes, I kept this when you were little. It has dates in it, things like your first steps, your first words. It was sort of a tradition years ago."
"This is a lock from your first haircut." I imagine her pulling a crop of hair from inside the book. I can picture Apollo holding it, experience it's texture, rubbing the strands between his thumb and index finger, "How could you do any of this? I was at the orphanage by then." I can feel Sabrina's anxiety peak again as the sound of her fingers nervously flip through the pages, "Well, it was because I never really left. I was always there. I always will be there, Apollo."
What follows next is dead silence, but then Sabrina speaks again, "Well, are you excited about the ceremony?" I cringe as I sense confusion coming from Apollo as he responds, "What ceremony?"
"You didn't tell him?" I know that question is directed at me. I try my best to explain, "I haven't had the chance to." That's all she needed to hear, "I swear Oriah! The ceremony is in three days and the boy has no idea!" She turns her attention toward Apollo and her voice returns to its soft tone, "Apollo, you can stay here with me if you want, your father apparently has no idea what he's doing." Surprisingly, the whole exchange has brought out a degree of exuberance from Apollo and I must admit, I'm thankful for that.
I have felt enough pain from him lately to know my distance would now be something that could be helpful, "I must go, they are things at the Acropolis that require my attention." I rise to leave and notice neither object. There's only more silence until I'm well out into the hallway. That's when I hear Sabrina, "Oriah wait." I stop to give her a chance to say what's on her mind and when she doesn't, I make a suggestion to her, "I'll be at the Acropolis when you decide to finish that thought."
It's well into the evening before she finally shows up. And when it comes to Sabrina, I can merely speculate as to what her thoughts could be. The scenario in my head always ends the same, her yelling at me for involving Solomon.
So I let her start the conversation, and she sounds as if she is an unwelcomed visitor, "Oriah, I never fully understood why you deserted our son. I only agreed to keep the truth from him because I knew somehow, you were probably right."
I try to remind her of the end, in hopes it will justify the means, "And he's safe now, we all are." Sabrina instantly agrees, "I know that." And I detect the slightest hint of concession from her. Then what she says to me next only returns me to more conjecture. "I hated you for a long time, for a long time I punished you. I robbed you, stole from you what you stole from me."
I try to concede, "Sabrina, you had every right to despise me, so does he. I can only hope one day to be forgiven." And my words are unexpectedly met with a growl of her frustration, "Oh Oriah, it's amazing the heights to which your assumptions will climb! They assuredly know no bounds!"
Then her voice surprisingly descends to a more composed register as she continues, "It's understandable though, Apollo wasn't the only being kept in the dark." Then I hear Sabrina walk around my desk and I sense her kneel down beside me, " I need your understanding now Oriah, as much you need mine."
I can imagine her eyes looking at me as she speaks to me, almost in a whisper, "There's a part of me that sometimes wonder if you aren't behind the entire thing." She pauses and then for some reason, I feel a degree of amusement growing within her, "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"
We share a nervous laugh for a second then Sabrina resorts back to her solemn tone, "What you don't realize, Oriah. What you can't possibly realize, is that we share the same wish." I don't even try to speculate now, I just feel my heart crave her answer, "What wish is that?" I hear her swallow, forcing down whatever is trying to make it's way to the surface, and even though I can't read her mind, it's like I know what she is going to say, "The wish to be forgiven."
I only see her lips now, waiting them to part and reveal her soul, her secret. But when they finally do and words escape, they wound greatly and truly confound. For the first time in what seems like forever, I now know exactly how Sabrina feels.