Chapter Six

Wednesday, July 27, 2020 at 4:00am

When Destiny got back in her apartment she immediately lay down on her bed. She felt the throbbing pain on the back of her head. Destiny touched the spot and felt a sizeable welt that was tender to the touch.

“What the hell happened last night?” Destiny head was in a fog, clouding her memory. She could barely remember anything about the night before. Had it all been a vivid dream or did it really happen? Sometimes when Destiny smoked, it was difficult for her to discern truth from her hallucinations. But whatever that was in the library last night felt real.

Destiny went to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face. Destiny glanced in the mirror barely recognized herself. Her face was smudged with dirt and her hair looked a mess, full of dust and spiderwebs. She had a small bandage on her forehead that had small drops of blood seeping through. Destiny removed the bandage revealing a small gash, a couple stitches, and some dried blood. She could remember bumping her head in that narrow crawl space. But who had stitched her up?

“What the hell was going on here?” Destiny muttered. Destiny decided to take a nice shower and clear her head. As she undressed, she noticed her bruised and bloody knees. She climbed into the shower and let the hot water wash over her.

The pain coming from the back of her head began to grow stronger. “Ugh...my head!” The pain was excruciating. Destiny wanted desperately to take something but she didn’t believe in taking pharmaceutical drugs like painkillers.

Destiny exited the shower and walked to the kitchen to Destiny brew herself a pot of tea to try and tame her headache. She filled up her tea kettle with water and turned on the stove.

“God, I hope I have some tea left.” She said. Destiny opened the cabinet above the stove. it was packed full of various herbs and spices that promoted good health all neatly packed in containers - turmeric, ginseng, ginger root, hibiscus, and feverfew. Destiny grabbed the contained labeled “feverfew”.

“This will do the trick.” She said. Destiny had read about feverfew in an old book once. Feverfew was a known homeopathic remedy that proved to be a natural pain reliever particularly with headaches and joint pain. She put the leaves in a tea spoon in her mug.

After Destiny finished the tea, her head was feeling slightly better, the throbbing had began to subside. Destiny was scheduled to work at the library today from 8-5 but she wasn’t sure if going back there was the best idea. Obviously someone had brought her home and patched her up, but who? Then Destiny remembered the door with the seal of the tree and how she had seen Ms. Waters right before she passed out. And who was that Ms. Waters was talking to on the phone? What did it all mean? And that symbol on the door...

“I know I’ve seen that tree symbol before.” Her mind was drawn a blank. Destiny wanted some answers but she had no idea where to even begin looking.

“I have to go talk to Ms. Waters.” Destiny went to the closet to grab a jacket. That’s when she noticed that the green cloak was gone.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Destiny put the pipe down on the kitchen table. When she opened the door, Ms. Waters was standing there.

“Hello, Destiny. We need to talk.”

“Ms. Waters, what are you doing here?” Destiny asked.

“It’s urgent. Can I come in?” Destiny opened the door wide and motioned for her to enter.“There are a lot of things we need to discuss.” Ms. Waters walked over to the kitchen table.

“You got that right. You knocked me over the fucking head!”

“I know. But I had to. If I didn’t, they would have killed you. It was the only way to save your life!”

“Were you the one who brought me back to my apartment and stitched me up? Jesus, Ms. Waters...how’d you even know where the hell I live?”

"Look you need to calm down..."

“You better start explaining yourself right now!” Destiny was furious.

“I know a lot about you, Destiny. More than you think. When you were a baby, you were found in an abandoned car on the side of the road.” Destiny heard she was found in an abandoned car. “But what you probably didn’t know was, the car was badly banged up. Completely totaled. It was a miracle you survived.” Destiny hadn’t heard this part before. “I know this because I witnessed it. I was there.” Destiny’ head was spinning. She wished she wouldn’t have smoked.

“If you don’t believe me…” Ms. Waters reached in her bright pink purse and pulled out a newspaper article. The article had a photo of a car flipped over with flames surrounding it. The headline read, “Stranger Rescues Infant from Fatal Crash”.

“I was the one pulled you out of the car and saved your life.” Sure enough the article mentions bystander Julia Waters and heroic moment in pulling a baby from a badly beat up car. The article also mentioned the baby suffered no fatal injuries. A body was found in the car severely burned beyond recognition. Experts say the body may have belonged to a 25-40 year old woman. Dental records were inconclusive.

Destiny’s heart sank. Although she had been told about her mother dying, to actually see it in clear black and white was like finding out she had died all over again.

“Your mother didn’t die in that car crash, Destiny.” Ms. Waters said.

“What how can that be? It said so right here.” What was Ms. Waters talking about?

“Sit down. It’s a long story.”

“I’d rather not.” Destiny said.

“Your mother sent me here.”

“M-my mother?” Destiny’s heart leapt out of her chest and was caught in throat. She couldn’t swallow, she couldn’t even blink. She knew that Ms. Waters couldn’t be referring to her evil foster mother.

“Yes. Your true and actual mother.”Ms. Waters responded as if reading her mind. Now she needed to sit. Destiny slowly squatted down in the nearest chair. Ms. Waters waited for Destiny to sit down before she began her explanation.

“Where is my mother?”

“She is being held at high-security facility.”

Destiny felt like she went temporarily deaf. What was Ms. Waters saying. It was too much information coming at her.

“My mother is in prison? Is my mother a criminal?” Her birth mother was alive. The woman I had dreamed about my entire life trying to picture what she looked like, what she smelled like? She was alive! And locked in prison for what?

“In a manner of speaking.”

“What did my mother do? Did she...murder someone?” All this time I’ve been thinking my mother died. But she had been in prison? Destiny was drowning in her own thoughts, no longer mindful of Ms. Waters’ intentions for being here.

“No, no, dear. Not exactly....”

“Well I want to see her. Can you take me to her?”

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I mean, there is no way I could get you in that building to see her without putting your life, her life, and not to mention my life in jeopardy.”

“But she’s my mother! Where the hell is this prison? I have to find her!”Destiny slammed her fists down on the kitchen table and stood up.

“Dear...please try to calm down and listen…” Destiny began pacing the room...back and forth, back and forth.

“I know this is a lot to process. But your mother sent me here to find you. It was the reason I gave you the job at the library. So I could keep a close eye on you...” Ms. Waters explained.

“I want to see my mother! Where the hell is she?” Destiny was standing in Ms. Waters face. Ms. Waters didn’t appear fearful. She lightly touched her on arm. It was odd for Destiny. Ms. Waters had never been the least bit maternal towards her. She had never even been nice to her until now. Destiny found it hard to believe that Ms. Waters had any children. If she did she felt sorry for them.

“Just calm down…Let's get you a glass of water.” Ms. Waters searched through the cabinets. Destiny saw Ms. Waters notice the pipe fill of weed on the kitchen counter. Ms. Waters finally located a glass and filled it with some tap water. “Here.”

Destiny wanted to knock the glass out of her hand. Instead she grabbed it and consumed in one gulp. The weed she just smoked had made her rather thirsty. Destiny went over to the sink and refilled the glass.

“Your mother is...special. I’ve been trying to help her. There is a group of us, actually. Those people you've seen wearing the green cloaks. We call ourselves the Truth Seekers. We seek to obtain and preserve the truth and what is real.”

---

“What are you talking about?”

“Your mother knows the truth - about how the entire world came to be. She has a vast amount of knowledge about history and the past. She is the reason why the Seekers exist - to protect that knowledge. There are countless theories on how earth and the universe were created. Whether it was done by God or a combustion of cosmic energy - we’ve heard it all before. But your mother was the first one to spout a new theory that has actually been proven by a dozen of the world’s greatest scientist. But there are always skeptics. Even with the facts and cold, hard proof, there are some people who are just not able to accept the truth. That’s why they locked your mother away - so they put her away to keep the truth hidden from the world so as not to incite chaos and panic.” Destiny wasn’t one for conspiracy theories. The entire thing sounded nuts.

"You can't be serious."

"Trust me when I say. There are very evil people in this world who would do anything and everything in their power to save their own skin and protect themselves. The world is going to end. And soon. On August 1, 2020, the world as we know it will cease to exist. And all humankind will be destroyed.”

“Ms. Waters, that’s insane.”

“I thought so too when I first heard it, but it’s true. There are certain signs, prophecies and predictions that I have personally seen come to pass over the years. Your mother...she just knows things. Knows it before they happen. She even knew that you would be skeptical at first. She told me to deliver a message to you and it would all make sense. She said, ‘the dark wolf is with you to guide you and that you must listen.’ Does that make any sense to you?”

Destiny sat down on the ground. How could this be? Just a little while ago, her life seemed so small. It was insignificant but it made sense. And now, all of this. Her mother? The world was ending. Was it true? Had it been just like the wolf said and had been trying to warn her all along.

“What about that secret passageway? What does all this have to do with that?”

Ms. Waters pulled a huge book out of her satchel. Destiny had read a lot of books in her lifetime but this was unlike anything she had ever seen before. It was made out of some type of wood and had a detailed engraving of bare tree with branches and roots intertwined and woven together carved right into the cover. The tree was identical to the door in the library. At the top of the book read the words, “Paradys.” There were some symbols beneath and some words in a language she didn’t even recognize. The book had a tiny, odd-shaped keyhole on its right edge, similar to what Destiny had seen on the hatch in the library.

“What is this?” Destiny asked. She was extremely mesmerized, she could barely think and was unable to take her eyes off of the book.

“I was hoping you could tell me.” Ms. Waters responded.

“I’ve never seen this before.”

“I know. But it belongs to you.”

“Huh?”

“You have the key in your possession. You are the only one that can open it.”

“What the hell is this?

“This book...this book is the key to saving the world. I know that this is a lot to take in all at once. And I can only imagine how you must be feeling right now. But you have to pull yourself together because you are our only chance for survival.” Survival from what?

“How will the world end?” Destiny asked.

“No one knows. We only know when. But this book...this book has all the answers. You are our only hope, the world’s only chance at survival.”

“But how...” Everything was blurry and the room was spinning. She wanted desperately to lie down.

“Your mother said you have the key. She left it with you when you were a baby.”

Key? Destiny’s head was swarming with a million questions. What key was she talking about?

“I don’t have any key…” The expression on Ms. Waters face changed from gentle to cold in the blink of an eye. She no longer looked like the soft, sensitive woman who was so gentle and understanding a minute ago. She was the old Ms. Waters that Destiny was familiar with - cold and stiff.

“I just told you the world was ending. Why are you lying? You need to give me the key, Destiny. Right now.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Don’t you get it? If you don’t give me the key...you, your mother, your boyfriend, the entire world...will die!” Ms. Waters was losing her temper.

“I swear, Ms. Waters, I have no idea what this key is. I never even met my mother. She never gave me a key.” Ms. Waters didn’t look convinced but her face softened again.

“Okay. It’s alright, dear.” Destiny was confused by Ms. Waters’ sudden shift in her demeanor. Then she added. “We must work together for all our sakes. You must locate that key and bring it to me immediately. We can help you.” With that Ms. Waters walked to the door. She left the book sitting on the kitchen table.

“What are you going to do with this?”

“The book is for your to keep. I told you, it belonged to you. Only you have the key. But remember, I am always here to help you.”

“Ms. Waters…” Destiny called. “What’s her name?” Destiny’s mother was alive. “She’s had a lot of names over the...years. Trinity, Elaine, Elyssa. Now we just refer to her as the Holy Mother.” What the hell? The wolf mentioned something about the holy mother.

“I think it would be in your best interest if you stayed away from the library for a while. There are a lot of evil and powerful people in this world who wouldn’t hesitate to kill you if you got in their way. Luckily the people who have your mother captive don’t believe her. They don’t know what I know.” Ms. Waters walked to the door and opened it. Without looking back, she said. “We’ll be in touch.” With that, she left.

As soon as Ms. Waters was out the door, Destiny relit her pot and continued to smoke. She lay on her bed and stare up at the sky through the skylight mauling over everything that had transpired - revisiting their conversation. Ms. Waters words echoed in her head. Her mother was alive! She wasn’t about to just let it go. She needed to find her. But first she needed more weed.

Destiny searched through her tote bag but there was none left. She went to her dresser and opened the top drawer where she kept all her valuables. Inside the drawer were some old t-shirts. She pushed them aside. Underneath was a tattered shoebox.

Destiny sat down on her bed and dumped out the contents of her “keepsake box” - a bag of marijuana and a pipe (her emergency stash), the apology note Edwin had written her on the back of a receipt, a torn photo of her and Nick, and a small, white envelope.

Destiny looked at the torn photo. It had been a portrait of the whole family but Destiny ripped out Wayne and Kimberly. When Destiny had run away from the Rogers’ house, it was in the middle of the night. She slipped some of Kimberly’s sleeping pills in their wine glasses that evening and lay awake impatiently waiting for them to fall asleep. She already had her bag packed, there wasn’t much to take. Most of the items in her room came from her foster parents so she left it all behind. Except the photo of her and Nick. It was the only picture she had of her big brother so she cherished it dearly. Destiny picked up the picture and stared at it.

Destiny still remembered the day they took the picture like it was yesterday. Nick wasn’t smiling but he still looked handsome. He was wearing a football jersey and his hair was clean shaven. Kimberly always used to get on Nick about cutting it off but no matter how many times he got punished for having it, he refused to shave it. Until one day, Wayne and Kimberly waited for him to come home from school. As soon as Nick walked through the door they grabbed him, pinned him down and shaved all his hair off. Nick was so furious. He was sixteen years old at the time. Destiny was only ten. She had her hair in two long ponytails. Kimberly screamed at her during the whole time she combed and braided her hair. Destiny shook her head at the memory. Destiny remembered all the yelling and screaming that night. She listened from her bedroom, hoping and praying that Nick would just let it go. The next day he was gone, just like that, leaving a small, white envelope underneath her door. After that, Destiny never saw or heard from Nick again.

Destiny picked up the envelope. On the outside all it said was, “I’m sorry.” The envelope was still sealed. For months she had been furious with Nick for deserting her the way he did. Then six months later, his body was found floating in Brookside lake. He had been shot twice in the chest and once in the head. Police called it a gang-related homicide and never investigated the matter beyond questioning family and close friends. Nick didn’t deserve to die like that. She thought. Nick may have been a member of a gang, committed some minor crimes like drug dealing and armed robbery, but he was still the best guy she knew..

After all these years, Destiny still couldn’t bring herself to read Nick’s “last words” to her. It was all she had left of him. By her reading it, it was almost as if the memory of him would disappear.

Destiny laid the items back on the bed and opened up the bag of weed. She took a few pinches out and put them in a smaller bag. She pulled out some wrappers and began rolling some joints.

Destiny started to put all the items back in the shoebox when something in the photo caught her eye. She never really noticed before that she had been wearing a gold necklace. It was beautiful necklace with immense detail. The memories came flooding back.

Destiny remembered she had that necklace her entire life - even when she was living in the group home. A social worker had been the one to first tell her about when she was a baby she had been found in an abandoned car and that her mother had died in the crash. The social worker told her that she had been wearing that same necklace around her tiny neck when she was found. Destiny cherished the necklace a great deal. It had been the only thing that made her feel connected to the past, to her birth mother.

When Destiny first started living on the streets and had fallen on hard times, she had pawned the necklace for some money so she could survive. In hindsight, Destiny wished she could go back in time and choose to keep the necklace. Upon closer inspection of the photo, Destiny noticed an engraving on the necklace. She held it closer to her face and froze.

“Holy shit.” She said. On the necklace was what appeared to be a tree with the branches and roots woven together. It looked almost identical to the seal she had seen on the giant doors inside the library. Had this been the “key” Ms. Waters was referring to?