Chapter 4: Signs and Symbols

Elise could not help herself but smile at her brother in return. She caught Kent watch her again attentively and forced a timid smile at him. She just wished her cheeks were not blushing this time or she’d be busted she got a crush on him. They were not that close, so they had this kind of awkward moments when their eyes met. Nonetheless, it was an exhilarating experience for her.

Diana did not miss anything but said nothing. They were all seated inside Kent’s blue sports car, a so-called Eagle 2020 model. The two girls were in the back and in front was Eric who couldn’t stop talking of just about anything.

The four teenagers were so entranced by the display of two orders of lasagna that were served before them by one of Nohkoma’s fast food assistants, Amy, when they finally got a table to settle at. They cramped in one of the corner’s tables as the fast food was packed with customers at that hour.

The Wiikiops Bark was two inches thick and ten by ten inches in width and length. On top of it was a design of a hut made of almost melting chocolate, as described by Diana earlier. The mixed smell of chocolate, baked pasta and meat was mouthwatering.

Diana’s eyes were feasting on the food, and her grin was so wide when she exclaimed. “I never ate lasagna for a long time because of my diet!”

The three laughed upon hearing it.

“Oh, we want some cola,” said Kent to Amy, the fast food assistant who was serving them at the moment.

Amy smiled at the handsome blond guy and winked. “Sure, coming right up!”

Eric helped himself almost taking half of the order meant for him and Kent. He was the first one to taste test it.

“Hmmm… Absolutely yummy!” Eric chewed the food with relish, closing his eyes dramatically.

The three followed suit. They smiled at each other like kids having tried something out and had some fun.

“I hope I won’t get fat overnight!” Diana prayed, pouting, and helped herself with another mouthful of Wiikiops Bark.

“Would you believe that at least once a week we have lasagna at home?” Elise informed her.

“Hey!” Diana said and looked at Elise’s slim figure with envy. She was almost devastated. “How could you?” The Hispanic beauty turned to Eric for confirmation with her big eyes.

“Right. And she eats a lot!” confirmed Eric and looked at Kent afterward. It was as if he was warning his friend that his sister was some kind of a monster when it comes to food. Eric though smiled charmingly at Elise after that warning look at Kent.

“What do you do to keep your figure, Elise?” Kent asked.

It was the first time he directly talked to her. She could feel her senses reel and her heart pounded hard in her chest.

Don’t hyperventilate, puhleeaseee… her mind warned.

“Oh, I… um… eat it in the evening. But in the morning, I only eat one piece of apple and my lunch is only composed of fruit shake and some vegetables and protein sources,” she answered, grateful that her voice was steady.

“You’re twisted! You eat a lot during dinner!” Diana laughed.

“It’s because I’m so hungry after rehearsals.” Elise defended herself and grinned.

“Oh, but she does exercise every morning,” Eric revealed.

“Hmm… just a few stretches,” Elise said humbly and nodded. She didn’t say she also practiced martial arts together with her brother every morning, after his morning meditation.

“I say, you’re pretty disciplined, Elise.” Kent rewarded her of another charming smile that could melt her heart away.

Elise blushed slightly and smiled at him timidly—again. She wanted to beat herself for being this shy around him actually.

They continued eating and drinking the cola. When they finished, they were so full that they sat back on their chair for a little while before they got up and started home.

Kent dropped Diana home first before the two siblings.

“Thanks for accompanying me, guys. See you tomorrow!” Diana said and waved at them before entering the Gomez’s house.

The neighborhood was composed of Latinos and other white and red races living around it. Elise thought it was so perfect and peaceful even though their heritage was different from one another. She truly loved her beloved peaceful town. And she always thought that the place was perfect to live in.

Kent opened the car door for Elise before Eric could do it for his sister. Elise felt flattered and smiled to herself. She straightened up and looked at Kent.

“I had a great time. Thank you for coming with Diana and me,” she said politely and with all her heart.

“Me too,” Kent murmured. “Some other time perhaps…?” His blue eyes were hopeful.

She thought for a moment. Is he asking me out on a date? Her mind wanted to scream and her heart danced inside her rib cage.

“Uh… sure,” said Elise nodding at him and looked down.

“That’s great! I’ll get back to you on that then.”

“Take care, pal!” Eric waved when Kent drove off.

Elise started to walk and opened the gate to get in. Eric followed and closed the gate.

“You like him too, right?” Eric guessed. It wasn’t a simple question.

“Why should I tell you that?” Elise rebutted, trying to hide a smile. Her heart was still full of anticipation and excitement because Kent just talked to her directly for the first time they knew each other.

“Huh? Duh! I’m just your big brother!” Eric pointed out.

Elise stuck out her tongue at her brother and ran to enter the house.

“Hey! You didn’t answer my question!” he complained.

Elise went to her room fast, just saying “Hi!: to her parents who were at the kitchen. And Eric was following her.

“Hey, what’s going on with those two?” Zoe asked her husband with an inquiring brow.

Aidan just shrugged.

Elise already closed the door before her brother could grab her by the shoulders. She was breathing fast after she locked the door and heard her brother talk.

“I’ll get you to talk sooner or later!” he promised.

She was relieved when she heard him close his bedroom door next to hers. She smiled to herself victoriously. Her smile turned into a surprise when she saw her TV turn on by itself and showed her the scene of Imhotep trying to kill Evelyn in “The Mummy” movie. Her jaw dropped at this oddity and swallowed hard.

She recalled she didn’t stop at that point of the movie. She tried to remember again but she was very sure it was not that scene. She looked for the remote control and turned off the TV and the DVD player.

She went to the bathroom to change into her pajamas and thought she would study more for their finals. She stripped down her clothes and looked at herself in the mirror. Some images flashed before her—a sphinx, a desert, a cobra, a throne, a scorpion, a double crown of red and white colors, a short man, a tall dark man, and a pretty boy’s face with cosmetics…

She put her hands at either side of the mirror and forced herself to shut her eyes firmly. But those images kept coming back in her mind’s eye. Her breath was so fast like she was running for miles. She shook her head, hoping those would all go away.

After some minutes, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at herself naked in front of the mirror. Her breathing was normal again, and she started to get under the shower.

She could still remember those images while taking her shower. Even when she changed into her pajamas and went out of the bathroom she was still in deep thought about them. She was confused about those images and some weird things that happened to her lately.

Am I getting crazy or what? she thought desperately. It somehow gave her a headache.

She was thinking if she could confide in her brother. But he was so talkative and skeptic at times, or rather, most of the time, so she decided against it. She would not tell anyone even if it would kill her. Perhaps. They might think she was crazy or something like a freak and put her into a rehab or an asylum. Whichever of those was not really an option. She would not like that. She might stay there for the rest of her life. And it scared her.

She had to deal with this all by herself, though, she decided finally. Maybe it was just stress anyway. She’d been pushing herself to the limit these days. After all, she had been working so hard this school year. And she was a bit relieved that it was coming to an end, and she could relax and enjoy the summer vacation. Well, at least, when the summer camp was over.

Aside from the summer camp, her family was planning a few days camp on one of Wisconsin’s mountains, which was the Belmont Mound. Every year, her family would camp there either season except winter. This year, they were going to camp in the summer vacation. She felt that it would be different this year though, for some reason.

She inhaled and exhaled. She always had a short meditation before starting her studies. It helped her get more relaxed and so she could absorb the lessons easily into her brain, into her subconscious.

She started off with Algebra, followed by Humanity, English, Science and lastly, World History. Upon picking up the book of “The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt,” she felt a vibration—it was almost electric. The book seemed to quiver at her touch, or so she thought. She immediately put it down, afraid to touch it. Her heart was beating so fast. After some minutes of staring at the book, she took a deep breath and touched the said book again. It did not shake this time, so she thought she might just have an illusion on that feeling. Hence, she started reading where their class left off.