Two Tribes, page 33
part #1 of Young Atlanteans Series
‘Do you know what it means?’ JJ asked.
‘Not right away. Max did though.’
JJ felt the uneasy tingle in his spine whenever he thought of the mystery Atlantean. His father’s advisor, Max, walked in, obviously telepathically summoned, with a tall Murr he didn’t recognize gliding in beside him. JJ was used to being with Murrs his whole life at home, his grandmother was one, but it always struck him how strange they looked in the human world. He looked ridiculously tall, in a long tunic-like suit, with albino white hair and overlarge black eyes that seemed penetrating and yet unseeing.
‘Why is he here?’ Xavier said, looking just as nervous as JJ.
‘He’s here to sort your mess out,’ Dante snapped at him. ‘He’s going to correct the hash you made of your mind control on the Johnson kids.’
JJ’s heart banged in his chest. He knew what that meant. Dante didn’t know the whole story. Latitia knew what he was and the moment she came to her senses she’d not only hate him, she’d be terrified of him. But he kept silent while his mind raced over what he could do.
‘So?’ Xavier prompted, not in the least bit bothered about what could possibly happen with the Johnsons. ‘Who is the guy and what’s in the box?’
Dante flopped down into the large leather sofa and felt the softness of the leather with his hand. ‘Turns out your sister is mixed up with a Demidov – the so-called demons of the race.’
‘They thought they were extinct on Earth,’ Jay added.
JJ looked at Xavier, shocked. It was the last thing he’d been expecting. A chancer from a lesser branch using his sister as leverage seemed the much more likely scenario. He seemed as bewildered as he was. ‘I don’t get it. What does he want?’
Max rummaged in his briefcase and took out his papers. ‘We don’t know much. It seems the family has been written out of many of the history books – hence the importance of the letter to him, I suspect. It dates back to the time of the destruction of Atlantis. What we are left with is mainly rumour and hearsay and a few wildly inaccurate human films and books. The only irrefutable proof we have left of their existence can be found in the Tome of Justice, containing the catalogue of Atlantean laws. It travelled to Earth from Atlas and survived the destruction of Atlantis.’
‘This book actually exists?’ Xavier said, turning to his father as if he didn’t really believe it.
Dante inclined his head as if he thought that way once too. ‘Actually, it does. It contains all our regulations from the home planet and is so valuable that it was held in a Swiss bank vault and moved recently to the vaults beneath Filfla.’
JJ had no idea. ‘And you’ve seen it?’ he said looking at Dante, then Max.
‘It lists the five royal families that left Atlas and their crests and one other, beneath the Santalini,’ Max explained.
‘They worked on the pictures I sent and then I handed over the box this morning,’ Jay added.
Max was gushing in his element of expertise. ‘I scarcely believed it when I saw the seal.’
‘What is it?’ JJ said, feeling increasingly nervous and not understanding much at all.
‘It seems upon leaving Atlas, the secret Demidov clan, known as the Ambragio – the immortals, were included in the number sent to colonize Earth. They were to be the first on land and act as the Secret Service of the race here. The proclamation was in the tome and signed by Artaxertses the great, himself, as was your letter, written in the same hand,’ Max said over the rim of his glasses. ‘He was the king in power at the time they left Atlas, around 8500BC.’
JJ’s mind was completely blown as he tried to get a handle on what it all meant to them and their sister.
Jay, now wearing white gloves, carefully took the box out of its new wrapping of tissue paper and put it down on the kitchen counter. JJ and Xavier gathered around it with everyone else.
‘The box is decorated in the ferns dipped in blood – symbol of the Demidov family,’ Max explained.
‘What does the letter say?’ JJ asked. ‘We couldn’t read any of it.’
‘It’s in the most ancient dialect I’ve ever seen,’ Max said, wistfully, slipping his hands into his own pair of soft white gloves. He seemed to hold his breath as he carefully opened the box and took out the envelope containing the fragile document.
JJ looked at Xavier guiltily. He didn’t meet his eyes. They had woefully manhandled something that was basically priceless. They were lucky no harm had come to it.
JJ faced Max again, who was skimming the contents of the letter. His hand went to his mouth as he was stifling a sob or laughter. JJ couldn’t decide which.
‘My goodness,’ Max said.
‘What?’ Everyone seemed to say at the same time.
Max began to read aloud.
* * *
I, Artaxerxes the great, king of the fourth quadrant of Atlas and second moon of Aquillo, son of Maxim, do grant elite status to the Ambragio, the immortal branch of the Santalini family, to accompany the mission to colonize the planet known as Earth. To act as agents for the crown and secure for his people a great kingdom satellite. To gain knowledge and riches and subdue its people, by any means necessary.
It is decreed that the family of Ambragio should never again be looked upon as base dwellers and should henceforth be revered as great pillars, as the strength and backbone of our people.
* * *
Max continued to skim the page. ‘Then it goes on to say the usual threats in such communications … Any person tampering with this parchment or its purpose therein, shall be cursed, abandoned by the five moons, the chi and its graces sent forth in its stones, the Orb and its peoples.’
‘Ah, here we have the crux of it:
From this day forward, our gratitude and prayers go with the Ambragio, known as the sixth and final family of Atlas. I, Artaxerxes, decree it. Therefore, it shall be so.’
When Max looked up it was with tears in his eyes. JJ understood the shock, but not the emotion. ‘It is astounding and humbling to me, that these words, from a great king, on the other side of the solar system, have not been heard for ten thousand years. I can scarcely comprehend it,’ Max said, now making perfect sense.
JJ was still sifting through what it actually meant for them and, more importantly, their sister.
‘So what you’re saying is, that there is a sixth and unacknowledged royal family,’ Dante said, exchanging a glance with Jay.
Max nodded, still in a state of amazement. ‘And one, it seems, that despite what it says here, has been taken from the rest of the history books and ignored.’
That sounded bad. JJ looked at Dante while his eyes focused and he thought through the ramifications.
Jay stepped forward to take a look, even though JJ was sure it would tell him no more than the rest of them. ‘So, the real question is, what does this guy want?’
‘Well, he ain’t happy – assuming he knows what this says,’ Dante said.
‘And he has Alexia,’ JJ said, steering them back to what really mattered. He couldn’t bear to think of what could be happening to her.
Dante looked at the ceiling, clearly in anguish. JJ felt instantly guilty. He must be worried sick too. ‘It has to be leverage,’ he said for them all.
‘I’ll take a unit and just get her back,’ Keenan said as if it was the easiest thing in the world.
Dante shook his head.
‘You saw the speed of them. We need to know what we’re dealing with before we charge in,’ Jay said.
‘No!’ Dante said emphatically. ‘As much as it goes against the grain, we need to treat this diplomatically.’
‘He owns everything around here,’ JJ added.
‘And we’ll drive Alexia further into him if we try to pull them apart,’ Xavier added, looking the most contrite he’d ever seen him. ‘She’s infuriating like that.’
Dante tapped his hand on the arm of the sofa and got to his feet. ‘That settles it then. We’ll agree to meet this guy on neutral ground just as he requested, but we’ll stipulate that Alexia must go back to school and must be at the meeting.’
JJ felt relieved. It was a good plan. At least he’d be able to see her and talk.
‘You’re caving to his demands,’ Xavier said, throwing up his hands and walking off angrily.
However, Dante wouldn’t let him and pulled him back by the arm into a hug. He held him tightly and spoke to him closely to his ear. ‘I know it’s frustrating; such things take patience.’ Then he looked over his son’s shoulder at Jay, who was watching the scene sadly. ‘Sometimes, being a king means taking the course of action that safeguards the most amount of people.’
JJ recognized the deeper meaning between his two fathers, but had no patience for it right then.
Dante kissed his son’s cheek and put him away from him, holding the tops of his arms. ‘You’ve done brilliantly here, both of you,’ he said, glancing at JJ too. ‘I’m so proud of you. But this is serious. It affects your sister’s life and possibly the royal family system here on Earth.’
‘Can’t we just bury it like it never happened and just get Alexia back?’ Xavier said, almost on the verge of tears. He was appealing to his father’s sometimes volatile nature and the plan was not without merit. It had crossed JJ’s mind too.
Dante let him go, nodded at Jay and together they made for the door. Both JJ and Xavier watched them, thinking he simply wasn’t going to answer. Even the Santalinis began to fall in behind them.
However, he stopped just before they disappeared. ‘I think burying it is the problem. I’m hoping that all this guy really wants is recognition and vindication for his family, he sees as wronged. I’ll keep you posted.’ With that, he turned and the whole party followed him out.
‘He still needs teaching a lesson,’ Keenan muttered to his cousin at the back.
JJ and Xavier were left staring at each other. After thinking they were saving Alexia from Dwayne and the dangers of the South London streets, they’d managed to push her into the arms of a creature who was possibly the most powerful and scary ever to walk amongst them. ‘Bloody typical,’ Xavier said.
* * *
B2H went live the next day and spread like a forest fire. Kids were clambering so fast that a postcode had to be coded in it at join up, just to keep it within the boundaries of south London. Not only did JJ want to keep the VIP vibe for its members, but his reach of control had to be limited so not to get himself noticed and make waves with the human authorities. Then his father would need to get involved more than he already was.
JJ wasn’t the only one with a success on his hands. Breathe was selling faster than they could stock it and Focus had pre-sold its first three shipments – and no one apart from their test subjects had even tried it. It felt like now they had their platform of B2H, they could sell cow dung to farmers.
Now Dante knew what they were up to, rather than being angry, which they kind of expected, he loaned them his full team of hotshot lawyers to secure the school as a self-funding, independent entity – as long as he was on the board of governors. They decided it was a good trade and accepted.
That meant work on renovating the gym store for their school shop and the drama block for the crèche could start right away. The sports wing was scheduled for the new year and Dr Henry was courted by local radio and newspapers as the best head teacher to ever grace Camberwell’s streets. He was walking on clouds and they were actually doing it. Neither JJ and Xavier could quite believe it. Since the whole Alexia thing, they were working together and making a success of it.
Then Alexia came back to school.
CHAPTER 37
Xavier knocked loudly on Paige’s door and waited. The TV was always on far too loud. Even at 8.30 in the morning, when they should all be ready for work or school. It was like living in chaos. Some public-spirited soul had even left a fridge in the gangway overnight. However, he resisted the urge to move Paige into his loft with him. Not only would JJ think he’d lost his mind, but he didn’t want to deal with why he was getting urges like that. Paige was happier with her family and the childminder was working out well. Besides, the crèche at the school would be ready soon and they’d all be travelling to school with him.
JJ would be right; he was losing it. Paige had actually started joking about swapping his car for a family hatchback. ‘Never!’ he’d snapped and she’d laughed. But that wasn’t the scary part. It was that it didn’t scare him nearly as much as it should have. The truth was he loved having her around. Even with all her noisy snotty-nosed family.
It was true, he didn’t want her permanently living in his loft; she needed to study and he had to take care of business. He had to be single-minded and didn’t want her becoming clingy, as girls often did and the rot setting in. Paige was beautiful, clever, driven and completely naive to any silly love games. She was perfect. That was the real reason he kept her at arm’s length. He had to be absolutely sure he was ready and they were so young. Because the moment they spent the night together it was game over with life as he knew it, with the added aspect that could kill her. Not only would she be permanently linked to him in the Atlantean world, with all the dangers that entailed, but he, being typically him, could break her heart. She was so wonderfully trusting in him that he wanted to be a better man – a better king.
The door finally opened at the second round of knocking and the kids, squealing ‘Xavi-yay!’, swarmed around his legs, clearly delighted to see him as if they hadn’t seen him for a year. ‘When can we ride in your fast car again,’ the taller one, Luke, shouted, jumping up and down.
‘Soon!’ Xavier said, his attention already on Paige, who pulled him in for a kiss on the lips.
Paige hauled her brother and sister off his legs and dumped them roughly back inside the door. They instantly giggled and ran back. She caught them struggling by the arms, ignoring their complaints. ‘When the crèche is finished at school. Then you can come,’ she said, answering their question.
‘No, now!’ they both said over and over, until Linda, their mother, came out.
‘Morning, Xav,’ she said, relieving Paige of the two kids, still kicking and screaming like a pair of captured turkeys, and dragged them back inside.
The door closed with a loud slam, muffling the noise until it disappeared completely. It didn’t bother Xavier. He was now used to it and kind of liked it. He was reminded again that it was the domesticity he’d never known, having grown up in huge palaces and hideaway bunkers. It felt perfect. Paige was perfect.
He picked up Paige’s hand and led her along the balcony, down the steps and back to the car. He opened the door for her as he always did, but before she got in she looked at him curiously. ‘What is it?’ she said, looking concerned.
He hadn’t realized his thoughts had made him frown. He quickly rectified it with a smile. ‘It’s nothing. Alexia is supposed to be coming back to school today, that’s all. I’m not looking forward to it.’ It was the truth. They were never going to see eye to eye on the ridiculous choices she was making.
Paige nodded, understanding immediately. He kissed her and she got in the car. He got in the driver’s side, plugged in his seat belt and switched on the engine.
‘Latitia is coming back today as well,’ Paige said. ‘Jade told me. It’s so weird how all three Johnsons have been off sick since the battle.’
Xavier indicated and pulled out, looking out of the side window to avoid Paige’s gaze.
‘I really thought Latitia would end up with JJ and Alexia with Dwayne, didn’t you? They all got on so well.’
Xavier made a concerted effort not to roll his eyes. ‘Dwayne was a ridiculous choice,’ he said, trying to keep the snark out of his voice. ‘He could never be enough for my sister.’ He released his foot off the gas pedal, realizing he was driving too fast.
‘Really?’ Paige said, sounding surprised. ‘He seemed nice. So this guy she’s with now, He’s a lot older than her, isn’t he? And she really likes him … I guess she must do if she’s living with him.’
Xavier felt his face burn with sudden panic, as if he’d almost fallen off the edge of a cliff. He was getting it a lot lately whenever the subject of his sister was raised. Paige chatted on, oblivious to him controlling his breathing. He wanted to rant and shout and say it was all some pathetic idea of a joke. The Atlantean was obviously using Alexia to get to their father and she was too stupid to see it. Or, worse still, enjoying annoying him with it. ‘She’s acting out, that’s all,’ he said through tight lips.
Paige didn’t notice. She was watching all the kids swarming the pavements and filing into school. They pulled into the car park to the usual envious looks. ‘Oh look! There’s Latitia,’ Paige said, pointing. ‘I think JJ still likes her more than he lets on.’
Xavier followed where she was pointing just as Latitia looked over, straight into his eyes. He knew it because the colour drained right out of her face.
She knew.
The Murr had done his job and she had full cognition. ‘Today should be interesting,’ he said and got out of the car. By the time he turned and looked again, she was gone.
* * *
JJ was twitchy as hell, which was totally out of character for him. He had to face Alexia and try to salvage their relationship, after what she saw as a betrayal and navigate around the Johnsons, with at least one of them knowing he was from another species. It was not going to be a good day.
He hovered, fidgeting, nervously near the front of the building and then froze when he saw Xavier pull into the car park. Then he saw the long black limo pull up at the gate. Alexia. Neither appearing to give a damn about how conspicuous they were being. The driver got out and opened the rear door for her. JJ watched transfixed as his sister got out and thanked him. She was dressed the same as ever, in the navy-blue school uniform, but she seemed different, taller, more grown up somehow. It could be that she wore her hair a bit differently. More like a 1950s film star, but she’d always been well groomed. He had to admit to himself that while he and Xavier had been bickering like a pair of kids, their sister had gone and grown up. It probably hadn’t happened over night. They just didn’t notice. His cheeks pricked with shame and then his stomach churned when his imagination kicked in with what she was probably doing with a much older guy.
