Monsters Like Us (Book 1 in The Huntress Series)

Chapter Nine (Part Five)

As soon as Esperanza stepped over the threshold, flickering firelight lit the room. It was an office space fit for an evil overlord. In the corners of the room, towering statues of Egyptian gods kept watch, a torch of flames clasped in each marble hand. There was Amun-Ra, the Sun God. Anubis, God of the Dead, with his jackal head. Osiris, God of the Underworld. Isis, Goddess of Eternal Life. Their torches cast a warm glow over the space. The fireplace came alight too, and above the mantel, there was an oil painting of Lavinia Hemlock—fierce green eyes, snow-white skin, and voluminous curls of black hair—dressed in clothing from another era.

Esperanza carried Lena onto an altar, where a solid black marble desk and a monumental throne sat before a row of shelves containing leather bound books. She set Lena down in the throne, only afterwards realizing that it was a throne made of bones—hopefully not human bones—and then she ransacked.

The desk had no drawers and there were no files or paperwork on top, just a clear surface. She checked the books on the shelves, hoping for another hidden room, but all she found was dust and ancient books written in Latin.

She moved onto the fireplace, checking the mantel, the portrait, and the hearth. Taking a step back, she accidently bumped her rear into something, nearly knocking it to the ground. It was a saber-tooth tiger skull with sparkling, crimson rubies for eyes and inside the mouth, positioned between the four sharp incisors was a projector. Somehow, she had turned it on.

Automatically, the torchlights dimmed, and a movie theater size screen rolled down from the ceiling. "What's happening?" Lena asked, sounding panicked. "What's going on?"

A logo flashed onto the screen. An infinity sign merged with an ankh. It grew across the screen, flickering. First white and then dark red. Esperanza took a step closer, her heart pounding in her chest. "It's a video, I think."

The symbol disappeared. There was music, light and inspirational. Nerilla Hemlock appeared on screen, standing in front of a grey skyscraper. She smiled brilliantly, waves of yellow-blonde hair framing her face. She wore a black wraparound dress, clipped in place with a vintage praying mantis broach, and red patent leather boots. "Welcome," she exclaimed exuberantly, flicking up one thin brow, "to Ethereal Incorporated. Your number one source...for immortality."

Chills ran up Esperanza's spine. The two girls exchanged puzzled glances, before turning their attention back to the video.

Nerilla was now standing on the bow of a yacht, and her outfit had changed. She wore a blue and white nautical dress with a white lace collar and little anchors along the hem. She pushed one of the actors overboard and he landed into the ocean, bobbing up and down like a cork. "Help!" he called in the distance, but Nerilla spoke over him, the same amount of enthusiasm as before.

"Life is short. Don't we all wish we had more time? More time with our loved ones, more time spent doing what we love. What if I told you that we, at Ethereal Incorporated, figured out how to give that to you?"

The scene changed again, and Nerilla was strutting through a lab. Technicians in white coats, gloves and goggles worked meticulously behind her, mixing colorful liquids, and typing data into computers. "Our Ethereal serum is simple, but top secret. It's formulated with 100 percent organic ingredients, as well as being completely gluten free and vegan. The main ingredients, and most potent, are a mix of hormones found naturally in the human body. Cortisol, adrenaline, and dopamine."

A light bulb clicked in Esperanza's head. She turned her attention back to Lena. "Oh, my God, that's why they locked you in the dungeon. They needed you to be afraid, to extract these hormones from your bloodstream...in order to create the serum!"