Search for the Soul Gem

Chapter Twenty-Six

     There was a low rumble of talking that came from the jet outside the bathroom. Confused conversation barely made their way through the door to me. This continued for a few minutes before it was punctuated by the closing and locking of the hatch. The sound of the engines increased, drowning out all the sounds of conversation in the jet. Vibrations from the jet shook my whole body and were sent right into my core. A shudder went through the jet as it lifted off the ground. The jet jerked forward as it sped off, away from Denmark. I let out another heavy sigh and brought my face down to rest in my hands. A light knock came from the door behind me.

     "Lucy? Will you please open the door?" Tony's voice was soft and broken. His voice made me feel worse than I aleady did. I couldn't bring myself to even answer him. I just wanted him to leave and be left alone, "sweetheart please," he begged.

     "Go away Tony," I managed to choke out weakly. There was a long silence where I wasn't sure if he'd left or if he was still standing outside the door. The pressure of the six heroes outside the door threatened to crush me. What if one of them got hurt, or worse. It would be all my fault. I couldn't handle if one of them died because they were trying to help me. Everything about this situtation was spinning out of control and nothing I could do seemed to be able to reel it back in.

     "Doll?" James' voice whispered through the door, "doll, is everything alright" James asked. His voice just added to the knives currently residing in my chest. He cared so much for me that he wanted to come check on me but it didn't make me feel better.

     "Leave me alone James," I groaned. Again I was thrown into the thick silence of the bathroom. I'd never been one to live an exciting life. I worked in Africa so that I didn't have to deal with any drama. Contrary to Indiana Jones movies, archaeologists didn't have an exciting life. We dig holes for a living and look through ancient peoples trash. And now I was basically on a treasure hunt for some kind of stone that could put the whole world in danger if we don't find it and putting everyone around me in danger. I guess I shouldn't have expected anything different that what is happening. This all started when Thalia died. She was the closest person to me and look how she ended up. No one around me was safe. I was a timebomb waiting to explode and the list of potential casualties is growing by the minute. Maybe when I found this stone, I could take it and disappear. If no one could find me, no one could find the stone and everyone would be safe. But deep down in my soul, I knew that there was no way that I could disappear from them. They were trained heroes and assassins and spies. If they could break me out of an underwater fortress; I'd have to go to the moon to have a chance at hiding from them and even then, they still might be able to get to me. There was nothing that I could do. I was stuck and nothing about this could end well. Echoing foot steps shook the ground under me, and I figured that Tony or James must be moving around outside and dismissed it. A light knock broke through the door.

     "Hey, Luc, you wanna open the door?" Steve's calm voice came through the door. I slammed my head back against the door.

     "Steve," I groaned, my voice traling off, "Please leave me alone," I begged.

     "No can do ma'am. I'm gonna wait right here until you open this door. However long that takes," he said. There was a dull thud on the door.

     "Steve, please," I begged. I could feel the tears rising in my eyes and the pain in my throat when I tried to contain them.

     "I can do this all day ma'am," he said. I slammed my head back against the door again and looked up at the ceiling.

     "God Steve! Have you ever been told you're annoying!" I yelled out in frustration. He let out a hardy laugh.