Just the Truth

Chapter 24

"Are you sure we're headed in the right direction?" I questioned Blaire. She hesitated for a moment but then nodded her head.

The Vatican museum was huge and the map we had was old and probably outdated. We were also running very short on time. We had around forty-five minutes or so if we're lucky. I'm starting to think our luck might run out soon.

"Wait this doesn't make any sense," Blaire stopped in her tracks. We paused at the end of a relatively empty hallway.

"What's wrong?" Lavender tried reaching for Blaire's glasses but she shooed her away.

"It's just that the map want us to keep going but this is a dead end," she explained, the hallway came to an abrupt end with a marble statue guarding the remaining space.

"Does the back of the map say anything?" I suggested and Blaire flipped the hologram of the map over.

"Quod enim Deus clauserit ostium, uiam aperit fenestram. Verum reflects oculis meis," Blaire read out loud, stumbling over some of the words.

"Why can't these people write in damn English??" I sighed trying to think.

"When God closes a door, she opens a window. The truth reflects in her eyes," Tiffany finished thinking before I did.

"Her?" we looked at each other and then at the end of the hallway where the statue stood. It was of a woman, standing tall and proud with a peacock at her feet.

"A goddess?" I wondered approaching the statue

"But, they don't believe in that here," Tiffany reminded me.

"It's a very old statue. Judging by the dust in this hallway, no one has been around here in a while," I noted as I bent down to read the golden plaque at the feet of the statue.

"Jana, is all it says," I shrugged my shoulders. It didn't ring a bell.

"She's an ancient Roman goddess, not very well known. I'm surprised there are any statues of her left," Tiffany recalled after musing the name over a bit.

"What is she the goddess of?" Blaire asked.

"Secrets," Tiffany smiled.

"Ok that's all very convenient but Jana here isn't being much help," Blaire interrupted Tiffany's small triumph.

"I don't see anything in her eyes," I shook my head, scared to touch the statue lest it fall apart, truth and all.

"What if it's referring to the peacock?" Tiffany bent down and searched the eyes of the marble fowl.

"This ridiculous, I'm sorry Charlee but we've been defeated by useless cryptic latin poems and marble birds. Not to mention the fact that its awfully hot in here, my hair is most unfathomable," Blaire sighed and pulled out her compact mirror from her purse.

"It's sticking rather unflatteringly to my forehead," she shook her head in dismay.

"Wait, Blaire, can I see your mirror?" I asked her suddenly thinking of something.

"Charlee, your hair is fine,"

"Oh shut up and let me see the damn thing," I all but snatched it out of her hand. We were running out of time.

"Well that was rude," she scoffed but I paid no attention. I was too busy aiming Blaire's mirror at Jana's eyes. As the light from an adjacent window hit the mirror it reflected perfectly onto Jana's eyes. As if by magic, the statue moved slowly aside revealing a trap door.

"Well I'll be damned," Blaire muttered.

"Shhh, the Pope might hear you," Tiffany smiled and ran up to where I was standing by the trap door. We kneeled down and pulled on the heavy, wooden door. There were five marble steps in sight. Afterwards there was only darkness, and hopefully more steps.