SANTA MARIA HIGH (COMPLETED)

Part Three: 4

Apparently, Andy had followed the directions of the compass, towards the Grotto that night, and contrary to his earlier story he had done that alone. The compass had also led him to the scene of Pa Jacob's death. "Imagine my surprise when the compass stopped whirling and slowly steadied towards the chapel." He said. It was then he noticed Hope walking alone and had made left a call to the search party. According to him, the compass is a family heir loom passed for three generations from a seafaring ancestor.

Hope couldn't wait to ask the pressing question, "why is it pointing at me?" She couldn't bear the curious gaze of her friends and unreadable blandness of the know it all gardener.

"you know why?" he pointedly said, looking Hope straight in the eye with such intensity she flinched.

"the shadows," Hope muttered, "they want me..." it felt nuts to add the fact that they made it clear in their scary scratchy voices that they wanted her to 'dominate'. "why?"

"beats me." Said Andy, as he returned to filling the last vase. "it could have something to do with your descent."

Hope knew what he was referring to. Something about her ancestry, the Amaro Da Silva line, who could trace their pedigree to Portuguese's emancipated slaves. She could hardly see how it was remotely related to anything happening in Santa Maria High. "how would you know?"

"you have a Facebook profile, you pretty much liked to... you know, talk about that." Obi whispered. "that and your books and typing speed..."

She sighed. Maybe, she had been too out about, and proud of her ancestry on social media. Guilty as charged. "but that's a stretch." She said, and in her defence pointed out that, "Obi and Ada saw them too."

"The compass is not pointing to them." said Andy, his slow measured voice was getting on Hopes nerve by the minute. She wanted the truth, but she obviously didn't know what she was bargaining for. "another version of the legend said that only the Santiago's could adopt the curse so they can break it is because they were strangers and in the eye of the curse, are blameless. The new shift beginning with the death of Pa Jacob is registered in the physical world as an electromagnetic disturbance."

"Did you say break the cause? This can be stopped?" Ada asked.

"That's the story," Andy sighed, brandished the compass at their faces. "This I know. The rest is just speculation."

"but I can do something?" Hope said. break a curse?

"I'm sure you've known that all along." Andy packed the bags and rolled them together, "but this is dangerous. Even for you, whoever you are. If you wait this out, it will blow over."

"but people will die!" Hope yelled. How could Andy keep that calm look when in god knows where two kids are waiting to die.

"and you'll have to live with that." Said Andy, "but If you decide to do anything stupid." He said carrying his bag, "keep me in the loop." Andy started making his way to the vestibule. "and I need not remind any of you that you're all late for class."

*********

The halls were empty, which was usual for this time of the day. Everyone was in class as she and her friends should be. Hope would miss chemistry class today, and Obi looked like he couldn't care less. Ada only took Spanish because she needed to. There was no one to deter them from using the library as the teachers are all busy in their offices, laboratories and classes; The Janitor was not around for his rounds; and the wide mahogany door to the Library was wide open.

Hope had a little bit of panic when she thought of the librarian who would be at the counter with a lot of questions. But even the woman wasn't at her station. Something about the sharp glare of fortune didn't sit right.

They all hurried past the shelves to the ICT section, the most secluded part of the hall. The librarian wouldn't notice their presence except she'd come looking. The got to the desktop computer whose screen was still on. Someone seems to be downloading some files and wasn't done before the bell rang. The person had left the computer working. Hope could tell from the endless track moving down the arrow icon. Obi took charge and opened a new tab.

Google translate popped up quickly, another stroke of good fortune compared to the usual slow reception. "a little space please." Obi said as they were breathing down his neck as he typed the words on Hope's books. He finished entering: "EU SOU TUDO O QUE FOI, É E SERÁ SEJA; E NENHUM MORTAL JAMAIS LEVANTOU O MEU MANTO." and clicked 'enter' with an exagerated clack.

While the arrow on the download bar still shifted endlessly the page was loading. "why not pause_"

"I know." Obi clicked on the download bar and clicked pause.

The required translation came back on. As Ada had guessed, the texts were in Portuguese.

"I AM ALL THAT HAS BEEN AND IS AND WILL BE; AND NO MORTAL HAS EVER LIFTED MY MANTLE."

Obi read it out. "any idea what this is about?"

"That's the mystery of Isis!" Ada shouted.. He pushed Obi aside, copied the words and google the entire statement. She was right. "yes! She's the Egyptian goddess of life, this..." she pointed animatedly at the screen, "that's like her motto. They have this mystery cult around her and that..." She squealed this time. "Isis!"

"four letter word." Hope slowly said as the answer took form in her mind she couldn't hold back the excitement.

"the code." Obi wasn't left out, he was smiling, "this is really happening?" he asked, disbelieving.

"the statue," Ada began, "it's not Mary, it's Isis. She's the mother of Ra, a goddess, wife a nd sister to Osiris. She's the goddess of life, she could revive the dead!"

Obi faked a yawn. "I might have heard that in a movie somewhere."

"her statue looks exactly like..." Ada definitely needed her to complete the thought, obviously relishing the look of loss on Obi's face.

"Mother Mary and baby Jesus."

"should we tell Andy?" Obi asked. "we know the code, we know where Anthony and Lisa might be held. His job is pretty cut out."

The question suddenly drained all the excitement from Hope. "I don't know..." she said, she couldn't tell why it didn't feel right, why she felt protective of this. "we are not sure. It could be nothing."

"it wouldn't hurt to tell."

"No." Hope replied, this time firmly. "We can't trust him. He lied about the call he made, who knows what else he's lying about?"

"he can help." Ada calmly said.

"or he can report us, keep us under watch till this all—" she made an air quote, "—'blows over'. I say we go try this out, see if it works." Deep down she knew it would.

A scuffle of feet and Peter's loud pants called their attention from the argument at hand. "there you are." He said, shouting so loud he might just as well have told the whole world where they were. He steadied himself, grabbing the edge of the nearest desk. "Rochas," he said. Hope was certain that whatever would follow is not good. "he reported you guys, said you were at the grotto, and that you were not in class. Mr Haruna is looking for you."

"I think he just found us." Ada said, gesturing at the not so happy looking foremaster and the big headed snitch behind him.

"Oh, man."