"It's all about order. That's how to get things done." A voice remarks causing me to bolt upright.
I sucked in a harsh gasp of air as I frantically took in my surroundings. I had clearly fallen asleep at the desk after I had gone through that book yet another time. It had been nearly two weeks since I had first begun going over it and I hadn't managed to find all that much more information from it.
I blinked the blurriness out of my eyes to find that Lea had been digging through the desk's drawers beside me, but she had clearly stopped since I startled her. She gave me a concerned look as her hand was still halfway in the drawer, reaching for one of her notebooks.
"Is everything alright?" She questioned in a cautious tone.
I nodded as I brushed my hair behind my ear to get it off of my now sweaty neck muttering, "Yeah, I just had a nightmare."
I caught the glance that she sent to the book lying open in front of me and as casually as I could, rested my arm over the text. "What are you up to?"
"I needed my notes for my architecture project."
I grabbed onto the chance to move her attention away from me, "What do you have to do?"
"Well, Kamaria and I already picked a piece to discuss and we're going to visit it later today. You're more than welcome to come with us and get out for a bit. It seems like you could use it."
"Where are you heading?"
"We're going right outside of King's Cross station to observe the Eleanor Cross. It isn't the original one, but it's the easiest one to check out up close."
Even though it didn't sound like my idea of a good time, I knew that I could use a change of scenery for a little while. I decided to agree to her suggestion and got up to take a hot shower. Even when I was away from the book I found myself going over its contents. I thought about some of the new things that I've learned in the recent days since I started reading.
'The battle that will ensue once the New World Order begins will be of biblical proportions. The angels and demons will rain and rise from their assigned places and the final judgments will be made.'
That part of the text was unnerving for a whole different reason, that part seemed to suggest that bringing this 'New Lord' into power would also bring about Armageddon. I told myself that this was all probably some made-up prophecy shit just to get the people of the JTR Movement to believe that they were a part of something bigger than someone's sick need for power and control. Then why did the idea of it alone make my hands shake as I finished drying off?
I moved on to blow-drying my hair, doing my best to think about anything else, to stop obsessing over this Jack the Ripper stuff for at least a little while. I slipped out of the bathroom to grab my headphones and caught the puzzled look Lea sent me as she read over her notes.
"I hate the sound of the hairdryer," I explain as I clutch my towel tightly around my body when I notice that Kamaria has joined her.
She nodded in understanding before turning back to the notebook in her lap.
I hurried back into the bathroom, pulled up some music, and began quickly working to get myself together. Once my hair was dry and my simple outfit of black jeans and a dark purple sweater was on, I started to put on a minimal makeup look. I glanced down at my phone as I capped the lid on my eyeliner and decided to look up some different music. I felt like an idiot for not looking into this before, considering how much time I've been spending with him. I typed up Motionless and White to look for Chris's band and found that it was called Motionless in White. I picked the first song suggestion, 'Voices'.
As I put on some light red lip stain I found myself tapping my foot along to the beat. I had to admit that Chris was a great singer and decided to listen to the next song that popped up on the shuffle. The next one was a song called Reincarnate which surprised me since I didn't expect him to scream. I found myself chuckling and then there was a loud knock on the door.
"Amber? Are you almost ready? We want to try to get to the monument before the area gets too crowded." Lea says through the door.
I swiftly put away all of my things before stepping out, with the music still blasting in my earbuds. "Just let me grab my coat and boots."
She must have heard the pounding drums as she remarks, "I don't see how you can listen to music like that, it would give me a headache."
I shrug into my coat as I point out, "This isn't something I've listened to before. It's Motionless in White."
"Isn't that Chris's band?" Kamaria asked, deciding to join the conversation and I nodded.
Lea rolled her eyes subtle fashion that I still managed to catch as she muttered, "Of course it is."
I bit at the inside of my cheek, to keep in my retort. I wondered if there would ever come a day that she would let up on Chris. As soon as I had my shoes on, we were out the door. I was glad that I decided to keep one of my headphones in on our trip because that was probably the only thing keeping my mind calm and off of my chaotic thoughts. The train ride took two hours, so it was safe to say that I was now fairly familiar with Motionless in White's sound.
My legs felt stiff as I stood up to get off of the train and followed Lea and Kamaria through the underground train station. I glanced at the name of the station, Charring Cross, finding it kind of morbid. I struggled to keep up with their fast pace as they weaved in and out of the throngs of people in the large station, hurrying for the staircase to lead us above ground.
I instantly spotted what they were in search of as soon as we got off the steps. I wasn't sure if the grand cylindrical monument should be considered a statue or some sort of tower, but the detailing was so intricate that I could only stop and stare at it for a moment. When several people had to brush past me, I snapped out of my astonishment and moved over to where Kamaria and Lea stood.
"They did an incredible job replicating the original. I just wished they hadn't moved it from the spot it actually belongs in." Kamaria remarks as she cranes her neck upwards to take in the top of it.
"Where is it supposed to be?"
"It's a bit of a way from here." She explained, gesturing in the general direction behind her before pulling out her camera to take some photos.
I decided to leave her be for the moment as I circled the structure, taking in the fact that it had eight statues of women wrapping around the whole thing.
Lea seemed to be considering whether or not she should touch the thing when I voiced my curiosity, "Who are all these ladies?"
"They're actually all of the same person. It's Queen Eleanor, wife of King Edward I."
"Isn't that a bit overkill?"
She shrugged, "It was meant to be a romantic gesture by the king after she had passed away. There used to be twelve more throughout England, but now there are only two of the original ones left. The monument this one was modeled after used to mark the central point of London, but the plaque is still there near the Equestrian King Charles I statue."
The mention of a central point struck a chord in me, forcing me to recall something the book of the New World Order had discussed briefly.
'The final ritual must be held at the center of the land.'
It sent a visible shiver down my spine and before Lea could speak on it, I asked, "How do you know all of this stuff?"
"Research and having a decent memory tends to help." She states with a small laugh before adding a question, "Speaking of that, what have you been studying so hard lately?"
"It's just a piece of old literature that I've been having a hard time with," I explain, trying my best to seem as nonchalant about it as possible.
I could tell that part of her doubted that, but she didn't challenge it. Instead, she went back to jotting notes down and squinting at the structure's designs. I looked around at the growing amount of people on the streets, surely the cult didn't intend to hold some sort of ritual in such a busy area, it would be incredibly stupid of them. Maybe it didn't literally mean the center of the city, but what else could 'the center of the land' mean? I chewed on my lip as I turned my eyes up to the small golden cross on top of the monument, feeling a sense of sinking.
After about fifteen minutes of inspecting the Eleanor Cross, Kamaria suggested that we all should go grab something to eat. We chose to grab some bagels at a nearby deli and ate them on one of the few clear benches in the area.
"Would you two mind if we dropped by my mother's after this?" Kamaria questioned as she picked at the edge of her bagel.
"Sure." Lea and I say at the same time, even though I was slightly worried about seeing Kim again.
Would she ask me if I had heeded her warning? Or would she expose the fact that I had been attending cult meetings with her son? I did my best to mask my worries as we all climbed into a taxi and rode to see Kamaria's mother. It didn't take long to reach that row of conjoined houses and I felt my mouth dry out a little as the cab pulled up along the curb. I reassured myself that I was being ridiculous and Kim had already said her piece.
Just like last time, we found her sitting in her chair with the TV softly on, but this time she had been reading through a book. She placed her bookmark inside as she smiled warmly at her daughter.
"Lea, it's wonderful to see you again dear." Kim greeted and then her eyes met mine. She gave me the same friendly smile before turning back to Kamaria. "Who's this young lady?"
For a moment, I thought she must have forgotten me, until Kamaria turned away for a second and Kim gave me a discreet nod. I smiled back politely, pretending that this was my first time meeting her too and I was grateful that she decided to cover for me.
After that, we all sat down and chatted for a while, until Lea asked, "Is there any chance I could use the bathroom."
"Of course, it's just down the hall. First door on the right." Kim tells her and as soon as Lea shuts the door behind her, she returns her attention to her daughter. "Hun, would you mind grabbing me a glass of water so I can take my medication?"
Kamaria nodded and got up to head to the kitchen and just like that I was alone with Kim once more. Her kind, patient, and motherly manner turned to something much more serious the second Kamaria was out of sight.
"So, I'm assuming you've read those books?" She asks in a way that feels more like a statement, that she knew I had been pouring over them ever since I opened them.
"Yes, ma'am," I murmur, feeling ashamed over the fact, but there was no way she could understand that this was something I had to do.
"I can tell, you look like you've grown to learn things you wished you had never known. It's just there behind your eyes."
Before I can respond she continues, "What exactly are you hoping to gain from that group?"
I shook my head, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Listen, I've seen a lot of things you can't even imagine, and not just because of that group of monsters. So, go on and tell me."
"The man I'm seeing might be framed for the crimes they are committing and I'm trying to find proof of their guilt. Nothing else makes much sense as to who it could be and I can tell it's starting to mess with his brain thinking that he might be put away for something that isn't even his fault."
"What do you mean it's been messing with his brain?" She questioned and I was confused by that, why would she want to know about that?
"He gets migraines because of it and I think that might be making him forget things."
She gave me a long look for a moment that didn't settle well with me. "Is he involved in this too?"
"He's been helping me search for answers, but he's never been to one of the meetings."
She nodded slowly as if she was mulling something over in her mind and I feared I knew what she might be thinking, but when she finally spoke her response felt lacking, "Good, keep him away from there."
The sound of Lea coming back down the hall prompts Kim to quickly add, "If anything strange happens to either of you, come let me know."
I open my mouth to question her, but Lea takes her seat beside me and the words die on my lips. The rest of the time spent at Kim's I mentally replay our conversation, feeling more lost than ever.