“Let’s go in.” I mustered the inner strength somewhere in the deep of my heart and crossed the threshold. It was time to step up and show Katerina that I was capable of helping the world they made safe. I could hear the others’ footsteps behind me as we walked into an enclosed courtyard in front of a short flight of stairs that lead up to other smaller, wooden double doors.
Marching up the stairs the doors opened themselves before I even touched them. The plush interior that greeted my eyes make me catch my breath. A long red carpet lined a path in front of us leading towards a grand stair case that split into two either side going towards a second floor, which was still visible as balconies. Suits of medieval armors holding spears lined the wall either side of the extravagant entrance with marble floors polished to perfection. A large painting hung where the staircase split and the group of people depicted in it caught my eyes.
It was a ground of twelve people, dressed in casual clothes in a room that looked like it was must belong here. They were all smiling and looking at one another, as though they were happy in each other’s company. I walked closer and my jaw dropped.
It wasn’t just any group of people; it was a portrait of the Originals, probably when they were just getting together. I recognized Katerina immediately, who was sitting on an elegant paisley sofa in between a tanned boy with dark curly hair and an oriental boy with smiling eyes. My first surprise was the girl sitting next to the oriental boy, who must be Chungkit Wong, the earth elementalist from Hong Kong. The girl with wavy red locks and a reluctant but genuine smile on her face was Miss Sewell.
I could tell Casey recognized her too when she gasped behind me, but the boy that was standing next to the sofa, smiling down at a gorgeous blonde next to Miss Sewell was none other than Akram de Silver, the man who sent me here.
My suspicion had finally been confirmed. Akram did know the Originals, and judging from the portrait he knew them very well too. I knew instantly that the beautiful blonde with dazzling green eyes was Victoria Balikova. A Chinese girl with silky locks and porcelain skin sitting on an armchair in front of Akram on the other side, with a handsome Asian man standing behind her, his hands on the back of her chair; they must be Susan Zhou the technopath and Yasim Ganesh. The three men standing behind the paisley sofa with arms around each other; one of them was blonde with blue eyes, the other two dark hairs. I couldn’t tell for sure who was who since history books never provided anything more than their names and powers.
As I took in the painting I had been subconsciously moving forward and now I was standing at the foot of the staircase. I turned around to face the rest of the group and saw all their jaws hanging open and their face puzzled.
“Gail,” Casey started, walking right next to me and pointing to Akram. “That man look just like you.”
Everyone nodded in agreement and I could see the crazy sparkle in Gerald’s eyes again. Even Vanessa and Liam, who must had seen portraits of Akram seemed a little star struck. Briefly I wondered how many of them recognised the others and knew the real significance of this. That didn’t really matter because they will soon find out.
“Isn’t that Miss Sewell? Right next to Katerina Falcon?” Casey whispered in my ears and I nodded, seeing the shock and disbelieve flickering through her eyes. “Does that mean?”
“She must be Saralisa Spenser.” I answered without having to hear her whole question. She was the Original who had the power to heal, to be ageless. There was a small chance that she was just a descendent, but it couldn’t be that much of a coincident.
“This is a painting of the Originals.” Casey gasped and covered her mouth, and I could see the collective shock on everyone’s faces. I could see realization dawn on the de Silver members’ faces as they made the connection. Our founder wasn’t just exceptional, he was up there with the Originals. The only question remained was why did we only have ten and not eleven names in our history book. We knew Akram didn’t die in process, and this would explain the missing ten years of his life. The time he supposedly spent in Paris in hiding.
“Can someone please explain this to us?” Caleb’s bemused voice dragged me back to reality and I nodded. Quickly I explained to them how the Originals raised up and made a deal with the UGE and the secrecy surrounding their appearance and family. Then I told them that the man who looked exactly like me (except for the gender difference) was Akram de Silver, who sent me here.
“Sounds like you guys just uncovered a three hundred years old mystery.” Caleb mused and I nodded. My head was still spinning from the revelation and how everything made so much more sense now. Akram was who Katerina was talking about when she said that I reminded her of an old friend; and the odd look and disappointment that Miss Sewell had gave me when she collected me to POE Academy. My eyes focused on Akram and Victoria in the painting; they seemed to love each other, why had he married Anastasia instead?
With a million questions swirling around in my head I looked up the stairs in search for any living creature that might hold answers for me. The fact that the portrait was just hanging here for us to see confirmed to me that Katerina knew we were coming; heck, she probably had seen it when we first met that day in POE Academy.
“Let’s go.” Following my instinct I began to march up the right flights of stairs, determined to find the Original. I could hear the scrambling of feet behind me as the others tried to keep up but they all faded into background noise as I stormed through the palace.
Entering a carpeted corridor lined with identical mahogany doors my eyes zeroed on the stoned archway leading to a spiral staircase at the end. Without thinking I started towards the stairs, my intuition telling me to head up.
Despite its antiquity, every inch of the palace appeared spotless. The windows were cleared, the carpet smelled fresh and the painting in immaculate condition. Someone must be keeping this place habitable and yet we encountered no one as we made our way up.
The spiral staircase seemed endless and my breaths begun to hitch with every floor we climbed. I shook my head to get rid of the dizziness in my head, gripping the carved fence for support as I forced myself to go on.
“This is it.” I stopped in front of a simple, wooden floor with an iron ring door knob, allowing myself to catch my breaths. The others staggered up, piling behind me and we all stood there, facing the door. The end, or rather the beginning of our, my journey was awaiting behind the door and I smoothed my hair nervously. The answers that I was waiting for, the tasks that Akram had ask of me, all of them were waiting just behind.
Raising my right hand I rapped the iron ring against the wooden door three times before dropping it. I held my breath as I waited for an answer.
“Come in.” A crisp female voice rung from behind the door and my heart sped up. Pushing the door tentatively I moved forward to force it open and the creaking sound made my heart beat even faster.
The door swung open, reveling an attic of decent proportions. Rugs and Persian carpets were scattered across the masonry floor and paintings hung on the stone walls. Lights streamed through from the large, half-moon shaped window directly opposite and the silhouette of a woman was just visible, sitting on the window still facing outwards. A large, brown leather sofa sets were set in the middle of the room with a mahogany long table sat behind with a tall chair. Small, bookcases lined the rooms with various volumes scattered across every available space and my hands itched to touch the leather bound spines.
“Come and have a seat.” Katerina turned around, offering us a smile and gestured towards the sofa set. She didn’t look any different from when I last saw her, except she was now dressed in a flowing blue silk wrap dress that reach her ankles and a chiffon wrap.
It felt like I was in a dream; I walked over and sat myself down on the sofa, feeling the seat dip as Casey settled next to me. Katerina turned around and pour some hot water into a teapot on a small stand, with ten cups and a plate of muffins.
Gerald, Liam, Caleb and Vanessa settled into the sofa opposite me and I offered them a nervous smile. I tried to formulate the jumble of thoughts in my brain right now but I was too on edge. Meanwhile Katerina was pouring tea into each of the cup before picking up the tray and offering it to us.
“Chamomile?” She asked, I thanked her and picked up a cup, glad to have something to hold on to. Taking a sip the soothing hot drink calmed me a little and I placed the tea cup on my lap.
“I am glad to meet you all.” Katerina said as she settled on an armchair that seemed to had moved itself diagonally between Gerald and I. tucking one knee behind another she placed her hands on her lap and looked at each of us in turn.
“I am sure you have a lot of questions.” Katerina started, her eyes resting on me. “You come here in search of answers, but I am afraid I do not have all the answers.”
My heart dropped; what did she mean by that? “I know what you are all thinking.” Katerina continued and out of the corner of my eyes I could see Caleb’s mouth opened halfway, ready to talk. “My powers have its limit too, and I could only see certain events that had a significant meaning. For example, your arrivals were one of them.”
Taking a sip of tea she gave us time to raise any questions but no one spoke. “I cannot see the past either, that is not part of my gift.” Gift. I found her use of word interesting. I had never really thought of my power as a gift. They had always just been part of who I was, an integral part of me that was a done package from birth. A script written in my DNA that was unchangeable.
Digging through my trousers pocket I pulled out the memory stick with Akram’s video on it and handed it to Katerina. A soft gasped escaped her lips as she received the thumb drive. Grazing over it with her thumb she smiled.
“Yes. I saw you coming.” Katerina said, a faraway look on her face. “That was just before Akram leave. His decision to separate from us was one of the biggest turn I had seen and I saw three possible futures and you were one of the outcome.”
Goosebumps began to break out all over my arms and I got a tingling sensation in my head as a weird sense of feeling washed over me. It was as though I was seeing through time and space, at a destiny that was made three hundred years ago.
“It was that moment Akram had solidified his choice to leave us.” Katerina said, sadness etched in her face as she toyed with the memory stick. “And he told me that whoever it was, Margot, Henri or you will come and find me. And that I must stay alive and make sure that all is not lost.”
All is not lost… her words echoed in my mind and it felt as though my life had never been just my own. Centuries of planning seemed to have paved the road for me and I knew that despite all the hardship I had endure, my life was already softened by the eleven people in that painting. My nose tingled and I fought my tears back. They had already sacrificed so much, it’s unfair that they had to throw away their lives whilst the rest of us just wait for the fruit of their efforts.
It was then that I truly dedicated myself to this. The world is never fair and dwelling on it will do no one any good. I might not be the person they needed me to be yet, but I sure as hell would try my best to be that girl. Akram’s face as he berated over his situation flashed through my mind; this was a life that he had given me and I would do everything I could to help him save this world that he worked so hard to save. No matter what.
It was so though she could sense my conviction, Katerina caught my eyes and smiled. “He was hoping that it would be you.” Katerina said, placing her hand on mine as she stared into my soul. “And I am glad it is you. We might have a lot of work ahead of us, but I have faith.”
Biting my lips to stop it from trembling, I nodded and looked at the people surrounding me; she was right. It might be a long, winding journey ahead but I felt like I had all I needed here with me; my journey so far had prepared me well. The good, the bad, the ups, the downs. The secrets that were unearthed and those that are still hidden. For the first time, I was going to make a real change.
The thought was absolutely terrifying, but it sparked a fire inside me that I didn’t know I had. I knew that I was going to be alright.
To be continued….
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AND IT'S FINISH! I am so glad that after almost 2 years (or is it more?) that I have finally completed it. Sorry for always making you guys wait :P but it is hard to get time or inspiration :P
Anyway who's now even more excited about the prequel? Some of you must have suspected it for some time, but the eleventh Original! That's really something isn't it? Akram is a more tragic hero than Gail would ever be - bless him. I look forward to writing about his journey so much! It's probably going to be a while, because I need to finish this series first!
Anyway as I said I will be taking a hiatus - and hopefully be posting again in January. Once again I thank you all for the kind support for the series since I have joined Wattpad! And don't forget to vote and comment!