Chapter Twenty-Two

VEN

By reflex I pulled on her hand with all my strength, yanking her back onto a sturdy tile.

She put her hand over her chest as if she was trying to contain the pounding of her heart. “Why didn’t that work?”

“You forgot a number. If zero and one give you the first number, then the sequence begins with zero, one, and another one before you get to two.”

She glanced at the hole where the two had been.

“Shit. You’re right. 0, 1, 1, 2, 3. That’s embarrassing. Maybe you should be the archeologist.” She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “Don’t believe anyone who says you’re stupid.”

I shrugged, my face burning. It felt like Emmy had given me permission to use intelligence I barely knew I possessed.

“Now what?” She turned to look at the spiral of stones.

“There has to be another number one.”

Emmy examined the stones for only a second before she exclaimed in delight. “There it is.” She pointed to her left side. “I didn’t notice it before.” She pushed on the stone and shifted some of her weight to it. “I think it is safe.”

“That’s a relief. You would have stepped on two if it was there but since it’s not, the next number is...”

“Three, right?” She looked at me for confirmation, and I nodded.

“Okay.” She tested it, transferred her weight and walked across the bridge. I followed a stone or two behind her.

“Five plus eight is… thirteen.”

She looked at the gap. It was quite a distance. I knew I could jump it, but she had shorter legs than I did.

“We’re almost there. Let’s get off this damn bridge.”

“The mistake made me nervous, Ven. We can’t afford additional errors.”

I didn’t respond to her. I felt like I needed to get off the bridge and sit down. The world was spinning around me, and I thought I might pass out. In the meantime, Emmy moved to the back of her stone and leapt with all her strength. She missed her mark slightly, making the twelfth stone tumble away. Her chest landed on the secure rock and she pulled herself up and out of the way.

I couldn’t afford to hesitate further and risk falling over the side of the bridge. I jumped and barely made it to the stone Emmy had just vacated. My body began to shake. I didn’t want to collapse in front of her, so I moved away and plopped my ass down on the floor.

“Everything okay?”

“I think I need to rest for a minute.” I folded my arms over my chest, trying to prevent Emmy from seeing my spasming muscles. “What do we have to do next?”

“The final test forces you to confront your deepest fears.”

“I’m not afraid of anything.” In reality, the thought made me feel queasy. It was either my fear or the poison spreading throughout my body.

“That’s because you have never had to face yourself. The Gate of Truth is supposed to be a lie detector. Not about what you say, but about who you are.”

“That sounds confusing.”

“The legends say only those who believe in their self-worth can pass. No one knows how it works, but somehow the sensors can measure whether you think about yourself.”

She took my hand, and we walked up to a large arched doorway. She let go of me and immediately walked through. Nothing happened. She came out on the other side and smiled at me. “See? No problem.”

“Wait a second. What happens if someone doesn’t pass the test?”

She looked away from me. When the seconds stretched into a minute, I felt myself begin to sweat. “Just say it. We don’t have a lot of time to waste.”

“We don’t know for sure. The stories aren’t always accurate about everything.” She swallowed.

“Any information is better than no information.”

“Well, I might have heard a few stories about laser blasts turning would-be gate passers into ashes, but I’m sure you’ll be fine.” She didn’t look sure.

Was my lack of self-confidence that apparent?

“Ven, do you remember how it felt when you worked out the Fibonacci sequence earlier?”

I smiled involuntarily.

“Try to remember that feeling. You succeeded in a challenging puzzle. Keep your successes at the front of your mind as you pass through. I believe in you.”

I walked toward the gate and stared up at the strange symbols etched into the rock. Maybe Emmy was right. My mind filled with images of me overcoming obstacles. I remembered how effortless solving the Fibonacci sequence was, and I had done it better than Emmy.

When I reached the threshold, I paused, holding myself back.

“I don’t think you’re supposed to hesitate.” Emmy glanced nervously up at the arch.

I closed my eyes and imagined how it felt for a fleeting moment to be my true self. I took a step forward through the arch and felt good.

Out of nowhere, my aunt’s voice sliced into my consciousness.

What have you done, you stupid boy. You aren’t ever going to amount to anything. Don’t take another step.

For some reason, I stopped moving, and I couldn’t start again. I heard Emmy shouting at me. She sounded like she was far away. “Keep going!” she called.

But I was frozen. I was an imposter and a sham. I couldn’t go through the gate because I felt like I had lied my whole life. Emmy didn’t know who I was. If she did, she would leave me. What was I thinking trying to go through a Gate of Truth? I was a pretender.

The telltale whine of lasers warming up filled the room. Emmy’s voice called to me. “Ever since I met you, you’ve been amazing. You’ve taken care of me and risked your life when you didn’t have to. But my thoughts are worthless right now. It only matters what you think about yourself.” She paused. “I think I love you.”

She sounded like she was crying. I closed my eyes, allowing the feeling of her love to fill my soul.

I took another step. I was intelligent and worthy. I could do anything. Emmy believed in me. The least thing I could do was believe in myself. The lasers retracted, and I knew I could make it past the gate.

Keeping my mind filled with positive thoughts, I walked into Emmy’s waiting arms. She clutched me too tightly, but I wasn’t going to complain. I was alive, and I knew who I was.

“I love you,” she whispered into my chest.

I wanted to tell her I loved her too, but something felt wrong. I opened my mouth to speak when I was interrupted by another voice.

“I’m sorry to interrupt this happy reunion, but we’ve got a ladle on our shopping list. If you will excuse us, we’re coming through.”

Emmy pulled away from me. “Abel,” she growled. “How the hell did you get here?”

“It was easy. I followed you.” He had a smug smile on his face. “I even had a little help.”

He stepped aside, and I saw Morley behind him, hands tied behind his back.