Short Stories
"The Mysteries of Lovenia: Chapter One"
October 1, 2022
By: Kaylee Chan
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"Ben, are you ready?" I shouted.
"Hold on! There's something else I want to pack. Something you don't need to care about, Sofie!" Ben shouted back, dismissing my thought about him playing video games, as he always does.
"Well, will you hurry up? Mum and Dad said we'll miss our flight if you don't hurry!" I shouted back, annoyed.
We were going on vacation to Lovenia. The island nation was a paradise. We had not been there before, but were thrilled to go. Our flight departed at 4:00 p.m., and it was already 1:59, nearly 2:00. We were supposed to arrive two hours in advance. I was afraid we really would miss our flight, with Ben being so slow, and the check-in line must be super long by now.
Oh! Sorry, where are my manners? I'm Sofie and my brother, Ben, was the one I was hurrying earlier. Have I mentioned? He’s incredibly annoying. Like as annoying as nails screeching on a chalkboard. Anyways, we live in London, which is the biggest city in the United Kingdoms. Normally, the weather is foggy, so I was glad to visit Lovenia for a change.
"Alright, I'm ready!" Ben said as he exited his room carrying two suitcases and a backpack.
Ben wore a blue T-shirt and dark blue jeans, whereas I had selected a purple turtleneck and black bell bottoms. We both had light-coloured skin. I am twelve while Ben is only eight. Ben liked video games and is very immature, but I was more focused on school and my grades. I thought that mattered more than beating the world record for high scores in Super Mario. My parents secretly told me that I was their favourite between Ben and I, probably because my grades are much better than his. Also, how could I forget? I am also a much better-behaved child, and much sweeter.
While we're still on the topic of my family, my father is a doctor and my mother is the CEO of a tech company.
My father is now loading our luggage into the car. Just then, Mum's friend, Mrs. Jones, arrived. They knew each other from work. She was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, just like Ben was. Mrs. Jones was going to take us to the airport and wish us farewell and a safe trip.
"Hello, Cynthia, how are things going?" Mum asked.
"Quite my way. The company promoted me," replied Mrs. Jones.
"To what position?" Mum asked.
"Director!" Mrs. Jones replied.
"That's wonderful!" Mum exclaimed. "Congratulations!"
"All right, get in the car, all of you," Dad said, and we all hurried to enter the vehicle, which was a Tesla Model X. It had a six seat interior and falcon-wing doors. Quite fancy, actually.
We were going to the London Heathrow Airport or the LHR. I tried to catch a glimpse of my favourite landmark in London, Big Ben. Then, I realised that I would not be seeing it for two whole weeks! The clock chimes every three hours, just like any clock does. I suddenly felt sad, knowing that I wouldn’t be seeing it for a while.
"Chapter Two of the Mysteries of Lovenia"
October 11, 2022
By: Kaylee Chan
We were finally at the airport, loading all the luggage onto the conveyor belt. Then, we checked in. The wait wasn't as long as I imagined, but the line certainly was. Many people were departing for a flight. We finally arrived at the gate that said London → Lovenia. It was now… hang on…3:00 P.M. I took out my book as Ben took out his Nintendo Switch. I started reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which I've read about fifty times, considering it is my favourite book. I finished it within an hour, just in time for the flight.
"Ben, put that away now." Mum admonished.
"Fine, Mum," replied Ben, annoyed.
"Everyone ready?" Dad asked.
"Yep!" Mum, Ben, and I replied in unison. Mum and I were way more enthusiastic than Ben. He's always so pessimistic. I swear, someone needs to brighten him up. And by someone, I meant Mum. She’s practically the happiest person on Earth. Whenever I was having a bad day at school, she constantly cheered me up.
We got up and waited for our group to be called. Whilst we were waiting, Ben riffled through his backpack for something, but he didn't seem to find it, judging that he came out looking morose and empty-handed. I guessed it was just another one of his video games. I swear, he is addicted to those things. I always just read a good book if I’m bored. Occasionally, I do play some video games, but that is only if I've met the daily reading goal that I set for myself, which is about five hours. I think school is much more important than video games, as they damage your eyesight and brain. Then again, reading does also damage your eyesight, but not as much as devices do. If I'm watching or doing anything related to a screen, I wear my blue light glasses. Ben thinks I’m crazy.
"Group four, please." a voice said over the loudspeaker.
We went to line up along with about twenty other people. There sure were a lot of people on this flight. Anyways, we finally reached the terminal and boarded the plane. Our seats were at the back. I got the window seat, too.
The airline had provided blankets and pillows. I knew the flight would be at least ten hours, but I didn't know the exact duration of the flight. Nevertheless, I was very excited. I liked long flights and enjoyed eating meals on planes. Because of this, many people think I am peculiar. They all said that dinner on the plane is completely unappetising, and said they'd rather eat trash than aeroplane meals. But I, however, think that they are quite tasty.
A cart passed by about two hours into the flight to pass out snacks. It was caramel waffles, one of my favourites. On the outside, it was just a soft waffle. On the inside, there was gooey caramel filling. I was craving the delicious waffle, so I immediately ate it. The caramel filling was so good that I almost melted. I only occasionally eat it because the caramel filling has too much sugar.
I think I slept for a while, because dinner felt like it was served a few minutes later. The choices were beef with rice or meatballs with pasta. The rice from the first choice had a nice tint of brown. The pasta, on the other hand, was made with red tomato sauce. I chose the pasta, as tomatoes are good for you, while beef had a negative effect. Also, the rice had a lot of spice, which I assumed had a lot of salt. My brother, of course, chose beef with rice, as he didn't care about his health.
Then, it was time for me to sleep again. I think I slept for about three hours, then spent the rest of the night reading books and maybe playing some games on the screen. That was the vapid part of the flight: waiting for food. I was so hungry, that I almost asked my brother for a snack, then remembered all of it was junk food. For the record, I adore healthy food. Well, besides the caramel waffles. My brother, on the other hand, loves junk food. So, you see, we are practically opposites. I hope you understand why we practically hate each other.
Later into the night, we received ice cream from the crew. I checked the grams of sugar: thirty. That was alright for me, though I was still on the fence about whether I should have the ice cream. My brother immediately dug in, eating like a wild animal. After he finished, there was a mess on the plane. Ice cream was splattered everywhere. I had considered giving Ben my ice cream. Eventually, I decided to eat it myself, as I didn't want to get splattered in it, especially ice cream from my pig of a brother's mouth.
By morning, I was really tired and hungry. They served breakfast at about eight, which was pretty early for me. Usually, I eat breakfast at about nine o'clock. Anyways, the breakfast was a normal one: eggs, sausage, toast, and pancakes. We got to choose the beverage. I chose water, Ben selected soda, and both Mum and Dad picked coffee. You may think I'm crazy to choose water over soda. But I read an article on soda and it said that soda was bad for your health. I also read that each can of coke has at least thirty-nine grams of sugar! Thirty-nine grams! That exceeds the limit suggested by the British Healthcare Trades Association for both men and women!
"We will be arriving soon," a voice announced. It didn't sound like the pilot. It was soothing yet terrifying. It was like someone was trying to hypnotise us.
"Somebody hijacked the plane!" someone yelled, terrified.
"Jump!" another screamed as he jumped off the plane.
Some random person had boarded the plane and had just hijacked it. The pilot tried to alert the police through the radio but didn't have time.
In the background of it all, I saw a faint glow. Someone was walking towards us! I started to think of a way to escape, but it was impossible. The figure was getting closer and closer until it was almost in front of us where he could strangle me, no doubt. I breathed for a few seconds, which cleared my mind. Then, I finally saw an exit.
"All of you!" I yelled to my family, "Jump!" And we jumped off the plane together.
"Chapter 3 of "The Mysteries of Lovenia"
November 18, 2022
By: Kaylee Chan
​
You might think that I was a psycho to jump off the plane. I felt stupid the moment I did, but it was the only way to escape the crazy guy.
After dropping for a few minutes, we hit the water, and I panicked. “This is such a dumb way to die!” I thought. The force pushed me down, and everything went dark.
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When I eventually woke up, I found a woman standing over me. She was glowing faintly like the person on the plane. I immediately scrambled back.
“Wh-Who are you?” I asked. She just smiled softly, and then disappeared. I blacked out again. When I woke up, for a moment, I panicked but tried to remember where I was. After a second, I remembered where I was and how I’d gotten there. Then, a bolt of alarm rushed through me, and I sat up. Where was my family?
I yelled, “Mum! Dad! Ben! Can any of you hear me?!” I waited. No response. I tried again, and then I heard a faint moan.
"GEMEOUTTAERE," Ben yelled, his voice muffled. He was in the sand. Just then, Mum and Dad came and hugged me tightly. They informed me that they came from a car. I recognised it as the rental car my parents had rented for this trip. Together, Mum, Dad, and I pulled him out.
"Where are we?" Ben asked, clearly puzzled.
"We're in Lovenia, stupid," I replied. I'd have thought it was obvious where we were, but Ben was straining his single brain cell already.
I took in our surroundings. It was a vast island with warm and comfortable temperatures. There were rows of expensive-looking townhouses. It was a nice tropical place. I saw many signs saying that a lot of sugar wasn't good for your health. These signs even gave examples: boba, soda, ice cream, fast food, and most of all, many types of candy. I could already tell I would really like Lovenia.
"This just looks like London, except it's by the ocean, and it’s much brighter," Ben said, frowning.
"That's the biggest difference there is!" I shouted back. "Plus, it isn't as gloomy."
I wanted to jump into the ocean and swim right that second. The waters were crystal clear and as blue as the sky. In other words, the waters were beautiful. Then, I wondered out loud what had happened to the people on the plane.
“I'm pretty sure the crew saved them,” Mom said. “We were a special case since the glowing figure was coming for us.” I hoped that that was the truth because I didn't want to have been the reason for hundreds of deaths.
When we got to the hotel, I saw someone watching us. I recognised her as the woman I met after I woke up from the fall. She was staring right at me! I told my parents I needed to use the loo, then went to talk to the woman.
"Who are you? And I want an answer, RIGHT NOW!" I demanded. "And weren’t you the glowing woman on the plane?"
"First off, I am Athena. Second answer: Yes, I was the woman on the plane," she said. So, she was the one who hijacked the plane? She was the one who got my family and me nearly killed? The nerve she has talking to me! This is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.
"Also, I am your mother," she said a little more seriously. "I really wanted to tell you sooner, but Zeus wouldn't let me. My father does get a little overprotective sometimes. Anyways, I tell you this because you will soon encounter many people who want to kill you." I didn't understand a word she was saying! I couldn’t be a demigod! "One more thing, Ben is not your biological brother. He was born to your stepmother." Athena (or Mum, I guess) was acting very calm about all this.
“Wait, my stepmother?” I said in shock. "T-tha-that's impossible! All these years, I thought I was having a good time with my family, but it was all completely fake?" I was devastated. I know you’re surprised, considering the things I said about Ben. I thought that once, things would finally go my way on this trip, but it turns out they wouldn’t.
"Yes, dear, your stepmother. Don't act surprised or hurt if your father didn't tell you. He was having a great time with you and didn't want to break his promise to the gods. I can completely understand. Now, I want you to train with me on Olympus so you can fend for yourself in future encounters. You must know how to fight when people chase you around the world, trying to kill you." It sounded amusing and scary, except my family would look all over for me and never find me. "And do not worry about your family. I will send your father a message, telling him what you are doing." She looked at me intently with her grey, stormy eyes.
"Wait, hold on. People trying to kill me? What are you talking about?" I asked.
"Did I perhaps fail to mention that your father is from a powerful ancient bloodline?"Athena said.
"Ummmm…pretty sure you did!" I replied.
"Well, this may come as a shock to you, but your father is part of the ancient bloodline of the Aztecs," Athena told me.
After the talk with "Mum," I returned to my family. Athena said that she would come to "pick me up." I wasn’t sure what that meant. But one question was still pondering through my mind. Who in Zeus' name was the psycho on the flight? Could he still be after me?
"Sofie!" Dad said. "It took you a long time in the loo," Dad said, a little concerned.
"We need to talk," I said.
"Okay, about what?" Dad asked.
"About your 'marriage' with Athena? Your connection to the ancient bloodline of the Aztecs? Why didn't you tell me? Why did you keep it a secret all these years?" I replied, practically on the verge of tears. I couldn't believe he had kept this information from me for such a long time!
"Honey, I don't know what you're talking about," Dad replied, sounding panicked. Then, something dropped from his pocket. It was his phone. The screen showed a picture with a lot of grass and feathers on top. He hurried to snatch it up, but I was faster.
"What is that?" I asked my dad, holding his phone.
"It's nothing, honey," Dad replied.
"It isn't nothing. It's Moctezuma's headdress. He was one of the Aztec emperors," Mum blurted out. "I am a descendant of him. Your father is, too. We are very distant relatives, allowing for a marriage. So, Ben is technically related to you. He's just not as close to you as you thought."
"Honey!" Dad said in a disapproving tone.
"What?" Mum said. "She deserves to know."
"What?! What are you talking about?" I said. "Athena told me she wants to teach me how to fight. Who are our enemies? I want to know!"
"Well, Sofie, long ago, Spanish conquistadors came to the Aztec lands, and they captured Tenochtitlan, putting an end to the great Aztec civilisation," Mum said. "If Athena herself spoke to you, then it is urgent. You must settle the feud between the Spanish and Aztecs once and for all. It may take weeks, but we must try."
"We? Wait, hold on, y-you know Athena?" I asked, puzzled.
"Yes, I do," Mum said.
"I am so confused! I- I need t-to lie down for a bit." I said tiredly.
Then, as I started staggering away, I blacked out.
​
"Chapter 4 of Mysteries of Lovenia"
January 6, 2023
By: Kaylee Chan
"Sofie, wake up!" said a commanding voice.
"What? Where am I?" I asked, confused. Then, I looked up and saw Athena. "What are you doing here?!"
Athena spoke frantically. "Sofie, Sofie, calm-"
"No! I'm not going to calm down!" I said, on the verge of tears.
"Please, Sofie. I just want to explain about your family." I slowly looked up. "They are safe unless you do not defeat Ho Cortes soon," Athena said.
"Who's Ho Cortes??!!" I asked.
"Ho Cortes is the descendant of Hernan Cortes, the person who led the invasion that ended the Aztec Empire."
"The bloodline survived for this long?" I asked, surprised.
"Well, the Aztec one did. I don't see why this one could not have." Athena told me.
I was so confused by what the goddess was saying. I didn't understand about 99% of this information. All this was a big mess, and at that moment, I wanted to leave and find my family.
"We will start training right now," Athena said. "Stand up, Sofie," she commanded.
Instantly, I was on my feet. I thought of the days to come and wondered what this Ho Cortes would do to my family.
After I was on my feet, Athena gave me a weird-looking item. It was orb-shaped, and when I touched it, it started to glow.
"This orb I found in the Aztec ruins tells the story of Tenochtitlan's fall. Watch how the orb changes pictures. Keep watching. You will understand." Athena told me.
As I kept my eyes on the orb, I saw many pictures. It showed a battle in which strange soldiers in armour were slaughtering people, left and right, as they were trying to run away. I was confused by all of this.
"Why are you showing me this? Where is Tenochtitlan? I'm so confused!" I said.
"Look, Sofie, Cortes plans to destroy Aztec culture and religion once and for all. That is if you do not stop him in time. "
“What do you mean, once and for all?! And how do you destroy an entire culture and religion?!” I asked, on the verge of hysteria. “And WHAT DOES HE WANT WITH MY FAMILY?!”
"He wants to use them to find you. You are a powerful descendant of the Aztecs, and to destroy the fact that the Aztecs ever existed, he also has to destroy the bloodline to prevent any more of the beliefs from spreading."
"Well, how do I stop him? I can't let him get to my family."
"You have to train with me. Cortes has trained all his life to continue what his ancestor started. To beat him, you must find more people to stand with you. That is where your relatives come in. After I train you, you must travel to the modern-day countries where they have been kept safe."Athena said.
"But, enough talk about your mission. You need rest so you will have energy tomorrow."
"Well, alright, I suppose. I am feeling tired. Where will I sleep?" I said.
"The servants will show you."
"Alright. Good night, then." I said.
​
"Chapter 5 of Mysteries of Lovenia"
February 3, 2023
By: Kaylee Chan
As I went to my room, I couldn't help but wonder about all this craziness. I didn't understand it, and I didn't care. My main goal was to make sure my family stayed safe. However, I was a little curious. Athena had told me she was going to train me, but how?
Anyways, I arrived at my room. There were about two bathrooms and a king-sized bed. There was even a mini library next to the bedroom! Now, I could read as many books as I liked!
I went to the first loo and saw that it was for showering. The room itself wasn't quite big. The bath took up about three-quarters of the room. There was a vanity next to the shower. I decided to wash off. After I got out, I saw a set of pyjamas on my bed. I went to put them on.
Now, it was time to read until I was tired. I suddenly felt hungry and started to wonder how long I had passed out. It seemed like I hadn't eaten for a few days! I got out of bed and went to ask about food, and the servants told me that they would bring it shortly. I asked them if they had something like a salad. They said yes, which made me glad. I thought I was going to have to eat the junk Ben does.
Now, time to see what there is to read. The library had a decent amount of books. I looked through them, and some sounded interesting, but most were not to my interest.
"I wonder, do they have Ranger's Apprentice?" I said out loud. It was another of my favourite series. Immediately, the shelves started to move. Out of nowhere, books flew onto the table. I froze.
"That was…terrifying," I said. I felt like everything in my body had just stopped working. Then I heard a knock at the door.
"Come in!" I said, hoping that my voice didn’t sound as shaky as I felt.
A man dressed in a servant's uniform entered the room. He was carrying a bowl of salad. My food had arrived. Finally! I was starving. He also had some type of soup. I guessed it was vegetable soup. The man set the food down and exited the room.
The soup, which contained tomatoes and carrots in it, and the salad, with ranch dressing, were both equally delicious. There was also a little bit of meat in the salad, which I assumed was teriyaki chicken.
After I ate, I decided to go to bed. I was very exhausted and needed a lot of rest. I remembered that Athena intended to train me tomorrow. All the more reason to get lots of sleep tonight!
​
"Chapter 6 of the Mysteries of Lovenia"
March 3, 2023
By: Kaylee Chan
I woke up the next morning to a knock at my door, and Athena came in. She was holding a tray of cereal and fruit. There was also coffee. Every morning at home, I like to eat cereal with fruit, but coffee was another matter. It was very bitter, and I did not like it at all.
"Good morning Sofie," Athena said. "I brought you breakfast."
I just stayed in bed. I didn't exactly know what to say after yesterday's events. I wanted to say thank you, but I didn't think she deserved that. After all, she had told me that my family wasn't really what I thought it was. Then, she had just magically transported me to Olympus. Without my consent! She had just taken me away from my family without me saying goodbye to them. Now, I didn't know if I would ever see them again.
"So, Sofie, change of plans. There is no time for me to train you. You'll have to figure out how to use your powers by-"
"Powers?! What powers?! Why in the world did you not tell me this before?" I asked, furious.
"Sofie, please, just let me finish." She said. "You were born with powers from the Aztecs and Greeks. I was going to help you with them, but I was just told that Cortes will kidnap your family in a month. He has it all planned out," she told me. "So you must go and find Clementina Silva. She'll know what to do."
"What?! Why didn't you tell me all of this last night?" The fact that she didn't tell me was just so frustrating. "Well, where do I start?"
"I suppose the best place to start would be modern-day Mesoamerica. In other words, South America," she said.
"Well, I'll go now. I'm not letting him get to my family."
I needed to make sure my family was safe from this Ho Cortes person. It seemed the only way to do that was to get myself captured. I suppose that is what I'll do.
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After I got my supplies ready, I set off to the airport. My flight was at 10:00 AM, and I got to the airport at 7:30 AM. I was travelling by myself, so I kept looking everywhere, seeing if Cortes had people stationed here to kidnap me. I went through security first. Now that I think about it, I didn't even know where I was! I asked around. Someone told me I was crazy but said nonetheless that I was in Norway. How ridiculous!
It was finally time to board the plane. I had gotten the first-class ticket. Athena had bought the ticket for me. The seat was very nice. There was a window, and I looked outside. I saw men dressed in black. And there was an obvious leader among them. And they were staring right at me and coming right at the aircraft. I tried to look closer, and I saw one of them pulling out a gun! And it was pointed right at me!
At that moment, I panicked. I ran off the plane without any notice and ignored the cries of the crew behind me. Once I was out of the aerocraft, I ran. Any minute now, they would shoot me and I would be dead. Please let Ben be safe. Please let Ben be safe, I thought. I ran for minutes, thinking that I would be dead. Finally, I found the exit and dashed out, only to find the weird men right in front of me. I ran back into the airport but was cut off by more men. Gods. How many men were there?
Inside me, I felt like there was something powerful. It felt like light. Pure light. I saw the men around me shielding their eyes. Then, they were the ones running away from me. I had no idea what had just happened. Then, I heard someone on my left.
"Whoa there, Apollo. We need to work on how to control your powers. Because I did not sign up for this." she said. The girl was dressed in jeans, a tank top, and sneakers. I also noticed she had brown eyes, tan skin, and black hair with brown ombre ends. She looked about thirteen or fourteen years old.
"Who are you!?" I demanded.
"I'm Clementina Silva, but everyone calls me Clem," the girl said.
"So, you're the girl I'm looking for," I muttered.
"What was that?" Clem asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, nothing," I said. I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t trust her.
"Well, we better go before those little goons of yours come back," Clem told me.
"They are not," I sighed. "Never mind," I said. "So, Athena told me to find you. She said you would know what to do."
"Athena? Who in the world is that? I don't know any Athena." Clem said. I was surprised to hear she didn't know who my mother was. So if Clem didn't know Athena, why did she send me to find her? I pondered this as I followed Clem outside.
"Who were those men?" I asked, hoping she would know.
"You know who Ho Cortes is?"
"Yes. Yes, I do. Athe… somebody told me that he wants to kidnap me and my family."
"Those were his men. And I was informed that there would be a girl about my age at this airport that he wanted to kidnap. So I was sent to retrieve you immediately." she said.
"So you can help me? You can help me get my family to safety?" I asked anxiously.
"Yes. I am part of an organisation that was formed to specially stop Cortes."
"That's good to know." I grumbled."Also, I feel a bit lightheaded. Like someone hit me on the head very hard."
"Yeah, well, that's the effect of using your powers," she said. "It drains your energy. We do have something back at the base that might help."
"So you say."
​
"Chapter 7 of The Mysteries of Lovenia"
March 24, 2023
By: Kaylee Chan
Clem's idea of a "base" was a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean. Literally, there was nothing there. We had booked another flight to get here. The plane ticket showed Pacific something, so I assumed I was in the Pacific Ocean.
"Um, Clem, are you sure we're at this 'base' and not some completely deserted island in the middle of nowhere?" I asked.
"I'm sure. There isn't any way I could have gotten the coordinates wrong. Just wait. I need to do identification to get in. I'll bring you in as my guest." Clem said. "Oh yeah. I never got your name."
"Oh, it's Sofie. Sofie Diaz." I said, a little bit suspiciously. "Wouldn't your organisation have told you my name is Sofie?"
"Well, they didn't. Now, be quiet." She ordered. Why was she being so hostile?
I watched as Clem placed her hand for recognition on the forcefield. Then, she was required to perform a facial scan. After that, I saw her type in the purpose section, "I have Sofie Diaz." I knew immediately that something was wrong. There was something in the way she typed that message that sent a chill down my spine. I considered running. Just as I had turned around, the forcefield opened.
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When we got inside, I was quickly brought to a dark room by guards. They made me sit in a chair and tied me to it. My first thought was that they had mistaken me for a prisoner, but when the man from the attempted plane shooting showed up, I decided that I had been captured.
"So, you're the famous Sofie Diaz." When he wasn't dressed in black, I could fully see his face. He had fair skin, dazzling blue eyes, and a great assortment of weapons. He also had an American accent.
"And you're Ho Cortes." After a long silence, I finally said, "What do you want from me?"
"I want you to give me your powers. They will help me destroy the world!" He said.
After that, the room’s lights turned on. "Gotcha," said Clem, standing by the entrance.
"Oh my gods! You nearly gave me a heart attack! I-I thought you were Cortes!" That was directed towards "Cortes."
"Now, let me introduce you to my prankster friend, Jorell Woods," she said with a smirk. I stared at them, dumbfounded. I was at a loss for words.
"Jorell? What type name is that?" I asked.
"If you must know, it's an American name," said Jorell.
"I can tell. But-" I sighed. "Never mind. Anyways, what are we going to do now?"
"Well, we need to formulate a plan to defeat Cortes. We can't let him hurt more innocent people." That was Clem.
"What do you mean, more?" I asked.
"I'm sure you're familiar with 9/11 and the bombing of the twin towers?" Clem asked.
"Indeed, I am," I said.
"Well, Cortes coordinated that. He was told that your mom would be inside," said Clem. "Well, now you know how many people Cortes has killed. He's been trained all his life to be ruthless without question and do whatever it takes to destroy Aztec culture. He has no regard for the innocent. He'll burn the entire world just to destroy Aztec culture if he has to."
"That's ridiculous. Why would he do that to himself, knowing that he would die as well?" I asked, confused.
"As Clem said, he'll do anything to finish what his ancestors started. Even die." That was Jorell.
"We think we might have thought of something to stop him," Clem said. "So, in Aztec culture, we believe that there are fourteen glass skulls hidden around the world, and, when brought together, are extremely powerful. We plan on finding these skulls. In fact, we stationed agents all over the world to locate them. That'll be a little easier since we have you on our side now."
"So, we just go all over the world collecting these skulls?" I asked, once again confused. It seemed that I was always getting confused this week. Gods, it had felt like months, even years! But it had only been a week.
"Yes," Jorell answered.
"Well, what if it doesn't work? What if Cortes is also planning to find these skulls? What if he has already found some?" I asked.
"OK, stop the flow of questions. I don't know what we'll do if it doesn't work. We just have to hope for the best, because this is all I can think of, and it's all Jorell can think of, too. I'm also pretty sure that Cortes doesn't know about the skulls. I could be wrong." Clem said.
"I mean, if he does have them, then we'll at least have given it our best shot," said Jorell.
"I suppose," I said.