The Order of the Giza Key
Chapter 6: The Key
Kalira sat on her bed lost in thought. The fact that he was here changed things radically. She was totally unprepared for this, for him. They would have to tell everyone the truth eventually, this she knew. But what would they all think? And Cole, what kind of affect would this have on him? He would feel so…betrayed. His trust in her would be lost. The same would go for Laraya. And what about the rest of them? They would judge her, but she knew she had to tell them. However, the first thing she had to do was talk to him. Yes, that's what she would do. She stood up, squared her shoulders and walked out of the room and into Daniels.
Laraya stood beside Cole, examining the different tools and computers. It was a while before Cole spoke.
"You know, I was thinking. Won't someone see the car? It would be a dead giveaway, especially if they know our license plate."
"Yeah, but my dad went up and hid it in another one of those cabins up there," said Laraya.
She looked up as she heard the door of Cole's room open. She watched as Kalira very hesitantly walked toward the room Laraya was sharing with her father, knocked on the door and went inside. Laraya looked over at Cole, who hadn't noticed anything.
"Do you notice anything strange going on between your mother and my father?" she asked him.
Cole frowned, his brow furrowed. "Yeah, I did. Weird eh? They've met before, that's for sure. I just want to know what happened between them that makes them both so awkward."
Laraya nodded toward the door of her room. "Your mother just went into my room," she said. "Now's our chance to find out."
Cole looked hesitant. "I don't want to eavesdrop on my mom," said Cole, though he looked excited all the same. "What if they catch us? My mom would kill me, especially if what they're talking about is important enough for them to lie about it"
Laraya nodded. "You're right, I'm sorry. It's their business, not ours. They'll tell us…eventually."
At just that moment, Mathias came out of his room and walked into the lab. "Where's the Key?" he asked. "We should start analyzing it right away."
"Kalira had it in her bag," said Laraya. "I'll go get them and Cole can grab the key."
"Wait," said Mathias. "Where's Jack?"
Everyone looked around. Jack was nowhere in sight. As they were looking, he jogged through the doorway. Cole noticed him putting something into his pocket quickly. "Sorry, I was…exploring the kitchen," he said, casting Cole a wary eye.
"Right," said Cole, "I'll go get the Key." He walked over to his room.
As soon as he stepped into it, he spotted his mother's duffel bag in the corner and picked it up. He set it on the bed and zipped it open. He reached in and picked up the chest, admiring its design. Adorned with jewels and writings, it was very beautiful and very heavy. Taking it carefully in his hands, he left the room and made his way to the lab. Daniel and Kalira were there already, both looking livid. When they saw Cole, they stopped throwing each other angry looks and gave the casket in Cole's hands their full attention.
"Put it here, Cole," said Daniel, indicating to a table near the center of the lab. Cole set the heavy case down carefully and stepped back. Kalira walked forward, looking at it with something close to reverence.
"It says: The great Key of Giza lies here, most cherished treasure of the great pharaoh Khufu." The excitement that filled the laboratory was thick and intense.
"This case," Kalira continued, "Could very well contain the most important archaeological find of the century. This is incredible." She stood in front of the table for at least fifteen seconds before Mathias spoke.
"Kalira?" he asked timidly "Do you think you could open it now? We're kind of suffocating from the tension, here."
Kalira turned to him, looking confused. "What? Oh yes, yes of course." She reached forward and grasped the lock that held the lid in place. It crumbled away immediately. With shaking hands, she reached forward and lifted the lid….
In a dimly lit office, a woman was speaking angrily into her cell phone.
"Good, good….yes, I'm sure they are….well, figure it out! What do you mean, you can't? Oh come on, it can't be that complicated…it is? Oh god…look, I don't care how long it takes, but figure out how to get in there!"
As she hung up her phone, there was a knock at the door. "Enter," she said sharply. The heavyset man came in. "Anything new, miss?" he asked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact. My informant just called. We know where their new hideout is," said the woman.
The man grinned, showing a set of misshaping teeth. "Excellent. When do we start our attack?"
"Not yet, Walter. We still need to know how to get to the key. Apparently, it's in a very secure place. And the base itself is one of the most secure places I've ever seen. We'll need all the information we can get before we try anything."
"Let's just hope your little mole can provide us with something," said Walter showing his yellowing teeth.
The six friends stared at the Key in wonder for several long minutes, transfixed by its beauty. It was exquisite, a sapphire the size of a baseball, and cut into a perfect pyramid. It had an incredible sparkle that seemed so unreal, it was doubtful there was a more perfect stone anywhere on earth. None of them could see any flaws in its incredible heart. After a long time, Cole spoke:
"Wow."
Then they all began to speak at once.
"This is amazing -"
"Look at its colour -"
"I can't believe it's really here -"
"Put it in the scanner here, Dad," said Laraya, her eyes shining with excitement.
Daniel carefully placed the gem into a complicated device and typed into its keypad for a moment. A bright green light lit up behind the stone and it began moving back and forth across it, very slowly.
"We should have its results in about 3 hours," said Kalira. "In the meantime, I suggest we all try to get some sleep. We've had a very long day."
The others grudgingly agreed, and they all began to filter back into their rooms. Laraya and Cole remained, taking seats in front of the fire. Laraya sat huddled up in her chair, her unblinking eyes gazing into the fire. One hand was fingering the locket around her neck.
"Where did you get that?" asked Cole. "That necklace."
Laraya avoided his eyes. "It was my mother's," she said briskly.
"Oh," said Cole. "So she's…um…I mean she's not -"
"Dead," finished Laraya, staring determinedly at the fire. "Six months ago. Okay?"
"I-I'm sorry," said Cole. "I didn't mean to -"
"Don't worry about it," she said shortly, standing up as she did. "I think I'll try to get some sleep. Good night." She walked swiftly to her room, without looking back. Cole continued to gaze after her, even after the door to her room was firmly closed.
