Galilee Rising(25)

"It's okay. If it makes you feel any better, I don't have the excuse of being a genius. I'm just a bitch," I say with a smile.

He doesn't smile back. "I don't think you're a…bitch."

"Give it time." He looks at me with pity. I pull the coat tighter around me. "So if you hate parties, why come to this one? Didn't want to snub the head of the hospital board?"

"That was one consideration, yes. At my last hospital I was considered less than a team player. Multiple personnel from the hospital are here whom I should foster positive relations with, if not for friendship purposes than for professional ones. This is as good a setting as any." He pauses. "You're the only person in this city I even remotely know."

"And I already like you, so you're wasting your time," I say with a smirk. His expression turns grave, and even in the dark I can see him blush. "So, why aren't you in there playing well with others?"

"I saw you come out here and wanted to check on you. You didn't return my call."

"I was embarrassed. I don't usually let people see me like that."

He's quiet for a second, then says, "You never have to be embarrassed around me."

I half smile. "Thanks." Time to change the subject before the weight of my crush crushes me. "You look very nice tonight."

He studies himself. "I suppose. Someone suggested I cut my hair, have a tuxedo fitted, and to wear my contacts tonight."

"Lot of that going around. My friend made me over too. Took hours."

"Well, it-it was worth it. You look ravishing." I raise an eyebrow, and his eyes double in size. "I-I-I-I didn't mean, I mean, I'm not going to ravish you. That, I mean--"

"I know what you meant. Thank you," I say with a chuckle. We're saved by a giggly Rose Franklin and a man who is not her husband as they run up the path from the labyrinth. They're oblivious to us because the man tosses Rose against the hedge and proceeds to feel her up not fifteen feet from us. As if this night couldn't get any more awkward. "Hi, Rose!" I say loudly.

With a gasp, she pushes the man away. "Oh! Joanna! I was just…" No lie comes. Instead, she grabs the man's hand and pulls him toward the castle.

"Say hi to your husband," I call as she flees.

"I know that man," Jem says. "He works in oncology."

"Well, now you can blackmail him into being your friend. See? Aren't you glad you came now?"

He smiles at that one, and I throw one back at him. Then we sit in silence just smiling for a few seconds. "Do-Do you want to go back inside? We--"

"Not yet, but you can--"

"No," he says, shaking his head. "I-I'm perfect here." Another couple come running down the path giggling and splashing their hooch on the gravel. "Well, maybe not here."

I stand. "Come on. I know where we can go."

He follows me toward the labyrinth. We stand side-by-side as he studies the plaque with a map of the circular labyrinth, all curlicues to the center. "Oh. It's a full recreation of the labyrinth built by Daedalus for King Minos of Crete to hold the Minotaur. Fascinating."

"I love getting lost in this thing," I say.

"Actually, that is a common misconception. It is, in truth, impossible to get lost in," he instructs me. "As you can see, it's unicursal. Unlike a maze, there is no complex branching. It's a simple path. One path. There is only one choice to be made: whether to enter or not."

I step to the entrance. "I know my choice." I walk inside. The hedges are about twelve feet tall with gravel underneath and lights every few feet. Imposing.

Jem runs to catch me. "If this is a true recreation, then it truly is a work of art," he says excitedly. "You know these have been around for a millennia. They were used by almost every civilization in group ritual or private meditation."

"Meditation?"

"Well, consider it. You're twisting, turning, attempting to find the center, the way out, but the way in is the way out. The path may be long, you may believe you're lost, but no matter what you are always on the correct course. There are no wrong choices because the path is already set for you."

"Like fate."

"Exactly like fate. It's a physical embodiment of a pilgrimage toward salvation. It's confusing, frightening, and as long as you don't let that fear paralyze you, in the end you will always reach your destination. As Socrates said, 'We thought we were at a finish but our way bent round and we found ourselves back at the beginning, and just as far from that which we were seeking at first.'" He notices me staring and turns sheepish again. "I'm sorry, I'm always doing that. Boring people with random facts. My brother called me, 'Mr. Know-It-All.'"