Something caught her eye; a refracted ray of light beaming out from the newly created hole. The hammer still in her hand, she pounded the soft area around the hole, stuck her hand in, and came into contact with a clean, glassy surface. The item was long and rectangular, all sides surfaced in the same smooth material.
She maneuvered her fingers until the item was secure in her hand and pulled it out from its hiding place in the wall. She dropped the hammer to the ground and used her free hand to balance the weight of the box before bringing it to the desk and setting it down. She could just make out the faintest sliver of a seam around the perimeter of the box constituting a lid. With both hands she used her fingers to lift the top and expelled a curious breath when it opened, the sensation like two magnets moving apart from each other.
Inside were several rolls of parchment paper, each tied with a blue leather band and stacked one on top of the other like logs. She picked up the edge of one scroll and felt the delicacy of the paper instantly. She slid the binding down the length of the scroll carefully, not willing to test the efficacy of the paper’s strength. Once relieved, the scroll unraveled marginally in her hands. With one corner held in her left hand, she used her right to gently unravel the paper.
An uneven stroke of ink appeared and grew in size as she unrolled the scroll. It was a map, hand drawn in precise detail and with obvious care. Several areas were labeled with hand drawn script, but the letters too small to make out what they said. She unraveled a second scroll and found what appeared to be a schematic, drawn and labeled in the same ink and script as the map.
The third scroll was larger, and once open revealed a tree filled with names and smaller lines of script beneath each one in the same delicate writing. She held the scroll closer, willing her eyes to adjust to the delicate typography. The tree itself was relatively small, going back only a few generations. She scanned over the names and marveled at the fine cursive they were scrawled in. Adara, Evangeline and Thea. The hierarchy continued through Thea and stopped at Zara and… Zoe.
She nearly jumped in her seat at the sight of her name. Of course she knew there were others who shared her name and spelling, but something about seeing it on the scroll felt a little too familiar, almost as if it were her. Hers was the only name she recognized.
Several more scrolls sat inside the glass box waiting to be opened. Just as she reached for a fourth to open the doorbell rang. She made her way to the front door and mentally calculated the chances that it was Evan standing on the other side. Could he have come back already? A brief glance through the peephole dashed her fleeting hope away. She took deep breath and opened the door.
“Evadine!” she exclaimed, trying not to sound as if she were disappointed.
“You remembered,” Eva greeted with a smile.
Zoe looked around Eva on the off chance that she wasn’t alone. “What brings you by?”
“I need to speak with you. Can I come in?”
“Of course” She tried not to dwell on Eva’s physical resemblance to Evan, or to the wave of disappointment that it wasn’t him on the other side of the door.
For the first time Zoe noticed how out of the ordinary Eva looked up close. Perhaps it was the way she was dressed that hinted at her otherworldly provenance. She looked like she had just stepped foot off the set of a science fiction movie. She didn’t recall Evan looking so utilitarian, and wondered if Eva had come from Terra directly to her house.
Zoe sat down on the new couch and nestled into the cushions. Eva followed suit, sitting a seat cushion away. It hadn’t been too long since she and Evan sat in a similar way, but for decidedly different reasons.
“What brings you by?” Zoe asked. She fought back the desire to immediately ask about Evan.
Eva sighed. “Let me preface this by acknowledging that what I’m about to say is not only going to be forward, but also very confusing. That being said, I owe it to my brother to do this.”
Zoe’s brows furrowed over her eyes. “To Evan? Why? What are you talking about?”
“I want to take you to Terra.”
Zoe’s stomach dropped. “I beg your pardon?”
“There are some things happening back home. A book went missing, the King was kidnapped and the Queen is... Well she’s the Queen.” Maybe to Eva the implication of her words was clear, but to Zoe they offered no explanation.
“I’m not following. What book? What does any of this have to do with Evan? Or with me for that matter?”
“Sorry, let me try to explain it better.” Eva took a deep breath but looked anything but relaxed. “The book that was stolen belongs to the Queen and is special. It is a historical record of great importance that is usually locked up where no one can get it. Except, someone did get it. That crime alone would have guaranteed a life of lockup, but to make matters worse, the same people responsible for stealing the book are holding the King hostage.”