Hadrian's Wall (73 page)

She didn’t realize my irony and continued.
“He lives in the yellow fountains...more than suggestive—’yellow
mantles’ versus ‘yellow fountains.’ What do you think now?”

“Super.” I wished that she’d shut up.

“In mythology, it is Emma-o, the judge of
the dead. He evaluates the past of those who are going into limbo.
That is, he has a list of the sins of each one...and according to
this list, he decides the severity of penalty that the deceased
sinners will face.

“The Ittan Momen is not working in that
story. You see?” She changed her position to look at me face to
face. “All other mythological beings are involved with the
supervision of the creatures that inhabit the depths of hell.” This
has everything to do with the yellow mantles performing the same
function. But the Ittan Momen... No way!” she grimaced. “By
information that I grabbed on the Internet, they are merely pieces
of tissue.”

“How?”

“White tissues tend to ‘fly’ around people.
Legend has it that when they involve someone’s head, they can crush
their skull, smothering or strangling the person.

“Jeez!
But you know
what?
On second
thought, it has a connection,” I said. “All of them have this thing
to watch and punish...”

Delilah thought about and nodded.

“I wonder what happens when the four
fraternities meet? Or rather, what needs to happen to get all of
them together? Delilah asked softly, as if talking to herself. So
she stayed quietly focused in her own thoughts.

We remained silent for several minutes,
enjoying the view. As the Uwall bus was moving forward, the houses
and trees were becoming sparse. Small hills had taken their place,
but not for long. The road once again found the jagged shadows of
tall trees and disappeared from view.

In that stretch, the terrain became more
rugged. The low hills gave way to the high hills, where the road
boldly snaked... So the bus made the first big turn around the
hill—to my surprise, the rest of the climb was pretty much
straight.

Suddenly, came the first indication that we
were on the university’s lands. The March was just a simple and
discreet sign containing the institutional emblem. Hmm... After all
of the extravagance that I have been witnessing in town, this
simple sign seemed out of place against the grandeur of the
region.

“Did you hear the latest news?” Delilah knew
that I hadn’t, so amended her question. “I received a cell phone
message earlier today. As soon as Verano left Skull Rock, he came
face to face with a late model Hummer blocking the roadway. Two men
in black got out. One of them escorted Joe to the Hummer and the
other took the wheel of Joe’s car.”

My God! I even could
imagine the scene
...

“A person who witnessed the event said that
Vincent Cahill was in the backseat of the Hummer. No one has seen
Joe Verano anywhere since Sunday. His car was found in the parking
lot of the university with the keys in the ignition. What do you
think?”

I remembered my inconsequential telephone
conversation with Adrian and I shivered! God forbid that he has
done something to Joe Verano! I couldn’t bear it. Yes, he was a
troublesome journalism student—annoying and also insensitive, but
that didn’t justify retaliation...particularly if it came from
powerful people that didn’t need to care about someone as
insignificant as Joe Verano. The Cahills didn’t need to do this.
But if they did...so this will tell me what kind of people they
were—regardless of whether they belong to the human race or
not.

“We have to find out what happened to him,”
I whispered.

Delilah agreed with a solemn nod of her
head. She wasn’t sure of my motives, but she understood the urgency
in my voice.

The bus shifted gears with a bump,
decreasing speed. I looked out and realized that we were reaching
the archway of a gatehouse where a group of muscular security
guards was watching the monitors visible through large windows that
covered the entire university campus. They also controlled entry
and exit of vehicles within the limits.

One of the guards left the group and
approached the bus. He seemed to be the team leader because his
uniform had something different from the others. He talked briefly
with the driver. As if they were old acquaintances, the security
man released the vehicle after checking the driver’s
identification. Then, at last, he threw us a final, penetrating
gaze. It was not a “professional look” but almost... I’d say it was
a “trained eye” to detect potential hazards or potentially
dangerous persons. He seemed startled when his gaze fell upon me. I
had no time to see if seeing me was the cause of the man’s
surprised look as the bus began moving again.

We pass through the raised seal and followed
a fork of the road, where the road was divided into two opposite
directions: Uphill and Downhill. It was possible see through the
trees, some low buildings and squares, but when the bus turned to
Uphill Street, other angles of those buildings became visible.
Interested galleries connected by glass and steel - the buildings
were forming an exotic collection of mazes.

“That’s the laboratories complex. Next to it
is the morgue for the anatomy classes. People call ‘the Minotaur
Labyrinth’ because it’s very common for freshmen to get lost here.
Once, a small group of nursing students disappeared overnight from
Friday after classes. All were rescued on Saturday morning because
they managed to find the correct number phone of campus security
and call them for help. They were freaking out! They told the chief
of security that they’d heard sounds coming from the hallways and
the forest...

“You’re making this up.”

“No, I am not!” She shook her head solemnly.
Her sly look denounced her fun.

“I think the anatomy studies are offered as
optional discipline to other courses, beside medical studies...that
included arts. I know because I checked the curriculum of your
course.”

“Oh! You’ve so been checking up on me?” I
asked, pretending some indignation.

“Sure, I’ve got your back! Wherever you go,
Stephen will be around you.”

“So...” I snorted.

She didn’t allow me to interrupt her. “In
the checklists of compulsory and optional credits, I found the same
subject... Then I wondered if you intend to venture through the
sinister maze, only to follow in the footsteps of Da Vinci and
Michelangelo?

I was amazed at the question and took a few
seconds to think of an answer.

“Well, it’s true that both studied many
corpses to reach the perfection of their work, with regard to the
anatomy of the human figures. But I have no pretensions of becoming
a famous artist, much less a genius of the art...I think I’ll skip
that part. I prefer to ask someone alive to pose naked for me.”

Abby and David, who had turned off the iPod
minutes ago, listen to my last comment.

“Mmm...” The three exchanged a joker’s
glances.

“Come on! Tell us... Who will be your
model?—Delilah asked, maliciously.

My cheeks warmed. It was
not hard to figure out about what...or rather
who
she was talking about. I tried to
curb Adrian’s images, his naked body in front of me. I put my
forehead on the window and looked out. I heard the sound of their
laughter.

27

ALPHABET OF TREES

Now we were passing some buildings,
interspersed with parking lots, plazas, and parks. I did not
realize that the university would be so big. I believe that it was
bigger than Dailey’s Crossing and Groveton combined. Hmmm...maybe I
should add Berlin to the equation.

I gazed absentmindedly at the people outside
of the bus—the obviously human people, the “suspected human” people
with their odd behavior, or those I categorized as “pale faces,”
some of whom wore the bracelet with the symbol, though some did
not.

Suddenly, I was startled by the appearance
of Asia Chadwick exiting a magnificent magenta sports car
convertible. While I was gazing at her, Vincent Cahill—the “angel
face”—exited the driver’s door.

Despite my annoyance, I
have to admit that they are a beautiful couple, that Asia really is
quite beautiful. She was wearing a skirt that showed her perfect
legs; her smooth, shiny hair that reaches her waist; and the sexy,
low-cut blouse that emphasized her bust and waist.
How depressing!
I could
never hope to compete with a creature as beautiful as she. To make
matters worse, my sense of aesthetics signaled that she really was
the perfect match for Adrian. They are a perfect
combination—beautiful, rich, sophisticated, non-humans...My heart
sank.

Asia smiled at Vincent, and
then she tucked a book under one arm. All of a sudden, they
stopped. Their posture was rigid, like two mannequins in a store
window. They began to sniff the air...slowly turning their heads
toward the bus. Their movements seemed robotic, but
synchronized...like
The
Terminator!

I had the uncomfortable feeling that the
gaze emanating from the two pairs of eagle eyes behind the
sunglasses could pierce through me. Lucky for me their sunglasses
had mirrored lenses, so I couldn’t see their eyes changing color.
But it was Vincent’s total immobility that bothered me more than
seeing Asia. He’s one of the Adrian’s brothers that I hadn’t met
yet, although I was sure he wasn’t interested in meeting me.

Well, it’s not news that Adrian’s relatives
don’t like me...except Adrian, Sr.

Vincent stood there, impassive, his hand
resting on the hood of the elegant car. Suddenly, he turned to Asia
and motioned nodded almost imperceptibly. She reluctantly walked
around the car and offered him her free hand. Vincent turned his
head toward me one last time before stepping onto the stone path
leading to the covered portion of the parking lot.

UWall’s main building was
stark white and gleamed in the sun. Its weird, jagged glass domes
were partially hidden from prying eyes, thanks to the intelligent
landscape of trees and exotic plants. The scene seemed straight out
of the pages of
Flash Gordon
or
Barbarella
. Luxury cars were entering
and leaving the parking lot.

“The Cahills’ domain,” Delilah
whispered.

An absolute fact...

When the UWall bus stopped I noticed all the
“lab coats” waiting at the bus stop, but before the bus came back
around, I had an opportunity to analyze the Vincent Cahill’s
stylish appearance. He was wearing low-waisted plaid pants with an
orange and black pattern, a dark navy blue jacket, and casual shoes
that were a lighter shade than the jacket. His hair looked wet, as
if he’d just showered or applied hair gel. Some curls had escaped
from his dark blue wool cap. He most definitely looked like a
mixture of playboy and hip-hop star.

Hmm... It was obvious that
Vincent Cahill was proud of his good looks. I realized that he’s
the male version of his fashionable cousin, Charity.
Sure, why didn’t I think of that
before?

Up ahead was the medical center, with all of
its related clinics and administrative departments: Nursing,
Clerkships, Public Health, and so forth.

Delilah began to chatter again. “Those units
are advanced research and clinical laboratories,” she said,
pointing to the left and then to the right. “Over there, that tower
houses organic practices. On the opposite side, that tower houses
the neurosciences. Between both towers is the medical school’s main
building. All of this area is a world apart. While the other
university departments share facilities—the central library,
computer centers, the dining commons, and gymnasiums, the medical
students have all of their own facilities centralized here. They
say that their library is a showcase.”

“Speaking of UWall departments and
facilities, you should visit them some time. They’re located on the
other side of the campus near the football stadium. That’s also
where the fraternities are located and the Cinema Institute, which
also has a theater.”

“Listen, Mel...” Abby interrupted Delilah.
“Why don’t you schedule a campus visit with someone from the
Visitors Center? They specialize in such tours and you won’t have
to risk getting lost.”

“I didn’t know there was a such a thing—an
agency that gives tours.”

“UWall is not the only university that
provides that service to visitors, you know,” Abby replied. Abby
looked puzzled by my ignorance.

As we left the medical
school behind, I resumed looking out the window.
A world apart indeed..
.
Even the architecture was different from the buildings I’d seen so
far —bolder and dynamic; however, there was something inexplicably
primitive in those outrageous angles, combining softness and
hardness.

We passed through another area where Delilah
pointed out the departments for Humanities, Journalism and Media
Communications, and Athletics. Our route took us through most of
the professional schools, many designed like villa-style houses,
all with large patios surrounded by gardens, which provided an open
invitation to be outdoors enjoying the shady trees and fresh air.
Many people had obviously accepted that invitation because I could
see small groups of students and teachers conducting their classes
outdoors, while others stretched out on mats or on the grass to
enjoy a nap.

When the bus moved on, I
visualized the central part of the villa to look more like the
mega-mansion from
Nothing
Hill
. There was a plaque on wall that I
could read: “Superior School of Creative Studies and Scientific
Methods.”