Page 139 of Blossoms of the Heart
Chapter 28
Tai
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Finding the hidden message in the journal was the kind of story I’d grown up on as a kid.
The fact that it was real was, unreal.
It awakened the boy in me who used to look forward to going on adventures with his uncle.
The Arabic characters when joined together gave directions, and the Egyptian characters spoke of the box the samurai hid in the cave.
Yes, hid.
The box was in the cave and we were yet to find it.
The directions, like a treasure map, would led to this supposed box.
Phoebe managed to translate the rest of the journal in two days and the discovery took us straight back to the cave on Thursday.
It was exciting, definitely exciting and everyone was thrilled by it.
I just wished that I could have joined in too, but I could not.
Something was wrong with Phoebe. Something she wasn’t talking about, something I couldn’t figure out.
Something had changed between us and I didn’t know what it was. Or, when it was.
Every time I thought I was imagining things I realized I wasn’t.
She was acting strange and doing things she wouldn’t normally do. Being strange with me in particular.
For two nights now, in a row, she’d left my house before I woke up.
Leaving me like you would when you were just fucking around, messing around and not serious.
Then when I saw her she’d act like nothing was wrong, but her eyes gave her away.
There was a reserved, guarded look that blocked me out. Usually when I looked at her, her eyes would sparkle. The beautiful turquoise blue of her eyes would always brighten to a hue I couldn’t describe.
Lately they dulled, darkening with something I didn’t recognize and it felt like she was slipping away from me.
That was what she was like on the way to the cave, then she stuck with Akito most of the time like she didn’t want to be around me for too long.
The team trekked the path the directions gave until it got dangerous and I suggested that Scott and I carryon for the rest of the way.
At least then she gave me a little kiss before leaving, but even that didn’t feel like her.
That was yesterday.
I’d been inside the cave now for three days. Talk about stir-crazy. At least I could communicate with Akito through a wireless earpiece that fortunately worked at this level underground and Scott was good company.
He kept me distracted with talk on cars.
I just tried not to think about Phoebe.
I’d talk to her when I got out of here.
