Zenobia: The Last Queen Of The Mountain

What do you do when you discover your world has come to an end? I don't know what your answer is, but here I am seated on my ready-to-collapse at any time bed surrounded by lots and lots of bills. A brief rundown: Josh's school bills are long overdue, infact if I don't send more than 50% of all the debt i owe his school by tomorrow, Josh will have to drop out of school. Not to mention my college fees, i have a letter ready in my hand waiting to be taken to the college administrators to let them know I'll be dropping out of college. Mother's medical bills are piling up close to $30,000 and i don't even have a dime to pay for the services. I also have a letter from the hospital warning me of disconnecting the respiratory machine and stopping other medical services if I don't pay up by tomorrow. Mum can't even breathe without those damn machines. Water supply had stopped coming 3 weeks ago. I was out of anything edible in this house right now, i had no electricity service either. I work two jobs everyday, yes you'd say atleast there's hope of money coming from somewhere, but that's not true. Why? Because today was 3rd of a new month, i had been paid two days ago and they had all gone as deposit for Mum's drugs. Brief rundown I said. Slowly, my eyes travel all around me. Living organisms were already feeding on my intestines so they've had nothing else to feed on since morning. I had 30 minutes till I had to leave for my next job at the bar which i may probably collapse at while serving one of the Customers. All hope was lost, they was nothing I could do again. I couldn't even ask any of my two employers for an upfront salary payment because they'd done that two days ago too. At this point, I'd gladly drink poison and end my miserable life because they was nothing I could do. I couldn't help Josh or Mum anymore, this was the end for me. That was when I heard the knock. It came soft on the door, twice. The first one got me off guard but the second one got me on alert. I never had visitors. It wasn't the day when Josh came home from school and even if it was, if the school had finally decided not to wait till tomorrow before kicking him out, Josh would not be knocking on the door before coming inside. I stood up carefully from my bed, careful not to step on any of the bills and not to fall. I walked staggeringly towards the living room and to the door. "Who's there?" I questioned as my hand settled on the door knob. I got no response even as i opened the door. I saw no one, not even a shadow that suggested someone had been here. I was about to close the door when my eyes landed on the brown envelope by the step close to the door. Glancing around one more time to see if I'll find who must have knocked or dropped the envelope but i still saw no one, so I bent down and picked up the envelope. It was addressed to me; Melissa Juhel. Yes, that's my name. Closing the door gently behind me, I began to open the envelope with care. Dipping my hand inside, I came up with a bundle of money. Clean, good smelling dollar notes. Curiosity hit me and I opened the envelope wide enough to see the rest of its content, bundles of money was all I saw. Shocked, I poured everything to the floor of the living room where I stood. Bundles and bundles of money was all that came out until finally a letter dropped and the envelope was empty. They had to be a mistake somewhere, I thought as i bent to pick up the neatly folded letter. It was also addressed to me. "Melissa Juhel. Twenty years old, daughter of Sarah Vinn and Juhel Thompson. Your father is deceased and your mother suffers from Bipolar disorder and Schizophrenia and is currently residing at the Bliss Care Home in Auburnar Hills, Dallas. You have no sister but one brother: Josh, who is currently attending Senior Highschool at Salc. You have no grandparents or relative, you are currently studying in college as a Medical student at Fort college. You are five foot nine and your weight fluctuates between one-twenty and one-twenty five. Blonde hair, blue eyes, no medical conditions or criminal records..." Melissa could feel her legs getting weak already. Who was this that knew everything about her. Heart beginning to pant, she read further. "... total debt owed $97,000" Melissa swallowed an empty throat because even this was true. "You don't know me, but I know you, and everything I need to know about you and more. Don't bother searching for me because you'll not find me. I have a proposal. $500,000 every month for you, to do whatever you like with. In exchange when it is time you become me." Melissa's eyes widened. Become someone she didn't even know. Was this a joke! "If you do not agree, this money will still be yours but it'll be the last you get. If you agree, all you have to do is say this words thrice 'et nos unum sumus' and the money keeps coming every month until it's time for me to come get you. They call me Astropos!" And that was the end. No second name or hint to wherever he or she may come from or maybe. She didn't need to think. Five hundred thousand dollars didn't land on peoples doorstep everyday. The anonymous sender wouldn't take back this one even if she didn't say the words that would sign off this proposal. "How would he even know if i said it or not." Melissa thought out aloud with a chuckle. No. This particular money was enough to clear out all her debt and help her settle just fine with her family. She will not commit to an unknown fate by speaking whatever words those were. So miracles did exist! *** But you know one thing about having money? You just end up wanting more money. Three weeks later here I was sitting in the Doctors office listening to him talk about how I needed to make a deposit of atleast half a hundred thousand dollars before any treatment can be done on mother. She'd almost died yesterday and now, she needed an increased dose of whatever medication she used to take, plus new ones. Not to mention, just three days ago, i had received a call from Josh's Principal. Some students in his class had blown up the Principal's office and school laboratory, now the school demanded every student in the class made equal payment that'd cover the rebuild and refurnishing of those two places. Where was I supposed to get such amount of money from? You may be wondering and asking what happened to the rest of the money that remained after clearing up my debts. It's gone. Taking care of Josh's bills and Mum's medical expenses swallowed it all up. I was back at where I was three weeks ago, only this time, much bigger debt. As i walked out of the hospital towards the bus stop, I had only one thing on my mind, find that letter from Astropos, wherever I had kept it. Thank the stars I had not burnt it as i had intended to do that day. I still had few days until it's a new month, I hope I wasn't already too late. Sell my soul to the devil, die or whatever, I would do anything right now to have this debt cleared up again and have enough money to live on. Eating three square meals this past week has made me realize I never want to be so poor I lack what to eat ever again. Two bus later and a quick run, I was finally at home, I unlock the door and begin searching from the sitting room. That letter was my saving grace right now and I just hope i wasn't too late. What was the point of my existence when I had to live like a rat. No. I had no choice in how poor my life became, but I'll have a choice in how i live my life from now on. Having that much money meant i didn't even have to work again until when ever Astropos came for me. It meant I could even pay up all of mother's hospital bills till forever, it meant Josh didn't have to worry about never attending college or any University of his choice, ever. It meant I could also get to wear nice clothes too like other girls in college. Why hadn't I thought of this before now, why hadn't I thought of all the benefits this brought to me. It meant I didn't even have to work again a single day in my life but i could live healthy, eat at healthy and even sleep healthy too. Throwing anything that came into my sight away, I kept searching, I was now in my room still searching for the damn letter. I was almost done searching but still found nothing. Tears began to fall from my eyes as i began to cry still searching, I was done searching my room but found nothing. Still crying, I sank to the floor and leaned on the door. It was gone, the letter was gone. I drove my hand through my hair, I was doomed. What was I going to do now? I didn't even know what the words had been. I had purposely skipped the words. I cried more stretching forward on the floor to lie down. It all ended here. Is this how Josh was going to drop out of school and mum was gonna die because I couldn't provide anymore money for her medical bills? The thought of that brought more tears to my eyes. I squeezed them shut and cried more, when i finally opened them, that was when I saw the white paper under the bed. Sniffing, I went closer, put my hand under the bed and retrieved the paper. The Letter. I sniffed more wiping tears away from my eyes with my left hand, i began to unfold the paper. It was the letter, and I began to look for the word and finally I found it. "et nos unum sumus" I read out not even knowing what it meant. "et nos unum sumus. et nos unum sumus." I quickly repeated two more times. There. I had said it. I don't know what I was expecting, but nothing happened. No earth shattering sound, no earthquake, no nothing. Nothing happened to signify anything. Nothing except a mild wind that just whooshed pass me lifting my hairs as it passed and that was all. The wind I suspect might even be due to my open bedroom window. I sigh and sit down on my bed "Now what, Melissa?" ai asked myself. Nothing. Nothing but wait till the new month and see if this really worked or it had failed because I had not said it that day. Slowly, i got off the bed and began to arrange my scattered room. I'll wait. I'll wait and see what happens, I told myself. *** I was a few feet away from my house when I saw the envelope. Running, i quickly headed for my house. Truly, there was an envelope on my doorstep just like last month. The new month had began two days ago. After waiting the whole day on 1st and 2nd without getting or receiving any money, I had given up hope of it ever happening. I had then believed that it had failed since I hadn't said it that first day. But it was finally here. I opened the envelope and took a peek. Bundles and bundles of money. Looking around to be sure no one was watching, I quickly opened my door and rushed in locking the door again. I poured the content of the entire envelope on the table, five bundles of money each bundle containing a hundred thousand dollar. But that was all. No letter, no message, nothing. The only words were my name printed on the envelope: Melissa Juhel. *** *** I awoke shouting 'Wait!' with my right hand stretched out just like it's been happening for months now. The first dream had come an eve to my 21st birthday, that was when I first began to have the dreams. Of a voice, a familiar voice calling out for help, calling consistently on a name for help, only it wasn't my name she called. Zenobia. That's the name the familiar voice always called out to. But sadly, am always the only one around in what looked like a wilderness with only one building so high it disappeared into the sky. And the voice of the girl came from there. When I first had the dream, I had walked slowly while looking around until I would get to the only door the building had. But as soon as I unlocked it and was about to step in, a woman in white with her entire face hidden except her eyes, would always stop me saying "You are not ready." before slamming the door at my face. And as soon as she did that, i would wake up and I was back here. After some months passed and I kept having the same dream ending at the same point, I had decided that maybe I could not get in because I was slow at getting to the door. So the next time I had the dream, I ran. I ran until I got to the door, but the ending never changed. She still always slammed the door at my face after saying the same words. The ending was always the same no matter how fast I ran, just like few minutes ago. Desperate to get an understanding of what was happening or who the voice always called out to, I had checked the net for help. Zenobia. The only mention of that name on the net dated back to 260AD. A queen, a warrior queen who had been powerful and married to a man named Odaenathus king of the Palmyrene Empire, she had bore him a son named Vaballathus. After her husband was killed by a relative named Maeonius, Zenobia's son Vaballathus had inherited the throne with Zenobia as Regent. Zenobia had ruled successfully until she was defeated in a battle with a man named Aurelian, an emperor with a stronger force at the Battle of Immae known as one of the greatest and darkest battle in history. Some said Zenobia had been captured and taken to Aurelian who paraded her through the streets in chains in his celebration of triumph. Others say she never made it to Aurelian's camp having poisoned herself on the journey. But some others say she had successfully flee and eventually married a wealthy Roman man and lived out the rest of her life in a comfortable villa by Tiber river. That was all I had found out about this name. Could should be the one the voice has been calling out to? And why was i having dreams about it. Eager for more information i had searched up the name Astropos more than hundred times with no answer. I had given up trying to find out who it was after a year, I just kept receiving the money and waiting for the day we'll finally meet. Sighing, I wipe away the perspiration from my forehead that must have gathered while I was sleeping. That was when I heard the noise in the kitchen. "Josh!" I called stepping out of bed but I heard no response. Josh was now in Wayne state University, he had a house close to school but came home some days. I called one more time but still heard no response, yet noise continued. It was midnight, was it a robbery? With that thought, I picked up my hand hair drier and tiptoed off to the kitchen. I was about to slam the drier on the hooded head of the person bending into my food locker to get something when the head finally came up and I screamed, he screamed too raising both hands up. "Josh!" I called when i finally recognized it was him. He puts down the can of meat and takes off his headset. "Don't shoot!" He teased hands raised again. I roll my eyes putting down the drier. "What are you doing here, you scared me." "Am sorry, I was just hungry." Leaning on the table "When did you come home? "Few minutes ago." He says turning back to the food on the fire. "Josh what do I always say about night travels?" I ask folding my hands. "It's risky and dangerous. But nothing happened Mei." "Nothing happened until something happens one day. Remember Dad was-" "Mei !" He calls turning to face me. "I know what happened to Dad and I'll try not to let it happen to me. But am not Dad, am Josh, your brother. Nothing is ever gonna happen to me. Okay!" "Fine. What are you making?" I asked "Noodles. Want some?" I nodded. "I didn't expect to have you waking up anytime soon." He said returning to his cooking. I sigh jumping on the food locker. "I had a dream" I say shoving some hair behind my ear. He turns his face to look at me. "You're still getting those dreams?" I nod. "Exact dream?" "The same thing, the same time of the night every month." I say sighing. "Maybe you should see one of the Doctors at your hospital." "Tried the first few months, turned unhelpful. They all say am perfectly fine." "Salt" Josh requested hands stretched out. I pick up the salt container from behind me and threw it at him. He catches it, adds it to the pot of boiling whatever and throws back the container. "The marks, are they still there?" Josh asks. I pull up the hand of my night wear revealing the moon marks on my left hand. Josh moves closer and takes a look at them. "Does it keep disappearing after you wake up from the dream?" Josh ask returning to his cooking. "Yeah." "Maybe it's trying to something." I look up him. "How many do you have left?" He asks. "Four" .And in four months time you'll be Twenty-two. It happens every 23rd of the month at midnight." He points the spoon in his hand at me. "By 23rd midnight four months from now you'll be Twenty-two. The last moon will disappear after you wake up on your 22nd birthday. Don't you find that... puzzling?" I sigh. "I don't know but now you're saying it, it makes perfect sense. Do you think I should be worried?" I ask eyes on him. He smiles "Of course not,am sure nothing will happen." He turns and add some vegetables into the pot. "What's the plan for your birthday this year?" I shrug. "The usual. Spend half the day at the elderly home with mum and hang out with you in the evening." "You do realize Ladies hang out with their boyfriend's on their birthday and not their brother, right?" "Shut up." I say jumping off the locker and heading for the fridge. I take out a bottle of water and drink. "You seriously need a man in your life, Mei. A man other than me. You're young, beautiful and even rich thanks to all the money Dad left us." Yeah, i had told him I finally found out father's will and it turned out he had left is lots and lots of money which is why we are living the luxury life now. I lied, crucify me. But i bet even you wouldn't tell your brother you got money by pledging to become someone else or the entire weird scenario. "Arrrgh! " I squeak bending over. Suddenly my back hurts so much. Josh was beside me in no time "Are you okay,Mei?" He asked bending down too. "My back, it hurts. Check if i have a wound or something." I urge him pointing at the painful spot at my back . Standing up, he pulls down the neck line of my night wear until where i pointed was now uncovered. "Jeez Mei! Now when did you get a tattoo?" I turn to look up at him. "What tattoo?" I ask wincing in pain. "This moon tattoo, just like the one on your arm, but this one is bigger and white in color. Plus, it has three stars next to it. That's cool." "A moon and three stars?" I questioned. "Yep, right here where you say you're having pains. When did you get it done, still looks new i guess that's why you still feel pains." Josh says. I quickly walk over to the mirror i. the kitchen and turn my back. "Show me." I command Josh. He helps me pull down my night wear again until i too saw it. He was right, I had a half white moon on my back with three stars next to it. "Try to see if you can clean it Josh." I tell my brother. Josh walks off and returns minutes later with a wet towel. He begins to scrub that part of my skin with it but just like i had expected, it wasn't coming off. Three stars and a white half moon, I thought to myself. Where had i seen that before? That was when I recalled. I had seen it on one of the rare paintings of Zenobia on the internet. She had it on her right shoulder. *** The next two months wasn't so ordinary either, lots of strange things were beginning to happen. One of them was taking a short nap in my office at the hospital and waking up in my bed at the house, feeling all tired and worn out, with no idea how i had gotten home. The first few times it had happened i had thought my colleagues must have brought me home but when i asked the next day at work, all of them said I'd gone home myself. Now the problem is, I always had no memory of doing that, my memory always stop where i had rested my head on my table or on the chair rest. Now I tried stopping myself from always taking this rest but couldn't, even if i had an emergency or was at the operating room, I always found myself going back to my office and taking that rest as if someone was controlling me. At first I expected to receive a query from the hospital management but nothing of that sort happened. It was almost as if nothing has been going wrong or happening. That wasn't all. Last month after waking up due to the dream, i had decided to take a shower. I was bathing when I felt that sharp pain at my back again. Looking at my back through the mirrors on the wall, I discovered I now had an eye the size of an apple drawn on my back. Another mark. Two days ago i had that dream again, followed by the drawing of fire right under where the eye was. What is happening to me? What have I gotten myself into? I now felt different, lighter I'd say, but felt more strength in my hands. Like yesterday where I had squeezed my phone into broken pieces just because I held it too tight. I broke things easily now, almost as if i couldn't control the strength in my hands. What is going on? And why do i feel like this is a calm before a Storm? What is gonna happen on my 22nd birthday after the moons in my arm are all gone? What was going to happen to me? Astropos! Are you coming for me? *** "Congratulations on bagging your masters." Some nurses congratulated me as i walked pass the receptionist desk. "Thank you." I say with a smile. I had finally gotten my masters degree yesterday. This meant I could have my own operating room where i was in charge and the one giving orders. Way to go girl, we did it. I say mentally, patting myself as I unlock the door to my office. I smile as I put down my bag, take off my coat and hang it on coat hanger. I looked at the name plate on my table; Surgeon Melissa Juhel it read. I smiled proudly at myself. That was when I took notice of the envelope on the table. Opening it , I found a letter. "Congratulations. Astropos" That's all that was written on it. I quickly rushed outside to the receptionist next to my office. "Did I have any visitor?" I asked the lady. "No you didn't." "No one came looking for me? No one has been in my office since I left?" Worried eyes me, she shakes her head. "No one. Is there a problem Miss Juhel?" I faked a smile. "Not at all, get back to the patients. Thank you." There was no need inquiring further, I knew Astropos, at least I knew how he liked to come and go. The few months after the money started coming, I'd tried waiting at the door on the 3rd just so I can see whom so ever came to deliver the money to me, but I'd waited and waited and waited but saw no one. I had fallen asleep at one point, cause when i opened my eyes the envelope with the money was there right in front of me with no one in sight. The same thing had happened in the months that followed when i also tried. I had also fallen asleep and woken up to find the envelope there, I gave up trying. Astropos or whoever it is loves to come and go like the wind, so it's not strange, that must have been the same thing that had happened with the letter. ** Today is the 23rd of the month and i am nervous. Nervous and restless even at work, coming back home to an empty house I even felt much more restless. I tried calling Josh to get him to come over and spend the night with me but he was a couple of town away with friends on what he termed a School trip. Picking up my debit card and car key, I drove off to the mall. I needed coffee lots of coffee to keep me awake all night. On a second thought, I entered the book section of the mall and picked five books, I will be reading them tonight. Yes, that's another part of me I haven't told you yet, I love to read. Fantasy, Romance, Mysteries, anything as long as it captured or pricked my interest. It was few minutes pass nine when I finally grabbed a bowl of popcorn and plenty cups of coffee and climbed my bed. When it seemed I was finishing the coffee quicker than I thought, I grabbed the entire jug from the kitchen and took it to my room. I can't afford to sleep tonight! But I did. Despite all the reading and coffee I was drinking, I slept off. I don't know at what point or time I did, but here I was in that all too familiar wilderness again. So I did the next thing I knew I always did, I ran. I ran more faster than I usually do as though I was flying at some point. "No matter how fast you run, you're never gonna get in." I said to myself, the ending was always the same. But ... but only because I always do the same thing. So what would happen if I changed what I always did? Looking ahead I was already in front of the only door the skyscraper had. I moved my hand towards the door confused if I should unlock it or not, after some minutes passed and nothing happened, I decided to unlock it. But as soon as the veiled Lady in white appeared, before she could even open her mouth to speak those same words to me, I stretched forward my hand and pulled down her veil. There staring at me was my face. The veiled Lady smiled eyes on me. "Now you're almost ready." She said. Same eyes, same nose, same shape of the lips, same hair color, every curve and line was the same. And ... and same voice. How is this possible! Out of shock I screamed. I screamed even as I woke up at this end bolting into a sitting position. I was panting heavily. She was me, the lady behind the door is me. She looked like me and spoke like me. 'Now, you're almost ready' Those were the words she'd said to me. Ready for what? Or had she just said it because I had unveiled her face? Had her words changed because I had changed my actions? What did that mean or what would it mean in the future? And why for Earth's sake did she look like me!