Battle Against Sphinx

Chapter - Thirteen

Julia

After miles' confession, we all sat silent . We did not utter a word. Miles went back to staring outside the window. Far away into something. Zara and Paxton were walking around and whispering for a while. I guess they both are getting along well. I sat at my place not at all moving.

It was a hard thing to digest. I so wish Julian was with me. I miss him. The other thing I could not understand was how could miles trust us so much. I decided to ask him. I went up to him and stood before him resting my hands on the railing and following his gaze outside.

“What’s up photographer?” he asked trying to lighten the mood. “Nothing much. I just wanted to talk to you” I said not looking at him. “Hmm, I sense that you want to ask me few questions?” he asked me and I nodded. “Ask away” he said and I looked at him staring back at the view ahead.

“You said you were so young. Like three or four years of age. How do you remember the event?” I asked him. “I don’t know. Maybe guilt. I don’t remember the whole thing properly. I just remember it in bits and pieces. Just the fact that I saw him and then pushed him.” He said.

“Hmm, how do you trust us so much? So much that you willingly just confessed about your crime?” I asked him. “ I don’t know. Firstly, we have no one else but us. Us four. We have to rust each other and move on. We can’t just sit blaming or cribbing , that’ll do nothing but waste time. Secondly I think I wanted to vent. I wanted to let everything out. I had to tell someone , so I did.” He said. I did not have the courage to look at him .

“ Did you face the punishment for your crime?” I asked him. “If you mean the punishment given by the law, the judge? Then no. I did not. I didn’t even remember how I escaped all that. But if you mean the punishment given by the nature, the law of nature ? Then yes , I did suffer a lot. Nightmares, depression, a heart heavy of guilt.” He said.

He then looked at me. “Don’t you have any such incidents? I was wondering about that. I don’t know , the previous two riddles focused on only one of us. Only on one of our past. In that sense even this should be that way. The only target must be me. But I have this strong feeling that it isn’t. That it involves more than me. Maybe , I’m just not sure about my instincts” he said.

“ I’m not sure.” I said. It was the answer to both of his questions. I went back and sat down. Both Zara and Paxton had already come. “How is he?” Paxton asked me. “He is fine” I said. I saw from the corner of my eye that he was coming towards us. He just sat down. “ Let’s not think about this too much? Shall we eat?” he asked and we all nodded. We took the veggies and started munching.

Even though I agree with all the things miles said that emptiness is still haunting me. He is really brave and naïve . I could not believe or trust anyone here just from the amount of time I’ve spent with them and trust them with such a big secret. I can not trust them and tell them anything like this at this time.

“By the way , miles you are the only one left to give us the intro. Tell us about yourself” Zara asked him. “ Ok. I’m seventeen years old. I love art and painting. I aspire to become a painter and showcase my paintings in an art museum. That is one of my dreams. I love solo trips.” He looked at me when he said that. “And I love that because it helps me in knowing myself. Something like soul searching. I love…” he stopped abruptly and I saw him staring at something .

Near the edge of a closed window was a neatly folded envelope. “ I guess our next letter is here” he said and went to bring it. He sat down again and slowly opened the envelope.

' Hello my lovelies,

Hope the CLIFF brought back good memories?

Did you lovelies have nightmares? Were you scared?'

I could feel him laugh after telling those words. I clenched my fists into balls and sat still until miles finished.

' Anyways, I see that my lovely dove miles confessed . Good job kiddo. I expected that from the brave boy. Now, moving on you guys have to go to the window on the right and throw the empty bowl straight downwards. It’ll go and hit a lever. That’ll open up a door for you. Get inside and then you know the drill.

By the way rush off after the door opened because it’ll be open only for a whole minute.

Your riddle is:- 

It is like you and unlike you

Not everyone has it. Only a few Lucky ones

They are either two halves which should have been one or two different fulls.

It is the one who loves you the most of everything.

Good luck my lovelies '