Men of the Cave (Symbol of Hope Series) by Marisette Burgess Page A

need to lie down?” Beatriz said, stroking back a few strands of hair.
    “Papa, here comes Doctor Kleon.” Garcia looked out toward the street. The world stopped spinning when I heard that. I looked up to see Max, Dion, Antony, John, and Martin sauntering toward the restaurant.
    I dropped the glass. Tiny pieces of crystal splatter across the floor at my feet. I watched the Kleon brothers as if they were in slow motion walking up to us. John and Martin were, breathing, walking, and alive. Their faces looked stone serious and concerned. This couldn’t be. Was I crazy? What the hell was going on? Was I even breathing? I took a quick look at the other brothers and they all had the same quizzical expression.
    “Ah, Doctor Kleon. Please come. Kasey is not feeling well,” Fernando said as they approached.
    Max Kleon knelt down beside me, “Kasey, take slow steady breaths.” He grabbed my wrist to take my pulse. “You are ice cold. Please, calm yourself,” he said.
    The way he said it and the way all the Kleons looked at me, they knew. They knew what I had seen. I couldn’t be here. I pulled my hand away, forced myself up and ran out. I had to get away from them. They were mad! Or was it me? My ribs protested, and my legs barely worked. I headed down the sidewalk with a determined, but wobbly, stride.
    “Kasey, wait…” It was Dion. I wanted to stop. I wanted him to hold me. But I couldn't, and I sped up. I didn’t look back. Then out of nowhere, I felt his grip on my forearm. He jerked me to a stop.
    “Please. Let me help, or you will make yourself ill.”
    I wouldn’t look at him. I began to cry. He pulled me close, and I collapsed burying my face in his chest.
    “Everything will be alright,” he said as he stroked my hair. I believed him. I believed his words.
    After I stopped trembling he whispered, “Come, let us go somewhere and talk.”
    I let him take my hand and lead the way. My body didn’t protest. I followed him willingly. We walked in silence until we came to a road that followed the cliff’s edge. Between the road and the cliff, a three foot stonewall went for miles. We walked the road for a while and then sat on the wall. The crashing waves below us were loud, but calming. Inhaling and exhaling the air felt pure. I sat next to him. We both stared out across the water.
    “Tell me what happened, Kasey,” he said serious.
    I recalled his brother lying dead on the forest floor. I didn’t want to cry, “I must be crazy.” My voice sounded distant even to me. Had I lost my voice?
    He looked at me and smiled, “You are not crazy. I promise.”
    “You know what I saw, don’t you?” I challenged.
    “Why not tell me what you saw, and we will go from there.”
    Still uncertain, but wanting to trust him, I took a deep breath and explained what I had seen.
    He interrupted before I finished, “Did you see any blood?”
    “What?” I snapped.
    “Did you see any blood?” he asked again in the same monotone voice.
    I summoned up the memories of the gladiator fight. I tried to remember and realized he was right. It was a very clean scene, no blood.
    “I don’t understand how…” I whispered.
    “Kasey, the world as you know it, is not what it seems.” He stared across the ocean.
    “What do you mean? What’s going on Dion?” I demanded.
    “Kasey, before I explain what you saw, there are a few things you need to know.”
    Where is he going with this?
    He continued, “God does exist and oversees the heavens currently, but that was not always the case. Thousands of years ago, many gods once governed the heavens and Earth…”
    “Dion are you going to tell me this is some kind of freakish religious thing!”
    He rolled his eyes, “Simply hear me out. History as humans presumed happened is not entirely factual. Everything you think is a myth or legend, most likely happened.”
    “What are you talking about?” Was he trying to get out of explaining why his dead brother isn’t dead?
    “God