THE BOOK OF SECRETS BY TRISTAN SNOW

CHAPTER 3

I hurry my steps, constantly looking over my shoulder, just to make sure no-one Is following me, if this is one of Marcus's last notes, I want to take it more seriously, It could be something I can give to his wife as a last gift or something, I hail a black cab when I get a few streets from the pub, and make my way to my safe place, The Tower of London, Marcus and I discussed this at great lengths once, about how medeival it used to be and he deemed It my safe place, we laughed about how many tourist people go there now , so Its not really safe anymore. Once I made It there, It was closed, I should have thought of that before I made my way here, so I tell the driver to take me home instead, when I reach It, theres a police car outside, so I tell the driver to let me out on the opposite side of the road, I dont even know why, I just felt something In my stomach that told me to do It, I pay the driver and head to the little inlet in the street and hide inside, a minute later the policeman comes out taking Sally by her arm and dragging her to the car, I'm about to contest, when I hear him say.

"Look I know one of you has the box, and I want it, so I'm gonna take you to the station where I can get the answers I want".

"Shit" I say quietly "What did you steal Marcus".

I wait till they've gone vowing to her, get her out later, and make my way to the house.

Once I step inside I immediately know something is off, there is stuff flung everwhere.

"Crap, crap ,crap" I say looking around, this place is trashed.

I pull my phone and call Malcolm.

"Hello" he says

"Malcom, a policeman took Sally to the station, dont ask why, even I'm not sure yet, the house has been ransacked, he wants some box, can you get her out of jail for me, I've somewhere I need to be, I'll owe you one, please", I dont have to do anything , just to avoid that cop, I need a safe place to be, and find out what's in this dam box, and Malcom would be safer if he didn't know I have it.

"Its late, but yes Its Sally, I'm on my way, keep me posted" and Malcolm cut the call.

Funny I didnt tell him which station, but i'll shelve that for now, for now I need to get somewhere safe, I look up numbers for hotels near the Tower of London, I find a few and get and reserved room in one and call a taxi rank to come pick me up.

Once Inside the taxi, I tell him to pull up a few streets form the hotel and pay him, and quickly still looking over my shoulder every now and then, just to be sure no one is following me, and get to the hotel, I pay for the room with cash, and silently make my way to the elevators, hunters face pops in my mind as I enter the lift and the doors close and I punch in my floor number, his face now gone.

I quickly make my way to my room and inside, I close the curtains and lock myself in the bathroom, put the box on the closed toilet seat, I sit on the edge of the bath just looking at it, contemplating whether I should open it now or at the Tower in the morning.

With clamy hands, I rub them on my jeans, "what to do, what to do" I say to no one.

"Fuck it" curiosity wins out, " I'm near my safe place, if it has something to do with the Tower I can always go there in the morning once I've opened the box", I reason to my self.

I grab the box, turning it over in my hands, It's a chinese puzzle box, I start to move the edges slightly moving the box as I go pushing more edges, twisting it this and that, till I hear it click, "Easy even for you Marcus" I say to myself, I've been taught since I was little, how to open all sorts of boxes with hidden entrances and hidden panels in them, my dad used to have me practise all the time, he would treat it like a game, and when he was taken away from me , Hunter and I used to pass messages back and fourth in class with them , knowing the teacher could never open the box, it infurated quite a few and we had a lot of dentention because of it.

I take a deap breath, and open the box

There's 2 letters inside one addressed to me and another blank, a library card and a plane ticket "Not so scary a policeman would want it, maybe he really really needs a holiday and a book to read while hes there, what are you up to Marcus".

I pull out the ticket and the library card and set them aside, I pick up the letter adressed to me, its Marcus's handwriting, so I quickly check the back just to make sure there's nothing I would rip through and open the letter

Dear Eve

so much has happened, they know I know now,

Jeeze this is harder than I thought it would be

go to America, go to my home ask Samantha for the code to my safe there

SORRY SWEETY, REMEMBER I LOVE YOU, ALWAYS

stay safe these are dangerous times

Marcus

"Well shit", what can he be sorry for" I muse, then take out envelope number 2

EVE

I know what your thinking, why the hell is he writing me a letter

If you hadn't have run off so quickly, I would have told you that watching you run away from me, was THE WORST I HAVE EVER FELT IN MY LIFE, the moment you went through that door, I realised it was the worst mistake I ever made, because you were taking my heart with you.

come home baby please

I miss you like crazy and you've only been gone 30 minutes

Love Hunter

"What the actual fuck , I'm sorry my arse Marcus, why did you never give me this f-in letter, whats in that safe better explain why".

In my anger , I kick the box, which I had placed on the floor earlier, and a panel falls loose.

Inside it , is a tile with scribe writing on it , that looks like it dates back to before the Egyptians, I study it, turning it, this way and that, wonderinng if I can get into my office to determine the date, It looks like slave writing to me, but I need to sure of its authentisity, but if there watching my home, then they will definitely be watching my work for sure, I muse over.

"What to do, what to do" I say to myself.

"Ticket to another country it is".