Tree of Life - Book 1

Chapter 1: Faces and Thorns

Who could know who all the faces belonged to? The cover of the book seemed ancient, and each leaf was as brittle as age itself. Page after page of branches, roots, faces. A hundred families —a thousand!

But Bethany had no idea who they were or why the book in which their histories were trapped had been so meticulously and carefully stored in her late father's attic. There were no names, just beautifully detailed sketches of faces caught in a hundred watercolor expressions: one looked angry, the face in the top of the tree seeming to glare down at her; a few pages later, an old man was caught in the throes of a faded heartbreak.

Bethany was naturally curious about the book. In the weeks since she has found it, however, her curiosity had become near-obsession—a very private obsession. She was jealous of it and asked questions or did research only obliquely.

Three weeks after finding the book, she had a dream. In it, she opened the book to a random page. Instead of yet another family tree full of unknown faces, it was a single eye among a thicket of bruise-purple thorns. Bethany touched the page, and the eye opened. Words seeped into her mind like sepia stains.

Family, fountain, Neptune, flood;
Find who is missing or all ends in blood!

Blood began pouring from the eye and dripping from the thorns. Bethany screamed herself awake and was frightened to find she was holding the book tightly— protectively— in her bed. Frightened... but not surprised.

That was Wednesday. On Friday, with a supreme effort, she had taken it to dinner at Rosario's, where the whole family met once a month. She showed it to them, careful to let no one else touch it; but they were no help.

"That one looks a little my great grandmother's sister, Enida," her mother had said skeptically. "But the rest of them..." She trailed off and shrugged apologetically.

No one in her family seemed to know who they were; but someone did seem to know Bethany had the book.

MEET FIVE O'CLOCK AT FOUNTAIN GATE.
BRING BOOK OF FACES, I GIVE YOU ANSWERS.
BEWARE: THE THORNS ARE REAL.

The text had appeared on her phone without even notifying her with it's usual obnoxious "ping." There was no originating number, and no response to her repeated replies. Somehow, however, Bethany knew she mustn't refuse.

Should I have really come alone? she thought as she stood on the street corner across from Centrepoint Park, staring at the archway that led to the focal point of the park, the "Maidens of Neptune" fountain.

She saw no one sinister; nor did she have any intuition of danger. In fact, sure saw no one at all, which was not unusual this late in the year. There was only cold brick and an empty pool in the freezing December twilight.

The sound of footsteps directly behind her startled her. She hugged the book tightly to her chest and looked down at her watch: 4:56.

Word Count: 507