Frederick and Stacey still couldn't believe their ears. How in the world was it possible that the women they had grown to love and adore weren't their biological mothers.
"Today is really full of surprises." Frederick commented with a mock grin. "Words can't begin to express the ludicrousness of this news."
"Son, I know it's a lot to take in, but that's the truth." Louisa tried to calm him, but he kept pacing the length of Stacey's room and muttering to himself.
Stacey was too shocked for words. It seemed the words kept ringing in her head, but they weren't making sense to her.
"Stacey… Stacey… Honey?" Susan called out to her, jerking her out of her reverie.
"Mum, tell me that this is a cruel joke." She pleaded. The tears were already threatening to flow without restraint.
"I'm afraid it's not, my angel. Just so we are clear, this doesn't change anything. You are still my daughter."
Frederick took things up by a notch. "So, Dad," turning to Henry, "who and where is my mum?… the biological one." He added with sarcasm.
Henry's countenance fell immediately. "She is dead, Fred."
"Mine is too, I guess?" Stacey asked. There was a tinge of accusation in her tone.
"Yes, she is. She died a little after you were born."
The agony in James' voice was so tangible, that it broke Stacey all the more. The tears now came streaming down uncontrollably.
Frederick looked out of the window, to fight his own tears. "So, how did they die?" The die has already been cast; the least they could do was to find some suitable explanation to ease the confusion.
"And does this tattoo have anything to do with their demise?" Stacey asked, her voice flat.
Henry cleared his throat and sat down close to James. They looked like they needed each other's support. Louisa and Susan were already seated at the foot of Stacey's bed, while Frederick leaned against the immaculate white wall, with an expressionless face.
As the men got ready to recount their stories, pin drop silence enveloped the entire room.
"I will go first." James offered. "Stacey dear, I'm sorry I kept this away from you but trust me it was all for the best.
"Let me be the judge of that." Came her cold reply. The pain is her head was nothing compared to the emotional turmoil she was going through at the moment.
"Fine. Your mum's death was shrouded in mystery." He paused for a few seconds before proceeding. "For starters, days into her third trimester, she kept saying that she was being watched. I didn't understand that, and I felt it was just the pregnancy hormones messing with her so, I waved it off; but then her paranoia only worsened. I was compelled to tighten the security around the house and made sure she was never left alone."
"Did it stop? I mean, her complaints."
Yes, for a while it did. But tragedy struck, just two weeks after your birth. I came home to discover that she was lying in the pool of her own blood. I quickly rushed her to the hospital, but she was already dead."
Stacey shook her head, sorrowfully. She was trying so hard to put the story together.
"What happened after that?"
"I ordered for an autopsy, but it wasn't traced to anything. No underlying illness, and no scratch. The shocking part was when I discovered that the same mark on your arm was equally on her body. It just appeared out of nowhere."
"This is ridiculous. Did she have any complication after my birth?"
"Not at all. She was in perfect health when the doctors certified her to come home."
"So what could have happened?" She asked no one in particular.
"After we laid her to rest, I started digging into both her death and the mark on her body. There was no time to mourn her properly. I needed answers."
"And that's how our paths crossed." Henry said, taking over from James. He looked at Frederick but the young man was lost in thoughts. "Frederick?"
"Just go on, Dad. I am all ears." He replied without batting an eyelid.
"Okay. Your mum before her death, was an archeologist and a historian. She took up several research projects for a couple of universities in the country, and even for her personal quest for knowledge."
"Interesting."
"Yeah, she was a very interesting woman. At one time, she started researching into this hidden organisation. She got so involved in their affairs, that I got worried, but she assured me that it wasn't a problem."
"Did she tell you why exactly she was doing the research?" Frederick interrogated.
"Not really. The thing is that your mum was strong willed and she never stops her projects half way, till she has uncovered all that she needed to unravel. So I never interfered with her work. I only worked with what she shared with me."
Fred nodded pensively, "okay."
"Everything was going according to plan, until the day I visited her office and I was greeted by her lifeless body. The entire office was turned upside down, with many things broken, as well. Seems that they were looking for something. That was how I decided to investigate the cause of her death but one thing was sure; it was linked to the secret group she was prying into and their symbol sort of."
"Symbol?" Fred enquired. His mind was already putting one and one together but he didn't want to jump the rope, so he followed closely.
"Yes. The same one that was found on Stacey's mum and that is now engraved on Stacey's arm."
Stacey shuddered. "This is really creepy. My head hurts."
"Did you involve the police?"
"Of course, I did. Much to my disappointment and surprise, the case file was closed off like it was never reported."
Frederick raked his fingers through his hair exasperatedly. "Ahh... I need a drink."
"I will send for the butler." Susan announced before excusing herself.
"Thank you, Ma'am."
"Now sorry to cut you short, but from what you are saying. This so called organization is deadly and they have a symbol, which I now bear on my body?"
"Yes, dear. But… there's something strange about yours."
"You mean more strange than this crazy ass story is?"
"Yes. Your mother's mark didn't glow like yours. Hers just looked like black ink."
"And what does that imply?" Stacey asked, studying her arm.
The two men looked at each other, then shook their heads. "We do not know."
"Great! Just great! More mystery and uncertainty is just what we need." She replied, rolling her eyes. "Please, Mr. August, do go on with your tale."
Susan reentered the room, with the butler following behind. He carried a tray bearing a decanter with a pan of ice and five glasses. He set it down on the table, close to the double sofa, and exited the room as calmly, as he entered. Fred poured some of the bourbon into a glass and threw three ice cubes into it. Henry and James did same and Henry continued his narration.
"As hoping on the cops to do the needful, presented a bleak picture, I opted for a private investigator. The agency I contacted happened to be the one James had contacted to delve into the mystery that surrounded his wife's death too. So one thing led to the other and we had to meet with the detectives to review the proceedings."
Stacey wasn't getting the full picture yet. A lot was still puzzling to her, and she wasn't going to stop till she got the answers she needed. "So how exactly does this affect my going to the hospital?"
"Apparently the organization has its finger in every pie in this country… virtually all sectors. Education, politics, business, security, and what have you. Not just that they are involved in everything, they are equally well positioned. As such, there is hardly anything that escapes their eagle vision."
"Meaning going to the hospital will be exposing myself further to their grasp."
"Exactly." Louisa lent her voice. "I wish we could explain better."
Fred had already guzzled three glasses of bourbon, before he finally rocked the boat once again. "I get how this whole thing relates to Stacey, but what does it have to have to do with me? Can someone now tell us why we are getting married? I think now is the best time to trash it all out."
Stacey listened keenly for the response to Fredrick's question. She too needed to know what he had to do with anything… other than the fact that she was researching the symbol.
"It's a long story, Freddy."
"We have all night, don't we? I clearly remember you saying we're sleeping over." Fred blurted. " Or do you have an objection, Stacey?"
"Not at all. I share your sentiment on this one. I really want to know, too."
Henry heaved a sigh, "very well then. According to one of your mum's notes on the findings about the said organization. They have an interest, and it's something really big, but your marriage is one way to stop them from achieving that."
"What's this interest?" Frederick pressed.
"It's not so clear to us, but your Mum is of the opinion that ensuring marriage between blood lines like yours and Stacey might nip their plan in the bud."
"What do you mean by bloodlines like ours? Or did I miss a part where you mentioned our mothers being acquaintances?"
"No. They were not friends."
"So, how does she know anything about Stacey's 'bloodline'?" Fredrick asked making air quotes around bloodline.
"It's a long genealogical history. Your mother had a theory, and like we've already stated, we do not understand the entirety of it. But somehow, my wife's family name was a part of some ancient genealogy that was part of your mother's research." James tried to explain.
"And the research suggested a union between the two bloodlines as a possible way to salvage things."
Stacey let out a nervous chuckle, "Let me get this straight, you want us to gamble our lives away on an inconclusive research? That's unheard of."
"How in the world is that even done in this modern world."
"Listen, we are not happy to force marriage down your throats, but if there is any possibility- even a modicum of it, that this marriage will save both your lives, then so be it." Henry said with a note of finality, and a little bit of fear.
"What does the mark even mean?" Susan asked after minutes of contemplating.
"It's called Sigillum Ignis." Louisa replied.
"What language is that? Sounds like Latin," Stacey said, looking at Fredrick's mother curiously.
"It is Latin for Seal of Fire."