AM, PM

chapter 10

Chapter 10

Aiden

"I've been digging for hours, Jonathan. When the hell are we going to get there?" I throw at his face, which is Ronald's as well. Ron told me that his twin brother, Jon, would accompany me here in Provence. (It took strength of will to not laugh at the rhyming of their names.)

"I told you it was buried deep. You got yourself into this," Jonathan says with a smirk as he munches on his crème glacée. I'm the one digging in this burning sun and he thinks he deserves a big bowl of ice cream.

"No, actually, a goddamn century long curse did this to me," I say, still digging. "Now, can you help me 'cause I think I..."

A loud sound of metal on metal resonates. I go for another dig, but am stopped by something strong and rough.

I throw the shovel away and jump in the hole I dug out. With my hands, which have been shaking since last night from the lack of any food, I push away the compounded soil surrounding it and pull a little copper and aluminum box out. Probably the size of one of my textbooks just with a superior height.

I put it on the grass so that Jonathan could see as well.

I reach out to open it when Jon slaps my hand away.

"Not here and not now. Fill up this hole and meet me back at the house."

"Are you serious?"

"Goodbye for now." He salutes me. He starts to walk away when I hear: "Don't get heatstroke."

I flash my middle finger behind him before I get to work.

***

Once I have cleaned away the dirt off my hands and the box, I walk into Jonathan's office where his guests, including Ron, are waiting for me.

"So, this is Mr. Aiden Ozim, huh?" one of the older men says with a smirk.

"That's me."

Some conversation goes between the rest of the men while Ron, Jon and I wait silently for them.

Once they realize they aren't the only people in the world and that there are more important matters in hand, they sit back in their chairs and wait for us to speak.

"So," Ron starts. "I will explain Aiden's real story for whoever doesn't know it and had heard rumors, perhaps. The curse is said to make the Ozim be forgotten, but somehow it went the other way around. When the Asli caster was shown the image of the person to cast the spell on it was the member of the Asli family Aiden was destined to fall in love with. Aiden believed her after. He helped her and since the feelings came rushing back, he needed to save her from the death the curse imposed on her so he left her, he came here. Because he knows that he needs to find some other way to break the curse. Or else he needs to stay here."

"So to all of the gentlemen saying that Aiden ran away because he raped her or that he is a coward who is afraid of death and he actually knows Layla and is faking it, you're all dead wrong and absolutely stupid. "

I send Ron a smile.

"Now Aiden, if you please, could you explain what you have been searching for the past week?"

"Certainly."

Jonathan's office is a very large one, though most of the space is taken up by the book shelves surrounding us on every wall. All the furniture is antique, dark brown and gold. He lives in a custom made condo on the side of the river in the middle of nowhere, just outside Provence. I have been here for a week already and I still haven't seen all of his property.