Greedily, she sucked in a final cleansing breath, and pulled the handle down. Inside the door was a brass-plated box with another keyhole on the outside and a handle she used to pull the box from its place. The box wasn’t heavy and nothing clanked or moved around as she laid it carefully on the table.
“Your key will also open the box,” he said. “Unless you need anything else from me, I am going to excuse myself to give you some privacy.”
Pulling the chair out, she sat down. “Thank you.” Faintly, she heard the door latch click as Mr. Maryott retreated. “Here goes nothing.” She turned the key.
The opened lid revealed a silver bag similar to the inside lining of the backpack. Not finding the opening, she carefully pulled the bag from the brass box. The object inside was hard, somewhat round, and about a foot long, but she still had no clue as to what it could be. She pushed the box away and placed the silver bag on the table, hoping to find the opening. Grace inspected every square inch of it, which revealed no opening, no zipper, and no seam. What the heck?
Frustrated, Grace leaned over the bag. “Just open, darn it!” she said, forcing the words through tight lips. As if yelling at the dumb thing will open it, she added mentally. Almost ready to throw it across the room, she looked around for something that might cut or rip the bag. Her eyes found nothing, so she gave up and grabbed the bag, gripping the rounded thing inside.
And without fanfare, the end just fell open.
Grace all but dropped it on its side on the table, then sat gaping at the hole. There was no rip, or tear, and still no seam. It was just like the bag was made that way, with a seamless opening.
With her left hand, Grace gripped the smooth object and pulled the bag off with her right. Seeing it offered her nothing. It was definitely some kind of container. Maybe an antique of some kind?
The color was beautiful, but indescribable. It reminded her of periwinkle, but had an opalescent sheen. She flipped it over to see the bottom and then back to look at the top, slowly turning it in her hand to examine all around it. Suddenly, she felt a vibration run through her palms. Gasping, she dropped it in her lap.
Curious, she peered down at the container just as an iridescent shimmer rippled along its surface. Opaque holographic letters raised one at a time across the face as if it were introducing itself.
“Pandora?” she read aloud. “Is this some kind of joke?”
A voice spoke behind her. “I’m afraid not, child.”
Moving faster than she thought possible with instincts she didn’t know she had, Grace jumped from her seat and whirled around, holding the container protectively behind her back. Her body stiffened as she crouched into a defensive pose, ready for attack. Shocked at her own automatic movements, almost like muscle memory, Grace mentally shook her head but remained in position until she could assess the situation. Where in the world had the woman come from?
“They’ve chosen well,” the woman said with a smile. She stood a few feet away, her posture erect and proud in an almost regal way. Her arms dropped loosely in front of her, her fingers intertwined in a relaxed and nonthreatening pose.
Grace’s mind froze with surprise and confusion as she forced out, “Who are you?”
“I am Limye.”
Her senses, as well as the woman’s demeanor, convinced her that the woman was not a threat so she relaxed somewhat. Grace stood up straight, abandoning her defensive posture, but kept the container at her back. “Come again?”
The woman laughed in a grandmotherly sort of way, which was really disconcerting because she didn’t appear to be much older than Grace. She was very short, with long black hair pulled high at the crown of her head in a pony, dark chocolate eyes, and beautiful dark skin that almost seemed to glow. She was one of the most beautiful women Grace had ever seen.
“People usually have trouble with my name at first. It’s Lim-yay. Limye.”
“Why are you here, Limye?” Rudeness wasn’t normally part of Grace’s M.O, but she felt rather protective of the whatever-it-was behind her back. She didn’t understand it, but she knew to listen to her instincts.
“I’m a kind of Guardian. I’ve come to let you know you can call on me if ever you need.”