The Phantom of Scranton Hill

34

Justine didn't know whether to be angry or frustrated. Recently learning that Dax did, in fact, know he was trading his life for someone else's, someone innocent, made her frustrated. But the truth was hidden from her. He lied to her, and it made her angry. She hated being lied to, and he knew, but he did it anyway.

Fury raged in her eyes, steam spilling out from her ears like a train. "You knew this entire time?" she asked, though she already knew the answer. He nodded, his eyes glued to the coarse dirt in shame. "And you were okay with that? Being the reason for another's death?"

He shook his head frantically. "No, no, it wasn't like that. I swear."

"What if it was me? Huh? Or Charlotte?" she seethed, glaring at him with distaste. Justine scrunched her nose as if she ate something rotten.

"I," Dax couldn't come up with an excuse she'd accept. He slumped his shoulders.

"You have two minutes to explain," she lectured like a mother, crossing her arms over her chest. "Go."

"Okay, remember when I visited you in the hospital room a few months ago? After the earthquake," he scrambled to find the right words to begin with. Still, she nodded in understanding. "Well, I had originally told you that when my soul had traveled to the Underworld, my heart was weighed just like anyone else's on Judgement Day. Hades told me it wasn't pure, but it had a purpose." Dax looked toward the god beside him who was nodding his head as he leaned on his staff. "I told you that if I found that purpose within six months, then my life would be restored. If I didn't, I would be placed in the Fields of Asphodel like any other spirit for all of eternity."

"Why are you just repeating yourself?" she asked, throwing her hands down. "This is exactly what you told me that night!"

"Can you just listen?" he demanded, his voice quiet but compelling and persuasive. "I did have six months, J. I didn't lie about that. I just sort of left out the part where someone would have to take my place. I swear I didn't even know who it would be! Sure, it could have been you, or Charlotte, maybe your mother or father. Hell, it could've been my own father, if I would even call him that. I just... There's almost eight billion people on this earth. Never in a million years did I think it would be my brother!" He looked broken and misled, a crease of worry forming between his eyebrows. "Never did I think it would be my own brother."

"Hey, Justine?" Unusually quiet, Charlotte finally piped up. "Remember that tree you were drawing?" Justine's eyes grew wide in realization. "You drew a Myrrh tree. That can't be coincidental."

Justine was trembling. She was the baby that was practically given to her parents, and she didn't even know.

When were my parents going to tell me? she thought, indecisive on who to believe. Did they think I could just live my life without knowing that I was some magic miracle? Then it dawned on her that her mother didn't even know. Maybe the gods did some strange mind trick on her and warped her memories, she told herself, trying to calm her furious, erratic heartbeat. They're gods. Their magic was unlimited. Her mind began leading her on a dangerous trail of thought.

Dax reached out to touch her, but she backed away from the sudden movement. She shook her head vigorously, and he begged for her to let him explain further. "Let me show you my point of view, please!"

"What's there to explain?" Justine asked wistfully and heartbroken. "It's simple, so let me spell it out for you. You lied to me."

"Uh, yeah, I'm going to go now. So you two have fun." Hades, figuring out that his time here was done, snapped his fingers and dispersed in a cloud of black and purple smoke.

"Wait!" Dax yelled, running to where the god originally was, but before he could get to the tombstone, he was already gone. Dax groaned in irritation. The two began to argue simultaneously, not listening to the other's complaints and too busy screaming their own words to notice the background noise.