Guardian of the Fountain by Jennifer Bryce

Brant.”
    “Oh…Do
you know about him?” Chrissie didn’t look over to Brant, but kept her eyes on
Dr. Wilson.
    “Yes,
some.” Dr. Wilson rubbed his forehead. “I think we’ve been set back a little
bit. I was right. Your body can’t handle too much stress.” He turned to speak
to Brant, “I think you need to get her home and into the water as soon as
possible.”
    Brant
walked out into the empty lobby and called Arturo on a cell phone. “I messed
up. She knows. I need you to come get her from the clinic. I don’t think she’ll
come home with me.” He hung up before Arturo could respond.
      Within a few minutes, Arturo pulled up in
the trusty blue Datsun. Chrissie climbed into the passenger side and slammed the
door. She sat quietly, staring off in the opposite direction from Brant.
      “She’s really mad,” Arturo glumly
commented.
    “I
should’ve known she would be. She hates secrets. I’m going back for my car. I’ll
meet you at the mansion.” Brant turned and stalked back toward the clinic
parking lot to his truck.
    * * *
    Arturo
drove quietly to the mansion.
    “He’s
the Guardian, isn’t he?” Chrissie thought out loud.
    “Sí,”
Arturo softly replied.
    “The
Guardian, the man in the hall, and the person who sent for me are all Brant?”
    “Sí.”
Arturo kept his eyes on the road.
    “Why
does he care so much about me?”
    “That
is something he will have to tell you. I won’t even mess with the blindfold
anymore.” Arturo drove much faster than he had on the way down. Chrissie could
see the tension lines on his face, but he was silent for the rest of the ride.
    From
the base of the mountain, the dirt road wound up fifteen minutes into the
jungle until it reached a waterfall. Arturo inched the car close to the side of
the mountain and slid the car behind the waterfall and through a dark cave for
about two hundred feet and back out the other side into the light. The road
continued on for another thirty minutes, and then the mansion came into view
out on a cliff.
    As
they pulled into the garage, Chrissie noticed the truck that had been there before
was gone. She jumped out of the Datsun before Arturo had time to open her door
and went into the mansion, running up the stairs and into her room. She slammed
the door shut and flopped down on her bed. She heard a truck door close, then muffled
voices from downstairs. She buried her head into the pillow and screamed in
frustration.
    A
soft knock sounded at the door. “Mija? Are you okay?” María’s voice sounded
concerned.
    “I’m
fine,” Chrissie lied, but so had everyone else, she rationalized.
    María
opened the door and sat next to Chrissie on the bed. “Mija, you should come
down and talk to Brant. He is trying to get the courage to talk to you.” María
smoothed down Chrissie’s hair. “Men—the biggest bebés I know.” She
sighed. “He is completely broken.”
    “Everyone
has been keeping secrets from me. I’m tired of being left in the dark.” Tears
streamed down Chrissie’s cheeks, “I came here on blind faith. I trusted all of
you! I need answers now. Something to hold on to.” She grabbed her pillow and
squeezed it tight into her chest.
    “Follow
me.” María peeled Chrissie off the bed and pulled her down the hall and down
the stairs. The library doors were open. Arturo sat quietly in a chair. Brant
sat in a large leather office chair with his head down on the desk.
    María
and Chrissie entered the room, and he stood up behind his desk. “Chrissie,” he
whispered. His eyes lit up at the sight of her.
    “Brant
has something he wants to say to you, mija,” María began. “It might come as a
shock.”
    “It
would be hard to beat what I just saw.” Chrissie sat down in front of the desk
in an armchair. She felt like she was getting ready for a job interview. Brant
walked around the desk and knelt down at her feet, not touching her. His
sorrowful eyes looked up at her, begging her for