As the cake was wheeled away to be surgically cut into the perfect triangle-shaped pieces, a triumphant horn blew from outside. A murmur rippled through the crowd. The Shadowbox had arrived.
As everyone held their breath in anticipation of the presentation of the famed metal box, I swallowed down my resentment. I hated all this pomp and ceremony. It was a bitter reminder that on my eighteenth birthday, I hadn’t received a Shadowbox. Although the magic box was supposed to be delivered to every child across the world on their eighteenth birthday, that momentous, blessed event had missed me entirely. And I wasn’t sure why.
A hush fell over the congregation, as a dignitary of the Gods dressed in a traditional Greek white robe carried the metal box in on a clay platter. Fig leaves embroidered his grab was embroidered along the edges. I craned my neck and jostled for position with others to get a better view of the box as it made its way to the front of the room.
Even during my time at the orphanage, I’d heard about the boxes—no kid grew up without hearing about them—but the reality of one paled in comparison to any elaborate story. Maybe they weren’t the myths I’d thought them to be. But just because the Shadowboxes were real, didn’t mean the rest of it was.
The Shadowbox was breathtaking. Constructed from bronze and inlaid with gold and silver, it seemed to glow with its own radiance. Beside me, someone gasped as the dignitary stopped in front of Callie, presenting her with the gift.
Now that it was closer, I could see the motifs engraved with painstaking detail into the metal: symbols of the Gods. The lightning bolt of Zeus, the star of Hera, the rose of Aphrodite, the wolf of Ares. I could see those plain as day. I imagined on the other side would be the moon of Artemis and the sun of Apollo, along with another six symbols to round out the pantheon.
Callie looked at her mother and father to get their permission to open the box. They both nodded. Before she could open it though, she needed to give her thanks to the Gods. It was tradition.
“I thank Thee, mighty Gods. To those who dwell in Olympos, apart from man yet always a part of our lives. To those who dwell in city, forest, stream, river, sky, and ocean and guard all realms, I thank Thee for your blessings and hope to be worthy of the call.” Her voice cracked as she spoke, and I almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
Slowly, she reached for the box. When she picked it up, many in the audience gasped. I wasn’t sure what they were expecting; maybe for light to shoot out of it, but that wasn’t what happened. It might’ve been Callie had been expecting that as well, because her face fell a little with disappointment.
Lifting the lid, she peered inside. Her hand gave a slight tremble as she reached inside and drew out the tiny rolled-up scroll fastened with a gold ribbon. I could see her throat working as she swallowed nervously while she untied the ribbon and unfurled the weathered, yellowing parchment.
As Callie read the message written on the scroll, her cheeks reddened. Obviously, she didn’t receive the message she’d been expecting.
“What does it say, darling?” Her mother craned her long neck trying to read over her daughter’s arm.
Callie nudged her mother away as she threw the box to the ground and ran out of the room. Some of the guest murmured at Callie’s shocking behavior. Frankly, it didn’t surprise me in the least. Smiling, Mrs. Demos nodded to the five-piece band set up in the corner, and music filled the room. She gestured to the partygoers.
“Let’s get on the dance floor everyone. This is a party, for Dionysus’s sake!”
She grabbed my arm, pulling me close. “Go find Callie and tell her to get her butt back in here and make her apologies. She doesn’t want to offend the Gods.” She gestured to the box on the ground near her feet. “Take that with you.”
I snatched it up, shocked to feel an instant tingle on my fingers. I thought the metal would feel cool to the touch, but there was a heat radiating from it enveloping my fingers and creeping up my hands to my wrists.
I found Callie out on the terrace smoking. She didn’t look at me as I stepped up beside her.
“Are you okay?”
She kept puffing. “I can’t believe after all the offerings we’ve made to the temples, and all the charity work my parents do…” She shook her head. “And I get a stupid birthday blessing and not an invitation to the academy.”
“Yeah, that totally sucks.” I wanted to roll my eyes at her entitled behavior, but didn’t want to invoke her rage.
She whipped around to glare at me. “I’m the perfect candidate. I’m everything they need at the academy. I would have been one of their best soldiers.”
“Your mother told me to tell you to come back inside and apologize to your guests.” I held the Shadowbox out to her. “Here’s your box back.”
She slapped it away, and I nearly dropped it. “I don’t want it. You can fucking burn it for all I care. I don’t ever want to see it again!”
She ground out her cigarette on the railing and then stormed back into the house. I watched her leave, feeling anger welling inside me. Callie acted like a spoiled child, which I supposed she was. And one of the cleaning staff was going to get in trouble over the damage she just did to the wooden railing. If it ended up being Sophia, I was most definitely going to say something.
Tired of the theatrics of the party, I snuck out of the house with the box and crossed the garden to the small cottage on the edge of the estate where I lived with Sophia. Screw Callie. I wasn’t going to burn the box. If anything, I could hock it and probably get thousands for it.
Careful not to wake Sophia, who was likely already asleep in bed, as she’d left the party early after working hard for three days to plan the celebration, I crept through the house to my small bedroom.
“You don’t have to creep, I’m not sleeping.”
Hiding the Shadowbox behind my back, I turned toward the small living room to see Sophia sitting in her chair near the window with knitting needles in her hands, and a ball of red wool in her lap.
“Why are you in the dark knitting?” I smiled at her.
“It relaxes me. There’s too much going on in my head to go to asleep.”
“Did you hear about Callie?”
She clucked her tongue. “Yes, I heard. Spoiled girl. Some days I don’t know how Mrs. Demos puts up with her.”
She gestured to the floor by her feet where I usually liked to sit and listen to her tell stories about her and my parents when they were children. “Come sit with me. Tell me everything you got up to today. Did you get a piece of cake? I heard it was delicious.”
“No, I didn’t get a piece. Not surprising with all the commotion going on.” I feigned a yawn. “I’m going to go to bed. It’s been a long night.”
“Okay, my darling. Have sweet dreams.”
“Sweet dreams.” I took a few steps backward, then whipped around with the box so I could duck into my room without her seeing it.
I quickly got out of the jumpsuit, careful not to get it dirty, and put on a pair of sweatpants and an old tank top that had several holes in it from wear and tear over the years. Money was tight for us, so I didn’t spend it frivolously on clothing that didn’t matter.
Once I was dressed comfortably, I sat cross-legged on the bed and held the box. Again, a strange heat emanated from it and rushed up my hands. Feeling unsettled, I set the box down in front of me. I’d been right about the symbols etched into the metal. There were definitely twelve of them, representing each powerful being.
As I studied the craftsmanship, I was in awe. I’d never seen anything as intricate and beautiful before in my life. With careful hands, I lifted the lid on the box, expecting it to be empty, as Callie had already taken out the scroll and her message from the Gods.
But it wasn’t empty. Another small, rolled-up scroll nestled inside, white against the purple velvet.