Chapter 23 - Jean...

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BellaDonna Cove

DiGorgio Auction House

9.15am

The entire building had come to life where it was in a serene slumber just last night. Jane saw men in suits running about followed by bellboys carrying large cases. Their latest auction purchases no doubt she thought, jumping to the side to prevent being run over by a Da Vinci, or so it said on the case.

Rinka’s office was just as bustling with activity. Her secretary running in and out of her office; making her sign various documents; forwarding calls. If they hadn’t personally made an appointment last night it would’ve proven hard if not impossible to meet her.

Still talking on the phone, Rinka motioned for them through the open door when the secretary came out again. Seeing her boss’ gesture she politely held the door open for them to enter before disappearing once again behind her desk. Rinka’s office was big (understatement). Jane did a quick measurement in her head as they sat down and concluded that their entire living room would fit in this space. The walls were dressed in a dark green and flower theme. So different from the rest of the building in its beige and white walls, but it was the wall behind her desk that was the eye-catcher. Even Julie was dumbstruck. An Asian theme of white water lilies on a lighter green background with a twinge of brown to root it all together and the way the light fell on it was so serene even Jane felt a strange calm wash over her.

 ‘Ja, Mr. Klipsteen. Uw pakket is op dit moment op het vliegtuig naar Nederland. De schilderijen zijn in hun orginele verpakking verpakt en moeten vandaag, zoniet morgen op uw adress geleverd worden. Jawel, Dank u wel, Mr. Klipsteen, fijn met u gewerkt te hebben. Een goede middag voor u!’

(Yes Mr. Klipsteen, Your package is on a plane this very moment en route to the Netherlands. The paintings have been packed in their original casing and should arrive at your address today or tomorrow. Yes... Thank you, Mr. Klipsteen, glad to have worked with you. I wish you a good afternoon!)
Rinka hung up the phone to punch in a new number a second later. ‘Demi, do not forward any calls, I’m with an important client’ She smiled at the twins. Jane thought her a bit too familiar and kind; from the moment they entered the building; last night and now. She wanted to comment on that, but they needed something from her and saw it best not to.

‘Good morning’ she was all smiles, ‘sorry about the beehive. It’s usually like this after a new showing. They buy the new ones and are instantly attracted to the old ones’ Jane wondered if she was referring to the Da Vinci that almost ran her over. It wasn’t part of the new showing…

‘So, tell me… What brings you here all the way from Riverblossom Hills?’

Jane had heard enough. ‘First of all how do you know who we are and where we’re from?’ Her mouth released the question, but in her mind she was already chanting an illusion getaway spell. Rinka looked at Julie, who sat still, also waiting for her to answer her sister’s question.

Rinka didn’t mind the underlying defensive tone in Jane’s question, hell she would be defensive too if someone knew that much about her without having met before. ‘I had a dream, some say it’s a vision… more like flashes, really. I saw you at the train station in Riverblossom Hills. Someone called your name’ Rinka gestured to Julie, ‘…that’s how I knew it, and then I saw you here, at the auction House before I woke up. I knew you were coming, because the dream had the new art-collection on the walls. I was surprised to see there are two of you since it failed to mention that huge detail’

‘So you know why we’re here?’ Julie asked.

‘No! That’s what I’m trying to figure out from you. I only saw your arrival here, not the ‘why’’

‘We’re looking for Jean DiGorgio’ Jane said with an expressionless face.

She saw Rinka visibly freeze at the name, before meeting her eyes.

'I'm sorry, my grandmother passed away 5 years ago’

‘5 years?’ Julie sighed.

‘Yes… My mother and I are now the keepers of all that was hers…’

‘I’m sorry to hear that’ Jane answered truthfully.

Grams will be devastated to hear that and it didn’t help their cause. However there was still hope. If they were now the keepers of her grandmother’s stuff, maybe…

Jane was just about to continue the inquiry when voices outside the office caught their attention. Rinka quickly got up and moved to the door when, just then a strangely dressed woman entered.

‘Please tell me you did not call me out of the middle of the wedding for a theory’

‘Mom…’ Rinka whispered, but not soft enough.

‘MOM?!’ Jane and Julie let out at the same time, jumping from their seats.

Rinka and the woman just stared at the twins with an ‘oopsie’ look on their faces. ‘I’m sorry Rin, I didn’t realize you weren’t alone. Yes’ she turned to Jane and Julie, ‘that’s usually the look people have when they find out. We do look like sisters don’t we? Tends to happen when you start at a young age…’

‘Mom’

‘Sorry, well, since I’m here, what can I help you with?’

‘They were looking for Jean, mom’

The woman looked at Rinka and they exchanged a look as if in silent conversation.

‘Well, didn’t you tell them?’ she wanted to know.

‘Yes…’

‘I’m sorry for your loss’ Julie stepped forward.

The woman nodded, ‘Thank you, it was a rough year… I’m sorry, that you came all this way for nothing’

‘Maybe not…’ They all looked at Jane, not understanding.

‘Miss Rinka said something about you being the keepers of all that was hers… Maybe you can still help us’

‘Rinka, please, and how can we do so?’

‘We’re looking for a prophecy’

‘A prophecy?' she looked at them as if they were sprouting 2 heads, ‘I believe you mistake our services’ Rinka started.

‘We’re an auction house and importer of antiques. You want it, we get it’ Jean finished.

‘No, you mistake the service we require’ Jane held on getting a bit courageous.

‘Can we please stop saying 'Service' it's annoying’

The woman looked at Julie before returning her gaze to Jane. She was just about to brush them off again when Jane took the letter from Rosalie out of her pocket and thrust it into her hands. Not soon after, a lavender scent rose from the letter, spreading a euphoric feeling throughout the room. Rinka’s mom wasn't fooled and threw the letter into the air. Just in time... It exploded as soon as the scent faded. Raining a few multi-colored stars on her head.

'Wha...ha!' Julie managed to let out.

'Rosalie...' the woman whispered.

'G-grams said the letter would only react at Jean's touch... That must mean...'

'I am Jean DiGordio...yes'

'Cool! You don't look at all like our grams does! What is it? Fountain of youth?' Julie anxiously informed.

Jean laughed 'No, age freezer potion! So you are Rosalie's granddaughters?'

'Oh my God!!' Jane said, reacting rather EARLY to the explosion, 'What was grams trying to do? Kill you?'

'Not quite. I used that same trick on her in high school, only with her it exploded in her face. It's a stun-bomb. You camouflage it with the lavender scent, so no one would expect it! An invention of mine; it’s very clever of her to use it as recognition. I would've brushed you off as liars.' Jean said smiling warmly, ‘Prophecy I believe you said. Follow me’

‘Why the sudden change?’ Jane said as they walked the long isle of antiques that seemed never-ending.

‘You’re Rosalie’s granddaughters… Rosalie is like family to me. I would never refuse anyone belonging to her family, because I know you’re good company. I didn’t recognize you when Rinka told me of her vision. You would’ve had a different welcome then’ she smiled.

‘So you’re a prophet too?’

‘No, not really’ Rinka answered Julie, ‘the gift runs in my family, but I’m not practiced in it; which is why I only saw flashes of you guys. If I were a prophet, I would’ve known who you were before you left River. Maybe even seen your oma and why you’re here’

'I’m sorry, Oma'?

‘Oh, my apologies- I have a habit of mixing my languages. "oma" is dutch for grandmother’

‘Hmm, okay! I think I’ll call grams that…’ Julie smiled.

In the reading room they halted in front of a huge antique picture of an elegant lady. It looked old… Jean moved her hand in the air as if she was drawing something or tracing the lines of an invisible puzzle. At the last line the portrait swung open to reveal a room full of orbs. As they expected it would the portrait-hole closed immediately behind them as they entered.

‘Welcome to the orb-room’ Jean mused eyeing the twins' faces. They were in awe. It was so beautiful; Serene white-grayish panes made up the walls, resting on a white carpeted floor. The orbs were resting on white pedestals and some were mounted on shelves on the wall. It all looked out of this world and bright… very bright! Jean turned to the right just before the rows began and let out a small gasp. Rinka turned around immediately to see what got to her mother. That’s when the twins noticed the mirror just at the beginning of the rows of orbs and… the male figure leaning casually against the wall.

‘D! Haven’t seen you in two weeks’ Rinka let out enthusiastically when her mother lifted her cheek to receive his kiss.

‘Welcome back honey’ Jean smiled and turned to introduce him to the girls just when he bear-hugged Rinka, ‘Jane, Julie, this is my son, Damian’

‘Funny coincidence you should appear now…’ Rinka’s wiggling eyebrows didn’t go unnoticed and he pinched her arm before nodding at the twins. His gaze lingered on them full of recognition even though it was their first meeting.

Damian was quite amused at Jane’s smirk and Julie’s wow stare that only disappeared with a nudge from her sister. ‘What?’ Julie said, smiling at Jane, who was still looking at Damian.

‘There’s two of her Rin…’ he whispered, stating the obvious.

‘Yeah, I can’t believe I didn’t see that’ she sulked, and Damian playfully pulled her ear.

‘How was Alaska darling? Everything went according to plan?’ Jean cut in.

‘Up to some point, but we can talk about that later, please, don’t let me keep you’ Damian answered pointing at the mirror. He took the words right out of Jane’s mouth. Not that she was going to utter them, that would’ve been plain rude.

Jean whispered a few inaudible words and the twins watched as a search column appeared in the mirror; kind of resembling the one Google uses.

'You computerized it?' Jane asked still trying to take it all in.

'It makes it easier to find them. There are over a hundred prophecies in this room alone…’

Jane and Julie spaced out at her words and scanned the room again. No way did it hold more than 40 orbs. ‘Trust me, I know it doesn’t look like it’ Jean sensed their unspoken thoughts, ’this search engine helps me find them by simply adding a name. Now, what are you searching for?’

‘Honestly, we don't know. Something is threatening our grandmother's life and she thinks it has something to do with one of her prophecies. So could you maybe look up the ones she made?’

‘Not really, no. I can already tell you that's a dead end. If I search for the prophecies of Rosalie Bison, 80% of the prophecies will come up. That’ll only frustrate you…’

‘Excuse me?’ Jane's mouth fell open, ‘Are you saying that more than half of these prophecies are our grandmother's?’

‘Yes, a lot more. They are about other people, but she prophesized them. But, maybe if I reword the request…’ She looked into the mirror and wrote the words on it; searching the prophecies not of Bison, but about Bison.

The search engine made a windy noise as it searched, but unfortunately came up with 0 results.

‘Sorry, nothing on Bison. Perhaps on yours; do you have the same name as Rosalie?’ Jean said already holding up her hand to write.

‘Uh, no, Allen- our name is Allen’ Julie chipped in.

Another windy sound and the mirror revealed 1 result. But when touched, it flashed a picture of 2 baby girls in hospital basinets with 3 women around them and then it dissolved; bringing the result count to 0 again.

'Wait, was that it? Where did it go?’ Julie asked, bewildered and enthusiastic by the flash. This was after all the first time they've seen magic that differs so much from theirs.

'That was, I think, the prophecy of your births. It should've dissolved the moment you were born and yet it lingered for some reason. Maybe the program needs updating, Damian' Jean said frowning at her son.

‘I’ll get on it later’ he said, massaging his neck.

‘I don't think that's the one we were looking for though. It doesn't add up' Jane said looking at the search box. Could you type in 'A', to see if Allen would maybe come up again?’

'I’m pretty sure it won’t, this program is very accurate, but it won't hurt to try' Jean replied already applying the command. Julie frowned at her words… Accurate huh, of course, that’s why it glitched a moment ago…

The search box revealed 30 hits in this room and 67 in the category ‘other’; all starting with A. Ten eyes scanned the list in search for Allen, but to no prevail. Jane and Jean gave up after A-L, but Julie's eyes didn't leave the screen, if you could call it that.

'Wait, could you rewind?' she said suddenly, as the program kept going, 'I think I saw something'

Jean rewind the list and the three of them looked for what Julie might have seen.

'There, Astor! The other part of our family is called Astor'

'You're right, why didn't I think of that?’ Jane said looking at her sister, completely missing the look that was exchanged between Jean and Rinka.

…Astor…