But if we killed each other endlessly, how would the cycle of murder stop? Which side was right? There were good people in the clouds as well as bad. Status alone didn’t determine who should be saved.
As if reading my thoughts, Rose shook her head at me. “You thought there was a good guy and a bad guy, didn’t you?” Rose scoffed. “How naïve.” She left the room, and Violet stared after Rose’s swishing hips before the black room beyond swallowed her.
“Why do you know so much?” I asked Violet now that we were alone.
“In this world, I cannot have her, so I looked into our options. Majors have tried cutting the chip out. Very few survive.”
I followed her into the final room, where Violet handed me a pair of high-waisted black underwear. I dropped the robe, slipping them on, and stood on the podium as Rose brought over a pile of sheer black fabric, cradling it like it was an offspring. As I looked at the fabric, I realized why they had added extra steps to make my skin shimmer. There would be a lot of it on display.
“Come down here. It’ll be easier,” Rose instructed.
I stepped down, and the two finagled me into the delicate fabric.
“Back up now,” Rose cawed.
I looked at myself on the podium. The gown was not of this world. The midnight black was featherlight against my skin. Delicate satin buttons connected the thin fabric at my wrist, snaking up my arms before plunging into an impossibly low V that ended just above my belly button. Artfully placed lace appliqué provided a shred of modesty. The dress fell to the floor, and a slit on my left side made the dress move with the slightest breeze. The skirt danced around me like the clouds that thunderstorms rolled in on.
My hair was swept into an intricate braid around my head, with small glittering pearl pins woven in the folds. Wisps of hair fell around my face. Rose had kept my face fresh and my own. My eyes were lined and my lashes black. My lips had a rosy pink to them. My shimmering skin beneath the dress reminded me of the stars in the night sky, peeking through the endless black.
I tore my eyes from the mirror, looking at them. “You are both so talented,” I told them in awe.
“The fabric wrinkles easily. Don’t sit unless you have to,” Rose instructed me, brushing off the compliment while fluffing the skirt. “Give me a spin.”
I spun for them. The slit in the sheer skirt sent the fabric flying all around me. Rose clutched her chest and preened as the material moved, and Violet rested her cheek on Rose’s shoulder, watching me.
For a second, I felt a spark of joy. Of excitement. Not just because of the otherworldly beauty they had made me into, but because of the two indomitable women who had carved a place for their love in this world.
“Exquisite,” Violet whispered to Rose. “You amaze me. Every time I think you have done your best work, you outdo it.” Rose glanced down at Violet, the woman who had chided and snapped at me gone. In her place stood a woman beaming with pride and adoration—a woman helplessly in love. I glanced down to see their hands intertwined between the folds of their quicksilver dresses. I turned to give them a moment.
Violet was fighting for them, but why would they risk anything? They had found a way to be together in the Illum’s world. They had each other here, safe in the clouds. If I were in their shoes, would I fight or stay where they had put me? If I did fight, would I fight for others or just run? A part of me screamed to run away from it all, but I had stepped toward the Parting. So would I?
“Here.” Violet interrupted my thoughts, handing me an oblong leather clutch with a golden clasp. Rose wrapped a tight black belt around the narrowest part of my waist before she bent down and slipped black heels on my feet.
“You should be able to dance in these,” Rose commented as she stood, fluffing my dress again.
“You’re a vision,” Violet said as they looked me over.
“Oh, the earrings,” Rose exclaimed, running from the room. She returned a moment later and fastened them. “Now you’re finished.”
Black diamond earrings glittered at me, adorned with hanging teardrop pearls.
“You should be going,” Rose said, pushing me out. “Also, try not to mess anything up. It will be a shame if your dress for the next ball goes to waste. The time I have spent placing each crystal . . .” Rose blew out a breath.
Violet chuckled, smiling. “I’ll take her.” We made our way into the black receiving room, and she grabbed the handle on the door leading to the hall. “Are you ready to be back in their clouds, to be his Mate, Fledgling?”
“No,” I confessed.
“Are you afraid?” When I nodded, Violet said, “Good.”
“How is thatgood?”
Violet leaned close to me. “Because it is normal to be afraid of doing something that matters. Power is a frightening thing. It’s even more terrifying to do what is right when they would all applaud you for doing what has always been done—to be his vessel. Even if it is wrong.” She pulled open the door.
“Now go, little Fledgling,” she whispered. “And good luck.”
I stepped into the hallway, and the door clicked shut.
“Your Pod is here, Ms. Emeline,” Harold said.
