“Although I am the Dean of SinVail Academy and your power level qualifies, I do not have the authority to allow you to attend without a sin manifestation. That in itself is extremely rare. However, your power level is at a rate we haven’t seen in many centuries, and your faction leader, Councilor Drow, agrees with me it would be a waste to not see how your power unfolds.”
She must see the hope on my face because she cuts in to curb my enthusiasm. “However, Councilor Drow cannot authorize that decision alone. Because of the... unusual circumstances... you will appear before the Leadership Council in Pride Territory, where they will decide your fate.”
“The Leadership Counsel?” I ask. She must mistake the confusion on my face for fear because she continues to rain on those tiny embers of hope that had formed deep in my soul moments ago that I might live through this day. “Of course, I will test you myself before we leave today to ensure that no one made any mistakes. You understand.”She motions to the new machine that the Lead Proctor brought over before he left.
Ahhh, yes, that makes sense. She thinks someone has tampered with the results or with the machine itself. That’s more likely. There’s no way a sinless would get a 100% power rating.
“Sure, I understand. Let’s do this.” I sit and give her my arm. Maybe if I play respectful and nice about this whole situation, she can have some sway over my exile. I know she has status. Perhaps I might receive some supplies as a reward for assisting. I’m sure by this time tomorrow, I’ll be heading out across the border of Wrath and into the barren deathtrap that is the beyond. That is if they choose not to execute me. A girl can dream. I close my eyes and sit back.
***
This is not a dream.This is a nightmare. A beautiful, lavish but scary nightmare.
I sit on the velvet bench in the waiting room of the western wing of the Pride Council offices. The floor is pearly marble, the walls are crisp and white, and I’m pretty sure I am the dirtiest thing in this place. Once Dean Bellows confirmed that my results were a 100% power rating, they immediately swept me into a transport van, drove me to the nearest airbase, and I suffered the terrifying helicopter ride to Pride Territory. We arrived in the middle of the night, and today my nerves are shot.
They didn’t allow me to say goodbye or grab any belongings, not that I had many to grab. My room last night was larger than Sadie’s entire house, and despite the bed being the softest surface I have everlaid on, I was too nervous to sleep. Thankfully, I was allowed to shower and given some clean clothes. Clean, albeit strange, clothes.
I am out of my element in a skirt.
I’ve never worn a skirt or a dress. They weren’t practical in Wrath when you could be called on to fight at any time. Anyone wearing clothes that weren’t filthy and torn just stuck out like a sore thumb. The type of sign that advertises, “I can’t fight.”
Wraths wear torn clothes like a badge of honor. This tight skirt is just ridiculous. It stops right above the knees and limits my movements considerably. Why would anyone wear this, even in Pride? What if you need to kick someone?
I’m too lost in my head, picturing how I would hike the skirt up fast enough to roundhouse kick an oncoming attacker, to notice I have company.
Hearing a cough, I look up, locking eyes with the most beautiful and put-together man that I’ve ever seen in my life. I glance to my lap before my cheeks can flush, only to realize I have my skirt hiked up and scrunched in my hands halfway up my thighs... apparently I wasn’t just ‘mentally’ preparing myself for a roundhouse kick.
Oh, universe. Just end it now.
I’ve been ready. Why torment me? I clear my throat and pull my skirt down, brushing the wrinkles out of the black material.
“Everything okay?” he asks in an amused voice, and I slowly look back up at him.
“Oh, no, I’m f…freight. I mean fine, but also tried to say great. I’m great actually....”What the hell am I saying? Get it together, Arwen.
He raises a brow at me and laughs a little. Not like he’s making fun of me, but like he finds me amusing. “Are you here to meet with someone on the council?” he asks.
“Yeah, I guess I am nervous.” I look up and let out a deep breath.
“That’s understandable,” he says. “It can be intimidating being around such powerful people.” He stands up and moves to the bench across from mine.
“I experience this all the time, yet I still get anxious. The secret is to fake it, even if you’re a mess inside. Just imagine you are sitting down to talk with your best friend. They’ll admire your confidence.”
I shake my head in a slow nod. Now that he is sitting across from me and speaking to me, I can admire his godly appearance without looking like a complete psychopath. He’s in a crisp navy-blue suit and tie, which… while I disagree with its functionality, is doing everything to hug and highlight his lean muscular body. His dark blonde hair is long enough for him to style it artfully without it being shaggy. His dark sea-blue eyes almost look like they are churning in intensity under his heavy brows, and the perfect amount of stubble highlights his firm jawline. I feel like I could study this man up close with a magnifying glass and not find a single hair out of place.
“So, who are you meeting with?” he asks, leaning back and resting his ankle on his knee in a clear power pose.
“Umm, I guess all of them?” I reply, a little unsure. While we attend school in Wrath to learn about our powers and responsibilities to our territory and society, the school doesn’t exactly provide us with detailed information on the other territories. Why would we need it? Very few ever leave their own territory unless it’s to fight, in which case, we just need to know our commanding officer's name. Truly, I’mclueless regarding where I’m headed, though I won’t confess that to him.
He looks at me with a little shock on his face. “All of them? As in the entire council? I didn’t even know they were all here.”
He looks me up and down, clearly awed. It’s been a long time since anyone has looked at me with that kind of awe, with anything other than disdain, honestly. It lights me up a bit. I can just imagine him looking at me with that awe and hunger in his eyes as I stand naked in front of him and…nope!
No.
Bad Arwen.
We are here to determine the fate of your existence, not walk into the council of the most powerful people in the world with wet panties.Focus!
