“You will remain naked on the table for the duration of the night,” Eric says as Mom helps me to stand.
“There is a bucket for your needs.”
“Use this time wisely to make peace with the passing of your old life and embrace new possibilities,” my uncle says. “You will represent our family, and it is a responsibility you will undertake with the greatest reverence and severity.”
Like your precious daughter? I snarl it in my head while keeping a neutral expression on my face.
Mom helps me back up on the table, discreetly squeezing my side before she takes my cloak and exits the room with the four luminaries. The turning of the key in the lock is loud as they secure me inside. I wait until the footsteps have fully receded and I can hear nothing outside before I slide off the table.
There are no cameras in here, so fuck them. I’m not sleeping on that hard thing. I’d rather take my chances with the floor.
Grabbing the large bottle of water on the ground beside the table, I move over to the corner of the room. I sit down with my back against the wall and my knees pulled up to my chest, trying not to freak out as thousands of skulls surround me in the dim light.
It’s going to be a long night.
* * *
The candles die out after a few hours, plunging the room into pitch darkness. The light would have faded earlier if I hadn’t had the foresight to blow out all but a couple of candles. When they got close to burning out, I relit another two, and in that way, I staggered them so they lasted longer. Now, there is no light, and I feel the eyeballs of ancestors past watching me as I lie on the cold dusty floor, in the fetal position, desperately trying to sleep. But it’s useless. The air has turned progressively colder, and I’m shivering and shaking as I huddle in a ball, willing my heavy eyes to shut.
Eventually, after what feels like hours, I slip into a restless sleep.
My shoulders shake as I slowly come to. “Ashley,” Mom hisses, and I blink my eyes open.
I’m disorientated for a moment until I take in my surroundings, and it comes back to me. I’m expecting her to rip me a new one for disobeying the rules, but she surprises me.
“Get up. It’s time to get ready.” She helps me to stand without mentioning my transgression.
I stretch my arms up over my head and rotate my neck to loosen the tightness in my muscles. “I ache everywhere,” I grumble, “and I badly need to pee.” I refused to piss in a bucket again, so I held it. Mainly because I wanted to do the opposite of what those assholes told me. Now it feels like my bladder is ready to explode, and I’m questioning the intelligence of my small rebellion.
“Come on. Let’s get you to the bathroom.” She drapes a gold cloak around me before escorting me from the room. Outside in the main space, a number of cloaked figures are lighting candles and dressing the altar.
Mom closes the door behind us when we enter the bathroom, and I sigh in relief as I attend to business. Then I shower the dust and grime off my body and wash my hair. Mom blow-dries it again until it’s hanging in straight lines down my back. It’s so weird looking at my reflection and seeing myself with blonde hair again.
“You told me they wouldn’t touch me.” I pierce her with a lethal look as she begins applying some gold-tinted oil to my skin.
“If I had mentioned that, you would have been freaking out the entire time.”
“So, you thought it was better I was unprepared?” My tone conveys my disbelief. “It’s a miracle I didn’t scream when they all put their hands on me.” A shudder skates over me. “It was disgusting and pervy.”
“In our society, the body is just a vessel,” she says, lathering my body with the oil. “It’s the soul that is most important. It’s why The Luminaries go to such lengths to eradicate sin and keep the soul pure.”
“Please tell me you don’t really believe that.”
“I believe what is in my best interests to believe.” She stops massaging oil into my skin and stares at me. “There is a lot I don’t agree with but a lot I do.”
I arch a brow, and she continues. “The basic beliefs and the original mission were altruistic. Before the corruption and before it became so political, there was truth in the goal. I know how this all looks to you now, but I suggest you keep an open mind when learning about our origins. A lot of it is fascinating and believable.”
She stares off into space. “Things could be so different,” she muses before snapping out of it. She begins rubbing oil into my skin again. “They still could be with the right Luminary leadership.” Her eyes stab mine. “The things you and your peers do can influence change. The next generation of heirs could choose to do things differently.”
“Now you just sound naïve.”
“Probably.” She sighs before dipping down to work on my legs and my feet.
“Tell me again what will happen today.”
“You will repeat the oath in front of all the witnesses, committing yourself to The Luminaries. Then you will be branded with the Luminary symbol and the sloth symbol before there is an exchange of blood.”
“Please tell me I get to wear the cloak.”
