by A. J. Rosen
Kris shrugged. “You’re different.”
It was around midnight when I woke up suddenly feeling nauseated. The room had shrunk, it was hard to breathe, and I had to get out of there—needed fresh air. I made my way downstairs, out of the lobby, and ducked outside. Immediately, I felt a little better as I took in deep breaths of mountain air. Maybe I shouldn’t have skipped dinner? Maybe it was because I was completely worn out from the party? Maybe it was the fact that since I’d gotten here I’d been constantly surrounded by hordes of people when I was used to being alone. At any rate, I was in no mood for any more social interactions, so I walked toward the fish pond. Fish were about as much as I could handle at this moment.
I found a large rock on the side of the pond and sat down. There was a thin layer of ice on the surface and the koi were swimming in slow, languid motions. I leaned over to say hello to them, watching them minding their own business and not caring about the too-dramatic world of the Hellenicus. Perhaps I was too preoccupied with my own thoughts—and the fish—because when I felt a tap on my shoulder I nearly fell into the pond.
“What the—?”
Now on my feet and with one arm restrained, I used my free arm to jab my elbow into my attacker’s stomach, hitting a solid wall of muscle.
“Zeus’s lightning! Avy, why did you do that?”
Avy?! Holy smokes!
“Vladimir!” I said over my shoulder.
He let go of me and took a few steps away as I turned to face him. “If you’re looking for Kris, she went back to the Royal Quarters over an hour ago. I’m just leaving now.”
“To go where?” he asked softly.
His question startled me for two reasons. Usually, he would be happy for me to leave. Sometimes he even told me to run along, which never came as a surprise considering he was such a jerk. Also, he had asked me softly—not in the harsh, mocking tone he always used with me. That had never happened before.
“Are you feeling all right?” I asked.
He seemed to find my question humorous. Had I ever heard him laugh before? I began to wonder if he was drunk or if I was dreaming. Unlike Adrian’s boisterous laugh, Vlad’s was rich and deep. And apparently just as infectious, as I joined him, though I wasn’t sure why.
“How terrible was the party?” he asked.
“It’s not my scene.” I leaned against the tree behind me, its cold bark sending a chill down my spine. “I didn’t see you at the Awakening Ceremony.”
He didn’t reply but took off his jacket and wordlessly offered it to me, having noticed me shiver. Argh, I was flipping cold, but it felt so wrong to accept a kindness from Vladimir of all people.
“Don’t be stubborn, Avy. Just take it.”
Ah, there it was—the usual Vlad tone. I snatched the jacket from him and muttered a reluctant thanks as he moved to stand beside me by the tree.
“Are you all right?” His voice was gentle and laced with concern, and I didn’t know which surprised me more: him asking me, or him being concerned about me.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Today has been . . . a lot. Awakened and all.” Desperately trying to change the subject, I jerked my head toward the Royal Quarters, where some people were seemingly throwing an after-party for the after-party. “Don’t tell me you’re going to join those morons partying all night long?”
“No, I’m taking a walk around Court before I have to leave. There are things to be taken care of.”
“You’re leaving! What about Kris?”
“I got a call from the office; they need me to prep for a trial.”
“Can’t someone else do it? This is her first Gathering.” Kris would never tell him, but I knew that she’d be crushed.
“She has Mom and Dad here. She doesn’t need me.”
“Of course she does!”
Second to me, Vlad was the closest person to Kris. She relied on him for advice and guidance. And he knew how important a Hellenicus’s first Gathering was—it was literally a sacred ritual. A once-in-a-lifetime thing. Family members were always there to provide guidance through what was often the weirdest month of an Awakened’s life as they adjusted to becoming a full-blown Hellenicus and learned to manage the heightened emotions of being imbued with the power of clairaudience. Even my unloving parents were here for me. I couldn’t understand why he was being difficult.
“Kris needs your support; you’re her brother. There’s some stuff that she would never talk to your parents about—you know that! You’ve been through this!”
“Avy, stop.”
He stepped away from the tree. I had to say something that would stop him from leaving. “Adrian’s here. That’s right, you heard me, the brokenhearted Adrian Ambrosia is here—even after he swore never again. He actually cares about his sister, so he’s putting his own shit aside to be here for her. Why can’t you do the same for Kris?”
“I’m a law intern, Avy. I don’t have the luxury of taking off work for a whole month. I could lose my placement. Work is important to me. And, as I said, Kris already has you and our parents.”
“Vlad.” My voice caressed his name in a way that it never had before. “I know you’re a good, caring person. I know how much you value your work, but I know you love Kris more than anything. That she is the most important person in your world.” My sincerity surprised even myself. Despite what a jerk he could be to me, he would die for Kris. “This is the most important event in her life. Please find a way to stay. I’m sure you can sort something out with your work. This is once in a lifetime. She needs you.”
He stood quietly, considering my words. After what felt like an eternity, he shook his head adamantly. “I have to go. Tell her I’m sorry, Avy.”
“Tell her yourself. You’re the worst! How can there be anything more important than your own sister! I thought you at least had a heart when it came to her. I hope you enjoy your internship knowing that you’ve sacrificed Kris’s happiness.”
Walking away, I only managed seven steps before my legs buckled underneath me. Cold stone hit my cheek. Through the chill of the windy December night, Vlad’s voice called out, using that nickname I despised. I tried to get up, but there was no power left in me. All I could do was roll onto my back. My insides were on fire, my stomach roiling. I looked up at the night sky; the clouds above were in chaos, mimicking how I felt. Something was very wrong.
I managed to pull myself to my hands and knees. Nausea crept up from my abdomen, clawing at my throat as I tried to force down the bile. It was too late. My stomach contracted violently and forced everything up and out. My face felt clammy and pale, and dripped sweat and tears. What was worse was that Vlad knelt beside me, and I must’ve looked disgusting—just after I had lectured him too.
Right when I felt like some kind of black hole was consuming my innards, dizziness came over me and I collapsed again, the world fading to black. I could only hope that I wasn’t dead.
Adrian stood there in a pair of black trousers, a dark cashmere scarf, and a long coat. His white shirt peeked out from his coat. His eyes were trustworthy when he asked me to follow him. We passed many rooms as we made our way downstairs. I tried to analyze where we were to figure out where we might be headed.
We were in the lobby of the Hyped, passing the mural of the Hellenicus, and only then did I notice the silence and vacancy of our surroundings. He led me outside, and I came to a halt before the fully bloomed Whispering Oak of Dodona.
Hadn’t it been buds just a few hours ago? Its beauty was captivating. I strained to hear its whispers; I knew it was trying to tell me something. My feet were rooted to the ground where I stood, until Adrian tugged on my arm.
“Montgomery, there’s no time for that now. You have to get there before it’s too late—before someone ruins everything.”
I followed him to the door of the Royal Quarters. Fear gripped me. “I can’t be here. I’m not Royal. It’s prohibited
.”
Without a word, he took my hand in his. Warmth spread all over my body, like a burning fire. I knew I should pull my hand away; instead, I held his hand tighter.
When we passed through the entrance, a deep feeling in my gut me told me this was wrong, but with his hand in mine, I indulged my defiant side—my curiosity. We were the only souls here, our footsteps sounding across the marble floors as we approached two doors: an indigo-blue door on the left, a wine-red one on the right. Without hesitation, he led me to the one on the right.
“Why not the blue one?”
“It’s not for you,” he said simply.
At a security panel beside the door, he entered a long series of digits to unlock it. How did he know that code? I wanted to ask him, but the view ahead stunned me into silence. Three more doors awaited us inside. As we walked through, I could see that each door was engraved with a crest. They were the Pure Royals’ crests representing the Big Three: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.
I let go of his hand and walked closer to admire them. The crest representing the Christoulakis family included a sky filled with clouds and Zeus’s lightning bolt in the middle.
The door in the middle displayed the Ambrosia crest. Kris, Adrian, and Vlad’s family. This one for Poseidon had a beautiful engraving of ocean waves with his trident in the middle.
Finally, I reached the last door: Hades. The god who reigned over the world of the dead. In the middle of what looked like havoc was the Helm of Darkness, a weapon so powerful that it made even Zeus and Poseidon pale with fear. It reminded me of a skull, which was enough to terrify anyone, even me. I might cry if I looked at it any longer.
Feeling that all this was too much to bear, I moved back toward the red door, but Adrian’s hand stopped me. “Don’t be afraid.” He held a cloth in his hand and offered it to me. “You have to clean it.”
“I can’t,” I whispered.
Adrian dragged me back to the last door. “Clean it. You have to.”
The crest was covered in dust and spiderwebs. While the other crests were gleaming and well-cared for, the door of the Stavros family had been forgotten. A wave of sympathy washed over me as I raised the cloth and gently wiped the crest clean.
Underneath the thick layer of dust, it was coated with gold. It still looked like it belonged in the Underworld, but overall, I was satisfied. I turned to face him.
“Open it.”
I didn’t want to, but I knew I had to. I reached for the door handle, which was shaped like a dog with three heads. Why did they have to put all the creepy stuff in one place? Careful not to touch any of the heads, I grabbed the handle. A sudden jolt shot straight to my hand and pulsed through my body. The door clicked and opened wide. “Did Zeus lend you his lightning bolt?” I hissed under my breath, trying to regain my balance.
Pitch blackness laid inside. Filled with dread of what might lay in that darkness, I reached to steady myself against the door frame.
“I don’t think I should be here.”
Adrian’s expression was blank, as if he were a puppet and someone was pulling the strings. Adrian pushed me inside and slammed the door before I had the chance to get back on my feet.
The last thing I heard was, “It has to be done,” before the darkness engulfed me in its waiting arms.
I was in my own bed when I regained consciousness. Using both of my hands to push myself up, sweat running in rivulets down my forehead and dripping off my nose, I pushed the covers off. It had been a dream. But it felt so real. The last thing I remembered was staring into Vlad’s worried eyes.
Staggering to the bathroom, I retched violently. Holding on to the sink for support, I breathed in and out several times to calm my angry stomach. After washing my hands, I grabbed the smudgy bathroom mirror and angled it toward my face. Staring back at me was a pair of swollen, bloodshot eyes, pores so enlarged my face could have been mistaken for a colander, and a complexion paler than death.
Splashing some water on my face to cool off, I reached for a drinking glass and filled it with water. I had not realized how thirsty I was until the water touched my lips. Through my foggy mind, images from the dream flashed across my mind.
That look on Adrian’s face right before he’d pushed me through the door was off. His expression had been blank, but there was relief in his eyes—as if he had done the right thing, like it was meant to be. My mind spun and I felt dizzy. Everything was fuzzy, and I staggered back to bed. I hadn’t even been drinking last night, so why did I feel like I had the world’s worst hangover?
Chapter Six
“Avery Zosime Montgomery, you have to wake up now!”
My head screamed in pain at the sound of my mother’s voice. As sleep left me, my body felt sore everywhere.
“I assumed you were responsible enough to get yourself out of bed in time for the Court-mandated activities.” She ripped the blankets off me and stalked away grumpily.
I forced myself to stand and walk to the bathroom. I quickly got into the shower and allowed myself a moment to relax as the hot water and the scents of lavender and rose washed over me.
“You have ten minutes to clean yourself up and be in the dining hall, or you’ll miss breakfast entirely.” My mom yelled from the other side of the door.
I shut the shower off and reached for the towel. As I got dressed, my mind replayed my argument with Vlad. How could he choose work over Kris? When Kris had first told me that her brother wanted to become a lawyer, I assumed he would work here in the Court. But he wanted to serve in mainstream society’s courts, not under Hellenicus law. I wanted him to chose the latter—he’d still be around for Kris’s first Gathering, but I’d see even less of him. A win-win situation, in my opinion.
The door of the suite clicked closed, which meant my parents had left for breakfast. At least I wouldn’t have to eat with them. Maybe Kris was still in the dining hall? As I thought to text her, I realized I had no clue where my phone was. I’d had it at the stupid after-party, and when I went outside with Adrian. I rushed around the room, searching for it—no luck. I was out of time, and there was no way I was missing breakfast. My love for food always took precedence. I grabbed the map Dad had given me and headed outside.
The elevator doors slid open and I was about to step inside when a hand caught mine, making my skin tingle in surprised delight, almost as if it had been longing for this contact.
“Montgomery,” Adrian drawled.
Last night’s dream surfaced, along with the connection and the sense of inevitability that I’d felt. I had to find out if those doors really existed somewhere inside the Royal High Court and were not just a concoction of my wild imagination. I must have had a strange look on my face, and Adrian being Adrian thought I was enchanted by his good looks.
“Like what you see?”
The elevator doors were closing. I pulled my hand away from his and reached out to hold them open. “Please,” I said as I stepped inside and stood next to him. “Don’t flatter yourself. You’re not as charming as you think you are.”
It was a blatant lie and we both knew it.
“What are you doing here? Are you going down?” I asked. “Don’t tell me you got lost on your way to the Royal Quarters?”
“I’m going for breakfast. I had a late night. Looks like you did, too, Montgomery.”
“Sort of . . . more like really strange dreams. That’s why I’m running late. But I’m heading there now, before the . . . ephedrimos?”
Adrian laughed at my feeble attempt to remember whatever Awakened event was happening today. “Nice guess, but it’s astragaloi this morning.”
“Astragaloi? As in knucklebones? For real?” He had been staring intently at me the entire time. The elevator felt very small. And very private.
“Yes, for real. Astragaloi, or knucklebones as you Regulars insist on calling it, is a beloved tradition—it’s not on
ly for little children. You’d be surprised how many Hellenicus have clicked with their soul mates while throwing jacks in the air and seeing how many they can catch on the back of their hands.”
“And this is meant to be fun?”
“Some people believe that winning a game of knucklebones foretells a destiny filled with true love.”
“Yeah. Right.” Hellenicus could be so superstitious. Maybe it made sense centuries ago, but not today.
“So.” Adrian raised one hand and scratched the spot above his ear, seemingly nervous all of a sudden. “If you’re not interested in knucklebones, do you want to have breakfast with me?”
Before I could reply, my stomach growled, giving us the answer we needed.
December sun poured through the tall windows of the dining hall, bathing the room with light. There were chandeliers above our heads and well-polished marble beneath our feet. A huge buffet was set up in the middle of the room and the last of the Hellenicus were finishing up their breakfasts. Kris wasn’t anywhere. It was so annoying that I didn’t have my phone! Court workers in immaculate but plain, dull-brown uniforms decorated only with the Royal emblem, stood with their backs glued to the wall, waiting to be of any assistance.
Adrian grabbed us a table while I headed straight to the buffet to fill a bowl with cereal. As I settled into my seat, a waiter came up immediately to offer me a drink. “A glass of mango juice and a cup of steamed milk, please. Thanks.”
“Odd choice,” commented Adrian.
Scenes of the dream came flooding back, and I wondered if I should ask him about those doors. He would never let me hear the end of it if I told him I’d been dreaming about him, so I broke the connection. “It’s not that odd.”
“Nothing but cereal for you?”
“Nope. I plan to have cheesecake, brownies, and cupcakes too.”
“Ah, a sweet tooth.”
The waiter came with my drink order and I thanked him. “Why, what’s your choice of breakfast food?”
“Steak.”
