by C J Benjamin
“Finish your task quickly and return her to the waiting room. The next one is almost ready for you.” And with that she closed the door.
“Just put it on, Geneva, you heard her. I have to get you to the waiting room.”
“I don’t know if I want to wear this. Something doesn’t seem right about it,” I said, turning it over and over in my hand. It was much heavier than it looked and had a strange dull shimmer to it. It gave me an uneasy feeling of déjà vu, but before I could think on it further, Sadie snatched it from my hands and clasped it on my wrist.
“Sadie!” I shouted.
“It’s just a piece of jewelry. Come on, you heard her. We have to go! Please?”
There was a look of fearful panic in her pleading blue eyes that compelled me to give up my protests and follow. I could tell I made her nervous after our handshake. And, if she truly was one of the Pillars, I needed to keep on her good side.
“Fine,” I sighed.
Sadie thrust a small jar into my hand. “Here, put this on each night. It helps your hair grow back faster.”
“What?”
“Just do it,” she urged and dashed from the room.
5
I followed a different white coat woman from my exam room after Sadie left, eagerly asking her where my friends were and where she was taking me. She gave me the silent treatment until we walked through the door to another waiting room, where I caught the first glimpse of my friends. I breathed a sigh of relief when I looked passed her and saw all of them. All except Sparrow, that is.
“Ah, much better. You all look splendid!” the white coat woman said, greeting my friends.
I had to agree. Despite our strange haircuts, I’d never seen my friends look better. When I first caught sight of Nova after his makeover I let out an audible gasp.
He shot to his feet when he saw me, but the white coat woman sternly warned him to sit down.
I was glad she had stopped him, because in a moment of weakness I’d forgotten about Jemma’s trick and I wanted nothing more than to run into his arms. I regained my composure and nodded to him, trying to wordlessly convey that I was all right.
But I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Partly for sheer relief to see he was okay and also because I’d never seen him look like this. He had a habit of making me drool over his gorgeous features, but this was something all together different. I’d only known him as John #18 here at the Troian Center, or Nova, the fugitive, while we hid in the forest. We’d been in the forest so long that we’d all started to look a little unkempt. But now, he was Nova the Troian Academy student. He looked older and handsome in his new crisp white linen uniform. The starched mandarin collar of his uniform fit snuggly under his tan, chiseled jawbones. I gazed up to his perfect lips and watched them part slightly as he released a frustrated breath. They were in the perfect shape of a resting bow, with the corners slightly turned down at his discontent. I followed the sweeping lines of his face up to his blond crew cut. I mourned his golden waves that so often made me think of flames. But without his hair gently curling about his face, he had nothing to distract from his gorgeous features. His beauty was more raw and defined than ever.
I started to feel a bit light-headed and realized I’d been holding my breath. Being this close to Nova was impossible. I tried to look away from him but I couldn’t. My eyes strayed to his furrowed brows. His right eyebrow had a tiny pink line through it, interrupting his perfection. I felt anger at who or what had caused him pain and injury, but I’d already cataloged the scar as yet another endearing part of Nova that I loved. I allowed my gaze to wander to his green eyes and was struck by the intensity with which they glowed. They were so brilliant that they seemed made of luminescent moonstones from some distant planet.
Nova’s eyes locked with mine for an instant and I felt my cheeks flush brightly under the rouge the white coats had caked on me. I averted my eyes when I heard someone clear their throat. It was Remi. I found myself startled and gawking at his appearance too. His transformation may have been the most dramatic of all. He looked so grown up. If I hadn’t heard Remi’s familiar voice come out of the strange looking boy’s mouth, I may not have even recognized him. Remi had shaggy, brown hair framing his round boyish face for as long as I could remember. He was constantly sweeping it away from his bashful, chocolate eyes. The boy I stared at now had a short buzz cut. His cropped hair was dark, like the color of his keen eyes and arched brows. I watched the angular lines of his face twitch into that smile I’d known all my life. I followed the curve of his face to the tiny tattoo on his scalp. XXVI, #26. Just as Sadie had said, it matched the one on his arm. Not knowing we’d had them all this time unnerved me.
What else didn’t we know about ourselves, I wondered.
I pulled my eyes from Remi to survey the rest of my friends. Journey looked mostly the same. His tawny hair was shorter and he had a shaved spot above his left ear as well, revealing his tattoo; but other than that, he was just a cleaner version of his normal hulking self. His sharp amber eyes scanned the room uneasily. He was no doubt searching for Sparrow.
“She’s okay,” I mouthed silently to him.
He nodded, but still couldn’t relax.
I looked away from his nervously bouncing leg and settled my gaze on Jemma. Somehow she still looked perfect. She had struggled hard against the Luxors, resulting in a few high scalp marks. Her shiny black hair was now shaved high above her left ear, with the rest of it swept to the right and cut into a fierce bob that fell chin length and angled shorter toward the back of her head. Her dark eyes sparkled, reflecting the shimmer of the cosmetics that had been expertly painted on her face, highlighting her beautiful features.
I shook my head in disbelief. Only my sister could get partially scalped and come out looking more beautiful than ever. I sighed, knowing though I was clean and made up too, I could never hold a candle to Jemma. It was impossible having a gorgeous sibling, but I reminded myself, looks weren’t everything. Jemma was cruel and deceitful and no amount of beauty could conceal such darkness for long.
Journey’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
“Where’s Sparrow?”
He had apparently hit his limit for patience and approached the white coat woman.
“We are waiting on one more. You will wait silently and then you will be joining the rest of the student body for dinner,” she replied without ever looking up from her paperwork.
My stomach grumbled at the word, but my brain protested. I was way too edgy to even think about eating. My eyes darted around the room taking it all in. This place was a bit less sterile looking than everywhere else in the medical wing. The walls were still white, but paintings of strangely dressed men hung on them. The white coat woman sat at a rich mahogany desk, in a wing backed upholstered chair. We were afforded comfortable leather chairs that sat on a pale grey woven rug that looked much too expensive to stand on, let alone get sick on.
We only had to endure a few more moments of uncomfortable silence before the door to our waiting room opened once more. All eyes darted to the slight figure that walked through. Poor Sparrow. She seemed to have gotten the worst of it. Either her Luxor had never learned his left from right or he was particularly cruel. Sparrow’s head had been shaved on both sides. It was apparent that the white coats had done the best they could, but her fine, mousy brown hair - though still long - only ran down the center portion of her head. Her amber eyes, which had an uncanny resemblance to Journey’s, were red and watering. Either the white coats had given up on the idea of cosmetics, or perhaps Sparrow had cried them all off. Tears streaked her cheeks and I stood to hug her.
I caught a glimpse at Journey over Sparrow’s quivering shoulders. The concern on his face was so endearing. It warmed my heart to know they could always offer each other comfort. I felt a twinge of sadness as I passed Sparrow to Journey, who drew her so near that it almost seemed she dissolved into him. Remi used to be that for me, my heart whispered as I watched Journey’s arms protectively en
circle Sparrow, while he gently stroked her head. Now Remi stood rigidly against the wall. He hadn’t said two words to me since we arrived and seemed to be avoiding my gaze. I fixed my eyes on him, standing next to Nova. Somehow I’d lost them both.
BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ.
An alarm pierced the air startling us.
“Time to go,” the white coat woman said ushering us to the door.
When she opened it, the hallways were alive again. Groups of white clad students marched past us. Two familiar looking Luxors waited outside the infirmary door. I recognized one as the soldier that had bound and gagged me. I glared at him and he wordlessly motioned for us to line up and follow. He paid no attention to my scowl and I was forced to comply, lining up behind Journey, with Remi on my heels.
Acknowledgments
A giant thank you to all who have added time, love, and support. Geneva would be nothing more than a fantastic musing of mine without you. Thank you for helping me bring the magic to life. Thank you to my parents for always feeding my imagination and love of creation. Thank you to my husband for literally molding the words of my heart into a book that launched a hundred more. To my team of editors, narrators, artists, all the love you’ve giving to Geneva is stamped in every page. And to the fans, your excitement is a flame that will burn within me and these characters forever. I hope you hold onto the magic between the pages and never stop seeking new adventures.
Also by C.J. Benjamin
YOUNG ADULT FANTASY/DYSTOPIAN SERIES
Geneva Sommers and the Quest for Truth (Book 1)
Geneva Sommers and the Secret Legend (Book 2)
Geneva Sommers and the Myth of Lies (Book 3)
Geneva Sommers and the Magic Destiny (Book 4)
Geneva Sommers and the First Fairytales (Prequels)
About the Author
Award-Winning author, C.J. Benjamin, lives in Florida with her husband, and character inspiring pets, where she spends her free time working on her books and speaking to inspire fellow writers.
Her best-selling novel, Geneva Sommers and the Quest for Truth, has won multiple awards and stolen the hearts of YA readers everywhere. Packed with magic and imagination, her epic tale of adventure hooks fans of mega-hit YA fiction like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson.
C.J. Benjamin loves to read and write across genres. She also writes YA contemporary romance under the name, Christina Benjamin.
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For more information visit
www.crownatlanticpublishing.com
