by Emily Shore
“Why does he call you Mara?” It seems like a simple question, a fair one.
“Because he made a mistake. I was never meant to be Bliss. He confused me with someone else.”
With me.
“Why doesn’t he just change it?”
“My legal name is Bliss. He kept it as a reminder so he would never stop searching for what he sought most—his ultimate happiness.”
Her words are pointed facts. Nothing more. That is the way she sounds. The way she looks—ghostly like my mother. Not all there. I wonder if her mind is caught somewhere in limbo, halfway between fantasy and reality so she doesn’t really have to deal with either. Far too extreme for that, I’ve managed to bring my fantasy world with me into reality. My lightning diffuses fantasy when necessary—like when I interact with my father. I don’t dissociate; I daydream. For the first time, I consider how daydreaming could be a form of dissociation.
Bliss says nothing else, just nods at me before turning to make her way back to the staircase.
“Will you return?” I ask just before she leaves. I don’t delay her too much. I need Sky.
“If you wish, we could certainly have a meal together sometime. I suppose it’s best since we’ll be working alongside each other soon.”
I straighten. “What do you mean?”
She purses her lips as if she’s weighing how much to tell me. “Perhaps he hasn’t had time to give you more information. Tonight, I wager. I shouldn’t say anything.”
“You don’t have to do everything he tells you to.” You don’t have to do anything, I want to tell her.
“I am not you, Serenity.”
Just as Bliss starts to descend the staircase, I hear other footsteps overlap hers. It’s followed by a low murmur of ‘good girl’ about halfway down.
“I thought you weren’t coming back until dinner.” I sneer upon my father’s approach.
“I enjoy playing the unpredictable. Besides, I have a few minutes before I meet with some business clients. I decided it would be a good opportunity to tell you a few things.”
He has no respect for personal privacy or space. My skin turns into one giant ice block when he sits on the bed next to me, then places his hand on my knee. My automatic reaction is to shrink away.
“It had to happen this way. Surely you recognize that. He could never exist because blood is everything. Family is everything. And he was merely an undocumented trespasser. There was no other fate for him but death.”
Is Sky listening right now? If he is, I can’t have him try to attack. Not with knowing what will happen to my mother.
“And you made sure I couldn’t secure your death in the process,” I launch the words right at him.
“I am an incredibly good predictor of such situations. I allow no room for error. Having linked your mother’s heart with mine offers me reassurance. And time.”
“Time for what?”
“For me to train you.”
I back away from him even more until my spine is flat against the bed frame. “What makes you think I will listen to you? What makes you think I will do anything for you?”
“Hmm…” Force smirks as if contemplating some prior plan he’s about to unearth. “You think I have no more tricks up my sleeve?” He clicks his tongue. “You should know I can squeeze blood from steel if I wish. And judging from your performance in the Aviary, I trust my offer will be accepted.”
“What offer?”
“I will give you my word and follow through with the action of not taking your mother to my bed if you agree to my conditions. You will let me show you my world and train you to become one of my Faces of the Temple.”
I hug my knees to my chest, wanting more information. “What are the Faces of the Temple? I’ve only heard urban myths, but it’s never been done before.”
“Unlike other Museums that cater to a certain theme, The Temple is not limited. It was the first Museum, and it holds the rights for any theme. Every single girl in this Temple is placed on a certain level. Very few ever move up. Your mother was one of those blessed few. Tomorrow, I will introduce you to my empire and all we display here.”
“Get to the point.”
“Unlike all other girls here, Serenity, you and Mara are gifted with an extraordinary talent—and an extraordinary passion.”
He segregates the terms so I know good and well the latter belongs to me.
“Mara has spent much of her life honing her talents. Here, you will hone your passion into whatever guise I choose. You will perform on any and every level of the Temple. And I will ensure your displays are as public as I can make them.”
“That’s why you hired Luc.”
“I appreciate his vision and his taste. I look forward to seeing what other wonders he will produce in you.”
“And what about Mara?”
“All these years, Mara has performed in private for certain clients. I have been waiting a long time to unveil both of you. However, you will perform separately. Only the cost of an interaction will see you both together.”
“Interaction?” I immediately stiffen at the word. Performances are one thing. But if he thinks I’m going to interact, I’ll bite his finger off right now. I might not be able to kill him, but all my butterflies’ wings are vibrating at the thought of the pain I could inflict on him.
“Mara functions on a level of interaction skill far higher than yours. That is why I will keep your dual interactions simple. It will still function as a display but more of an up close and personal one.” My father leans over and touches my cheek. “My Yin and Yang interaction.”
“Why the Yin and Yang?”
“My life has been off-balance for too long.” He lifts his chin, but his gaze wanders. “From an early age, I sought out happiness at every turn. I was denied nothing. The world was my oyster.”
He taps a finger to my nose. “But as I grew older, I gave up childhood lust pursuits and spent years trying to achieve the ultimate control. It’s why I became this powerful and profitable. But happiness was still out of my reach. Control still hung on the point of a knife. My only sense of relief came in the moments shared with your mother.”
“Don’t you dare talk about my mother, you sick scumbag. You could never deserve her even if you crawled all the way from hell to heaven.”
“Exactly, Serenity.” He grins before capturing a few of my curls, then rubbing them between his fingers. “She was my opposite in every way. My balance. A sense of order in all the chaos that is the Temple’s world. Serafina is the closest I’ve ever come to euphoria.”
He pauses, lets out a sigh. “But I’ve always been aware of my mortality. Nothing lasts forever…except one thing. And that is legacy. Everything I’ve experienced, everything I’ve learned over the years, everything I’ve worked so hard to amass—it would be pointless without the opportunity to pass it on to someone. That someone would have to be incredibly special.” His eyes target mine. “That someone couldn’t merely be trained. That someone would have to be born. Like me, that someone would have to possess that thirst from birth, that drive, and that fire.”
“It’s not fire. It’s lightning,” I correct him, at once wishing I could grab the words and shove them back inside my throat. They should be mine.
My father raises his brows, clearly pleased by my retort. “Lightning,” he repeats. “So fitting for the two of us. But I have yet to hear your answer.”
Closing my eyes, I inhale deeply and then blow out through my nostrils. “If you keep my word and leave my mother alone, I’ll let you train me as much as you want to.”
After enduring Jade in the Garden, I feel better equipped to handle whatever my father will bring to the table.
“I’ll be your Face of the Temple. I’ll perform however you want me to,” I go on but raise a hand before he can express his approval. “But I won’t agree to your interaction, no matter it is. My body belongs to me. I’ll be damned if anyone else but the one I choose gets close to it.”
“Ahh yes, another prospect we must sort out. Understand, Serenity, the olive branch I am extending to you. Mara had no such fortune favored on her. But you are different.” He tucks my hair behind my ear even as I flinch. “Rest assured, I will bring scores of suitors to the table, but ultimately, I will let the final choice remain in your hands. You may choose one or you may choose multiple. You may keep one or you may keep more. Whatever you decide will be in your power.”
All my butterflies are stuck in the thick bile in my stomach. Somehow, I manage to keep it there so it doesn’t rise to the surface. As much of a relief it is, the whole idea of it is unfair and ridiculous because it should be every girl’s choice. It should be Bliss’s choice, too.
“You’re wasting your time.”
“We will see. For now, I accept your terms. I will not bed your mother, and short of my interaction assignment, you will complete your duties as the Face of the Temple.”
“For now?” I look up as he rises, hanging on his two previous words.
“Come now, daughter.” He grins, the devil dancing in the seams of his supple mouth. “You don’t think I’ll give up that easily, do you? After all this time, I’m not about to let my vision slip from my fingers. You’ve agreed to only part of it. But my Yin and Yang will be fulfilled one way or another.”
I hiss, “Not without my say so.”
“Then, I suppose I will have to change your mind.” Placing one hand on the bed frame above my head, he leans over to assure me, “I am very good at that, you know.”
My father turns to leave.
“You know I hate you, don’t you?” I say just after he’s reached the staircase.
“Yes.” He turns just his head. “Fascinating how closely the lines of love and hate touch one another. I doubt there will ever be a middle ground between us such as Mara and I share. And that suits me perfectly.
“The rest of the day is yours to do with as you wish,” he instructs while rounding the glass staircase down to the first level. “You may go anywhere in the Penthouse you desire, except for the Breakable Room, of course. I’ll return for dinner. Enjoy your day, Serenity.”
As soon as my father is gone, I race for the vent, but Sky has opened it already and drops into my room. Before he even rises from his instinctive crouch, I throw my arms around him. Instead of raising me up, Sky sinks low with me, welcoming how my body curls into his. He lets me contort into a petite little ball that shakes and sobs and whimpers into his chest until he smells less like Sky and more like my salty tears. In and out of seconds and minutes, he never speaks. Just a fortress of muscles that shields me from anything that might interfere with my grief over the father I’ve lost. That we’ve lost. Kerrick was the counselor. Sky is the protector. This is what he does best.
I pick through the memories of my real father as if they are different magical objects stored in jars. A laser bullet for the times Kerrick took me to the VirtuRoom in one of the hotels we visited. Laser tag on steroids with volumetric targets that would interact with one another. I lost to Kerrick every time. Sky was always better than me, but time with my father was what mattered most.
Sky lets me break the silence first. I do with my cheek still tucked into his chest. “It happened so quickly. Right there in front of all of us. He cut his throat like it was nothing.”
That’s when I feel a rocking sensation beneath me. A trembling. I tilt my head up to see Sky’s head bowed, waves trampling his brow as a soundless tear drops down his cheek. For years, Sky and Kerrick had a deep relationship. A bond I could never understand but one that united them and caused them to spend hours every day training. My real father equipped Sky with what he needed to keep me safe in his absence. Their shared responsibility. Kerrick taught Sky what it is to be a man and to respect a girl. Even if she happens to be a major pain in his ass at times.
I lean up to kiss the tear that’s made its way to his jaw, but Sky brings his mouth down on mine instead. Closing my eyes, I let his hand wind around my neck, preventing me from any sort of escape even though I wouldn’t consider it. We swap our grief back and forth. We taste each other’s loss, trading heartache. When Sky deepens, hardens the kiss, I reciprocate and grip his collar, understanding how we’re sampling just the edge of our shared wrath. He gives me thunder; I give him lightning. Neither wants to pull away. So, we do it slowly. A brush of his mouth on my chin, my nose nuzzling his cheekbone, his forehead brushing mine, my mouth landing on his neck. At last, we’re ready to put a small gap between us. Too much for Sky, who covers the sides of my face with his hands. Too much for me, so I plant my fingers on his bare collarbone.
“I should have known you’d found a way inside.”
The new voice shatters our moment like a dropped snow globe. Sky shoots up, flexing his muscles before marching straight over to Luc and driving him far up against the wall with one hand secured around his throat.
“How dare you? How dare you push your way back into her life again? What do you think you’re going to accomplish?”
That’s when I remember my father’s words about hiring Luc.
Luc doesn’t get a chance to answer because I yank Sky’s hair. Hard enough for him to break his hold. I’m not about to defend Luc. I’m about to defend myself.
Putting myself between them, I raise a finger to Sky. “You know better than that! You heard everything. He wasn’t even there when I agreed to my father’s terms. You don’t have a right to argue that.”
“The hell I don’t!” Sky looks down on me, casting his shadow over my face.
“Not with my mother’s life in the balance,” I add, which twists Sky’s tongue into silence.
He grunts once, paces the floor, eyes darting to Luc and then back to me. “Why him?” He jerks a finger to his brother.
I roll my eyes. “Because I’d trust someone else my father would hire so much more? At least I know what to expect with him.”
“Which is never knowing what to expect,” Sky huffs.
I suppose I can’t argue on that one.
“I came to offer you something else,” Luc states as he comes away from the wall. “That is… if you two are finished talking about me while I’m still in the room.”
Sighing, I open my hand. “Offer me what?”
“Access to my final draft before the process begins.”
“I don’t want it.”
“Serenity—”
“Shut up, Sky,” I snap, then refuse again. “I don’t want it. The dynamic worked last time. We all know how well I performed in the Aviary. And the Garden. Only one thing has changed—I have to be even better.”
Luc’s brows sink but in confusion. “Why?”
Sky rolls his eyes. “Figure it out, brother.”
For one second, Luc deadpans. Realization strikes, and Sky elbows me with a grin when Luc concludes, “You’re planning on escaping.”
“Nothing gets by you, does it?” Sky says.
“I’ll let him do the planning while I keep Force’s eyes on me.” I jerk my head toward Sky.
“And what about your mother? If the technology implant is what I suspect, then it has a surface-area limitation. One step outside Temple property—”
“Such a defeatist attitude,” Sky interrupts. “Ever heard the old expression ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way?’”
“There will only be a way if you two idiots can manage to work together,” I don’t neglect to add while huffing.
“And what about Bliss?” Luc asks. “She seems very content with her Temple life.”
Yes, the one flaw with the plan. I won’t leave without my sister, but I can’t deny the truth of Luc’s words. My father poisoned her from her first day here. Part of me fears I’ll have to bleed the poison out of her very, very slowly.
Luc doesn’t wait for an answer. “Your father has already given me instructions for tomorrow.”
“So soon?” I purse my lips.
“He wishes to resurrect the Swan for your first
public exhibit as one of the Temple Faces. It will be water-themed.”
“What about Bliss?”
“She is Yin. The dark one. Her performances are not for the public. Only your interactions together will be public.”
I shake my head. “I told him I wouldn’t do any interactions.”
“Force already set me to work preparing the interaction display. He is confident he will convince you before your performance tomorrow. Apparently, Neil has a bet going.”
“Who’s he betting on?” I ask above Sky’s groan.
“You.”
“Good. He’ll win then.”
7
S c A r s
Bliss
I believe it’s his intention to leave her with the corpse for the rest of the day.
He’s forbidden Serenity from entering the room again but not me.
I suppose I shouldn’t have expected to find her in a different position. It’s ironic, really. Seeing her on the floor with his blood staining parts of her dress, her thin form tucked into itself, but her eyes spread wider than Temple doors. I know she must have kept her dead husband’s soul close to her heart. She’s not empty without him. She’s just less grounded.
I recognize the loss in her eyes. I’ve felt that same loss. In her case, she lost someone. In mine, I lost pieces of someone. And she can never return. Thousands of men trampling over one another replaced those pieces. No choice but to keep them with me—ghosts on my skin. To survive, I’ve simply made a mountain of them.
As I get closer, I consider how much younger she appears right now. Thanks to my father, I know Serafina was only fifteen when she bore her twins. I’ve done the math. In this moment, she is the child, and I am the mother. She is the novice, and I am the teacher.
I lower to the floor next to her, careful not to pick up any traces of blood.
