“I’m hoping you’re right,” Danna said. “But meanwhile, let’s just appreciate how awesome is this.”
I turned to the brightling. “You mentioned that we’re almost goddesses, right? What does that mean? Are we immortal?” Last I checked, gods lived forever. Not that I had any place to properly check.
The brightling shook his head. “Not at all. You have to eat, drink, sleep, and breathe like a human. You can die like a human. Some of your goddess powers will manifest, but until you graduate the Sanctuary, you will still be subject to most human limitations.”
My mind was hurting from trying to figure out how all this worked.
“Now,” the brightling continued. “Please step onto the platform. The address from the overseer is in three minutes, and we are late.” He took out a pocket watch from his vest and tapped his watch face. The rabbit man didn’t wear a monocle. He needed one to complete the look of the White Rabbit.
I boarded the podium. Danna, without any prompting from me, reached over to hold my hand. My lips parted. I didn’t realize that I was on a holding-hand basis with her already. The closeness gave me a little flutter of happiness in my chest.
That didn’t last long, because the podium surged upward, lifting me into the air. I grabbed Danna’s entire arm and turned into a clingy, squealing, useless being.
Danna cocked her head at me when the podium stopped rising. “You don’t do well with rollercoasters, do you?”
“Knowing me, I’ll probably get my head snapped off while riding one through some unfortunate accident.”
She chuckled, not judging me for my clumsiness. I loved her more for that.
We arrived at the gathering and stepped off the floating podium. The girls were already dressed up in fifty shades of gorgeous. Earrings, necklaces, gowns of all sorts of colors in different Grecian styles. Some had foils in their hair, and their makeup looked like works of art, each brushstroke carefully made to emphasize their features in the best possible way.
Danna and I looked at each other.
In my bloodstained pair of jeans, and her grimy cheerleader outfit, we were disasters in comparison. I frowned. The disparities in our outfits almost making me disgusted by myself.
Danna’s mouth twitched. “It’s all a matter of perspective, isn’t it?” Sheepish laughter shook from her lungs. “I mean, some people would prefer that we looked like we’d just stepped out of a dungeon. Bad girls are hotter anyway.”
“Doesn’t really matter. We have about three seconds before we wake up.” I waited three seconds. Nope. I continued to stay trapped in this semi-terrible dream. Half of it was a fantasy, the other a nightmare. “I kind of wished we attended the feast instead of wasting time scrubbing floors.”
Danna raised a brow. “Kind of? I’m a hundred percent certain that anyone would prefer the feast.”
“Beautiful half-bloods,” came a loud feminine voice. It sounded layered and rich, like it’d come from a speaker. The chatter amongst the girls quieted, and we all turned our attention to where the voice had come from. The lady who’d sent us to detention, Agness the Overseer, stood on a balcony. She’d switched her casual tunic out for a sleek gown that hugged her perfect curves. A bracelet in the shape of golden vines wrapped around her forearm. They reminded me of her powers. “This term’s cohort has gathered. I’m happy to see all of you here, healthy and well, because the Sanctuary will push you to challenge your abilities.
“Your term here will last for two years,” she continued. “You will be assessed on your suitability for goddess-hood. Those who succeed will be given the honor of taking care of the chiasma.”
The chiasma?
Agness must have noticed the confusion on most of our faces, because she continued, “Some of you might not have noticed it. The less observant, perhaps.” I definitely tended to miss things too much. It came from having a terrible lack of concentration. “The chiasma is what we call that large, pulsing entity over there.”
I looked at where Agness referred to, and saw a giant orb in the far distance. It was unassuming from so far away, but on closer inspection, I noticed its power. Colorful magic raged around it, thrashing and swirling. Now that I focused, I could almost sense it. It called to me. It reminded me of a needy child that always required attention. Maybe it was due to the way it drew me in, begging me to thrust myself against it.
Staring at the chiasma unsettled me. I tore my gaze away.
“It is every goddess’s duty to ensure that the chiasma is properly managed and well fed,” Agness said. “But before it comes to that, we have to make certain that you have the right abilities. The assessments will look at how well you work in teams, since us goddesses have to work together after we join the council. Each of you will be given four servants. Vassals, as we like to call them. They will assist you in your stay here, as is tradition, and will be going through their own evaluations.”
As she spoke of the vassals, the door beneath the balcony spread open. A huge group of men stepped out from the room behind them. They were dressed in white uniforms that looked like altered versions of suits. There were so many gorgeous men that I thought I might be at a gathering of models. Sharp jaws and enrapturing eyes and muscled forms.
One of them stood out to me the most.
Hansel.
I thought I’d never see him again.
But there he was, standing in front of me and waving with a dimpled smile that I wanted to smooth my thumb over. His hair was neater than when I first saw him, tied behind his head into a blond bundle. Our gazes met, which sent nervous trickles of lust through my belly. He cocked his head then winked at me.
“Sweet baby Jesus,” Danna said. “These men are to serve us?”
“That’s what Agness said.” I smacked my lips together. “They don’t have to serve us. I just want a healthy serving of them.” Topped with a cherry and maybe some ice cream to go along with their fabulous physiques.
“I can’t help but feel like I’m cheating on Ty.”
“Who is Ty?”
“That guy who asked me out on a date.”
I rolled my eyes. “You guys haven’t even been out together yet. It doesn’t matter, and never mind him.”
“Is it wrong that I’m starting to miss home a bit less now?”
“Not at all.”
Looking at all these hunks was helping me conveniently forget how we’d been taken here against our will. This was too good to be true. There had to be a downside to all this. Maybe all these guys were serial killers and the assessments Agness had spoken of were actually torture experiments.
Butterflies awoke in my belly. Eagerness to talk to Hansel again made sparks sputter inside of me. I had a strange urge to fangirl and gush about him to Danna. Women weren’t supposed to chase men, but Hansel was such good bait that my feminine hormones didn’t want to control themselves.
The vassals didn’t walk up to us. Instead, they just displayed themselves in a neat row in front of the door.
“You will greet your vassals tomorrow,” Agness said.
My shoulders sagged when I heard that.
I glanced at Danna. “Teamwork. So in this strange dream, we’re going to have to put up with a bunch of group projects?”
Danna pulled a long face.
“You don’t like them?”
“Not at all.”
“You’re a cheerleader. That’s all you guys do. You jump around looking pretty and cheer teams on.”
“Don’t even get me started on this whole cheerleading thing. You won’t fathom the level of bitching that goes on around us. Plus, when it comes to class itself…” She rolled her eyes. “I can go on a day’s rant about damn group projects. It’s always me pulling all the weight while all the slackers kick their feet up and waste time.”
“We should be on the same team. I work hard.”
The overseer interrupted our conversation and continued, “Now, before I let you visit your rooms, I want to introduce you to a very speci
al someone. I’ve been waiting a long time for her arrival. Her presence is a blessing and I hope you girls treat her well. Caramel Valencia, will you raise your hand?”
Danna’s eyes widened, and so did mine.
“You’re special,” Danna said with a blank expression.
“Aren’t we all supposed to be little snowflakes?” I asked. “I’m not understanding what’s happening.”
Agness repeated my name, this time more loudly. When it seemed obvious that she wouldn’t let me off without me revealing myself, I parted from Danna, stepped from the crowd, and raised my hand. I lifted it halfheartedly, merely up to my forehead.
A smile broke Agness’s cheeks. “There you are. I didn’t expect you to be shy.” She took out her wand and made a swirling motion. Vines emerged from it and weaved their way toward me. They wound down the balcony and meshed with each other, forming a stairwell for me to climb. I lifted a brow at the magical sight. Was this some kind of fairytale? “Come on up and give your sisters a wave.”
“I really don’t have—”
“Please, I insist.”
There was no point arguing in front of a huge crowd, and I still couldn’t accept that everything around me was real, so I decided to go with the flow. One hesitant step after another, I climbed up the staircase made of vines and joined Agness.
Agness nodded, wearing a pleased look. She placed one hand on my shoulder and grinned widely. “Caramel Valencia is the daughter of Aphrodite, one of the first goddesses and a missing ruler of our world, the Haven.”
Aphrodite? Wasn’t she some Greek goddess of love or something? Agness must have mistaken my identity, because I’d never been good at love. I was the master of getting my heart broken. Max was only one of my failures.
And I had a mom?
What the hell?
I stood frozen in place, unable to process the new information. It hit me with full force, and was so heavy that I thought I might throw up.
“I have big plans for Caramel here,” Agness said. “She will be given special treatment.”
“Wait, what?” I asked in a whisper-yell. Why would she say that in front of the rest of the girls? Wouldn’t that just single me out and make them hate me?
The grin on Agness’s face grew wider. It was then I realized that Agness truly was targeting me. I watched as the faces of the girls below soured. I felt them all labelling me as their opponent. We were supposed to be participating in group activities. How was I supposed to group myself up with the girls properly if they all despised me?
Was Agness my enemy? I didn’t know the first thing about her. Why would she want to ruin me like this?
“I hope you enjoy your stay here in the Sanctuary, Caramel,” Agness said. Her eyes darkened as she passed me a small slip. I glanced at it, seeing a timetable that was typed out in neat small print. Our school curriculum.
I doubted she meant what she said.
Five
I waved Danna goodbye as she walked into her new dormitory room. The dorms here weren’t as large as I’d expected them to be. According to Agness, to fuel the spirit of cooperation, the girls were supposed to share their living spaces.
I didn’t like sharing, which made me hate the Sanctuary even more. Lydia had let me move out of her place once I hit eighteen. She told me she’d pay for whichever university I got into, but I wanted to try working for myself first. I did a pretty good job of taking care of myself despite my clumsiness.
I stopped in front of the room they’d assigned me—Jasmine A. It was at the end of the hallway. The door was a sleek white, and the door knob looked like it was made out of pure gold.
It’d been hours since I’d arrived in the Sanctuary. At this point, things were beginning to feel so strangely normal that I’d decided to go with the flow. For the time being, I’d assumed that everything around me was real. I doubted that I had the imagination to dream up such ridiculous things. I needed to find a way to get into the good books of the other girls again. I wasn’t sure what happened to the half-bloods who didn’t make it to goddess-hood, but mystery shrouded that fate, which meant that it was probably nothing good.
I checked the slip of paper in my hand before entering my room. Classes started at seven in the morning. I tried to wrap my head around the ludicrous names of the classes:
Potions theory.
Chiasma synergy.
Goddess etiquette.
All these names sounded like they belonged in a book or a movie and not life itself.
My attention settled on one session that particularly interested me—vassal time. I didn’t know what “vassal time” actually meant, but it sounded like I might spend the hour with a bunch of hot guys. That didn’t sound too bad. I looked forward to it a bit too much. Sure, my life was at stake, but since I was an ape at my core, my hormones flared at hot boys.
I knocked on the door, warning my new roommate, just in case she was inside. “I’m coming in.” I turned the cool, over-lavish doorknob and entered the room.
“Hm,” I said, not impressed. It was only slightly bigger than my bedroom at the apartment. Beside the beds were two separate wardrobes that had metallic baroque trimmings. My roommate had curled up underneath her blanket, hiding her body and not revealing any of herself. Was she sick? “Uh… hello? Are you awake? I’m new and thought I might introduce myself.” Maybe I should wait till she woke up. “I’m Cara,” I said, closing in on the blanket.
“I hate… my… life…”
I stiffened. Oh no. I recognized that voice and the way that girl spoke. It couldn’t be…
Moping Miley lifted the blanket from her head. She spun toward me with her mascara-lined eyes and pulled another one of her sad expressions. I dragged my hands down my face. Damn it. Why did I have to be paired up with her?
“Why do you hate your life now?” I asked, trying not to make my disgust apparent on my face. Did Agness take applications for room switches? Then again, Agness seemed to hate me for no apparent reason, so I doubted my appeal would get through.
“I have…” Miley sniveled. She tipped her gaze at the ground then rubbed her nose with her hand. “I have a roommate.”
“I’m the problem?”
“This room was all mine for a month. The last half-blood failed a major test and was sent away. I thought I’d live here by myself until the end of my term.” She let out a heavy sigh, and her shoulders slumped.
“Can you just, like, be happy for a minute?”
“Life is a never-ending cycle of sorrow and heartache. To be alive is to suffer. That is something that we cannot escape. Sometimes you must eat food you don’t like. Sometimes you must share your space with people less deserving.”
“Sheesh,” I said, not sure how to respond to that. She was right, kind of, but focusing so much on the bad parts couldn’t be good for mental stability. Also, just because there was a little truth in her words didn’t mean that she didn’t sound like an asshole. “I’m just going to take a shower.”
She craned her neck up to the ceiling. “And now, I must share my showers. Why are the goddesses so cruel to me? Oh, Athena, take me from this cruel world. Let my next breath be my last for this agony is too much.”
“Hold off on the dying part,” I said. “I’ll speak to you about that after my shower.” Miley was dressed in a fresh pair of silky black pajamas. She’d gotten herself cleaned up, but apparently, her patchy eye makeup was a constant fixture. I ought to tell her not to cake the makeup on so thickly. Lydia had taught me that doing it like that wasn’t good for pores.
I stepped toward my wardrobe. On its doors were two mirrors. I noted the stains on my shirt. Max had given it to me for my last birthday. I was happy I had reason to get rid of it. I tore it from my body and tossed it on the ground, stepping on it. I wondered if they had cleaning staff around here. Maybe I’d have to clean up my own mess tomorrow. I looked at my reflection. My hair was just as red as ever. It almost bordered on crimson; the kids in preschool used to tease me
about its strange color, but I loved it. My eyes were blue. I thought they complemented my hair well.
“And she’s a messy roommate, too,” Miley said, pulling her pillow over her eyes. I shook my head and resisted the urge to give her an eye-roll. How long did I have to stand her whining for? Another two years? I hoped she graduated early. Her presence was going to drive me crazy.
Miley continued throwing a slew of complaints at me. A neat row of clothes that matched my style lay in waiting inside the cabinet. I wondered how the servants in the Sanctuary knew my tastes so well. Maybe they’d stalked me before dragging me here. Talk about creepy. I picked out a set of pajamas.
“I want my space back,” Miley said in a long drawl.
I quickly shut myself behind the bathroom’s door to drown out Miley’s sobbing. I didn’t need to hear any more of that.
Guilt sputtered up my chest as I showered myself. Maybe I should spend a bit longer listening to Miley’s problems. What if she actually offed herself? It wouldn’t be my fault, of course—her problems were hers to deal with, and I barely even knew her—but I’d still feel like a complete dick for not providing her a shoulder for her moping when she needed it.
I turned off the tap after taking a shower that took too long and toweled myself dry. There wasn’t anything particularly special about the shower facilities here, despite everything they did with magic. Maybe the lavish decorations just didn’t impress me that much. I missed home. Nothing could beat the comfort my own home gave me.
I stepped back into the room. “Miley?” I asked. “Do you want to let it out?”
She’d hidden herself underneath her blanket again. I walked up to her and shook her by the shoulder.
A loud snore greeted me. It rose in volume before getting interrupted with a rough snort. I pulled my lip up in disgust. Did I really have to put up with that for the rest of the night?
“All right, then,” I said, deciding to leave the therapy session for another day.
I switched the lights off and cuddled underneath the sheets, leaving my hair wet. Lydia always told me to dry my hair first. Sleeping with it wet was supposed to be bad for the scalp. I got lazy, anyway.
Goddess Academy: The Complete Reverse Harem Collection Page 4
