by Kody Boye
Turning, I press my hand upon the communications device and tap the button that will hail the front desk.
“Hello, Mrs. Cross,” a voice says. “How may I assist you today?”
I am initially taken aback. At first I am unsure who the woman is talking to. Then, when I realize it is me, I blush and say, “I need to speak to Revered Mother Terra.”
“I see,” the woman at the front desk replies. “And what might she be able to assist you with?”
“I need to know what’s going to happen next,” I say. “Now that I’m… well… married.”
“I see.” The woman pauses. “Though Mother Terra is currently indisposed, I’ll alert her to your request and have her drop by as soon as possible. In the meantime, is there anything else I can assist you with?”
“Can I have some food brought up to me?”
“Sure thing, Mrs. Cross. Expect someone to drop in shortly.”
“Thank you,” I say, then close the channel before I can speak further.
There is little I can do now but wait.
* * *
I cannot escape the plague of anxiety wreaking havoc on my mind. Lost in thought, and unable to combat the emotions that are besieging my consciousness, I pace my apartment endlessly and with regret that I feel in the soles of my feet rather than anywhere in my mind. It seems like I’ll carve a path through the floor before I’ll ever hear a knock at the door.
You need to remain calm, my mother would have said, were she here to be my counsel. Getting upset isn’t going to do you any good.
The fact of the matter is: my mother isn’t here, and I can’t help but be upset. I was almost the victim of a suicide bombing on the day of my wedding, and on top of that, have only just recently lost my virginity to a complete stranger.
The truth of the matter is: I feel like I’m ready to explode.
I’m just about ready to turn and fling myself back into bed when a knock comes at the door.
“Revered Mother?” I ask, spinning to face the door. “Is that you?”
No response comes.
I frown.
Surely Revered Mother Terra would have come upon my request, would she not? She would not have sent Mother Merissa in her stead?
I begin to walk toward the door, intent on greeting the individual whose presence I am about to be graced with, when the threshold opens—revealing none other than First Lady Rosanna.
“Ma’am,” I say, swallowing the lump in my throat.
The woman, both intimidating and beautiful in her skin-tight leather pants and gray sweatshirt, nods and says, “Mrs. Cross.”
The name sounds eerie on her tongue—as if it is meant to be sour rather than sweet—and causes me to shiver as she steps into my residence without first being given permission. She shuts the door behind her, then turns to size me up—first staring at the blue pants I am wearing, then the simple white blouse that hangs partially off my shoulder. I feel suddenly naked within her presence, but there is little I can do to correct it now.
“Hello, Kelendra,” the woman says. “I hope you’re doing well today.”
I want to tell her the truth, but instead bite my tongue and simply nod in response.
“I assume you have questions regarding the state of your existence,” she says, visually sweeping the room before allowing her eyes to settle on me once more. “I am here to answer them.”
“Mother Terra—”
“Is still indisposed. She is dealing with the aftermath of the explosion that occurred yesterday.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, bowing my head.
“Why are you apologizing?” the First Lady asks. “The event was not caused by anything you did.”
“But it was orchestrated because they wanted to target me,” I reply. “The Fanaticals.”
“Ah. Yes. The Fanaticals.” First Lady Rosanna reaches forward to tilt my chin up. “Tell me, Mrs. Cross: what questions do you have regarding your life at present?”
Now that I’m in a position to receive answers, I’m unsure what to ask first. All those thoughts—all those worries—come flooding to me in an instant. It’s as if a dam has broken forth and is in the process of swallowing me with its waters, and while trying not to drown, I breathe heavily—succumbing, I know, to panic.
“Mrs. Cross?” First Lady Rosanna asks with a frown. “Are you all right?”
“What’s going to happen to us?” I manage, spitting the question out as if it is venom and the open air my antidote.
“Until the time comes that we can guarantee your safety, you will remain within the Spire, where you can be protected around the clock.”
“Why?”
“To answer your question,” the First Lady says, “we are currently unable to determine whether or not this was a rogue agent acting alone or if she was part of a larger force who somehow infiltrated the city. You are well aware that there was little for us to go upon after the assailant detonated her bomb.”
“I understand,” I reply. “You don’t have to go into further detail.”
“Good, for there is no reason to.”
“Why is Daniel gone?” I decide to ask. “If we are in the potential for such danger, why is he not here, in the Spire, with me?”
“He has obligations to his family, and to the city.”
“And I—”
“Are unemployed and without a cause,” the First Lady interrupts. She waits a moment to see if I will speak further before continuing. When she sees that I won’t, she continues on by saying, “Unless, of course, there is something you want to tell me.”
Is there, I wonder? Do I wish to tell her what it is that my heart truly desires here, now, with the First Lady present? It is to her that I am to dedicate myself heart, body and soul—to explain, in no uncertain terms, what exactly it is I wish to do with my life and voice here within the Glittering City?
For that reason, and that reason only, I clear my throat, nod, then lift my head to face her.
In First Lady Rosanna’s eyes there is a devilish intent—far too sinister for me to ever suspect could come from a woman of her caliber. “Kelendra,” she finally says.
“Yessum,” I say rather than ask.
“Do you wish to dedicate yourself to a cause here and now?”
I nod, unable to refrain from speaking the truth.
The First Lady, in all her might and glory, pulls from her pocket a simple electronic device that I have seen others scribble onto in the past—and withdraws, from the depths of the device, a writing utensil that bears no tip but instead a rounded bulb. She uses this to navigate through the device’s display until finally she says, “Kelendra Elizabeth Cross. By the power invested within me by the great Countess Aa’eesha Dane, and by the Glittering City itself, I ask of you, here and now: what is it you wish to dedicate your life to?”
I swallow a lump in my throat—unsure how to say it with a straight face without fear or even without fear of repercussion. It is too monumental to ignore, too astronomical to even begin to give voice to.
But I know I can’t back down.
My life, and my purpose within it, has boiled down to this very moment.
With that in mind, I clear my throat once more and say, “I think… I think I want to dedicate myself to the war.”
All First Lady Rosanna can do is stare.
The story continues in
The War Outside
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About the Author
Though he was born and raised in Southeaste
rn Idaho, Kody Boye has lived in the state of Texas since 2010. His first short story, [A] Prom Queen's Revenge,was published at the age of fourteen. He has since gone on to publish numerous works of fiction, including the young-adult novels When They Came, The Beautiful Ones, The Midnight Spell and ALT CONTROL ENTER, as well as fiction for adults. He currently lives and writes in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.
You can visit him online at
www.kodyboye.com
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Other YA Novels by Kody boye
Kody Boye has multiple young-adult books and series across many genres available for purchase! If you like young people who fight against monstrous creatures, corrupt governments, alien beings, and more, consider checking out some of his other works. Simply click or tap on the banners below!
In the world of The Beautiful Ones, beauty is a currency, and to have it means you can be granted freedom from poverty, at the cost of your free will. For Kelendra Byron, she will soon find that her beauty holds a price—one she may not be willing to pay.
In Dagana: The Last Mermaid, one young woman’s life in inexplicably changed as her parents are viciously murdered by something at sea.
In Kingsman Online, a young woman by the name of Sophia Garza longs to save her terminally-ill mother. To do that, she enters a gaming competition with a prize of a lifetime, only to become trapped in the very game she loves to play.
In The Plague Bloom, follow a young woman as she and her people journey to a promised land atop the backs of their massive Guardians—not only to escape the monstrous Fallen that lurk in the lands below, but to forge a new future.
In The Red Wolf trilogy, a young woman must come to terms with a young man’s strange past, and his even stranger abilities, as the wolves of East Texas return to the small town of Red Wolf.
Scarlet Jane had it all. Until her mother was murdered by a monster. Now, she must either learn to hunt the renegade supernaturals that haunt her world, or forget everything forever.
For best friends Christy and Adam—a witch and a gay young man—life hasn’t been easy. To remedy this, Christy casts a love spell to try and bring Adam’s true love. But has she brought Adam’s first boyfriend to Trinity Springs, or a monster?
When They Came, humanity thought They were their salvation. But six years later, aliens still rule the planet Earth—and one young woman is about to change history.
