Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
You dare to question me, came a deep, rumbly voice that seemed to vibrate all around the room. For the first time tonight, Sarasin had spoken, but not out loud. His voice was even scarier than his large, intimidating presence, and it appeared to have entered the minds of everyone present.
“I … no … I just,” Mack stammered, and she looked genuinely terrified.
You may leave now, Sarasin replied, his tone brooking no argument. And let it be known that you won’t receive an invitation again.
Mack appeared bereft as she was escorted from the room, several vampires leaving with her as she shot a dark look in my direction. I had a feeling that whatever benefit came from receiving Sarasin’s Gift would be outweighed by the revenge Mack would seek against me. As far as she was concerned, it was my fault she wasn’t chosen. I knew it from the hateful expression on her face.
“Please come with us,” Lara said, distracting me from Mack. She and another elf stood behind me, and I finally let go of Vasilios’s hand.
“Go,” he said. “I’ll wait here for you.”
And so, I went.
***
My eyes traced Sarasin’s wide shoulders as I followed him through the door at the back of the large dining room. His dark hair hung long down his back like a glossy black river. He didn’t wear a red jumpsuit like the rest of us. Instead, he had on a black T-shirt and grey jeans. In the outside world, he could’ve been the lead singer in a rock band.
The room we entered was again crowded with a variety of plants. A tree with bright yellow leaves grew in the centre of the space. It was magnificent, a bright splash of colour among all the green, and I suddenly realised it was the same tree that was stamped in gold on the invitation Vasilios had received. Was that why I’d had so many visions and dreams about trees lately? I thought it was some weird connection to the red maple in the courtyard, but perhaps some sixth sense had been trying to warn me about Sarasin all along.
Just as I thought it, an image of the red maple flashed in my head, vibrantly imprinting itself in my mind’s eye as if to argue, No, I’m the one you’ve been dreaming about. It was like the tree had a psychic consciousness, a mind of its own. Goosebumps covered my skin, and a voice dragged me back to the present.
“Darya, are you okay?” Lara asked, her eyes full of concern. There was something sharp in them, too. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
“Yes, I’m fine, just a little overwhelmed.”
“That’s understandable, but you’ll be okay. Sarasin never harms those chosen for the Gift.” The fact that she didn’t mention the Curse gave me a chill. What would happen to Monica?
We continued farther into the room, and Lara ran her hand through the leaves of a hemp plant as she whispered to me with a cheeky grin, “This one is my favourite.” I suppressed a grin of my own, wondering if Lara and the other elves secretly made their own weed up there when Sarasin wasn’t paying attention.
It really was quite awe-inspiring that so many plants flourished on an otherwise barren island. I couldn’t see Monica anywhere, so I guessed she’d been brought to another part of the glass house. Sarasin went to sit under the yellow tree, and I paused, standing in place, when Lara gave me a little shove. “Go. He’s waiting for you,” she encouraged. I was about to step forward when I turned back to her and asked, “Why were you frowning at me earlier if you knew I was being picked for the Gift?”
She hesitated, then replied grimly, “Because, Darya, seeing one’s past or future isn’t guaranteed to be a gift. Sometimes, it’s just as much of a curse. That’s the horrible trick in this whole thing.”
With those parting words, she and the other elf left, and it was just Sarasin and me in a glass room filled with plants. Warily, I approached him. He sat crossed-legged on the floor, his back resting against the tree trunk as he stoically regarded me.
“Hello,” I said, standing awkwardly a few feet away from him.
His otherworldly green eyes rose to meet mine. Sit, child.
His booming voice filled my mind, startling me. Then I took a few steps closer and lowered to sit cross-legged in front of him. Lara’s words echoed in my head, and I wondered if I even wanted the supposed gift. I’d come tonight out of sheer curiosity. I never imagined I’d actually get chosen.
“Is it possible for you to change your mind and give your gift to Mack instead? I’m pretty sure she’s going to have me murdered as soon as I leave here. She was convinced all night that she would be chosen.”