Chapter 10
Eliane
“I have a sister,” I blur out, not having the courage to hold it to myself any longer, the pressure of my chest disappearing the second I speak the freeing words.
The whole conversation with Hazel is replaying in my head like a movie.
The nerves that bubbled up when Hazel asked me to come with her.
How she held my hand and I watched her expression drop.
How her lips trembled as she spoke the words I never thought I would hear.
The way my heart dropped and I fought the tears before wrapping my sister in my arms. We even look a like and I hate how I have been comparing our faces the whole time.
We figured we would talk later. After the trials, when we would have all the time in the world.
And we shook our hands on that. I shake myself out of my thoughts and watch Annie react to my little outburst. Annie stops in front of me, turning around, a worried look appearing on her face, eyes full of surprise.
“Okay? Is something wrong with her?” she answers, scrunching up her nose the same way I always do.
Her ocean blue eyes seem to float in worry like usual.
A light blue long working dress dances around her body.
It has some puffy short sleeves, making it look elegant.
The dress is simple, but she makes it look stunning.
If I didn’t know she was a servant I wouldn’t guess her to be one.
It makes me question how she came here in the first place.
I shake my head as I come back to reality. I have a sister, and I never knew her.
“I always wished I had a sister.” I sigh. “I didn’t know anything before the king sent me to live with Da.” A soft sob rolls over my lips. “I never knew I had an older sister, Annie.” Before tears leave my eyes, Annie rushes towards me, pulling me into a tight hug. Her warmth calms my shivers.
“That is horrible, Ellie,” she murmurs into my neck. I can’t ignore the sad undertone in her voice. She continues talking before I can ask her anything about it. “Do you know who she is?”
I do.
I take a shaky breath in as I doubt if I should tell her.
“Yes,” I breathe out, Annie tensing in question.
“It is Hazel”
Her eyes wide.
“You mean Hazel, as in the girl who is living here?” she pitches.
All I do is nod in agreement. I think I want to talk to her tomorrow.
I know we figured we should have a real chat after these trials, but there are things I want to know about her, and that is probably idem ditto. Today has been just too overwhelming.
“Maybe I will talk to her tomorrow.” I shrug, putting a fake smile on my face. “What about you?” I ask. “Do you have siblings?” Annie freezes at the question. Her breathing stops for a moment, and she starts fidgeting with a few loose hair strands that hang out of her messy bun.
She grabs my hand, dragging me with her, looking over her shoulder like she is insane. My eyes go to her bare arm that is covered in scars.
“Not here.”
I almost trip over my own legs as she drags me with her deeper into the garden, the silent questions piling up in my head. As she finally starts walking slower, I stop her.
“Annie, stop!” I yell as she walks into the small forest. “You can trust me. I am not like other candidates.” I try to comfort her and pull myself together as I do. I ground my feet and push my shoulders back.
“I know,” she agrees, walking towards me as she glances over her shoulder. “That’s why I take you here. You can know, but the others can’t,” she murmurs, looking down at the ground. I give her hand a comforting squeeze as she finds the courage.
“I hope I don’t have siblings. My parents died when I was ten,” she whispers, water filling her eyes.
Normally I am a blur out, but I stay quiet, letting her finish her story.
“I was put in foster care, but nobody wanted to have me. Naturally a sibling would be nice, but if they had to deal with what I had to deal with I would rather have none.” She sniffles, staying quiet for a few seconds, an odd feeling filling my stomach as I try to embrace the silence.
“Not getting chosen by anyone, living in doubts your whole life. Of course I would have wanted a sibling for myself, a support system to fall back on, but that would just be egoistic. I bet that even they would leave me after figuring me out.” She is almost laughing at herself through the tears.
Like I am stupid for not knowing what she means.
Her laugh is filled with pain. A hatred laugh.
“I am powerless, Eliane.”
She looks me deep in the eyes as if her words should scare me. I smile back, I don’t care that she has no powers. When the manes were here everyone lost theirs anyway.
“When I was sixteen and still not adopted, they put me out. Nobody wants powerless teenagers. I lived on the street for a year. Then I heard somebody talking about working as a servant. I knew this was my chance of making something out of life, so I solicited and got hired,” she continues, not looking me into my eyes.
I take her shoulders in my hands and force her into a hug.
“You are perfect just the way you are, your sweetness is your power, Annie. Where do you stay?” I question her.
“My name is Anasté, actually,” she answers, giving me a petty smile. “I usually stay at the side building. Normally, your room is my room, but now I am sharing a room with another servant.”
Oh. That sucks. How could I be so selfish to only think about my own problems in here? Guilt trembles over me and I want to give her, her room back, but she starts talking before I can offer.
“It is fine.”
“I am sorry for stealing your room, Anasté,” I tease her, bumping my shoulder softly into hers as we continue to walk.
“And the others can’t know about this because you haven’t manifested a signet?
” I look at her. I can’t help the bubbling anger inside of me.
What can she do about the thing you are born with or without. I hate people.
“Yep, they will see me as weak. The king thinks I am a fortune teller. Also, not the most impressive signet, I know, but it is something. I know there is no punishment or difference for someone powerless, but people do have their judgement ready for you if you tell them.” She nods her head slightly, staring up in the sky.
“I didn’t want to make this about me, sorry,” she whispers.
She does not have to feel guilty. We are walking in this beautiful garden and everywhere I look is beauty.
The sun is lowering and the sunset is starting.
“Annie, you’re my best friend,” I tell her. She looks at me in confusion. “Well, actually you’re my first friend and friends hear each other out, at least that’s what they seem to do in the books I read.” I put my finger on my chin in confusion. “Anyway.” I shrug.
Annie bursts out in laughter.
“Wait, why are you laughing?” I continue. I stare at her in confusion, waiting for an answer. She lowers herself and turns around, embracing everything that surrounds us at this moment
“You’re just so you and I love it,” she establishes. She wraps one of her arms around my shoulders and a smile covers my face. “Now tell me about that boy of yours!” She giggles out. I feel the blush rise and the tops of my ears turn red.
“He is no boy of mine.” I shrug.
“So you do know who I am talking about, don’t you?
Your face seems to remember. Now sit down, watch the sunset with me and tell me why your face is red as a tomato,” she commands me, still laughing.
So that’s what I do. I sit down with her while watching the sky turn into all these beautiful colors of purple and pink and I tell her everything.
Well, almost everything, because I keep the surprise of achievement to myself as soon as I noticed that I made the sunset prettier and last longer than usual.
It is already past 1 a.m. as I turn around in bed and look at the clock, Braxton still being nowhere to be found.
I close my eyes and think about the memories Da and I have, them being the only thing helping me calm down.
One time, he taught me to ride a horse. He jumped on a big brown horse, and he had a palomino smaller horse on his side.
Light and sweet like me, he described her.
He helped me up and even though I couldn’t really ride we bumped around the forest for hours.
After I fell asleep on the horse, Da carefully helped me off and tucked me in bed.
It was the first time I called him Da and told him I loved him.
The name Da stuck. Calling him dad feels strange, because I feel like his daughter, Mirae, should have called him that.
And I am not her. He feels like a real father to me, though.
I was eight years old at the time and my feelings for Da never changed.
I press out an exaggerated yawn and sleep drags me away.
The change of light and squeaking of hinges, make me sit straight up. My eyes change direction towards the clock.
1:30 a.m.
Strange.
I was sure I had slept for over an hour or two. My head turns to the shadow standing in the doorway.
“Could you not have been a bit more quiet when walking in? I was sleeping,” I huff out. The shadow walks closer and as I already guessed, Braxton steps out of the shadow.
“Practicing with your mind talking, huh?” he teases. I react in a groan and close my eyes as he switches the light on. I let the tingle rush through my body and change the big light into a little light flying through the air.