I might have stood there for hours, gawking up at the banner displaying my name in giant letters, if not for the mass of people gawking at me.
They chose me.
Or in other words, they chose me to die.
And all because I saved that prick of a prince.
A tap on my shoulder shakes me from my stupor.
I stiffen at the sudden smell of starch and heave a sigh before turning slowly to face the Imperial. He’s young. My eyes flick between his messy red hair and brown eyes boring into mine, completely unbothered by my obvious disdain for his kind. He offers me a small, shy smile.
Unsettling.
In all my years, I have never met a kind Imperial, and I doubt he is the exception.
“You’re Paedyn Gray, correct?” He gestures to the sign above us with a wave of his hand.
“Who wants to know?” I blurt.
“Er,” he rubs the back of his neck, “the king? I’m here to escort you to the palace where you will be staying until the Trials are over.”
The unspoken words hang in the air between us. Or until you die.
“Now? Right now?” I hate how high and breathless my voice sounds, but I can’t stop the panic rising up my throat. “But the Trials don’t begin for another two weeks.”
He almost looks apologetic, and I hate it. “The contestants always head to the palace two weeks in advance for training, interviews, and of course, the first ball.”
How could I forget how showy the Trials are?
His head whips around, red hair rippling like flames as he searches to see if anyone is watching. Then he leans in slightly, his next words a murmur. “I can only give you about…hmm, five minutes or so before we have to leave.”
I don’t hesitate before bounding down the street as fast as my legs can carry me.
Adena.
I skid to a stop in front of our little alley and swallow the lump in my throat at the sight of her tucked behind the Fort, humming while she sews. I take it all in as I stride towards her. Every piece of garbage we scavenged together to keep us warm at night. Every scrap of clothing piled beside her as she works. Every curly piece of hair escaping the messy bun at the nape of her neck. Her dark brows furrowed over hazel eyes in concentration.
Will I ever see her again?
I try to push the thought from my head as I sink to the ground and pull her into a crushing hug. She gasps in surprise before quickly discarding her work and squeezing me tight. “Happy to see you too?” She laughs into my hair and pulls away, concerned by my sudden show of affection. “Are you…okay?”
I meet her eyes, memorizing the specks of gold flecking them. “I’m leaving, A.”
“W-what?” The look on her face is equally scared and skeptical.
“They are sending me into the Trials. The people want me there, apparently.” I’m rambling. “For entertainment purposes, of course.” I offer her a weak smile, but nothing can stop the look of horror from spreading across her face.
She brings a soft, brown hand to her mouth as she breathes, “Oh, Pae…” She trails off, not knowing what to say, what to do. “But you…You don’t have an ability—”
“It’s gonna be alright,” I say, trying to convince her as well as myself. “I’ll be—”
“Don’t you dare say you’ll be fine,” she huffs as anger temporarily swallows her fear. “Pae, the Trials are deadly enough, but if they find out about what you aren’t they will—”
“Kill me,” I finish for her. “I know.” The fear floods back into Adena’s eyes, crashing into her so hard I worry she may crumble. A sad, small smile lifts my lips as I take her in. I’m leaving the only person who knows me, the only person I can truly trust. She’s been a constant in my life, an anchor that I’ll be drifting without.
But this is for the best. It’s safer for her without me here.
“I can do this,” I say softly. “I was made to do this.”
Adena nods numbly, knowing this already. Knowing how my father began training me when it became apparent to him that his little girl was an Ordinary doomed for death.
She knows how at the age of five, my life changed before it had even begun. Father sat me on his lap, whispered that I was different, that I had to pretend to be something I wasn’t if I wanted to grow up with him by my side. It was our own little game, he said. A game of pretend. A game in which he’d already chosen the perfect role for me to play for the rest of my life.
“What’s a Psychich daddy?” That question is still so vivid in my mind, though it was over thirteen years ago when I’d asked it.
Father had just chuckled softly, a seemingly simple sound that I wish I could have memorized. “A Psychic, Paedy, is a fancy word for someone who’s observant. A power that can be faked with years of practice. Something you don’t have to be gifted with, but a skill you can learn.” At that, he’d bopped the tip of my nose with his finger. “And I’m going to teach you. That way, we can always be together.”
If only death had any regard for promises.
I’m suddenly pulled into another suffocating hug. “Come home to me, Pae. Please?” Adena’s voice is muffled against my hair. “You’re all I have left, you know.”
I wish more than anything that those words weren’t so terrifyingly true.
When Adena’s mother fell ill, it was likely my father who tried to treat her. Healers are uncommon around the slums, and the people needed him as much as they loved him. But even Elites have their limits, while it seems Death knows no bounds. And since Adena never knew her father, he could have been the hazel-eyed merchant I robbed this morning for all we know.
A pained laugh slips past my lips. “And you are all I have left, A.”
“Good.” She sniffs and pulls back to look at me. “Then you better find a way to make it back to me. If anyone from around here can make it out of those bloody Trials, it’s you.” The look she gives me defiantly determined. “At worst, you lose and come home. At best, you win the damn thing.”
I huff out a laugh at the absurd thought. “I’ll try my best for you, A.” After swallowing the lump in my throat, I add, “I’ll visit you. I promise. I’ll find a way. Walk if I have to.”
She smiles, giving me one final hug before waving as I head down the alley. Standing to her feet behind the Fort, she shouts, “This is not a goodbye, only a good way to say bye until I see you next!”
It’s the same cheesy line she’s said for years, and yet, this is the first time it’s sounded like a goodbye. “You’re my favorite, A!” I call back to her, voice breaking without my permission.
“And you are mine, Pae!”
Smiling, I finally tear my eyes from her and begin hurrying down Loot, considering running away from the Imperial, the Trials, everything.
But the reckless thought is gone as quickly as my feet pounding against the cobblestone. I’ll be hunted down and killed if I run. At least with going to the Trials, I have a fighting chance at survival. Sort of.
Panting, I make it back to the Imperial who is now joined by a small girl assessing me timidly. “Ready to go?” he says, looking between the two of us. I humor him by nodding, despite having no choice in the matter.
We head down Loot in silence, passing crowds of people as we walk, all clapping and shouting their congratulations at us. As we near the end of the long street, I see a dark coach awaiting, paired with an Imperial sitting atop the driver’s bench with his white uniform nearly blinding in the sun.
Our redheaded Imperial opens the door for us before he too joins the guard on the bench. The girl scrambles in and I follow, peeking my head out the door for one last look at Loot Alley before the coach seals me inside, separating me from my former life.
Cushioned black seats await us, and I’m almost too busy admiring the fanciest thing I’ve ever seen to notice the boy sitting across from us. His brown hair is neatly styled on his head, just above his dark green eyes that are currently pinned on me. By the condition of his clothing, I can tell he comes from a nicer area of the slums and likely falls into the Defensive tier of Elites.
The coach lurches forward, and I cling to the wall. I already don’t like small spaces, let alone small places that move. I steady my breathing, forcing myself to calm down before I look back at the bored boy.
“Hi,” I say, trying to ease the tension. “I’m Pae—”
“I know who you are,” he cuts me off, immediately deciding that staring out the window is far more interesting than our conversation. “You’re the girl who saved Prince Kai.” His tone suggests that this is not, in fact, precisely what happened. As if dozens of people didn’t see it happen.
I open my mouth, allowing words to spew out before I can think better of them. “Correct. And clearly you don’t have a reputation, or I would have heard of you by now.”
His eyes snap to mine, nostrils flaring. “I’m Ace. Ace Elway.” He says this proudly, straightening the collar of his shirt as he continues, “I’m an Illusionist. Rare. That’s why I’m here.” His smile is as cold as his eyes. “And I’m going to need those twenty thousand shillings to finally get me out of these slums, so I’m sure I’ll be making quite the reputation for myself soon enough.”
I’ve never encountered an Illusionist, but I’ve heard enough about them to know he’s dangerous, even as a Defensive.
“And who are you?” he asks the girl beside me. “What can you do?”
She glances between the two of us, looking as if she wants to disappear.
And I almost laugh when she does.
She’s there one second and gone the next. I stare at the empty seat beside me before her form reappears, materializing in a matter of moments.
Veil.
“I’m Hera,” she says shyly. Her deep, brown eyes meet mine as she brushes a strand of silky black hair behind her ear. Something about the action seems vaguely familiar, making me wonder if she’s one of the popular Veils that perform street magic.
“I’m Paedyn,” I say over the rumbling of the coach rolling over uneven cobblestones.
“What’s your power?” she asks curiously.
“Psychic.” I shrug casually. “I mostly sense strong emotions that give me flashes of information. It’s not much, but it’s all I’ve got.”
Liar. You haven’t got anything.
“Really?” Her eyes go wide, probably shocked that someone with such a weak Mundane ability could make it into the Trials, let alone defeat a Silencer.
“It’s an uncontrollable mental ability, and the only reason the Silencer wasn’t able to get into my head when I saved Prince Kai.” I toss a pointed look at Ace. “I guess that’s why people want me in these Trials at all.”
Ace the Ass snorts. “They only want you in the Purging Trials to watch you die, Mundane.”
I stare at him, and after a long moment, a small smile tugs at my lips.
“Oh, most definitely. But at least they will be watching me at all.”
