Sadie Madison and the Boy in the Crimson Scarf

24 | The Narrowers

Sadie awoke suddenly. Amber light twisted over the window seat, coating the eaved bedroom with dazzling radiance. Everything felt warm and glorious despite the winters chill clinging desperately to the glass.

Blinking to clear the sleep from her eyes, she watched the amber beams rotate around the room.

Searching, scanning, exploring.

They moved in.

Closer.

Chalky white light illuminated the room, emanating from all directions as if from multiple suns. Not even the stubbornest shadow remained.

And then she heard the first voice.

A soft, whispering. Inside her. Neither male nor female. The voice shifted, fading, blending a thousand into one.

"Sadie Madison," it whispered. "The time is upon us."

She couldn't speak. Her jaw felt heavy, palsied.

This must be a dream.

"Sadie Madison. You have the mind that cannot be unlocked."

The room began to change from white to amber and gold.

Three silhouettes emerged, copper-grey skiens shimmering around them.

One of the three stepped forward erupting with features, colour, expression.

"Do not be alarmed. You are quite safe."

His skin glowed the colour of honey, his face dignified with auburn curls flowing to his shoulders. It was hard to tell what he was wearing, for it glittered like treasure. His arms hung by his sides, strong and athletic, the physique of a warrior.

The silhouettes behind him transformed into two elegant women. One wore her hair loose. White-blonde needles framed her sharp features. The other had a heart-shaped face with unblemished olive skin, thick dark hair, crystal blue eyes. They floated to the man's side, inspecting Sadie as she burrowed herself into the mattress.

The man spoke. "Your mind is precious."

"There is much to come," said the blonde woman.

"For your sake and the sake of the world," added the woman with the heart-shaped face.

"Are you...the Narrowers," Sadie said, her eyes shifting from one beautiful creature to the next.

"Yes," replied the woman with the heart-shaped face. "But we go by many others. Names that have changed through the centuries: Grigori, Watchers, Narrowers."

"The Gathering—the harvesting of memories—has existed since the beginning of time. Since anyone, or anything, has been able to remember," the blonde woman said. "We take away the irrelevant, the unimportant, the memories people no longer need, making space for the memories to come, space for the ones to treasure, space for the future of your life."

"Grigori?" Sadie repeated. "I've heard that name." She rifled through her memories, searching for the word. She stumbled on the next sentence, the magnitude of it rattling though her entire body. "You're...Angels?"

The man moved forward, his eyes shining like twin stars. "Once, maybe. But that time is gone. We—the Narrowers—are all that remain."

Taking a breath, Sadie released the bedclothes and shifted against the headboard. "You're not what I imagined. Not at all."