The Deadly Trials

26 | Dance

// dance //

My dreams were bright: flaming red birds, blinding rose petals, blue eyes. There was no timeline, no story. Just flashes of images, like a slideshow of snapshots. I woke up smiling.

    When I glanced out the window, I imagined flowers floating along the horizon and painting the sky in electric shocks of orange. I pretended a flower crown sat atop my head.

    Opening the stained-glass window, I leaned on the sill and stuck my head out. From here, I could see the expanse of Eternity. It overflowed in greenery, from the forests to the grass. But other colors dotted the vista: the red-orange glow of the lava from Mount Volum, the shimmering blue of the lake, the rocky gray of the mountains along the horizon, the dead yellow of the eastern outskirts. And the pale purple, blue, and green of the ring of trees that marked Sirene.

    My stomach rolled. It felt a bit like a betrayal, to fall for Eternity. I feared I would abandon Earth just because of the beautiful sights here. That memories of home would be replaced and then forgotten.

    Could I ever return home? Was it foolish to hold onto the hope that someday, an opportunity would arise? And if it never did, was it okay to find happiness here in Eternity, in Sirene?

    I sighed, rubbing at the headache forming. I would hold onto that hope. Maybe I could go back, by some miracle. But until then, I could explore Eternity, stave off the homesickness, find the music of this planet.

.

Eika and I ate something reminiscent of oatmeal, and drank an orange juice lookalike that tasted nothing like orange juice.

    "How are you, Belline Paris?" Her eyes shone in concern.

    I gave her a soft smile. "Call me Bell. But, I'm okay. Better."

    "Good, good."

    I scooped the last of the oatmeal mush into my mouth. I tugged on the sleeve of my light sweater. I broke the silence. "Um, yesterday, I went to this meadow. It's gorgeous. It's, like, this sort of fantasy wedding location. It was absolutely magical."

    One of her eyes locked on me. "Are you speaking of Sirene?"

    "Yeah."

    She hummed.

    "What?"

    She pushed her bowl away from her. "It is just fascinating."

    "Why?"

    "Sirene is sacred."

    My eyes widened. "What? It's sacred? What do you mean?"

    She folded her hands. "Sirene is considered holy ground. It's preserved with the greatest care and treated with the greatest reverence. Very few of us actually go there. Often, it is only the royal families that visit Sirene." She cast me an insinuating look. "Did you go with the Prince?"

    I nodded once. It didn't surprise me that Sirene was classified as sacred — it looked the part. But to think that the Prince invited me to such a reverent place stunned me. Was that actually a date?

    "What'd you do there, bean sprout?"

    I jumped, spinning in my seat. Jack emerged from the shadow of one of the pillars. His yellow eyes dazzled. A claw rested on the handle of a gun at his hip.

    "What are you doing here?"

    He hopped onto the dining table. "It's my job to guard ya. Don' you 'member?"