Gen awoke to a blinding light. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She blinked, her eyebrows knitting together as she surveyed the unfamiliar setting around her. She was in a bed similar to her own but even bigger, if that were possible.
It hit her as she saw the green drapes and the painted self-portrait hanging above the desk- she was in Cora's room. Cora however, was nowhere to be found. Gen slipped out of bed and hissed as her bare feet touched the cold floor. Where was Cora?
Of course, immediately as the thought entered her head, the door swung open and Cora strolled into the room. Her eyes lit up, "Gen! You're up."
Gen felt light. She couldn't believe Cora was smiling at her. She couldn't believe everything was okay- that Cora was still friends with her. After what happened the evening before and with the confrontation on the Serapis, Gen thought it was farewell to their friendship.
She could remember the panic and fear she felt as she finally finished telling the others about the curse and her destiny. They had all stared at her, unreadable and silent. Fiona looked flabbergasted. It was suffocating to sit there as they contemplated her and anticipate the hatred and anger that were sure to come.
Gen managed to choke out, "I'm sorry I lied to you all." She was close to tears. "I'm sorry about this... and everything..." Then she stood up and left the room. She couldn't handle the judgement of the room, of her once friends.
Gen collapsed in the hallway and leaned against the wall. She tucked her head to her knees and cried silently. She couldn't escape the ship and swim away- it was unthinkable. She was at the mercy of Captain Fiona. Captain Fiona never gave mercy to the guilty.
Cora was the first to find her. She slid down beside her and for a minute there was a silence. Then she spoke softly, "Genevieve." Gen didn't move, but she did listen. Cora sighed. "When I gave you that friendship necklace and told you we were best friends, I meant it."
"I know you did," whispered Gen. "You probably regret it now." She could feel the weight from her peach necklace on her neck.
There was another minute of silence, "No," she said finally. "I don't."
Gen was surprised, but forced herself not to be hopeful, "What're you going to do?"
Cora curled a strand of her chestnut hair around her finger, and mused aloud, "It's going to take some time..."
Time?
"I'll have to flirt with the guards but I'm sure one of them will open up," she continued, still twirling her hair. "We'll have to come up with a plan of course- we can start tomorrow after dinner."
Wait- what?"
"Cora-" she started.
"Oh!" Cora's eyes widened. "I think there's a book about the map in the library."
Gen's heart was racing. "Cora," she repeated. "What are you talking about?"
Cora looked at her like she was crazy, "The map isn't going to steal itself, Gen."
Gen blinked. Her throat felt dry. "The map? You... You want to help me steal the map?"
Cora stared at her as if she was crazy. "Of course! I'm not going to let you do it alone!"
"But-" Gen was at a loss of words. "Aren't you going to arrest me!?"
Cora stared at her, then burst out laughing. "You.... You.. Oh Genevieve! As if!"
Gen was dumbfounded. "But didn't you listen at all? I'm CURSED. I'm destined to destroy the kingdom- your kingdom!"
Cora was still laughing.
"I'm dangerous!" she insisted.
"You're hardly dangerous. I could take you in a fight," scoffed Cora. Fair enough.
"But.." Gen felt dizzy. "What about Fiona? What about the others?"
"Astra's on my side- we want to help you Gen," she said. "Fiona is stubborn but even she isn't going to arrest you. She was just mad that you lied to us. And Riley will take some getting used to- her family's awfully spiritual and curses are unthinkable, but she doesn't hate you either. She even asked how guarded the map was."
"They don't want to arrest me?" asked Gen quietly.
"No," said Cora. She meant it.
Gen exhaled. "But why?" she said, fidgeting in her dress- the dress Cora helped choose for her. "Why would you help me?"
"I'm your friend," explained Cora. "Friends help each other no matter what. Besides- we can't just let you burn the kingdom down, can we?"
Gen blinked. Fair.
Cora's eyes softened, "Don't worry Gen, everything's going to be fine."
Gen snorted.
"It may be your destiny but destinies change," said Cora firmly. "The future can change. You should know that- you're a prophet."
Gen couldn't answer. She couldn't believe this was happening- that Cora wasn't mad at her. That she wanted to help her. Help her steal a map from her own palace! "I'm cursed," she said again, half in a daze.
"Curses can be broken too," said Cora. "You just have to have hope."
Hope. She almost scoffed, but something inside her told her not to. Could Cora be right? Could her mother and father and Mira be right? Could she live through to 17 and not destroy the world?
She only had four months left. Was it enough time?
Gods, was she even considering this? Should she just turn herself into the guards and relieve the world of herself?
She thought of Mira's fierce determination in her and her mother's ceaseless hope. She imagined the heartache they'd face. No, she couldn't do that. She wouldn't.
Cora was waiting for a response. "So what do you say? Operation Break the Curse, Save the Kingdom, and Defy Destiny is a go?"
Gen bit her lip and then slowly, "Okay." She tugged on her bracelet. "Okay," she said again. She would try. All she could do was try. Cora grinned. Gen felt dizzy but she attempted a smile, "But we're going to need a shorter name."
And that was the beginning of the renamed Operation Changing Fate. The remaining journey back to the palace was uneventful. Fiona and Riley didn't speak to her at all which Gen was fine with- she wouldn't know what to say. Astra, on the other hand reassured her of her belief in Gen.
She even went on deck and saw the beautiful views as they sailed through the sea. The waves lapping gently against the hull of the ship. The bright blue sky. It was peaceful and hopeful. Gen focused on the water. There was an old tale that her mother used to tell her about Sahara, goddess of water, and how she flooded the world to find her lost son despite all the odds. If she could try, Gen would too.
Cora stayed by her side the whole time and when they reached the palace and said goodbye to the privateers, Cora invited Gen to sleep in her room for that night. "A sleepover," she said. "It'll be fun."
Gen had never had a sleepover before. She even told Cora about her nightmares and the sleeping pills she took to avoid them. Cora was understanding. She was always understanding. She had faith in Gen. Gen hoped she wouldn't regret it.
-
There was another Council meeting today but Gen was surprised to see her seat was taken when she arrived... By Prince Liam.
She tensed. He hadn't noticed her, but he was sitting in her spot. Maybe she was supposed to give up her seat for higher royalty? But if so, where did she sit?
She couldn't just stand there awkwardly the whole time like she was doing currently. She started to sweat. Why are you overthinking this Gen? On cue, Prince Liam looked up and they made eye contact. Even though it's been a month, Gen still hadn't talked to him once- not surprising since he never talked, but he did glare... a lot. He was glaring now.
"Um, that's my seat," she said finally.
He stared at her but slowly, he stood up and moved. Gen almost sighed in relief.
King Alastair arrived a few moments later and had Prince Liam be given a seat next to him... right beside her. Apparently, he was being made to sit in on council meetings to see how they went on since he was the future-king. The meeting then ensued. For some reason, Gen felt more self conscious than usual. Prince Liam made her uncomfortable.
She couldn't help but compare him to Cora. Bright, beautiful, faithful Cora who never let a day be dull and approached everything from school work to taking a walk with a smile. Liam on the other hand... Was not any of that. In fact, Gen couldn't even be sure he wasn't. He acted like he was invisible. He didn't have a describable personality unless it was "likes to make King mad". It was like he wasn't a real person- like he didn't exist. It was annoying.
The meeting was just as drawn-out and boring as all the others. Gen didn't bother listening at all. She knew she'd hear things that frustrated her and since she wouldn't be able to do anything about them- there was no point. However, she couldn't drift off into a daydream like she usually did because the prince was tapping his fingers on the wood under the table and each sound was like a slap to her ears. She grinded her teeth. She couldn't tell him to stop, could she?
The councilor from sector 5- Councilor Galloway- (who was good friends with Councilor Ulysses which meant he ignored the poor and focused on expanding the wealth and prosperity of his sector) was babbling about cutting back on money for "unnecessary organizations" which meant the government-funded libraries. King Alastair looked interested as did a few others. Councilor Lucia was seething. Gen liked Councilor Lucia.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Gen resisted a groan.
"And your highness," said Councilor Galloway, pausing. "A very small percentage of the local children visit the libraries- it's practically unused." Gen wanted to scream at him that the reason for this was because the middle class and poorer children went to libraries- they were a smaller percentage in Sector 5. The well-off, privileged children could afford to buy their own books and resources. The library was so everyone could read and learn. She wanted to slap sense into his perfectly styled head.
But no one would listen. There was no point. It seemed to be the mantra of her life.
Gen frowned, Liam's tapping had faltered for a moment. But then it was back, slightly choppier and slower this time, and still annoying.
After an hour, Gen was sick of the world. She felt sleepy and tired. She wanted to go talk to Cora. Talk about the plan she wanted to make. Tap. Tap. Tap.
She bit her lip and then hesitated. Screw it, she thought. "Do you mind," she hissed under her breath. At first she thought he didn't hear her, but then he paused momentarily, before immediately returning to tapping- this time much louder. Gen scowled at the side of his dark head. She was angry. She was angry and annoyed and bored and tired and she just wanted to leave.
Finally, King Alastair declared the meeting adjourned and Gen nearly leaped from her seat. Freedom. As if the world heard her, King Alastair cleared his throat. "Lady Genevieve." She froze. "Report to my office. I have a future reading for you to do."
No. No. No. "Yes, your majesty," she said sweetly, bowing her head slightly. After a month, she had mastered how to be a conceding Royal Prophet including the perfect ways to address the king. She spoke clearly, sweetly, and with every proper title and sign of obedience expected and she hated every second of it.
-
King Alastair was waiting with Councilor Ulysses in his office when she arrived. Another thing she mastered- allowing the king to reach a place first before knocking and requesting admittance.
The king was conjuring light beams again, having them reflect off the glass prism and create pleasant designs across the room. It was the only pleasant thing about the room anymore.
"Lady Genevieve," he said.
"Your majesty," she replied, lowering herself to a curtsy. The she bowed her head to Councilor Ulysses, "Councilor." She was praying to the gods she wouldn't be assisting in another increase of taxes or any other injustice done to the people of the kingdom. With every cruel bill passed, Gen felt guiltier and guiltier. She couldn't do anything to stop it.
She wasn't an advisor- she was a tool.
Councilor Ulysses nodded, before opening the box he held. He took out a charred piece of wood and handed it to her, "Read its past."
Gen exhaled. The past. Prophets usually primarily read the future, but they also had the (limited) ability to read some of the past. She had never done it before, she hadn't been taught. She didn't even know if she could. King Alastair read her worried expression and frowned, "The Royal Prophet must be able to perform any task we ask of them," he reminded her.
"Of course, your majesty," she said, glancing at the wood. It was rough and ashy and weighed less than a pencil. She took a deep breath. She could do this.
She felt the entire expanse of the wood, half stalling, half desperately hoping absorbing everything she could about it would make it easier to see the past. She felt a sudden ruch of gratitude for the books Doctor Lona gave her about prophethood because otherwise she wouldn't know how to do this.
She closed her eyes and with another deep breath, visualized the wood. The details sharpened in her mind and they absorbed into her body until she opened her eyes. This is where it got difficult. She had to do the opposite of what she normally did. What she normally did was awaken into a vision. Which meant she needed to fall asleep.
The book recommended visualizing every last ounce of energy leave her body until she was left as an empty void. So she tried. She tightened all her muscles and limbs and pictured every little bit of strength and awareness. Then slowly, she let it all go. She released her body until everything left her in a rush. She felt herself falling even though she was standing still. Her eyes flickered closed and everything became...
Nothing.
In her absent state, she opened her eyes and blinked, feeling disoriented. It took her eyes a long time to adjust but when they did, she gasped.
She didn't know where she was. It was dark and there were shadows all around. She took a tentative step forward. She froze as she spotted movement. A figure was stretching to its feet- a human? She leaned forward, curiosity tugging at her core. They swayed on their feet.
She felt a creeping sensation on her skin. Something was off here.
The person let out an inhumane gasp and spun to her direction. They had charcoal black, dead eyes that latched onto hers. Gen tensed. This wasn't supposed to happen. The person never saw the prophet in these visions. This never happens.
He- it was a battered, twisted looking figure and she assumed it was a he but she didn't know for sure- stalked towards her. Gen stumbled back, her heart racing. This wasn't supposed to happen.
She couldn't think or breathe. She was panting, taking huge gulps of air but still it felt like she was drowning. Then she was sinking, gasping, and falling, and drowning. Tears came into her eyes. The air was trapping her. She opened her mouth to let out a caught scream but it stuck to her throat.
Genevieve...
The voice vibrated in her ears. It sounded ancient and didn't give her a single clue about its gender. She was shaking uncontrollably. Genevieve...
Please, she thought. Please let me go. The being grew bigger and bigger until it was as large as a giant. It raised its massive hands and from them shadows were born. They shifted and morphed, growing bigger and bigger until they engulfed everything. She could feel them creeping onto her. They felt like coldness. She screamed and flailed as the shadows wrapped around her, pulling her down and drowning her. She was suffocating. She was dying.
She was gone.
a/n: This chapter was honestly a struggle for me to write because I'm starting to suffer from writer's block but I finally finished it and I have to say- I'm quite proud with the outcome. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and you're enjoying the story and if you are, please consider leaving a vote and commenting. I'd really appreciate it :)
Also, the coming months are setting up to be pretty busy for me. I'm taking the SAT in May and I have a lot of studying to do and I have school and debate on top of that as well. Having said, I will be trying my absolute hardest to get every chapter up on time but I *may* be taking a small hiatus in April just to focus on school and studying. I'll keep you updated.
Have a nice day!