Calluna

Chapter Six

The Flower

The women who dressed me yesterday shuffle in and push back the curtains quietly, the light of morning pouring into my large bedroom. They obviously want me to wake gently, but I've been awake for hours. I'm surprised I slept at all.

            Like the day before, they bathe me and dress me into looking like a girl I am not. Today, there's no paint or black eyeliner, no heavy dress or jewelry. They braid my hair down my back tightly and dress me in a one-piece suit that I have to step into. It's made of a stretchy fabric that's cold to the touch and hugs my body tightly. It's purple, like the dress last night, with streaks of silver and gold across the chest. I consider the girl in the mirror, clearly seeing every curve of my body, every muscle and bone outline. I feel more vulnerable in this suit than if I was naked.

            Breakfast was brought nearly an hour ago, but I haven't the stomach to keep it down. Last night, Prince Atreus nearly made me choke on the food he had a servant shove down my throat, so I'm not exactly hungry today.

The women walk me out of my room and a pair of sentries wordlessly start walking and motion me to follow them. The sentries' eyes are both orange. I would ask them what their power is, but I doubt they would answer, their faces are so stern. The women who dress me have dark brown eyes, like my father did. They do not have any powers. Why would the sentries? But I answer my own question quickly. The sentries defend, while the women do nothing but wash and dress a scared girl.

I follow the straight-faced sentries into a large white room with a raised circle in the middle. The circle reminds me somewhat of a stadium arena in which gladiators would fight one another. I can't remember which storybook I read it from, though. This arena, however, is much more polished, the floor white and bleached of any color with only a red dot in the middle.

There are many racks of weapons throughout the room, some mounted on the walls. The ceilings are high with a few windows in the corners, not to look outside but to show other similar white rooms. Although the room is large, it slowly seems to constrict me when the sentries close the door and leave me alone.

And then I notice that I'm not alone. A group of people all stand from where they were sitting behind the large circular arena in the middle of the room. They all stare at me. I don't walk forward; I don't have the strength to.

"Ah, I was wondering when our purple-eyed girl was going to show up," a girl says, laughing with viciousness I remember from last night. She wears a suit, similar to mine, although hers is golden yellow along with the two boys next to her. The three shapeshifters.

"Well, don't be shy. Come over." She waves her hand, which flashes silver. She returns to sharpening a sword with a small knife. As if she wasn't intimidating enough.

My gaze falls to my feet and I wipe my sweaty hands against the side of my suit but they slip right off. I hope none of them can see my heart thudding painfully against my ribs.

"Briar, don't be an ass. She's already scared enough." This voice is also a girl's, but the tone is deeper and friendlier. I look up only enough to see that this other girl is wearing an orange suit and she looks only to be a year older than me. She ushers me kindly to the little circle they've formed with a few chairs. I sit on the ground, a few feet away from them, as there is no chair for me. The girl with the orange eyes and orange suit sits right down next to me and I try not to flinch.

"I should apologize for our hesitation. It's not every day we have someone join our squad."

"Your squad?" I whisper, hesitantly looking around at the golden triplets and a girl in dark gray who glares up at me from her own sword sharpening.