The Nineteenth Girl - Book 1 Of The Oddity Trilogy

Chapter Two - Kota

My ears burned with shame of not knowing, of not having enough knowledge after all those hours cooped up in my room, studying. Mother and Marie were right; I was nothing but an ungrateful and spoiled girl. I actually was the Devil's spawn.

I listened to my flats slap on the cold tile floor as I ran aimlessly in the poorly lit corridors. I ducked into another hallway and continued the steady rhythm of my shoes slapping the floor.

My breathing had returned to normal and my heart had stopped racing so I gradually came to a stop. The hallway was empty with no other corridors to turn to - a dead end other than a small door that had an "Employee's Only" sign at the front of it.

I lay my back against the cool wall next to the door and sigh. The coolness of the white cinder block against my sweaty skin feels heavenly. What a day it'd been; and I've had some pretty hectic days too.

A squeak at the start of the hallway diverted my attention there. It all happened in slow motion; a black shoe came into view, then the other and an arm. When the rest came into view, I slowly drifted my gaze from the feet up. It was definitely male with a black suit and tie.

My eyes landed on his face. A scream stuck in my throat. My heart thundered and I was sure the stranger could hear it. So much for calming myself down, I think. My hands blindly searched and pulled on the "Employee's Only" door. I finally got it open while never stopping to break my gaze from the creepy stranger's.

I turn and pass through the door, walking inside. Except it wasn't an inside. It was outside. Colorful lights and banners were strung over my head. Upbeat music that made my foot tap unconsciously filled my ears.

So this was the ceremony of Rhase.

Rainbow streamers and confetti adorned sky. There were Females and Males dancing, some waltzing and others either swaying or throwing their arms into the air, knocking some people in the face.

I internally winced. That would hurt. I took a step forward and a huge amount of spice filled my nose before I bumped into a hard chest. Arms wrapped around my waist to keep me from falling. I gasped and looked up.

Emerald eyes shielded my black rimmed glasses stared into mine. I was looking at a Male with my own eyes. Not pictures. Not videos. Not listening to Marie brag about how happy she was after seeing Father.

Curiosity filled me when his glasses started sliding down his nose. Since his arms were occupied around my waist, that left me to do the task.

I hesitantly brought my hand up closer to his face, admiring his high cheekbones and eyebrows that were forever arched in curiosity. My cheeks flamed as pushed his glasses farther up his nose.

"I'm sorry," I tell in a soft voice. "I didn't see you coming and I should've stopped and let you pass." A pink flush covered his features making me blush even more. As I pull hand down from his face, it brushed across his cheeks and I felt goose bumps erupt in the place my hand had brushed his cheeks.

"No need to apologize when it was both of us at fault." His voice washed over me, leaving me feeling tingly from head to toe. We paused in slightly awkward silence listening to the music.

"I-I'm Sang." I couldn't take the awkward silence any longer so I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. He was the first person I had ever spoken to other than Mother and Marie. The Male looked over at me, his expression confused but after a few seconds his expression cleared into one of understanding and happiness.

"My name is Dakota but I'd rather you call me Kota." I nod and repeat the name he wants me to call him by. "Are you trying out for the Selection?"

My eyebrows furrowed involuntarily. "The Selection?" There were other things I didn't know about? Shame cut through me. Kota's eyebrows arched higher shocked that I didn't know. I resisted the urge to cry.

"The Selection is when us-the princes choose eighteen girls to compete for our-their affections." Kota continues, cheeks tinted. "They soon eliminate girls and send them home after time so they can be closer to choosing who we-they will marry."

"So...each prince chooses two girls?"

Kota nods his head but mutters a "more like just one" sounding sentence that I didn't think I was supposed to hear. Instead of acknowledging the last statement, I looked around at the ceremony, there were tons of girls.

"If I were a prince," Kota blushes, his ears red. "I'd choose you." My jaw drops and flushes with the compliment. Why? Why would he want me? I'm nothing but a plain girl with family problems.

"Why?" Kota only shrugs and shoots me a soft smile. I gave a shy on back.

"Do you...do you want some punch?" Kota gestures to a table full of drinks and pastries.

"Sure." I tell him and he sets off. My thoughts wandered to the strange and creepy man in the hallway. Images of his face flashed in my mind making me shudder.

I shouldn't be so afraid and creeped out by someone I didn't know but the thing was that he didn't have a face. Instead, there was a white mask with black pits for the eyes as his face.