Goddess

Part One: The Choosing

Chapter 1

~Amunet~

I woke up and rubbed my eyes, feeling the early morning sun on my face through my small window my bedroom. Though I was the youngest of nine children, I was the only child with my own room. I stood up and tested my ankles , but I wobbled from standing up to quickly.
I debate on wether I should wear my blue gown, which looks like a reflection of the Nile, or if I should wear my white gown, with the pink embroidery which makes me look like a summer lily. Eventually I decide on the white one, and slip the silky material over my head. Either way, today was going to happen, the day of the prophetic choosing. I, along with nineteen other girls from my city have been training and studying for six years. Of course, none of us resented all of the hard work, because after all, who wouldn't want to become the next High Preistess to Isis, the Godess of Magic?

I sat down in front of my obsidian mirror, my long black hair blending in with the reflective glass the more I brushed it. I carefully applied the kohl to the outside of my eyes, and the carefully outlining my eyebrows to peak just a hair past my eye-liner.

I remeber what my mother once told me before I enrolled, "To be a High Preistess, one must hold herself in the highest regard, from the way she walks and talks, to the way she eats and applies her make-up."

I slowly gather myself, and walk into the garden, where my family is eating breakfast, whilst sipping the milk from our new goat.

My mother turns to me and smiles. "You look beautiful Amunet, would you like some bread and milk? Oh and Happy fifteenth birthday dear."

I glance longingly at the milk, but the longing quickly turns bitter as I think about today's coming events. I reply as smoothly as I can, "No thank you mother, I am too nervous to eat anything right now. Maybe later?"

Before she can answer, my sister Asenath, jealous of me because the Preistess program chose me before I was born, rudely demanded for my breakfast because I wasn't going to eat it. She chomped it down in silence.

Quickly after my sisters burst of regular rudeness, the administrators knocked on the door. Since my seven older brothers were at school, learning to become scribes and follow in my father's footsteps. I would have no distractions during the test.

Although I know that it's a test, I have no I sea what kind of test it is. A test of knowledge? A test of devotion? Strength? Character? No one knew. My classmates and I have been together since we were born, but since we were all training for the same position, none of us were very close.

I chewed my lip thinking, and my mother rushed to the door. She plastered on her best 'welcome smile' and let in the administrators. They introduced themselves as Official Abasi and Preist Hamadi.

The Preist Hamadi said meekly, "I am only here to bless the test in the name of the Goddess, should anything go wrong. The Official will be administrating your test miss." He looked at me, practiclly ignoring my mother. The perks of being a woman. Sigh. At least we have property and divorce rights.

The Official looked at my mother. "You are excused, ma'am,"he said sternly.

My mother nodded and walked out of the room with her head down.

As soon as she has left the room and the seporator is closed, the official stands in front of me, glaring as if he can see into my soul and know all of my secrets with that one look. I passively stare back, hoping that he will back off from our little staring contest soon. "Where do your loyalties lie?" He demands.

"What? I... I don't understand, what do you mean, sir you weren't very clear." I ask with a puzzled look on my face.

"Who are you more loyal to?" He demands again. "The Goddess? Or your family?"