Restored (A Caleo Selection)

7 ~ A Dream So Distant

My thoughts and memories blurred together in my head, and my hands shook as I looked down over the familiar words.

General Atlas Nightshade, close advisor to the Valdez, soon to be promoted to Olympian Council status, has been caught aiding the Titans, a small race residing in Othrys, just south of Olympus Illéa. It seems that the esteemed general is a part of a large ring of espionage, with even his own eleven-year-old daughter, Calypso, helping the mysterious spy ring. The general will be caned, branded as a traitor, and exiled for life to Othrys. The monarchs...

I didn't finish the rest. I knew it all by heart. I crumpled the newspaper, barely aware of Madeleine's concerned voice calling out to me. Suddenly I needed to run, to flee, to get out. I had to be anywhere but here. I didn't care where, I just needed to get out, I needed to go --

Just barely controlling myself, I staggered to the bathroom and retched with dry heaves, Kate and Leah staring at me in horror. I gripped the sides of the toilet, !u stomach roiling.

I finally stopped heaving, and Leah jumped forward to get a glass of water. Kate just stood there, seemingly in a state of shock. Madeleine raced into the bathroom and helped me stand, making distressed sounds the whole time and beckoning Kate to come help.

Together, they helped me get rid of the fancy blue gown, get into a nightgown, and climb into bed, thinking I was sick. I was, but not quite in the way they thought. Still, I appreciated their care more than I could manage to speak.

Leah sat on the edge of the bed, putting a glass of water on the nightstand. "Would you like me to get a doctor?" she asked anxiously. She was genuinely concerned for my well-being, and yet I just wanted to hide from all of them.

I shook my head, curling up into a ball under the covers. "Just give me some time alone," I croaked.

I felt the weight lift off the bed, and waited as my maids filed out quietly and clicked the door shut. It took me a minute to slow my erratic breathing and relax my limbs.

Once I'd managed to calm myself a bit, I crawled out of bed again and grasped the newspaper. Looking around, I spotted a green candle and a box of matches next to it.

Striking one, I touched the edge of the newspaper to the fire. Soon it burned with flames, and I waited till it had thoroughly been obliterated before carrying to it to the bathroom to douse it with water. Then I stumbled back to my bed and gazed fearfully at the smoking paper in my hands.

Someone knew. Someone had recognized me for my past, and had purposefully placed this outside my door to frighten me. I wondered who the perpetrator was. A royal? A servant? Most likely a fellow Selected, wanting to get rid of competition.

I supposed that the identity of the hostile figure did not matter. It only mattered as to how far she would go to get rid of me.

What would happen next? Would the person go to the king or Prince Leo? Would I be dismissed quietly, or would they create a spectacle for the sake of setting an example?

I had known there was no way this fever dream of an escape could last. I had been perfectly aware that it was merely a matter of time till someone connected the dots between my name and my face and my age. I'd thought I had been prepared, but that couldn't be less true. Maybe one simply couldn't prepare for fear like this.

A dizzy feeling overwhelmed me, and I shut my eyes till it passed. Then I leaped up and darted to the balcony doors, flinging them open. I gripped the rail and released the burnt newspaper into the strong wind, watching it soar out of my sight.