Page 34 of The Tribrid Princess and the Taste of Chaos
I open my mouth, but the words are stuck in my throat. I swallow and try again. “I uh…”
I can’t do it.
I feel anxious at the thought of their disgust or contempt, or worse, their fear or shock when they realise what goes through my mind.
My heart thuds loudly as the crowd cheers. Someone’s scored a goal…
Allie and Heaven glance back at the game, but it’s only fleeting as they both look at me again.
“We’re waiting,” Heaven murmurs.
“It’s… I- I’ll tell you later,” I say instead. “It’s… a lot…”
This time, neither looks away, and Heaven stands. “We’re leaving now.”
“Now? Let’s finish the match!” I whisper in a panic.
“No, it’s boring. No one even got hit with the ball,” Allie remarks, making me blink. “Let’s go.”
Shit. Shit. Shit, how am I going to explain this to them?
Heaven leads the way back to her room, and no one speaks until we are there. The moment we enter, she casts a spell and locks the door. “What is it, Si?”
I close my eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to squash the panic that is already rising within me.
“I… I want to tell you both why I can’t control my powers,”I whisper, my heart squeezing with panic. I look between them, but both are simply looking at me, waiting.
I open my mouth, but I can’t say it. My stomach sinks, and I feel sick. I don’t want to lose them. “I-”
My phone beeps, and I pick it up, my heart thumping. “I have to go! Division 9 has to go deal with something.” I get up quickly when Allie steps closer.
“What were you going to say, Si? You know we won’t tell anyone, right?” she pushes, her sharp eyes piercing into me.
I nod. “I know, I just… I have to go.” I whisper, the guilt making my stomach churn, before I turn and rush from the room. I am going insane! How did I think I’d be able to tell them?
“Si, it takes two seconds to say it,” Heaven says, her eyes now full of worry.
“When I come back.” I’m not sure I can keep that promise, but I have to try.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” Allie warns, her eyes holding the same fire as it did when she saw me break down at Dad’s funeral and promised she’d find a way to kill the god behind it.
I turn away, my heart thumping as I look at the mission brief. Some attacks on a camping group 10 miles out from here, not sure what it is, but we’ll find that out when we get there.
Returning to myroom, my eyes spotting the sleek Schattenblüte box on the bed, I go over to it and lift the lid off. A belt sits in thecentre of the box.
Ms Delfino has sent me one of the two long-sleeved versions I had picked.
I undress and put the belt on, pressing the centre. The suit instantly wraps around my body, making me gasp as I feel it tighten around my waist, breasts, arms, and thighs. I look in the mirror and, for a moment, admire how it looks.
My heart thuds as I look at the design I chose. It’s even more gorgeous in person, made from a fabric that feels somewhere between leather and velvet. The thin silver almost gleams as if it’s glowing, running seamlessly along the outfit. It accentuates my curves, and I feel a little self-conscious, but when I turn, nothing is bouncing, everything is held in place, even if it’s skin tight.
I look like a badass warrior, but I’m a fraud…
I quickly redo my hair in a high pony, making sure all of my hair is pulled up. A few strands do escape, but I don’t have time to fix them. I don’t want to be the last person there.
Taking one last look around the room, I can see Anna’s already got half her stuff packed up, not that she unpacked much, knowing she was moving. My stuff, on the other hand, needs packing.
I exit my room with my Schattensicht in hand and glance at my phone. We’re meeting in briefing room 7 near the West Gate. It’s one of the smaller gates that lead off from the Academy.
