Page 64

She traipsed over to the unit in the wall and tapped on the panel.

Of course, she sighed, staring at the squiggly foreign language. This one wasn’t programmed so she could read it like the ones on the ship.

Fuck my life.

If Aculus hadn’t made a big deal about keeping this whole thing a secret, she would’ve said screw it.

And if this were a normal situation I’d be insulted. But anything called a Trial can’t be good.

With a resigned sigh she headed to the door, opened it and looked both ways.

“You’re Romion, right?” she called to the guard stationed nearby.

“Yes,” he nodded.

“Could you help me with the replicator, please?”

“Of course.”

As Romion approached, she double-checked her hair was combed over her shoulder. It was hard to tell if the bite mark was covered, since she couldn’t see her own neck.

“What do you need?” he asked as they headed toward the replicator.

“A scarf or shawl.” She angled away from him, tilting her head to help hide the mark.

A funny expression crossed Romion’s face before he quickly regained his professional composure. He clearly thought she was insane. The question was, was it because of the request or that she was holding her head like she’d just suffered from a stroke?

“My skin burns easily in the sun. I just need a piece of fabric about this big,” she explained while gesturing with her hands. “White, I suppose, to match my outfit. It’ll reflect heat.”

“Ah, I’d be happy to do that.” Romion swiped his hand on the computer.

“Thank you,” she sighed and stepped back. “I took for granted that I could read and now I’m totally illiterate. It’s a weird feeling and a very humbling.”

“Don’t feel bad. When I first arrived at the Sanctuary, I was only proficient in the common script. It took forever to pick up universal.”

“Ah, so that’s what my problem was,” she laughed.

Romion looked at her for a moment then his eyes brightened. “You are making a joke.”

“Yes, sorry. Where I come from, we don’t a universal script or language translators or replicators or long-distance space travel. I could go on but at this point it’s getting embarrassing.”

“You are amusing. It looks like the shawl is done.” Romion passed it to her.

“Thanks again. I appreciate your help.” She smiled at the guard and followed him out the door.

“My pleasure.” The guard resumed his post.

She waited until she was halfway down the hall before wrapping the shawl around her shoulders. When she reached the rotating escalator, she paused. It still looked so daunting.

“Do you need assistance?” another guard asked.

“I think I’ve got it. I just need to time this right.” She waited for the next platform to descend and hopped on.

Once at the bottom, the guard in the grand foyer directed her down a long hallway. She didn’t have to walk long before hearing a dozen voices. Upon entering the dining room her gaze was drawn to Aculus. He was already seated at the table, but there weren’t any open chairs nearby. His conclave filled the seats on the left, while his father and five mothers occupied the ones on his right.

“Sorry,” he mouthed and grimaced as she approached the table.

“It’s okay,” she mouthed back, but was disappointed.