Page 45 of Cerulean Truth (Sapere #1)

TWENTY-ONE

EMMA

James… James in a tux… James in a dark blue tux… James in a dark blue tux with white shirt and open collar… Men like him should not be allowed to wear tuxedos.

I considered myself an intelligent woman. My brain usually functioned quite well, even. But when James in tux was thrown in the mix, all I was left with was an inability to think clearly, speak, or even flirt appropriately.

I caught James staring at my chest as I walked in—the guy was about as subtle as a football mascot—and I had found so much pleasure in it.

Yet, the truth was I was the one who couldn’t stop staring at him .

He always appeared kind of perfect, but when he donned a tux, he transformed into a hotter rendition of James Bond.

A hotter rendition. Of. James. Mothaflappin’ Bond.

When he drew near and whispered my name into my ear, good gods, I had to cling to his shirt just to steady myself.

My legs were trembling, my breath caught in my throat, and the sensation of him almost touching me was overwhelming.

The gentle brush of his lips against my ear as he uttered my name sent shivers down my spine and I shuddered, eliciting a silent moan of ecstasy.

I longed for his kiss, and the yearning was becoming unbearable.

Before anything could transpire between us, he abruptly pulled away, his attention diverted to the furious red-headed goddess standing beside us. Her anger was apparent, and I wondered whether she was his girlfriend.

She was the epitome of beauty, yet now she seemed engulfed in a fiery mix of jealousy and rage. James, ever the enigma, seemed to be caught in the crossfire of emotions. The tension in the room skyrocketed, and I couldn't shake the sensation of being an unwelcome witness to their silent drama.

Oh, my Gods. It hit me then and there—I had been fantasizing about this guy for weeks, completely oblivious to his relationship status. Did he have a girlfriend? Had I been indulging in a fantasy that didn't even exist? I felt a wave of surprise and disappointment crash over me.

"Who is this ?" she demanded of James, as if I were invisible, as if my presence in the room didn't even register.

"Hi, this is Emma," I greeted, offering a cautious smile as I extended my hand to shake hers. Fine, maybe my hands weren’t as beautifully manicured as hers, but from the way she was staring at it, I might as well have been offering her leprosy.

I swiftly withdrew my hand, noticing James frowning at her behavior.

"This is Justine," he interjected, clearly displeased by her lack of acknowledgment toward me.

"I thought this was a members-only event?" she queried James, completely disregarding my presence.

James cocked his head to the side, a smile playing on his lips. "I don’t think there has ever been an event in Emma’s life where she has not been invited," he remarked.

Well, that was nice of him. Completely untrue, but nice.

Justine—or whatever her name was—rolled her eyes at him.

I cocked a brow; she was awfully rude to me without any provocation. Unless she really was his girlfriend, in which case any hint of sexual tension between James and me was reason enough to make me feel like an expendable side character in a poorly written romance novel.

Out of nowhere, another guy, whom I recognized as Matthew, emerged from the Assembly Room, calling out, "There you are! They want all the couples on the dancefloor in the Assembly Room. Are you two joining us, or..." His voice trailed off as he caught sight of me.

My mouth dried. "Couples," he had said, referring to Justine and James as if they were a pair. Oh my gods, they really were a couple. How had I missed that? I looked up at James, and he shifted uncomfortably. The tell-tale sign of someone hiding something. My gods, what an idiot I had been.

And honestly, it was the last straw. After everything, discovering he had a girlfriend was just too much for me to handle.

It felt like a cruel twist of fate, the universe playing a prank on my already overwhelmed emotions.

I found myself wishing desperately for the power to rewind the past few weeks and erase all traces of James from my fantasies.

My heart sank, and I couldn’t help but wonder how I had missed such a rather significant detail about the man who had consumed my thoughts for so long.

Swiftly, I summoned my poker face, forced a smile, and excused myself.

"Emma?" James called after me, but Justine intervened, diverting him before he could—whatever he had in mind.

Grabbing my coat from the nearby chair, I hurriedly exited the venue, and made my way to the reception area when the familiar dizziness began to creep in. It was simply too much to deal with at once.

On top of grappling with farewells to my parents and the rest of my entire life, attempting to absorb the deluge of new information, enduring the daily humiliation of failure, and navigating conversations that felt like a foreign language…

I was bound…. Bound to this new life I had absolutely no control over.

Bound by James, who’d pulled me into this shitstorm and had been at the very center.

Bound by the inevitable heartbreak, looming on the horizon.

Seeking solitude, I scanned for a quiet spot outside, and noticed a small garden ahead with a gentle stream flowing through it (streams certainly seemed to be a recurring theme in Cyclos).

I followed the stream until I found a bench. With no one nearby and complete silence, except for the soothing rush of water, I sat down heavily, feeling the weight of my emotions. The gentle sound of the stream seemed to mock the turmoil inside me.

Staring at the water, my vision blurred not from tears but from the sheer exhaustion of holding everything in.

My makeup remained intact, though my face felt tight and unnatural, like a mask I was forced to wear.

My fingers fidgeted with the edge of my dress, the fabric offering no comfort against the storm raging within.

Regret gnawed at me as I questioned my decision to attend this seemingly pointless reception. Why had I been invited? Had my presence even been noticed by anyone else than James? And Jackson.

Taking a series of deep breaths, I reminded myself that my education in Cyclos held the key to numerous possibilities.

Countless paths awaited exploration, offering opportunities for learning and growth.

I needed to expand my horizons and focus on building a life that extended beyond James. Who needed him, anyway?

Sitting there, lost in the chaos of my mind, I began to have a small epiphany: my life in Cyclos needed to be more than only revolving around James.

I resolved to immerse myself in my classes, absorbing all there was to learn. That would be my goal. And it would have to suffice. In a year, humans would know about our existence, and I’d return home, fully trained and fully free from any interference from James.

My time in Cyclos would become a journey of self-discovery and achievement, not just a backdrop to James’s drama.

First up, I would have to get up from this bench, pretend I was not a sad panda, and return to that crowd. I sighed deeply, dreading the walk across the Assembly Room, where my unmistakable "I’ve just been through emotional hell" expression would be on full display for everyone to see.

As I lifted my head, trying to shake off the heaviness of my thoughts, a faint rustle caught my attention, and I thought I detected movement a few yards ahead. Squinting in an attempt to see more clearly, I couldn't discern anything amiss. Huh . Had it been a figment of my imagination?

I shrugged to no one in particular and rose quickly to my feet. That’s when I heard a crunch, similar to the sound of breaking a dry twig by hand. Turning my head around to see if anyone was close, I was surprised to find no one nearby. A chill ran down my spine.

“Hello?” I whispered, hoping dearly no one would reply.

No one did.

Great, now I am going crazy.

I shook my head, zipping up my coat. As I looked back up, I blinked a few times and realized how dark it had become since I’d left the party.

The once cozy garden now felt somewhat scary, particularly unsettling without the soft glow of moonlight.

The darkness seemed to swallow me whole, obscuring even the nearby trees.

I narrowed my eyes again, and nerves began to slowly set in as I fumbled in my coat pockets for my Nexus, desperately searching for its highly necessary flashlight.

In a slightly panicked moment, I realized I hadn't brought it with me and I cursed myself internally for such a ridiculous oversight. A tense silence settled over the surroundings, leaving me on edge and hyper-aware of every little noise.

My heart started to race for no immediate reason, and I strained my ears to catch any hint of sound or movement. But there was nothing.

“Geez, Emma, you really are losing it,” I muttered under my breath. I sighed, a little disappointed by my lack of bravado, and turned to head back.

That’s when I heard a sharp snap behind me. I whipped around, but before I could react, everything went dark.

Bound.

I was bound to something hard.

Cold.

I was cold. I was no longer wearing my coat.

My arms were pinned down and I couldn’t move against the pressure that was holding them in place.

A blinding pain started shooting up and down my left arm.

Burning.

It was burning. Something or someone was burning my arm off!

I wanted to move my arm, move it away from the pain, but I couldn’t.

I wanted to scream but I couldn’t make a sound.

I was gagged.

Wiggling my fingers wasn’t possible and my hands were immovable.

My legs were bound as well.

And my feet. I couldn’t move a godsdamn limb.

Was I seated? Was I lying down?

The pain in my arm was excruciating. I had to fight back!

I tried to see my own feet.

All I could see was black.

Were my eyes even open?

No!

I tried to pry my eyes open but something was blocking the movement.

Don’t. Panic.

I took a deep breath. Trying to block out the pain.

At least I was still breathing.

Raggedly. But breathing.

And I had my mind. I wasn’t drowsy, I wasn’t drugged. I had a massive headache but my brain was fully functional.

I tried to wiggle my toes. Yes! Movement!

I exhaled softly in relief. The pain didn’t subside but the burning was constant, making it easier to block it out.

Information. I needed more information. Pushing down my toes I could feel something pushing back.

I was definitely not lying down.

I was standing up.

A small wave of panic washed over me. Then, slowly but steadily, every few seconds, wave after wave after wave would follow.

“Are you sure that’s how it’s done?”

“Shut up!”

Voices.

Two voices.

Two voices I didn’t recognize.

“I still don’t understand why we couldn’t portal her out of here and take our time with this…”

Three voices. They seemed…far away. I tried to focus on what they were saying.

“Well that was the fucking plan, wasn’t it?” the second voice hissed.

“Then why aren’t we doing it?”

“They bubbled in the Collective, you idiot," the second voice spat. "If we portal out now, we'll likely end up incinerated instead. You want to take that risk?"

“We’re sitting ducks in here!” the first voice snapped.

“No one can track us here, we’re inside the Collective. It’ll take them too long to find us. Now, hurry up and fill up that third vial.”

Vial? Vial of what?

I tried to wiggle my fingers again. No movement.

“Fuck, I think she’s waking up,” the third voice whispered.

What? How did he know?

Before I could react, something akin to a blow to the head pulled me back out of consciousness, just as the last wave of panic crashed into me.