Page 6 of Chosen (The Registry #2)

Chapter

Four

JAMIE

F or the first time in months, I nearly resemble my old self.

My hair is of course much shorter than it used to be, but Maggie has styled in to where it’s slightly longer on top and shorter in the back and on the sides.

I’d always loved when my hair was long but this style suits my more angular face.

My skin is practically glowing after all the body oils she’d massaged into my face and body.

She even convinced me to put some liner around my eyes to accentuate their shape and some gloss on my lips.

I didn’t particularly care what I wore so she had picked out an outfit for me, a flowy, sleeveless, halter dress that reached all the way to the floor.

It was layered with what looked like a rainbow of scarves. The material shimmered in the light.

As I stare at my reflection in the mirror, tears spring to my eyes because the old Jamie would have loved this, being dressed up like a fancy lady. But now all I feel is dread because I know I’m being prepared to be sent to my doom.

“You look, beautiful Jamie,” Maggie complements, eyeing me from head to toe as if admiring her handiwork.

It’s no wonder she is Noah’s personal maid, this woman truly works miracles. I only wish I was in a mental state to appreciate it. “Thank you,” I answer to be polite. I know she means well, but I’m on the verge of breaking and I’m not sure how to hold myself together.

“We should probably head down to the Lord Magnus’s office. He’s waiting for you.”

My hands start to shake and my legs refuse to cooperate.

“Jamie, would you like me to call one of your parents to accompany you?”

I shake my head. I don’t want to see their looks of pity as I’m handed off to the person who will basically be my next jailer.

“Come on, you can do this.” She hooks her arm through mine and gently guides me out of the room.

“Wait!” I cry out. This dolled up version of myself isn’t me anymore.

I run to the closet and start looking through the clothes I’d been given.

Among the pretty outfits I’d been gifted, I find the plain black dress that I’d come to the manor in.

I don’t know why I’d kept it at the time, but now I’m glad I did.

I take off the outfit Maggie had dressed me in and put on my old dress.

I see no point in gift wrapping myself for my new Master.

I walk out of the closet and am instantly met with Maggie’s frowning disapproval, but she doesn’t say anything about my outfit.

My mind is in a complete haze as she leads me through the manor and to the elevator.

My brain registers nothing, not the decorative plants in the corners of the house or the paintings on the walls of past Sector Leaders who seem to be mocking me.

By the time we make it to the Sector Leader’s door, my stomach is in knots.

Two imposing Enforcers in all black stand outside of Sector Leader Magnus’s office.

“Miss Jamie is here to see Lord Magnus, per his request.”

One of the Enforcers stares down at me with eyes as black as his uniform. I turn my head away unable to maintain eye contact.

“Yes, you may go in. Lord Magnus is expecting you.” He turns to Maggie. “But just her.”

Maggie takes a step back. “Of course.’” She gives me a reassuring smile and a gentle pat on the shoulder. “I’ll wait out here if you need me.”

The door slides open and I take a deep breath to calm my nerves. I nod in acknowledgement to Maggie and head into the Sector Leader’s office.

The office is nearly as big as my bedroom.

I squint against the brightness of the daylight shining through a large glass patio door.

The walls are a light gray with abstract paintings decorating them.

Off to the side of the office is a chrome rectangular table with eight chairs, three on each of the long sides, and one on the short ends.

In the center of the office is a massive wooden desk. I note every detail in the room from the hanging white neon lights on the ceiling to the buffered floors. I do this to avoid looking at the Sector Leader whose intense gaze rests on me.

“You may take a seat, Jameshia.” His words are softly spoken but it’s a command, nonetheless.

I take the brown leather seat in front of his desk and fold my hands in my lap. I want to tell him not to call me by my full name because I’ve always hated how old fashioned it sounds but I keep my lips firmly pressed together and head down.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve summoned you here so I’ll get to the point. Sector Leader Draken will be arriving shortly to collect you but I wished to speak with you first before his arrival.”

He pauses but I remain silent.

“I can understand why you’re wary of me, but I wish you no harm. You are after all, one of my precious bride’s family members.”

Is this his way of trying to comfort me? For all the power he supposedly has, why am I being shipped off to Sector 10 to be someone else’s glorified bed slave?

Just the thought of laying under someone else and being touched indecently, makes me sick to my stomach. So his words are meaningless to me. In fact, I think I just might hate him.

“There is something I wanted to discuss with you, however,” he continues when I don’t respond. “And I think you know what it is.”

He pauses and still I refuse to speak.

“Jameshia…”

“Don’t call me that!” I finally snap. “Only my family has ever used my full name. I don’t consider you family.”

I’ll probably be punished for being disrespectful but I can’t hold back my resentment because I’m quickly breaking apart.

Instead of the sharp retort I expect he gently replies. “Jamie it is, then. My apologies for causing offense.”

An apology is the last thing I expected from a superious , let alone the Sector Leader.

Despite my feelings toward him, I remember that this is the person my sister has chosen to marry and for her sake I will be as polite as I’m able. “I’m sorry,’” I mutter.

“No need for that…Jamie. We haven’t had any time to converse since you’ve arrived at the manor so I wasn’t aware your name was so important to you.

I was simply going by the name in the Registry.

But getting back to my original reason for wanting to talk to you, I needed to ask you about the incident in your file. ”

“Though I don’t know much about you beyond what Noah has told me and what’s in your file, I assume that you’re a woman of intelligence. So I ask that you don’t pretend to not know what I’m referring to.”

I stiffen. Of course I know what he’s referring to.

I shouldn’t be alive because of what I did.

The rules on the matter are clear. But as I open my mouth to explain myself my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth and the words get stuck in my throat.

My body begins to shake and my heart constricts inside my chest.

My head shakes from side to side and all I remember is all the blood.

Jamie!” the Sector Leader calls out to me, but I barely register his voice or that he’s now jumped out of his seat and is at my side.

When he places his hand on my shoulder I flinch away and let out a scream of panic. “No!”

He holds up his hands and backs away. “I won’t harm you, but I need you to calm down, Jamie.”

Calm down? He wants me to calm down when I’m about to get shipped off to what people call the ‘cold hell’. And worse yet, he wants me to recount the nightmare I’ve already experienced?

I don’t know what he would have said next because a voice on the intercom sounded in the office. “Lord Magnus, Sector Leader 10’s envoy is requesting access to the property.”

“Permission granted, the Sector Leader responds.

I thought I’d have at least a few more hours to mentally prepare myself. My knees grow week and I’m thankful to be sitting or else, I’d collapse.

“There’s not much time before Sector Leader 10 arrives. I need to know what happened with Ilian Ferris.”

My entire body tenses. So that was his name? All I knew was that he was a guest of Master Fredresk. But I will never forget that man’s face, his scent and everything else about him. “I don’t know what to say, Sector Leader. Isn’t it in my file?”

He pinches the bridge of his nose and releases a heavy sigh.

“You needn’t be so formal with me and perhaps in time you will come to see that I’m not your enemy, but you’ve committed a grave crime, in most cases would be an automatic death sentence.

And while I was able to use my influence to prevent that from happening, there are still laws that even I need to abide by. ”

I’d tried so hard to forget about it and I’d even arrogantly believed because of my sister’s connection to the Sector Leader that maybe I wouldn’t have to deal with the consequences but apparently that isn’t the case. “Does…does Noah or my parents know?” It’s the only think I can think to ask.

If my family was aware of what happened on my last assignment, I would probably never know peace. Not that they would be angry with me or anything like that, but the looks of pity and the constant hovering over me would only get worse.

“They don’t know…yet. That information is in a section of your file that can only be accessed by those with the highest clearance, basically a handful of top officials and the other Sector Leaders.

That means Sector Leader Draken would also be able to read about the incident if he checks out your file.

From the little I’ve observed about him, he seems to be thorough.

I have a feeling, he already knows about it.

I also believe that’s why he’s wasting no time in coming to collect you. ”

I run my tongue over my lips that have suddenly gone dry. “I’m not sure I understand.”

“Jamesh—Jamie, I’m sure you don’t want to talk about what happened but I need to know the details so that I know how to proceed to handle this situation.”

I raise my shoulder in a nonchalant shrug, although I feel anything but. My nerves are on edge and I’m desperately trying to fight off another panic attack. “Wasn’t that taken care of when I was reassigned to live at the manor?”

He nods his head slowly but the way his eyes shift from side to side tells me there’s something he’s not fully disclosing.

“I sense there’s something more to this, Sector Leader.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose and releases a heavy sigh. “You needn’t be so formal with me. Magnus will do.”

I stare at him, schooling my face to give no emotions away. Who is he fooling? My sister may think he’s Mr. Wonderful but I refused to be swayed by anything a superious has to say.

“Jamie, I am not your enemy.”

I blink refusing to speak until he tells me what it is he really called me in his office for.

Pushing away from his desk, he places his hands behind his back and walks over the patio door.

He stares outside without turning to face me.

“You remind me of your sister when she first came to manor. She was probably justified in her mistrust of the superious as are you. So I’ll overlook this hostility you have toward me.

I caution you however, that Sector Leader Draken may not be so tolerant. ”

Now it’s my turn to sigh. I don’t understand why he’s taking so long to get to the point.

“With all due respect Sector Leader Magnus , could you please tell me what issue is? You clearly have something to say but you’re hesitating.

I’d rather you get it over with because the sooner you get it out the quicker this farce of a conversation can be done. ”

At this point, I don’t care that I’m being disrespectful. My nerves are on edge and I don’t think there’s anything he can do to me that hasn’t already been done and probably what will soon happen to me when I go to Sector 10.

“In the rare event when a homo sapien kills a superious , it’s an instant death sentence in most sectors.

There are general laws that bind all sectors in which we must abide but the universal laws mainly govern superious conduct and Registry matters.

It is the discretion of the Sector Leaders to amend and enforce the laws of their land for the homo sapiens meaning, my sector requires a trial for citizens involving matters such as yours. ”

“So I have to go to trial?”

“That would be the case if you were still under my protection. But the moment you were reassigned, you fell under the jurisdiction of Sector 10. Under their bylaws, you’re to be sentenced to death.”