Page 73

Amias

Our every move is under the guard’s watchful eyes.

Under Grandmother's contract, she wanted Glaide and Ivy supervised when getting me ready for the cleansing. Their stares never leave us. They are waiting for Ivy or Glaide to make one wrong move.

The white coated guards stare from the large entrance door to the room. The room is dimly lit with the glass chandelier above and four vanities - two on one side and two on the other. I sit on a bench before one of the vanity mirrors, which is carved with a simple gold frame.

Ivy’s jokes help cheer things up. “Aw, see there! You look like a doll.”

I chuckle under my breath as Ivy starts packing up the makeup. “Stop it.”

She giggles as well. “I think you would've looked better in glitter eyeshadow.”

I shake my head as I look into the mirror.

She did a good job making me look like I haven't been through too much over the past few days.

My puffy eyes look less horrific with the…

concealer I think it was? The bruise on my neck from Grandmother looks less brutal too.

I think she used a bit of what she called “blush” to make me look less like a pale corpse and I think it looks just fine.

She makes an excellent makeup artist.

“You did good.” I smile up at Ivy before turning my head towards Glaide behind me. “No wonder she's your soulmate. You're lucky to have such a talented woman.”

“Aw, thank you!” Ivy gushes from behind me.

Glaide doesn't look up to me. Instead he lays the suit jacket out on the couch in the middle of the room “Now we gotta put on the suit jacket.” Glaide mumbles.

I glance at the guards at the door. They won't arrest him if he's upset, right? “Glaide. I'm going to be fine.” I finally turn back to him. That's going to be tough convincing after what happened.

“Hey baby,” Ivy walks over to him and gives him a kiss on the cheek. She stares back at the guards at the door. “Don’t be so blue. You're going to make him ruin his makeup.” She pouts, as he raises his brows at her. It gets silent between them before Glaide puts on a smile.

I frown as I glance at them and the guards at the door. She's just trying to distract me from the pain that has yet to come, which is sweet and all, but it's sickening that she feels the need to.

Vomit rising at the end of my throat. I'm going to lose Ignatia.

I won't remember the feeling of her soft lips.

I won't remember the bite in her tongue and the way she changed me all those weeks ago.

I won't remember how I got her mark. I won't remember how she saved my life all those times and how I promised to help Somnia.

All of those memories… erased…

I look down at my hands, taking a moment to recall the feeling of them around her waist. It will be the last few moments I'll remember all of her.

It's weird, knowing I'm going to lose myself and her memories in an hour or less.

“Hey, Amias.” I snap up to Ivy as she smiles softly. “I think you'll look great in the suit Glaide has.”

I force down my foot that I realized was tapping, and return Ivy's grin. “I bet it will.”

As I get my suit jacket on, I can't help but to savor the last of my memories. What will it be like when I forget her? Will Ignatia even know? Will I find her and kill her?

That's the thing. My conscious mind will never know.

◆◆◆

Glaide and Ivy walked with me outside, three guards marching behind us. Once we made it out the front door, a line of guards on either side of us. I look up to the cloudy sky as we approach the wood stage that I'll cleanse on. I can already hear murmurs from the crowd on the other side.

This is it.

Grandmother awaits me, on top before pink certains. She's staring down at me with a scowl.

Glaide scrunches his nose, his lip curled in disgust. I reach my hand to his shoulder and squeeze. “I'll be okay.” I whisper.

Before I reach the stage, I turn to hug Glaide and Ivy. Glaide’s embrace is especially tight and I return the same strength. When we pull away, I give them a brief smile before my throbbing lips make it falter. Glaide’s eyes water too and Ivy scrunches her brows together in concern.

A part of me is dying today. In just a few minutes, this version of me will be dead.

“Goodbye,” I whisper. Glaide sniffles and Ivy wraps her arm around his. I turn away and walk up to where Grandmother stands.

"Smile," Grandmother instructs me. "And stand straight."

I straighten up my posture, and tug my suit jacket that has white tree branches threaded all over it. Apparently, the color white and the branches symbolizes rebirth according to Glaide.

How ironic.

"Alright then,” Grandmother says. “Just stay silent and drink the cleansing serum. Things will run smoothly."

I slowly nod, my nose flaring in disgust.

“And don't even think about trying to escape it. You already know that I'm not afraid to do what it takes to get you to do this.” She strokes my neck, touching the skin still tender from her choking me.

I flinch. My body shuddering. That touch alone was a threat enough.

If it were to happen this time, she might actually kill me.

Then she would strangle Ignatia to death.

I take in a deep breath. I can't let Ignatia die. I’ve done all I can to make sure neither Grandmother and myself after the ceremony will find her.

I’ve destroyed everything I’ve found about Caelestia last night.

I burned every book, article and map. I’ve deleted every bit of information on my phone; every account and every ounce of data, before crushing it with a hammer and burying it in the backyard.

There’s nothing from me that they could use to find Ignatia.

In the case my cleansed self does find her, I hope Glaide will keep his promise.

The only thing now is countering Grandmother’s strength. Her being a powerful Gift gives her an advantage to finding anyone. My only chance to stop that possibility is to go through the cleansing, and pray that my cooperation makes her lose interest if I can’t find Ignatia.

Grandmother grunts, still looking at my neck. “Glad you understand.”

She walks through the pink curtains before us, and I follow her onto the outside stage.

The sound of millions of clapping people fills my ears.

I slowly widened my eyes to look at everyone, most of them dressed in white, some with signs saying “Cleanse him!” And “End his dictatorship!” Only a few seemed to be sweet with those signs saying “Here's to Healing and Renewal!” and “We forgive you, Amias.”

So many people are here to witness my cleansing.

“Welcome, my lovely Amarians,” Grandmother announces beside me. I flinch at her louder voice. “I'm so glad you are all here to support us during this difficult time.”

I narrow my eyes at her as the crowd gets silent. Again with the victimizing.

“My dearest Amias has been in contact with the cruelest creature known to us in this kingdom.” She sighs, her head bowing sadly. “This creature had come under the guise of love and manipulated my grandson to fall for her. She had made him into a shell of who he is.”

The crowd shouts insults towards my dreamscreecher. “Baby eater!” “Monster!” “Fuck that dreamscreecher!”

I sink into my shoulders. Ignatia doesn't deserve this.

“Now, he will get a cleansing, and get a chance to start over.” She looks over to smile at me. “His mother will bring out the cleansing potion, and he will begin healing.”

My body tightens as I turn behind me to see Mother coming out from between the pale pink curtains. Her lips are curled into a frown as she nearly stumbles under her pastel dress with a rose gold goblet in her hands. Her hair is adorned with a crown of Amara flowers.

“Mother…” I whisper.

“Dove…” she murmurs with a sniffle. She holds the goblet towards me. “I'm so sorry. I don't want to do this.”

“Mother, it's okay,” I whisper, taking the goblet from her.

Mother sniffles again, tears rolling down her cheeks as she stares at the goblet. “No, it's not. I should've-” She glances towards Grandmother and flinches back. “Don't you dare!”

Grandmother stares at us, squinting with a big smile. She doesn't approach.

Something about her makes me shudder, and I start to wonder what Mother has been through. She's never been so panicked.

What had Grandmother done to Mother?

I look back to the crowd as they start to chatter again. I know Grandmother’s intentions are to help our kingdom and protect us from dreamscreechers. She’s the Gift of Love after all. Of course she would do anything to protect who she loves. But this is all wrong. She's taking this too far.

I’ll never convince her of that, but maybe I can convince the rest of the kingdom.

I storm towards the edge of the stage and hold my goblet up. “Amara is wrong! Dreamscreechers are just like the rest of us!”

The crowd falls silent.

My heart pounds in my throat as I look over my shoulder to Grandmother.

My chest tightens, half expecting Grandmother to choke me immediately to get me to cooperate.

She's angry. She’ll kill me for doing this in front of the kingdom.

My legs wobble, bracing for her flowers wrap around me, only for Grandmother to stand still with her arms folded. “Speak then,” she projects her voice, glaring at me. “Show the kingdom how delusional you've become.”

I try to catch my breath, attempting to keep my legs steady.

She thinks this is working against me, but she's wrong.

The people will know the truth. “Ignatia is the name of the dreamscreecher that loved me,” I start again as I turn back to the crowd.

“She's saved me three times. When there was that attack at Dove Lake Mall, she saved me. When the orphanage was attacked, she saved me then too. Then finally, when the castle was set on fire on my birthday, she saved me. In fact, about ten dreamscreechers had saved me from just a single dreamscreecher that night.”