Sophia

All the way home, I thought about the conversation with Adam, surprised at how it went. I didn’t expect he would admit to being part of the attack, nor that he planned to help me get my sister back. Part of me still believed he was lying, and that this is all part of a plan Samuel was plotting. But if not, he brought me at least a small step closer to my sister, and I had to take this risk.

I also never realized how many young scholars must suffer in Tierelia. The vampire community might have stuck-up people and strict rules, but we didn’t have money issues and the elders didn’t use us for any illegal activity. Not that I know of, anyway. But Samuel? I didn’t even want to think what sort of things he had going on. Did my parents know about those? And if so, why did they support him?

I was still deep in thought when I opened the front door and came face to face with Pascal, a deep frown on his face.

I gasped as my heart jumped in my chest. “Do you have to stand directly behind the door?”

“Where have you been?” He barked at me, his hands propped up on his hips.

I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. “I was out for a walk. Do you have to shout at me like this?”

“Didn’t we agree you would tell me whenever you would go somewhere?”

I sighed. “No, you just decided on that. I never agreed to do anything. But I told you I would be out today.”

“When I told you I want to know when you’re going somewhere, I meant I want you to tell me your exact plans and locations.”

I took my shoes off and slipped into my fluffy slippers, turning away from him to avoid his piercing gaze. “And why is that? Last time I checked, I was an adult and could be outside without supervision.”

Pascal grabbed my arm and pulled me to his face. “As long as you aren’t twenty-one, you’re under my care, and I decide what you’re allowed to do.”

I slipped out of his grip, glaring at him. “Are you completely out of your mind now?”

He narrowed his eyes. “I’m your legal guardian. It would do you well to remember that you’re living in the vampire community, and thus you’re obligated to listen to our rules, not those human rules you like to follow all the time. I want to know where you’re going, with whom you meet, and when you will return.”

“The council never said you’re supposed to control every aspect of my life now! Not even my siblings had to live that way.”

He crossed his arms. “The council decided on it this morning. Considering your outburst at the last meeting, it’s a well-deserved measurement. If you had spent a little more time with me after breakfast, I could have informed you about it.”

A dull pain spread out from my left eye to the back of my skull, and I shook my head. “This is ridiculous. You had more than enough time to tell me about all of that. We were eating in silence for thirty minutes. You simply decided not to tell me about it because you knew I would be against it.”

“You’ve no say in this. Whether you like this or not isn’t relevant to me. I take my job seriously. So next time you want to leave, you’ll ask for permission first, or I will lock you inside this house.”

I clenched my teeth together, anger burning in my veins. I wish I knew what to say to change anything about this situation, but there was nothing I could do. If this was coming from the council, he had the upper hand.

“Isn’t that a bit too controlling?”

He arched his brow. “A bit more control might do you well. We saw how well you handled your life without control. For once, you should sit down and study, instead of drawing those dresses or being out for parties.”

I took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, my magic burning under my skin, freezing my veins. But this wasn’t the time to set him on fire. “You think I have any interest in partying right now?”

He nodded. “We’re on the same page then. Also, your former mage mentor is back in Tierelia, and he will help you with your magic again. Before his death, your father also requested that you receive proper training in sword fighting. I hired a tutor for you and I hope you’ll do your best working with him. And study the books I placed on your desk in your room. The chance that you’ll see anything from your family’s assets is relatively low, but you should at least try everything you can.”

He didn’t wait for a response, and turned on his heels to return to the kitchen. I stared after him, biting the inside of my cheeks until I tasted blood. I wanted to scream at him, throw a tantrum and smash things, but it wouldn’t help my case. Adam told me to try to get on their good side, just as he tried to do the same with Samuel. I should try to do my best, as hard as it was.

I stomped up the stairs and waltzed into my room, frowning when I spotted the stack of books covering my desk. Did he really expect that I could read, let alone study, those within a few days? I wasn’t Claire, who could remember books like those in a fraction of the time. My heart clenched thinking of her, and how she often used to sit in the library in the basement, basically eating those books as if they were her life source.

I sighed and dropped onto my bed. At least I didn’t have to contact that mage tutor myself. Asking him to come back to help me with my magic would crush my ego. I wish I wouldn’t need him, but I knew I did.

I let my eyes roam around my room, stopping on the scattered pieces of paper on the floor with designs I drew only recently. My stomach felt heavy, and every breath felt forced. A few days ago, I imagined how my dresses would be worn at fancy parties, runways, or in theaters. Now I couldn’t even think about holding a pen in my hands, and only blackness greeted me where once a colorful image of fabrics and designs greeted me. I pulled the blanket on my bed aside, laid down, and pulled it over my head.

I wanted to speak to someone, to get this burden off my chest. All I wanted was to complain, rage, and rant about how unfair my life was, but there wasn’t anyone who would listen. There wasn’t a single person popping into my head who I could lean on, except Ashe. I reached for my phone on the bedside table and turned it on, the bright light blinding me under the dim light of the blankets.

She hadn’t called me back since the last time I tried to call her. Heaviness spread through my body, and I dropped the phone, tears stinging in my eyes. The nagging words of my mother echoed in my head, telling me that all my friendships were shallow and that no one would watch out for me the way I did for them. I never listened to her and defended my friends, but in hindsight, she might have known better. My heart clenched, wishing I could turn back to the past and make things right, but there was no use in dwelling on the past. I couldn’t change it anymore, and as hard as it felt right now, I still had to find my sister. Who knew what sort of situation she was in, and she needed me to get her back because no one else would.

I flipped over the blanket and grabbed a book from the desk. I had Adam by my side now, and I was sure that Samuel would get what he deserved. My revenge would be sweet. I could feel it.

Adam

I rushed through the gates of the compound, with only a minute left until curfew. My heart galloped in my chest as I caught my breath. The scholars pushed the gate close, their gazes locked on me as if I had done something wrong. I straightened my back and walked to my room, the relief that everything went a lot better with Sophia making my steps light and feathery. It almost felt as if I was walking on clouds.

I thought nothing could spoil my mood today, when Lucas ran towards me, his eyes wide, and dark curls jumping up and down with each step. “Adam! There you are!”

A heavy feeling settled in my body as I waited for him to reach me. “Here I am.”

He took a deep breath. “You’re almost too late. Samuel called us for a meeting. It’ll start in five minutes.”

My heart stopped for a second. “A meeting? On our free day?”

He nodded. “Yes, he didn’t say more. Come on, hurry before we are too late.”

My ears rang as he pulled me after him, my thoughts running wild in my head. He never called for us on our free days. Something must have happened, and something inside me screamed it was about Sophia.

We rushed inside the meeting hall, which was already packed with other scholars. We searched for empty seats and sat down, plenty more people hurrying inside after us, the same look of confusion on their faces.

“Did you have a good time with your parents?” Lucas asked over the noise in the room.

I nodded. “Yes, they’re doing a lot better now.”

He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes, sadness dancing in them. “I’m happy to hear that.”

I patted his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Lucas.”

He shook his head. “No, don’t be. They wouldn’t have wanted me to feel sad whenever someone else mentions their parents. They might not be with me anymore, but at least they don’t have to struggle anymore, either.”

“I’m sure they are proud of you.”

“Thank you, Adam. I’m glad to have you at least,” he said, smiling, as a soft blush covered his cheeks.

It’s when the room fell silent, and I knew Samuel had just entered the room. I turned to the stage, seeing him look over the crowd, his arms crossed and a frown on his face. Reality hit again, and once again, a biting fear settled in my stomach.

“I apologize about the sudden meeting on your day off. But I have a very important mission for you, and we need to act fast.”

I held my breath, my heart racing as a cold sweat broke out all over my body. Please, don’t let it be about Sophia. I stared at Samuel, seeing his mouth moving, but the ringing in my ears blocked his words from being heard. What if he wanted me to go on a mission? What if I had to kill someone, and what if the trance would work again, and I would forget about everything?

Lucas stood up next to me, and a new panic rushed through me like a tsunami. He got chosen.

“Adam Polarus,” Samuel said, his voice piercing through the ringing of my ears like a knife. A shiver ran down my spine as I stared at him. When I didn’t react, Lucas dragged me up, and I stumbled to stand. He threw me a questioning look, his hand still wrapped around my arm. It was almost as if he were giving me the strength to stand upright.

I gulped and glanced toward the stage, tension leaving my body when I realized Samuel didn’t even look at me. If he had witnessed my hesitation, he surely would have seen that something was wrong.

“Are you okay?” Lucas whispered, tightening his grip around me.

I nodded. “Sorry, I just felt dizzy for a moment.”

He searched my eyes, unspoken words in the air, but he didn’t say more, as he looked back at Samuel. I glanced around the room, counting the scholars standing. Six. We were eight people when we murdered Sophia’s family, so this couldn’t be a small mission either.

“I want you all to meet me at my office in ten minutes,” he said and left the room with quick steps.

When he was out of sight, I dropped back in my chair, exhaustion taking over my body, as I felt cold sweat running down my back. Lucas settled next to me, releasing my arm, but letting it rest on my shoulder.

“Adam, if you aren’t feeling well enough to go on a mission, please let me know. I’ll speak to Samuel for you,” he said.

I shook my head. “No, it’s okay. But thank you for worrying about me.”

He furrowed his brows as he looked at me, and I knew he wanted to say more, but held himself back. Eventually, he sighed and removed his hand. “If you say so.”

“Come, let’s go to his office,” I said and stood up, forcing a smile on my face. I had to be more careful around Lucas, too. He might be my only friend here, but even he wouldn’t be able to keep anything a secret if Samuel wished to know more.

He nodded, and we both headed to the office, the other scholars already waiting in front of the door. We stood there in silence, no one even muttering one word, when Samuel opened the door and let us inside.

We stood in a line, watching him return to his dark wooden desk, leaning against it.

“Let’s start this quickly. We don’t have much time.”

Soon after, Samuel chanted words I couldn’t understand, which I soon recognized to be a spell for the trance to work. For a moment, I felt it gripping me, almost like I was going to be pulled into it, but when he finished his spell, and my mind was still clear, relief washed over me. I glanced at Lucas next to me, seeing him staring at Samuel with an empty gaze. I tried to imitate him, but I wasn’t sure how well I pulled it off.

If Samuel recognized anything, he didn’t mention it, as he immediately went into briefing us for the mission.

“Scholars, we have an important job to do. During our last mission, I made a grave mistake. One daughter apparently is a party animal and was out on that night. That shouldn’t have happened, but it’s important to get her out of sight now before she makes matters worse. She will be alone at home, as I’ll meet with the housekeeper and the elders to have an alibi. It’s also well known with the elders that today is your free day, so it shouldn’t fall back to you either. I’ll try to keep him away for as long as I can, but try to be quick. Enter her house and bring her to me, but keep her alive. She is far too valuable to be killed as well, and she will probably be a lot easier to be tamed than the rest of her family.”

I gulped, and my hands trembled. I clenched them into fists, hoping to hide my reaction.

“Don’t underestimate her, though, and seek help from your protectors when necessary. I can’t give you any of my spells this time, as she already stirred some suspicion within the community, and I also can’t risk that bought spells will lead back to me. Remember, she might not look like it, but she has power up her sleeves you might not want to mess with. Are there any questions?”

The room stayed silent, and I bit the inside of my cheeks to keep myself from shouting at him. What did she ever do to be targeted by him? What did her family do to deserve all of this?

Samuel nodded. “Good. Get out then and bring her back here.”

We turned and exited the room, the other scholars behaved more like puppets than humans, and I was in between them. I knew what we were going to do was wrong, but I couldn’t stop it. And how was I supposed to warn her?