As I make my way out of the park, the lion roars in agreement. Yes, that's right. Everything in my life has changed. No longer am I locked away in a box and pulled out for special guests to enjoy. Nor am I the shiny penny who was moved to the top floor by accident. I am Mary-the-Demoted, floating through this new job – my lifeline – like a fleeting cloud. Yes, I know I should be grateful to walk these hallowed corridors. But I'd rather be one of the hopefuls. Sitting on those benches out front says they have a chance of escaping. Being on this side of the fence says I'm good enough to clean the pathway for others but I'll never cross over into any space where dreams actually come true.
Or maybe it's just that something happened to me when I packed those boxes and wrote the first letter, something that no mere gesture from Tessa or Matron Caine can ever erase. To be honest, I'm just going through the motions; pretending that my problems are patched up and everything's fine, when I'm really deep in the ground waiting to rot away.
I enter Stocatta Embassy fifteen minutes before my lunch break is over. That gives me enough time to change back into my uniform. I make my way past the hopefuls with ease then the bell goes off in my head. What the hell! There's no way that can be her. Still, I rush off before she turns around.
YOU ARE READING
NINE TIME MACHINES: Do you want to undo your entire life on planet earth?
FantasyThere is a war coming! In it, Lilith and the impostor God must battle for all human minds on earth. But one girl can stand in the gap for all humanity. However, to prove worthy for this feat, Mary must begin shadow work to take the mark upon herself...
