Cursed by the Gods

Chapter 18

I slumped back into my chair, burying my head in my hands as I tried to sort through the mess of emotions and thoughts I had going on.

"Dweller!"

I knew I should react. That feminine voice held a harsh bark of command, but I was so tired that I could barely lift my face again. By the time I did, there were three of them. The dweller-relations committee.

Elowin stood with her usual grace and perfection; her willowy body was wrapped in a flowing white robe, her golden curls perfectly arranged around her angelic face. The only thing to mar her perfection was her slightly open mouth, wide eyes, and creased brow. She was angry and confused. Henchman Number One and Henchman Number Two closed in on either side, and I knew this was the point where shit was about to get real. I had been living for the past few sun-cycles in a bubble, not in the real world. I was not a sol. I was not equal to these people, and I was definitely overdue for some knocking down from my imaginary pedestal.

Elowin recovered her composure, closing the distance between us. Her hands were trembling minutely—somehow, I could see that, along with the fine beading of sweat across her brow. Why was she nervous?

The two Abcurses who had still been sitting, stood now, and the five of them did their wall of protection thing. Elowin and the two men halted. Like ground to halt, and suddenly I understood the sweat on her brow. She was afraid of them.

Trying her best to hide her fear, she cleared her throat. "We received word of a dweller who was following you into your dorm. The same dweller who was reported missing to us several sun-cycles ago. She needs to come with us now for questioning and reassignment."

Reassignment. Yeah, right! Just sign me up to be kicked-to-death-by-bullsen.

Yael was the first to speak, which was no surprise to me.

"Elowin, you should not concern yourself with this dweller. She has been assisting us for the past few sun-cycles, and she is going to continue to assist us for the foreseeable future."

"You assigned her to us," Rome stated from beside him.

"So she's ours now," Aros concluded, his golden eyes catching mine for a brief moment.

Ignoring the emotions that stirred inside my chest, I remained sitting, pretending to be an invisible, stupid dweller.

A torrent of words burst from Elowin then, as though she couldn't keep them inside. "We have rules for a reason. You change them for one dweller and the rest of them are going to start wondering why they aren't allowed to follow sols into their rooms. Or go to class and learn with them. Our world works because everyone knows their place. The natural order. What would the gods think about this?"

The Abcurses took one look at each other, and then each of them lost their shit. Like doubled-over-almost-on-the-floor kind of laughing. I bit my lip to stop myself joining them, but it was probably the hardest thing that I had ever done.