The Spirit Guardians Book 1: Enlightened

Chapter 14

Marc ushered Cassie forward with his hand and shut the door behind her. His silence was overpowering, and she wanted to avert her gaze when he looked at her.

"Are you sure?" he asked calmly.

She nodded and clenched her fists. "I need to do this," she told him. Maybe this wasn't the world that she had wanted to be a part of, but she felt like she owed these people something. She didn't know if she could be a symbol of hope or be victorious in all her endeavors, but she had to at least try.

Marc suddenly grasped her waist and spun her around, letting out small chuckles of excitement. Cassie gasped in surprised, out of breath when he set her back down gently. She had never seen him act or look so happy before.

"That's great!" he exclaimed.

"I—uh—yeah?"

"Cherie's coming over for dinner tonight to talk to you about getting used to your life as a spiritkeeper. Do you feel prepared enough to handle conversation?" he asked her.

Cassie slowly nodded. "I'll spend some time making up excuses and practicing scenarios in my room. Should I tell everyone?"

"Save it for dinner," he told her. "We can go into the forest tonight. I'll help you perform your ritual."

"Okay. But what do I do now?"

"Cherie will be over in a half hour. Better get dressed up for your celebration meal."

Cassie nodded and exited his room, wandering down the wooden hallway towards her room. She didn't have much of nice clothes, and the few dresses she had bought had a plunging neckline that would easily show off her flaming tattoo.

She rummaged through her clothing drawer until she settled on a navy-colored skirt and a white blouse. The blouse was thin enough that it showed off the color of the tattoo but not the form.

Cassie realized her fingers were shaking as she stood in her room. Lying to everyone hurt, but the fear of everyone discovering her secret was much more traumatizing. Not to mention so much responsibility had now been placed on her shoulders.

A knock sounded at her door, and she had to cover her mouth to stop from screeching.

"Come out, Cassie! Cherie wants to see you!" Conny called from the other side of the door.

"C-Coming!"

She exited her room moments later and walked down the hallway, finding Cherie in a conversation with Irene and Miguel at the kitchen table. The moment Cherie saw Cassie, her eyes lit up.

"Cassie, dear!" she exclaimed, rushing toward the frightened girl. Cassie gasped as Cherie's large arms flung around her, and Cassie gave a weak smile. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood except her.

"Congratulations!" Cherie exclaimed as she loosened her grip on Cassie.

"Thanks," Cassie murmured.

"I told you they'd appear soon. It must be great to feel like a spiritkeeper now. Of course, you still have to decide and perform the ritual. Oh, a love spiritkeeper! That's something new! How exciting!"

Cassie nodded, already feeling guilty as Cherie rambled on.

"Dinner will be ready in ten minutes!" Lillian called from the kitchen.

Cassie's stomach growled, and she realized she hadn't even bothered to eat lunch earlier in the day due to her intense thoughts over the future. She took a seat at the kitchen table, fumbling with her napkin in an attempt to distract herself.