The Eyes of the Dark

Eight.

I am suddenly pulled away and my body forces me to sit up. I gasp and put my hands over my mouth. I realize the darkness is gone and I am alone in my bedroom. You have to get of here. Cedric's words echo in my head. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. It wasn't real, but it felt real. I realize its morning and soon the guards will be waking us up. I climb out of bed and walk into my bathroom. I turn on the cold water in my sink and splash my hot and sweaty face with the water. I already feel better. I towel dry my face and look at myself in the mirror. I notice something dark underneath my hair. I get closer to the mirror and sift through my hair. A small clump of hair underneath my longer hair is the opposite color of my hair. It is black. What the hell? Is this because of the dream? Are my powers doing this? My lips part and then I search my hair for more, but there are no more. Only a single piece. I am startled when I hear a knock on my door, telling me to get my butt moving. I quickly braid my hair and tuck the black strand under the braid. A hint of gold catches my eye in the mirror. I look down at the gold band around my ring finger and slowly slip it off. I walk over to my bedside table and set it down. I'm not ready to tell anyone yet. I shouldn't. I should wait until the time is right. Things just got a whole lot more complicated and I need to focus.

I leave the ring and quickly get dressed in my training clothes and head out into the hallway. Everyone is in the hallway. I look beside me and see Kim. She looks as startled as me.

"What's going on?"

"I heard that we are being escorted to the throne room," she says. Crap, why are we going there? Is Max announcing our engagement? Did he already tell his mother? I feel sick. "Are you okay?" I look at Kim.

"Yeah, why?" She shakes her head.

"You look pale, that's all," she says as we move down the hallway. I intake a breath and follow the rest of the trainees. He would have told me, right? If something was going to happen.

As we near the Throne Room the crowd grows. Everyone whispers under their breath and tries to stay as quiet as we can as we enter. Benches are set up. Kim and I find a spot in the left side. We sit down and I look up and see the princes are near the throne and are discussing something very intense based by their expression. My hands start to tremble. What is happening? Do they know? Do they know I'm a black and I snuck in? Do they know about the Resistance? I want to crawl into a small ball. About a million things run through my head.

"This is weird," she comments. I keep my gaze towards the front of the room.

"Yeah," I manage to say. She folds her hands in her lap.

"I wonder is the prince found a bride." My chest seizes up and I don't say anything back to her.

Kim stays quiet beside me, but I know there's nothing to say, we just have to wait. Once everyone is seated, we wait. We wait for something. Anything. Something to happen. Someone to say something. I fiddle with my necklace when the doors open with a boom and the Queen marches inside the room right down the aisle. Her march is not a sturdy powerful walk it is a frantic and angry march. Fear courses through my veins. Our heads turn as we watch the Queen barrel towards her sons. They watch her as well. She ends her march and stands in front of her throne. Her eyes are sharp and graze over us like darts. She is angry, but I have no idea why.

"Someone, here, has been lying to me," her voice is hard and strong. My hands freeze in their place. It's me. This is it. I can barely keep my body still. "Among you is a snake and a liar." The people around me start looking around as to who the culprit is. "An abomination." These words hit me hard. I bounce my knee up and down and try to control my breathing. "So, I am going to give this person a chance to come forward and face the Trial." A Gasp echoes over the crowd. I glance at the princes who are both looking at me. I should stand up. The Trial is my best shot at freedom right now. I move slightly but Max move his head. No. He says no. The Queen stares at each one of us. She grows tired of waiting so she looks at her sons and then towards the back of the room.