once we were on the normal path, but I wished it was longer. As good as dinner sounded, I wasn’t in a hurry to experience everything that was supposed to come after.
In about two hours, I was going to die and say goodbye to my human life before entering a whole new world I didn’t know nearly enough about.
I was trying to remain positive, but as time ticked by, I really just needed to let out a deep scream and take a nap.
After dinner had been consumed, my dad poured me a glass of whiskey, surprising the hell out of me. “Here, I know you’re not of legal age yet and it’s going to taste awful, but maybe it will calm you down, because you’re starting to freak me out with all of your fidgeting.”
Neither of my parents had ever given me alcohol before, but that didn’t mean I was a complete stranger to it considering I’d been to a handful of college parties. Though, on the rare occasion I had tried to drink, I’d always gagged on the taste. Still, I didn’t decline the glass he offered, and sipped on the smooth liquid that burned its way down my throat.
Mom couldn’t sit still, either, and once my nerves weren’t so frayed, I realized why Dad had given me the alcohol. Standing up, I shoved the remainder of my glass in her hand. “Drink this. For the sake of not only you, but the rest of us.”
Unlike me, she threw down the rest of the contents in one gulp, and I couldn’t stop the laughter that burst from me. My mom had always been so reserved and proper, but watching her down booze like it was water showed me another side of her I wished she’d let out more often.
“Okay, so is everyone calm now?” Jordan teased.
“Not even close, but it’s almost time, so it won’t matter soon,” Mom answered, glancing at the wall clock for the millionth time.
Sure enough. It was 7:39pm and I only had seven minutes left before my official birthday arrived. We all headed to the guest room, and I laid down on the bed. Dad had thought it was best if I was already comfortable “before things began,” which was the polite way to say “before I died.”
My hands were beginning to tingle, and my head spun, but that could have been the effects of the whiskey, so I tried not to let it stress me out.
Jordan pulled out her phone, but my mom quickly yanked it from her hand. “Not happening.”
“It was worth a try. You know she’d want to see it later,” Jordan replied.
As I opened my mouth to respond, my body seized up and no words were able to come out. Though, there were plenty of groans that caught the attention of everyone in the room. The necklace my mom had given me began to burn as everything around me started to glow.
My mind was telling my hand to rip the necklace from my chest when it felt like it was seeping into my skin, but nothing moved.
Mom let out a strangled cry, but I couldn’t see her any longer. It felt as if the sun was right above me and I was going to be fried to a crisp from the bright and hot lights. Closing my eyes, I focused on the training I’d gone through with Stryx. While the heat didn’t disappear, the light did dim.
When I opened my eyes again, a full-body paralysis was in effect and there was no way I could move at all as the faces of the three most important people in my life stood over me. The only things I thought about as sudden darkness crept in were that I hoped like hell it wasn’t the last time I would see any of them and I wished I would have told them goodbye, just in case.
Stabbing pain brought me back to consciousness who knew how much later. I was still unable to move any parts of my body, though I could sense everything that was happening to me.
Hands roamed over my body from more than one person as voices talked over each other. Some I recognized, some I didn’t.
“Are you sure this is normal?” Dad asked someone.
“Brooks, if you question my methods one more time, I’m going to banish you from Arvayta,” a woman snapped.
“She’s going to be okay. Lorelle knows what’s at stake if Kaliah doesn’t wake,” a rough male voice said, most