I kept the thought to myself, being sure to walk a little faster and keep the conversation to a minimum. I wanted to be sure that my instincts weren’t leading me astray. We took side streets that we hadn't taken before, crossed busy streets at the blink of an eye, and took a sharp turn every couple of blocks. Street signs were telling us that we were nearing the highway. That’s the way that we needed to go, however, the feeling that I had in the pit of my stomach never went away. The last thing I wanted to do was bring trouble back to the compound. Teyana did well to keep up, making me believe she had the same gut feeling. “We are being followed, aren’t we?” She asked. I stared straight ahead. The fact that she didn’t ask questions about my increase in speed, or changing up the direction, I knew she was following me mentally. “I’m not sure,” I answered honestly. I tried to look back over my shoulder nonchalantly, but I didn’t see anyone that would be deemed out of ordinary, or loo

SINCERE’S POV Will kept his word. I was fully healed, and Teyana didn’t accrue any injuries in our mishap outside of the barrier. He allowed me a few days of rest, and all my attention was given to Lana as we prepared for the Welcoming Ceremony. I was being prepped, like a gift to the Zytes. Today I received quite a painful body scrub and scorching shower, in which I wasn’t allowed to clean myself. Lana acted as if I was covered in trash and filth, and that this was the only way I’d truly be clean. I met with a hairdresser who was just as bubbly as she was, just in male form. At least he cared about my opinion. He seemed fascinated by my kinky dark curls, and went on this rambling rant of all the hairstyle options he has. Great, I was now a doll to someone else. Every day, something new was done to be me all in the name of appearing put together and getting the right attention. From the whitening of my teeth, to the painted details of my nails. Out of everything, the only thing

I have never had to fight a magic being. I knew it would eventually come up, but this was not something I had been trained on!Back down I go, practically free falling to the hard ground. Another round of this, and I’d need to be shifting. Before he had a chance to do it again, I somehow jumped over to him, grabbing him by his tiny ankle. “If I go up, you go up with me kid,” I promise. He blinks slowly and realizes that it was something that he himself could not survive. I am sure to not let go of him as I work my way back onto my feet. “You got some power in you, don’t you?” He furrows his brows and remains tightlipped. “Listen kid, I don’t want to hurt you.” His blue eyes find the bodies around us. “I didn’t want to hurt any of you. But I had to protect myself.” He stares at me yet again. To think that they expected me to kill a child. A child’s mind can be influenced. They can grow to develop their own thoughts and feelings. They can eventually choose the side that they want to

I sat on the lawn, legs crossed, letting the sun shine down on me. The rain and gray skies have long gone away and now they're beautiful rays across the land. It matched what I was feeling.Overjoyed. Teyana crashes down beside me, breathing heavily. Why would she come running at me at full speed like that? "Didn't you hear me calling your name?" She had hair divided into two buns. One side for the black hair, the other for the blue. The strands were falling loose, and she was quick to readjust them when she sat. I shook my head. "I'm sorry. No, I'm just lost in my thoughts right now.""I can imagine! Everyone's talking about it. There will be an Ascension ceremony and you are the guest of honor!" She grins. "Shit, I forgot to bow." Her sudden realization of this is amusing to me. I hold both my hands up at her, shaking them. "Please don't," I started. "I'm not very fond of that as it is. Besides, it's not like you did it before.""True.""I don't want things to change between us

Happy Accession Day! That was the phrase being thrown in my direction everywhere I went this morning. Let’s not forget the immediate bowing that took place any time I entered a room. No matter how many times I’ve seen it, I still wasn’t used to it. Today was the day.The official ceremony. Now that I was on my way to replacing her, Lana didn’t come near me. It had been days. I was left to handle my looks all on my way. I quite liked it that way. Teyana was here to offer her advice. I went with a big gown. One that was shown to me before, that I actually hated, but for this ceremony I was expected to dress like a princess. It was a bright yellow with gold lace. It was tight at the top but opened up like a flower towards the end. Imagine a dark skinned Bell. The ceremony was outside of the gates, taking up the track field. It looked like a rather large wedding was set to take place. There were rows upon rows of chairs, and every one of them was filled. “How many people would yo