Girl of Myth and Legend Read Free Page B

hammering against my chest; my head won’t stop spinning and whirling.
    ‘The Ch-Chosen. You weren’t lying. Not nuts. Chosen exist. You’re Chosen.’
    ‘Yes, and you are, too, Leonie.’
    Well, wave bye-bye to my disbelief, because I’m now certain that what I saw was real, though unreal, as it has yet to happen.
    ‘How do I get unChosen ?’ I ask, numb. ‘What… what was wrong with me?’ I ask. ‘Why was I there?’
    His eyes narrow, though not at me. ‘I… don’t know. I have visions of the future, but I don’t always know how certain paths begin. I’ve never seen that before.’
    ‘Why have you never told me a-any of this? I-I don’t get this. I don’t understand. Why have you never told me that I’m… Chosen. Why have you kept this a secret?’
    ‘I… because…’ He pauses. ‘Sit down, Leonie. You look like you’re about to faint.’
    ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
    ‘Please, sit down.’
    ‘Answer me!’
    ‘I will, I promise, but please, sit down first.’
    So I sit down, or maybe the right description would be collapse, on the sofa. Dad comes over to me, handing me a tissue from his pocket. I look at it, questioning.
    ‘Your nose is bleeding,’ he says.
    ‘O-oh.’ I take the tissue and wipe my nose. ‘What I saw, where I was… where is that place? Where was I?’
    ‘The Imperium, home of the Chosen. You were within the walls of the Imperium.’
    The home of the Chosen, and sometime in my future, something will destroy it.
    ‘What use is this world to me…?’
    Is that something me ?
    The TV turns on, scattering my thoughts as it flips through the channels, and the lights in the room flicker. I look at my hands, wondering if I’m causing the disturbance, until the TV screen goes black and the lights stay off, and there’s a knock on the door.
    ‘And here they’ve come, of course.’ He sighs. It’s not one of his usual ‘Dad’ sighs, but a heavy one, full of knowing and dread and regret.
    ‘Wait. What?’ I say. I can’t concentrate with all the thoughts screaming in my head. ‘Who’s come? What’s going on? Dad? Dad .’
    ‘They’ve come for you, Leonie, now that you’ve awoken as a Chosen.’
    Goosebumps prickle up my skin.
    ‘I didn’t want them to find you.’ He mutters it, but I swear that’s what he said. He stands up from the sofa. ‘It’s OK. I’m here. Don’t be afraid.’
    ‘Wait!’ I grab his arm as he nears the door.
    He smiles, and it’s a sad one. ‘When I open this door, everything will change for you, and I’m sorry. It’ll be all right, though, I promise. It will be all right.’
    ‘Then… why do you look terrified?’
    He goes to speak, but frowns instead. ‘Be brave, Leonie.’ And he opens the door.

KORREN

    THE SHORTCOMINGS OF SERVITUDE
    This engulfing darkness hasn’t always been home. I’ve felt the warmth of the sun on my back, had the wind brush through my hair, gazed upon a vast, starlit sky. But I’ve known none of these things for… I don’t even know for how long anymore, and I don’t really care. I’m glad to be confined to these shadows, glad that this is the punishment for what I did. I’ve existed here like you might exist inside a dream: aware, but not completely, with eyes glossed over and the world somewhat unreachable. This is a place where senses don’t exist, where past, present and future are mere concepts, and where pain and happiness are foreign sensations. Give me eternity here and it’ll be a blessing… not that I deserve one.
    I hear something, though I can’t say what it is. Am I imagining things now? Have I finally lost my mind to the darkness? Whatever it is, my usually dazed mind becomes alert, and I sit straighter. The noise seems to be getting closer, and I’m acutely aware that it threatens my nothingness.
    Just leave me here , I want to say. Let me stay.
    As if the darkness surrounding me is a curtain, it lifts slightly so light spills in. I turn my head away. Ah, warmth . It slips