Soulbound Read Free Page B

thoughts.
    My father’s voice broke in then, full of warm determination. “And she’s about to be faced with worse, Ellen. We have to get her up, get her moving around, and prepare her for what’s coming.”
    “How do we prepare her for that, exactly? We don’t really know what’s in store for her.”
    “We know this much. She has no idea what to expect right now, and delaying that information isn’t helping her.”
    There was a long silence before my mother replied. “Okay. Wake her. But be gentle.”
    Heavy footfalls approached my door. As each one sounded out into the night, my heart beat heavy and solid in my chest. Finally the door to my bedroom swung open and my father spoke, the warmth that had been in his tone just a moment before replaced by something I very much needed—strength. “Kaya. Come downstairs. Your mother and I need to talk to you.”
    He was right, and I knew it, but still it took me a moment to sit up and swing my legs over the edge of my bed. It took me a moment longer to stand. Every movement I made felt like I was swimming through murky waters. Slowly, I made my way downstairs to the dining room, where my parents were waiting with looks of trepidation on their faces. I looked back and forth between them. “Something’s happened. What is it?”
    Sitting in front of my mother on the table was a stackof folded rice papers. Clinging to the outer paper was the burgundy ribbon and broken wax seal that had held them all together. “This was delivered by messenger late yesterday. It’s for you. You’ll have to pardon us for reading it. When we saw who it was from, we couldn’t resist.”
    After a moment—one where the air grew heavy between us—she slid the small stack across the table to me. On the outside sheet was scribbled my name and address. In the upper left-hand corner was a swirling script which simply read Zettai Council. My heart stopped at seeing those words. Mostly, because hearing from the Zettai Council when your parents were fugitives was probably the worst thing that could ever happen, next to losing your best friend to a horrible monster’s insatiable appetite. I hesitated with the letter in my hand, not wanting to unfold the paper, hoping that avoiding doing so might erase the words within its well-worn creases. As if sensing my hesitancy, my mother closed her hand over mine and met my eyes with a teary smile. She’d likely intended for her actions to comfort me, but seeing my strong Barron mother brought to tears by the presence of a letter from the Zettai Council had the opposite effect. It meant that we all knew what was about to happen. It meant that everything was about to change: for me, for my parents, for our family. And nothing would be the same ever again.
    With a breath so deep it made my lungs ache, I unfolded the paper and smoothed out its creases, taking my time to do so. At last, I read the thickly scripted words at the top of the page.
    By Order of the Noble and Honorable Zettai Council
    Below that, in smaller and thinner letters, were two paragraphs. My eyes scanned them at first, hoping to find a word like “pardoned” or “excused,” but nothing lay on that page but my deepest fears. The first paragraph was written as part of the order, but the second seemed to be a personal note. As I read the first paragraph, my vision blurred with tears.
    It is with our deepest pride and pleasure to announce that Kaya Oshiro has been granted admission to Shadow Academy, to join in the grand position of studying alongside some of Tril’s greatest Healers. As pursuant to Article 9 of the Loyalty Act, Kaya Oshiro must report to the Academy within three days’ time of receiving this official notification. If Kaya fails to report in the time allotted, please know that proper measures will be taken to ensure her attendance at this prestigious educational institution. Congratulations to Kaya and her family on what we know will be the beginnings of a fruitful