The Fourth Ceremony: The Sacrifice Trilogy Read Free Page B

gold sheath dress, emblazoned with sequins that hugged her athletic frame and showed off her lithe legs perfectly. The dress was fitted close to her body, but not so tight that she looked trashy, and stopped just above the middle of her thigh. It had a wide scooped neck and modest sleeves halfway down her upper arm. It was perfect: conservative enough to be classy, but revealing enough to be fun. Her makeup was subtle, to compliment the dramatic dress, and her blonde hair fell in soft curls over one shoulder. They had pinned her hair so that it was pulled back on one side, showing off her collarbone and delicate neck, and was cascading down the other side.
    “ Thank you .” She said almost breathlessly as she studied herself ,“ You all have done a fabulous job . ”
    “ Well m a’ am, we have an exquisite canvas .” Her lead stylist, Lai, replied.
    She gave him a quick hug ,“ You are too kind ,” she said sweetly ,“ Thank you all again. I will see you next time . ”
    She escaped from the room just as the chorus o f“ thank you for your Sacrific e” began.
    Alessa hurried down the halls towards the formal dining room. Although she had planned to make them wait while she swam, she had not anticipated her panic attack and felt bad for the added delay. Not that anyone would chastise her for it, except for perhaps Khilyn, but he would n’ t mean it. All of the ones that would be offended by her tardiness would never say anything to her face, and that suited her fine.
    When she entered the hall, each face in the room turned to greet her. The ornate Dining Room was filled with golds and reds. Her stomach began to rumble at the delicious smells coming from the bounty of food sitting on the table. She had not realized how hungry she was. As she stood at the top of the landing, guests began to clap politely and the Minister approached her. She nodded at him, he was a seemingly pleasant man who had always catered to her wishes, but something about him made her feel that she should be cautious.
    “ Sacrifice, dear, I am so glad you made it .” He words were dripping with zeal.
    “ Oh, Soren, please call me Alessa !” She smiled brilliantly at him. His insistence on calling he r“ Sacrific e” as if it were her name was a constant source of irritation for her.
    “ Of course, dear Sacrifice .” He replied sweetly .“ Please, come sit down and we will begin . ”
    She allowed him to take her arm and guide her to the head of the table, where she sat at his left. Khilyn, of course, was beside her, and her parents were around the corner to his right. The Minister tapped his glass with his knife, and Alessa cringed inwardly.
              “ Attention, attention .” He spoke with an inflated sense of self-importance ,“ Our beloved Sacrifice has arrived and we may now begin our celebration. Out of the centuries of our history, the advent of the Sacrifice has hailed our greatest prosperity. In this, the last year before our Beloved Sacrific e’ s Fourth Ceremony, may we celebrate her life along with the ultimate sacrifice she intends to make for the opulence of us all ! ”
    The people around the table, mostly Government officials, exclaimed their assent as they raised their glasses. Light music played in the background as the staff descended on the table to begin serving the feast. Alessa felt sick. Her hands became clammy and she was rendered incapable of moving as the staff person behind her tried to fill her plate. She felt wooden and disconnected. Khilyn touched her arm.
    “ Less, are you okay ?” He looked serious and concerned.
    “ I, uh, I mean, I do n’ t kno w… I do n’ t thin k … ” She could n’ t complete a thought.
    “ You went for a swim before you came here, right ?” His voice was quiet, just for her.
    She looked around, the faces were slowly losing their celebratory excitement as they observed her and concerned murmurs were swelling around the table. No one was touching