Page 260 of The Wishing Game

The white matter inside the sphere vibrates, and we all wait with bated breath to see what color it will change into. Light shines from deep within, and at first, the color changes to a deep yellow. But the yellow quickly loses its intensity until a powerful beam of light erupts from the nucleus of the sphere, the color becoming the purest, brightest red.

Silence blankets the courtyard.

I sneak a glance at the high priestess, who for one moment has a naked expression of disbelief on her face, which she quickly masks with one of indifference. Pushing her chin in the air, she clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she assesses Wyn with narrowed eyes.

"Very well, Arwyn," she murmurs. "You have proven yourself."

Wyn's lips fight to stay in a neutral position, twitching at the corners.

"Congratulations," I whisper to her.

"But you will understand why I find it hard to believe that a mere three-thousand-year-old child would get the red level on her first attempt. I will need to ensure that no rules have been broken," she intones, making her skepticism known.

"Of course." Wyn inclines her head out of respect, but she is not pleased with the high priestess's words. Yet it was to be expected, wasn't it? After ridiculing Wyn for her confidence and stating how rare it was to get a red level, she must find a way to save face.

"You can pass the sphere to the person next to you," the high priestess mentions, her tone biting.

I inhale deeply as I open my palms to receive the sphere.

"Are you there, Ze?"I ask in my mind. Yet only silence greets me. He must be busy. Damn it. I could have used hisboredomnow when my nerves are threatening to get the best of me. I know that the worst thing that can happen is that I'll get a white and be escorted off the premises of the temple. But at the same time, that means I will not be of any use to Ze, and for some absurd reason, I really wanted to help him. Maybe it's because I haven't felt needed in a long time—or perhaps it's because I could have finally done something hecouldn't... Regardless, my time in the temple has come to an end.

The sphere slowly descends into my waiting palms. The crystal surrounding the white matter is cool to the touch despite having been in Wyn's hands just moments ago. My fingers grip onto the surface of the sphere as I gaze into the chaos within. The particles inside dance around each other, moving in a rehearsed tango, going back and forth and waiting to respond to my absent spiritual power.

Yet as I focus on those tiny meandering dots, my surroundings fall away, the whispers behind me muted until there's only the stark white of the atoms. The more I stare at them, the more it feels as though they are growing in size until I'm standing face to face with giant white balls that roll back and forth around me.

A bitter taste assails me, and I smack my lips together in an effort to isolate that odd flavor. The air around me thickens, the temperature dropping suddenly.

The sound of a waterdrop falling into a pond echoes in the background, along with a whispered voice.

Remember.

I blink.

The spherical particles flatten and change their shape, becoming mirror-like reflective surfaces. I'm slowly engulfed in a palace of mirrors with no way out. My heart squeezes painfully in my chest, the feeling of being trapped intensifying.

Remember.

The same voice yells from far away.

I blink again. This time, the mirrors reflect back my image, only it's not me.

It's me, yet it's not me.

A shrilling noise erupts in the air, and as my eyes flutter open, I note the crowd that's formed around me, caging me in. The sphere in my hands is no longer a sphere, only shards of broken glass lying on the ground. Muddy, mercury-like particles stain my hands, seeping into my skin and dripping to the ground. The moment they touch the pavement, a cloud of smoke erupts as they erode into the solid surface.

Startled gasps resound around me as the girls step away to avoid getting touched by the toxic substance that seems to destroy everything in its path—everything but me.

Slowly, I raise my gaze to meet that of the horrified high priestess, who in a loud voice proclaims, "The test is now postponed. Everyone leave." With one hand, she summons a cloud of smoke that envelops my hands, slowly traveling down my body and cleaning the corrosive substance out of the way.

I tentatively step back, my legs made out of jelly. Wyn is at my back, grabbing my arm and holding on to me.

"Not you two. You will come with me," the high priestess singles me and Wyn out.

FIFTY-FOUR

The crowd of participants dissipates after the high priestess's announcement. The other priestesses lead the girls out, until only Wyn and I are left behind. Two priestesses dressed in black appear at our backs, urging us to follow the Head Priestess as she heads for the entrance of the temple at the base of the mountain.

Wyn and I cling to each other, both worried and confused about what's happening.

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