Page 114 of Saints & Sinners

The sting of his dismissal burned deeper than anything else I had been told in my life.

Maybe... maybe he was right.

I was at a disadvantage. I had never even done the Ascension competition before, unlike thousands of Ascendants.

A soft knock at the door startled me.

“Grace?”

I didn’t answer, but the door creaked open anyway.

Marnie peeked in, my eyes softening the moment she saw me standing there, practically half-naked. She closed the door behind her. “Do you need any help?”

I opened my mouth to say ‘no’—that I was fine and didn’t need anyone right now—but the words never came out.

Marnie sighed and moved past me, anyway, gently picking up the discarded gown and draping it neatly over the chair. “That dress doesn’t deserve to be on the floor,” she muttered before settling down on my bed. She bunched up her dress and patted the space beside her for me to come over.

I let out a hollow chuckle and sat beside her. “Apparently, neither do I.”

“Don’t say that.”

“I just—maybe I should listen to Joe and ask to be removed from the competition. Let someone more... I don’t know; worthy totake my place. I didn’t even want to do it at first, anyway.”

“You were still chosen for a reason, Grace.” Our shoulders touched as she sighed. “You were the one out there wanting to take initiative and be trained to become a better Warrior. You beat Norah in a fight—”

“Yeah, with help.”

“Still! You’ve improved a lot, Grace, and maybe the Council saw that too.”

Her words stirred some confidence inside me, but it wasn’t enough. I tried to smile at her, but it didn’t reach my eyes.

Marnie sighed again and gently placed a hand over my heart. I almost pushed her away, knowing I didn’t want her to use her healing since that was all she ever did for me, but it was too late. A soft warmth spread through me, like sunlight filtering through cracks in a wall. I felt the sharp edge of my pain dull, easing me just a little.

I shook my head, smiling. “You need to stop doing that.”

“Well, if I don’t, all that sadness is just going to build up, and Idon’t feel like dealing with an emotionally constipated Grace.”

I snorted out a laugh, bumping my shoulder with hers.

Her smile softened. “I’d rather see you happy than sad. And I know that Lucas would say the same thing if he were here.”

The lump in my throat threatened to rise again, but I swallowed it down. “I just... I thought Hunter would be proud of me,” I whispered. It looked like he was the other day of the Ecliptic Hunt, but maybe that was just an illusion on my part.

“He should be.”

I nodded slowly, staring down at my hands.

“But even if he’s not,” she continued, “I am, and that’s all that should matter.”

I exhaled. “Thanks, Marnie.” I was so glad to have met her, to have someone not judge me from the beginning.

“Don’t thank me; thank my healing abilities.” She wiggled her fingers, and I chuckled once again before we slipped into an endless conversation about music and food.

Two days after the ball, a sharp knock rattled the door to our dorm at the crack of dawn.

Groaning, I sat up and rubbed my eyes, the cold air biting at my skin. Across the other side of the living room, Marnie was already half-dressed, her hair a tangled mess.

“At least one of us is semi-ready,” I croaked as Marnie yanked the door open to find one of the Messenger Celestials standing at our doorway with two crisp envelopes in her hand and bagged clothing.

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