Page 96 of Monsterland Mayhem
My brow furrows more.I’m in my bed. I can feel the familiar lumps beneath me, see the cracked wallpaper decorating the drab wall. There’s minimal light, the slender window above barely allowing any sunlight to stream into my basement quarters.
Musk taunts my nostrils.
But beneath it is the subtle lingering scent of cinnamon spice.
And smoke.
And the forest.
Craze. Catum. Krolic.
Where are they?
And why am I here?
Rolling to my side, I instantly regret the decision and curl my knees into my stomach. Becauseugh. I feel sick. Like I haven’t eaten in days and still have no interest in eating.
What’s wrong with me?I wonder, my head spinning as I close my eyes. Dizziness assaults my senses, worsening the rolling sensation in my abdomen.
Gods, Craze wasn’t kidding when he said the ascension would be worse than the fall.
But where is he?
I peek again, searching for his dark hair and sinful eyes. Even his masked face would do right now. But he’s not within my field of view, and I’m not sure I can sit up to survey the rest of the room right now.
Didn’t they say I wasn’t going back to my district, though?I think, frowning once more.Something isn’t right.
“Ailsa?” a feminine voice murmurs, startling me.
Baroness Clarice.
“Are you finally awake, girl?” she asks, the subtle impatience in her voice making my stomach churn.
She only ever calls megirlwhen she’s displeased.
I swallow, my still-dry throat barely working. It takes all the energy I possess to roll onto my back and then rotate my head toward the basement door. “I… I don’t feel well, Baroness Clarice.” My scratchy voice barely travels the space between us.
Yet I can tell she heard me by the way she folds her arms. “Well, no, I imagine not. You missed your birthday ceremony, and you’ve been out cold for days.”
What?I blink at her. “I…”
“I told you that wandering around in the woods was unhealthy,” she goes on like I didn’t try to speak and starts sauntering down the stairs, her stiletto heels clacking against the wood. “Maybe now you’ll listen to me, hmm?”
She flips on the lights, causing me to wince and cover my eyes. The fluorescent tubes are far too bright for the area down here, but she says it helps her confirm that I’m keeping my quartersclean.
Not that I have much space to make dirty.
One twin bed cot.
A single dresser, plus a wardrobe for my uniforms.
And a bathroom with a mediocre shower.
That’s all.
What did she mean about me missing my ceremony? I wonder, trying to focus.I… I definitely went to my ceremony. Drank the elixir. And… and met the most amazing men.
“Doctor Tav will be by soon to evaluate you. I want to make sure that you can properly recover.” She comes to stand by the bed, her lips pursed as she stares down at me. “You’re three days behind in your chores, Ailsa. This is very inconvenient for all of us.”
