The Fourth Ceremony: The Sacrifice Trilogy (3 page)

Alessa gazed at the girl in the mirror. The stylists had outdone themselves, as usual. She wore a 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 their food, as it was customary for them to begin once Alessa had.

“
Less, did you swim
?”
Khi sounded urgent. She nodded stiffly, feeling detached and distant.  Khi arose from the table and approached the Minister, who was examining Alessa carefully. She heard him speak. Although he gave the impression that his words were only for the Minister, she imagined that at least the first ten people at the table could hear him.

“
Sir, it seems that Alessa has exhausted herself today. She spent most of the afternoon interacting with the crowd celebrating outside and went for a swim before dinner. Although she insists she must stay, I would suggest continuing the dinner without her so that she might rest and recuperate. I fear for her health, sir
.
”

Khi to the rescue,
Alessa thought to herself. He always seemed to know exactly what she needed.

“
Of course, of course
.”
The Minister responded
,“
You should be more careful about planning your swims, dear Sacrifice. You are quite the athlete, but no one can do everything
.”
He added towards her. Then, to the table, he announced
,“
Our dear Sacrifice is going to retire to her room, toda
y’
s celebrations have been a bit much for her. She insists that we continue our celebration in earnest in her absence
.
”

Khi came over to Alessa and whispered over her shoulder
,“
Can you walk
?”
She nodded again. She was
n’
t sure what her face looked like, but it must be disturbing. Khi was treating her like an injured kitten. As she stood, she steeled herself long enough to gently push Kh
i’
s hand from her arm and turn to the table full of people.

“
Thank you all for your concern. I will be myself again by dawn.
I’
m simply exhausted from the day, as the Minister explained. I apologize that I must leave early. Please do not let it hinder your evening
.”
She leaned down between her parents, whose faces were awash with concern, and said quietly
,“
Really,
I’
m fine. Just very tired
.
”

She began to walk proudly out of the room, determined not to let them see her use Khilyn for support. Luckily, she made it out of the door and halfway down the first hall before she stumbled and Khilyn insisted on keeping an arm around her.

“
What in the world is going on
?”
He demanded as they walked
.“
Did you swim to the next sector or something
?”
His voice would have sounded angry to anyone who did
n’
t know him, but Alessa knew it was barely controlled concern.

“
W
e’
ll talk in my room
,”
she replied quietly, which mollified him.

“
Okay, talk
.”
He said as soon as they were in her room and settled on her favorite couch by the closet. Alessa paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts.

“
I think I had a panic attack while I was swimming. I know I did. I could
n’
t stop thinking about drowning and the Sacred Ocean and I could
n’
t even make it across the pool one time. I thought I would drown there in the pool I was so debilitated. And then, when I got out, I could
n’
t even walk to the other side of the room to leave. My chest hurt and my head hurt and I thought my heart might pound out of my chest. I could
n’
t breathe. Then, the Minister started talking about celebrating my life and all. I
t’
s like
I’
m already gone Khi, i
t’
s like the
y’
ve already killed me and I just do
n’
t know it yet
.”
The words were coming out of her mouth fast and jumbled. She was breathing hard and her face felt hot. Khi did
n’
t speak. He just looked at her with sad eyes.

“
I would do it for you if I could, Less
.”
She could barely hear him in the silent room. His voice was soft and so sad.

“
Oh, Khi! I do
n’
t want you to feel guilty. I do
n’
t want you to feel anything bad.
I’
m so sorry
!
”

“
I
t’
s okay
,”
he said, some of his typical command returning to his voice
,“
i
t’
s all going to be okay, Less, yo
u’
ll see. I
t’
s going to be okay
.
”

He pulled her to him and ran his fingers lightly over her back. She laid there, safe in his arms, while she drifted off to sleep. What seemed like a few seconds later, he stirred her.

“
Come on, you need to get ready for bed
.”
He spoke gently, and the image of an injured kitten returned to her mind.

He went into her closet and came back out with shorts and a t-shirt in his hands. He turned politely as she changed. He put his arm around her and guided her to her bed on the far end of the expansive room after she dressed.

“
Lay down
.”
He instructed.

She obeyed. But when she saw him turn to leave, she sat back up.

“
Khi, will you stay? Just until I fall asleep? I know yo
u’
re probably tired and all, but please do
n’
t go yet
.”
She was practically begging, but with the panic barely staying on the other side of her control, she was not beyond begging at all.

“
Of course I will, Less. Lay back down
.
”

She stretched back out on the bed and he laid down beside her. She cuddled up to his side and he hugged her close.  With her guard and best friend helping her, maybe she could make it through the next year. She just had to find a way not to think about it. She had to find a way to control the panic. She had to find her inner strength. She could borrow from Khi. He had plenty of extra strength. Yes, that was it. She would borrow Kh
i’
s strength. She felt more powerful just thinking about it. She wrapped her arm around his chest and listened to his heart beat as she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 2-

Alessa sighed and stretched out her hand. The first thing she noticed was the cushioned pillow under her cheek where Kh
i’
s firm chest used to sit. As consciousness teased the edges of her mind, a memory tickled at her thoughts. A gentle squeeze of her hand, a barely audible whispe
r“
I’
m leaving, Les
s”
, and a light kiss on her forehead. The slight shift of the bed under her body was the final signal of his departure.

Alessa kept her eyes closed. This was her favorite time of day. She loved how the su
n’
s rays drifted in through the sheer curtains and warmed her skin. She loved that moment before she became fully awake, when she could pretend she was anyone in the world, anywhere in the world, at any time in the past or future. She reached her arms over her head, stretching until her fingers touched the cherry wood of her headboard and pushed herself away from it until her toes grazed the foot of her sleigh bed. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes. It was Wednesday, training day.

Ever since she began training at age six, she had loved it. She enjoyed learning self-defense tactics and personal discipline. She adored feeling like she was powerful and strong, but mostly she loved pushing her body to its limits and finding ways that it could go farther.