Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 147649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Like Callistina, they have fur everywhere. But not shaggy fur, like Pell. The velvety kind. In fact, they look like they are covered in a pale-yellow velvet. And this whole look is so luxurious and tempting, I almost walk up to them and start touching everything.
In fact, I’m taking a step in their direction when I hear a familiar voice say, “Pianna! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
I turn in that direction and there she is. Callistina. Looking the same in many ways, but with smaller antlers and much, much younger than the woman I left in the Bottoms prison.
“What are you doing here?” She grabs my hands and bends down, looking me right in the eyes. Then she lets out a long breath, like she was worried about something and now she’s relieved. “You scared me.”
“Why?” Oh, my God, my voice is different. It’s high-pitched and sounds like Pia. And then it hits me. I understand why my perspective was so off when I came through the door. I’m a frickin’ kid.
I look down at myself, recognize the red and gold tartan uniform or whatever it is from that night in the hotel bathroom, and then look back up at Callistina.
She’s dressed like all the other teenage lion-girls along the wall. And her blue eyes are so sparkly and pretty that for a moment I forget that I hate her and maybe even want to get revenge for her killing my Pia.
“I was afraid you ran away,” she says. “And then I was afraid you didn’t.”
“What?” my little-kid voice asks.
She squeezes both of my hands. “I would take your place if I could. You know that, right?” I kinda want to pull my hands away, but she’s gripping them pretty good. “You know that, right?”
I don’t. But… I feel like playing along is the only real option here. Because, as usual, I have no idea what the fuck is going on.
“I wish—I pray, Pianna—that I could be the one to go.”
“Go where?” It slips out and I’m instantly sorry and want to take it back. If this were a movie and I was not in it, just watching a little girl who is out of time and place, I would be like, Come on! Get with the program! You’re out of time and place, you need to act like everything’s normal! This is a major complaint of mine when I watch time-travel movies.
But anyway…
“Pianna.” Callistina is using one of those exasperated voices on me. “We’ve been over this.” Then someone claps from across the room and Callistina’s head practically swivels off her neck as she looks towards the sound.
“Line up, girls!” More clapping. “It’s almost time.”
The woman is also a lion person. But she’s older, has a full rack of massive golden antlers, and has a spinster-y look to her. She’s not wearing the elaborate pretty dresses like the other girls, but a very proper, tailored, neat suit-dress thing. Long skirt—red and gold tartan, like mine, but not frilly or full. Very tight against her body. And a matching jacket. Like she’s the power CEO of… teenage lion-girls, apparently.
Suddenly, the spinster’s eyes find mine. And a moment later she is a train coming right at us with a sour look on her face as she shakes her head. “No. No, no, no! What are you doing here?”
Callistina bows low and lifts her skirts with one hand, averting her eyes. “I was just taking her to the throne room, Mistress Ryella.”
“She should’ve been there already! She’s missing her god’s last words!”
“We’re going right now. I’ll be right back.” She bows again and then she’s dragging me across the smooth, pink, polished floor.
I have to run to keep up and once again I am stuck on how my feet feel. There’s something wrong with them. And this realization starts up a sick feeling in my stomach, like there’s something bad going on here and I just haven’t caught on yet. In fact, even though this place is very grand, and beautiful, and filled with fancy rich lion-people, it’s got a bad vibe to it.
“Oh!” I say this, but not loudly. So no one really hears me. But it just occurred to me where I’ve seen these clothes before.
In Vinca. The dress that Eyebrows made me for that last day. And the outfit that Tarq was wearing on that first day. He was pretty pissed off when I showed up in those clothes on Fireday, calling it royal garb. Like I wasn’t allowed to wear it and people were going to have fits over it.
But turns out I was allowed to wear it. Or at least it’s possible I was allowed to wear it. According to the fact that I am in some kind of palace and related to a girl who is allowed to dress this way.