Pariah (The New Covenant Series)

by Bond, Casey L.

  “Thank you, Miss Annette, so much!” she squealed, giving her that sunshine smile. Yellow was very appropriate for Lil. Miss

  Annette instructed her to take the jewelry and dress and shoes to her room or mine—whichever we would be getting ready in—and Lil eagerly ran out of the room and down the hallway. The sound of her footsteps faded in the distance.

  “Solara,” said Miss Annette. I stepped forward and moved to her side as well. Moving a red dress to the side, she reached for one tucked behind it. Thank goodness. I hated red.

  “This is yours, Solara.” My mouth gaped open. It’s perfect! It was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on. Our normal clothing consisted of cream-colored, cotton dresses that covered us from neck to ankle. They were plain and inexpensive, provided by the kingdom. The dress hanging before me was exquisite. The delicate material was made to sit off both shoulders. Fabric roses outlined the entire neckline, across the delicate swath of fabric at the arms and weaved their way around, meeting in the back. More roses gathered on the left side of the waist and then the gathered fabric cascaded, falling to the floor. It was teal, more blue than green, just enough to make it my favorite color in the world.

  Still in awe of the extraordinary garment in front of me, Miss Annette cleared her throat and brought me back to reality again.

  “Miss Annette, it is so beautiful! Thank you,” I gushed. I excitedly hugged her plump shoulders and looked back at it again. She handed me a pair of beautiful earrings. Silver ovals with teal filigree winding through the shape, a delicate row of five small black beads dangled down from the bottoms. A silver bangle matched the pair, with a large oval embossed with the exquisite silver-and-teal filigree.

  “Solara,” she waited, looking down at something small in her fingers.

  “Yes, Miss Annette,” I answered, still fingering the fine jewelry in my hands.

  “This is your ring, actually.” She held a small silver ring in her arthritic drawn fingers and placed it in the palm of my hand.

  “Your mother asked me to give it to you before your reveal, but I think it fits well with your ensemble, and we are only a month away from the reveal anyway, so I think you should have it. Please return the earrings and bracelet tomorrow, but you may keep your ring.”

  The wind quickly exited my lungs as I struggled to comprehend the foreignness of her words. “You knew my mother,” I barely whispered.

  “Yes,” she quietly admitted, grabbing the ring and putting it on my finger. The ring was silver with a very shiny black stone set in the center of it. It was simple but very beautiful and intriguing.

  I could get lost in its depths if I looked long or hard enough. “We were two of a group of three potentials, much like you, Lillian, and Aria. The three of us were the best of friends, but I kept a special place in my heart for your mother, and she kept one for me as well. Obviously, we weren’t the chosen, but we were blessed to be married to cousins who lived next door to one another,” she explained, staring blankly at her dresser.

  She moved a piece of hair back into her silver bun and continued, “I was with your mother the night of your birth. She had a very difficult delivery, and the midwife grew concerned with her health and yours. She sent your father to get the healer, but he didn’t arrive in time. She knew she was dying, Solara. I sat on her bedside, holding her hand.” She sniffled, tears streaking down her face. “She knew you would survive and gave me this ring to hold, making me promise to keep it and you safe. Of course, I promised her that I would. The midwife worked with her once more to push, and you were born, but your mother had lost too much blood, and the light in her eyes drifted away,” she said softly.

  “I knew that being born in the early summer would mean that you would also become a potential. You would be taken from your father at the age of two and placed in the fortress for upbringing. Your father took care of you when he wasn’t working. I watched you during the day, and he came and got you at night until he became ill. He passed away when you were only five months old, and I brought you to live with us. My husband and I had temporarily agreed to take in two boys that belonged to the third of our potential class, our other best friend. She had fallen ill and passed away a month before and her husband, needing to provide for his family monetarily, could not keep both boys and work at the same time. He was a seafarer and needed to travel the seas to save enough money to take care of his family. He agreed to come get them when he established himself further, and ultimately, he did. I raised you and the two boys together until you were two,” she exhaled.

  “My husband took the boys back to their father about a year after we left. Their father had become successful and powerful in the seafarer land, and had sent for them. But, I’m off on a rabbit trail. My husband was on the council and made sure that I was placed as your governess,” she said, turning to look up at me.

  I felt numb. My mother and father were dead. I had no siblings or family to speak of—except for Miss Annette—whom until now, I thought only of as my governess. Looking back, I realized that she never let on at all that she had raised me or knew anything about my past. Why had she kept this from me? All these years, I had wondered about the family I might see when I could leave this prison. Now I knew no one awaited me. I was utterly alone.

  My bottom lip quivered, and I blinked out a tear, which began its journey down the skin of my cheek and plunged off of my jaw. “Why?” I said, my voice cracking under the weight of the emotion coursing through my veins.

  She grabbed my hands in hers and looked up at me. “Your mother made me promise, Solara. I had to protect you. The council knew that I had helped raise you. They made my position as governess conditional. No one could know that you were mine, or it would appear that you were receiving preferential treatment over Lillian and Aria. The council also forbade me to tell you until the reveal. For revealing this to you now, I am in violation of my oath to both the council and your mother,” she said, her lips curving downward. “I am sorry, Solara. I had to keep you safe.”

  I dropped her hands and scoff. “Safe from what? From love? From knowing that there may be another person alive who cares that I am on the face of the planet?” My blood began to boil and yet my sadness continued to pool in my eyes and overflow gently down the paths of my skin.

  “It was the only way. You will understand soon,” she said, looking away, wiping tears of her own. Did she expect sympathy from me? Coldly, I straightened myself, took the dress, draping it over one arm, and grabbed the jewelry from her. “May I please be excused, Miss Annette?” I said, looking toward the door, unable to look her in the eyes.

  She nodded silently, and I swiftly exited, swiping more tears with the back of my hand.

  “It’s time to get ready!” Lil said, bursting into my room with her gown, shoes, and jewelry. “Oh, I forgot to tell you! Mr. Wesley’s little sister is actually our age, and she is eligible for marriage this year. She has a gown and would like for us to get ready together. Her name is Rachel and she actually has some makeup that we could use! I told her that we would help her with her hair. Would you run down to Mr. Wesley’s room and get her while I get my things situated? This has to be perfect!” she squealed.

  “Okay. Be right back,” I turned to leave, and Lil grabbed my elbow.

  “Hey, are you okay? You seem...off,” she said, eyeballing me, raising her eyebrow, and cocking her head to the side.

  How does she know me so well? “Yeah. I’m fine. Just nervous about tonight. I’m not exactly the best dancer in the world, and I could definitely do without the attention,” I retorted, trying not to let the tension in my face and shoulders show. If I pretended to believe it myself, maybe she could be fooled as well.

  “Well, don’t worry. Tonight’s going to be fun. You’ll see. You can’t not have fun when I’m around!” She skipped over to hang her dress on the iron sconce while I retreated to the hallway, releasing my breath, thankful that she hadn’t seen right through my lie.

  I padded
down the stone hallway with bare feet, hoping to slip by Miss Annette’s room and Aria’s unnoticed. Mr. Wesley’s room was at the opposite end of the hallway on our floor. Hauntingly beautiful notes sounded through his door, which was ever so slightly cracked open. I could just barely see in, but I didn’t see Rachel. I knocked lightly on the door, but only the haunting notes answered.

  Pressing my palm against the rough grains of the wooden door, I eased it open very slowly. Then, I saw him. Mr. Wesley was seated on a wooden chair in the corner of his room next to his bed. He was wearing only tan pants, his sculpted torso revealed in its entirety. His head was down, eyes closed, still-wet brown hair slightly curling on his forehead.

  The muscles rippled across his chest and arms as he dragged the bow back and forth across the large wooden instrument skillfully, producing the achingly beautiful sound that almost seemed human. It mirrored the despair that had accumulated in my heart from Miss Annette’s revelation this afternoon. I did not recognize the song but was mesmerized by the entire scene—of shirtless Mr. Wesley, his hands grasping and teasing the beautiful wooden instrument and bow as if it were a lover in his arms. Entranced, I stared and listened to the notes that emanated from it—from him.

  Screech! “Solara! You scared me!” he said, jerking the bow to a halt.

  My heart beat thunderously against my chest. “I am so sorry, Mr. Wesley. Lillian said that your sister is here and would like to get ready with us, and I came to see if she wanted to join us in my room to get ready, and I heard you playing that instrument, and I did knock, but you couldn’t hear me over the sound, and I really love that sound, and I’m sorry, but I watched you play for a moment,” I said, finally exhaling. I always blabbered when nervous. “Anyway, sorry,” I mumbled, averting my eyes from his beautiful form.

  He laughed and shrugged a white shirt on, glancing at me to see if I was still gawking. I had turned to let him dress but could still see him in my periphery. My cheeks sizzled, which meant that my face was blushed, and I probably looked like a complete idiot right about now. “It’s okay. Come in. Please. Have a seat. Rachel will be back in a couple of minutes.” He gestured toward the wooden chair at a small table opposite him.

  “Are you sure? Because I don’t want to interrupt you, and I can just go back to my room, and you can tell Rachel to come down when she gets back if you want.” I rambled again, wrenching my hands of the nervousness oozing from them.

  He smiled and gestured to the chair again and said, “Please. I insist.” I complied and sat across from him, nervously looking up at him. His green eyes sparkled at me, and I met his gaze and began to laugh. He laughed too.

  “You must be pretty nervous about the introduction tonight,” he said, raising one brow and smiling, revealing a small dimple on his left cheek, which completely contrasted with his freshly shaved chiseled jaw line.

  “Yes,” I exhaled. “I am. I’m not good at these things. I’m a terrible dancer. I hate attention, and in general, I am not looking forward to being offered up to men as a possible wife. It just seems wrong to me. I guess I shouldn’t tell you that though, huh?” I lightly laughed, hoping I hadn’t just gotten myself in trouble.

  “I understand,” he said, looking at me with, is that pity? “I hate it that my baby sister is going through the same thing. I just hope that the men that apply for her hand in marriage are honorable and that the ruling council chooses her husband wisely,” he said, furrowing his brow. Thank goodness he was disgusted with the entire process as well.

  “She has no chance of being the chosen. She was born in the winter. But you three have a chance. Who knows? You may not be getting married if the Lord chooses you, Solara.” He shifted in his chair, laying the large instrument on his mattress and placing the bow on his pillow.

  “Mr. Wesley, I don’t think I have much to worry about. I think that the Lord will choose someone who is much more interested in actually being the chosen than I would ever be.” He rubbed his palms together and then began to roll the sleeves of his white shirt up. It had grown stuffy in the tower as the day progressed.

  He smiled at my comment. “You never know, Solara”—he paused—“outside of instruction, please call me Wesley or Wes, whichever you prefer. If we aren’t in class, there’s no need to be so formal.”

  “Okay. Then you can call me Lara outside of class of course.” I returned his smile and marveled at the emeralds gazing back at me.

  “Of course,” he said playfully. Then his tone changed to a much more serious one. He swallowed and held my eyes captive with his and then softly and slowly said, “Would you do me one favor this evening at the introduction?”

  “You don’t have to ask me to look out for Rachel. That goes without saying.”

  “No, it’s not that. I would ask that you save a dance for me, Lara,” he said, raising his brows, a half-smile sneaking up on his face. Then his expression changed to a much more serious one as he looked toward the door. I heard footsteps approaching. “Of course, I would like to dance with each of my students tonight, maybe make it a tradition. Could you pass the word on to Lillian for me?” He smiled, nervously awaiting the door. I nodded and jumped as the door swung open, revealing a beautiful young woman with strawberry-blonde hair that just skimmed her shoulders. Her beautiful light brown eyes dance from Wesley to me and back, their color enhanced by her light green dress.

  She bounced over to me, and before I could stand all the way, she grabbed me and embraced me tightly. I tried to move my arms enough to pat her back, but she grabbed both of my arms, holding me away from her, looking me over. Looking at Wesley, she squinted and said, “Let me guess...Solara? Am I right?”

  Wesley nodded and smiled, showing his dimple and deep green eyes that peeked up from underneath long dark eyelashes. She bounced around, grabbed her shoes, dress, and a heavy-looking huge bag, which I assumed held the hair and makeup items she planned to torture us with. She threw the bag at me and dragged me behind her screaming “Eeeep!” down the hall—a force of energy to be reckoned with. Lil will love this girl.

  As Rachel finished my hair, which crowned my head in intricate braids, and the remainder of the long waterfall of tresses wound into cascading curls that skimmed my waist, she tucked some peacock feathers on one side of the crown of braids to further embellish, stating that she saw my dress in Miss Annette’s room and knew they would look perfect with the teal color. My door swung open and banged against the stone behind it, slamming into the worn wood. “Let’s go, bitches!” Aria shouted. “Miss Annette and our escorts are waiting,” she sung, with arms crossed one high-heeled crimson foot tapping impatiently. Her ebony hair cascaded in curls over her chest and back. Her pouty lips matched her dress, in the perfect color for her—harlot red.

  Taking last glances in the small mirror that Miss Annette loaned us, I was amazed at my reflection. I no longer looked like a young lady. I had transformed into a woman. My blue eyes popped, expertly lined with charcoal. Blushing cheeks and plump-grape lips stared back at me, and my hair was nothing short of amazing. The metamorphosis was complete.

  Lil looked gorgeous in her peppy yellow gown. Her blonde hair braided down its length adorned with small white daisies. Their yellow centers accentuated her dress and her sweetness that was always present, except for when Aria was in the vicinity. Shimmery pink surrounded her eyes and swirled across her lips and high cheek bones. She was like nature sprite royalty.

  Rachel’s dress was deep purple, making her strawberry blonde locks pop. The neckline of her gown formed a V in both the front and in the back. Its delicate fabric softly gathered at the waist and flared to the ankle. Her hair lay in loose curls that just grazed her collarbones. Her lips, somewhat thin, were blood red. Her light brown eyes were highlighted in bronze and gold and lined with charcoal like mine. In other words, we looked amazing.

  “You heard her. Let’s go, bitches!” screeched Rachel, trying to mock Aria’s tone. She bounced out the door, perfectly excited for the unknown of the e
vening. Aria followed, and Lil and I giggled as we locked arms and walked out the door together. Though I hated the idea that we would be put on display tonight for the kingdom’s bachelors, my inner kitten purred—feminine, sexy—for the first time in my life.

  We met Miss Annette in the hallway near the winding spiral stone staircase that led to freedom. My eyes refused to meet her gaze as she made the introductions. Our escorts for the evening’s event were actually fortress guards. I recognized them from their occasional patrols on our floor.

  They definitely weren’t in guard uniforms tonight. Clad in black suits with white dress shirts tucked crisply underneath, they were almost as stunning as we were. Almost. Miss Annette mentioned that their fashions and our gowns were styles from the old country. The three gentlemen who stood before us were the most handsome men on the planet right now as far as I was concerned. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks betraying my newfound confidence.

  Aria was paired with a tall gentleman, probably a few years older than us. He had dark close-cut hair and small but expressive deep brown eyes. Muscular dark skin peeked from underneath his clothes. He smiled at Aria and offered her his arm, which she immediately latched onto, and I wondered if he would ever be the same after she was through with him. They were only supposed to guard us at the introduction ball, but the look on Aria’s face indicated more sinister plans for him tonight.

  Miss Annette guided Lil to her guard. He looked to be about thirty years old with light brown hair and eyes. His nose, slightly crooked, only added to his appeal. He seemed serious, jaw clenched tight as he offered Lillian his arm.

  My guard was introduced as Faric. His dark brown hair was closely cut as well. Part of the uniform? Faric’s sun-kissed skin and bowed fuchsia lips were captivating. He had just enough stubble on his jaw to make him look ruggedly handsome. Oh my. His eyes. Deep teal, flecked with a slightly lighter shade of the same.