Anthony slowly nods, and then looks over at Onyx, who sits calmly on a hospital chair next to Luna’s bed.
“I’m sorry, I don’t believe you ever told me who you are?”
“I am Onyx.”
“And why are you here, again?”
“I am here for Luna.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I will be taking care of her from now on.”
Anthony smirks. “Yeah I certainly saw you ‘taking care’ of her earlier. So, what are you, her boyfriend? Husband? Lover?”
Onyx pauses for a moment to register what those terms mean in the context of human colloquialism.
“Something like that, yes.”
“And you expect me to just let you take her away? I don’t know you, what if you hurt her like she’s been hurt before?”
Onyx winces at the thought of Luna being attacked days ago, as he had the unfortunate opportunity to witness it in real time from the Sorting Room monitor.
“I would never do that to her.”
“Is that so?”
Miranda taps Anthony on the shoulder.
“Anthony, if he seems to be someone she knows, then that sounds fine. You’ve done all you can for her. It’s probably for the best that she lives with him now.” Anthony hesitates, but then nods slowly, understanding filling his face.
Felicia tugs on his sleeve the way she always does when she wants his attention.
“Anthony, what’s happening now?” He crouches down to her level.
“Well, it seems that Luna is going to live with her friend… uh, Onyx.”
“Why?”
“Because he loves her.”
“And you don’t?”
Anthony smiles awkwardly at Miranda, and then shakes off the discomfort and puts on a brave face the way any big brother should, even when pinpointed with his most recent source of insecurity.
“I care about Luna’s well-being, if that’s what you mean. And I think this is best for her. That’s love, Felicia.” She nods contentedly, but looks over her shoulder at Onyx sitting on the chair reading a magazine.
“The way you just said that to her, was so sweet.” Miranda links her arm up with Anthony’s, a subtle nod to a possible relationship. He doesn’t realize it yet, but Miranda is his one and only, just the way Luna is Onyx’s.
Journey Back to the Upperworld Before it is destroyed forever…
THE FALL OF ZEPHYR
The Sequel to
The Sorting Room coming soon in 2018
Exclusive Sneak Peak:
The lavender-tinted atmosphere of the Upperworld parts as two beings march through the fog in a desperate haste. Their footfalls hit the ground and cascade over their surroundings, which is surprisingly disruptive in the already bustling walkway. Evander and Jade enter a habitation pod and begin to discuss their latest source of sheer terror – directly related to the only life they’ve ever known.
Since the drastic confusion involving Delphine, a young sorter who placed an orb into the wrong receptacle, and the involvement of Luna covering for her blunder, there have been concerns that the very mechanisms involving the operations of the Sorting Room are falling apart.
Luna’s story, is a complicated one, as she and her intended partner, Onyx, were both meant to live human lives on Earth, but due to circumstances beyond even the Sorting Room’s control, their souls were retracted back into the larger sorting system, and given the opportunity to work as immortal beings. The only problem, is that their very human attributes took over, and they still loved each other, even after their minds were wiped. Luna tried to fix Delphine’s horrible mistake on Earth, but ended up with a scorned child of her own… and now that very child was chasing her, ensuring her demise at the request of Zephyr, the Most High Being of the Upperworld.
“We need a new leader, Evander. We’ve got to appoint someone. And soon. The future of humanity depends on it.”
“What are you talking about? How? But Zephyr…”
“Is dying. His ability to map out life schemes and generate orbs are becoming less and less accurate. It’s a miracle that there haven’t been any more mix-ups, besides the one with Luna covering for Delphine.”
Evander holds his face in his hands. “I know, but this is… crazy. There’s nothing we can do. We need… a fail-safe, or something we can get to just to keep fear at a minimum.”
Jade nods. “That is very true. We also need a way to explain Onyx’s absence in the meantime…”
“Do you think you’ll be able to cover for him? If anyone asks, maybe say that he…”
“Has a mission on Earth - yes, that could work.”
“But what if Zephyr asks you? He’s going to find out eventually - Onyx is a Head Guide.”
Jade nods her head. “It’s true, I think there’s just a lot we have to account for. I also worry that these walls have ears.”
Evander shakes his head. “Nope, not anymore. I neutralized my habitation pod to be a dead zone. There are no cameras or sound recordings being transmitted beyond these walls. We can use this as a safe place to talk… and to plan.”
“We’re going to need to rally sorters for the cause.”
“And the cause being?”
“Two things: to take down Zephyr, and to elect a new leader. I have no idea who that could be, or how we’ll figure it out…”
Evander looks at Jade with horror and dread in his eyes. “But… will the new leader be able to lead? Will they have the ability to generate orbs? If they don’t, the human race…”
“Will go extinct.”
Angelina Singer is a college student studying English, Music, and of course, Creative Writing. In her spare time she enjoys crocheting, and mentoring younger music students at a local music store where she has been studying guitar for nearly a decade. She views her writing as a way to simultaneously escape from and embrace reality, especially through the twisted labyrinth of a dystopian setting as seen in The Sorting Room.
Follow her on Faceobok @AngelinaSingerAuthor
Also by Angelina Singer…
JUST LIKE A PILL
When Scarlett gets a sinus infection the week before Homecoming, she never knew that she would be plunged deep into a tangled mess involving the hunky guitar player, Maxx, who goes to her school. She quickly develops a mysterious side effect that appears to cause Maxx to be instantly attracted to her. With her health-freak fashionista friend Izzy by her side, Scarlett searches desperately to find answers about the sketchy "antibiotics" that she took to combat her symptoms. The time clock is set to one week, and between dodging the fiendish escapades of the high school "it-girl" who dates Maxx, as well as the feeble advances of nerdy Greg, Scarlett has to figure out what's real and what's not before anyone she cares about gets hurt.
NOW AVAILABLE on Amazon and Kindle!
FACEBOOK:@AngelinaSingerAuthor
The Sorting Room Page 17