“It says Bast.”
Lila gasped. “No.” She snatched the statue and spun it around. She brought a hand to her chest and slowly composed herself.
“This is highly unusual. In all my years here we’ve only had a handful of descendants of Bast. Currently we only have one, and she’s at least ten generations removed.”
She took the obelisk to a shelf with only a half-dozen tiny obelisks and placed mine on it. The obelisk barely fit. Josie looked at me with wide eyes.
“Why is mine so big?”
“Because you are very closely descended from her. I’d say somewhere between second and fifth generation. We don’t have anyone here so closely related to their Goddess Mother. I myself am a seventh generation.”
Were my memories taken because of this?
“Why are there so few of Bast?”
Lila frowned. “Because Bast is hated among the goddesses. She’s the one who let the Djinn get away and why we can no longer control the Jinn. No one has heard from her in three thousand years. Some of us feared she was dead, though that has never happened before. You’re proof she’s been out recently. You, dear, are going to be very valuable in helping us solve this mystery.”
“What? No. I’m nothing. I don’t even know Bast.”
Her eyes sparkled. “Are you sure about that?”
Slowly, I shook my head.
“That’s what I thought. Now, I must go discuss this with the other goddesses. Goodnight, girls.”
I opened my mouth to argue. She needed to explain more to me, what all this meant, but Josie grabbed my hand and dragged me from the room.
Once out of earshot of the office, she spoke. “You cannot argue with her or any other goddess. Once you’re dismissed, you leave.”
“But she might be able to help me figure out who I am.”
“She wants that more than you. Let her do her thing. Trust me, this is big news. Oh, Chantel is going to be so pissed.”
“Who’s Chantel?”
“Goddett queen bee and the only descendant of Bast in the castle. She lords that over everyone. You probably knew Bast. You’re going to knock Chantel right off her throne.”
I didn’t want to do any of that. I didn’t care about some stupid queen bee. What I wanted was to figure out who I was.
Josie said not to argue with the goddesses, but I wasn’t scared of them. Tomorrow, I’d march right back to Lila’s office and demand answers.
Chapter Four
Gabe
Ali grabbed another box out of the truck, and I picked up a chair.
“This is dangerous. We shouldn’t be here,” he said. His nerves had been on edge since we arrived in Glen Arbor, but I didn’t really care. I had to be close to Liv. This was a chance I was willing to take.
Melissa shook her head at him. “We are not going to abandon Gabe now. Stop whining about it.” Ali was less than thrilled with leaving Grand Haven behind and getting a house in the woods near Liv.
“At any given time, a goddess could come waltzing down that street and force me into a vessel, and then you wouldn’t have me anymore.” He set the chair on the living room floor with more force than necessary. He was right of course, but I was willing to take that risk.
Melissa sighed. “I know. But sometimes we make sacrifices for our friends. Besides, no one is going to find us out here.” She waved to the forest around us. We chose a location that was far away from the sanctuary and town to minimize the risk.
He’d been like that ever since I announced I was moving up here and Melissa said she was going with me.
“I know. But I’m still concerned.” Ali gave her an exasperated look and pointed around the room. “Is this really necessary though? One little wish from you, and the house is put together, and we don’t have to move boxes.”
She patted him on the cheek. “I like watching you boys sweat. Hard work is good for the soul. Goodness knows Gabe needs it.”
I ignored the comment because she was right.
“You’re saying I don’t? I left a girlfriend behind.” There had been many tears when Penny and Ali said goodbye. At least she remembered who he was. Though I wasn’t entirely convinced Liv had completely lost her memories. Maybe she was faking it.
“Who you haven’t stopped texting since we got into the truck. At least you can still talk to her,” I said.
I looked around the room. This house was far different than the one we had in Grand Haven. It was in the middle of the woods and made of dark logs. The inside had wide-open ceilings and various shades of wood throughout.
I set the chair down by the table, and Ali dropped the box. Something inside shattered, and Melissa shrieked. “Those were my dishes.”
“Oops.” He waved his hand. “Not broken anymore. Seriously, Mel. I’m tired of this.”
“Fine,” she said. “Put my house together please.”
I blinked, and everything was set up as if we’d been living there for years. Melissa sucked in a breath and stiffened for a moment. Ali stood by, ready to catch her, but she relaxed.
I threw myself on the couch, and Ali sat on the coffee table and leaned forward. “What’s your plan, man?”
“I don’t know.”
“She doesn’t remember you.”
Like I needed to be reminded of that. I’d thought of little else since we left. If her memories of me were really gone, I’d have no way to win her over again. The pain in my chest expanded.
“You don’t know that. Mia said she doesn’t remember anything. Maybe she was faking it. I need to see her.” I had to hold out hope.
“I’m working on that, but what happens if she really doesn’t remember you?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you and I should be out hunting Samir. He’s more dangerous than ever right now. We can’t just let him go. Liv’s a distraction.”
I sat up and got in his face. “Liv is everything. Don’t you dare call her a distraction.”
I stormed up to my room. I didn’t want to see anyone. Part of me worried that Ali was right, but I couldn’t let her go. She was my everything. Every moment away from her physically hurt. I had to get her back. The hell with Samir.
Chapter Five
Liv
A pillow hit my face. “Get up, or I’ll sic Cupcake on you.”
I bolted up. “Not necessary.” That snake was the reason I was up half the night, but I never saw it.
“We need to get breakfast, and then I’ll show you where your classes are. You have about thirty minutes.”
I nodded sleepily and jumped into the shower. Thirty minutes later we were in the great hall for another formal meal. The food was excellent, but meals like this took way too long. I wanted to just grab a banana or something.
“Is lunch like that too?” I asked after breakfast.
“Annoying, huh? Yep. Every meal is at least a one-hour affair. We’re supposed to learn how to converse over meals. Anyway, we have two classes a day Monday through Wednesday. Thursdays and Fridays are dedicated to focusing on whatever test we’re trying to pass. Also, I let you sleep this morning, but if you miss yoga more than a couple of times, Goddess Bella will curse you, and you’ll be so stiff you won’t be able to get out of bed ever.”
“What time is yoga?”
“Six.”
“Everyday?” That was so early. I liked to sleep in.
“Even Sundays. They let us skip last night because you were new, but weeknights we have dance for an hour. Also required.”
“Dance?” I wracked my brain. Did I like to dance? I didn’t know.
“Ballroom. They bring in cute guys to dance with us.” Josie smirked. I was sure that after tonight’s dance, I’d hear a lot about whatever boy she danced with.
“So no free time?”
Josie snorted. “This is not a school. This is goddess boot camp. So, yeah, no free time. Even Saturday and Sunday are usually scheduled for us.”
Lovely.
“What do I h
ave first?”
“You’ll follow the cherub’s schedule. Discernment in the morning and seduction after lunch.”
Josie left me at the doorway to discernment and flounced off to her first class. I poked my head in. Several little girls milled around the room. One short blonde groaned when I walked in. “Oh no. I forgot we had a new student.”
“Sorry,” I offered and sat on a slick leather armchair that would never see the light of day in a public school.
Macy snorted. “Every time we get a new girl, we watch the same movie, and we’ve seen it too many times. Persuasion will be boring as well because Goddess Kathryn also does the same lesson every time a new girls shows up too.”
A tall woman with flawless chocolate skin glided into the room, and Macy quieted down and bowed a little. She slunk to her seat and wouldn’t meet the goddess’s eyes. The rest of the girls were immediately quiet.
“Welcome to discernment, Olivia. I’m Goddess Amina. In this class you will learn to identify Jinn and other supernatural creatures. Today though, you must see what you are up against.”
Her gaze wandered to the other girls. “I know you have seen this film too many times, but it is incredibly important that you are reminded of the evils of the Jinn.”
A few girls sunk into their seats a little lower.
Amina waved a hand, and the wall behind her turned into a movie screen. Several good-looking men dressed in costumes from all over the world smiled at us.
A light female voice spoke. “Don’t let the pleasant appearance of the Jinn fool you. They are deadly and vicious. Left unchecked, they would slaughter young women all over the world.”
A cloud of smoke appeared on the screen, and when it cleared, the men each had ahold of a terrified woman, and they slowly sucked the life out of them. One by one the girls went limp.
I recoiled in my seat. It was just a movie, but it looked so real. After a minute, the women were all dead. The men had creepy grins on their faces and dead women in their arms.
“This is what you will fight. You will do everything in your power to rid the world of Jinn.”
The screen shifted, and a desert went on as far as the eye could see. A few people appeared on screen, and the history of the Jinn played out in front of me. Basically, a Jinn named Samir discovered that he could take the life force of women, and he liked it. The Goddess Bast found a way to enslave him. In his anger he taught all the Jinn how to take life force of girls. Bast and her daughter Natalia captured the Jinn, but they always seemed to find a way to get out.
At one point the goddesses managed to make Samir a Djinn, and they could control him, and he could kill Jinn. But thousands of years ago he found a way to escape, and goddesses were back to only trapping Jinn. But they still killed a lot of girls.
Thousands of girls died at their hands. It was barbaric. I might not have a clue who I was, but after watching this video, I had a mission. Find and trap as many of those assholes as possible. They killed for fun and pleasure.
The video showed actual footage of Jinn after Jinn taking the lives of girls, most of them in their late teens. A few of the other cherubs in the room had their eyes covered. It must not get any easier to watch.
The movie narrator droned on. “Catching a Jinn isn’t easy, but once you do, you hide their vessel as best as possible. With luck, most vessels stay hidden for several hundred years. Think of how many lives you will save by putting a Jinn away. Thousands.”
I sat up taller. In all my confusion, it was nice to have a purpose. To know that I could save lives.
After the movie ended, the girls filed out, but I hung back. Amina was the teacher of discernment. Maybe she could help me with my memories.
“Goddess Amina,” I said tentatively, not sure how she’d respond. No one in the class said as much as two words to her.
“Yes,” she said, looking up from her desk. “Did you have a question?”
Okay, this wasn’t so bad.
“Um, yeah. You know I lost my memories, right? Do you know how to get them back?”
She gave me a pity smile. “Surely, Lianna tried.”
“Yes, but you might know something she doesn’t.” I was pleading now.
Her lips twitched. “I’m grateful for your confidence, but I assure you, in this matter, Lianna is the best. Now, I’m busy. Do me a favor and don’t bother me with trivial things again, or you might find yourself cleaning toilets.”
I clenched my fists. Without help I didn’t see how I would ever get my memory back.
During seduction, I developed a headache, and so I skipped dinner and went straight to bed. But I couldn’t sleep. I pulled out a notebook and journaled about my day. I tried to think of the past, but nothing came.
Eventually I fell asleep to visions of predatory men and dead women.
Chapter Six
Liv
Goddess Kathryn taught the Art of Persuasion. She had brilliant red hair and a kind face. She seemed less scary than the other goddesses, but the girls were still awed by her presence.
"We have a new student among us today. Liv, welcome. Girls, you know what that means."
A collective groan echoed around the room. Kathryn chuckled. "Up out of your seats unless you want to end up flat on your bottoms."
Everyone stood reluctantly. Kathryn waved her hand and the desks became couches and armchairs.
"Find a spot everyone. Olivia, please come sit by me."
I sat on the couch as far away from her as I could get. Nice or not, she was still a full-fledged goddess.
"Relax, dear, I'm not going to bite." That was easy for her to say. If I said or did the wrong thing, she could turn me to dust. Or worse, put me on bathroom duty. "Now, where were we? Ah yes, this is a time where the cherubs get to display their knowledge… or lack thereof, of our school. The girl who impresses me the most gets a two-hour private lesson."
The girls sat up straighter, the looks of boredom suddenly gone. Either Kathryn was amazing or persuasion was harder than it seemed.
"Before we begin, why don't you tell us what you already know?" She looked at me expectedly.
"About what?" I asked. Think. Dammit.
"About our school, our classes, becoming a goddess."
I let out a breath. I knew this one. "There are six subjects, and you have to pass a test for each one before you can become a goddett. Every test you take moves you up a level."
"Very good."
"Oh, and in order to become a goddess, you have to catch a Jinn. Also, Jinn are evil." I didn’t even bother hiding the venom in my voice.
"Also, good. Now, girls, who can fill in some of the things she's missing?”
Hands shot up all over the room. Kathryn pointed to a girl with raven hair.
"You can only move up a level if you've aged up. So a cherub could pass all the tests, but she can't move up to priestess until she turns thirteen. You can't become a goddett until you are at least seventeen and passed all your tests."
"That is correct. Olivia, you must have questions, so please ask away."
"How can you pass tests if your goddess power hasn't manifest yet? I thought that happened on your seventeenth birthday?"
"Excellent question. Who has an answer for her?"
Once again, girls practically fell out of their seats while raising their hands. This time Kathryn pointed to a petite blonde.
"Because, with the exception of magic, none of the tests require power, only skill. Our magic usually begins to manifest around fourteen. Before that we are taught only theory."
I nodded. "Has anyone ever passed all the tests before they turn thirteen?"
All heads swiveled to Macy.
"Until this year, I hadn't seen a single one. Macy has passed everything except magic," Kathryn said.
No wonder she was the one girl not seeking extra lessons. She was going to be one badass goddess someday.
"Okay, let's educate her on the history of the goddesses.”
The history o
f the goddesses was dead boring. Maybe in movie form it would’ve been good, but really it was mostly an ancient Egypt history lesson.
Lunch was like the other meals, but at least the girls were talking to me. Even if they were only twelve.
Goddess Ravena taught magic. She thought it would be a good idea to use me to demonstrate the spells since, being seventeen, I should be able to use magic, but turns out, I was dismal. I couldn't even make the lights turn on and off. I'd definitely be hitting Josie up for tips.
Goddess Ravena was so disappointed. Quite frankly, so was I. I was looking forward to doing cool things. I wondered if I’d been any good before my memories disappeared. Maybe I’d already been trained, but for some reason, someone wanted the memories of it gone.
After dinner, Josie showed up at my table. “Come on. We get to dance tonight.”
I thought about feigning a headache, but I realized that would be pointless. Eventually I would have to dance. Maybe I hated it in my past life.
She dragged me through the door of the great hall, and I felt my toes pinch. I glanced down. My outfit had transformed into a pale pink ball gown, and I had on four-inch heels.
Josie giggled and swirled around. “Every night the dresses are different. Aren’t they divine?”
“Sure,” I muttered, wincing as I hobbled across the floor. I was not used to shoes like this. “Why do we have to dance anyway?”
“The Jinn have a weakness for beautiful, sophisticated women. It’s so we can blend in well in places where they might hang out.”
Young men all congregated on the far wall. Goddess Lianna stepped onto a dais at the front of the room.
“Crap, we gotta run,” Josie said. “Hurry, go stand with the cherubs.” She pointed to the pink cluster thirty feet from me. Josie rushed to join the divines. I made my way over to them, irritated once again that I had to hang with the little girls.
The rest of the week passed in a blur. No other instructors had me do anything, so I still wasn't sure what I was good at or not. Persuasion seemed the easiest. I wanted out of the cherubs desperately. Except for Macy, they were whiny and annoying. All I had to do was pass two tests, and Josie and I could be together.
The Glowing Sands (Sons of the Sand Book 3) Page 3