Page 69 of Soulmateless
“I knew there was something wrong with him when Amara said he didn't have a soulmate.”
My body tenses. Wrong with me? They think there's something wrong withmebecause I pointed out the lies.
Maybe this kingdom is really just that ignorant.
I was such an idiot before. I'd actually appreciate Clara slapping me for the amount of stupid that came out of my mouth.
I storm towards the door as Dr. Fitz yells. “We are just telling you what's good for your own safety!”
I stop and turn back, only getting increasingly irritated the more they speak. “If you want to tell people what's good for them, tell them the truth.”
And with that, I turn my back on their propaganda panel and leave it behind.
???
I stand outside, where towering over me is the most recognizable brick building of the college. The clock at the top goes off every fifteen minutes. Surrounding the building arefreshly trimmed hedges, with a space in front leading to the main sidewalks of Amara City.
As I wait for my chauffeur in the last light of starset, I think over what happened.
What do I do now? Everyone's going to hate me. What would Grandmother say? Would she be disappointed?
It doesn't matter. The dreamscreecher stories are all wrong.
And if I want to do the right thing, that means changing my wish against dreamscreechers. There's no excuse for poisoning innocent people.
Something in the back of my mind keeps telling me that I've gone mad. Why be so rebellious against your own family? Against my Grandmother?
I should be okay with questioning things. Why would I be afraid to demand a proper answer?
Yelp!
I whip my head to the bushes behind me. There's rustling, and under the faint fiery light of Estrella's star, I catch a glimpse of glowing purple eyes.
My body stiffens. A dreamscreecher!
I instinctively reach for my gun in my satchel but with a blink, I snap out of it. I don't know if they're going to attack.Killing on sightisn't proven to be needed.
The dreamscreecher falls from out the bush, their eyes widened and their fur puffing when they spot me. They shriek before running away.
I call out, “Wait!”
The dreamscreecher freezes and turns back around. Its ears are flattened now with its head bowed.
I bend my knees, keeping eye contact. My heart pounds as if the stories were proven true, but I try to keep myself calmand collected. Those stories are probably riddled with lies and misunderstandings.
Okay dreamscreecher. Lets see if you're really evil…
Chapter 27
Ignatia
It's been a few days since I stopped talking to Amias.
There has been no phone calls or knocks on my door. Even if there were, I would never answer after what he said. I don't want to see him.
I've been using this time to prepare for Caelestia. With the money Amias left me, I've bought a backpack, a map, a water bottle and snacks that won't spoil. Oh, and a sleeping bag.
Tomorrow is the day I'm leaving for Caelestia. As a final goodbye to this death hole, I’m down the street from the shelter at a Lluvian Restaurant. The food around here is the only good thing about this city, so I might as well try one more restaurant.
