“I am more sorry than you’ll know. I never should have—” Cat chokes, tears brimming in her eyes. She grabs my free hand, squeezing it.
“Don’t be. It’s something I had to see. It helped to solidify what I need to do.” I take a deep, shuddering breath.
“So, whatareyou going to do?” Zara asks, glancing between me and Cat.
“Go through with tonight. Follow Galen’s lead. What Essos did…” I rub my chest again, feeling for the spot where the blade pierced my chest. I keep expecting to feel the pucker of a scar, but it’s not there, just smooth skin.
“Why not talk to Essos?” Zara suggests, and I shake my head.
“He murdered me once. I can’t imagine he’ll hesitate to do it again. What are the chances that he would be honest if I confronted him, anyway? This whole Calling has been based on rules of him not being able to tell us anything.”
There’s a moment of silence as my words sink in.
“So, we’ll be ready for the backlash,” Cat says, Zara nodding beside her. “I guess we need to put on our battle gear.”
CHAPTER32
After we shower in our own spaces, we get ready in my room. We want to spend as much time together as we can after the morning we had. As we spend our possibly last hours together, I realize that I’m mad. We’ve been robbed of so much time together. We all could have used those additional two weeks to get closer instead of focusing on the drama with Galen and Essos.
I don’t want my time with Zara and Cat to be over. I want to explore a friendship with Zara, get to know her better. I regret that it’s only during our last day together that I open up to her.
The more she chats to fill the tense air, the more I find out about her. The guy who started our whole rivalry in the first place was talking shit and had spent weeks leading Zara on while getting her to tutor him, only to ask me out instead. She told me she’d spent the entire semester trying to get a date with this asshat, and she couldn’t help but feel hurt. We share a good laugh when I mention that he was a groper and a shitty kisser, and she admits to having the professor flunk him because she knew he plagiarized a paper.
I zip Zara into a sequined emerald mermaid-style gown that hugs her curves. She admires herself in the mirror. She has her hair swept to one side and pinned so the curls cascade over her bare right shoulder.
Cat wears a strapless crimson dress with a full skirt that she needs no help getting into. Her shoes, on the other hand, are another matter. She’s lying on my bed, skirt pulled up as far as she can, struggling to strap on her heels. Every time she gets close, her balance is thrown off, and she falls backwards onto the bed.
Zara and I are doubled over with laughter, unable to contain it as Cat flounders. Waffles is mad at our rambunctiousness and glares at us from the pillow. I haven’t seen Dave since this morning, and I assume he’s sequestered away from guests. It weighs on me, not to have him here when I want sloppy puppy kisses, even if it does ruin my makeup.
“Guys!” Cat whines, lying there until we can get it together enough to help her with her shoes. While they settle in and do their makeup, I step into the closet to put on my own amethyst satin floor-length dress. I settle the garment around my waist and zip it up as far as I can.
I glance at myself in the mirror. I’m not sure I recognize the person that I’ve become. Will I feel different once this night is over? Will I still be me? Will I ever get my memories back? Am I Daphne, the once-mortal woman, or am I Daphne, the goddess with powers?
I step back into my room as Cat and Zara are putting on their jewelry. They don’t need any more gemstones—we are the gems. We’re dressed in coordinating jewel tones, and I wish I had a camera to lock this moment in time before our worlds explode. Melancholy has its claws sunk deep in me, and I fight hard to shake the feeling. The back of my dress is still gaping open while I apply my makeup. Cat comes up behind me to start doing my hair, but I shake my head.
“Leave it down,” I say, pushing my loose curls over my shoulders. Cat nods, zipping up my dress instead.
I look at the jewelry and opt for a teardrop diamond necklace and chandelier earrings.
“Some battle armor,” Cat says, looking at the three of us in the mirror.
“Time to take on the Big Bad Wolf,” I say. My dress has small, off-the-shoulder drape sleeves, and I distract myself fussing with them.
We were instructed by Sybil to wait to be summoned, like we’re dogs. We can hear people arriving downstairs, their laughter and clinking glasses indicating that they’re greeting one another with drinks in their hands.
Finn pops into my room, looking sharp in black tie.It makes what he’s been wearing to all the balls seem like his casual look. Tonight, he cuts a striking figure, ready to impress people. He does have to play my escort for most of the night.
“I cannot believe Essos has three smart, beautiful women fawning over him, and I can hardly get a date.”
I consider standing to give him a hug but can’t find it in me to go to him. When none of us really react to him, he puts his hands in his pockets. “If things don’t work out with Essos, I’m happy to take any of you ladies out,” he says with a wink. His attempts to soften the room are admirable, but we can’t laugh, no matter how hard we try.
“Wow, do we maybe need to pregame to loosen you all up?” he says when none of us laugh.
“Nerves,” Cat says, tossing him a bone, but she keeps clenching and unclenching her fists, watching the door. We’re all waiting for Sybil to call us forward. None of us know what tonight is going to bring, not only because of Essos picking his new queen, but because I don’t know what will happen when I openly reject him in front of the crowd.
“It will all be over tonight. You’ll see. Everything will work out. You are the crown; you will be the crown,” he says to me. “No offense, you two.” Finn gives a nod to Cat and Zara. “You need to trust the system,” Finn then says ominously, just to me.
“It’s totally fine. I wouldn’t want Essos anyway after—oof!”