ANALIA

THE SIZZLING heat coming from the sun makes Gina's prophecy reading tent look farther than it is. After leaving Bernard's shop, I decided the sooner I found the mystery behind Grandmother's necklace, the better. My legs wobble with each step I take and the whispers coming from the crowd gathered in front of her tent make me rethink my decision of going to see her. Men and women alike are forcefully pushing their way through the crowd in attempts to be next to meet the town's famous soothsayer-Alicia Rhon. My head is an aching mess and my legs are about to give out at any second but I have to persevere, I need to know what exactly this necklace can do.

The surrounding of the tent is flooded with shrubs, hibiscus flowers, and coral beads leaving the tent at the center and giving it an aesthetically pleasing view. I find my way through the back, a passage made for an important guest such as myself. I can't imagine myself having to line up just to ask my friend a question. This particular passage is one I made for myself seeing as Alicia made sure to block every passage into the tent excluding the main entrance.

I slip into the tent as quietly as I can and as soon as I get in, my eyes find Gina seated on the ground dressed in a purple silk robe with her curly ginger hair braided into two. Although I'm standing right across her, her emerald eyes are fixated on the baby whom she is carrying.

Her soothing voice fills the air as she speaks.

"Your child's waters are turbulent

His waters are fierce

If he doesn't calm the waters down

They may drown him."

"Excellent reading Gina." Alicia declares as she watches Gina with admiration apparent in her silver orbs. Her black hair bounces slightly as she retrieves the newborn baby from Gina and hands it over to its mother whose face is wrinkled with worry.

I would be worried too. I mean who wouldn't? That Child's prophecy reading was nothing but negative.

"What am I going to do for him?" The woman sniffles as she gazes down at her child. Alicia shrugs before she speaks in her usual bored tone while staring down at her nails uninterested in the woman.

"We are just seers, not magicians. Find a mage to give you the answers you seek."

I'm thrown off by her reply. I've always known Alicia to give snarky replies but she isn't supposed to say something like this to a mother.

The mother's eyes are filled with unshed tears and just as she is about to dash out of the room, Gina rises from the ground where she has been sitting and places a reassuring hand on the mother's shoulder.

"You need to be by his side when he grows. My aunt may have come off as rude but she's right. We're just seers, no matter how the realms acknowledge us and make us look like gods, we are mere humans just like you." Gina's tone is soft and soothing, almost like magic, a contrast to her sharp features. The mother gives a small smile and without any other word, she bows slightly and leaves the room.

Gina sighs as she falls to the ground dramatically. Her caramel brown skin shines even amidst the burning heat and for a moment, I feel myself smile. Her forest-green eyes find mine and they light up immediately.

"Analia. How long have you been standing there?" she asks with a small smile. Alicia's attention is now on me too as she turns to see me standing at the back of their tent. Alicia doesn't particularly like me, she calls me a bad influence on Gina, and numerous accounts, I've found myself believing her words about me to be true.

Gina is such a gifted soul and I am nothing but an orphan leeching on the lives of others.

"Long enough to admire your entire being," I admit truthfully and she gives me a small smile as she rises to her feet.

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"Goodness girl, save the talk for later. There are multitudes lined up outside." Alicia remarks as she eyes me in annoyance. Wrinkles appear on her forehead and her lips are turned downward in a frown. She is clearly showing her displeasure at me.

"Just for a moment." I plead.

"Yes Aunty, if it weren't so important, Ana wouldn't have come all the way." Gina strides over to me as she probes Alicia with her words. Alicia heaves a sigh and waves her hand dismissively.

"Thank you, Alicia." I say the same time Gina says "Thank you, Aunty."

As soon as Alicia leaves the tent to address the people waiting outside, I waste no time as I grab Gina's right hand and stuff the necklace into it. Her eyes widen slightly in confusion before she looks down at it.

"I thought you came here to see me, I haven't heard from you in a month." She says as she analyzes the necklace in her hand.

"I lost my grandmother. My only family left. I needed time alone." I explain, I hate repeating this same line all the time in an attempt to explain myself.

"It's understandable," she says still analyzing the necklace but then she becomes stiff as she turns the pendant over.

My heart begins to race instantly. I am nibbling my bottom lip so hard, I fear I may start to draw blood. Nervousness and excitement fill my insides but at the same time, a gnawing feeling of fear chews at my stomach and makes me nauseous.

"Where did you get this?" Gina whispers harshly. Her tone is no longer the calm, sweet voice I'm used to. There is an edge to her tone now, as though revealing something I have never known about Gina.

"Calm down Gina, it's just a necklace Grandmother gave me on her deathbed," I explain. Her green eyes pierce through mine and chills run down my spine at her gaze. She doesn't believe me. "I'm serious Gina, it's just a necklace."

"This isn't something a human like you or me is supposed to have. Take this back to wherever you stole it from." Her words slice through me like a knife and I find myself growing irritated by the second.

"What do you mean Gina? I'm your friend, do I look like a thief to you?"

"Then how did you get your hands on an object only demigods and gods are supposed to have?" she snaps and my eyes widen.

A relic?

How did Grandmother get her hands on a relic? What did she wish for to get a relic like this?

No wonder Gina is acting like this. Only two humans are known to possess a relic. The king and the grand seer of our realm.

"I swear to you Gina, I didn't steal this. Neither did my grandmother. This was her reward for accompanying Satur on the conversion." I need Gina to understand that there is no way I would want to steal something like this. Stealing a relic is punishable by death. The power it possesses is not something humans like me should have.

Her deep-set eyes soften slightly and she sighs. "Am I supposed to believe you? You should know that I'm reprimanding you for your good."

"Gina, I am not a thief," I exclaim in exasperation.

"Fine, you didn't steal it. What exactly are you planning to do with it?" she asks and then adds.

"You can't sell it because you will get caught and I don't think anyone is going to believe your story."

"I was never planning to sell it in the first place. Grandmother gave it to me, so I guess it's mine now. I just want to know what it does." I tell her

"I don't know what it does," she says with a shrug while handing it back to me. My face contorts into a frown and she proceeds to shrug again, tap her chin, and point to my neck.

"Put it on," she commands and I raise a brow at her. A few seconds ago she suspected me of stealing this necklace and now she wants me to put it on?

"Are you sure?" I ask her, uncertain.

"Yes Analia, now hurry up before someone comes in."

My sweaty palms make it hard to unclasp the hook of the necklace but I do so anyway finding strength in Gina's glare. I take in a deep breath and wrap the necklace around my neck and hook it at the back.

I expect something dramatic to happen. Like lightning shooting down from the sky or a strong rush of wind tearing down the tent but nothing of the sort happens. Instead, the rate of my heartbeat increases at an alarming rate. I don't know if it's from the nervousness I feel or if it's something else tampering with my body. I feel heavy and light at the same time. Light as a feather floating in the air yet heavy as a rock planted on the ground. Just as I am about to double over and spill out my intestines, Gina's eyes widen and her eyes drop inches lower. She suddenly looks way bigger than she normally does which I find strange.

"What are you staring at?" I ask still feeling nauseous. My voice sounds tinier than it normally is and I furrow my brows as I find that my dress feels loose on me.

Don't tell me.....

"Gina, what's wrong with me?" I exclaim and slowly without breaking off contact with my eyes, she fishes out a pocket mirror from the pouch hidden in her robe and hands it over to me.

I snatch the mirror from her hand and a gasp leaves my lips when I see my reflection. My skin looks smooth and almost porcelain-like, a contrast to my present-day dried-up olive skin. My violet eyes are sparkling with life and my ash-blonde hair has now been replaced with luscious black hair. I look like a child but a tad bit different than how I looked as a child.

"Is this even possible? What sort of sorcery is this?" I question out in awe and fear.

"What are you going to do about this Ana? You look like a child again." Gina's voice is raw with emotion and I can tell that she is desperately holding back her tears from falling.

"You can finally leave this town." She breathes out in relief and my heart thumps loudly in response to her words.

Leave this town?

Can I truly ever leave this place?

"I'm destined to live and die here forever," I admit out loud. For a moment I was glad to hear that I could leave this place but thinking about it has made me realize that a single necklace can't change my fate.

Gina grabs me by my shoulders in a firm grip. She begins to shake me vigorously as she speaks in a firm tone.

"You're not destined to rot here Ana, your future is way brighter than you may imagine, and trust me it is beyond the walls of this town."

I gulp hard as my heart starts to swell. I don't believe it, I find it hard to accept that nothing outside pain lies ahead of me.

"What do you think I should do?" I ask her and a mischievous smile graces her face.

She replies with her eyes sparkling, "Enlist to become a companion for this year's conversion process."

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