Student probation was a death sentence. Anna couldn't help but feel bad for Calla as she walked with Priestess Adsila to her office. Everyone knew that being put on it was one step away from being dropped from the course. She didn't think the girl deserved that harsh of a punishment. But by the way, both of the women had spoken to her. This was the final straw after a string of misbehavior. Anna wasn't going to be vocal about her disagreement either, as Adsila was siding with her publicly.
This showed everybody else that the teen had a powerful Priestess who was supporting her and shutting them up. Anna needed it to stay that way until after graduation. Adsila must have noticed that she was troubled, as she didn't say any of her usual teasing. Instead, the mature woman had become a gentle giant with how she held Anna's hand and asked her if she was alright more than a dozen times. Even the unprofessional disdain she showed was extremely out of character for her.
It was a strange change in her personality, but not an unwelcome one. Her leg didn't hurt as much as it did before, but her teacher didn't need to know that. So, she played up her pain by walking slower than before and leaning on the older woman for support. If this play got her out of the rest of her classes for the day, she'd be thrilled. Thinking about her drama with Edwin and her separation from Lizbeth bothered her. The competitive nature of the academy was showing itself these past few weeks, and she felt like she'd been thrown to the wolves.
Anna's classmates were always talking about whether they'd be going into the field. Those who wanted to go spoke as if field work would be like movies with romance and honor. Those who didn't seem scared of what life would be without their rigid routine of school and practice. She felt the same, but she knew what her future held. As a Koinonos, she would be putting her safety on the line for someone else's.
With that, someone is an elitist jerk. Priestess Adsila hummed as if she had heard Anna cursing Edwin's name again and squeezed her hand. “I know that you've had a lot on your shoulders recently. But I believe everything will work out for you, Eliana. You're one of my best students and I see good in you.” Her words hit her hard and intensified the twisting of Anna's stomach, making her gulp.
“I have heard that you and Edwin haven't gotten along well,” Adsila continued as they hit the staircase that led to her office. “His priests have told me he has confessed to slagging you. They feel that despite this, you'll be a good friend to him.”
“I'm surprised he confessed to what he said. But if he's sorry, I won't disappoint you by backing out.” She wasn't willing to lose her favor just yet, especially now that she knew why he had been blowing up her phone. His teachers most likely had given him an ultimatum, meaning that he had to behave himself and fix his mistake. No more accusations would be said towards her or his ass would be on the line.
Priestess Adsila smiled and led her to the front doors of her office. “I knew you wouldn't. You're not the type of girl to give up such a tremendous opportunity. “She took out a deep red, oval-headed key from her robe pocket and unlocked the doors.
The office looked more or less the same as the last time she was in it. The unique thing was an immense pile of papers that sat on the woman's coffee table. The woman motioned for her to go over to it, and she did. Anna could read what they said as she sat down and froze. It was all for her to finally receive her Koinonos tattoo. It was a tattoo that would link her to Edwin until removal. It was a big deal and seen as a sign of mutual respect.
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Anna felt sick as she saw that everything was ready to go despite it being known Edwin didn't like her. There was no kindness or comradery between them. The teenager was unsure of what to do besides remain quiet as Priestess Adsila showed the designs available to her. This was supposed to be a tremendous moment for her. A sign that in this life she had been successful in not being a pushover. But she felt worried knowing she was signing her life over to protect a boy who despised people like her.
“Edwin has promised to make up for his past behavior, so you shouldn't worry. As a sign of respect, he's going to let you choose both of your tattoos.” This made Anna stop and frown. Choosing Edwin's tattoo felt like one step too far, and she didn't like it.
They would have those tattoos for years, decades possibly. They would be visible on their bodies for all their loved ones and future friends to see. “Are you sure that it's wise for me to do that? I don't know his taste very well.” She hoped that Priestess Adsila would see her side and tell Edwin's teachers to let him choose his tattoo.
But the Goddess had given her too many favors already. The Priestess shook her head and tapped one of her decorated, long nails against the boom. “No. You must pick both of your tattoo designs as your first assignment as a Koinonos. You need to get used to making decisions for and because of Edwin.” Her tone had turned cold.
That told her that she needed to stop pushing Head Priestess Adsila's buttons and shut her mouth. The woman was being nice to her but that could change with the snap of a finger. She bowed her head and picked up the book, Adilsa letting out a hum of satisfaction. The teenager had heard about Koinonos tattoos before, but had never seen one in person. Her second-year history teacher had given them an essay on how the tattoos came to be and it was incredibly convoluted.
Two different parts of the country claimed that they were the ones who originated the act of marking a warrior and tying them to a healer. The part they took as fact was that of the old capital city, Kinder. Kinder was the location of the academy and many of its more well-known students had been born here. With that being said, the residents had been claiming they came up with the idea and it was stolen for generations. They tried to bring this up to the Supreme Court but were laughed at and shamed.
The other side was a small native community who said they'd been the ones stolen from. This was centuries ago before anyone took the time to secure historical artifacts that would prove their ownership. Anna didn't care who stole it from who, she wrote the paper based on what the teacher wanted. But she had been fascinated by the sheer amount of designs that had been found and created over the years. To date, there have been over a hundred thousand used, with thousands being shelved.
With there being so many, it was common for there to be duplicates and plagiarized designs that you'd come across on someone's body. You tend to skim off of someone else these days with there being a limited amount of creativity. Anna didn't mind having someone else's design on her body. What she did not mind was whether Edwin would care about those types of things. She didn't want the bond they barely had to sour any further. It was obvious he was being forced to apologize, as she was being forced to make such a crucial decision for him. The first of many.
The full weight of the power being given to her was hitting, and she felt nauseated. Her fingers traced the pages of hand-painted designs and her tired eyes read over their dates. Sixty years before her original birth. Twenty after her initial death. The exact date of her current self's tenth birthday. So many pages with so many histories that were forgotten or soon to be. She bit her bottom lip and thought about what these tattoos must have meant to the people who wore them. Anna wondered how much time had passed since the markings were removed.
Had it been so long that the healers and warriors had been put on a funeral whicker rack to be burned? Their ashes mixed with the earth's natural soil to become one with the Goddess again, as she had been all those years ago. It made the girl emotional, and she was so thankful for mastering her poker face all those years ago. If she had wavered, tears would have fallen on her face and ruined the handwritten pages she held. The oils from her fingers were already doing this and so was the sweat that dripped from her brow.
She swallowed thickly and pointed to a page. “Is this one alright for us to use?”