Surprisingly, by the time we arrived at our unit—two bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, a simply furnished living room, and a kitchen—there was no lecture. My mom told me to go to my room and get ready, saying that she and Dad needed to discuss something in the living room. I, being all too happy not to get another scolding, dashed to my bedroom with my suitcase in hand.

Chapter Four

The Gathering was officially starting in an hour and I had to appear somewhat presentable, but my hair was nothing but a bird’s nest. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I cursed under my breath. A halo of auburn frizz framed my face, and after spending the last twenty minutes trying to tame it, I had failed miserably. I was neither a stylist nor a miracle worker, and I was racing against the clock.

In a decisive moment, I pulled my hair back into a loose, high bun, figuring this was as good as it would get, and moved on to brushing my teeth. At least here at the Hyped I didn’t have to share a bathroom with my parents.

Back in my bedroom, I threw on the floor-length cerulean dress my mom had insisted I wear tonight. The queen would be present, so I had to do formal. I moved to the dark-purple velvet couch, leaning against the arm and stretching my legs out in front of me. I had a few moments to myself before the insanity began and I was going to cherish them.

I had never even been to a hotel before, and I couldn’t believe how quiet it was in my room, especially when I knew there were Hellenicus all around me, hustling to get ready for the queen’s speech, which marked the official start of the Gathering. I was used to the quiet and to be being alone. At home, my parents were always working, and they were strict about letting me go out. It was quite lonely. Before Bryan, I used to wish for an annoying little brother or a bossy big sister because it sucked to be in the house all by myself, and now that he was gone, some of that loneliness had returned. I was thankful that I still had Kris, though. She had been my very first friend, my sister. After losing Bryan, I wouldn’t have been able to pull myself back up on my feet again without her.

What am I doing here?

The closer I got to potentially being linked to a soul mate, the more nervous I felt. Doubts crawled out from their hiding place and clouded my mind.