Charlene lay awake, staring through the skylight. Her mind was racing with questions—too many to count. What had happened to her mom? Was she safe? Had she managed to escape that terrible fate? And then there were the worries about her own training. What if she messed up? What if she couldn't handle it? What would happen to the sect if she failed?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice that seemed to come from nowhere.
"All your worries are giving me a headache! Go to sleep! You have training in the morning," Seth's voice boomed in her mind.
Charlene sat up in bed, startled. "What the—how the—"
"No! I can't read your mind, but I can feel your anxiety! Go to sleep! You'll be fine!" Seth continued, his tone calm yet firm. "Your mom is a fighter. Trust me when I say she's a survivor. If anybody can get out of a sticky situation, it's her. Stop worrying. We'll be together again soon. Now, go to sleep. Good night."
Charlene closed her eyes, trying to calm herself, but then—
"Dad?"
"Yes..." came the weary reply.
"Why are there three moons in the sky?" she asked, her voice tinged with confusion.
"That means it's night. Two in the morning, three at night. It just is! Go to sleep!"
Charlene groaned. "It's disturbing me."
Seth sighed. "Then close your eyes," he muttered through gritted teeth.
But before she could protest further, he snapped his fingers. His mark glowed, and a single word escaped his lips—"Peace."
Suddenly, Charlene felt a deep calm wash over her, and her eyes fluttered closed. The rest of her worries faded into a peaceful slumber.
Several hours later, Charlene awoke to a cold, mechanical voice.
"It's time for your training."
Before she could even process the words, the bed beneath her vanished. She was suspended in mid-air, hovering with nothing below her.
"Hey! What's going on?" she exclaimed as she was gently lowered to the floor.
"Stand by to be cleaned. Hold your breath, please," the voice instructed.
Suddenly, foam shot from all directions, enveloping her. The foam dried almost instantly.
"Stand by for sanitation," the voice added, and a sound like rainfall began to fill the room. Charlene flinched as a downpour of water began, and for a moment, she thought she might drown.
"Why is all this necessary? Am I that dirty?" she muttered, her frustration building. "Jesh!"
Then, a low hissing sound filled the room, drying up all the water in seconds. Charlene's hair stood on end, as if she'd been electrocuted.
"I can't go anywhere looking like this," she muttered, glancing at herself in the reflective surface. She touched her mark, which immediately lit up, and she whispered, "My new do."
In an instant, her hair was perfectly styled.
"That's better," she sighed in relief, leaning against the wall. Her thoughts drifted back to the sleepover she'd had with ReNew at the B&B just a couple of nights ago, and how everything had changed so quickly.
A sudden gasp escaped her lips as a uniform materialized before her through the wall panel.
"Have a fantastic day of training," a voice chimed in cheerfully.
Charlene blinked, unsure if she was ready for what the day might hold.
"If that's any indication of how my day is going to go, I'm not looking forward to this," she muttered under her breath, dressing quickly and heading into what appeared to be a kitchen area. To her surprise, she found her dad sitting there, sipping something from a mug that looked suspiciously like coffee.
"How was your washing this morning?" Seth asked with a chuckle. "Ha ha ha."
Charlene shot him a glare. "Oh, you knew that was going to happen, and you didn't warn me!"
"It's an experience you have to find out for yourself," Seth laughed again. "Ha ha ha!"
"Real funny, Dad," Charlene muttered, rolling her eyes. She eyed his cup suspiciously. "How in the world did you get coffee here? I don't see a coffee pot or anything like that."
Seth pointed to a panel across the room. "Do you see that panel to the right, with the opening underneath? There are four black dots above it."
Charlene nodded. "Yeah, I see them."
"Push the button to the far left for cold drinks, and the button to the far right for really hot beverages. Now, say 'sweet hot liquid' or 'cold, sweet liquid.' The more specific you are, the better the beverage gets."
Seth grinned. "It took me forever to figure out how to make coffee. Just the way I like it."
Charlene raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?" she smirked, feeling a spark of determination.
She quickly approached the panel and, in a flash of confidence, placed her order.
"I would like a large drink with 204 pumps of cinnamon syrup, 52 pumps of hazelnut, 23 pumps of classic syrup, 69 pumps of sugar-free caramel syrup, 15 pumps of sugar-free vanilla, 40 pumps of vanilla, 38 pumps of caramel syrup, 75 pumps of almond syrup, 88 pumps of sugar-free hazelnut syrup, and 1 pump of peppermint syrup. Please and thank you!"
She picked up her cup, took a sip, and grinned. "May I have a lid, please?" she smacked her lips, satisfied. "That's better."
Seth, amused, raised his own cup. "Make that two. I want one of those, Dad laughs."
Charlene snorted. "We're going to be high on sugar!"
"OMG!" she heard ReNew's voice, almost startling her out of her skin. "I see you've already started your day."
"Okay, Dad," Charlene said with a sigh. "What are your plans for the day?"
Seth set down his cup and stood. "Going next door to collect Idris. Then we're heading to the council chambers. We have some things to discuss."
Charlene followed him as he left the house, but as they reached the door, she hesitated. "Wait, when do we start?"
Seth was already on his way, heading toward Idris's dwelling. Charlene quickly ran after him but stopped short. She had no idea where to go from there.
"Look for someone else in that ugly uniform you're wearing," ReNew's voice teased.
Charlene glanced around. She spotted a figure in the distance, wearing the same uniform. "I found one!"
"Then follow them," ReNew instructed.
Charlene quickened her pace, but the hills were too far. "Well, I guess if I'm going to catch up, I'll need a little boost," she muttered, rubbing her mark. "Speed," she said, and instantly she was moving faster.
As she closed the distance, she realized it was a boy—a cute boy,and her heart skipped a beat. She slowed down almost immediately.
"What's wrong with you, Charlene? Why don't you introduce yourself?" ReNew urged, her tone amused.
Charlene felt a sudden wave of shyness, her mouth going dry. "No, I can't," she murmured, slowing to a normal pace.
"I can see where this is going," ReNew teased.
Charlene's face flushed a deep red, her heart racing.
"Let's focus on what we have to do," she muttered, trying to shake off her embarrassment.
"Okay, for now," ReNew said, clearly amused. "But don't think I'm letting this one go."