A Window To A Soul

Chapter 8: Cal

9 years ago~

I'm 9 years old. I had my birthday last week. And I had taken my first test then too. I was so scared. I already know that if I fail 3 times, I will be executed. I have my new roommates. They moved in as soon as the others left.

Now, I'm rooming with a boy named Kai, and a girl named Chloe. I can tell that Chloe likes Kai, but he's too dense to realize it.

All of the soon-to-be bodyguards got off the bus and lined up outside along the sidewalk. We all stood with our backs to the colorful grass, and we had our hands behind our backs. Then, when our instructor told us to, we all turned in unison to face the door before quietly going in. We were able to hear the music playing and shoes tapping from the happy couples dancing. Or at least the people who act happy.

When I finally got inside, the rest of the kids dispersed, going to different parts of the ballroom, where some danced, and some talked to their friends. I didn't know what to do, so I just looked around. The walls were golden and pillars lined the side while the ceiling was high and round. To the right side of the door, there were thrones, 15, and the one in the front belonged to Elliott, who owned this mansion. The left side had food, drinks, and the rest of the dancers. Right in front of the door had the orchestra of green-eyed people that played all of the music that we danced to. The floor was white, but despite all the shoes dancing on it, it still shone as if it had just been cleaned. It probably was, considering the fact that Elliott had 98 bodyguards that cleaned the mansion like crazy.

It looked really nice. I had heard rumors and stories about what Elliott's mansion looked like. I was told that he was obsessed with keeping it clean. He loves boasting about how amazing he is. And no one ever tries to attest to that.

I watched the thrones, seeing that they were empty. The Great Ones haven't arrived yet, and when they do, Elliott will be the first to enter. 97 of the 98 bodyguards were lining the walls, surrounding the thrones.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Chloe. She smiled at me. "Isn't this amazing? I've heard so many stories from Ben about the balls that Elliott threw! But I never thought that they were this amazing!"

I smiled back. "Yeah! It's awesome!"

Then, as if on cue, the music slowed, and the doors opened. Everyone stopped dancing and lined up before lowering their heads. I tried to look through my eyebrows as I heard footsteps entering the ballroom. All I could see were shadows. There was one of them, the bigger one of the front two having a high ponytail. The other one had no features that I could see from a shadow. Elliott, the one with the ponytail, walked slowly. I could feel his eyes scanning the room. But then his footsteps stopped. I looked up a little bit and I saw that he was looking at Chloe. His eyes were full of recognition, even though she had never been in his presence before.

His eyes landed on me, and I quickly dropped my head again, afraid that he would have me executed for looking at him when we weren't supposed to. He had done it to another boy my age before.

But before he did anything, he just walked to his throne. The rest of the Great Ones walked in and then we all went back to having fun.

"Elliott looks so good!" I looked at Chloe, who must have been going insane!

"I'm sorry. What?!" I knew that he was attractive, but I also knew that Chloe had a thing for Kai. I had never seen her showing any feelings toward anyone else. Sure, I've only known her for not even a year, but still!

Chloe shrugged. "He's just cute! I hope he picks me!"

I chuckled. "Elliott doesn't choose his bodyguards! He hasn't even gotten another one in over 500 years! What would make you so special?"

She looked down at her shoes and her hands were behind her back. "I don't know. The other Great Ones choose their bodyguards sometimes. So, I guess... I just want to be special. It's stupid, I know!"

I sighed. "Chloe, no one is special in this world. No one except for the Great Ones. We all have our part, and if we dare to stray from that path, we will be executed. You know this!"

She looked upset. But part of me told me to keep going. So, I listened to that small voice. "If you want to be special, then try to be the biggest and strongest one here. Then maybe someone will pick you, But that someone won't be Elliott."

When I saw her face after I said that, I was confused. I had just crushed her dreams of being different. Why was she smiling? Her face was full of determination. She made a tight fist in front of her. "If I just have to be the strongest, then that's what I will do!"

I sighed and then turned around. "Where's Kai?"

"I don't know." She answered quickly as if she didn't care.

I sighed when I saw him. He was leaning against the golden wall, staring at an older girl from one of the other classes. Her name was Amy. She had long, blonde hair and bushy eyebrows. She wasn't my type. I don't even know what my type is.

I walked up to Kai and stood next to him. "She's out of your league."

He shrugged. "I know."

My eyes drifted over to the thrones. All of them were filled except for one. It was Yan's old throne. Before they turn 18, the Great Ones can't be seen by the outside world. The people that take care of them must wear blindfolds. They stop physically aging when they turn 22, so they all look young.

We don't know anything about the new Great One other than their god and name. The new one is Della. She is the same age as me.

I looked at the oldest Great One. Her name was Claire. She had short, light blue hair in a bob cut and a sharp jawline. She had on a long, blue dress with long sleeves. She always had an attitude, and she was the second scariest, right behind Elliott. Claire had markings that covered her whole body and face, which represents all of Sarah's power that she used to kill Oden.

In the back, there was Olive. She had dark, chocolate-colored skin with matte white lipstick and white braids that hung low on her shoulders. She was nice. Her god was Kiana. Her marking was white and of a snake wrapping around her neck.

The next one was Fia. She had pale skin with a lot of freckles. Her thin hair was a platinum blonde and she wore it in a small ponytail. Her skinny arms were revealed from a silky, red dress. Her god was Giana. Right below her eyes, you could see a marking of black blood, as if it was spilling out of her eye sockets.

I didn't care enough to look at anyone else. I glanced over at the door. What I would give to go back early. But unfortunately, all the trainees are required to go to these balls. No matter how much I hate it.