The Goddess Test
Page 41
“Do not argue,” said Henry. “Change and ice your ankle for a few minutes. I will return shortly to fetch you.”
Sighing inwardly, I decided it was useless. Just like Ella, he seemed to be determined to keep me up to my ears in itchy dresses. I couldn’t wait for summer to arrive, if for no other reason than to finally be able to wear jeans again.
Before walking out the door, Henry turned. “Kate?”
I scowled down at the maze of buttons that lined the ruined dress, my fingers still shaking as I tried to undo them. “Yeah?”
“I only scored 164.”
In the end, I’d needed Ella’s help to unbutton the monstrosity she’d forced me into that morning. While she seemed sad to see it go, I couldn’t have been happier—until I saw what she intended to replace it with.
Limping down the corridor of an unfamiliar wing, I leaned on Henry for support and tried my best not to scratch at the rough fabric. It was completely unfair. Henry got to wear pants—even Ava had the option, if she wanted—but with Ella in charge of my wardrobe, I was stuck in costumes from the dark ages. She may have thought they were beautiful, but I would have preferred a toga to those instruments of torture. No amount of wearing them was going to make me like them. Ever. And Ella knew that. It was why she did it, I was sure of it.
While I wondered whether or not it’d be a mark against me if I ran around in my underwear, Henry opened the door to a room I’d never been inside before. At first I couldn’t make much out from behind him, but when he stepped aside, my jaw dropped, and the cloud of misery that had plagued me since seeing my score dissipated.
The suite was stuffed with clothes hanging off of racks, arranged by size and color and God only knew what else. They spanned so many eras that it looked like a costume shop, and there were dresses and shoes and shawls and—
My knees went weak.
Sweaters and jeans.
“Ella mentioned you did not feel comfortable in the outfits she chose for you,” said Henry. “As a reward for failing a test with a higher score than my own, I believe a new wardrobe is in order.”
I stared at him and then at Ella, who gave me a rare smile. Were they for real?
“Oh, my God!”
I wasn’t the one to say it. Instead the high-pitched squeal came from behind me, and when I whirled around, Ava stood there, her mouth hanging open. Calliope lingered nearby, looking as excited as I felt.
“Are these all for you?” blurted Ava, moving past Ella to stand with me.
“I think so,” I said with a grin. “Want some?”
She stared at me like I’d grown another head. “Do I want some?”
I laughed and looked at Henry. “Can she?”
“Of course.”
That was all she needed to hear. In an instant she’d disappeared, sorting through the archaic dresses I had no intention of touching. Instead of joining her, I turned to Calliope and Ella. “You two can have whatever you want, too,” I said, glancing at Henry. “If that’s all right with you, I mean.”
He nodded. Just like Ava, Ella and Calliope rushed into the room, leaving me behind with Henry. He gestured toward my ankle. “Are you able to make it through the room without assistance?”
“I’ll be fine,” I said, eyeing the piles of sweaters. Even from a distance, they beckoned. As much as I liked being near Henry, I was still embarrassed about my breakdown, and I didn’t want him to think I was incapable of getting through the day without him, even though he did seem to know exactly how to make things better.
I’d limped halfway across the room before I realized he was trailing a few feet behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I frowned. “Henry, really, I’m fine. It doesn’t even hurt.”
“I have no intention of helping you walk,” he said in an innocent voice I wasn’t buying. “I was merely going to offer to carry your things.”
“If you say so.” I raised an eyebrow, but while I didn’t want him to know it, I was grateful he was there.
That night, long after Henry left, I was on the edge of sleep when a soft knock on my door pulled me away. Groaning, I rubbed my eyes and rolled out of bed, hobbling to the door. I’d spent all evening looking forward to telling my mother that I’d passed a test and hadn’t disappointed Henry yet, so whoever was on the other side of the door had to have a damn good reason for interrupting.
“What?” I said as I cracked open the door, squinting against the light from the hallway.
It was Ava. “Are you still awake?” she whispered, and I glared at her.
“No, I’m sleepwalking.”
“Oh.” She eyed me as if she were trying to figure out if I was telling the truth or not. “As long as you’re up, c’mon—I want to show you something.”
She reached out to take my hand, and I stood my ground. “The only place I want to go is back to bed.”
“Too bad.” Ava gripped my hand so hard that trying to pull away would’ve likely resulted in broken fingers, and I was having enough trouble with my ankle already. “I’ll get you back to bed before the sun comes up, I promise.”
Not the most comforting reassurance, but she wasn’t giving me much of a choice. Finally, huffing loudly so she couldn’t miss it, I followed her, the carpet rough against my bare feet.
“Where are we going?” I said, but Ava shushed me as we turned the corner. There were guards stationed up and down the hallways leading to my rooms, and at least three of them had seen us so far, so I had no idea why she felt the need to sneak around.
Sighing inwardly, I decided it was useless. Just like Ella, he seemed to be determined to keep me up to my ears in itchy dresses. I couldn’t wait for summer to arrive, if for no other reason than to finally be able to wear jeans again.
Before walking out the door, Henry turned. “Kate?”
I scowled down at the maze of buttons that lined the ruined dress, my fingers still shaking as I tried to undo them. “Yeah?”
“I only scored 164.”
In the end, I’d needed Ella’s help to unbutton the monstrosity she’d forced me into that morning. While she seemed sad to see it go, I couldn’t have been happier—until I saw what she intended to replace it with.
Limping down the corridor of an unfamiliar wing, I leaned on Henry for support and tried my best not to scratch at the rough fabric. It was completely unfair. Henry got to wear pants—even Ava had the option, if she wanted—but with Ella in charge of my wardrobe, I was stuck in costumes from the dark ages. She may have thought they were beautiful, but I would have preferred a toga to those instruments of torture. No amount of wearing them was going to make me like them. Ever. And Ella knew that. It was why she did it, I was sure of it.
While I wondered whether or not it’d be a mark against me if I ran around in my underwear, Henry opened the door to a room I’d never been inside before. At first I couldn’t make much out from behind him, but when he stepped aside, my jaw dropped, and the cloud of misery that had plagued me since seeing my score dissipated.
The suite was stuffed with clothes hanging off of racks, arranged by size and color and God only knew what else. They spanned so many eras that it looked like a costume shop, and there were dresses and shoes and shawls and—
My knees went weak.
Sweaters and jeans.
“Ella mentioned you did not feel comfortable in the outfits she chose for you,” said Henry. “As a reward for failing a test with a higher score than my own, I believe a new wardrobe is in order.”
I stared at him and then at Ella, who gave me a rare smile. Were they for real?
“Oh, my God!”
I wasn’t the one to say it. Instead the high-pitched squeal came from behind me, and when I whirled around, Ava stood there, her mouth hanging open. Calliope lingered nearby, looking as excited as I felt.
“Are these all for you?” blurted Ava, moving past Ella to stand with me.
“I think so,” I said with a grin. “Want some?”
She stared at me like I’d grown another head. “Do I want some?”
I laughed and looked at Henry. “Can she?”
“Of course.”
That was all she needed to hear. In an instant she’d disappeared, sorting through the archaic dresses I had no intention of touching. Instead of joining her, I turned to Calliope and Ella. “You two can have whatever you want, too,” I said, glancing at Henry. “If that’s all right with you, I mean.”
He nodded. Just like Ava, Ella and Calliope rushed into the room, leaving me behind with Henry. He gestured toward my ankle. “Are you able to make it through the room without assistance?”
“I’ll be fine,” I said, eyeing the piles of sweaters. Even from a distance, they beckoned. As much as I liked being near Henry, I was still embarrassed about my breakdown, and I didn’t want him to think I was incapable of getting through the day without him, even though he did seem to know exactly how to make things better.
I’d limped halfway across the room before I realized he was trailing a few feet behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I frowned. “Henry, really, I’m fine. It doesn’t even hurt.”
“I have no intention of helping you walk,” he said in an innocent voice I wasn’t buying. “I was merely going to offer to carry your things.”
“If you say so.” I raised an eyebrow, but while I didn’t want him to know it, I was grateful he was there.
That night, long after Henry left, I was on the edge of sleep when a soft knock on my door pulled me away. Groaning, I rubbed my eyes and rolled out of bed, hobbling to the door. I’d spent all evening looking forward to telling my mother that I’d passed a test and hadn’t disappointed Henry yet, so whoever was on the other side of the door had to have a damn good reason for interrupting.
“What?” I said as I cracked open the door, squinting against the light from the hallway.
It was Ava. “Are you still awake?” she whispered, and I glared at her.
“No, I’m sleepwalking.”
“Oh.” She eyed me as if she were trying to figure out if I was telling the truth or not. “As long as you’re up, c’mon—I want to show you something.”
She reached out to take my hand, and I stood my ground. “The only place I want to go is back to bed.”
“Too bad.” Ava gripped my hand so hard that trying to pull away would’ve likely resulted in broken fingers, and I was having enough trouble with my ankle already. “I’ll get you back to bed before the sun comes up, I promise.”
Not the most comforting reassurance, but she wasn’t giving me much of a choice. Finally, huffing loudly so she couldn’t miss it, I followed her, the carpet rough against my bare feet.
“Where are we going?” I said, but Ava shushed me as we turned the corner. There were guards stationed up and down the hallways leading to my rooms, and at least three of them had seen us so far, so I had no idea why she felt the need to sneak around.
