“Elizabeth?” Taking a deep breath, I responded, “Yes?” The secretary who’d called my name offered a small smile, but it was hardly any relief. The council is about to decide my fate. Will I go home happy, pardoned? Or am I going to be given a sentence of the highest order? I take the room into consideration with the white walls, with black accents, and the cleanest desk I've ever seen next to these deep brown oak doors, the emblem of the council on both. Pushing myself out of my thoughts, I smile back at the receptionist and ask, “Are they ready?”
“Just about,” she replies, not looking up. I take another deep breath. I will go in there with my head high. I have to. Any sign of weakness is not allowed. Not after what I've done, not after the trouble I've caused. The trouble I was supposed to cause. I stood up off the black velvet couch and straightened out my coat jacket. I'm in a black blazer with a light blue dress underneath, a few golden crystals dangling around my neck. I figured it would be best to leave the locket at home. I take another breath and open the doors without being told.
I steel my expression and walk forward. No turning back. I see the 24 council members sitting atop their chairs that line the walls, staring down at me as I walk down the hall. Everything was white. I continued walking until I stood 10 feet away from the head counsellor. She looks at me, with a questioning glance. “You’re Elizabeth Mayheart?’ she questions. “Yes.” I pause, almost forgetting my formalities “Yes, your grace,” I add, with a slightly mocking tone, just to uphold my character. I can almost hear Matilda, my mother, muttering ‘you’re a disgrace, act like it.’ She sat 3 seats down from the head counsellor. I believe her name is Jane, but I wouldn't know.
“Well then, let's get started,” Jane says, licking her lips and gesturing for us all to sit. “You, Elizabeth Mayheart, are accused of these crimes against the houses, against your own house,” she starts. “Did you or did you not, take an artefact from the chambers?” I grit my teeth. I didn't steal it, not intentionally, it was just some stupid prank. “I did,” I responded plainly. “At the time, did you know what the artefact was?” Another breath. “No, I did not.”
“Were you aware of the curse that comes with it?” I sharply angled my head towards my mother. A curse? “I’m unaware of any curse that follows this locket,'' I respond, trying to gauge her response. What is she getting at? “But are you aware of the effects it has on its holder?” Still confused, I responded honestly, “Yes?” The truth is, everyone knows the effects. The powers first, then the sickness, after that the depression, and then… then it all ends. For some, the power stage has lasted 45 years or more, but once the sickness sets in, you have maybe a year or less. Another truth, I never truly absorbed any of its power, I think. But somehow they’ve traced it back to me. “Then why did you take it? Elizabeth, you were on course to become a counsellor, a powerful one. You were already showing signs of magix, why? Why would you do that to yourself?” The head counsellor asked. I look her in the eyes, silently pleading, but once again I steal my expression. “Yes, I know the effects it has on people, though I am still unaware of any curse-” Another breath. “-but, as for why,'' I start. But no words come to my mouth, I don't want to say what happened, I made a crappy choice and now I'm living with it, or I don't remember, that it was just a wave that passed over me one day, urging me to steal a mirror, Yet something in me deferred, something snapped making me steal the locket.
“ I stole that because of the crest.” That was another lie. “Because of the crest?” the counsellor asks. “Yes. The crest, the true crest of the houses, all interwoven, the crest of the Kari.” I pause, trying to interpret 500 years of history to make my lie true, a lie that had to be true. “What do you know about the Kari, Eliza?”
“I’ve studied the Kari at school, we learned the roles, and the numbers.” I barely remembered what I’d learned. “And what were those numbers and roles?” Oh crap. I take another breath and carry on, attempting to remember whatever knowledge is stored deep in my brain. “The Kari are the strongest magical beings on the planet. They are human and have a human life span, and among the members of the Kari, there are six elitists. Each of the six has the power of a certain element, including, fire, water, earthly minerals, vegetation, air, and spacetime. Then there’s one mage. Their power is healing and visual manipulation. Then the last member of Kari, the strongest, normally, is the Reaper. The Reaper has the power of darkness and the manipulation of any light. Basically, energy. The Reaper has the ability to control all energy, including death and life.” I take a shaky breath, unsure of where this is going. I look up at the hall around me. If I weren't here today for this reason I would admire the architecture, the beautiful beams trailing across the glass roof, making the rainy sky open up into a new world, one where wet leaves are pretty, and getting integrated by your godmother isn't the worst thing that happened to you. “Did you really think?” Another council member blurts. My head is between the high council member and the loose-lipped council member. “What, what did I think?” I spit, trying to set the motion off course. The counsellor opens her mouth to attempt a rebuttal when Jane silences her. “That when this locket-” she begins, pulling an ancient, silver locket up from her desk.“...'called' to you,” she says with air quotes. “You shouldn't touch it,” I interrupt “Didn't we just go over proper etiquette for the council room, miss Mayheart?” my mother spits. “ Yes, we did,” I say under my breath. “What's that?” she questions. Really, mom, really? “She shouldn't touch the locket. Like, it could kill her.” It’s true, sometimes on contact, or minutes after, its power could go into your bloodstream and well, that’s it, it all ends there. “Despite being a thief, your morals seem to be in place.'' Jane comments. “I made a mistake,” I say looking up at them all. “Everyone makes them. Why is my case any different?” I pause, looking at all of them, disgust plastered into my face. “ Why, you know just as well as I do, that this happens regularly. Some teen steals an artefact, they're given a fine, then told to do some community service.'' I take a step forward, pushing my chair behind me. Placing my hands flat on the metallic table in front of me. “So…'' I pause, taking all of my confidence. “Why am I any different?” I have a question. Jane looks awed by my confidence, yet my mother radiates heat. I think she's actually streaming. And I continue, searching for something to yell about. “What about this curse, what even is it?” I finish with that question, plopping back into my seat, still awaiting my answer. I look around the room, taking in all of the predominantly male faces. Only the high counsellor, Jane, and my mother are women. “Miss Mayheart, the curse, we don't even understand the consequences other than knowing it will kill you. It will torment you in the afterlife. Elizabeth, I don't think you understand.” Jane braces herself like this is truly bothering her. She tucks a strand of her curly red hair behind her ear and continues. “Elizabeth, the locket is currently in a dormant state, or unmagical. It’s a normal locket,” she says, rushing and tripping over words as if they were falling out of her. Now, it’s my turn to be at a loss for words. “What?” I have a question. “I didn’t absorb any of the magic, I think I would know. Right?” Jane gives me a pitying look. Great. “Yes. You would know.” I look at her confused, any sense of power I thought I had in this meeting is truly gone. I know it, and she definitely knows. “So what?” I ask, still holding on to my harsh tone. “Well, we talked about the Kari, did we not?” I give her a nod, and she draws a shaky breath. “Only a member of the Kari could survive this much energy being put into them.” she pauses, almost as if she's asking me to interrupt. So I do. “ Meaning?'' She sends me an ice-cold smile. “ That means, Miss Mayheart, that you are not quite who you seem.”379Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡubqmOxDZ98
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