As such, I was mostly expected to remain in my quarters and could forget about ever leaving the tightly controlled building, lest the media get word of my comings and goings. But, even that did little to stop them from talking about me incessantly.
Hashtag, trending.
Glancing over my shoulder at the two idiots assigned to follow me today, I chuckled. Well, they thought I didn’t leave the building. In reality, I’d been sneaking out almost daily—sometimes multiple times a day—for years, since I was a child.
“And how are you doing today, Miss?” Edith asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Oh, you know me, just keeping out of trouble.” I winked.
Things had been unusually quiet lately. I assumed my mother’s lack of focus on me was due to the upcoming trade talks with Taramur. Our two nations relied upon one another for magical resources. Without the trade, neither country would be able to use any magic—so it was in our best interests to keep one another happy.
Glancing up, I paused mid-step as I noticed two more of mother’s henchmen headed our way—a couple of particularly menacing individuals that I’d rather avoid. It looked like it was time for the changing of my guard—guard as in ‘prison guard’, not as in ‘bodyguard’. Spinning on my heel, I quickly strode toward the elevators.
“Great seeing you, Edith! Keep me updated on that boy of yours.” My fingers darted out, tapping the elevator button approximately sixteen times.
“Will do. Have a wonderful day,” she said as she too scurried away from the approaching bullies.
The doors opened, and I stepped inside, pressing the number for my floor and the ‘door close’ button simultaneously. I lifted my fingers in a wave at the unamused pair as their pace quickened. My face shifted to a look of pure innocence as the doors slowly slid to a close just before they reached me.
My lungs let out a long breath that I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Isla, one; goons, zero.
Chapter Two
After a brief trip to my sparse apartment to change, I carefully made my way down to the first floor. Walking the corridor, my fingers traced the jade wainscoting. Up ahead, the intoxicating smells of seafood and pasta, along with the delicate clinking of silverware, drifted from the dining hall.
Passing by quickly, my feet carried me straight to the kitchens. I had no desire to be told, once again, that these lavish things weren’t meant for me.
For whatever reason, Mother’s spies—who pretended to act as my security—never felt the need to follow me into the kitchens for my lunch breaks.
Idiots.
Grabbing a wrapped stack of sandwiches, I slipped unnoticed past the cooking staff and out the door to the loading docks in the back.
In a motion that I’d practiced at least a million times, I pulled the amulet from my neck as I stepped over the threshold. It felt like stepping through a sheet of water but without actually getting wet.
By removing the glittering amulet, my disguise immediately shimmered away as my appearance shifted to my natural self—my trick of all tricks. A fatal flaw in Mother’s evil plan. She had disguised me so well that she’d unknowingly facilitated my ability to escape the building.
Avoiding the cameras with ease, I snugged on my ball cap and moved into the early afternoon sun. My skin tingled—the thick moisture in the air gripping my body as I shed my air-conditioned reality for the outside world. I breathed it in, fully expanding my lungs to take in the taste of freedom.
Everything felt sweeter when leaving those towers behind. Removing my hoodie and tying it at my waist as I went, left me with a loose tank, neon sports bra, joggers, and sneakers. Tying my long brunette hair into a braid, I tossed it over my shoulder.
Knowing I only had an hour or so until my watchers would start looking for me, I hustled to my favorite gym—just a few blocks down the street. From the outside, it didn’t look like much. It honestly looked like a sketchy basement below a dive bar, but that was only to keep the norms away. Every mage fighter worth their salt knew of Master Tye’s gym.
Out of habit, my fingers reached up to touch the hanging sign that read ‘The Dojo’, as I flung myself down the steps.
“You’re late,” Master Tye barked as soon as I entered. The underground gym was massive. It had high ceilings, sitting atop white cinderblock walls. The large room was stuffed to the brim with equipment and training mats. Several round fluorescent lights hung from above, and a vast central fan whirred like a propeller in the center, circulating the air.
“Sorry, Master Tye!” I shouted as I jogged by.
A smile pulled at my cheeks as I breathed in the smell of sweat and determination.
Damn, it’s good to be here.
“Don’t you ‘sorry’ me. We don’t have time to be wasting. Get to it.” He pointed to the new course he’d set up for us today. “Your brother was on time and had a three-minute lead. Beat him, and I won’t make you do ten miles on the treadmill when you arrive home.”
“Challenge accepted.” I grinned and sprinted to the start of the obstacle course. Linc may have me in height and pounds of muscle, but he was nowhere near as fast.
Taking just a moment, I marveled at a few of today’s additions. Thick chains hung from the ceiling, narrow beams ran from the top of one pillar to another, and enormous discs hovered and slowly rotated in the air a few feet apart. Master Tye had strong telekinetic abilities that he used on occasion to enhance our training. He had to make it a challenge for Linc and me, who both possessed inherent powers of strength that made us stronger than the average norm.
The rules of the courses were simple—no overt magic and get through as fast as possible. If I fell, I started over. Rushing it could hinder me. The final rule was that the loser always had to run laps. And, I hated running laps about as much as I hated losing.
In no time, I was swinging from one chain to the next dozens of feet off the ground. As I swept across the third beam, my little brother caught sight of me, and the dickhead sped up.
“Hey! Nice of you to join me, slowpoke. You are going to loooove running those extra laps tonight!” he touted.
“Not happening, you overgrown chihuahua!” Linc hated small dogs. Especially chihuahuas. A snicker escaped my lips.
“Really? That wasn’t even funny. I’ve heard Master Tye make better jokes,” he shouted back, glancing over his shoulder. His eyes widened when he realized he was quickly losing his lead. “How are you so damn fast?”
Stifling a laugh, I flew to the floating disc he’d just vacated—my muscles burning with the effort. “The privilege of not being an overgrown chihuahua, of course.”
My body wobbled, and I lifted my arms to maintain balance—keeping my eyes from the ground far, far below.
There were no rules about sabotage, and neither Linc nor I were above it. If I landed on his disc, he wouldn’t hesitate to toss me to the floor, and I’d be running ten miles tonight.
What’s your big plan now, Iz?
Unfortunately for me, Linc knew he had the advantage. He stopped, allowing his rotating disc to slowly turn him my way, revealing a broad smirk on his face. My eyes darted ahead. We were only a few floating discs away from obstacle freedom.
“Make your move or admit defeat.” He moved his arms up into a defensive pose, gesturing me forward with his fingers. If he got me in his clutches, I was a goner.