Muse Unexpected (23 page)

Sophie couldn’t believe she actually had a moment to herself. The hot bubble bath was exactly what she needed to relax and attempt to scrub the sticky grape juice off of her skin. Her mother had dropped off a special bubble bath that seemed to be doing the job, and Sophie stuck her head below the water to get the rest of the pulp and seeds out of her hair and ears.

“Sophie,” Angela’s voice came from the bedroom. “You can soak for another fifteen minutes.”

Miranda’s voice interrupted Angela’s. “You have a dance lesson and ceremony rehearsal in twenty-five minutes. Which means unless you want to have wet hair you’ll need to get out right about now,” Miranda said, reaching down into Sophie’s tub and pulling the plug out of the drain.

“Hey!” Sophie protested.

“My dear, hey or no hey, you are only two weeks away from the ball and you must stick to your schedule. Angela, if you aren’t able to help Sophia keep her many obligations, I’m sure we can find another Vasilikós staffer, like a maid, to do so.”

Light flickered in Sophie’s bath water as the anger seeped out of her hands.

“Sophie,” Angela warned. “I’ll get her down to the ballroom on time, Miranda.”

“Good,” Miranda said, turning to leave the room. “I always knew Angela would be such a big help to me. So useful.”

While Miranda’s back was turned Angela raised her fist like she was going to punch her. “Well, at least we are in agreement on that.”

“Get the door,” Miranda said. Angela waved her hand and made the door swing shut. Sophie laughed as she walked out of her bathroom wearing a robe and using a towel to dry her hair.

“So you can slam a door, but when I create one minor energy burst, you get all concerned. You know, now that I get to know her, Miranda isn’t half bad.”

“I was just thinking the same thing. She grows on you, like a light case of leprosy.”

Sophie threw her towel onto her latest addition to her room—a mission-style desk and matching heavy wooden chair. She hadn’t decided if she liked it or not, but she was told it was an original Stickley, whatever that meant, and it was growing on her. She grabbed the wet towel, afraid it would ruin the desk’s finish, and walked back into her bathroom.

“What am I supposed to wear for this thing?” she asked.

“Well, if you review the sweet little sticky note Miranda left you, you have to wear something with a long skirt and dancing shoes.”

Sophie walked out wearing a mismatched white short-sleeved shirt and a long flowing, multi-colored skirt.

“Well,” Angela said, eyeing the outfit. “It isn’t red carpet, but it’ll do.”

“Let’s get this over with,” Sophie said, and after Angela took the hex off the door they were able to make it down to the ballroom with five minutes to spare. Callie, Georgia and Winnie appeared to be discussing plans for the event. A staircase Sophie didn’t remember was attached to the second floor balcony where the orchestra would be, along with additional seating for those wanting to view the entire dance floor. She knew from her exploration of the Vasilikós that there was also a whole set of dressing rooms, including a large sitting room Angela referred to as a Green Room, off of the orchestra area.

“Girls. Over here.” Georgia waved.

Sophie saw Bennett had arrived, dressed in a tunic. It was made for a much shorter person and Bennett appeared mortified as he attempted to stretch the material to cover anything that shouldn’t be showing.

“Oh, that will not do. Not at all. Callista, just look at this. It’s hopeless,” Georgia said.

“Let me try,” Angela said, stepping around Bennett and shaking her head. “The shortness of the front is nothing compared to the shortness of the back. Nice boxers, Bennett.”

“Ha ha ha,” Bennett said. “Nice try, Angela, but I’m not wearing boxers today.”

“Oh my, my, my,” Angela teased. “Hey, Soph, would you like to guess whether Bennett is wearing any underwear at all?”

“Okay, I give,” Bennett said, backing up until his back pressed against the wall. “Can you fix it?”

Angela eyed it and grabbed a front part of the tunic. “Don’t get too excited or you’ll make the hem even shorter,” she said to him with a grin. “See, there’s plenty of material here, but the material is so old I’m concerned it might tear when we try to alter it.”

“Well,” Georgia said. “Bennett can wear his traditional Scotsmen’s kilt and dress jacket. I won’t say I’m not disappointed, but it’s a minor detail we can do away with.”

Bennett slipped into a pair of cargo shorts and lifted the tunic over his head, leaving himself bare-chested.

All five women stared at him as he grabbed the undershirt hanging from his front pocket.

“What?” Bennett said, as the awkward silence continued.

“Okay,” Georgia began. “This is pretty standard protocol. Sophia, you and Angela will enter from the Green Room and descend the staircase. Sophie you’ll be in front and Angela will follow you. Bennett, you will stand at the bottom of the stairs waiting for Sophia to meet you. She will take your arm and you will escort her to meet the representatives of each of the Vasilikós.”

What the heck are we talking about? Why is everyone acting like we’re planning a high school dance?

“Sophia,” Georgia said. “Please pay attention. This part is important. Bennett will present you to each of the Leaders of the Vasilikós. You will curtsy all the way down and stay down until the Leader of the Vasilikós gives you permission to rise. Now, some of the Vasilikós will test you because they can and will make you curtsy a lot longer than the others.”

“Wait one sec,” Sophie interrupted. “We have a real threat of some sort of Olympian out to get me…heck, all of Olympus is out to get everyone in this Vasilikós. You have been branded to spend your afterlife in Hell—”

“The Underworld—” Georgia corrected.

“Unless I’m mistaken,” Sophie arched her eyebrow, “the Underworld isn’t a spa or a bed-and-breakfast, so I’m guessing Hell is pretty close. So everyone I love, everyone important to me, this entire Vasilikós are in danger and yet we’re focusing on whether or not I can hold a curtsy? I’ve got dancing shoes on when I should be wearing combat boots. Are you all insane? Am I the only one who sees this?”

“But you aren’t ready.” Callie said.

“Ready for what?” Sophie asked, no longer bothering to hide her frustration, as her voice became louder in volume. “I’m ready to put my life on the line. I’m ready to walk into a stupid dance with a great big target on my back. What are all of you waiting for? Train me. Teach me how to use my powers. I need to be able to defend myself.”

“Sophia, enough of this.” Georgia said, throwing her hands up in the air. “We don’t have time for this nonsense. Your powers are volatile, unpredictable.”

“Do you want to know what is unpre—”

“Sophie, don’t.” Callie warns.

“Don’t what? Are you kidding me, mom? I saw a pile of dead dogs, branded with Nothos, not even three miles away from here. Something rounded up those poor dogs and slaughtered them. I got their message.”

“I know…I know,” Callie said. “Look, you have to understand what we are stressing about your powers. A new Muse’s powers are developed with time and you haven’t been a Muse long enough to be able to benefit from any sort of training. Your powers have to mature, plus we’re not sure enough of their extent. You are more powerful than you think, and right now, your powers are controlled by your emotions. It isn’t wise to mess around with something like this unless you know what to expect—”

“Then teach me how to trigger them. Does it work if I’m scared, pissed, in love? Something. Anything.”

Georgia walked up to Sophie. “Listen to me, girl. You will do what I say. I don’t have time to explain each and every detail, but understand you will be safe. I will lay down my own life before I let anything happen to you. But for now, you’re going to have to trust me.”

Sophie didn’t know what to do. She wanted to admit the deal she had made with Persephone. She had literally invited the enemy into her home

Wasn’t there something about inviting a god into your home… no, that’s vampires. Wait, I never gave her the invitation. If she doesn’t have an invitation, she can’t get in. But, what about daddy? I have to see him. Shoot, shoot, shoo—

Georgia gripped each side of Sophie’s head. A burst of light was followed by blinding pain and nausea. Sophie yelled out in pain and fell to her knees, unable to catch her breath. When Sophie could breathe again, she wiped the spit from her lips and chin, and looked up at her grandmother. “What have you done to me?”

“I did what was necessary. I always do what is necessary. Your powers are bound, so the issue is no longer about training you to use them. Now, control that mouth of yours, do what is expected of you and leave the rest to us. Is that really too much to ask,
child
?”

Sophie shook her head and glared at Georgia. “You had no—”

“Sophie, that’s enough.” Callie said.

Georgia laughed and forced Sophie onto her feet. She turned Sophie to face the center of the room. “
After
you’ve made it through the other eight Vasilikós, you will come forward and curtsy to me. No need to wait for me to tell you to rise. I will come forward…”

Sophie stopped listening to her grandmother. She concentrated on trying to boil up enough emotions to cause some sort of power burst.

Just a flicker. That’s all I need. A spark and I can work on the rest. Please…just a twinkle.

But the buzzing in her head almost made her feel like vomiting. It was like a mesh wall was separating her from her powers, stopping her from connecting with her core. Instead of retreating from the buzzing, she focused on it, sweat dripped from her forehead and the tip of her nose.

I won’t let her do this to me. I won’t let her control me. I won’t be helpless.

Sophie felt a small hole in the layers of mind fabric holding back her powers. The buzzing was mind splitting. The hole was tiny, the size of the point of a needle. She grew excited. She had done it. She had forced the hole to become bigger.

Boy, Georgia would be so pissed. I am in control. I can do this. I can.

She focused on the hole, while pretending to seem interested in Georgia’s speech. She wedged her will into that small, pinpoint-size hole and could feel the magical weave give way a little, forcing it to widen ever so slightly. Her head pounded so hard, she was sure it was going to explode, but she pushed on, the hole becoming larger, now the size of a tiny piece of candy. Her powers were behind a wall, trying in desperation to reach her. She closed her eyes for a second and opened the hole even wider, now the size of a dime, and much to Sophie’s relief, a spark shot from her right pinky. Exhausted and unable to keep the hole open, it closed up and she opened her eyes.

“Sophia? Are you listening?” Georgia demanded.

“Sounds pretty straight forward,” Sophie said, wiping her face and neck on the towel Angela handed her.

“So relieved to hear,” Georgia said. “Now, let’s start from the top.”

“Let’s,” Sophie said, dropping the towel onto a chair.

My risk. My life. My Vasilikós.

It hit Sophie.

For once, Georgia told the truth. They don’t know how strong my powers will be. She’s underestimated me, like everyone has for all my life. Her spell wasn’t powerful enough to bind me. This will be
my
Vasilikós, not Georgia’s. Mine. Georgia is going to have to get used to me knowing what is best and for now, what Georgia doesn’t know, won’t hurt her. God, it feels so good to have control of something.

After the twenty-fifth time through the process of descending the staircase, curtsying in front of the pretend foreign Vasilikós, including the one that would force her to perform the lethal three-minute curtsy, Sophie was exhausted, but relieved when Georgia said they were done for the evening. Her head was still throbbing, as she continued to sneak moments to force her way through Georgia’s spell and make the tiny spark flicker for a few seconds before snuffing it out. She glanced at her watch, groaning at the time. It was one a.m.

“Now girls and Bennett, rehearsal will begin promptly at nine a.m. I have several other items I need to take care of, so Tammy the librarian will take over for me. Review over and over again the details we have gone over tonight because Tammy has been with our Vasilikós for over two hundred years and she is a stickler for details.” Georgia exited with Callie, party plans in hand.