"A secret's worth
Depends on the people
from whom it must be kept."
I swallowed as I waited for someone to at least call my number, despite being afraid of dying, I was more afraid of being abandoned.
And the voice in my head taunting me didn't help matters.
Why can't you just be quiet for once, you're distracting me from the game.
What's the use of listening, no one has picked your number yet. It chuckled. Maybe you're gonna die here.
I rolled my eyes. I looked around for any familiar face and smiled when I saw Genevieve. At least Kemi is making money.
Someone call my number dammit.
"Narrate the story of goddess Laeta."
"227."
Finally! I stood up in elation before my brain registered the question.
Oh Laeta, oh no..no...no.
I was in big trouble, really big trouble.
The academy didn't tell mortals the story of how their goddess came to be.
I was gonna die, I was going to die answering questions.
The voice cackled loudly.
Really! Is this funny? I said I'm gonna die and you find it funny? Remember you said if I died you cease to exist.
Yes, so you should be rest assured I won't let you die. Now start with this—
"Goddess Laeta, daughter of Raida and Damodi The earth and sky Gods. she choose to love and accept Immortals the way they are and because of this she was banished from both kingdom's.
"She sought refuge with the quintessence and together they planned to overthrow her parents.
They succeeded and together they created the sun for the day and the moon for the night and the stars to bring lighting up the sky, she granted gifts to the immortals, giving them dominion over all elements and then the quintessence seeing how well and honorably they used it, gave them the gift of magic.
"Every kingdom saw what they could do and started worshipping them."
I hoped I was right.
"That sounded like the textbook version." The host said. "Correct!"
Oh good, I sighed out my nervousness, even though it felt like cheating, I wasn't feeling bad about it.
"Two points!"
Four more points to go.
★★★
"If your number wasn't called and you didn't win any bonus points please stand."
29 girls stood up, resigned to their fate.
"The quintessence releases it's hold on you." The host said softly.
The girls burst into tears and they disappeared one after the other.
I didn't know if it was tears of joy? I doubted it was.
★★★
"The second part of the question is Art!"
Oh great, another bullshit in form of trials.
"Please pick up the pen—" I picked up my pen. "—You have five minutes to draw the royal families distress call."
Oh shit, this couldn't get worse, I was more bad at drawing than maths.
Okay, this is the time to make a great revelation about how good at drawing you are and help me.
The voice perked up, I could feel the dark humor.
I know how to draw, but you would have to let me be in control of your hand.
I bit my lip. Only my hand?
Yes. It answered to quickly for me to be sure. I swear by Laeta, Only your hand.
★★★
Location: The Void
"I sense a break in her resolve." The voice said. "She's desperate."
Another snorted. "Not that desperate to give you full control."
The voice bared it's teeth. "At least I'm not the one stuck with an immortal who thinks he's larger than life."
Another snorted. "At least he gives me full control, I don't have to pretend, beg or manipulate, but you do, don't you and still yet you get nothing."
The voice laughed. "Yours only let you have control when he wants to run from the nightmares in his heart, he doesn't speak to you nor treat you like an equal, he only sees you as a burden, an itch at the back of his mind he can't get rid of and is still trying to, at least mine is resigned to her fate."
"She hides you, she hides this side of her, it's not resignation, it's fear.."
★★★
I wondered if I was making a mistake by agreeing to this, but I didn't want to die because I couldn't draw a distress call, and I didn't know if the quintessence was also going to release more people.
The time is counting fire bird, TikTok TikTok.
Only my hand? I asked again.
Yes.
Okay, so how am I supposed to let you have control of my hand?
Make it so.
What?
Imagine that I have control over you.
Uh, uh, only control of my hand.
It sighed, Yes.
I breathed out and imagined someone controlling my hand.
Immediately my hand started moving on its own.
I stared at it, fascinated, even when I tried resisting just to see if I could stop it. I couldn't.
This feels like cheating. I said to the voice as I continued staring at my hand moving on the paper.
The voice scoffed. It's not cheating, technically You're the one drawing.
Technically. I agree, it's my hand on the paper but it's not me moving it.
My hand stopped.
I am you.
What?
My hand resumed drawing.
Tell me what you meant. But of course, the stupid voice had went quiet.