Gomez'

nd the campf

ed-eyes wide, practically

oncerning the Prophet," I con

lived by these two rules. At l

ce in the circle before landing on Holden. He

rectly at the Prophet. Never look at her fa

ck veil. The way it fluttered slightly hinted at the horrors hidden ben

u must never mention her name to ou

assed down through generations. Th

erstood why

nocent little girl. It was the first time I

t incense, masking a sickeningly sweet, rotting odor. The lig

and full o

t, frail figure draped in silk robes. Her face

cannot resist curiosity. I reached out a t

l. Her hand clamped down on my arm, yank

heart hammeri

orcing me to bow my h

upward, she began whispering frantic prayers. I stared at the censer. The embers flickered

ace twisted i

dripping with suppressed terror. "You defied th

barely scraping by, let alone having extra cash to burn for a god. My mothe

ht another piece of wood, my chi

y planted in my mother's eyes. I wanted answers. I wanted to prov

foresee the future, predict harvests, and ward off evil. The townsf

ther's calloused hands and her hollow eyes. W

I whispered, "why can't you he

ade, not a lingering trail of smoke, but a sharp, instantane

ser, my heart pounding against my ribs. Through the

ck silk, someth

ong hands grabbed me, roughly

ce barked. "Are never

rgue. She just gripped me tightly, h

dull, defeated eyes were now ablaze wi

e shook me. "W

grasp and ran. I ran

where a group of older boys blocked m

red. "Chloe, did you see her eyes?

in his hand. "Tell us what you saw, Chloe. Just tel

more money than I had ev