Page 4 - My FlipBook

ELIZABETH T AMMI

up. I’ve already stared too long. I focus ahead, pushing through
a cluster of olive trees. I hold the branches back for Kahina, but
she still won’t meet my eyes. Her hair is shorter and coarser
than mine, tied behind her neck in a tight bun. She wears a long,
white chiton that hangs almost down to her ankles. Suddenly
self-conscious, I pull down the hem of mine, which only cuts
halfway down my thighs.
Once the palace is in sight, Kahina stops abruptly. “Well.
There’s your palace. Enjoy your suite.”
The words seem kind enough, but nothing in her voice does.
I falter, turning back to stare at her. My neck tingles with a timid
feeling of familiarity—but it’s gone before I can pin it down. I
don’t want to annoy her, but I also don’t want her to leave. As
distant as she seems, she’s the closest thing I have to a friend
here, which is disheartening. I’m not sure where my father’s
gone off to, and Phelix has been mostly silent. He whispered a
brief, confusing introduction to me when I first got out of the
carriage after days of awkward silence riding through Greece
with my father. Then a man with a kind smile leaned down,
whispering, Hello, sister. And Father said nothing about it.
There are so many people in Arkadia. At least, compared
to the life I’ve known. But as Kahina turns to leave, I feel as
lonely as when I had to leave the hunters who raised me.
“Wait,” I say, reaching for her arm. She jerks it away, glaring
up at me—she’s a good deal shorter than I am, though I’m sure
she’s average for female height. “I . . . I don’t even know what’s
going on. A welcome banquet? Where do I—”
Kahina sighs, cutting me off. “Fine. Follow me.”
Even though she said she’s only been here for a day, she
seems quite confident as she strides past me. She clutches at
the skirts of her dress, then bounds up the marble steps that

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