You Are Mine (Mine #1)
Janeal Falor
For Lori
Not only an amazing critique partner,
but the truest friend.
Chapter One
My blood will entice warlocks to ask for my hand in marriage, so of course Father wants it spilled. The sooner the magic within it is measured, the sooner he can sell me off. According to the laws of Chardonia, there's no escaping it. For me that day has come.
From the way Father's bulky frame lounges on the couch in the men's waiting area as he casually smokes his pipe, one would think my testing doesn't matter. I suppose it doesn't, as long as I have enough magic to make him a beneficial connection. The greater the level of magic flowing in my veins, the better the marriage offer will be. And of course, whatever my owner wants, I must deliver. Only, I can't control how much magic is in my blood.
I shift my weight trying not to think about things I can't change, but it's hard to think of anything else as I stand in the cramped women's corner of the testing center. A soft tut sounds from mother. If anyone has reason to be uncomfortable in this cramped corner, it's her. Eight months pregnant with sweat glistening through her white face paint, though the spring day is just beginning to warm. Too many other women are crowded about waiting with their daughters. Her eyes don't lift to mine, instead staying properly focused on the ground. From the set of her mouth, the lecture about my fidgeting will come when we're home. After I've brought her favorite food to help pacify her a bit.
Keeping my head bowed, I sneak another glance at the men. They're carrying on like men do, with ample space to spread themselves across couches and chairs throughout the plush waiting room, lit by windows that don't stretch to our side of the room. Father is smoking a pipe and motioning for a glass of wine as he laughs at something the warlock next to him has said. He must not have noticed my fidgeting. His ignorance of it will make it easier to appease mother during her lecture. But it's hard to care about possibly getting out of punishment when this morning he demanded I come on the day of my eligibility instead of waiting a year or two like most.
There's movement in the hall across, disrupting my thoughts. All of us girls waiting by our mothers strain forward. They must be as eager as I am to be the next one called. Not to be one step closer to marriage, but to be done with this place. In truth, I am probably the only one eager to be away from here. While the other girls are truly eager to wed and take the only role society allows them, I've had to force enthusiasm. The role of a warlock producer holds no appeal. It's a role mother's failed at—fourteen times—with me being her first mistake. I eye her rounded belly. Maybe this time will be different. Highly unlikely. Not that I'd ever admit it aloud. I'm a mistake enough without being wholly foolish.
Someone steps out of the hall. I lower my gaze to the wooden floor. Today is not a day for getting caught sneaking glances.
“Stephen's daughter.”
For once, I wish they'd call me by name. It's not as if Serena is hard to say. I bunch my hands together, but quickly take a step forward, leaving mother and the others behind. Why did I want it to be my turn so desperately only a moment ago? My heart quivers as I near the hall, moving closer to the unknown. Keeping my strides steady, I fight the overwhelming desire to run. My request to Father this morning not to get tested was not only rejected, but my cheek still aches from the punishment delivered for asking. If I publicly defied Father, worse is sure to follow. Not only for me, but for my sisters.
By the time I get to the hall, the man is already striding away. I manage to keep pace with him, feet making barely a sound, head bowed. But each step is harder to take. Each movement taking me closer to the unknown and farther from what little freedom I have.
When he abruptly stops, a squeak of fear almost escapes me as I barely stop myself from running into him. He ushers me inside a tiny room with a grunt. A single wooden chair is the room's only occupant. Otherwise its blank white walls are lit by the strange glow of a single electric blub.
He flips the light off and slams the door, leaving me in darkness. There's no stopping the frightened squeak, but I am strong enough to keep myself from opening the door. Being left in the dark is one thing I hate about being a woman. I never wish I had been born a boy more than when I'm left in the dark. Boys are never left alone in the dark. And certainly not for days. At least this time it shouldn't be that long. They wouldn't want to keep Father waiting.
I reach out until I feel the back of the chair. Once I'm sure of its position, I lower myself onto it. My body refuses to relax, remembering when tiny paws crawled over my feet in the cellar. No matter. Girls aren't allowed to relax anyway. Not unless heavy with what may be a warlock.
The one thing I can do is close my eyes and hum the little tune Bethany sings the younger girls when they're frightened. The humming stays silent, playing only in my head. There would be more punishment if I got caught humming. It's just as well. Bethany may sound as sweet as a bird, but I'm worse than an old frog.
How long will they keep me here? They could have at least sent mother with me, since she has nowhere else to go. She could stand in one of these corners as well as a corner out there. Did she sit in the same room when she was tested? I wish she would have told me more on the carriage ride here. She only said that I need to have a lot of magic in my blood to be of any worth. My head aches under the tightness of my bun.