Free Chosen by Kristen Day Page B

her throat.
                  “Stasia, Willow, this is Christina and Dorien.  They are fellow Tydes and current students at Eventide,” she introduced us cordially.“They’ve come to assist you.”
                  “Nice to meet you,” I greeted them, grateful they were no longer staring holes into my head.  Willow and I took a seat on the couch and I did my own staring.  Christina oozed of Greek descent, with her shiny black hair that fell past her shoulders and flawless dark skin.  Most impressive were her exotic crystal green eyes, which only enhanced her beauty.  Skinny jeans that stopped just above high heeled sandals and a bright pink tank top showed off her thin figure and long legs. 
                  Dorien, on the other hand was the picture of an ideal Greek man.  He reminded me of a bodyguard - at almost seven feet tall, his biceps had to be the size of my head.  His features were just as dark as Christina’s, but with large, chocolate brown eyes. Despite his size, his movements were surprisingly fluid. He had on dark jeans, flip flops, and a plain blue v-neck shirt that emphasized his muscular build.  He nodded respectfully at me and then Willow as they both sat back down on the couch.  Christina’s green eyes became fixed on me again.
                  “You look so…normal,” she sputtered out nervously.  Phoebe giggled from the other room and Willow stifled a laugh beside me.  I couldn’t tell if she sounded disappointed or surprised, but if she was expecting a toga and crown of leaves she’d been watching too many movies. 
                  “That’s because she hasn’t put on her spandex super-goddess suit yet,” Ricker scoffed. “She looks exactly like that Blue Man group - you should stick around for it.  It’s really something to see.” Christina dipped her head in an attempt to hide her now-flushed face.  I shot Ricker a punishing stare, but he just smiled with renewed audacity and disappeared into Carmen’s room.
                  “That’s Ricker.  We don’t let him out in public very often, Christina,” I came back loudly enough for Ricker to hear. Christina grinned, but Dorien’s face became distorted with suspicion and animosity.  I noticed that his dark eyes veered towards hostility as he glared at the door of Carmen’s room for several seconds.
                  “Please call me Tina – and yes, we had the pleasure of meeting him yesterday.” Tina attempted sarcasm that was slightly muted by her shy smile.  I was having trouble understanding why I made her so nervous.  I was just…me.  And I could attest to the fact that I was nothing worth being anxious about.
                  Dorien finally came to life next to her. “We’ll be escorting you to the Gathering of the Nereids this morning, which will begin at 10:00am.  You’re expected to arrive thirty minutes early to get ready,” he announced in a robotic voice that made me wonder if it was possible for him to fully come to life.  Then my heart plummeted to my feet as I realized the implications of his words.
                  “I can’t go anywhere this morning!” I defaulted to Natasha for backup.  Her mouth was set in a hard line. “We have to bring Finn back!  I need to go to the Underworld!” 
                  “You must entrust Charon and I to find him and bring him back, dear.  You must attend the gathering,” she instructed diplomatically.
                  “I’m tired of people telling me what to do!” I stood and walked into the center of the room, my irritation rising. “You know she’s torturing him! I can’t go to the gathering while she’s ripping his soul apart!” Tina shrank back in her seat in response to my outrage, but Dorien shot to his feet and moved in my direction with distrust masking his features.  Charon appeared behind me and his