Free Stolen by Ella James Page A

heck they were Candidates for .
She hated not knowing anything. Then she realized she hadn’t thought about Cayne for…how long? An hour?
She was chewing her lip over that when Nathan dismissed them. Naturally, she had no idea what she was supposed to do, but that’s when Meredith grabbed her hand.
“We’re not doing Lesson,” she said. “Nathan wants to be sure that you’re okay, so we’re just going to do Tasks.”
“Okay.”
“You look bad.”
“Well thanks.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.” Meredith lowered her voice. “We’ll talk later.”
Nathan was next in line, and it was alarming to see that he actually looked concerned. “Julia, did Dizzy talk to you?”
She nodded.
“Do you usually have seizures?”
“Seizures?” Her stomach flipped. “No, never.”
“I think you should go to the infirmary. Meredith can take you. Once you check out, she can show you Tasks.”
Meredith’s eyes widened at Nathan’s suggestion, but she recovered quickly, said “Will do, chief,” and steered Julia away.
Julia glanced behind her to catch Nathan staring.
     
     

 
     
    Chapter 10
     
 
She felt edgy and off-kilter, and it only got worse as she and Meredith crossed the wide room. The Commons was almost empty at this time of day; except for Chosen cleaning the floors with what looked like balls of neon light and the occasional passerby, it was just Julia, Meredith, and a scattered collection of statues.
It didn’t take a “ senser ” to get that something was wrong. And it wasn’t just Julia’s freak-out.
Finally they reached a small stairwell tucked below an awning-like stone that jutted out from an area of the wall. Meredith motioned Julia forward, her pretty face cut by the thin line of her lips. When they descended into a little cove with yet another mural of celestial fighting, Meredith grabbed Julia’s wrist and nodded at the wall.
“Is that the infirmary?”
Meredith shook her head. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes, Jack.” The other girl didn’t get the lame Titanic reference, which was probably for the best. Somewhat reluctantly, Julia Floated. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in… “A sauna?”
The walls were made of salt-stained cedar and lined with worn wood benches and chairs. The round red bulb in the ceiling was turned off, and the glittering blue embers from an in-floor pit filled the room with a warm glow.
“Yep, this is one of the secret places for the Bishops. Drew showed it to me.”
“Is he a Bishop? I thought he was a Candidate, but I didn’t see him today.”
“No, he’s a Shepherd. He just knew about it. He wasn’t there today because he has a migraine. Or so he said. Anyway…” Meredith leaned close. “We needed to get out of sight—so we can really talk. Can you tell me what happened?”
“Maybe.”
Meredith looked at her expectantly.
“I’m sorry. It’s just…this is trippy. I don’t even want to be here and—” She was surprised to hear her voice crack. Meredith bit the edge of her lip. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset.”
Julia shook her head, got herself together. “You’re the least of my worries.” When Meredith didn’t say anything back, Julia brought her hands together, picking at her fingernails.
“I started seeing auras. But it was…I dunno. Overpowering.” She exhaled. “It wasn’t a seizure. It was like…a volcano. Of auras.”
Meredith nodded. “How did you feel before you passed out?”
“I could see everything. Everyone. I mean, their auras.”
“What did Dizzy say to you?”
Freaky . “How did you know she said anything?”
Meredith rolled her eyes. “I can’t help it.”
“She asked what else could I do. Besides what I do, with the auras and healing. She seemed to think there was something more, but I told her nothing. Then she said that she’s The One.”
Meredith laughed, a harsh, dry sound. “That little ho.”
“I think…there’s something wrong with her. She made me