The Atlantis Bloodline by C.A. Gray

Author:C.A. Gray [Gray, C.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: C.A. Gray

Miss Reginald/Edwards:

Your presence is cordially requested at the 1851st annual Elioud Ball

to be held at

Poseidon’s Temple, Corvo Island

on the evening of Saturday, March 14

At 6:30 pm, local time.

Formal dress is required.

This ticket will serve as both transportation and admission on the day of the ball.

Place your thumbprint here () to RSVP.

I dropped the invitation like a hot potato when I read the last line. Did just handling the paper alert them to my presence somehow, even if I didn’t put my thumb in the correct spot?

“They know,” I whispered. “They know I’m still here.”

“Who?” came Esme’s sharp voice as she closed the front door, just back from her walk.

I dared not touch the invite again, but gestured at it with my head where it lay on the table. She read it, and waved her hand in the air.

“Oh, you know what this means, don’t you? My father’s been snooping around, and found out you haven’t been in school and you quit your job. But he didn’t see a moving truck. This is just a ploy to find out if you still live here at all. He’s hoping you’ll be a complete moron and you’ll RSVP to tell him…” she trailed off, and looked at me sharply. “You didn’t. Right?”

“Of course not! But I opened it, and I handled the paper—”

Esme shook her head, to my great relief. “That’s not how it works. Father can’t make a special invite just for you—there’s a whole committee for the ball that does these, and the enchantment is the same for all of them. He just made sure he delivered yours himself, I’ll bet, since he knew it was your birthday today.”

“Let’s burn it,” I shuddered, staring at the offensive thing like it was alive.

“No!” Esme lunged toward me, as if I were about to do it right then. “You can’t destroy an enchanted object by natural means. I don’t know what would happen if you tried, but I wouldn’t want to find out. Don’t throw it away either; I wouldn’t put it past Father to be sifting through our trash. Just stick it in a drawer somewhere and try to forget about it.”

I nodded, shaking, as Father looked from Esme to me. He slid the chocolate cake towards her and raised his eyebrows. She gave him a tight smile, and grabbed a plate and a serving knife.

“Don’t mind if I do. Thanks.”

I looked up presently as Esme ate in silence, my little pile of presents and wrapping paper lying forgotten on the table beside me. Absently I put on the earrings Papa had bought for me, and took his hand. He squeezed mine back.

I looked at Esme and Papa in turn. “What are we gonna do?”

“Do?” Papa repeated. “About what?”

“Well, I can’t go back to school, and I quit the Coffee Stop, but I know we need extra money for rent, so—”

Papa frowned and said, “Why can’t you go back to school, Ada?” just as Esme waved her fork in the air and said, “Don’t worry about money, I gotcha covered.

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