Page 123 of Vervain

As Nora grabs the card, her shoulder jerks and her body tenses. My hands flex, and I take an awkward step back as she turns her head slightly. Intense brown eyes study me, her frown deepening.

“Something wrong?” the woman says.

Nora looks away and slides the card into her pocket. “I’m actually tired. Even though Reynel isn’t far, there were a lot of nightwalkers. Can I sleep first?”

“Sure…” She points to the lift beside the church. “Use that one.”

“Cool.” Nora salutes and saunters away, her hands shaking and her body shivering as if a spider had crawled up her back.

“Next!” Shit. I stand opposite the receptionist, and her dull blue eyes settle on me. “Name?”

I open my mouth, only to choke on air.

She rolls her eyes and says, “Number, if you don’t remember your name, Feeder.”

“Zero-zero-eight,” I murmur.

The keyboard clacks as she types in the numbers, her focus still piercing me. “Padbury settlement is full, and we can’t take humans there. Tomorrow, the bus will take you to the compound in Padbury. You will stay there for a few days until the bus to Sylvar arrives. A slayer will take you to the settlement there.”

“Okay…”

I jump when the static blips screech into my sensitive ears. Those piercing blue eyes turn away from me as she reaches for the thin piece of bendable plastic that comes from the machine beside her. She slides it towards me. “Put that on. If it breaks, we will be alerted, so don’t even try, Feeder.”

“What’s it for?” I wrap the plastic around my wrist, like the children are wearing.

“Easier to know who you are and where you’re going without us bothering to talk to you,” she says nonchalantly. “Next!”

The woman drops a plastic bag on the counter, and as I grab it, I point to the church and ask, “Can I?”

She lets out a huff of laughter. “You still cling to the idea of Mother.” The woman waves her hand as if to shoo away a fly. “Go, and when you are done, enter the lift and scan your barcode. It will take you to where you will sleep tonight.”

With the bag in hand, I leave before she can question me further and head to the church. The wooden doors creak, and the cathedral’s brightness vanishes, painting the room in warm browns and reds.

There is a dense smell coming from the room. Dust, old wood from the long chairs on either side of the row, incense, and a powdery lavender that clings to the back of my throat.

The tall windows blaze with fiery colours. The black, red, and orange tiles flame up purple vervain across every window. My heart contracts, but before my mind can wander too into its meaning, I focus ahead.

A man in a white, buttoned-up coat, reminiscent of what doctors looked like before Mother’s fall, sits on the stage before the podium. As the doors tremble shut, he looks up from his phone. Tired brown eyes, dark circles beneath them, meet mine.

“I’d like to pray,” I say, hoping I sound convincing.

He rises and tucks his phone into his pocket. “You’re the first person I’ve seen in days to come in here. Where are you from, girl?”

The man called me a person. He is human, at least I think.

“Darkovish Feeding Ground,” I say, as I set the bag on the seat and smooth my gown. The dagger feels heavy against my flesh.

“Ah, explains a lot. A few others who came from the dawning, a little over a week ago, did the same. You must have seen a lot, eh?” He turns away from me and heads up the stairs. “Will you be heading to Sylvar?”

“Yeah…”

“Good. Good. Lots to learn.”

As I raise my gown, I follow him, my steps quiet and my fingers quick as I draw the dagger from its holder. Take the shot. Take it, take it, take it. For Cole.

For. Cole!

Any guilt that could fester dissipates like mist. I’ve killed for him before. This makes no difference.