After everyone dispersed, Luminous whispered something in his father’s ear. Then, his father tenderly touched the side of his face as he murmured something back, and both of them briefly glanced in my direction as I started to leave the dining hall. In a rush, I made my way to my room, arriving breathless.

  I shut the door forcefully and leaned against it, unable to contain the surge of emotions. I wept for the mercy I witnessed toward Pauline, yet mourned the tragedy that shrouded Lillian’s soul. It was all too overwhelming to bear. I found myself pleading with God for an escape, even though I knew that a way out already existed. Patience was my only course; I had to trust in Jesus and His word. I couldn’t act based on what I saw or felt. These people were intimately acquainted with the malevolent designs, far more than I. My focus had to be on the plans of righteousness while acknowledging the existence of sinister intentions.

  I paced my room relentlessly until my legs ached. Theodores had mentioned that six more were coming. I needed to discern the significance of this and determine if there was anything I could do to prevent it. According to Douglas, six women had been impregnated by six men, and the babies were slated for sacrifice. Was this what he meant by, ‘Six are coming’?

  What month was it? School had almost ended. I pressed my hands against my head, delving into my thoughts. If we had a week remaining in school, I had spent two days in the cargo and one day here, making today the third day. School ended on the twenty-fifth. Today was the twenty-first of May. If they were conceived in March, the fetuses would be three months along by June.

  My eyes widened in realization, and I vocalized my plea, “When is the sacrifice? Jesus, when is the sacrifice?”

  A sharp knock on the door startled me. Had an hour passed already? It felt like I’d only just arrived in my room. I glanced at the door, took a breath, and then opened it.

  The servant who’d escorted me to my room led me to what I assumed was Theodore’s office. Time here seemed to stretch indefinitely, and I could only imagine how long the weeks must feel. As I followed behind the servant, I noticed scales in the eyes of those who passed me, as though they were lenses made from a mermaid’s fin, distributed to the people as contacts.

  Some appeared visibly distressed, much like Douglas. Then there were others who seemed to have forgotten what the outside world looked like as if this enclosed space was their entire existence — a dreadful fate.

  The keeper guided me down a lengthy corridor until we reached a grand, arched white door. The knobs were adorned with lion statues and flecks of gold.

  “Go inside,” the keeper instructed.

  I complied, stepping into the room. I’d anticipated a dark and foreboding atmosphere, but to my surprise, it exuded an earthly charm. The walls were made of white clay with a brown square trim which matched the wooden floor, and a substantial chandelier hung overhead. To my right, a large open arched window offered a magnificent view, while to my left, a large library stood, complete with a spiral staircase.

  I positioned myself in the center of the white circle rug and looked around in awe at the room’s beauty, even though the aura reeked of malevolence. It was akin to an elvish cathedral.

  Suddenly, a bird’s chirp resonated through the room. I followed the sound and discovered bird cages hanging above me. I wondered how the servants managed to reach them for cleaning. As I gazed upwards, I noticed a second floor to my left, connected to the extensive bookcase. Pillars supported the floor, all linked by the spiral staircase. The atmosphere was tranquil, easy to breathe in, until I jolted at the sudden sound of a voice, asking a question.

  “Why do you want it, favor?” his voice, familiar yet unseen. “Do you really think that will save you?” he questioned.

  If my assumption was correct, he was referring to what I desired — the bible. I parted my lips slightly and inquired, “How did you know?”

  Rather than offering a direct answer, he posed another question, “Do you truly believe we cannot see the light in your eyes? Or feel the change in the room’s atmosphere when you enter?”

  That was unexpected. I nodded, pressing my lips together before asserting, “It’s the only thing I’m asking for.”

  He chuckled under his breath, and suddenly, he materialized on the stairs, perched on the top step. “It’s yours,” he declared.

  “Really?”

  He gave a confirming nod. “Whatever a favor desires, a favor shall receive.”

  “For what reason?” I clenched my jaw, mindful that everything came at a cost. “I haven’t done anything.”

  “Must there always be a reason?” He stood and moved to the stairwell. Sliding down it, he hopped off near the end, landing on his feet. Advancing toward me, his arms swayed at his sides. “Everything you see in this room is yours.”

  I furrowed my brows. This couldn’t be real. “I don’t want it.”

  “Your bed will be brought shortly, as will your clothing from Jace. Any other requests?”

  “I request an answer.”

  “Your answer will come after you follow me.” He exited the room, leaving me feeling as though I had no choice but to follow.

  Once outside, we made our way to the far end of the castle. When we reached the door labeled ‘Theodore’s’, I was certain this was his office. Luminous opened the door, and I entered, taking a seat in front of Theodore. Luminous perched on the windowsill.

  The place was just as I’d imagined. The air felt stale, with dust particles dancing in the sunlight. Two red oak bookcases stood behind his desk, and the walls were painted a dark green. His aged red oak desk was positioned in the center, cluttered with books, scrolls, a lamp, and a pot of black ink.

  He sat there, penning something, but I didn’t pry into whom he was writing to. He grumbled under his breath, and after setting down his pen, he folded the paper. He summoned a keeper, issuing instructions I couldn’t quite catch, then, the keeper departed.

  The door clicked, making me inwardly jump. Theodore folded his hands and cleared his throat before asking, “Do you approve of your new room?”

  “It’s beautiful,” I answered in a low, somber tone. “But it isn’t home …”

  “Home is anywhere you are.”

  “Not to me,” I said, “home is my family.”

  He opened his hands and smiled. “We are family.”

  I blew through my nose. He didn’t want me to beg him to let me go home. “Anything you ask, you say.”

  He nodded.

  “I want a bible, and I want Chad and Douglas to become favors.”

  Luminous scoffed under his breath. He stared out the window.

  Theodore sighed, saying, “Can I ask why?”

  “They can’t ? ugh. They aren’t strong enough to handle what they’ve been given.”

  “They seem fine to me,” Luminous chimed in.

  “But they’re not. Please …”

  “You do realize what you are asking?” Luminous said, “if they both become favors, Father, we will have to bring in one more brother.”

  Theodore rubbed his head in thought before he asked me, “Can you live with the consequences?”

  I pressed my lips together more forcefully as I dug my nails into the palms of my hands. I didn’t want this to happen at all; the place was going to fall apart anyway. I blinked, thinking, whatever happened to that one boy would weigh on my heart because of my request. I gritted my teeth together and started to twirl my fingers subconsciously. I had to make a choice, to either choose Chad or Douglas.

  “Douglas.” I couldn’t get that night on the roof out of my head.

  “All right,” Theodore said, “Douglas will become a favor.”

  I felt somewhat relieved because I knew Douglas, although he wouldn’t be completely free, wouldn’t have to face what he’d been enduring anymore. I made a promise to him, and by the grace of my Lord, Jesus, I was able to use my favor for him. My heart broke for Chad, though.

  “Why do you have favors?” I asked. “What purpose are we to you?”

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  He opened a drawer, then placed a smoking pipe on his desk as he answered. “Favors are the best kinds of people here. They are the heart of this castle.” He filled his pipe with tobacco as he continued unraveling my question. “Once the heart is pulled, everything dies. So, as long as the heart beats upon the pedestal, then everything else follows.” He smoked the tobacco cheerfully, saying, “Life continues, beautiful things manifest, and the treasures never stop.”

  My eyes widened when I remembered my first steps into this place. By the look of it, the formality, and how they spoke to you, didn’t betray any sense of malevolence. But it was all a facade. Favors were the beating hearts on the pedestal. Could it be a metaphor, or was there an actual heart on a pedestal somewhere?

  I asked, “How old are you?”

  “I am fifty. However, I've been diagnosed with RSV. Do you know what that does?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Only a little.”

  “What you walked into was a promised healing being fulfilled.” He glanced into my eyes; I could see a gloss over them. “However, it is temporary. This disease that I have will never stop attacking the host until it has won. You slowly weaken, pain starts to ripple within your bones and major organs begin to shut down, until it stops the beating heart.” He inhaled as he tilted his head to the side. “Death will always come. I, however, intend to delay it, and that is with the help of my dear favors.”

  “What I saw is impossible ...”

  “What you saw is real.” He set his pipe down and got up as I heard a keeper step inside the room. “I urge you to take the gift and realize that this place can be comforting if you keep your curious mind unguarded. No harm will come to you as long as you comply.” He walked to me and placed his hand on my shoulder.

  To his touch, my body trembled inside. It was cold, bony, and dark. It was as if the disease had already taken him, and his vessel was being used by someone else. The only thing I sensed was emptiness. He removed his hand, then walked out of the room. I sat there for a second, registering everything he’d said until Luminous got off the windowsill.

  He asked, “Did you get the knowledge you were seeking?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know what he means by favors being the heart of this place.”

  He stared at me like he was replaying the answer in his mind. “Don’t take what he says literal favor. Take it as a compliment. He speaks in riddles.”

  Hearts on a pedestal. It shook my core as I thought about it. “That didn’t sound like riddles to me.”

  He just looked at me with a smirk.

  “Why are you …” I asked, “around me? I thought I bothered you.”

  He walked up to me and leaned into my ear as he whispered, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. The moment I find you to no longer be a threat, you will bore me.” He straightened, then walked to the door but before he left, he put his hand on the knob and said, “Then, you will find out what it means.” He slid his hand off the door and walked away.

  What the actual heck? I took a deep breath in and exhaled with my eyes closed before I got up. Unable to keep my restlessness in, I brought my hands to my head and squeezed it. Ugh, Maddy, pull it together. It was a metaphor, surely, it was a flipping metaphor. I shrugged my shoulders thinking to myself, great God, my heart will be on a pedestal. Which means, so will Pauline’s. I gasped. And Douglas’s. No, no, they can’t do that. I walked down the hall and into the foyer, where many people were passing by. Now would be a great time to get us out, Lord.

  I decided, since I would be here until the Lord said otherwise, I would get a further glimpse of what the outside looked like. I opened the front door, and the sunlight momentarily blinded me. I put my hand over my face before feeling the tickles of warmth cover my entire body. I lowered my hand and started to walk the cobblestone path that led to the community. It seemed like a small cottage town you would find in the outskirts of England’s cities.

  I heard livestock of many kinds. Pigs, cows, lambs, horses, and even peacocks. I stopped to see the peacock walk the stone, and every few seconds it would peck the stone, then raise its feathers. You are so beautiful! I knelt and observed it further until the sound of music coming from within the middle of the community filled my ears. I got up and continued to look around. Keepers and some servants were laughing, drinking, and eating.

  The closer I got to the music, which sounded like lyres, I began to see people swaying to it. They swayed before the idol of Baal that was placed in the middle of the community.

  Instantly, my heart caved, and the beauty of this place fled. The wind made the hanging instruments cry, and suddenly, some of the bulbs from the hanging lights, busted by hitting the other. I heard several small gasps before they reverted their eyes to me. I continued to examine the surroundings, even though I was the new face. I wondered if they treated Pauline or Chad the way they treated me.

  I didn’t enter any of the buildings; however, I did stop at a stall which reminded me of LA. The stall had several necklaces and earrings, rings, and knickknacks that piqued my interest.

  I ran my hand across them, and as I admired the jewels, I heard a small voice within me tell me to pick the red stoned necklace. As I reached for it, I was stopped by the person watching the stall.

  “Excuse me,” she said, her tone firm, “what do you think you’re doing?”

  I blinked, feeling a bit overwhelmed. “I am sorry, are these not for sale?”

  “They are. Where is the quid?”

  “Quid?”

  “Yes, the money?”

  “Oh, um. I don’t have any just yet.”

  “Then you cannot buy it. Go on!” she said, plucking the necklace off the stand. “Go away.”

  That is odd, I thought. I swore, I felt a pull to pick it.

  “D-d-do you want it?”

  I turned around to see Douglas behind me. In his hand, he had a satchel.

  “Oh, it is beautiful, but,” I shrugged my shoulders, “I can’t buy it. I have no money.”

  “How m-much is the necklace, Jules?” he asked.

  “It’s twelve quid, Douglas. However, to you, since you are a favor now, it’s for free.”

  “T-t-thank you, Jules. By t-t-the way, M-Madeline, is a favor.”

  Her eyes enlarged, and she quickly exclaimed. “Oh, my gosh. I am so sorry, here!” She handed it to me and pleaded. “You will have mercy on me?”

  I was stunned. Why would I need to give mercy to you? I held my hand up, “Woah, it’s okay. You’re fine.” I looked down at the necklace before I glanced at her. “Thank you, though. Have a great day.”

  Douglas waved at her before I continued to walk through the community.

  “Y-y-you look a little lost. C-can I join you?”

  I nodded with a smile. “Of course, you can.”

  As we walked along the stone path, I couldn’t help but wonder why she would be so afraid of a favor, even to the extent of asking for mercy.

  “T-t-thank you for, m-making me a favor.”

  I nodded. “It wasn’t me, it was the Lord, Douglas.”

  “W-w-well, thank Him for me.”

  “I will.”

  I glimpsed at Douglas, then reverted my eyes forward. I hesitated, biting my lip before I asked him about what bothered me. “Why was she so afraid of me once she found out I was a favor?”

  He lowered his voice. “The favor who died. S-s-she was mean. She used her p-power to cause harm unintentionally.”

  “Oh,” I said, and creased my brows, looking at my feet as we walked. “I see. I mean, Theodore said that we could have anything we asked for.” I looked up at the sky, capturing the beauty of its blue vastness. “She asked for the pain of others?”

  He nodded.

  “I don’t understand it, Douglas. People get murdered here, and no one bats an eye. People just move on to the next thing and - ” I sighed, saying in anguish, “That’s not normal.”

  “N-n-nothing is n-normal about t-t-this place.”

  “I mean, everyone here …”

  “Is b-blind.”

  “Yeah.” Suddenly, an image of empty jars came to my mind like a picture. I knew the Lord was telling me something. I glanced around the area and asked, “Do you know where we can find empty jars?”

  He nodded, then said, “C-come on.”

  We walked to a secluded area that was toward the back of a shop. To the side, several plastic clear jars were stocked on a shelf. I wondered why there were so many until I saw jars of jelly.

  “We can just take them?” I asked.

  “Yup,” he said, “we do it all t-the t-time.”

  As we grabbed the jars, I saw a couple of bags. “We might want to take this too, so we can carry them?”

  As soon as we put them in the bag, we continued to walk. We didn’t speak until I asked him where the water source was. We stopped at the main riverine, where I looked at the necklace and felt the metal in my hands.

  “The blindness will change,” I said. I knelt and put my hand in the water, feeling its current tickle my fingers. With my other hand, I let go of the necklace and watched as it fluttered down to the bed of the water.

  “W-what did y-you do t-that for?” Douglas exclaimed as his eyes grew wide. He bent down and tried swooping it out.

  I grabbed his shoulder. “Don’t, leave it there.” I didn’t know what He was planning, but I knew I had to trust Him.

  “I thought y-y-you wanted it.”

  I took the jars and started to fill them with water as I ignored him. I thanked Elohim above for His provisions and closed my eyes, softly thinking of the blood of Jesus, the sacrificial blood.

  “Madeline.”

  I swiftly looked at him and handed him a couple of jars. “Be sparingly with them. You will need them.”

  “What for?”

  “We will see, Douglas.”

  After filling the several jars I had, I pulled the strap over my arm and headed back to the castle. The sun was lowering, and I knew we needed to be present for dinner.

  Before we reached the front doors. I saw Sas and Tauriel. They were stopping people from coming in and patting people down.

  I heard Douglas start to breathe faster as he clutched his bag strap tighter. I leaned to him and whispered, “Tell them the truth, it’s for our chambers when we get thirsty.”

  We stepped up to them, and they patted us down before looking into our bags.

  “What is this for?” Sas demanded.

  “It is f-fo?.”

  “I wasn’t t-t-talking to you, D-D-Douglas,” she said, mocking him. She looked at me, sarcastically asking, “What is it for, favor?”

  I pursed my lips, sweetly saying, “It’s for when we get thirsty in our chambers.”

  She stared at me silently, then, she pushed the bag against my chest and grabbed my arm, pulling me closer. “I am watching you. You may act sweet, favor, but I see behind your eyes, I know who you really are.”

  “Who’s that?” I quipped. She clenched her teeth, then shoved me away. I began to walk away from her, but because of how she thought she could treat me, I wasn’t having it anymore. “Touch me like that again, and,” I said, “well, as you know, favors always get what they want.”

  She stared at me with a hard swallow, then, she spat, “Dinner is ready.”

  We walked inside and Douglas and I separated. He headed to his room to hide the water, as did I. I didn’t walk to the room that was gifted to me. I walked to the first chamber I was assigned to. Feeling an eerie presence lingering around me, I quickened my pace, clutching my bag as if it held the most coveted treasure.

  At last, I halted at my doorstep, eagerly reaching for the doorknob, only to find it frustratingly locked. “What on earth?” I muttered to myself, attempting to turn the knob once more, but it remained immovable. Exasperation washed over me. “This is absurd,” I grumbled, running my fingers through my hair before pivoting on my heel.

  It seemed I’d arrived at the enigmatic chamber of mysteries. Placing a hand on my forehead as if gauging for a fever, I let out a sigh before heading in its direction. When I reached the entrance, I slowly pushed open the door and scanned the room cautiously. To my surprise, it appeared empty.

  My gaze was drawn to the grand window, revealing a bed tucked beneath the second-story floor. I rushed toward it, shoving the bag of water deep into the corner before regaining my footing. My knees felt sore as I sat on the bed, and I suddenly became aware of an object beneath me. Lifting my rear, I retrieved the mysterious item which was wrapped in a brown paper bag with a golden ribbon. Attached to it was a note. With intrigue, I opened the note’s flap and read the words: “Favors get what the heart desires.”

  I tore the paper away to unveil a bible. Confusion wrinkled my brow, and I cradled it against my chest as if it were a cherished stuffed animal. A sense of relief washed over me, and I gazed at the book anew. “Thank you, Lord,” I whispered, my gratitude resonating in the quiet room. “Thank you ...”