Chapter One

Chapter One

T he evening sun bounces in through the window and reflects off the small mirror I'm trying to do my makeup in. I groan and move to the left to try and block some of it. Today is too important for me to mess this up.

My stomach churns as I think about the Day of Choosing tomorrow. No matter what I do, I can't get my mind off the upcoming ceremony or what it means to my life. After it, I'll know which temple I'll be serving in, the only thing up for debate is whether it'll be one of the gods themselves who choose me, or if it'll be the administrative priests choosing based on the test scores I got at school. I'm not sure which of the two options scares me the most, and the only thing I'm certain of is that my life is going to change.

I sigh and try to focus on my reflection. I shouldn't dwell on it too much. No matter what the outcome is, it's already set in stone.

All I hope is that whatever happens, I don't end up disappointing my family.

I banish the thoughts and focus my attention back on my makeup. Tomorrow might be scary, but I have a formal dinner with my parents and siblings to get through first.

"Hey, little sis."

I jump, surprised to find Benipe leaning against my open door even though I know he's lurking around. "You should be glad I wasn't using kohl or I'd have poked my eye out."

"Now that I'd have paid to see," he responds. "Isn't it my duty to keep my little sister on her toes?"

"I'm ten minutes younger than you," I remind him.

"Which is still younger," he points out.

I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to the mirror.

"Nervous about tomorrow?" he asks.

"Obviously. And don't tell me you're not, I can see through your fake cheer."

He sighs and drops down onto my bed without a single care for the outfit laid out there.

"Don't wrinkle that, it's for tomorrow," I say.

"So, did you save your best outfit for the Day of Choosing, or are you wearing it for family dinner?"

"Obviously I'm wearing it to family dinner," I respond, gesturing down at my current dress.

"Mmm, wouldn't want to disappoint Mum and Dad before tomorrow. That's going to be bad enough."

"We're not going to disappoint Mum and Dad," I say, putting my eyeliner down and moving over to my jewellery box.

"Really? So you think they'll be fine if you don't come home Blessed?" he asks, voicing the question that's been going around in my head all day.

"They'll be disappointed, but they'll get used to it. Rashida and Kashto are already Blessed. What's the chances of them having four Blessed children?"

"Yes, by Isis and Osiris. You know that's going to mean they expect us to be Blessed too. And probably by Seth and Nephthys."

"I hope we're not. They'll be insufferable." I dread to think of the amount of pressure that will be put on us if that does happen. It's not that I don't want to serve Nephthys, more that I don't want to feel like I'm on a path laid out for me by my parents. Though they'll claim it's the doing of the gods.

"You know it's going to happen, little sister."

"I know you're annoying enough that the god of chaos will want you," I mutter, sliding one of my rings onto my right hand and studying it to decide whether it's the correct choice for tonight.

"You know as well as I do that Seth is more than just a god of chaos. He's also the god of foreigners, storms, and the desert," he corrects me in a way that only proves I'm right.

"Not many deserts in London," I point out.

"Lots of storms though," Ben responds brightly.

I finish putting on my jewels and turn around. "So? Do I look presentable for dinner with the foremost Nut and Geb Blessed couple in London?"

"Weird way to talk about our parents. But sure."

"It's not and you know it."

He grimaces. "Fair point. Do you think being insufferably in love is part of the requirements for being Nut and Geb Blessed?"

I shrug. "If it is, that's one less Blessing you have to worry about tomorrow."

"And you? Are you harbouring a secret boyfriend you haven't told me about yet?" he teases.

Without meaning to, my thoughts stray to his best friend. Though Mesu is more like both of our friends, it's just that he met Ben first. I push the thought aside. There's nothing between us, it's just a silly crush on my part and will vanish as soon as we're both busy with our new jobs.

"Huh, you surprise me, Shoshan."

"How so?" I smooth down my dress, freeing it from the last of the wrinkles.

"You haven't denied it." He grins widely.

"There's nothing to deny," I say. "You know I'm not seeing anyone. We spend loads of time together."

"There are ways to be sneaky," he responds. "Though I'll agree that it's unlikely you'd actually be able to keep a secret from me, that much is true."

I roll my eyes. "Come on, we should get downstairs before we get in trouble."

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that, Rash has already said she's going to be late. She's busy on top-secret Temple of Isis stuff."

I snort. "You would believe that. She's on a date and doesn't want Mum to know about her girlfriend yet."

"Huh, I wonder why she didn't tell me that."

"Probably because she thinks you'll bring it up in the middle of dinner," I say.

"Well, now you mention it..."

"Ben, no," I say firmly. "And if you don't do it because of affection, at least do it in case you might need Rashida to cover for you someday."

"Fair point." He finally gets off the bed and straightens out his kilt. "Shall we?"

I glance towards the stairs and let out a frustrated sigh. "I guess so." Honestly, a formal family dinner is the last thing I want, but I know there's no way around it with the Day of Choosing tomorrow. I just hope that I get some kind of placement at a temple because I need to get out of this house.