57: Queen Of Dawn: The Saga

ALAINA

“What the—”

It fell out of my mouth, heavy, strained— right before my voice dissipated into nothing, fading into the chaotic noise from the kids running around.

It was me. My name on the banner.

I tried to blink the shock away, only to see it renewed the moment my vision cleared out. Like clockwork, I turned to Lorraine who had my exact expression mirroring hers.

“Is that…you?” She enunciated in a breathy whisper and my head propped forward twice, a hasty nod. “Y-you're public? You…on a fucking banner?”

Was she really asking me? I shifted my attention back to the damn thing with my mouth ajar. It was really me.

My stomach bubbled with something. I didn't know either. It was hard to tell what you were feeling when your mind juggled a variety of emotions. But if there was one I recognized so well, it was shock.

I was shocked stupid, almost out of my damn pants. It wasn't just any banner, it was the biggest one in the entire building, at the very front of this magnificent place.