Chapter 1 - The Weight of the Emerald
The smell of heavy, vintage powder and stale peppermint flooded the air.
A thick, leather-gloved palm slammed flat against the bottom half of the young woman’s face.
The impact pushed her bottom lip violently against her front teeth.
A massive green stone, set in a jagged gold ring, dug directly into her right cheekbone.
The skin beneath the stone turned instantly white, then a bruised, pulsing purple.
She thrust her right arm forward.
Her fingers splayed wide, grabbing at the empty, humid air.
The light beige fabric of her dress, patterned with faded, intricate floral prints, pulled taut across her left shoulder.
The seam at the collarbone popped with a sharp, synthetic snap.
Behind her, the older woman did not flinch.
Her high, heavily rouged cheekbones remained perfectly motionless beneath a towering, lacquered blonde updo.
She wore a dark red jacket.
Thick gold embroidery crawled across the crimson fabric like metallic ivy.
"Dad!"
The word was completely deformed.
It was crushed into a wet, suffocating gurgle against the leather glove.
Saliva pooled around the green stone.
"Swallow it."
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The older woman’s voice was a dry, rasping hiss, vibrating directly against the back of the young woman’s neck.
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