She comes up to me and hands over the bottle. It’s vanilla-flavored Ensure—a meal replacement drink. My stomach rumbles, so I uncap the Ensure and take a swig. I must really be ravenous because the drink tastes more like a delicious milkshake than a bland mix of corn maltodextrin and lecithin.
“Why am I on a liquid diet?” I ask after swallowing another sip.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t eat before the Rite at all,” Gaius says, and Ariel gives him a narrow-eyed stare.
“Why?” I take another gulp and give each of them a worried look. “Does it hurt?”
“She can’t comment on that.” He points at Ariel. “But I can.”
He stands there looking smug, clearly determined to make me sweat.
I take another sip in order to show that I don’t care either way, but my heart rate is increasing. There’s only so
