"I don't know where all this hostility is come from, Mr. Jacobson," Donald said snidely, "but I don't appreciate it and I don't think anyone else does here either."
"It's coming from you trying to underhand my girl, who also happens to be your leader. I can't see where you have the authority to tell her what she can and can't do. You have to let her do what she was sent here for."
"Donald, enough," Peter said, the Champion in his voice clear. "Caleb is right and I'm not just saying that because he happens to be my son. We were all as star struck by Maggie as you all were when we found out about who she was. She doesn't only deserve your respect, but your allegiance. Not to Maggie, but what she stands for. You can no longer pretend to still be the link that holds us all together, Donald. Give her the records."
"Yes, Donald," Lucius said harshly, "and shame on you for speaking to the Visionary in such as way."
Donald looked around and saw that the tables had turned. I could see it in his face. He thought his long years of 'service' would win him the vote over anything we said, but insulting the Visionary was apparently going too far. I tried not to take it personally that they were all worried about the Visionary and not me.
"Clearly, there has been a misunderstanding." He steepled his hands in front of him against his chest. "I am merely trying to wake the Visionary up!" He laughed. "She's been a meek, silent watcher since she arrived. I wanted to stir up something to bring out her fierceness," he growled and shook a fist as he grinned as if in triumphant. "And it worked! Look at her!" He smiled affectionately at me. "We've waited many years to see that spark. Thank you, Visionary, for coming back and taking your rightful place among our people."
And then worst thing that I could have imagined took place. Everyone stood up and clapped and bowed to me. I smiled and bowed in return, but I knew then that this was now a game. And I needed to understand all the rules before I could play.
Donald was using me for something, and I needed to figure out for what, first thing. But for now, I played my part; the sweet, but spunky, Visionary.
~~~
They eventually settled down and wanted to start their last traditional game before lunch. The game was the Rat Race and I was prepared to be touched by every man in the room who was in search of his significant.
All the men who'd imprinted were corralled into the middle of the room and the ladies stood on the outside. I still thought this was silly. I mean, guys had to know what their wife smelled like and what her hands felt like, right?
But I was wrong.
Once they were charmed and all their senses were stripped, they were like blind mice looking for a whole in the wall. I watched as several of them tried to decide which set of hands was their wife's. There were only two people who weren't married; Caleb and Kyle.
A couple got them right, most got them wrong, but no one came down my way as of yet. When it was an older guy's turn, he seemed to walk right to me. He turned his arm as if beckoning me instead of trying to find me. His family crest was a half a black raindrop, or blood drop. The Watsons. When our skin touched, I had a vision and felt stupid for not knowing that every guy who touched me would have a vision.
His vision was hazy. It fought me and I actually had to focus to see what it was. But I felt an urgency - a need - to see this vision. So I grabbed onto his hand and held on. He tried to pull away which made me want to see it more. What was he hiding?
I heard my name being called, and then gasps and noises of surprise. Then I felt a familiar warm hand on my elbow and knew that Caleb had joined me. His touch seemed to give me the extra oomph I needed and the vision became clearer and in real time.
I saw flowers and a sidewalk. I saw and felt a man's footsteps as he made his way down the path. He waved to a mailman with a flick of his fingers and then went around a kid on a bike. He stood in the grass and watched as another man rang a doorbell on a house.
It was a dark haired man in a black leather jacket with a blue dragon on the back…and he was standing outside of my house.
The vision was torn from me with a roar. I saw the man standing away from me, holding his hand like I'd burned him, which I did, or he burned me rather with an offense mark.
"What were you doing outside of my house?" I asked calmly, though I was anything but calm on the inside. I held my hand to my chest and didn't even think about the offense mark. This guy was at my house!
"I wanted to see where the Visionary lived," he answered slowly and stood taller. Marla came to stand beside him and soothed him with pats on his arm.
"Don't go to my house again," I said. "That's not even my house anymore, and my father has nothing to do with this."
"Understood, Visionary," Marla said dramatically and over-bowed. "He only meant to pay homage, I'm sure."
"Doubtful," Caleb refuted behind me, his hand still wrapped around my wrist. "Stay away from that house, and stay away from Maggie."
"Of course," Marla dragged out sweetly and batted her eyelashes at him. "We're not in the habit of disobeying the ones who rule us." She turned to her minion. "Are we, Gaston?"
"Nope," he replied curtly and glared at me.
"There! All better," Marla soothed and took Gaston's arm. "We'll be on our way."
I watched her leave with a burning coal in my stomach. What was she up to?
Caleb turned me to him and I felt the offense mark sizzle away as he held on to me. I realized no one had seen the mark but Caleb.Donald must have sensed that this round of the games was over and he called everyone to order. Then he explained how it was time for my pregnancy test, very loudly and unnecessarily.
I wondered if this was a diversion. Were they trying to keep me from barging into the Caleb's trial by preoccupied? Once again, I couldn't say I wasn't going to take the test because that'd make me look guilty.
"Come on," I told Caleb. "They can't have your trial if you're not here, right?" I started to drag him with me, but he stopped me.
"We aren't allowed at our own trials, Maggie. I'm coming with you, but that won't stop them if they're trying to deflect attention from that to you."
"Well…I still want you to come with me."
He scoffed, "Of course I'm coming with you."
I smiled. "Of course. Come on."
He apparently knew where he was going. He took us down several hallways before we came to a plain white door that was marked 'Infirmary'.
He tapped on the door and then it opened to reveal Sikes' wife; the woman who took my blood when they kidnapped me. She didn't look ill, or mentally unstable from grief. In fact, she looked way too happy. I heard her in my mind.
Thank the good Lord…
"Maggie," she sighed and seemed to be relieved. "I'm glad you're alright. Come in." But she stopped Caleb. "Not you."
"I'm coming-" he started, but she moved to the side to show that she wasn't alone. There was a man there, not a Watson though. I caught something in his mind about being an unbiased chaperone and figured that Gran had probably insisted someone other than a Watson be present.
"The assembly is very thorough," she said dryly. "I'll be finished in no time."
Caleb ran one hand through his hair angrily and watched me as she closed the door. I sat on the bed as there was no use in fighting.
She eased onto the bed next to me and reached across to the bedside table. I looked away.
"I remember your hating needles." She smiled as if there was no history between us. "I'll make it as painless as it was last time."
"Yeah," I said sarcastically. "The last time you took my blood and gave it to them."
"Circumstances are the same as they were then. I am a Watson, that can't be changed even if my husband is no longer alive," she said softly and glanced up at my face for a split second.
I thought about what she said. I thought about what she'd done and where she came from. I remembered that she'd said she was human, and her touch wouldn't hurt me like the others who wished me harm. I remembered that Caleb didn't know about her being human…
"How come the other clans don't know that you were a human?"
"Because Sikes didn't want them to know, and Sikes always got his way. Always," she said and I heard the bitterness in her voice.
Her fingers touched me and I jerked from the cold of her skin. She apologized in a whisper as she guided the needle expertly into my skin. She was good at it, and it didn't hurt too badly, but that didn't mean that I didn't feel it this time.
I winced and Caleb stuck his head inside the door. "Everything alright in here?"
"Yes, prince," my guard said sarcastically as he crossed his arms in the corner. "A needle stick isn't supposed to feel like cherries in springtime."
I snorted a laugh. Caleb raised his eyebrow at me with a twist to his lips. "I’m ok, I promise," I told him.
He nodded reluctantly and backed out.
I turned to look at her, but the needle was still pulling my life from me so I swallowed the bile and turned my head again. "You're taking an awful lot," I mused. "Seems strange to take so much for one blood test."
"Honey, you know I'm not doing a pregnancy test."
I jerked my gaze to her, surprised by her candor. "You're not?"
"Marla wants more of your blood, and I am bound to do what she says."
"And why is that?" I asked and looked at the guard who stood silently. He never looked our way, though I knew he could hear us. "Why would you even tell me all of this?"