Defiance (Significance #3)(24)

"And you won't see her without me. Walk on, Marcus," he growled that Jacobson signature growl. I felt a weird sense of pride.
Marcus laughed. "You gonna fight me right here in the hall?"
"Are you going to leave?" Rodney asked and pulled me behind him just a little.
"What do you say, little human?" He smiled, and it was evil. "Do you want to spend a little alone time with me?"
"I've spent enough alone time with you, I think," I spouted, remembering the kidnapping and the cell I was in. "Was all that really you, or were you just following orders?"
"All me, baby." He grinned. "I say we do a little round two, now that Sikes isn't here to spoil my fun."
"He was your uncle…don't you care at all that he died?"
He scoffed. "Sikes was out for himself, he always was. He tried to pretend that he wanted to help, but he didn't. He used me and my whole family to get what he wanted."
"And what was that?"
"You show me yours, I'll show you mine." He laughed. "Fair's fair." Rodney arched up at Marcus and he jumped back to avoid him. Then he scowled and started down the hall again. "Just because I want you dead doesn't mean we can't be friends, little human," he yelled and laughed.
"That guy…" Rodney said and fumed. "What a-"
"I'm fine. I am hungry though. Marcus is nothing new."
He tried the whole ladies first bit, but I wanted to wait as long as I could for Caleb. It didn't take much persuasion for Rodney to start piling his plate. I counted eight when he walked by. "Eight?" I said incredulously. 
"I'm guarding the future of our race," he said and grinned. "A guy's got to keep his strength up."
I scoffed at him and laughed. I decided to go ahead and go through the line. Two banana pancakes were plenty and I picked up a cup of coffee as well and turned to face the room. Everybody's thoughts hit me at once. Some had heard about my 'jail break' from their signficants. They weren't sure what to make of me. They knew I was to be feared and respected, but the scales were out on which one would be the dominate response to me. I didn't want to be feared. So, I made my way toward them.
I saw the Jacobsons sitting all together and I knew it would be so easy to sit down and have a comfortable breakfast, but I needed to start letting these people see me for who I was.
I felt like the new kid a lunchtime. Everyone eyeballed me, wondering if I'd pick their table to sit at since it was obvious I was looking for a place to park it.
A few looked at me like a judge and thought I was fashion challenged and plain. Some thought I looked like a typical American; like I knew everything and was completely spoiled. Some thought I was fascinating. A few looked at me hopefully, they wanted me to sit there, but I was on a mission. And I found it. Paulo, the councilman who sometimes spoke up when Donald was out of line, was sitting with his family and I saw a seat at the end. "Hi. Do you mind if I sit here?"
Paulo looked seriously confused, but waved his hand for me to proceed.
"Visionary," he addressed me. "I trust you slept well.
"I slept well, yes. And I know that you know I broke Caleb out of the cell. I also know that you know that my bedroom is charmed and that even though Caleb and I were together last night, we were both in withdrawal this morning."
His mouth was wide when I looked back to him. I smiled at him and the entire table who had stopped chewing to gawk at me.
"It's ok," I told them and laughed silently. "I just wanted to get it all out in the open. Now we start with a clean slate. I'm Maggie."
Some of them relaxed a little, but a couple of them couldn't seem to take their eyes off of my Visionary mark.
I took the woman's hand next to me. "Do you mind if I see your crest? I've only seen the Jacobson's." That was a small lie, but she didn't know that.
She turned her arm over and I saw that it was half of a rose bud outlined in black as they all were. The name around the edge said Paulo, and I smiled at him. "The rose is very pretty."
"Thank you," she answered in her accent and looked at Paulo funny before settling her gaze on me. "How's your breakfast?"
"Oh, it's great," I said casually and looked around. "So what's a dignitary luncheon?"
"It's the one day of the year where the council serves us," someone answered and earned a glare from Paulo. "I mean serves us lunch. Of course, they serve us every day."
"So you live here," I asked Paulo and then to his wife, "and you?"
"Yes," she answered softly. "We live here year round."
"And you have children?" I already knew she had 2 boys, but needed to make small talk."
"Yes," she answered again and looked over 2 teenagers sitting beside each other. I saw in her mind the guilt, the heartache, the misery. I didn't understand where that was coming from so I dug deeper. She missed her children, but why… I almost gasped when the answered appeared to me in her thoughts. The children weren't allowed to live there with them. Only the council member and their significant were permitted. These people only saw their own children once a year. I dug further, because I didn't understand her misery. If she chose that, then why be so upset about it?It was the one rift between her husband and her. She had to be with him to survive, and vice versa, but he was just as dedicated to his people. Or so he thought. He thought that doing what the council had done for centuries was the best way he could serve his people. Gran was the only council member ever to not live in the palace, she's also been with the only one without a significant, but Donald has assured them that she would only cause trouble there.
See, that boiled my blood. If you're going to be such a stickler about the rules, then be one. But being so strict to a fault about the laws and then turning around and saying this one's alright to break because they didn't want the hassle just made them all hypocrites.
I pushed back those feelings and focused. She was sad and so was he. Paulo felt like a failure to his family because for a stupid law that refused to let his children reside at the palace with them, he let his children live with family. He made a choice to be a council member, knowing that every person who was had to make some sacrifices. But he was also a brave man as well. He knew that if it wasn't him, someone else would be chosen and they be in as much pain as him. He felt he was strong, he felt he was able to withstand the task and all the consequences. But he was still wading in guilt, everyday.
I looked around the room at the council members as they ate. All of their stories were the same. Split families broken for political bargains. But it wasn't any of their faults, really. They were doing what they thought was right.
"I'm sorry, can you tell me where the original laws are written? I'd really like to read them over," I said and Paulo raised his eyebrow to me. "Well, if I'm going to be joining the council, I need to know the boundaries, right?"
He smiled at that, his thoughts confirming that the smile was genuine. "They are locked away in the library. I'll get someone to get them to you soon."
"The library?" I asked, remembering the little room I'd been in. "Is there a bigger one somewhere else that I don't know about?"
His eyebrow shot up further. "You've been in the library?"
Oops. Crap. Dang. "Um…"
"There is only one library. I've never even been to it, it's so old and unused and out of the way. But I'm sure I can get someone to pick up the scrolls for you."
"Scrolls?"
"Yes, scrolls." He smirked. "They didn't have Sharpies and fancy letterhead back then."
"Oh, yeah," I mumbled. "Yeah." 
"Don’t talk to the Visionary that way," Paulo's wife scolded in a hiss. He looked back at me differently.
"I'm so sorry, Visionary. You just seem so…"
"Normal?" I supplied and smiled. "It's because I am." I scoffed. "I'm not scorn you or make you go blind just for talking to me."
The table erupted in laughter. Hey, if they thought I was hilarious, that was peachy with me, but I didn't get my own joke apparently.
Paulo wiped his eyes and laughed through his explanation. "That's my ability, Visionary. Making people go blind! You hit the nail right on the head!"
He roared his laughter and I joined in even though I tried to fight it. Everyone in the room watched us with amusement. It was open season after that. Everyone was eager to ask me questions about being the Visionary, and about imprinting with Caleb. A few dreamy eyed girls at the end of the table fell all over themselves through that story with their sighs and wistful looks, but all in all it was a good meet and greet.
And that was how Caleb found me.
Fifteen
"You seem to be a hit," he muttered from behind me and I'd been so wrapped up in conversation, I hadn't even realized he was there. I stood and accepted his arm around my waist.
"Thank you, Visionary, for so humbling humoring us," Paulo said, sensing my departure.
"No, no," I refuted, "I'm thankful to you all for letting me be myself. If you ever have something you want to talk about or ask or…anything, you can come to me."
Everyone looked around at each other and then Paulo nodded to me. "You are…a most extraordinary woman, if you don't mind my saying so."
I blushed and shook my head. "Thank you."