"But Maggie is human," he argued.
"No, sir, she's not," Caleb admonished softly. My father's eyes grew weary.
"Dad, you're dealing with a…government almost. You have to think about it like that. The original council made all these laws and these people have followed them for a very long time. They aren't a bad people, but they've been a little misguided and change after so long is not easy to swallow. We haven't even really started to break any of that down yet. Just don't judge them yet, ok?"
He held up his hands and shook his head. He wasn't happy, but felt there was nothing he could say. That would have to do. Bish emerged from the bathroom. "Are we really going to be stuck in this room?""No," I answered. "But you have to be quiet for a while. When we got out there, you can't bark off your sarcasm and be…yourself."
"Oh, come on," he complained.
"I'm serious, Bish. You can't defend me. That's Caleb's job and he knows how much he can say. They will just see you speaking up as disrespect. Please, Bish."
"Fine," he grumbled. "You don’t want my help, fine."
Caleb opened the door. "Well, let's go before Donald sends the guards down here." He took my hand and led us down the hall.
"Guards?" I heard my dad mutter from behind us. I looked back to see Dad was in between Jen and Bish. I took a deep breath as we entered the room. Donald was causing a ruckus with the council members in a corner while everyone else wondered what was going on.
Everyone stopped and gasped. No one moved a muscle, just watched us as we entered and made our way to the center. I decided it was time for them to see me as the Visionary, for real. I gripped Caleb's hand tighter, closed my eyes, and began to show them everything. I saw the energy ribbons in the air and knew that the visions played out above me for all to see.
I showed them how Caleb and I met, how sweet and loving his family was to me, how I was scared and so very human in the beginning. How Marcus had messed with me in my dreams and then kidnapped me from the beach. I showed them all the things that the Watsons did to me at the compound and in the well, then my rescue. I showed them us in California when Marcus cut my hair, when the Watsons scared people into trying to steal my blood for them. I showed them Marla coming to the club and seeing is in the alley and then what happened when we went home to Caleb's and was met by the guys on motorcycles. Then Caleb getting shot before we had to defend ourselves and us killing them. Then Sikes and the Watsons holding everyone at Uncle Ken's and scaring little Maria with the fire. Then one of the Watsons stabbing Sikes and killing him before begging for mercy. Our flight here, what Marla said to me at the entrance when we came in, what the council said to me when I tried to stop them from putting Caleb in a cell, what happened with my father with the note and the gas. And lastly, what Caleb had gone through to make sure my dad and Bish got here safely. Then we were back in the present and everyone stood, in stunned catatonics.
I stepped forward a little, but stopped. I realized I'd left the part about my being Visionary out. I'd tried to show them a couple of times, but something always stopped me. Too late now, I had to finish this. "Now you see why I had to bring them here. My dad and brother have nothing to do with this, but the Watsons are refusing to let them be. I left him behind in Tennessee, but they won't leave him alone. I'm sorry, I'm not trying to stomp on your laws or traditions, but I didn't know what else to do."
"He knows about us?" A woman stepped forward. "He knows about our kind?"
"I told him," Peter said loudly as him and Rachel moved to stand beside us. "With the unique situation, I thought it was best. The imprints had been dormant for a long time and for Caleb to imprint with a human had to mean something."
"How could the Watsons do this?" someone yelled. "How could they do this?"
"She wasn't the Visionary then," someone else reasoned.
"Yes, she was. Didn't you see?"
They all started yelling at once, and though it sounded like they were angry at us, they weren't. They were appalled at the Watsons. I watched Marla and saw her gulp as her plan crumbled. She looked at Donald who glared at her and rolled his eyes.
She ran forward, pushing people out of the way to stand near us. "That was all Sikes," she yelled. "If you saw, I tried to help them in the alley that night."
"But you said she was standing in your way," someone said. They stepped forward a little and I saw that it was Jonathan. "You said you planned to raise your family back to power."
"I was mad, ok? That didn't mean I meant to hurt her. We've done nothing but be nice and calm since we got here!" she shrieked.
"It was you who poisoned her!" Paulo's wife said and gripped her chest with her horror. "You tried to kill our Visionary, right here in front of us all."
"No, I didn't!" She looked back at Donald. "Donald, help!"
His face took on a different expression as I watched him. He pinched his chin and looked around the room as chaos ensued. Everyone was yelling back and forth and though Marla was shrieking, you couldn't hear her over the others.
Donald nodded his head to Gaston who stepped forward and a clap of thunder rang out through the room. So, that was his ability. Marla was right, their powers stunk. What could you do with thunder?
"Alright!" Donald boomed and held his hands up. "Alright. Now, I know what Marla did wasn't right, but no laws were broken-"
"No laws were broken? And was this man dealt with for killing the Champion of his clan?" the woman pointed to the man who had stabbed Sikes.
"Well, I have taken over honorary Champion duties until another one can be appointed," Donald informed with an air of regality.
"Donald," Peter addressed formerly, "breaking rules are you? The Champion can't be a council member, remember?"
"Well, there's no one else," he said in defense.
"It doesn't matter. The law is the law. There are plenty of eligible men who can take your place on the council if you wish to step down and assume the Champion role."
"No! Never!" Donald yelled, his face the color of tomatoes.
"Then you must appoint someone to be the Champion of your clan," Peter told him, looking thoroughly intrigued with where things had gone.
"There's no one to handle that job, either," Donald grumbled.
"Well, I'm afraid that you've disqualified yourself," Peter continued and I started to see the light in people's eyes as they got his meaning. "By breaking the law of only holding one office at a time, and admitting it in front of other council members, you are hereby disqualified as a council member and the Watson clan must appoint a new member to represent them.""Watch yourself, Peter," he threatened.
Peter just laughed. "You did this to yourself. You can't be a hypocrite and a leader." Donald lunged as if to run for Peter, but several other members stopped him as Peter went on. "Now, we must deal with appointing a new council member before moving on with Maggie's father and brother."
"I suggest myself as council member," Marla said and smiled, smoothing her hair as if that alone redeemed her. She gave Donald a snippy look as he stalked passed her.
"Not on your life," Marcus sneered.
A man who put a hand on Marcus' shoulder spoke next. I assumed he was his father. "I appoint Haddock Watson as council member. All in favor, say aye."
"Aye," the Watsons said behind Marla and she boiled. Marcus waited until everyone else had voted and then said, "Aye."
"Marcus, you little traitor!" Marla yelled.
"Some things are bigger than you, sis," he growled and she crossed her arms like a sullen child.
"Great," Paulo announced. "Haddock, come forward."
A man stepped forward from the back of the group. I'd never seen him before and he looked as if he was very good at blending in. He looked right at me, even as he ascended the stairs to the council table. I couldn't read his thoughts, of course, but his eyes had something familiar in them and I felt instantly intrigued. He sat and finally removed his gaze from me. Caleb put his arm around my waist and leaned into me. "Here we go," he whispered.
"Alright," Paulo started and motioned for the other council members to join him. Gran squeezed my arm she went by. "Now, Visionary, I'm sorry, but once again this matter concerns you therefore you are not eligible to vote." I nodded my understanding to him and he went on. "Now, we know that there has never been humans in the palace before as it's our sacred place to live, work, and convene. However…"
"Paulo, no. It's doesn't matter!" Donald said from off to the side.
"It does, actually. We can't pick and choose which laws to follow." Paulo cleared his throat. "There is no specific law against a human being here. This is what the law reads." He slipped on a pair of small reading glasses from the table and squinted at a page in a large red leather book that I hadn't even noticed was there. "There shall be no one, not of our kind or knowledge, allowed through the entranceway of our people. This is a sacred journey of pride and acknowledgement of the way and keeping of our people. Now." He took his reading glasses off. "The entranceway of our people refers to the stairwell through the cottage which was carved by the hands of our ancestors. A burden they took with pride and acknowledgment of the sacrifice for the greater good, for us to have a place free from persecution and fear of being ourselves. We were all here and I know that you did not bring the humans through the entranceway, Caleb, we would have seen." Caleb nodded and I heard the thoughts in his mind. These people and their loopholes.