Defiance (Significance #3)(32)

"No, sir. I brought them in through the south entrance, near the greenhouse, and we entered through the roof."
"Then I see no law broken. With that being said, there is a law against telling humans what we are," he said and it seemed that he didn’t even want to say the words.
"That was all me," I blurted. "I couldn't lose them and I-"
"Maggie," Peter said and looked at me. He smiled. "It's alright."
I shook my head. "You don't have to."
"Yes, I do." He looked back at Paulo. "I was the one who told Jim about our kind. I was the one who told him what I was and what had happened to Maggie."
"But I was the one who told Bish, my brother," I insisted, determined that Peter not take all the blame.
"Thank you for your honesty, Visionary, but if you had told your father as well there would be no problem." I squinted in confusion before remembering the law right before he spoke it. "This Visionary is granted clemency. Peter, however, is not." He looked at Peter sadly. "You know what happens."
"No," Caleb said as he read Paulo's thoughts through me. Peter had to step down as Champion for punishment.
"No, don't," I said, though it was no use. Peter had already acknowledged the law and got down on one knee.
"I resign as Champion of the Jacobsons, and as punishment, I know I'm not allowed to appoint my successor."
"Jacobsons," Paulo said loudly. "Who will you appoint as your new leader?"
It's all falling into place, Maggie. You're doing great.
I held my breath and tried to block the voice out, then heard the resounding thoughts around us. Caleb stiffened right before Gran yelled clearly and with as much conviction as I'd ever heard, "Caleb."
Nineteen
"Caleb!" Rodney yelled.
"Caleb," Jen followed along with Uncle Ken and everyone else. Caleb stood in horror. How could he take something from his father like that? How could he just accept something that his father loved and found so much pride in?
"Caleb," Peter said, but he wasn't voting, he was calling his son. Caleb's gazed obedient jerked to Peter's. "It's alright, son."
"How can it be alright?"
"Everything happens for a reason. It was meant to be this way; this day, this reason, this cause, this way."
"I can't, Dad."
"Yes, you can," Peter told him harder. "Caleb, did you really think that you imprinted on the Visionary of our people and that you would sit back on the sidelines?"
"No…no, I didn't think that, I just…"
"I'm still here. We're still here as a family. You just call the shots now," Peter said and grinned. "It's what you always wanted when you were little anyway."Caleb didn't laugh at the joke and I bit my lip as I listened to Caleb's inner tirade with himself. I needed to do something, so I rubbed my hand against his back. He looked over at me instantly.
Is this real? Are we sleeping somewhere and I just haven't figured it out yet?
I shook my head. Your family believes in you, just like I do. Who do you think they would have chosen if they'd waited until later to choose? I always knew it would be you one day.
He smiled a twisted smile. Really? Or are you just saying that now?
Really. You pushed me when I fought being the Visionary, now I'm pushing you. Do it, babe. Your Dad's right, you were so made for this.
You're going to make me kiss you in front of all these people.
I giggled silently. He turned to the council. My eyes shot around nervously when I realized that Caleb wasn't embarrassed about that conversation with his dad in front of all those people. They didn’t hide anything from anybody; they were like one huge family. Ups and downs and all.
"I accept," Caleb's voice told the council in his deep rumble that meant he was serious and full of all kinds of emotion.
"Give him the object, Peter," Paulo told him and waited.
Peter walked from Rachel's grasp and came to Caleb. There was some unspoken boundary that even I realized and I stepped back to give them a minute to themselves and I shut my mind. Peter put his hand on Caleb's shoulder and spoke something low to him. Caleb nodded and held out his palm. Peter put something small, but apparently significant into Caleb's waiting palm. I could see the emotion sweep over him and he slipped it into his pocket without another word.
"It is done," Paulo announced. "The rights to the Jacobsons now rest in your hands, Caleb." Caleb nodded once and then jumped a little when his family started to clap. He looked at them and smiled bashfully before beckoning me back to him with outstretched fingers.
"Now," Paulo began again and I wondered if he was now the designated spokesperson. "We must address the issue of what to do with the Visionary's father and brother."
I squeezed Caleb's hand and started to speak, though I wasn't sure what to say, when Dad spoke behind me.
"I've sat here quietly the whole time." Everyone looked over at him with interest. "I watched the horrible things some of you have done to my daughter." I sucked air through my teeth. I'd forgotten when I showed them all the things that happened to me that Dad was in the room. He'd seen everything as well. "She told me some, but some I didn't know about and I'm furious. I don't understand how you can all sit there and go on and on about your laws and rules and regulations when all I want to do is punch that dark haired boy in the face for what he did to my girl." Marcus looked on humorlessly at us. "Now, I know I'm looking at this from a human perspective, so I'll try to tone it down. But I think it's a little silly for you all to be so worried about me and my son. You all have abilities and skills that I will never have. And you're scared of me? Really?" 
Paulo cleared his throat and started to speak, but stopped. He tried again, but stopped. Finally he found his voice.
"Do you promise to adhere to the rules as long as you're in our palace and don’t cause any trouble?"
"Yes," my father answered though his mind said he felt like this was Kindergarten.
"Do you promise to never breathe a word of our kind to another human being?"
"Of course. They wouldn't believe me anyway."
Paulo nodded once. "And you?" He looked at Bish. "The same?"
"Yep," was Bish's clipped answer.
He looked at the other council members and they nodded. "Then I say everything is settled. Meeting adjourned." He closed the big, red leather book with a loud bang that reminded me of a gavel and made his way down from the table.
"That's it?" Dad said. "They make such a fuss and then cave just like that?"
"Dad," I replied in unbelief. "Take a victory where it comes, ok?"
"Whatever, I'm just saying." He put his hands in his pockets. He looked very uncomfortable. "What the heck am I supposed to do here while y'all rule the world, huh?" He scrunched his brow. "I feel like I crashed a wedding."
I laughed and suggested, "You can be happy that you're alive."
"Ok," he said and softened a little. "Ok, you're right."
Music started behind us. I looked over to see the invisible band had been started up. Dad's eyes watched the instruments play themselves with fear and fascination. People started to dance to relieve the tension in the room. It was a folk dance where they dance with a group in a circle.
It looked pretty easy to follow. Everyone just followed the person next to them.
"You want to dance, Jenna?"
I squeezed my eyes before turning to make sure that Jonathan was still alive. He was quite alive and his hand was open, willing Jen to accept his invitation. Bish looked away and put his hands on his head. My heart ached for him. I had to figure a way to stop this thing between them or make them see that it wasn't worth it to live in worry. I'd work my fingers to the bone to try to stop that vision.
"Come on, Bish," I said and gripped his arm, my fingers not even meeting each other all the way around. "Dance with me?"
"I feel sick," he said in a groan of agony. I watched as Jen turned a guilty expression to Bish's back before taking Jonathan's arm and letting him lead her. When she touched him, he half expected them to imprint and was disappointed. He thought he felt a real connection with her, but it was nothing compared to Bish and Jen's. I turned back to Bish as he spoke. "It felt so good to see her again, like my body just…was whole or something. But now…. I just hurt."
"I know, and I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do," I said and he gave me an odd look."You know something. What do you know?"
Bish was oddly open and raw. He was never this way and I hated to refuse him when he was so willing to that way. "I think you're both in withdrawal…for each other. The imprint that would happen if you touched wants you two to be together. You haven't been able to stop thinking about her, right? But it's different. It's like you have no control over it."
"Yes," he sighed. "It's like she's…in my head, in my skin. I can't do anything anymore without having her there with me. Sometimes it feels like she's right there. And when I saw her in your room, it took every ounce of my control not to grab her to me." He grimaced. "I hate this, Maggie."
"No, you don't," I said.
"Yes, I do. If my wanting her hurts her that much, if she wants nothing to do with me and is so upset at the thought of being with me, then maybe I should go."