Uprising

by Gareth Otton

  “Nicholas was right,” he whispered to himself. “They should have thrown away the key.”

  The hand on his shoulder made him jump. He turned to find Stella leaning over him with a concerned look on her face. She was dressed for work and had come straight from the office in order to be here for him.

  “This isn’t the end,” she said. “We can fight this, get the Three Amigos to start an appeal and start the process over. We can do whatever it takes to—”

  “Enough, Stella. I don’t have it in me to do this again. I’m not even sure it’s the right thing to do. Everything I touch turns to madness. I try to take down Joshua King and cause the Merging. I try to create a community of dreamwalkers so another Joshua King couldn’t take advantage again, and it turned into a rebellion that brought Cardiff to its knees. Norman puts me on a council that’s responsible for the country’s reaction to the Merging, and that council creates a law that gives police the right to shoot me dead if I so much as get spotted in Jen’s vicinity. Christ, if this law existed just a few weeks ago, Jen would be dead right now for what she did at her school. Everything I touch turns to ash. I’m nothing but a poison and Jen is better off without me.”

  “That’s just the shock talking,” Stella replied. “We both know none of that was your fault. The Merging was because of Joshua King, Jacob is responsible for his own actions, and as for the council, the less said about them the better. As for Jen being in danger, there was never anything you could do about that. Every step of the way Jen put herself in those situations while you did everything you could to protect her from it. You told her not to have a ghost, you told her to stay behind with the Dragon nightmares, and even on Wednesday she was supposed to be at home with her foster parents. Jen is as much of a magnet for trouble as you are. There was never anything you could do.”

  Tad snorted in disbelief and tried to turn away, but Stella caught his chin and turned him to face her, squeezing hard enough that the pain broke through his melancholy. She didn’t look happy and when she spoke again her words were harsh.

  “Feeling sorry for yourself isn’t helping anyone. You’re not the only one hurt by this decision. There’s a little girl out there who’s dying to get home to her Dad, and now that’s been denied her again. We both know Jen loves you and will never stop trying to be by your side. The only thing that will truly hurt that girl is if you turn your back on her now when she needs you most.”

  Stella was right. Distancing himself from Jen might keep her safe, but she would never understand.

  Already in her short life she had to come to terms with the fact that her biological parents never wanted her. Whenever she opened herself up to other people, she’d lost them. Whether it was Charles, Miriam, Kate, or even Maggie. She’d been through so much in her life already and he knew, whether he deserved it or not, she loved him and she would be devastated if he did anything to keep them apart.

  “Where is she?” he asked.

  They had been keeping her location a secret from him so he couldn’t do anything rash, especially after he found out they put that bracelet on her. When Jen mentioned that, it was all anyone can do to keep him from finding Peneolope Banbridge and doing something he would regret forever. Even now he felt rage wash through him at the thought of it.

  At least that situation had been dealt with now. Thanks to Lizzie, the story had become a big enough headline that it even broke through the aftermath of Jacob’s attack. She had exposed the cruelty of what happened to Jen and although public opinion was very anti-dreamwalker at the moment, in this case it was very clear that no one was happy with what happened.

  Stella assured him that the people responsible had been punished, and that Penelope Banbridge had not just lost her job but was facing criminal proceedings. He didn’t think it was enough, but he had bigger worries.

  When Stella didn’t answer he looked up to see what was taking so long. He found her staring at him in that way she did when she tried to read his mind. However, unlike normal, she didn’t have control of her emotions and her aura was blazing out of control. It was white with fear and he wondered what she was scared of.

  “Where is she, Stella?” he asked again, knowing Miles would have discovered that long ago.

  “I don’t want you doing anything rash,” she said.

  “I’m not planning on doing anything rash, I just want to know where my daughter is.”

  Stella frowned, not liking what she heard in his voice, but finally relented.

  “She’s with Dr Burman. He’s looking after her until social services can get something more permanent sorted.”

  Tad’s was on his feet before she finished speaking, but just as quick Stella was at his side, her hands on his shoulders, trying to keep him in place.

  “I don’t like that look in your eye. What are you doing?”

  Tad was tempted not to answer, knowing she wouldn’t like what he had to say. However, she deserved the truth, especially as she had her own decision to make.

  Stella was right when she said Jen would be devastated, and if there was one thing in this world he was sure of, it was that he would never willingly hurt Jen for any reason. Therefore, his choice became simple. He wanted nothing more than to keep Jen safe and while he kept putting himself in trouble, she’d always be in trouble with him. Therefore, he had no choice but to step away from everything, leave the politics, the dreamwalking and everything else behind and run away with this daughter. She came first, no matter what. If that meant turning his back on his promise to be responsible for the part he played in the Merging, then that was what he had to do.

  “I’m going to get her, then we’re running.”

  “No Tad, not like this. You promised you would do this the right way. That you would—”

  “We’ve had this conversation before, and every time I did as you said. Where has it got me? Where has it got Jen? I promised her this wouldn’t keep us apart forever, and that promise to her is more important to me than anything. The only question left is what will you do? I’m sorry to put you in this situation, but we need to face facts. I’m never getting Jen back through legal means and you just said yourself that she won’t stand for that any more than I will. I have to run, and though I don’t want to put you on the spot, I’d like you to run with us.”

  Stella shook her head, looking panicked and defiant at the same time. “Tad, no. A minute ago you were talking about letting Jen go for her own good, and now you’re going to run away and put her in even more danger. You’ll be a fugitive and—”

  “I don’t care. Look, I know your job means everything to you and—”

  “That’s not why I’m upset, Tad. I just want you to take your time to think about this. Don’t rush into anything.”

  Gently, Tad removed Stella’s hands from his shoulders, kissing the back of her fingers before letting her go and stepping away.

  “I’ll give you a couple of days to decide. I won’t hold it against you if you don’t want to come, I promise. But I have to do this.”

  Stella’s eyes were watery, and she was about to say something else, but Tad didn’t trust himself to hear it. Instead he thought of Dr Burman’s office and the courtroom vanished.

  ◆◆◆

  Tad rushed through the waiting room towards the open office door with the intention of barging inside, collecting his daughter, then dreamwalking away. When he heard familiar, sniffling sobs coming from the room, he pushed on even quicker.

  “I know your dad was only trying to do the right thing, and it’s not fair that you’re being punished for it. But you still have options, Jen. Honestly, I thought this might happen, and I’ve been talking with my wife about it.”

  Despite focusing on Jen’s sniffles, Tad couldn’t ignore the doctor’s voice and his pace slowed a little.

  “In fact, we’ve been talking since you burnt your arm. I think that together we have come up with an idea that we would like to run by you.”

  Tad came to a complete s
top just outside the office, the tone of the doctor’s words giving him pause more than the content of them. The man’s voice wobbled, and it was clear he was nervous. An awkward thirty seconds of silence passed before he asked his question.

  “How would you feel about coming to stay with us for a while?”

  “What do you mean?” Jen asked between sniffs, her voice so filled with misery it broke Tad’s heart.

  “Well, I haven’t been thrilled with your situation and I wanted to help. After talking it over with my wife, we came up with this temporary solution until your father can sort out his legal troubles. We’ve already spoken to social services who liked the idea and pulled strings to fast-track our status as foster carers. They were especially eager after what happened with your burns. With some extra help from some of your dad’s friends in high places, we’ve convinced people that it would be in your best interest to come live with us for a while. We’d look after you through the week, and if you’re good, we’ll let you see Tad on weekends. You’d have to live with us, of course, but I have it on good authority that the government will turn a blind eye if you stay with Tad for the odd night or weekend.

  Jen’s sniffling had stopped, and the doctor spoke a little quicker.

  “Hang on, before you get too excited, I have conditions. The first is that you need me or my wife’s permission before you go anywhere. No running away, and you have to behave. We are taking a big risk by letting you stay with Tad when the court already denied him access. Therefore, it can only be a reward for good behaviour. If you take advantage of this, the arrangement ends.”

  “I will be good, I promise,” Jen said, her words fast and buzzing with excitement, bringing an unexpected smile to Tad’s face. It was typical of Jen to agree to something she wanted so quickly she couldn’t have thought it through. He wasn’t the only one amused by her antics as Dr Burman’s laugh rang out of the office.

  “Don’t agree too quickly. I want you to think about this and make sure it’s something you want. It’s not ideal, but I think it could help in the short term while your dad does what he needs to do to get you back full time.”

  Tad had heard enough. He stepped into the doorway, making Dr Burman jump in surprise. Jen had her back to him, but when the doctor jumped she turned and as soon as she saw him she leapt from her chair and rushed across the room, wrapping him in a hug that was tight enough to knock the breath from his lungs. As Tad returned her hug, he felt her shoulders shake and heard her quiet sobs as she buried her face in his stomach. Once again the desire to change the channel and flee was almost overwhelming. However, Doctor Burman’s words played on his mind and though it wasn’t what he wanted, maybe this was a decent compromise. In some ways, it offered the best of both worlds. His day-to-day life was too involved with the Borderlands’ troubles, and it would probably be safer if Jen didn’t stay with him. However, getting to see her on the weekends was already such a step up over what his life had become that it was almost a dream come true.

  “How much did you hear?” the doctor asked when he realised that Tad had been listening in.

  “Enough that I realise how generous an offer this is.” Offering the doctor what he hoped was a friendly smile, he asked, “Do you mind if I discuss this with Jen for a few minutes?”

  “Of course not,” the doctor said. “I’ll grab a coffee and be back in five minutes. Is that long enough?”

  Tad said it would be. By then he would either have agreed to play along with the doctor’s plan or he and Jen would already be long gone. He waited for the door to close before turning his attention back to Jen.

  He tried to think of the last time he had been alone with her and realised it was just before she was taken away yet again after the incident at school. With everything that happened recently, that felt like a lifetime ago. He could barely believe it had only been a week. Would this be what it felt like when he could only see her on weekends? Would every week feel this long?

  Just as that thought almost seemed unbearable and made him favour fleeing, he remembered the horrible choice he had left Stella with. He knew he had put her on the spot, and this solution might just ease the pressure on her.

  As his thoughts raged back and forth, he decided it was time to hear the most important opinion on the matter.

  “What do you think of Dr Burman’s offer?” he asked Jen, moving to arms length so he could look her in the eye. Those eyes were red rimmed from crying and she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand before answering.

  “I’d rather come home,” she said.

  “Unfortunately, that’s the one thing that’s not on the table right now. Listen Jen, you have a choice to make, and it’s a very grown-up choice. I don’t like to put this on your shoulders, but this decision has to be yours. If you want… And please think very hard about this before answering… Say the words and we’ll walk away right now. We’ll find somewhere where no one can find us and dreamwalk away and never come back. I promised you before this wouldn’t be forever, and I meant it.

  “Or you can take Dr Burman’s offer. It’s not ideal and I would much rather you living with me, but at least we get to see each other on weekends, which is a lot better than what we have now. In the meantime, I’ll talk to the Three Amigos about starting an appeal as soon as possible. This doesn’t mean we’re giving up, it just means we have to compromise.”

  Tad made sure he had his daughter’s attention and that she was taking this seriously. Once he was confident she was thinking this over carefully, he pressed the issue.

  “I have to be honest Jen, right now I think Dr Burman’s kind offer is the best choice for us. If we run, you won’t get the chance to learn from him anymore and you might never heal your back. It would mean I would become a fugitive and there would never be any chance that we could legally return to the UK.

  “But me suggesting that doesn’t mean I don’t want you to live with me, because I want nothing more in this world. You need to understand that. You say the words right now and we’ll leave everything behind and run. But maybe taking Dr Burman’s solution in the short term will give the Three Amigos time to change this, and hopefully one day we can put all this behind us. So what do you think?”

  Jen sniffed again before speaking, her tears still falling freely.

  “What about Stella? Will she stay here if we run?”

  “I don’t know,” Tad admitted. “I’ve asked her to think it over and we’ll find out in a few days. But don’t let that change your opinion. If you want to go, that’s all that matters.”

  Again Jen took far longer to answer than he was comfortable with, and inside his stomach was doing somersaults. As she chewed on her lip and thought it over, he grew a little impatient and was about to ask again when finally Jen answered.

  “Dr Burman’s a nice man, and I like what he’s teaching me. If I keep going, maybe one day I’ll be able to help lots of people like I did with Mr Dwight the other day. So if you promise it’s not forever, then I’ll stay here. But I can change my mind later, right?”

  “Of course you can. Any time you want,” Tad answered, making sure he made that point clear. As much as it would kill him to leave Stella behind and it would eat him up to leave the Borderlands to its fate, he had to put Jen first. “My promise still stands. I won’t let this be forever. I want you living with me where you belong, but in the short term this might be the best of our bad options.”

  “Then yes, let’s do this.” Jen said, more decisive as she wiped away the last of her tears.

  As if he’d been waiting outside and listening to their conversation, which he probably had been, the doctor reappeared and asked, “So, what’s the decision to be?”

  Tad turned to face him while keeping an arm around his daughter as he answered.

  “We’d like to take you up on your very kind offer. However, I have one non-negotiable condition.”

  “And that is?”

  “Jen stays with me over Christmas. Christmas Eve, Chri
stmas Day, and Boxing Day, I want Jen at home where she belongs.”

  Expecting a demand much more unreasonable, the doctor smiled and nodded his head.

  “I’m sure we can agree to that,” he said, and like that it was done.

  Tad remained with the doctor and his daughter for the next hour, discussing their future, finding out in more detail the progress Jen was making, and enjoying each other’s company. Over that hour Tad learnt that the doctor was far from the person he met only once on the golf course. He was a better man than that, and he had a good relationship with Jen. It was clear Jen was happy with him, and he was every bit as excited about her progress as Jen was.

  By the time Tad had to leave, he felt much better about the situation. However, as he hugged his daughter goodbye yet again, he still felt like he was abandoning her. It wasn’t as bad as when he had to leave her in a situation they both hated, but he could never be comfortable walking away from his daughter when she should be at home with him.

  As he stepped out of the building onto the street, he decided yet again that this couldn’t be forever. Sooner or later enough would be enough and he would follow through on its plan to leave everything behind. If he wanted to avoid that fate, he needed to work hard to change the situation before it was too late. That motivation made him pull his phone out there and then, and soon it was ringing.

  “Tad, is everything okay?” Nicholas asked.

  “I need a meeting with you three as soon as possible. We need to start an appeal, immediatly.”

  41

  Friday, 2nd December 2016

  20:11

  Tad stood in the shadows beside Stella, both of them leaning against a table beyond the studio lights as they watched Lizzie interview her guest.