by Gun Brooke
Ameeli nodded and reluctantly let go of Caya’s hands. “Did you see anything of importance in your vision?” she asked shyly.
“I did. I want to make sure, though, that you are ready to examine things you may not recall or that caused you great pain in the past. Remember that you have to go home and find a way to work past it.”
Briar moved from her armchair to sit on the small table closer to Caya and Ameeli. “We will schedule as many sessions as you need to get through it.”
“But—I know this first one is free of charge…Will it be very expensive if I need more sessions?” Ameeli lowered her gaze. “My husband is wealthy, but I personally don’t have enough credits of my own to use for therapy.”
“Oh, Ameeli. I didn’t inform you properly. Caya and I don’t charge anything for our sessions. We do this on a volunteer basis. Don’t worry about paying us for a single sec.”
Ameeli looked stunned. “Free? Completely?” She clearly could hardly believe her ears.
“Absolutely.” Briar patted Ameeli’s knee. “Now. Do you wish for Caya to describe her vision?”
Ameeli turned her attention back to Caya, as if searching her face for clues. “Yes. I cannot go on like this. I feel like I’m losing my mind.”
Caya tried to look calm and assertive, but in truth, she dreaded telling Ameeli about her husband’s treachery. Looking for the best way to share her visions, she concluded that the straight-up truth was the only option. No way of sugarcoating it would make it less painful for Ameeli. Taking Briar’s cue, Caya assumed a warm and calm tone as she described what she’d seen Jonno do as a little boy and what Cryon had done toward Jonno and Ameeli—and also against the two little girls who would never truly know their brother. When she finished, Ameeli was quiet and didn’t show any emotions. Briar’s eyes had darkened to an opaque forest green, which let on how furious she was.
“How could he?” Ameeli spoke to nobody in particular. “He lied to me. Every day since we left Jonno with that horrible man, he’s lied to me. Cryon stole Jonno from me and took away not only my rights as a mother, but Jonno’s right to decide for himself.” So rigid now, she looked like she might shatter, Ameeli shouted the last words. “For each word you spoke when telling me the truth, my memory returned. Not intact, not completely, but enough.” Tears began to run slowly down Ameeli’s cheeks, but her back straightened and she unclenched her fists, wriggling her hands at the wrists as if to get the blood flow back into them. “He put all that guilt on me. He indoctrinated me into thinking I took the decision to leave our firstborn behind while we moved onto a carefree existence without changers.” Ameeli winched and caught herself. “I apologize. That came out wrong.”
“Don’t worry. That’s what most people aboard the ship are after—including us.”
“But you’re changers yourselves?” Ameeli looked relieved to turn the focus of the conversation on to Briar and Caya.
“We knew I was a clairvoyant changer. That’s it. We had no idea Briar was an empath.” Caya caressed a few tears away from Ameeli’s cheek with the back of her curled fingers. “We wanted to live in peace, without fearing for our lives, just like you and your husband.”
“He never looked at Jonno the same after we found out he had the mutated gene. It was as if Jonno wasn’t truly his son anymore. Cryon dotes on our daughters and on me too. He never mentions Jonno unless I bring him up first.”
“I would wager he carries just as much guilt as you—maybe more.” Briar went back to her chair and sat down. “Do you think he would be interested in a session either with you, or alone?”
“I doubt it.”
“He might, if you mean to confront him with your true recollection of what took place at DeLorogan’s office,” Briar said.
“I may want to hold off a couple of days and get my bearings. Perhaps a few more memories will appear now that Caya has unlocked these.”
They sat and spoke quietly about Jonno, the chance of more memories floating to the surface, and how Ameeli intended to approach her husband, for another half hour. As they stood to say farewell, Ameeli hugged them both firmly.
“You are amazing women, nothing short of miraculous. I’m not saying that because you have gifts, though they are very useful, but because you radiate such love and kindness. You make me think you have no hidden agenda, no other purpose of doing this than to help. I’m so glad I came.”
“So are we, Ameeli. Don’t hesitate to refer us to anyone you think might benefit from seeing either or both of us.” Briar walked her to the door in the waiting area.
Returning to Caya, Briar beamed. “How’s that for a flying start, sis?”
Caya was as pleased as Briar but couldn’t quite muster the energy to be as positive.
“What’s wrong?” Briar walked up to her, cupping her cheek. “Was it too much for you, all at once?”
“What? No.” Caya shook her head. “No, the session has been a success so far. That’s how I feel anyway. It was just, I became really nervous about barging into her life and then offering her a truth she may not be ready for. I’m apprehensive about doing this with other people. What if their emotional issues work as the only glue holding them together?”
“Yes. I’m aware of that risk. However, I firmly believe knowing the truth and working on your situation in accordance with it is the only way to truly heal. If you balance your health on the murky tightrope of living a lie, it’s going to backfire. With a vengeance.”
“Like our situation did for me?” Caya asked, but regretted her stark tone when Briar flinched.
“Yes. You could say that.”
“No. No, no. That’s unfair of me.” Caya hugged Briar. “I’m sorry, sis. You kept me safe and, fortunately for me, off the radar of Council Chairman DeLorogan. I owe you my life.”
“I think we both owe each other, but who’s counting?” Briar chuckled. “But if you’re truly concerned it will take too much of a toll on you to sit in on these sessions, I understand. You have enough on your plate being an advisor to—” Briar’s communicator beeped. She tapped it and gave her name.
“Briar? Is Caya still with you?” It was Meija, and she sounded out of breath.
“Yes, she is. We just ended a session.”
“I’ve been trying to page you for a while but understood you might be occupied with a client. Caya needs to get back to her quarters, or perhaps Thea’s.” They could hear that Meija was walking, as her boots hammered against the deck plating.
“What’s wrong?” Caya frowned and rushed over to where she’d hung her jacket earlier.
“Oh, it’s bad, Caya. It’s really bad. That self-serving, misogynistic bastard.” The otherwise so soft-spoken Meija sounded absolutely infuriated.
“Who?” Briar asked.
“Hadler Tylio. The idiot has found the most loathsome way to exact revenge on Thea for divorcing him,” Meija growled. “He’s written his memoirs and sent preview copies to about twenty-five chosen individuals, Thea being one of them, of course. For some unfathomable reason, Korrian and I received a copy two hours ago. We weren’t sure what it was about and read the first two chapters. That was enough. If he can be so horrible to her in such a short text, I can only imagine how eviscerated she’ll feel after going through the whole damn thing.”
“I need to go to her right this minute, Briar.” Caya’s cheeks went cold, and she knew this meant she was pale as moonlight. “Alert the guards.”
“I’m accompanying you.” Briar opened the outer door and signaled the guards, who immediately joined them. “I want to see Adina. She may have gotten one too.”
Caya half ran toward the closest jumper gate. She hardly dared imagine how Thea felt right now. She might not want to see anyone. Or she might decapitate Caya for assuming too much. Caya didn’t care. Hadler was always bad news, but this time, he had overstepped worse than ever before. Caya was ready to throttle him.
“I’m on my way,” she murmured as she tried to will the jumper cart to go fa
ster. “I’m on my way, Thea.”
Chapter Twelve
Thea paced back and forth in her private quarters. She had attempted to make herself some tea, but that had ended with the mug hitting the wall with a resounding thud. Unfortunately, she hadn’t gained a shred of release from the stress that riled her entire system.
“Fuck you, Hadler,” she muttered as she pivoted by the large view screens. She stopped and drew a deep breath. “Computer. Set all view screens to forward-facing outside hull cameras.” Within a second space hurtled by, and she hoped this view would help ground her. It often did, but not always. Not when it really mattered. She kept pacing, trying to get a rhythm going, a cadence of her heels against the deck. The diversion worked as long as she was outside of the carpeted area, but as soon as her steps were inaudible, the thoughts of her ex-husband’s latest stunt inundated her mind.
She glanced at her desk in the far right corner of the living area. Her computer tablet sat where she’d tossed it. The way she had flung it on the desk in utter disgust, it was a miracle that it still worked. Thea had browsed Hadler’s, or his ghostwriter’s, text, and knew instantly what he was after. Revenge, by stripping her soul bare of any privacy. He knew her well enough to realize this was what she valued most. She was in the public eye from when she got up in the morning until she went back to bed at night. Writing about personal details, twisting facts just enough to stay reasonably within the limits of truth, he might as well have pulled the skin off her back. She actually felt raw to the touch. Her only countermeasure would be painful, but she had little choice if she wanted to stop the launch of his memoirs.
The door chime rang, making her flinch. She walked over to the surveillance console. “Identify yourself.” She was not in the mood to be polite.
“Thea? It’s Korrian. I have Briar, Adina, Meija…and Caya here as well. Please let us in. Or at least some of us…”
No. She didn’t want to see anyone. Most of all, she didn’t want to explain to anyone what was going on, what in the book hurt the most, or how she had ever come to marry such an awful man. She really didn’t. Still, her hand moved of its own volition and pressed the sensor for the door.
Thea motioned for them to enter with a grandiose gesture of her right arm. “Why not? You seem hell-bent on sharing my misery.”
“Where’s your team?” Korrian gazed around Thea’s quarters as she stepped inside. “I would imagine you’d need them to perform damage control.”
“Oh, trust me. They are.” Thea watched Caya enter. Her guards stayed back in the corridor, nodding respectfully toward Thea before she closed the door. “They’re just not doing it here. I sent them back to the office. I would have ripped someone’s head off if they’d stayed.”
“Oh, my.” Meija picked up the dented tea mug. “That bad?”
“Worse.” Thea couldn’t relax. Her entire body was buzzing, and she didn’t know where to direct her fury and embarrassment. “I’ve only browsed through most of it, but it’s a pretentious piece meant to defame me. He refers to me as cold, frigid, and yes, naturally, a product of his fine mind that molded me into the successful politician I am today. How he’s been the brain behind all my decisions, how I’ve asked him for every miniscule detail in my speeches…well, it goes on and on. You can imagine. He has conveniently forgotten about the nondisclosure agreement he signed in the hospital as I filed for divorce. He was pretty high on medication at the time, but plenty of witnesses saw him sign everything voluntarily. That said, his lawyers, I’m sure, will debate this fact and find loopholes after the book is published and is a bestseller on everyone’s tablet!” Thea began pacing again. “The message stated he has sent it to several people already, and I’m sure they’ve read it. Eagerly.”
“He sent it to Meija and me.” Korrian stepped into Thea’s path and held up her hands in a placating gesture. “We read a couple of chapters before we realized what he was up to. Once your name came up, we stopped. We’re your friends, Thea. No matter what he’s trying to do, we’re not putting any stock in it. He’s a pitiful, sorry excuse for a man.”
“I know.” Thea’s stomach was in knots. “You’ve known me for many years, Korrian. You too, Meija. We worked on the Exodus project long before I was elected president. You know how meticulously I guard my privacy. Now Hadler has written in great detail about private matters that are nobody else’s business.” She flung her hands in the air. “Some of the things he writes about are half-truths, and he’s angling them, making them plausible. This is a nightmare, and I’m not kidding myself. If his memoirs become available to the public, my privacy is a thing of the past. People are inherently curious. The possibility to learn of a public figure from someone who was once close to them will be too tempting.”
“He won’t get it published. Once your team makes it clear, to whatever publisher that might be interested in his ramblings, how you regard the matter, they’re going to think twice about going against the president.” Meija joined Korrian. “Don’t underestimate the respect people have for you. If they catch on to the fact he’s lying or exaggerating to hurt you, or embarrass you, they’ll back off.”
“We can’t be sure of that,” Thea growled. “Briar and Caya can tell you how fast rumors spread around the ship. I would imagine the word is already out that there might be a tell-all book in the works about the president.” Pain erupted in Thea’s stomach, and she swayed where she stood.
“Creator of all things sacred, Thea.” Briar and Adina rushed forward and caught her before she lost her balance. “Have you eaten anything? You’re very pale.” Briar held Thea’s wrist, no doubt feeling for her pulse.
“I had tea and crackers this morning,” Thea answered automatically, not quite sure why she allowed them to touch her at all.
“That’s more than ten hours ago. At least.” Briar nodded at Meija. “Can you program the food dispenser, please? Something light.”
“Sure.” Meija nodded and walked over to the kitchenette.
“Here. Sit down, Thea,” Briar said, and together with Adina they guided Thea to an armchair. “We will figure this out.”
Thea slowly turned her head and found Caya standing next to her chair. “Please. Tell me about the session today.” She couldn’t take more comments and reassurances regarding Hadler at the moment. “Did it go well?”
“I think so. A good start at least. We’ll see when our client comes back for a new session—unless she cancels.” Caya spoke quietly and knelt next to the chair, leaning against the armrest. “Briar is brilliant when it comes to putting people at ease, and that made it possible for me to use my vision to actually find out the truth for her. It was hard. Infuriating, actually, but it might be the start of acceptance and for our client to forgive herself and her spouse.”
“Forgiveness.” Thea thought of the concept. Would she ever be able to forgive Hadler? The man had gone from a well-meaning father figure of a husband, to a demanding despot who never stopped complaining to her and about her. When his verbal abuse became physical, it hadn’t seemed like such a stretch, and Thea had always thought she could tough it out, deal with it. It took seeing him through the eyes of the Lindemay sisters for her to realize how wrong she was.
“I want to hold you right now, but I’m so angry at that bastard I’m not in full control. I might snap into a vision, and you’d hate for that to happen in front of everyone,” Caya murmured, instead patting the armrest as if the touch would transfer to Thea. She glanced toward the others, but they were busy over by the kitchenette and dining area getting some food ready.
Thea wasn’t sure how to interpret Caya’s words. Did the young woman pity her, or was there something else behind her words? I want to hold you right now. Thea felt so raw at the moment, she couldn’t think straight. It didn’t sit well with her that she actually would have loved for Caya to hold her. Despite her petite frame, Caya was strong and vivacious. The times they had been in close proximity, Thea had sensed how her entire system aligned several
times and her world had righted itself. She had chalked that up to Caya’s gifts as a changer, but now she wondered if that was all it was.
“Thea?” Caya tilted her head.
“I’m all right. Or I will be once I know where I stand with this. Hadler wrote about things my father shared with him. I knew early on to keep my innermost thoughts to myself around Hadler, but my father saw him as his peer and good friend. He freely discussed everything, including private things about my childhood and adolescence.” Thea pressed both hands against her stomach. “No doubt Hadler kept extensive notes through the years.”
“The bastard.” Caya’s eyes darkened to a greyish green. “He never deserved you. Not for a sec.”
“I would agree if I didn’t sound completely conceited.” Thea leaned back against the chair and covered her eyes with her hand.
Caya carefully placed a hand over Thea’s other one. She closed her eyes briefly. “I know you’re going to stop him. You already have a plan. It’s bold. And you—”
“How do you—?” Thea yanked her hand away from her face and sat up straight in the armchair, gripping hard at Caya’s hand.
“Easy there, Madam President.” Caya put her free hand to her lips. “Shh. I’m not in deep-vision mode. This is just an educated guess based on what I know about you and what I can sense from a mere glimpse at the future. It’s all right. Don’t get upset,” she whispered and rubbed her thumb over the back of Thea’s hand. “The others might overhear and wonder. I have a suggestion that might help.”
The gentle touch from Caya was a new sensation. Caya actually asking to share an idea before going berserk all on her own accord was equally new. “I’m listening. Tell me.” Not thinking about if it was advisable, Thea took Caya’s hand between both of hers.
“I could go with you to meet with him.” Caya waved to forestall Thea’s protest. “I could hold on to him long enough to find something in his past to use against him.”