Caya steeled herself against the gasp that wanted out of her mouth and the jerking of her muscles that would betray her reaction. What could possess them to leave one child behind? She could think of only one thing.
“Our firstborn is our only son, and it hurts so much to think we’re adding to the distance between him and us with each minute that passes. My husband claims I cosigned the documents with him, but…” Ameeli began to weep. “But I don’t remember doing that. He says I fainted afterward, but…”
Briar held up one hand and pushed a box of tissues toward Ameeli with the other. “I think you need to tell us why you had to leave your son, Ameeli. We won’t judge you for having to do so. We just want to help.”
Wiping her cheeks, Ameeli nodded. “Our son, Jonno, is fourteen years old, and he’s a changer.” Ameeli’s entire body taut, she couldn’t quite face Briar and Caya. She looked ready to shatter at any moment. “His dormant gene made itself known when he was six. We did everything we could to keep him in public school, but it was impossible. Jonno is a fire-starter. He had to be restrained on a daily basis until he was ten years old and able to control his curse.”
It was nauseating to hear anyone aboard Pathfinder talk about a changer’s ability as a curse.
“What do you mean by restrained?” Briar asked, her voice mild. Caya knew her sister well and saw how she had schooled her features into a nonjudgmental expression. She was merely there to listen and be a sounding board for the woman before them.
“Just that.” Ameeli wiped at her cheeks with the tissue. “Jonno was dangerous to himself and others. A mere flick of his fingertips would create these tiny blue flames, and even if they were small, they could do a lot of damage in the hands of a scared and excited little boy.” Ameeli pulled up her left sleeve and showed her lower arm. This time, Caya couldn’t keep from gasping. Scars, some like small craters, some like long, superficial lines, marred Ameeli’s skin. The pain this woman had to go through was indeed twofold. Leaving her son behind and sustaining such physical pain and damage by him through the years was a cruel fate.
“I’m so sorry.” Briar took Ameeli’s hand. “May I read your emotions, Ameeli?”
“Sure,” the woman said and clung to Briar. “I was hoping you’d be able to counsel me.”
“I will try.” Sending Caya a glance, Briar then closed her eyes for a moment. Usually, she didn’t have to close her eyes to enter a person’s mind, but she said it helped to focus initially. “I can feel your strongest emotion.” Briar smiled gently and opened her eyes. “Your love for your children is your strength but also the cause of your greatest pain.” She waited and looked into Ameeli’s eyes. “I would say the other feeling is a blend of two tough ones. First, you experience perpetual guilt for leaving Jonno behind on Oconodos. He is constantly on your mind, and you can rarely go through even so much as an hour without thinking of him. Even when you are together with your girls and your husband, Jonno’s image is imprinted on your mind and in your heart.”
“What kind of mother would I be if it wasn’t?” Ameeli blurted out and yanked her hand away. “I miss him!”
Briar quietly took Ameeli’s hand back between hers. “It was just an observation,” she said. “We’re not judging you in any way. I promise.”
“It’s true.” Caya thought it best to reassure Ameeli from her end as well, so her presence didn’t become detrimental to the purpose of the session.
“The other emotion that comes at me in waves is resentment. I can’t see why you feel this way. Can you tell me?”
Ameeli blinked, looking puzzled. She stroked her hair back with her free hand and then shook her head. “The guilt part is obvious, but resentment…I don’t know. I mean, I can somehow sense what you mean, but I don’t know.”
“Does it have anything to do with your husband?” Briar asked cautiously.
“Cryon? No. He’s a good father. He’s great with the girls, and he’s struggled with and for Jonno as much as I have. More sometimes, as I had to take care of the girls when they were babies. If we’d known about Jonno having the gene before he was six, we might not have dared to have more children, but they were born when he was three and five.”
“I think you need to unlock the mystery of this strong resentment. It would be easy to chalk it up to your heartbreaking situation as a whole, but I don’t read it that way.” Briar massaged Ameeli’s hand gently. “I think there’s more to it, and perhaps it is the key to your deep anxiety.”
“I can’t imagine what it might be. My husband and I are heartbroken over Jonno, but we both agreed to sign over custody to the Council of Mutant Affairs.”
This time Caya barely contained a flinch. A majority of the changers feared and strongly criticized the Council of Mutant Affairs, which was one of the reasons the Exodus operation had been expedited and launched a decade sooner than originally planned. The members of the Council, all of them changers, stood for a policy that on paper looked reasonable but in reality was not. They worked for equality, or so they claimed, but did nothing to address the security issue regarding the changers possessing volatile abilities. Fire-starters, plasma-chargers, freeze-clouders, and acid-smokers could roam freely. Gangs formed, and it was rumored that privately sponsored leagues of mercenaries were gaining ground on all continents. The latter had caused Thea Tylio to demand the Exodus operation to commence as soon as she was elected president. Some said this was how she won the presidential race in the first place.
“That must have been difficult for you.” Briar stroked the back of Ameeli’s hand.
Ameeli’s expression changed into one of confusion. “I suppose. I honestly can’t remember much of that day. Cryon says I have blocked the memory since it was so painful. Evidently it was my idea to sacrifice Jonno to save our girls and help them have a better future.” Ameeli’s tears began to fall again. “No wonder I’ve blocked it. What kind of mother can even contemplate doing something like that, right?”
Briar exchanged a pointed glance with Caya, who nodded. She also had started to think there was more to this story—probably blocked just like Ameeli said, but the reason wasn’t clear.
“Listen, Ameeli. My sister is clairvoyant, and mostly she can see the future in her visions. She found out only recently that she can see brief parts of someone’s life, their pivotal moments, if she’s allowed to hold their hand. If you want to, she can try to see if we can unblock your missing memory.” Briar smiled encouragingly. “It’s up to you. There is always a risk with unlocking things the mind rather would not remember.”
“I can’t feel much worse than I already do.” Ameeli looked cautiously at Caya. “That’s an amazing ability.”
“Thank you. Nothing I can take credit for. I just try to use it for good.” Caya moved over to the two-seat coach and patted the cushion beside her. “Actually, I have a better chance to have a vision if you will allow me to hug you.”
Ameeli looked stunned. “Hug me?” She looked back and forth between the sisters. “I—I’m not sure.”
“I can tell you’re apprehensive, but that you also harbor a longing for someone to touch you. Has it been long?” Briar asked the question in a very low voice.
“Yes.” Ameeli drew a trembling breath. “I haven’t been able to embrace anyone except my girls for the longest time.”
“From the day when you let Jonno go?” Caya guessed.
“Yes. I think so.” Ameeli took the seat next to Caya and wiped her hands against her trousers. “All right. Let’s try it. If I flinch, it’s not a reflection on you.”
“You will be fine. I won’t let you down, Ameeli.” Caya slid closer and carefully took the slender woman into her arms, holding her in a gentle embrace. “Just relax. I have you.”
Ameeli trembled violently at first, but as they merely sat there and nothing seemed to happen, she relaxed and let her forehead fall onto Caya’s shoulder.
Caya closed her eyes hard, willing her mind to search for something connected with Ameeli. She saw flickering images of children, little girls with dark curls running on a lawn, a house with a lush garden, and flowers in abundance. She searched along the perimeters of the harmless memories, and suddenly a jagged lightning bolt set a bed on fire. A young boy with short, wavy hair, looking so much like his sisters it pained Caya, stood a few meters away, grinning.
“Jonno!” Ameeli, dressed in a nightgown and a robe, rushed into the room with a fire extinguisher and put out the flames. “Please, darling. You need to take your medication. The doctor assured us you would be able to control yourself if you take it three times a day.”
“I hate the doctor. I’m not sick.” Jonno glared at her, and small flames danced in his pupils. “I can control it, Mother. I can.”
Gesturing at the bed as she opened a window, Ameeli sighed. “You just set fire to Dimina’s bed.”
“Because I wanted to,” Jonno growled, his voice angry. “She teased me. Called me a freak.”
“Oh, darling. She’s just six years old. All siblings tease each other.”
“I don’t. I use my powers instead. It works much better.” The young boy laughed now. At the sight of his mother’s tears, he didn’t seem remorseful at all—instead he had a chilling smirk on his face.
The scene dissolved, and then Caya stood in the center of a posh office. A large desk made of rare umbra-wood dominated the room. Behind the desk a man in his forties sat, sorting through documents on a tablet.
“Cryon and Ameeli—and young Jonno. I am delighted that you’ve managed to agree on this decision. It will lead to a great future for your Jonno, and he will be able to live among his own where he can thrive and learn how to use his talents to serve our cause.” The man stroked back his long, blue-grey hair, and now Caya spotted his gills. Ah, so this was Council Chairman DeLorogan. The infamous water-dweller was in equal parts feared, admired, and loathed, depending on who you asked. She had seen him only on news vids back on Oconodos. Now she virtually stood right beside him, next to Ameeli.
“I’m still not sure.” Ameeli, sounding dazed. “I don’t want to give up on him.”
“Come on, darling. Just sign as we agreed back home. Just sign and Jonno will be all right.”
Jonno stood on the other side of his mother, and to Ameeli’s surprise he didn’t seem as if he was very excited about his new prospects. “Mother? Does this mean I can’t visit? Ever?” He frowned.
“Of course you can visit,” DeLorogan said and winked at Cryon. “Right, Cryon?”
“Eh. Sure, son. As often as you would like. Sure.”
Caya didn’t think he sounded truthful, but it was Ameeli’s reaction that shocked her.
“How can he visit when we’ll be aboard Pathfinder?” Ameeli asked, slurring her speech some. “That’s impossible.”
“Pathfinder?” Jonno looked back and forth between his parents. “What’s she talking about, Father?”
“Great, Ameeli. Now we’re going to have a scene as well. Wasn’t it enough I had to medicate you for you to see reason?” Cryon glared at his wife. “Just sign so we can get out of here.”
“Yes. Better make it quick. Far less painful for Jonno that way,” DeLorogan said and pushed the tablet toward Ameeli. “Just a retinal scan and a fingerprint, Ameeli. It’s a quick procedure once all the bureaucracy is taken care of.”
“But…”
“Ameeli!” Cryon took Ameeli’s listless hand and pressed her index finger on the screen. DeLorogan held up a cordless, orb-like retinal scanner, and Ameeli blinked slowly as the light pierced her right pupil. Cryon performed his part, and as the machine scanned his right retina, Jonno began to weep. The young boy knew what was going on now, Caya could tell. Distraught, she wanted to stop what was happening and let Ameeli take her son home, but she was a helpless observer.
She watched some people come in and sweep the boy up in a fireproof cloth and carry him off. Cryon looked ill at ease but mainly relieved. Ameeli stood motionless, her eyes glazed with tears that clung to her eyelashes.
“Give her another dose of the rhesolyde. It will make her limited amnesia permanent. You gave her the first dose yesterday morning, right?” DeLorogan hardly glanced at the wailing young boy, but instead focused on the swaying woman next to Cryon.
“Just as you informed me, yes.” Cryon rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. “If she remembers, she’s going to hate me, take the girls from me.”
DeLorogan smiled knowingly. “Trust me. I’ve seen this done more than fifty times this last year. No matter which spouse is reluctant to let go of their changer child, this medication is safe and reliable. In the old days they used it in much smaller dosages for burn victims to suffer through treatments and then forget about the pain afterward. It became obsolete when new technology replaced it. We find it works well for our purpose.”
“What if the authorities find out?” Cryon looked taken aback. “I mean. If someone tells.”
“Who will tell? You who used it on your unsuspecting wife? I wouldn’t think so. You have done what is right for your son and what is humane for your family. You can leave this planet now, knowing your son will inhabit it with his changer family—and his descendants after him—all of them changers. It is simply a paradigm shift when it comes to who survives. We, the changers on this planet, especially the leaders on the council, are prepared to give boys and girls like Jonno a future without drugs and incarceration. You are now prepared to create a future for your family.”
“I thought you said he would be thrilled to be among his own,” Cryon said, looking at the door where the staff had left with Jonno between them. “He was crying.”
“He will be content. Give him some time to realize who his real family is. Not by blood, but by common traits and by the common genetic mutation. He has all the traits of a leader and the ability to put the fear of the Creator into any adversary.”
Cryon looked dazed, and Caya got the impression he regretted everything but knew it was too late. He put his arm around his trembling wife and pulled her with him. “Come on, darling. Let’s go home. The girls are waiting for us.”
“Our girls. Yes. And Jonno?” Ameeli looked up at her husband, her eyes still filled with tears looking like they were never going to fall.
“Jonno will be fine. He’s with his friends, remember?”
“His friends.”
“And this was your idea after all, Ameeli,” DeLorogan said as he walked them to the door. “You persuaded your husband that this was best for Jonno. Don’t you remember?”
“Yes?” Ameeli glanced at the tall man over her shoulder. “Yes, of course. I wanted Jonno to have friends, to stay with his own kind. That was my decision.”
“And you wanted your girls to be safe and have the opportunity to leave Oconodos aboard Pathfinder.” DeLorogan smiled broadly. “See? You figured it all out. You knew what would be best for everybody, and you made your husband see that. This was all your doing, Ameeli. That’s all you have to remember.” He turned to Cryon, who had watched the exchange with widening eyes. “Keep reminding her of this last part when you give her the last injection. If you do it this way, you will never have to fear her blaming you. You can look forward to a calm, normal family life when you reach your new homeplanet. That’s what all of this was about, right?”
“I don’t…Yes. I suppose it was. Yes.” Cryon walked out with his arm still around Ameeli. Caya ended the vision before she choked on her fury.
As if she felt the vision was over, Ameeli pulled back from Caya but held on to her hands. “That’s the most anyone’s held me in ages. If nothing else comes from this session, the kindness you radiate is healing in itself. I suppose you are aware of this already?”
“What? No?” Caya glanced at Briar, who merely smiled and shrugged. “But thank you for telling me. I do believe that physical touch in a noninvasive and nonthreatening way is good for all of us.”
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 faster. “I’m on my way, Thea.”