Remember

Chapter Thirty-Two

"You can't just kick her out."

"This is my town and she has injured, even killed, some of my people. She doesn't deserve to be here."

Madie stood up from her spot on the floor, rage filling her veins. "No. This is my town and she is my friend and I will not abandon her. Not again."

"She's killed! She-"

"Out of my office. Now. This is not up for debate." When Lorhan hesitated Madie's brother took a warning step forward from his position in the corner of the room. Commander Lorhan stared down at the young girl before stalking out of the room and slamming the door shut behind her.

Madie slid down the wall behind her, staring up at the ceiling as she shook her head. She didn't want to do this anymore - run a town. She was only eighteen. She didn't know how to run a town. People only listened to her when her brother threatened to punish them if they didn't listen or if Lorhan was on board with her plans. Nobody really cared about the opinion of a child.

"She'll come around. She always does." Peyton gave Madie a sympathetic look before looking at the door. "She wants to protect these people as much as you do. Maybe you should just tell her."

"Tell her what? That the thing inside Colette is our only true weapon against the government? You know she wouldn't believe that for one second. She may think the government is hiding things, but not for one moment would she believe what the power inside Colette is."

"It's still the truth. Colette is the truth... if she learns to control the power." Peyton shuddered at what would happen if she didn't control it.

"The darkness is the only thing that could convince the people of the government's corruption, I know. But nobody is going to believe me. They have to hear it for themselves."

***

Colette dreaded the walk to Madie's office. She dreaded looking at their faces as she walked into the room. She didn't exactly remember everything that happened in the field but she knew it wasn't pretty. Her power had hurt people, maybe even killed them. There was no telling what Madie and Commander Lorhan were going to do to her. Kick her out? Throw in some sort of prison?

Her feet made almost no noise as she made her way down the wooden stairs, past the kitchen, and to the room where the doors to the office were. Colette hesitated at the door, not wanting to walk into the room at all. Maybe she should just make a run for it. Everyone would be safer if she left, they wouldn't have to worry about her causing any more damage than she already had.

She couldn't leave, no matter how bad she wanted to. Colette had an obligation to these people. Somehow she was the only way to taking down the government and fixing the world. If only she knew how to do that sooner rather than later. Then she could stop putting people's lives in danger. She was a walking, ticking time bomb and if she didn't figure things out soon she was going to do a whole hell of a lot more damage than help.

Colette put her hand on the knob of the door, turning it slowly. Her hand shook as she pushed the door open and stepped into the room of people. They all stared, some faces concerned and others stiffening with fear. She let a sigh of relief out when she realized Commander Lorhan was nowhere in sight, though she could only guess she would join eventually.

Prissy, Madie, Lincoln, Jordeen, Kaden, Peyton and a few other faces she didn't recognize all watched her from their seated positions as she joined them on the floor, as far back in the room as she could.

"Thank you all for joining me today." Madie smiled at the people in the room and when no one returned the gesture she cleared her voice and continued. "After the... situation a couple nights ago we need to talk about training more people for defense." A couple nights ago? Had Colette really been out for that long? "I think... I think we should start training people how to use their powers." Murmurs erupted throughout the room.