Chronicles of the Unknowns: Control

Chapter 20

Jake POV

There wasn't much time to come up with a plan. Time was of the essence. The last thing we needed was to get caught off guard so we came up with a few contingencies for multiple scenarios.

The first assumption we made was that if the rally was still going to be held, it would undoubtedly be a trap that would lead into a bloodbath. If that was the case we would bring the fight to them. There was also the possibility that Giovanna would attack us first in retaliation from what Celeste had done. We decided the best course of action to take was to split our forces.

Half of us were leaving immediately in preparation for the attack on the rally. Half of us would be staying behind. This way if Giovanna went on the offensive first, we wouldn't lose everyone. And if the rally was a trap, only half of us would be at risk. Fighting at the rally seemed to be the more dangerous option, as it was on their turf, so the stronger ones among us would be going. Those with powers that weren't as strong would stay here, but had the advantage of being in an environment they were familiar with.

I would be going to the rally along with the elementals and Jason. I wasn't entirely sure if it was the right call to put so many of our power players in one spot, but we didn't have a lot of options. Jason would be using his telepathy to keep tabs on the camp for as long as he could in case Giovanna went through with a pre-emotive attack. Taylor would be staying behind and would teleport to us and return immediately in that scenario.

Before leaving, we decided to hold a funeral for Salali. I didn't know her very well, but the sadness from Sakima was almost tangible. Dziko had created a grave for her and Ayana decorated it with various flowers and plants. She also created a crown made of flowers, which Sakima gingerly placed on his sister's head.

For those of them that knew her, they gave brief speeches with Sakima having the last word. Dziko shifted the earth beneath her body and Salali slowly descended into the grave with the dirt gingerly being piled on as she went. Ken stood a few feet away, a somber expression on his face as he watched her work. Tears silently streamed down Sakima's cheeks and Daisy Lynn placed a hand on his shoulder. I expected him to brush her off but instead he leaned into her. After a few moments, he wiped his face dry and the sorrowful look on his face melted into unbridled rage.

His voice was a low growl, barely audible, but his words still managed to be clear: "I will kill every person responsible for this"

***

We moved with urgency. If the rally was still going to happen, there wasn't much time to make it there. With nothing but the clothes on our backs and a few rations of food and water, we piled into the few cars and trucks we had and made our way to L.A.

I rode with Jason and a few other Unknowns. Daisy Lynn and the rest of the elementals took another car and followed closely behind. A few of us were unaccounted for...Celeste was unsurprisingly gone along with Lili. I tried not to think about it, but deep down her betrayal hurt. For her to ruin our plans and then leave when things got tough...it was difficult to accept.

Lili was admittedly a little more rounded than Celeste, and definitely more reliable, so for her to disappear with her raised a few alarm bells. I suppose that meant she trusted her more than the rest of us...but why? Had Celeste told her something without disclosing it to the rest of us? Or did Lili simply have more tolerance of her antics, meaning that her judgement failed her?

Again, I felt inadequate. My mind traveled to my conversation with Scott. If the majority of Unknowns were okay with what Giovanna was doing, was it really our place to stop her? If she wasn't forcing people to bend the knee, I'd feel a bit more sure of my answer.