Collective

Althea

Althea gulped. "Treason?"

"Yes." The girl didn't offer up any further explanation.

"Oh." Althea didn't quite know what to say.

"What got you a coveted spot in this 5 star hotel?" the girl asked flippantly.

Althea considered how to even begin to answer that question. "In a nutshell, a lovely girl I go to school with pushed me into the horse of the owner of this delightful establishment, causing the horse to spook and destroy an entire city street. Afterwards, the woman approached me and made me hold her hands in a strange display in front of the many attentive bystanders, and somehow during the process she ended up on the ground, which she attributed to some action from me. She got angry, and I booked myself a room." Althea shrugged, "And here we are."

For the first time, the girl cracked a smile, and let out a small laugh, "You spooked Arabella's horse? And then knocked her over in the street! You got some guts girl!"

"I didn't push her over!" Althea insisted, "I still don't know how she ended up on the ground, I didn't move at all once she had my hands in hers. Nor did I spook her horse...well I did, but it was only because my classmate pushed me."

"Why did your classmate push you in the first place?" the girl asked, still looking amused.

Althea looked down at the floor. She hated having to admit she was Powerless so soon after meeting someone. In her experience, it always led to strangers judging her before they even knew her.

"All my classmates pick on me," she admitted quietly, "I...I don't have a Power so they all think I'm weak."

"That's not true." The girl spoke matter of factly.

Surprised, Althea looked up, "Well thank you," she said, "That's nice of you to say."

"No," the girl shook her head slightly, "I don't mean you aren't weak."

Althea felt her face shift and the girl, noticing, quickly added, "No offense."

"It's okay." Althea said automatically.

"What I meant," the girl continued, "was that you have a Power."

Perplexed Althea looked at her. "No I don't."

"Yes," the girl persisted, "You do."

"I think I would know if I had a Power." Althea said skeptically, "None has ever come out in me."

The girl shrugged. "I am a truth Power, and when you stated that you were Powerless, my Power told me that you were lying."

"But I wasn't lying!" Althea almost shouted, "I was telling the truth!"

"You might think you were," the girl said calmly, "But the words you spoke were a lie. You have a Power."

Althea sat back, shocked. This girl could not be serious. If Althea had a Power, she would know. Who did the girl think she was trying to tell her otherwise.

"So I told you my story," Althea heard her voice had taken on a defiant tone, "What's yours? Who are you? How did you get in here."

The girl had gone back to staring out the window.

"My name is Gemma. I was caught in a meeting of a rebel organization. Most of the other members were able to escape the clutches of the guards, using their Powers. But as I just told you, my Power is simply a truth Power, and it doesn't do me much good against guards. So I landed here."

"A rebel organization?" Althea echoed, "I didn't even know there was such a thing."

The girl smiled, almost condescendingly, "Most people don't. Unless you go looking, you won't find them."

"So why did you go looking?" Althea asked.

"I didn't want to give up my Power. And I don't think it's right that we have to. I think we should be allowed to keep them. They belong to us, and they are a part of us. We've had peace for centuries. Don't we deserve another chance to keep what we're born with?"

Althea thought about that. Identification with Powers was something she had never understood, not having a Power herself. She knew that some people felt so strongly about their Powers that they did not want to give them up on their Offering. She had heard rumors of people like that at least. But she had never really considered if it was right or wrong that they were expected to donate their Powers in the first place. Her mind had been more preoccupied with what would happen when they called her up at her Offering and realized she had no Power. If they would think she was somehow hiding it or was committing treason, as her classmates seemed to think would happen.

But now that Althea considered it, she wondered why they did still have to give up their Powers. It wasn't like the Queen used them for much, except her vanity and her petty business dealings. Or at least, that was what the city citizens said.

"If I ever was forced to give up my Power by a royal...or if I had a Power to be forced to give up," Althea said, "I would make it very clear I did not want to."

Gemma looked at her curiously. "What?" Althea said defensively, "Just because I don't have a Power doesn't mean I can't imagine not wanting to give up an ability like that."

"No it's not that." Said Gemma, "It's just that, what you said right now, about being forced to give up your Power and what you would do....You were lying."