The Academy - Book III

Chapter Fifty Six Part Two

"And I'm sitting," pouted Malcolm.

Acadia gaze swept the full table, "Did I stutter when I said for you to leave."

Pharris rose, doubt written on his face as he stared at Malcolm. "I don't trust this," mumbled Pharris. "The council wishes to hide too many things even from those of us on the council."

"Pharris," snapped Acadia. "I grow weary of your insubordination. You question -."

"Everything you people do should be questioned," exclaimed Pharris angrily. "Those idiots," Pharris pointed to the other empty seats, "may follow your dictates happy they are special enough to have been chosen to round off the council but I will not -."

"Sit down," growled Isaiah frustrated. "Just sit down and be quiet!" Isaiah glared at Malcolm. "I have no idea why you wanted your irritating cousin on the council or why I agreed but for the love of the goddess," snapped Isaiah as he pinned Pharris with an irate stare. "You are just as annoying as you were in primary and secondary school."

Pharris smirked, "It's a gift."

"Whatever," scoffed Isaiah as he glared at Acadia. "Acadia enough! Kevin," growled Isaiah "explain and for the sake of my sanity please don't claim that these pictures were digitally altered."

Kevin threw his hands in the air and frowned, "The only other option would be for me to be well, over what, two thousand years old."

Joshua brow crinkled as he looked into Kevin's hazel eyes. "Hearing you say it does make it sound insane."

"It's true," whispered Jacob as he stared at Kevin thoughtfully. "You are well over two thousand years old."

"Jacob," scoffed Acadia, "when I was a child Jacob was around sixteen years old. There is no way he could be that old. Ah'Taria and the known universe didn't even exist. "

Malcolm nodded, "When I was a kid he was -." Malcolm mouth fell open and he stared at Kevin, "Around sixteen years old."

"When Mia and I met you in the outlands," frowned Kaelen,"you were around sixteen years old."

"Really," laughed Kevin as he waved his hands around. "We all know Ah'Tarians are long lived. Plus when I met you and Mia I only looked that young."

"You have always looked that young," thought Isaiah out loud. "Malcolm is the oldest of us and Acadia the youngest. I remember you also liked around sixteen when I was a kid." Isaiah tapped his finger to his chin, "I vaguely remember you aging but...."

Celeste gaped as she looked at Kevin. "You stated that those shots would make Lucas and Jacob like you and Kaelen. We never really asked you what that meant," stated Celeste. "We assumed that just meant stronger, faster, and harder to kill."

Kevin nodded, "That's exactly what it means."

"No," whispered Jacob as his face fell. "There's more." Jacob pointed toward the picture of a Kevin that looked too much like him and of a blond haired man that resembled Lucas too much for comfort. "Kevin what did you do?"

"Is my son your clone," asked Acadia. "Did you experiment on me? You weren't here when he was born that I remember but you could have easily made me and Joshua forget."

"Of course not," sighed Kevin. "I didn't need to experiment on any of you."

"What does that mean," asked Isaiah. "And why is the Sinclair family the head of the Alliance when it is obvious that the person we were created from is encased in -." Isaiah waved his hand at the image of a man suspended in crystal. "Kevin -?"

"Stop saying my name as if I'm some type of monster," yelled Kevin while he stood up. "I didn't do anything to any of you!" Kevin waved a hand at the screen, "The Sinclair's and Nobles come from my best friends, my brothers, the two people I couldn't live without! It didn't take a lot of manipulation to splice our DNA into some willing einge*."