The Radiants Chronicons : Vol. I & II Of The Radiants Duology Series

Defiant (Vol. II) - Chapter thirty three

Chapter thirty three
Mom's eyes widened, the moment she saw me at the door. I tried my best to give a smile, but it was hard to. I was worried for her. This wasn't something I wanted her involved in. If the dictator had someone tailing us, that meant there was trouble. I also needed our plan to work. That way I could get everyone back. I couldn't risk losing anyone right now. When Taye died, it hurt. So much more than I expected. That experience made me realize I wasn't ready to lose someone else. Especially not my family.

Mom ushered me in. "Come in. Oh my God, I had no idea you would come this soon. I thought it'd take, at least a year till I saw your face." Without waiting for a response, she pulled me into my embrace. I could feel her teardrops on my back, and I blinked back tears. At this rate, I knew I was  never getting my old life back. With the plan in mind, this might be one of the rare moments I could get.

I sniffed. "Mom, I can't stay long, but we need to talk. Is dad around?"

Mom shook her head. "No, he's at work. Your siblings are in school. They miss you. They still think you're dead."

It was getting harder and harder not to cry. I hadn't seen them since the enforcement agents took me away from home and it broke my heart how it would affect them. "I promise to see them once again. We'll be a family again."

She took my hand. Her eyes had bags blooming under them. She didn't look like the well kept mom I used to know. Her usually radiant brown hair was pulled up in an unkept bun and she was still dressed in her pyjamas, even though it was almost twelve. "That's what I'm working hard for. So we can be a family once again. That's why I'm working on a petition to—"

"I know what you're working on. The protest and petitions. I know all about it. It has even gotten to the ears of Kree Badmus."

Mom clapped gleefully. "Good. That means it's working."

I grunted. "It's not great, mom. It's a nightmare. They will kill you. They want you gone. There is nothing you can do, than to pray right now. We need all your prayers, because what you're doing, is making everything worse."

"How are you confident that it is? It could be to our advantage."

"I know this because Vikram Caden told me this and he's not fond of it."

Mom's eyes popped. "You know Vikram Caden?"

I blushed. Where would I even start from?  "He's my friend's dad."

I didn't feel ready to talk about Levi to my mom. It wasn't like I didn't trust her. I always told her everything, but the fact that I mentioned Vikram Caden's mere existence, was a huge mistake that didn't need to happen.

"You have new friends? I keep on forgetting how different you are now. It seems like you're having the time of your life going underground, while the rest of us bear with the loss."

I pouted slightly, but I chose not to disagree. I didn't need to alarm her how intense life on the underground is. She already had enough on her plate.

"So how's Vikram Caden's child's like? Male or female? Stuck up or not?  And do you think you could get Vikram Caden to do an interview with me on my site?" Her questions came pouring in and I instantly knew what she wanted. She needed the attention for her work, that Kree Badmus took away. Mom wanted the most powerful "Radiant" on her side. A risky move that I wasn't ready to unlock.

I took a slow sigh. "He's a male and our leader. He's the most genuine person in the world. And lastly, I don't think Mr. Caden would agree to it. I'm sorry mom."