Through the eyes of a Stranger

Chapter 3

"Your wife won't mind?" "No, I do not have one. There is no one other than me here. Shall we move to the village others eagerly await the daughter of our late friends. You see Tessa we've also been waiting for you." Emmitt said showing her the way out his home. Emmett's home was hidden well with multiple ways in and out and undetected traps all over. Yet the set of eyes that were on her still stayed waiting and unnoticed.

He kept staring at her picture hearing her voice in his head remembering what she said moments before she was sent away. "We don't have to do this you know. We can cancel the conference for another day. We are leaders now don't we have a right to take just one day to ourselves. We can go to our spot no one will find us we can just hang out like old days. This doesn't feel right Jules." Tessa begged. "Hey now how do you think dad and the council would feel if we started changing everything so soon and see us lacking." Julian replied with a giggle playing with Tessa's hands pulling her in for a hug. "Don't joke about my instincts they've never let me down."

"I don't ever underestimate you my dear. You have been under a lot of pressure lately. Have you thought about a date yet? The people will ask. He said playfully while rubbing the ring on her left hand. "The people will know that were busy." Tessa said flatly. "Maybe I'm curious." She pushed him back slightly. " We'll work on that late, right now I wish I could convince you to drop out of this conference." "Julian, Tessa were waiting for you." "Coming Dad." Julian called back turning back to Tessa she looks so uneasy and uncomfortable. "It's going to be alright; everything is going to be fine you'll see." She walks by to take her place while pausing "What if you're wrong?" "Well just cross that bridge when we get to it." He smiled following behind her up the stairs to the platform overlooking their people.

"Jules, starring at that picture isn't gonna bring her back any faster." Riley said as if he just appeared out of thin air. "It won't hurt any less." "I'm fine Riley." "Go lie to somebody else but I know you and even if I didn't you lost your best friend whose also just so happens to be your fiancé and love of your life. Yes I noticed and your father. You might say you loss half of your immediate family in less than a half a day." "Point, Riley, make your point." Julian snapped bitterly.

"You lost half of your family Jules the other half are right here on this ship hell even right in front of you. To tell you you're not fine Jules. It's ok not to be ok. Even if it's just for a few minutes were here for you." Riley barked back. "You don't have to pretend with us. " Connor said coming out of the dark corner is everyone just hidden in this room Julian thought to himself. "So, sir what's going on in that ever-going brain of yours?" Connor mocked.

"She knew in her gut something was wrong and I mocked her it. She knew something was off about my dad. Never even told me. I'm wondering what other little secrets my bride to be hid from me or my own father for that matter. Do you think maybe she was reluctant to pick a wedding date because she thought that maybe I was into whatever my dad was into?" Julian asked defeated. "No, I don't think she believed that at all. I think she wanted to spare your feelings about something she didn't have all the facts on." Riley answered back trying to inspire hope into his broken friend.

"Look I found this on his body just hours after the attack." Julian handed the evidence to Connor as Riley looked over it. "This is... this was planned? He knew the Rebels didn't do this. Wow, Tess was right Rebels were never the problem." "What did you just say?" Julian asked shocked starring at them in disbelief. "Oh get off it. You know she was a fair Chief she never saw the Rebels as a threat. Maybe she envied their freedoms but she said a week after being Chief that the Rebels may not be our enemy. They made being used like a distraction to throw us off of a bigger problem that we not even know exists. She pulled a small team together she said and I quote 'Trusted'. She was going have used as a special team to grab our real enemy when the time was right." Connor said starring him straight in the face surprised Julian wasn't aware of the information he was being told.