The Revelation

You will apologize

"That question was not rhetorical, Carrie Anne. ANSWER ME NOW!" he shouted, quickly losing his patience with our lack of cooperation.

I heard Carrie gulp before answering, "I'm sorry, sir, but I promised my sister I wouldn't tell and I really didn't want her to go alone. I knew it was wrong but I just didn't know what else to do. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to worry you or Mike." Carrie quit rambling long enough to tentatively make eye contact with Dr. Curtis.

"I understand your desire to assist Lisa and keep her from venturing out on her own but I do not, cannot, and will not condone you keeping your guardians in the dark as to your whereabouts. Am I clear?" Dr. Curtis's tone cut swiftly through the awkward tension in the air.

"I'm sorry," Carrie mumbled, again focusing on picking at her fingernails in order to avoid his glare.

"I'm not happy with the poor decisions the two of you made and I want it known, this is your one and only warning. If an incidence such as this happens again, there will be consequences and they most assuredly will be unpleasant. Understand?"

I shivered from his icy cold tone and underlying threat.

"Yes sir," Carrie and I each responded respectfully.

"I expect you each to apologize to Michael. I know I shouldn't have to tell you this but based on your recent actions, I'm unable to trust your intuition so I'll spell it out for the two of you to remove any semblance of doubt. Do not disappoint me again, ladies." Dr. Curtis swiftly walked out the door, so Carrie and I followed.

When we returned to my dormroom, Dr. Curtis said, "Carrie and Julie have something they'd like to say to you, Michael, so Lisa and I will wait for you in the car. He then escorted Lisa out so Carrie and I could make our apologies to Mike in private. I honestly didn't feel that I did anything wrong by offering my sisters a safe haven instead of leaving them out on the street to fend for themselves so I remained quiet as I waited for Carrie to take the lead.

Mike didn't appear to be angry or even impatient, for that matter, as he scanned our faces waiting for us to speak. He simply appeared to be tired, weary even. I found myself pitying him in this moment as I watched him rub his bloodshot eyes and sigh softly. Impossible to ignore were the dark circles rimming the undercarriage of his usually bright blue orbs which were now tinged a dismal gray. All signs pointed to either sleep deprivation, or perhaps the more likely culprit, the stress of the events occurring over the past few days.

My first guardian was always one to wear his heart on his sleeve. This was perhaps the first glaring personality difference between the Admiral and the surgeon that I noticed as a child growing up under their regime. Shane guarded his emotions closely with a fierce determined tenacity like a loyal soldier protects and defends his position during battle. Mike, however, opened his heart and bared his soul like a splayed cadaver, organs no longer hidden from view, unprotected and ready to be dissected and ravaged by eager inexperienced anatomy students.

Sadly, I wouldn't connect the dots until much later in my life but eventually I realized that was most likely the reason Mike valued honesty above all else while Shane coveted respect. One wanted transparency in every interaction and situation, the other needed a clear boundary delineating control. Knowing this growing up could have proved invaluable in reducing the conflicts between my guardians and I, especially between Mike and I in particular.

Sensing I was lost in thought, Carrie being the observant baby sister took the initiative and broke the silence.

"Mike, I'm sorry I left with Lisa without telling you and I'm sorry we didn't call you once we got here to let you know where we were and that we were okay. I know you must have been worried about us." Carrie swallowed hard as she avoided Mike's gaze. Unlike myself, she was actually repentant.

"Carrie Anne, look at me please." Mike gently tilted her chin up. "I'm not thrilled with your choice to leave me in the dark as to your whereabouts but..." Mike gripped her chin tighter to ensure he had her full attention, "I understand why you did it. You wanted to help your sister and keep her from being alone. Didn't you?"

Carrie nodded as tears formed in her eyes.

"I'm really sorry, Mike. I knew it was wrong to run away but I didn't know what else to do cuz Lisa said she was leaving whether I went with her or not."

Wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs, Mike gave my baby sister a slight smile.

"We'll discuss the ramifications for your actions when we return to the Center. In the meantime, I want you to join Lisa and Dr. Curtis in the lot while I speak to your sister. Ok?"

Carrie nodded, still sniffling due to her sadness over disappointing our guardian.

"I'd prefer a verbal response, darlin," Mike said authoritatively.

"Yes sir," Carrie replied meekly, embarrassed by her actions and her fragile emotional state.

"Good." Mike slapped Carrie's bottom firmly before continuing, "Now, go wait for me in the car."

After hearing Carrie say yes sir as she gathered her belongings, Mike turned to focus his attention solely on me.

"I'm not going to wait all day for an apology, young lady." He narrowed his eyes at me as he spoke. "Well?" he questioned my hesitation, nay reluctance to respond.

"Fine. I'm sorry those two morons ran away and I was kind enough to open my home to them..." I gestured dramatically to the confines of my tiny dormroom, "offering a safe place of refuge."

"Your actions were way out of line, Julie Elizabeth, and completely unacceptable." Mike squared his stance as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at me. "And I strongly suggest you monitor the tone you take with me."

I grimaced, swallowing hard as he slowly and purposefully tapped the fingers of his dominant hand atop his silver belt buckle. Shaking my head, I broke myself out of my trance as I shifted my gaze away from his ominous punishing threat.

"Unbelievable," I muttered.

"Excuse me." Mike was clearly warning me with his harsh tone and posture but I stubbornly ignored the signs and persisted.

"You just told Carrie you understood why she went with Lisa but my actions, precipitated by the same motivation, are out of line and unacceptable." Scoffing, I foolishly clarified, "There's always a double standard with you."

Mike chuckled derisively while shaking his head and rubbing his chin.

"You should have called me immediately to inform me of Lisa's intentions to come here. Don't you dare try to play the innocent victim here, Julie."

"It doesn't matter what I do, Mike. In your eyes, I'm always wrong." I ignored his warning and maintained my innocence. "When Carrie goes with Lisa, she's just being a good sister by trying to help and protect her but when I allow them to come here for the same exact reasons, I'm just being disobedient." Now I was getting angry. I set my jaw and inhaled deeply via my flared nostrils, narrowing my eyes at him.

"You're not the least bit repentant are you?" Mike questioned me, the fury evident in his tone.

Exasperated, I spat back, "For what? Being a good sister? NO DAMMIT! I'm not the least bit sorry, Mike."

Mike reached for his belt but stopped himself, closing his eyes while taking a deep calming breath to keep his temper in check.

After exhaling forcefully, his tone softened and he lowered the volume of his response, "While I don't appreciate your insolence, Julie, I'll concede that you've presented a valid argument."

I was utterly shocked, to say the least, as I stood speechless, trying to process his reply.