SWNOVELS Chapter 18
"What is it?" Patrick asks as he turns to me and pulls my hands away from the lace that I am twisting in them. I take a deep breath; I have to warn him about my plan so that he won't get hurt.
"I have to show them why it is too dangerous for me to be around people." I say not looking over at him as he still has his head turned toward me.
"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" I can see that he is looking at me with a little concern in his eyes from the corner of my own, but I still just look straight ahead.
"I am going to allow myself to lose my temper and when they finally see how destructive my powers can be, maybe they..." he interrupted me.
"You can't do this, Laoonica. It will end horribly." He pleads.
"Maybe this will make them understand why having me surrounded by guards is a bad idea." I still didn't look at him as I can feel the disapproval radiating from him. He tries to bait me into turning my head by moving his own further into my vision but I stand firm. I knew he could talk me out of it if I allow myself to look into his eyes.
"Why would you want to do that? What if you can't pull it back in?" his voice fills with concern and a bit of anger in it although he isn't yelling. I somewhat expected he might.
"I don't know what else to try. They seem not to hear me when I speak. So just like those men that came to my home all those years ago I will show them. I will pull it back in, but if I don't you will have to get everyone off the ship fast." I say as I have planned on going as far as I have to in order to get my point across. A slight fear makes my heart jump as I too am terrified that I won't be able to pull back.
"I won't leave. If it gets out of control I will talk you down again or since I still have the tranquilizer gun I can shoot you if I can't." he says, the last part I think is meant to be a joke, but I don't take it as such.
"I don't want you to talk me down. If I can't pull it in on my own, then I want you to shoot me." He looks at me, and out of the corner of my eyes I can see the shock.
"I don't want to do that to you. I won't do that." He insists still trying to get me to face him. I cannot allow myself to be talked out of this.
"I need you to do this. I can't let anyone else suffer because I can't control my powers." I have to be able to be me even if it means not getting to love him or be with him. It is the only way to protect all that I am and him as well.
"I don't know if I can." He tries to pull my gaze into his but for the first time I pull away.
"Please Patrick it's the only way." I reply now stepping away from him as well to show him I am not playing around.
"Is it? You are still hiding something from me. I know you don't want to tell me, but if it could help you out you need to say something." I want to confront him about the voice I heard in the bathroom and in the captain's office. I restrained from saying anything as I cannot be sure as to who or what is going on. I can't help but feel as though he is hiding much from me as well. I stand there waiting for the elevator doors to open. I wish that they would hurry and release me from this torturous conversation.
"I will do whatever I have to do to change their minds." I say looking down at my feet now. I can tell he knows that if he can get me to look at him he can talk me out of it as he keeps trying to get me to look at him.
"You do what you have to, and I will do what I have to. I will not let them continue to treat you as nothing more than a weapon." I look at him for a second, but before I can say anything the doors open onto the deck. This time he avoids my gaze as he looks straight ahead.
"Princess Laoonica and Lieutenant Wolf are you ready for today's meeting?" the captain greets us; he looks as thrilled as we do. I think he knows as well that things are not going to go the way I had wanted. My heart will not slow its beating as I focus on what I must do.
"Yes Captain, we are ready." Patrick speaks first, but I am not as ready. I am still not one hundred percent sure if I will be able to pull off losing my temper. Well losing it and being able to control it that is.
"Yes as ready as I can be." I respond. Patrick's words repeat in my mind and I can't help but wonder exactly what he meant by he would do what he had to. I take a deep breath as we walk into the conference room. Patrick pulls my chair out and scoots it in for me as I take my seat. Then the captain and Patrick take their seats next to me. So many doubts now race through my head as I look at the screen.
"I promise Laoonica after today they won't view you as a weapon." Patrick leans in and whispers in my ear as the screen light up with the all of the faces of the council, all except for the one they called Woorm. He was still ban from the meeting. Patrick's father is still present and he is looking a little sicker than he did the day before. I look over at Patrick I can tell that he has noticed it as well.
"Okay well we are all back and after a long night and some rest. I am glad to report that most of us are ready to decide on our course of action. We will allow the princess to have one more opportunity to plead her side one more time." The council woman says even though I can tell it isn't a sincere notion to allow myself to speak. In fact, it seems she is somewhat annoyed by the idea of hearing me ask to be alone again.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the council, I beg of you to hear what I have to say and actually listen. I know you think that you have to protect me but in truth I can protect myself. You have all seen videos of what I am capable of. The powers of destruction are completely out of my control. If I lose my temper for any reason they react. If someone was to say or do something threatening to me, I would not be able stop what would happen. It should be perfectly clear by the lives lost on the passenger vessel that anyone and everyone around me will die. Even if they have done nothing wrong. I do not wish to have more lives on my conscience. Please allow me to live out the remainder of my life alone." No reaction at all came from any of the faces on the screen. Their minds are clearly made up.
"Princess Laoonica, how long do you suppose a person with your abilities would be able to live? After all you can regenerate your own cells at a rate never seen before." One of the men ask it seems completely random and I don't see how it was relevant. However, I will try to put it to use for myself.
"Well Council man that is the other issue. You cannot keep guards around me indefinitely. The prophecy of my birth and life does not end. No one really knows how long I am capable of living. As of two weeks ago I turned twenty-two years old but I look exactly the same as I did at eighteen. The priests actually believe that I could be immortal. How do you plan to watch over me for that long? How can you not see that keeping me under lock and key will never work?" I respond. I want them to understand but I see that no one's face has changed.
"We were not aware of this fact at the first meeting on this issue. However, it does not change our opinion and in fact it would boost our economics for years to come. It would provide an indefinite system of employment for our people." A lady with dark thick hair and skin says. I look at her then turn back to the head council woman. Well that attempt to sway them backfired as they still don't get the fact that I am not just a weapon to be studied. I know that no matter how much they try to deny it that this is exactly how they view me.
"You cannot honestly think that you have control over what will happen. Even I do not have control over my powers so how can you expect to. You risk much more then you will ever know and you still seem to view me as an object instead of a living being." I feel my anger growing and instead of holding it back I let it fill me. I see the slight glow irradiating from my hands as I look down, then back up.
"Patrick will be placed with you and you can learn from him to control it as we have seen his ability to calm you." The lady with the blonde curly hair speaks now.
"He may but what happens when he dies? What happens when sadness of his lose overwhelms me and no one is there to talk me back from it?" I haven't actually planned for a demonstration of my power so soon, but the fact that, no matter what I put before them, they will not listen to reason.
"Princess your hands." The captain's voice comes from beside me as he saw the glow surrounding my entire body now. I looked down at my hands flames have begun to form around them and slowly I move up my arms. I push back from the table and scooting my chair out. As I do the table melts in my grasp. The chair fell backwards as I stand and take a step back from the two in the room with me.
"This is only a small amount of my power do you not understand I need to be alone." I can hear the anger in my voice. I have never really spoken when I am in this state. I see the look on the captain's face as he moves quickly away as well as the fear in some of the council's faces as well. Patrick is the only one that isn't afraid. he stands up and walks toward me.
"Laoonica please don't do this." He comes closer as I try to back away all the way to the door behind us. It begins to heat up and glow red under the heat that is now surrounding me.
"Stay back Patrick I don't want you to get hurt." He doesn't listen. he reaches out and grabs my hand. I gasp in shock as I look at his face then down at my hand and I see the flames burning his flesh. I watch as his skin starts to peel from his and I instantly pull the flames back into myself. He falls to the floor. I look down at him with tears in my eyes, and I knell beside him. He is still holding my hand even though it is basically melted from the heat of my powers the skin is completely gone exposing the nerves muscle and bone in some places. I can tell by the look in his eyes he is in a great amount of pain even if he isn't screaming from the agony. I take my free hand rubbing it over his wounded one, I focus all I could and within a few minutes a white soft glow came from my hands and surround his, as my powers flow over the wound and they heal the injury. Slowly tat which has been destroyed now seems to reverse. His hand heals perfectly without so much as a scar. I almost fall to the floor as the exertion of both creation and chaos have drained all the energy and strength I have in me. I look at him and he looks back with everyone else looking on.