Banished Pt. 13

Molly was shaking with anger as she turned on Evie.

"How many people died because we didn't say anything? Huh?" Molly asked.

"We were kids, Molly... we couldn't have known. But this is different..."

"I don't know that! I don't! And you've heard the kinds of prejudiced things she's said!" Molly spat.

"I know... I didn't like hearing it either. But racist doesn't equal murderer..."

Evie tried to take Molly's hand, but Molly merely swatted it away, before moving to Casey's other side, her arms folded as she fumed a little.

I noted that Molly's accusations about Leanna's tendencies seemed to bring Leanna some embarrassment, and as she didn't respond, I figured there was probably some ring of truth to it.

"Can we take this vote now, or what?" Nolan asked, a little impatiently.

I let out a sigh, and Leanna tightened her grip on my shoulder.

"Nate..." she whimpered, and I placed my own hand reassuringly over hers.

"All in favor of imprisoning Leanna?" Casey asked, and the hands went up.

Molly, Nolan, Jeannie, Casey... and after a probing glare from Molly, Evie's did as well, though with a bit of reluctance.

"Five votes," Casey said. "All opposed?"

Cameron, Jordan, Bianca, Raul, me... and Francesca, after a little bit of thought.

"Hold on; you don't get a vote, murderer," Casey said, chastising Raul, who scoffed, then raised a hand in surrender, before moving away a little. "Not sure if you do either," she said, eyeing Bianca, who made a whining sound in protest.

"Are you just gonna eliminate people until your side wins?" Cameron asked, and Casey shot her a sarcastic look.

"I promised Nate that I'd help him keep the group safe," she said. "I'm fulfilling my promise, even if it means saying what he doesn't wanna hear."

"Well? What's your play now," Cameron asked. "Even if you don't omit Bianca's vote, the group is fairly divided."

"And leaving me out is pretty dumb," Bianca added defensively, and Casey rolled her eyes at her.

"If I want to hear the opinion of a 'Nate-bot', I'll ask you, okay? But the grownups are talking right now," she replied, and Bianca scoffed.

"How about a counter-proposal then?" Francesca cut in. "We let Leanna be for now, but just pay a bit more attention to her? I don't know if anyone else has been talking to her, but I haven't... and her problems, whatever they are, are bound to be much worse if she was dealing with... whatever it is, on her own."

Hmm.

Using language to make her seem mostly neutral, while arguing in favor of my proposal...

I was impressed, and I shot her a look which said as much, and she almost blushed.

"So, babysit her? I dunno if anyone has the time to do that kind of thing anymore..." Casey said.

"I'll stay with Nate! And- and not get in his way. I- I promise!" Leanna offered, and Casey scowled.

"Nate-bot number 2," she muttered, and I eyed her.

"Let's vote," Francesca said. "We keep an eye on her, like a probation period... and try to talk to her a little."

This time, Jeannie and Evie also raised their hands, leaving Nolan, Casey and Molly as the only ones opposing the suggestion.

Casey shot me an annoyed look.

"Fine, but she takes the pledge," she said, and I shook my head.

"And subject her to the absolute will of another person? For someone with her problem, that would be worse than imprisoning her."

"No, I'll do it," Leanna said. "It can be you, right?"

Casey nodded, and Bianca shot me a worried look.

Tears were streaming down Leanna's face, but I could see that she was trying her best to be strong.

"Nate... I'm probably not a very good person, and maybe I deserve to be punished for it... but... I'm so scared. I- I don't want to die. I don't want to get hurt, or... I don't know what else. I know; I don't deserve your comfort, or even your protection, but if I have to entrust everything to you..."

"Shh, it's fine. I understand. And I will protect you," I promised.

Leanna's tears were tugging at the heartstrings all around, and while I was more or less unaffected, I did wonder what Casey's reaction was like.

Her hand shook as she took my hand, and placed it against her chest.

"Nathan. I pledge myself to you," she said.

I bit my lip, as I looked at her, and I couldn't help but see my mother's face staring at me.

"Annabelle," I whispered, but as the light pulsed out from me, completing the contract, I gasped, as a most disconcerting feeling pierced me through my heart.

It was as if I were a little speck in the midst of a sea of darkness and uncertainty, and I shuddered at the peculiarity of it.

This was how she felt, wasn't it?

For a moment, I focused on transmitting that feeling to Casey, and as I glanced at her, I caught a frightful expression on her face.

She swallowed uncomfortably, but as I returned my gaze to Leanna, I saw a confused look there.

"Annabelle?" she whispered, searching my eyes for an explanation, and I blushed a little.

Did I seriously say that out loud?

What the fuck is wrong with me...

"Sorry; it was my mother's name... I thought about it, then said it without thinking."

She shook her head.

"Annabelle... it's beautiful," she said.

She buried her head into my chest, and I held her, marveling at how small she felt in my arms.

"I guess that's that, then," Molly said, as she turned to walk away.

Evie took off after her, but as Nolan turned and walked away as well, I noted that Jordan made no such move.

Cameron moved to my side, and placed an arm comfortingly around Leanna's shoulder.

To my surprise, Bianca also offered her a little hand, though not without shooting me a playful look.

"I hope you don't think that I'm condoning what she said, if she did say that..." I said to Jordan, and he just shook his head, and sighed.

"Most of the people who are like that are just ignorant... not necessarily evil. Maybe she just needs some of the right influence, and we can give her that, right? Or at least try..."

I nodded, and shot him a thankful look, as I rested a hand on his shoulder.

"What are we doing with this little guy?" he asked, gesturing to the baby aufhöcker.

"Keeping him, for now. Do you mind?"

He shook his head, then turned to follow Cameron and Bianca, who were leading Leanna away to the tree, and I turned around to face Casey, who was staring at me, with a slightly dazed expression.

"Walk with me?" I asked, and she nodded.

"Before you start; I really am taking the group's best interests into consideration here, okay? For everyone, and for you too-"

"Stop. You don't need to justify anything," I said, and she let out a relieved kind of sigh.

We walked until we were a little way from where the gathering had been, and away from any nearby Kobalt as well.

"I never should have muddled things between us," I said, and she studied me. "When you said you weren't kind of girl to be on someone's list, I really should have paid better attention... I guess, I just really wanted this, huh? I felt so comfortable with you, that I led myself into believing that it would just work out somehow, like all of the other relationships. But... you deserve better than this."

She studied me.

"What are you saying?" she asked.

"That... I don't wanna torture you anymore."

She studied me carefully, swallowing uncomfortably as she did.

"What does that mean?"

I bit my lip, before speaking her contracted name.

"Cassandra."

Her eyes went wide, and I saw that shadowy form of her body in my mind, and as I focused on her core, I began to see threads inside of that shadow form.

I focused on her brain, and as I delved deeper, I began to see the organ in the kind of detail that only a surgeon might find familiar.

I searched until I spotted it; a small cluster of threads, wiring a part of her brain to another.

It was strained, almost to the point of snapping, but still holding in place, and as I formed the idea of an energy knife in my head, I severed the threads, and Casey winced, as if something inside of her snapped.

"Wh-what did you just do?"

"I freed you of your hypnosis, I think."

She shook her head at me.

"Why?"

"Because... I think that it may be best, going forward, if we discontinue the intimate aspect of our relationship."

She was shaking her head at me, her mouth slightly open.

"What about my smile, Nate?"

I shook my head at her, and smiled.

"I'll still look for it. I promise. But we don't need to have sex for me to do that. In fact; maybe it might be easier for me to find it this way..."

There was a glassy look in her eyes, and she blinked several times, willing the tears not to fall.

"Nate..."

"If you need some time away from your duties, I'll handle things for a bit," I said. "And if you don't want to advise me anymore, that's fine as well. I'll accept whatever you choose."

"Nate..."

I waited for a bit, to see if there was anything that she needed to get off her chest, but no words ever came.

"For what it's worth, I really enjoyed being loved by you. Even if it was never real... I'll never forget it," I said, and with that, I turned and left.

Be well, I thought, as I walked away.