Your One & Only(36)



She tried to speak, to excuse herself for disrupting their proceedings, but was afraid she’d pass out if she didn’t get through the door.

She made it to the hallway and stumbled into one of the Samuels. He caught her arms.

“Are you okay?” he said.

No, she wasn’t. She couldn’t sit in the meeting hall anymore, couldn’t listen to her friend talk about Jack that way. She couldn’t watch the faces of the Council members, who were obviously only biding time until they pronounced Jack guilty and then . . . did what? Killed him? She couldn’t bring herself to look into Jack’s eyes anymore, eyes that seemed to see something in her that made his lips part the slightest bit, as if he was about to say something only she could hear far across the room.

Althea pushed the Samuel away. She sat on the bench outside the meeting hall doors, catching her breath. She longed for her sisters. They would calm her, ease the panic that overwhelmed her.

As the shakiness ebbed, Althea leaned her head back on the wall, wishing she hadn’t left the meeting hall. Now she wouldn’t know what was happening.

The slam of the entrance door from the Commons jangled her nerves. It was Carson-292. She had noticed he wasn’t representing the Carsons in the meeting hall. He led the younger Carson-312 with him, a small device clutched in his hand. It was shiny and silver, with copper wires twisting around it.

Althea stood, worried at their determined strides.

“What are you doing here?” she said to Carson-312.

Carson-292 brushed her aside and strode toward the double doors of the meeting hall. “This doesn’t concern you, Althea.”

“Wait.” Althea scurried in front of them. “Is it about Jack?”

“I saw him, Althea,” Carson-312 said. “I saw him start the fire.”

Althea pointed her finger in Carson-312’s face. “That’s a lie, Carson. He was with me when it started.”

Carson-292 had walked ahead of them. He turned back to Carson-312 and Althea, his hand resting impatiently on the handle of the door.

Carson-312 smiled at Althea, an ugly smile, shrewd and calculating. Pointing to the device held by Carson-292, he said, “See that thing? It’s a timer. It was found in the rubble this morning. It was stolen from the tanks in the lab. He was with you when the fire started, because he made sure of it. He’s using you as an alibi.”

She shook her head. “You’re setting him up. You hate him, you always have.”

“Carson!” Carson-292 said sharply.

Althea followed them into the meeting hall; the proceeding was disrupted with the entrance of the Carsons. Still standing on the dais, Jack glanced uncertainly at the Carsons, but seemed relieved to see Althea again. She was supposed to be there to get him out of this mess.

Althea blocked Carson-312 from moving up the aisle of chairs. “You can’t lie to the Council.”

“Althea.” He placed his hand gently on her shoulder. She batted it away, and his eyes hardened. “He’s dangerous. You know it as well as I do. We’ve put up with enough from him, and it’s time someone stopped him.”

Althea watched helplessly as Carson-292 approached the Council and placed the device on their table, telling them what it was.

“You saw him in the labs?” the Inga asked Carson-312.

“I saw him sneaking toward the labs last night.”

“Then why wait until now to say so? Why didn’t you tell someone right away?” Althea asked from across the meeting hall.

“Sit down, Althea,” the Inga said. She turned back to Carson-312. “And you’re sure it was the defendant you saw?”

“Positive. He’s been stealing from the labs, things like this timer, and he snuck out last night. Everything going wrong, it’s been him the whole time. He ruined our fields, he stole the timers on the tanks, and he destroyed the labs. Who else could it have been? He thinks he can tear down our community, and I’m not going to stand around watching it happen.”

“He has no proof!” Althea said, yelling this time.

“Althea, stop,” Jack said, in a voice meant only for her.

She didn’t stop, though. She pushed past the Viktor and made her way to Carson-312. He stood in front of the Council, smug and arrogant. She wanted to hit him, an urge toward violence she’d never felt before. She stood in front of him to block him from the Council table, making them listen to her. “Jack was with me last night, outside the wall.”

The Althea on the Council cast a sharp look at Althea. She wasn’t supposed to cross the wall, and doing it to see the human boy certainly wouldn’t go over well.

Inga sighed patiently. “Given the timer, that clearly doesn’t prove he’s innocent of starting the fire.”

Carson-312’s lip slid into an incredulous smile. “I can’t believe you’re going to defend him over one of your own. He’s nothing, Althea, an animal.”

Althea moved toward Carson-312 until her face was right next to his. Up close, his heavy breath brushed her skin. She saw the tiny hairs of his left eyebrow and the way his scar made a smooth, white line between them.

“Don’t say that!” she hissed.

Carson-312 pushed her aside with unexpected force. She lost her balance and tumbled against the bench, hitting her head on the wooden rail and falling to the floor. A Viktor tried to grab her arm as she fell. Carson-292 reached down as if to help her up, and half the Council members were yelling, trying to regain order.

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