ON HOLD: Chosen

Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: Lisa

Well. There goes our one opportunity to save the world. Flushed down the drain, right along with Celia's refusal to do the simple, right thing and come with us.

I hate her already.

"Please, Celia," I hear Jacaline beg. "At least come and give us a chance. We have an opening to stop the Löthr. Why do you think we have the mark, and you such a strong Peculiarity? Surely you must see that."

"I don't, actually," Celia retorts. "More and more people are just going to get hurt if you rebel, yet you continue to fight destiny."

"They're getting hurt not doing anything about it!" I snap. I can't disguise the anger and disgust in my voice. "Don't tell me you haven't realised or seen it, especially with you and your prophecy ability. And it's only going to get worse. Don't you care?"

She looks away. I must have struck a nerve, because I see her tense up, jaw clenched. "I do care," she whispers harshly. "But I've already made the mistake of trying to help. I won't make it again."

"Just come with us. See for yourself," King repeats. Celia turns on him with a hiss.

"Do you know who my father is?" she demands. Jacaline, King and I share blank expressions. Cole is waiting outside. King thought It would be better to confront Celia without someone who was raised be the Löthr.

Look how well that turned out.

"My father's name is Jason. He Is the third and final leader of the Löthr. The only contact he makes with me is to ask me for answers and visions. Either he comes personally, or sends people to kidnap me, but that hasn't happened in a long time." Rage, helplessness, and regret flicker across her face. That's weird, I think, intrigued. What could she possibly have to regret?

Celia takes a deep breath, hands still clenched tightly into fists. "He relies on my ability to see the future. What do you think he'll do if he finds out I disappeared?"

"We'll protect you," King answers immediately. "You'd be safe with us."

"We'll protect ourselves," Jacaline corrects quietly. I feel approval toward Jacaline as I watch Celia's reaction to her words. I'm an expert at reading emotions and body language. I kind of had to be good at it, especially when I was young and still living with my mum. So I know that Celia isn't interested in protecting herself. She's worried about us.

"Oh, don't worry," I reassure her, smirking slightly. "Since I was six years old I've been living in the streets. I've had more than my fair share of action and danger. I'm more than capable of hurting anyone who gets to close. Plus," I add, waving to her, King and Jacaline, "We have King's fire, Jacaline's energy shocks, your future seeing ability, and Cole's earth power."

"Cole?" Celia repeats icily. "Where?"

"Protecting our transport," King jumps in quickly, before I can reply with a probing comment about her interest in Cole's whereabouts. "But what do you say, Celia? As Lisa has kindly pointed out, we are more than capable of looking after ourselves. We need you."

She shakes her head quickly, as though fighting herself. "I can't," she argues. "I'll just make things worse. More dangerous."

"What will you make worse, exactly?" Jacaline asks. "I don't think we can get more wanted by the Löthr than we already are. You aren't going to change much."

Celia doesn't answer; she just dips her head to stare at the floor.

"You can come with us and have a high probability of saving millions of lives across Deltona," I tell her irritably, "or you can sit here and wail over whatever made you think this way - sad, alone, and hopeless. Your choice."

I get a hard elbow in the ribs from Jacaline. "Stop that," she hisses under her breath. "You're making it worse."

"No, I'm not," I hiss right back. "Look."

Celia's still looking down, but she's biting her lip. We've melted her resolve. She nods slowly, but I can see who much she hates that she's giving in and not putting up a better fight. The others must see that too, because they don't say anything else. King disappears to speak to her mother for a moment, then returns to gently lead Celia outside, and away from everything she's ever known.