Code of Shadows

Chapter 6: Truth

I gasped. The Prime Justice couldn't be telling the truth. Fantasies weren't real. Of course I had dreamed of being one of the big three at some point in my life, but I always knew that that wasn't ever going to be true. It was like wishing to be a princess when you were little. It was completely irrational, but you still hoped.

"Nope, no way. Can I leave now?" I looked expectantly at the Prime Justice.

"I told you she wouldn't take it well." I recognized the voice a moment before he came around the corner. He shook hands with the Prime Justice, then turned his hazel eyes on me. "Cait, it has been a long time."

"Uncle Jamison!" I jumped into his arms and squeezed the breath out of him. It had been almost two years since I had last seen him. He used to live just a few doors down from us before he had disappeared on continuous business trips and the government had moved another family into his old house. I had been close to him when he was still around. I had spent many afternoons on his front porch enjoying his stories and company.

After a long moment he set me down on the ground. I looked up at him again. "So you have been here all along?" I asked.

"Not really," he smiled guiltily. "But I'm glad that I can finally tell someone the truth. When I accepted the job, I couldn't tell anyone about it, for safety purposes."

I shook my head trying to make sense of his words. Nobody wanted to make sense today apparently. "I missed you, you know? I waited everyday at your house for you to come home."

He grimaced. "I'm sorry," he truly was. I could see it in his eyes. "But we have other things to focus on right now," just like that, his face went expressionless. I sighed. I still wanted to leave, but Uncle Jamison being here made my decision all the more complicated. I had to stay because how I had to talk to him. I edged over to a couch opposite of the Prime Justice, then sat on the edge of the seat.

Jamison sat across from me, next to the Prime Justice. He gave me a cold hard stare. I wanted to cry. This is not the Uncle Jamison I know. Why did I decide to stay?

I tried to calm myself down. I took several deep breaths, then returned my own even look back at them. Fine, we would play this game.

"So it's true?" I knew the answer I would get, but I didn't care, I just wanted to find the slightest hesitation.

"Yes," he answered quickly, without even blinking. They were not lying. I was Belle. Or they at least believed that.

I took a deep breath and sighed. Apparently, today had decided to make itself a really strange day. Or maybe I should call it a really strange week? I mean winning our match against Lucas's team that was pretty crazy. Then the water balloon fights strange ending. And finally, the news that our family was moving to Pleaci in less than a week. Man, such a weird week.

"Prove it," I whispered.

Jamison pulled out a work pad and with a few taps turned it around to show me the screen. I saw myself walking along a large metal beam no older than 11. At that moment I tripped over a ring and lost my balance. I saw the girl flail, then topple over the railing. My heart leapt to my throat as I watched the fall. However about halfway to the ground, a yellow-gray swirl surrounded the girl, then it flashed, and the girl disappeared. The camera rearranged to show her on the ground. Safe, a few hundred feet down from where the fall had started.

I remember that day. Ariana and I had decided to meet here to play. I had gotten there early and had started to play around. I had climbed onto the walkway and started to walk around. Some place along the walkway I had tripped, and fallen over the side. I had almost gotten a scream out when I felt the air stop rushing around me. I had opened my eyes and looked up, confused. The ground felt solid beneath my feet, but I had sworn that I had been falling a second before. I had brushed that experience off a while ago as a daydream.