The Light in His Darkness

Believability

"You thought that I was a spy," Glimmer finished. "And I don't blame you for that. But now the question is whether you believe me or not."

Tam looked around at the group. Tiergan seemed to be contemplating, Linh was trying not to cry, and Wylie sat, calculating. Bo was emotionless.

"Do you really care if we believe or not?" Linh asked.

Glimmer smirked. "No. I'm just curious."

She shrugged her cloak further off, revealing the pricks of scars covering her hands and arms. "I'd rather not strip down just to prove to you that they're all over my body," Glimmer told them.

"I don't think that 'stripping down' will be necessary." Tiergan looked as if he were trying to keep from laughing.

She sat back, unsmiling, finger the rainbow colored bracelet on her wrist. Linh, meanwhile, had come to sit next to Glimmer. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I believe you," she said calmly.

Glimmer sharply turned her eyes to Linh, even if one didn't seem to have emotion. "Why?"

"Why what?" Linh asked, startled.

"Why do you believe me?"

Linh lifted a shoulder, peering past her at Tam. "I mean . . . I know that Tam wouldn't let you move in if he didn't trust you completely. And I went with my gut this time and I'm not saying that that was wrong," she said, throwing him a look, "since I am perfectly allowed to make my own choices and not do what Tam says all the time, but I somehow have a hard time believing you'd cut yourself up for years just to try to trick him into this."

Tam could tell that Glimmer was thinking about Linh's response, but she didn't answer.

"That was not something I expected," Tiergan admitted. "And -"

"If you say you're going to have to talk to the Collective about it, I swear that I'll -" Glimmer started. Tam stopped her before Bo drew his weapon.

"I'm not quite sure what to do at this point," Tiergan said, "but for now, I'm going to have to let them at least know that I know your story. I won't tell them anything from there - for now."

Glimmer sighed. "I guess that's the best I can ask of you."

"Wait," Tam interrupted, glancing at Linh. "Does this mean Prentice and Wylie could move back?"

"I mean, just because we believe her doesn't mean she's entirely trustworthy," Tiergan told him.

"What, those aren't valid reasonings to leave the Neverseen?"

"I never said that," Tiergan told him, "but for however much we know, they might still be manipulating her. We simply don't know, and I suspect there's more to her story than she's telling."

Tam glanced at Glimmer. "What if I read her shadowvapor?" he asked, eyes on her. "And it came off clean?"

"How could we tell that he's telling the truth, though?" Wylie said. "Stina could come."

"Emotions aren't the best way to tell if someone's telling the truth," Tiergan said.

"I don't want to let a Telepath into my brain, though," Tam said. "I guess it'd be okay if Stina were to come, since Empathy isn't nearly as invasive. Assuming," he added, addressing Glimmer, "that it's okay with you."

"Can I talk to you, Tam?" Glimmer asked. "Alone." She didn't sound very happy.

Linh snickered. "Those words are never good."

Glimmer turned her piercing gaze to Linh as she said, "Out."

Tam nodded to the others, letting them know it was okay for them to leave. He flopped onto his back, weary down to the bone. "What?"

"You really thought it was okay to tell them you'd read my shadowvapor without asking me?" Glimmer asked harshly.

Tam shrugged. "They aren't going to trust you if I don't do this, Glimmer. Wouldn't it be nice to finally live without being distrusted?"

"You know what, Tam?" Glimmer said. "It would be nice. But I don't have the patience for that kind of stuff. They would just completely steamroll over me, even if they did trust me. But that begs the question - why did they never make you read my shadowvapor before?"

For that, Tam had no answer, although now that she brought it up, it'd probably be a good thing to ask Tiergan.

"I don't mind you reading my shadowvapor, Tam." Glimmer started pacing. "I honestly didn't know why you hadn't asked to before."

"Then why are you making such a big deal about this?" Tam asked, propping himself onto his elbows.

Glimmer threw her arms in the air. "You saying you'll do things that involve me without even talking to me about them. That's what I'm making such a big deal about."

"That's what I'm supposed to do," Tam told her. "You're my charge, remember? The only way I could get them to agree to let you stay here was do that."

"Yeah, I do remember that," Glimmer said. "But you always treated me as if I were your friend, your equal. Not like you got to make all my decisions before me."

Tam paused. "I can see how it would come off that way."

Glimmer's eyes widened in warning. "Excuse me?"

"No, I meant -" Tam sighed. "That came out wrong. I meant that I can see how me talking to them about reading your shadowvapor would make you upset."

"Well I'd hope so," Glimmer said. Another pause, before Glimmer said, "You haven't apologized yet."

Tam looked up. "What?"

She shrugged, sitting down next to him. "I mean, isn't that part of friendship? Apologizing for your wrongdoings?"

"I guess so," Tam said slowly.

Glimmer scoffed. "Oh, don't tell me you're going to say you were completely justified in saying what you did."

"I - I'm not going to say that." Tam gritted his teeth, calming himself down. "I'm sorry for doing that. I promise I'll be more considerate in the future." He really did mean it, even if it seemed to come out mechanically.

"Apology accepted," the girl said woodenly, as if her mind was off in different places.

"Wait, wait, wait - you made a whole big deal out of my apologizing to you only to say 'apology accepted' after a couple of stupid sentences?" Tam asked.

Glimmer snorted. "You're welcome to do more." Before he could answer, she added, "Were you serious, though? About reading my shadowvapor?"

"Not if you're uncomfortable with it," he promised her, "although I do seem to remember you saying that you didn't care if I read it."

She sighed. "I did say that, didn't I? Get the Empath in here. I'm already overly done with today."