The Book of Gemma -Apocalyptic Fantasy Romance-

CHAPTER 5: SCORCHED

Franco lays in my bed passed out from the drugs Albi hooked him up to. His hand is now bandaged but Albi tells me the pendant symbol is burned into his hand. Franco is smart for a human, if he were to go down the rabbit hole to find the symbol of my pendant, it could reveal my family's secret.

I look down at it with Albi's voice stopping my thoughts.

"Don't." He whispers. "-Not for a boy."

I drop my pendant still staring at Franco. "What if he finds out about the symbol? I can heal his hand and take away his whole memory of ever being here."

Albi shakes his head. "And what if you don't have the strength to put it back on? Huh? Someone sees your eyes? You have not been in control of your powers for thousands of years. It's reckless."

I feel tears brim my eyes. "Not true. I almost took it off to wipe Deecon's memories.." I tremble telling the awful truth to Albi. ".. I wanted to know if he knew who I was, I felt him getting closer to the answer and I needed to steal his thoughts. He was discovering my mysterious past to explain my behavior. He wasn't cheating at this time but I do think back if stealing them would have saved us. I just need to talk to him. Maybe I can make him understand. I could even pay him off." My voice almost sounded cold at the end. It felt wrong saying it.

Albi hits me with the cold hard truth. "If he does not understand, you will need to slice your brand off of his palm and lock him away... we cannot risk any memories leaving your mind."

I flinched at Albi's words, he sounded as if all my kind has done is take. I can give, I remember healing the world from plague to scuffed elbows. "I could heal his hand.." I trail off taking another glimpse at Franco's slumber. Albi puts an end to my thought ".. and what of his memories? Could you be in control of that?" I shake my head in distraught.

".. I don't know."

When Franco started to shift in his slumber, I placed my hand on his shoulder for comfort but he snapped me away pushing his body against the headboard.
"Wha-What happened?" He exclaims, confused about how he got there. I can feel his pain from here. His throbbing hand makes him cradle it.
"Gemma, please tell me what happened." He begs. Tears start to form as he holds his bandaged hand. My wounded deer, scorched by my star's burning desire to be let out.
"I'm going to tell you but you have to promise me something." Now I beg. His head turns slightly examining my state of fear. "What?" He replies.

"You will try to understand." I whisper but my words are heavy.

I pull my pendant from underneath my shirt. He flinches at its appearance, starting to remember the touch of it.
"I am Gemma Knox. The only Gemma Knox."

He twists his face again in confusion "Yeah I know you are Gemma Knox."

"For reasons I cannot explain at this time, I need to lock you in this room until I can figure out a plan... And I need you to understand, you cannot contact a soul. If you do, I will...." I start to choke on my own words hating the taste of them. ".. I will have to rip the brand off of your flesh and lock you away."

He doesn't know what to say, think, see, breathe. He doesn't know how to process. I feel his emotions turn every corner. But the last one crashed onto me. Fear. The last thing I want a human to feel. I go to place my hand on his leg but he flinches away. He finally croaks out "I um.. Need to go home."
I drop my head. "That's not an option, Franco."

He inches further away from me "Wh-what do you mean that's not an option?" He whimpers.
"I can't let your fear spread through the planet. That brand on your hand cannot leave this place. You must remain here until we see eye to eye. I'm sorry. Albi has already locked down the building." I explained.

I feel his fear crashing against me in waves. He stands from the bed staying close to the wall and further from me. Don't make me do this.

He tries to sprint around me but I'm much too quick. I grab the front of his shirt and slam him to the ground. His height and weight means little to my body. I could take down ten men the size of him with the flick of my wrist if I really concentrated wearing the pendant. Without the pendant? He would be 500 feet into the ground by my finger.

"Franco, this is for your protection and your kind's. Do not ruin thousands of years of progress for one emotion!" I raise my voice at him. "-Focus. Calm your breathing. The rest of your body will follow." I coach him through the process but humans' natural instinct is to give into the terror. He tries to stand up again but I throw him back down. "Focus!" I shout. Feeling a slight burn to my eyes I can feel the pendant burning again.

He starts to close his eyes, focusing on his breathing. I start to feel his fear once a tsunami now just little waves tumbling over the shore. I kneel down next to him. My presence started to jump his heart. "Breathe." I whisper, noticing it is starting to soothe him.

"I will have Albi bring you some food throughout the day until you are ready to talk."

I leave the spacious room, locking it from the outside. The room is lined with the same material of my pendant. My family had put it in just in case one of us were to lose our pendant. A holding cell for the Starzithians. He never had a chance.