cascade | kotlc

11. The Allure of Danger

 "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Mr. Forkle shouted the second they resurfaced in Alluveterre. The other four members of the Collective stood beside them, along with Fitz, Keefe, Dex, and Della.

Sophie stepped forward and June did too, but Mr. Forkle wasn't focused on them. Instead, he turned to Calla.

"I did not give you permission to put these children in danger!" he growled at Calla.

She didn't blink. "I thought the only permission I needed was their own."

June whistled. "Plus, we were completely safe. The Neverseen weren't getting past me." She pulled out her gun and spun it on her finger. "I got some shots in, but I didn't kill him, like you wanted me to. He's completely disabled, so they're not going to have force fields."

"Yeah, we found something big," Biana said, giving a quick recap of their encounter.

Sophie backed away from Calla. "I touched those sticks, and then I let you tie the roots around me -- what if I just gave you the plague?"

"Relax, Miss Foster," Mr. Forkle said. "The plague has shown no signs of being transmitted by touch. And anything outside the force field likely wouldn't have been contaminated, assuming anything was."

"Forget the plague," June jumped in. "We should get back there right now. This is a prime opportunity to catch the Neverseen, and you know nothing can beat my gun."

"Yeah," Keefe agreed. "We're going after them, right?"

"You are not going anywhere," Mr. Forkle told him.

"But I am, right?" June pressured, fully displaying her gun. "I'm going?"

"Yes, June," Mr. Forkle said slowly, stroking his chin. "Your fighting prowess will be extremely valuable."

"But that's not fair!" Keefe protested. "This is my mom we're talking about!"

"Yes, but can you say for yourself that you can handle a gun as well as June can? Defend yourself as well as she can? This is too dangerous for you to come."

He fumed as Squall added, "There's no time to prepare. This is a mission best left to us capable fighters."

"You kids are not a part of this," Mr. Forkle told everyone else. "Go upstairs to your rooms. And you" -- he wheeled on Calla -- "need to explain yourself when we return."

"I can explain all the way back. You'll need me to bring you to Brackendale."

"You can't leap," June remembered. "He said something about sensors."

Mr. Forkle sighed. "Then Amisi can-"

"She doesn't know her way around as well as I do," Calla interrupted. "And she doesn't know where we were today. So you can take my help now and be angry with me later."

"We should hurry," June insisted. "The Neverseen could be completely prepared already. They could've torched the place if they had to."

"All of us should be going," Keefe cut in.

"For the last time, Mr. Sencen, you are staying here!" Mr. Forkle snapped. "And I do not want to hear another word about it! You will not change my mind. We're going, and you're staying."

"What if something happens to you?" Sophie asked worriedly.

"If we're not back by sunrise, have Amisi alert our Proxies," Granite told her. "And I believe in ours and June's abilities to defend ourselves."

June spun her gun and shoved it back into her pocket, drawing Glistensteel and examining the blade. "Let's hurry. Time is valuable. There's no need to worry, sister. We can beat them."