Selection (Book 2 of P.O.E. chronicles)

Chapter 24 History Lesson

I was torn. On one hand I was glad to see a close relative after what I had been through; on the other hand, Lynette had never been my favorite person in the whole world and the way she was treating me now was a far cry from the way she had treated my family for years.

“Hello grandmother.” I said, finally managing to coax the words out of my mouth. She nodded at me, her smile unfaltering but she lowered her arms after she realized that I had no intention of hugging her.

“Well I am glad to see you too.” Lynette said wistfully. I looked around at my surroundings but there was nothing to give away where we were; the airfield was merely a strip of tarmac surrounded by abandoned grasslands fenced off on three sides, and a one-story concert building on the other. The temperature was mild and the sky was partially covered in clouds, mirroring my mood.

“Come on, we better move back inside.” Lynette said, waving her hands like she was addressing a formal meeting. Her demeanor was exactly the same; the regality, the air of superiority. It was just down-right annoying.

Since there was no objection, all of us followed her into the building. Inside it was a lot better than it looked, lined with soft, burgundy carpets and light wooden panels. There were a dozen people or so running around in black clothing embroidered with the de Silver sigil, either on the phone or typing away furiously in front of a computer.

I noticed that everyone seemed to make way for Lynette as she passed through; she nodded at a few people and led us through the main office area into a plush room.

“Have a seat.” Lynette said, I turned around and saw that the pilot and co-pilot had left the group, as well as Kenneth and Wayne. Only the de Silvers were left.

“Lynette, we need to check her first.” Paul said, sighing as if this was not the first time my grandmother had ignored protocol and did what she wanted. No surprise there.

“She has been wearing the necklace since she entered the Academy. She is protected.” Lynette said, giving Paul a final look before turning to address me. I touched the necklace and frowned; protected? So this was more than just a decorative heirloom?

Paul’s glance flickered to my necklace and I detected a hint of jealousy in his eyes that I didn’t see before. “This is the necklace?” he asked and Lynette gave him a pointed look and nodded.

“Alright then.” Paul straightened up and I looked towards John and Jenny to see if they had any idea about what just happened, but neither of them seemed to follow what was going on.

“Where is Ethan?” Paul asked, Lynette shrugged like she didn’t care. “He said he wanted to be here.”

“Yes, but I told him I need time to talk to my granddaughter.” She said, and then dismissed Paul when he opened his mouth to say more with a wave of her hand. “Which is exactly what I am going to do now.”

I narrowed my eyes at my grandmother as she ushered the three de Silvers out of the room. She sighed as the door finally clicked shut behind them and shook her head.

“People will always be jealous.”  She said as if that would account for everything. Sitting back down she folded her hands neatly on her lap and just looked at me. It was hard not to feel patronized by her; she had this air of authority about her that made people squirm in her presence.

“Well dear, you have been hiding that power of yours quite well.” She said, her glaze on me unfaltering. I grimaced inside, it didn’t take a genius to figure out she was praying that Dan and I would have powers to compensate for her children.

“You never told us about the de Silver clan either.” I retorted; to her credit Lynette didn’t seem fazed by my question at all. She leaned slightly backward and crossed her legs, a wry smile on her face.