The Guardian

Chapter Twenty-Two

Seth stood up in front of council and requested that the twenty-one age requirement be lifted. "It's only right", said Seth. "She's struggling, and I think if she knew that her guardian was real, that I'm there to support her, that would help her in her struggles not to self-harm."

"I don't think that it's a good idea to lift the restriction", said the old woman. "After all, she won't be mature enough to deal with what we are until she's old enough to understand about guardians. Until she's old enough, she'll test the guardian, test you, to see if you'll always be there."

"I don't know", said the man to her right. "She's a very mature woman who has been through a lot. We're guardians, and Seth has the responsibility of protecting that woman. I don't think she'll test Seth any more than she currently is and, in fact, she'll likely test him less because she'll know that he's her guardian and he'll work with her to keep her safe."

"I agree with you", said Seth, "I think that she's very mature for her age. In fact, I think she's more mature than most people in their twenties. You must understand, she has been through hell and back in her life. I think that it would be beneficial for her to know that she has a guardian. If nothing else, I think it will make her feel special and help her recognize her own value."

"What do you think, Michael?" asked the old woman. "You've been working with her."

"I agree with Seth that she's a very mature woman. I think she's already cognizant of guardians and she's aware that there are guardians who look after people. Right now, I believe that Julianna is missing the connection with Seth that she knows she has. It's like a piece of her is missing, and she'll never be happy unless that piece of her has been restored. She has lived a long time without that piece, and I think it would be cruel on behalf of the council to withhold that piece any longer. She'll never stop her self-harming practices if she doesn't become complete. And she'll never become complete if we don't allow her to become knowledgeable about Seth."

"So, just like Seth isn't complete without his connection and his ability to see his connection on a regular basis, Julianna is also incomplete without Seth?" said the old man. "Interesting."

"Yes", said Michael. "You can imagine how horrible it would be to have made a connection and not be able to acknowledge that connection, to not be able to spend time with your connection. That's not how guardians were made. Humans are very similar in that way. When they make a connection, they also must spend time with their connection for them to feel safe and secure. Julianna made a connection with Seth when she was four years old. All this time she has been forced to go without seeing her connection. For fourteen long years, she has been forced to lie about her connection and pretend it doesn't exist. The only time she can admit there's a connection is during her dreams. If she was a guardian, she would have been declared insane after all this time. The same thing could be said about humans. She hasn't become insane largely because she's a very strong woman."

"If I may speak?" said Gabriel. When the old woman nodded her head, he said, "I have had a chance to talk to Julianna several times in the last week, and I have to say that I've been pleasantly surprised at how mature she is. She's going through a rough time. She needs all the support that we can give her. And isn't that part of the role of a guardian? Isn't it time to take the handcuffs off Seth and allow him to do his job to the best of his abilities?"

"But she's just seventeen. She's just a baby", said the old woman.

"A baby in guardian years", said Michael. "But almost an adult in human years. She becomes legal when she's eighteen, in another week. I agree with Gabriel. I think it's time to let Julianna benefit from Seth's connection to the full extent of his capacities."