Exciti

Chapter 24 (Adam)

Adam and Lucy had to jog to keep in pace with the much taller group as they descended a maze of carpeted halls and ornate flights of stairs underneath the Grand Hall.

By the time two purple robed Hushers opened a set of double doors for them, Adam was out of breath. Sweat trickled down his back, making him welcome the whoosh of jasmine scented cool air that greeted them from the office beyond the doors.

President Liu stopped by one of the Hushers, "Call out for an urgent Board meeting. All twelve members."

The Husher inclined his head, and the President stepped inside the room. They followed her into a beautiful office, its walls a bright red color, its furniture a chocolate-colored wood, and its floor a blood red oriental carpet.

She gestured at everyone to be seated and moved to sit behind a huge desk. She leaned back and looked at Lucy, "Let me start by saying that I'm very disappointed in you, Ms. Ellington. When your Overseer and I fought for your apprenticeship last year, I thought you understood the responsibility that came with being the first apprentice of your kind. What you did tonight could have caused a serious setback in the fight for Exciti rights. Luckily," she gestured at Dr. Little, "Your overseer managed to get a word of the trial in time and help you out tonight, but he may not be able to do so a second time."

Lucy stared at her hands and remained silent.

Her silence seemed to worry Dr. Little, "She may have brought them a bit prematurely. But I'm sure..."

The gramophone continued as if he wasn't talking, "I trust that you will take the necessary steps to help your apprentice reflect upon her actions?"

Dr. Little pressed his lips and took a few seconds to nod. He then waited until the President took her eyes off them to roll his eye at her, making Lucy smile a little.

The President directed her sharp gaze now at Adam, making him squirm, "To more pressing matters, Daniel, how long have you had your suspicions about this boy's gift?"

Adam waited for someone to tell her that she was mistaken, that it was Liam who was a Natural. His jaw hung open when Dr. Little replied, "A couple of weeks, ever since the White Fang incident."

"You should have reported such a dangerous gift earlier, you know how the Board will handle this delay."

Dr. Little shook his head, "I couldn't report such a claim based on mere doubt. Ion was going to evaluate both boys, and then I would be sure."

Adam interrupted, "sure of what, exactly?"

President Liu looked at him, considered, then addressed Dr. Little again, "I want the evaluation to be moved up to the nearest possible date, and the results to be reported to the Board immediately. Until then, we will have to be extremely cautious and keep him in the Cell."

Adam felt like he was falling to the Waters Below again.

Lucy made a choking noise and Dr. Little stood up, "Amanda!"

"It is out of my hands, Daniel. The Board will insist with an individual so dangerous."

"He isn't dangerous."

"How could we know that for sure?"

Lucy stood up, "Just look at him! What part of," she made a sweeping gesture in Adam's direction, "that, looks dangerous to you?"

Adam nodded. He felt like he should be offended, but it was hard to be when he agreed whole heartedly.

The President shook her head. "The most dangerous things are the innocent looking ones, Apprentice." Adam went from confused to annoyed. Did she expect to be right just because she sounded like a tweet.

Dr. Little put his hands on the President's desk. "Amanda, He doesn't even know what he is!"

Her gaze was steady. "Which makes him even more dangerous."

He rubbed his face, "Let me talk to the Board."

The President leaned forward and intertwined her fingers, her face was serene, but her knuckles were pale. "You are already on thin ice, Daniel. What with an allegedly rogue Excitus apprentice and a missing one whose memory is wiped from the minds of the Society members; your status is not what it used to be."

Adam's temper flared, Enough. He stood up, "This is nonsense, you are all insane. I'm going home."

"We are coming with you," said Lucy as she and Liam leaped to his side, both looking like they are ready for a fight.

Adam's throat tightened; he was eternally grateful for that gesture. They lent him the strength he was desperate for as he turned to leave.

Dr. Little started, "You guys can't..."

"I would like to see you stop me," Adam yelled over his shoulder as they moved to the door.

When they made it to the other end of the office, a bell rang and the door flung open. About a dozen of purple robed Hushers surrounded them. The President's voice was calm but commanding, "I would advise you to do as you're told."

With his heart bursting with bitterness, Adam whirled marched back to her desk. He put every drop of venom he could muster into his voice as he leaned over to put his face near hers, "No, you listen here. My mom had already lost a daughter, even though she doesn't remember her. How could you take another one of her family away from her?"

He ignored the flicker of surprise on the President's face as his voice worked its way up to a yell. He threw his hands up. "I don't even know what I'm being locked away for! I thought you were the good guys!"

Liam yelled, his face red and his words heavy, "Adam is the victim here!"

Lucy folded her arms. "Find another way! Or lock us ALL up."

The three of them stared at President Liu for a long time before she closed her eyes and sighed in resignation. She waved her hand and the Hushers left, closing the door behind him.

She leaned back, looking weary, "I will try to delay the Board's decision until the evaluation is over, but that is all I can do."

Adam took a deep breath as some of the weight on his chest Lifted. Lucy and Liam's stances relaxed visibly.

The President then began to study Adam. "So, you are Tamara's brother?"

She didn't wait for an answer as she turned to Dr. Little, "Natural gifts tend to run in families. Did your apprentice show any signs?"

Dr. Little shook his head, "No, she showed no manifestations."

She nodded, her timeless face aging with worries Adam couldn't begin to fathom.

Lucy looked back and forth between the two adults. "You still haven't told us why the Board would want Adam in the Cell?"

The President exchanged a look with Dr. Little, she looked back at Adam with surprising pity. "Sit down, you three," She requested.

With some reluctance, they went back to their seats.

Once seated, the president started explaining. "In our line of work, Naturals are extremely valuable because they are the human parallel to Exciti power. Their existence is crucial for the world's balance. It follows logically that a strong and rare Natural is as dangerous to such delicate balance as a strong and rare Excitus." She sighed, "And yours, Adam, is so rare and powerful that we have only heard of it in legends that date back millennia. I, for one, have always prayed that it would stay that way."

Adam's voice sounded hesitant to his ears, "W... What does it do?"

She averted her gaze, studying her hands, "We suspect, based on your encounters with Exciti so far, that you have, for lack of other expressions, the gift to drain away the life force of an Excitus. A natural commonly known in ancient legends as the Eclipser"

Lucy's eyes looked frantic as she shook her head, "but these.... are just myths...right?"

The president's gaze looked through Adam "Apparently not."