Featherlight (26 page)

When she shifted slightly, her wings came into view. They were smudged
with dirt, mud, and blood, but I could tell that they were once white, like
mine.

 “I'm
not made to endure pain. We are beings of life, not death. A man once said,
'Give me liberty or give me death.' Since liberty... Since freedom is not an
option, I choose death.”

The
woman’s coughs racked through her whole body. “The humans have taught us to
fight with our whole being for freedom. The Kiren have not oppressed us. They
have not won. I am not... The last. They will not succeed."

Marshal tapped the screen. It went black, but not before I heard the
gunshot. I shut my eyes. I wasn’t crying because I felt empty and emotionless. Who
would do something like that?
Why? Why
did bad things keep coming up as soon as I finally settled into a comfortable
schedule? I was finally content, I had finally felt like I was home, and then
they go and show this to me. Why so much evil? I had thought that I finally
left the terrors of my world behind. John had almost convinced me that his kind,
our
kind, was pure and angelic. I was a fool, thinking I could live in
some semi-perfect bubble. John touched my hand, and I jumped up off the couch
to give myself some space. They were all watching me, but I refused to meet
anyone’s gaze.

Samantha’s
calming voice barely reached my wandering mind. “It was filmed as proof that
the last folium
had passed. No one took her ‘I am not the last’
statement seriously, but here you are.”

“The
Kiren are destroying my planet.” I didn’t ask it like a question.

“Yes.”

“Lullary
have been turning a blind eye to this.”

“Yes.”
To John’s credit, he did not give any excuses or justifications.

The Kiren mean to corrupt Earth, and the lullary
have been
doing absolutely nothing. I felt sick. They were all content to just sit in
their little lives of parties and bliss while my home was slowly destroyed.

“Gather your leaders. Take me to your organizers, your financial
directors, I don’t care. Gather them. This bullshit is ending, now.”

I walked back into my room and slammed the door. I was sick from
seeing that video and sick at myself for only worrying about John and his
romantic bologna. Trivial nonsense had been my number one concern since my
arrival on this planet, and that had to change. I closed the curtains on the
suns and threw off my clothes before climbing into bed. I would need my energy
for tomorrow.

||||

To say that I had slept like the dead would be an understatement. I
had no idea how long I was out, but it felt completely amazing to have a fully
restful sleep. After taking a steamy shower and locating some clothing, I sat
down at the blue desk and began making a plan. Where did I stand in the
hierarchy? How much power did I have? How many people could I help?

What do you do when you have the ability to change lives, and where do
you start? There were lullary
stationed on Earth, so what exactly were
they doing? Maybe I could direct them to start countering any kiren-caused
damage.

After working for an hour, John knocked softly on the door. I called
him inside, happy to see that he brought food. I explained my plan over lunch
and he listened silently.

“The council won’t be as comfortable with a woman leading like America
is. Beyond that, it might be difficult to convince them. We have nothing
invested in Earth.”

“Didn’t you say that y’all are the guardians of Earth? What about that
station that I stayed at, and the people that I met? Henry was his name! What was
he doing there?”

I pretended to ignore the way John’s jaw clenched at the reminder of
Henry. Jealous much? “We only have a select few stationed on Earth because they
enjoy the human interaction. You would have to give some kind of reason as to
why the council would want to spend their time and resources to save it.”

“Good point,” I mumbled over a mouthful of a croissant. “So I would
have to recruit some more people who would enjoy helping for the sake of it. In
that case, why are the kiren
so intent on destroying Earth? What do they
have to gain?”

“Power. They enjoy feeling superior.”

“But they can’t all be born evil, right? Everyone has a choice.”

“Probably not, but they are raised to dominate, control, and tyrannize.
It is difficult to break out of that kind of moral upbringing.”

John leaned back and crossed his arms. “The council will meet in one hour
to discuss matters. They are expecting you.”

I nodded, and tried not to show how uncomfortable I felt with him
watching me eat. For the rest of the meal I was silent, thinking through my
plan. This would be my best chance at getting something accomplished, and I had
to make an impression.

Part XXV

My shoes softly caressed the
stone floor as I entered the diplomacy chamber. All heads turned to watch as I strode
to the table. Huge columns held up the painted renaissance-style ceiling while
the tiled floor kept the room feeling modern.

To use the word ‘room’ to
describe this space would be incorrect. It was a massive chamber, connected to
the Tower. We had walked here without any problems by means of the unused back
hallways, but I was starting to wish that something had kept us from coming. My
stomach flipped with nerves and my fingers slightly shook.

I sat down in my padded black
chair and folded my hands in my lap. Everyone at the table sat after I did. How
very gallant. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I discreetly examined the
council members.

I couldn’t help but notice that
they all had golden wings instead of brown, so none of them were Common. That
was interesting. The men were old, so I was not afraid of being chased.
Somehow, deep inside, I knew that I was much faster than they were, and that
small fact gave me the confidence I needed to meet their eyes.

The council looked back at me;
they were interested, amused, and curious. Seven grey-haired men sat at the
table, not counting John, and there were no women. Each man flicked glances at
my white wings when they thought I wouldn’t notice, and it amused me greatly. No
gaze was wary, which meant that these people thought that I would be no threat
to their worthless state of rule. John sat at the other end of the egg-shaped
table, directly across from me. His presence gave an extra boost of much needed
confidence. Why was I so nervous?

A glass of brandy rested in
front of one of the men. Brandy at a business meeting? I eyed it with venom. My
father had alcohol on his breath when he leaned in to whisper in my ear, and I
could still smell the bitter warmth like it had happened yesterday.

“Good afternoon.” I might be
scared to death on the inside, but I could definitely hide it. They used the
word ‘afternoon’ on this planet, right?

John introduced, “Gentlemen, this
is the beautiful Jacqueline Winters.”

They gave me half smiles and
small nods, which I politely returned. The man sitting to the right of me
asked, “I hope you’ve enjoyed it here, Jacqueline. How amazed we all were to
find a folium
hidden away on Earth! Tell us, how has your adaptation
been?”

“Well, sir, to be honest it was
a little rough in the beginning. You can imagine what I thought when I suddenly
grew wings. I went from being a normal human to the last living folium in the
span of a couple days, and it was all very overwhelming.”

“Was the Change painful for
you? We have never had one go through it so late.”

“No, not at all. One minute I
was falling asleep and the next I was a changed woman.”

“How fascinating,” he murmured.

A man across the table said,
“We were told that you would like to ask for a favor regarding the situation on
Earth.”

Not missing his emphasis on the
word ‘ask’, I replied, “I would like to bring an important issue to light. As
you all know, I was raised as a human.” It still felt strange to admit that I
was no longer a human. “And, therefore, I cannot sit by idly knowing that the kiren
are trying to corrupt Earth. I’m afraid something must be done.”

I let my words sit in their
ears for a moment before continuing. “I know that you may not care what happens
to the humans, but I do. I still have family down on Earth. There are so many
wonderful people on that world that need to be saved, and I need your help.”
Standing tall, I firmly planted my palms on the table. “I know that there is a
lot of bad there, and I know that they are not as advanced as y’all, but they
have so much potential. There is so much good in that world. It just needs a
chance.” I fell silent, not sure where to go with my speech.

Suddenly, one counselor’s laugh
broke the silence. And then another. And another. My cheeks flamed with embarrassment.
They were
laughing
at me.
They
were laughing at
me.
How
could they laugh?

I met the nearest chuckling
male’s eyes and stalked over to him. With one swipe, I pushed the brandy-filled
glass across the chamber. “You pompous bastards.” The glass shattered on the
floor with a harsh crash.

My actions cut the remaining
laughs short. Holy crap. Did that just come out of my mouth? Did I just say
that to some of the most powerful men on this planet?

I was just so angry! I was so
dead, though. So terribly dead. What do I do now?

Deciding that there was no
going back, I glared down at the man whose brandy was now spilt across the
floor.

It was now or never, I guess.
Time to let the words flow. "What's wrong with you? You think it's okay to
let your people sit on their lazy, arrogant asses and watch Earth rot? You have
a duty to fulfill, in case you've forgotten. My folium ancestors gave their
lives to guard the human race, and I'm here to remind you of that. We have
obligations to complete, promises to keep, and an Earth to save. Let's stop
wasting our time with entertainment and trivial concerns, and let's get down to
what matters."

I stalked back to my seat and
sat there glaring at each of the councilmen. Let them think I was
fiery-tempered, and then maybe they will laugh no longer.

The man sitting to John’s left
said calmly, “What matters is happiness. Our job is to keep this planet running
and keep the people pleased, so why change anything?”

Suddenly the lack of agreement
in Congress made sense. It was so hard to make others see your side when they
were raised with entirely different values.

"They are not happy! They
do not even know what true happiness is, because most of them are in a drunken
stupor!” I gave a swift glare at the man whose brandy glass I had smashed just
for good measure. “Parties and alcohol does not lead to happiness, but you know
what does? Accomplishment. Being productive can fill the soul in so many ways.
Never underestimate the power of overcoming obstacles, gentlemen. Challenges turn
boys into men, and accomplishments turn men into gods.”

My
vehement words were met with silence and thoughtful stares. Power flowed
through my core, pushing my words upwards and filling the room with might. The
feeling was invigorating.

I walked to the large window at
the end of the chamber before continuing. “Someone once told me you were
protectors.” My voice echoed around the room, amplifying, so I lowered my
volume. “What are you protecting? They need you. I am asking for your help.
Earth needs us. It is rough down there; trust me, because I’ve been through it.
Please, help me help those who can’t help themselves.”

One by one, the men changed.
Insult melted into guilt and guilt melted into curiosity. These men longed to
help because that was what they had been born to do.

All along, I had envied their
way of life. I was angry at being hidden on Earth, and I was angry that the
'father' I had been hidden with had been abusive. Standing here at this table,
I realized that I had nothing to envy.

As horrible as Earth seemed, it
was still a terribly wonderful place. As much as I hated my past, I realized
that it had guided me to this moment. I had the resources that could change the
world. These people could help me make a difference. What was better than that?
I would relive my past over and over again to keep the same thing from
happening to someone else.

Every man's gaze looked at me
with respect. What a drastic change this meeting had taken! Who would’ve
thought that helping humans was their instinctive need? It was inside them all
along and had just needed to be reawakened.

Part XXVI

“Establish a church. I don't
care what type. Actually, make it Baptist. That'll make my mom happy. Find
someone charismatic to lead it, and have them change the community. We will
start there and see how it goes before expanding. Report back to me in three
weeks.”

I waited for a nod of
confirmation before continuing, “You have advanced technology, right? Access
cameras and tap into cell phones to make them accessible here on Auro. We can
have workers examining that information so we can locate and intercept any kiren
on Earth.”

Although leading business should
have made me self conscious, a part of me had taken complete charge and
flourished. Ideas flowed from my mind, and I effortlessly formed new plans in
my head without doubting myself for a second. I scribbled a thought down on the
notepad in order to remember it.

We had been working for the
past two hours after my brandy-smashing speech session. Everything was running
extremely smoothly, which was a big shocker. John had remained quiet for the
majority of the time, content to just watch and listen.