The Geneva Project - Truth (20 page)

“
He’s only trying to protect you.”

“
I know, but I can take care of myself, and besides there’s someone more important that needs our protection right now,” I said and then I called Niv over.

He came bounding over with his wispy hair damp and matted to his face from the dew.  He jumped into my lap and rolled onto his back so I could scratch his round belly, snorting and cooing in delight.  I looked back at Eja, who seemed be following me now.

“
Tippy, this is dangerous stuff.  It’s not a game.  You can only do this once and I’ve never heard of a human tethering themselves to an animal.  They’re too unpredictable and they don’t understand the complications of what you’re doing.”

“
Niv understands me.  I can talk to him.  It’s another one of my powers,” I said sheepishly.

Eja only starred at me.

“
Please, you have to help me Eja.  I promised his dying mother that I would take care of him and protect him, and last night if I hadn’t taken him with me…I don’t even want to think what would happen if the wrong person found him.”

“
That’s precisely why this isn’t a good idea Tippy.  If the wrong person finds him and he dies, you die, too.”

Niv stopped squirming in my lap and looked up at me with his big brown eyes as he seemed to have caught onto the serious tone of our conversation.

“
Eja, please.  I have to do this with or without your help.”

He sighed deeply and I tried hopelessly to contain my grin because I could see he was going to help me from the way he slumped his shoulders in helpless defeat.

“
Alright, if you’re going to do this, I better help you do it right.”

I left the forest under my cloak of transparency, with a new feeling of triumph.  For once I felt secure about one thing in my future, Niv was safe as long as I was safe and there was nothing Jemma could do about that.  It made me so happy to feel that I was holding up my end of the bargain in protecting Niv.  I felt that tethering myself to him actually would give both of us a happier life.  He would be free to roam about under the protection of my invisible power, which meant he wouldn’t have to stay hidden in a hollowed-out book or my shoulder bag.  He could come with me to class, to work, to the dining hall, and to the forest, if we ever managed to find a safe way to get back there, that is.  I sighed at the complications Jemma caused with our lessons in the forest, but decided to push those thoughts to the back of my mind for now and enjoy the beautiful day with Niv for a little bit longer. 

We frolicked in the field, taking turns chasing each other and hiding in the tall wheat grass before pouncing on each other.  I let Niv climb all over me and give me sloppy kisses and tickle me with his long whiskers.  I knew Niv loved me for saving him, but I doubted he knew how much he was saving me.  Having him in my life as a constant companion, who would never judge me or be disappointed in me was the most amazing feeling I’ve ever had.  I was beginning to understand what true, unconditional, selfless love was.  I loved this little, furry orphan so much that I tethered myself to him forever.  We would always be joined, connected to each others thoughts, emotions, and whereabouts.  I could share my powers with him and protect him from harm.  He could even protect me.  As long as one of our souls lived on, the other would continue to live.  We could heal each other effortlessly, we could telepath to each other, we could even terra bound, which is kind of like teleporting to another location, as Eja explained.  I’m sure there’s even more that we can do together that I still have to discover because Eja said each tether is unique to those who create it.  Tethering connected us in every way and I could see why it was such serious business, usually saved for your soul mate, but I was sure I’d made the right decision.  I knew the others would be upset with me for doing it, but I made a promise to protect Niv and I mean to keep it by any means necessary. 

After our fun romp in the fields I knew it was time to be heading back to the Center.  If I hurried I might be able to get a quick bite to eat before Flood work.  I scooped up Niv and headed that way, scratching his chin.

“
Are you hungry little guy?”

He replied with a lazy yawn and rolled onto his back in my arms so I could scratch his tawny belly. 

“
Well, I haven’t been eating bugs all morning, so if you don’t mind I’d like to get some lunch,” I smiled down at him. 

He was getting so much bigger.  I think that this invisible tethering business came just at the right time.  He no longer fit in the palms of my hands.  Now I carried him in the crook of my arm, with is long legs and scraggly tail hanging below.  I had to shift arms every once in a while when he would start to get heavy. 

I took a deep breath as we approached the Grifts guarding the entrance to the Troian Center and counted to three in my head before making a dash between them undetected.  I knew I was still invisible, but it was still an eerie feeling to stare at them and sneak by right beneath their noses.

I made it back just in time to grab a few scraps from the dining hall as the rest of the orphans were emptying their trays and heading to change for Flood work.  Sparrow spotted me and trotted over as I was quickly stuffing some bread into my pocket before the invisible Niv could grab at it. 

“
Tippy,” she whispered.  “Are you okay?  You looked so upset at breakfast and then you weren’t at lessons today.  I was worried about you.”

“
Yes, I’m fine.  Come on, we don’t want to be late for Flood work,” I said walking towards our room as she trotted along side of me wearing her worry.  That was Sparrow, an open book, her emotions on her sleeve.  I could tell she wasn’t buying my story.

“
We’ll talk later, I promise,” I whispered to her. 

“
Okay,” she said, smiling now and seeming to perk up to her peppy self.

We all changed quickly and went to the courtyard to head out to Flood work.  Remi and Journey were there waiting for us when Sparrow and I joined them in line.  Journey looked like his usual massive, aloof self, but Remi looked worried, or maybe preoccupied.  As I got closer to him I could feel a mass of emotions radiating from him, one of which was guilt.  I stared at him, confused as we followed our Grifts silently to the ruble piles.  I was about the telepath to him and ask him what was wrong when I felt a warm rough hand firmly take hold of my wrist, and the acrid smell of soil filled my nostrils.  I knew it was Nova before he even had to speak and I knew he wasn’t happy.

“
Tippy, make us vanish and come with me right now.”

I complied and side stepped out of our group heading towards the ruble piles.  Sparrow, paused for a moment, looking anxiously at the now empty spot in front of her and stumbled when the John behind her walked into her back, but she shook it off and kept moving forward. 

I telepathed to her,
“It’s okay, I’ll be right back,”
because I didn’t want her to worry.

I watched the others walk further away from me because I was almost too scared to look at Nova.  I could feel his anger pulsing towards me through the firm grip he had on my arm.  Finally he spoke and I had to look at him.

“
It’s not okay, Tippy, and it’s never going to be okay now.  Tell me it’s not true Tippy!  Tell me you didn’t do it!”

“
Nova, keep your voice down,” I hissed while looking around.

“
I don’t care who hears me! What have you done, Tippy?!”

I was so confused.  How did he know?  Were he and I so connected he knew what I’d done?  Or had he read my thoughts?  I was so careful not to utter a single thought about tethering until I found Eja.  I didn’t even let the words into my head.  And then it hit me and I shook my head in anguish.  Remi!  That’s why he was feeling so guilty, he figured it out and told Nova!  He must have known what I was going to do.  I guess it wasn’t too hard to figure out after he saw me leaving our room with Niv after how upset I was by our discussion at breakfast.  I actually wasn’t even mad at him, I was relieved that Nova knew.  I was going to have to tell them all anyway, because they would wonder where Niv had disappeared to.

“
Tippy, do you realize what you’ve done?”  Nova said, his voice had lost its anger and now was rimmed with genuine concern.

“
I had to Nova.  You know I had to.  I promised.  I can’t let anything happen to him and Jemma would find him eventually and use him against us.  You know she would.”

“
Don’t you see now you’ve given her and anyone else all the leverage they’ll ever need?  Tippy, if anything happens to Niv, it happens to you,” he said with his vivid green eyes boring into mine. 

His intensity made me swallow hard and fight to keep the blood from rushing to my face. 

“
Nothing’s going to happen to me.  Niv is safer than ever, he can stay invisible now and I’ll know where he is at all times and he can have a good life now, not hiding in that stupid wardrobe.”

“
Tippy, you don’t get it.  Before I was only worried about you, but now I have to worry about him, too,” he said pointing at the rambunctious marmouse that was digging near my feet.  “If something happens to him, it happens to you.  You get that, don’t you?” he asked, angry again. “If he gets bit, you feel it.  If he chokes on something, so do you.  If he eats something poisonous, you get poisoned.  He’s just a stupid rodent, he doesn’t understand the consequences and apparently neither do you,” he said shouting again.

“
He’s not stupid, he understands me and besides, now I can protect him with my soul.  If he gets hurt I can heal him.”

“
How are you going to heal him if you’re both poisoned or worse!?”

“
That’s the beauty of this whole thing Nova, with our souls tethered, we keep each other alive.”

Nova sighed and shook his head sympathetically at me.  For a moment he looked like he might cry, but instead he pulled me towards him and hugged me tight.  I closed my eyes as I felt myself melting into the warmth of his body that was engulfing me.  But the comfort was short lived because I could feel the sadness and fear Nova was harboring for me.  I felt an electric current take hold as I got a quick flash of Nova’s thoughts containing horrible images of Niv and me dying and it made me pull away with worry.  I struggled to catch my breath and then whispered to Nova,

“
I screwed up didn’t I?” I asked, second guessing my decision for the first time.

“
I don’t think you fully understood how it works.  Your souls are tethered together.  They will live on forever now, they can’t be separated but your bodies are still mortal and are susceptible to the same injuries as the rest of us.”
“But… No… Eja said…I thought…” I was getting flustered now.   This was supposed to be a good thing for both of us.  Was Nova right?  Did I put us both in more danger?

“
This is dangerous magic, Tippy and Eja had no right to tell you about it.”

Now this got my blood pumping.  I jerked my arm away from his grasp and had my hands balled into fists to try to contain my rage.  I hated that he treated me like a child.  I was supposedly the Eva, the chosen one, or whatever it was, so doesn’t that earn me anything?  Now I was the one shouting.

“
If anyone has the right to know about this it’s precisely me!  This is why I can’t let Jemma or anyone else stop me from coming out here.  There’s so much more I need to learn, Nova!  I only got a crash course, but I need to know more and you know it’s true.  You know more than I do and I’m supposed to be the leader, the key to fixing our island?  How am I going to do anything if you keep deciding what I can and can’t know about?!”

“
Tippy, I’m only trying to protect you.”

“
You can’t protect me from myself Nova, you have to let me in, to all of it.  No holding anything back.  Not knowing the whole truth is what gets me into messes like this.  You’re not protecting me by keeping the truth about things from me.  That’s what makes me weaker. I’ve just made myself vulnerable because I didn’t have all the information.”

He sighed deeply and lowered his eyes shamefully. 

“
You’re right Tippy.  I’m sorry, knowledge is powerful and you’re smart enough to make your own decisions about these things or you wouldn’t be our Eva.”

I hadn’t expected him to agree with me so easily and was taken aback by his concession.  I found myself going over to comfort him, when moments ago I’d wanted to hit him. 

“
Nova, it’s okay, I know you’re only looking out for me.  I still need you to do that because I have a lot to learn.  I just need you to open up to me and help me know the truth about things so I don’t go into them blindly.”

“
Like today?” he said with his natural sarcasm.

“
Yes, like today.  I know it’s not ideal, but I had to do something.  You can understand that can’t you?”

“
Yes, but you also need to understand why I’m so upset.  If he gets hurt, you get hurt.  If he dies, you die.”

He said it with such finality that we both stood there silently for a moment, neither of us looking at each other.  Our eyes found Niv and I could feel it in my heart that Nova was right, but I knew I would make the same decision again if it meant protecting Niv.  When I felt Nova step closer to me and put his hand on my shoulder, I knew he understood why I did it and that he was going to help me keep him safe, for both our sakes.