The Significant (47 page)

      
“The reason we never shut down Venus is
because we knew she would die,” Remus said.

      
“Are you trying to get a treason charge
put on your head as well?” Isa asked sharply, glaring at Remus. “You can’t
reveal these sorts of things.”

      
“I’m trying to understand how far Maki
got in figuring out how to remove her.”

      
“Remus! There is no way to destroy her!”
Isa snapped, rounding on him after grabbing a bottle of water. “Accept it!”

      
Everyone in the doorway of the kitchen
went silent, staring at the Golden Elite. Isa sighed heavily and leaned against
the counter of the kitchen.

      
“Look,” she said slowly, “I know that we
always discussed taking down Venus, but I’m more concerned about Gihron
breathing down my neck and threatening war. Taking down Venus when things are
this unstable in the Altereye System would be suicidal. No one in the Alliance
would come to our aid, not once Venus is shut down. They wouldn’t know how to
respond. And I doubt that Maki found a way to shut her down without killing me,
so you would be the one to lead the people through a war with Gihron and a
planetary reform that would likely kill half the population of the planet.”

      
Isa took a deep drink of water, closing
her eyes and letting out a long breath.

      
“That’s it, then?” Remus asked.

      
Isa shrugged, her eyes averted to the
floor.

      
“We have to submit to the reality of the
situation.”

      
Remus stared at Isa.

      
“You’re doing it again,” he whispered.

      
“Doing what?” Isa challenged.

      
Remus shook his head and turned away,
walking out of the kitchen.

      
Isa sighed heavily and took another drink
of water.

      
“Isa,” Kailynn said, stepping forward,
“he’s just trying to understand. We want to help you, no matter what you
decide.”

      
“You can start by getting off my back
about making
decisions
,” Isa
near-growled, walking out of the kitchen, pushing past a surprised Kailynn and
speechless Rayal and Tarah.

      
“Isa,” Kailynn called after her, walking
back into the living room once more. When the Golden Elite did not answer,
continuing to walk toward the balcony doors, Kailynn felt her own anger swell.
“Isa!”

      
“What, Kailynn?” Isa groaned, turning
around, her eyes cold.

      
“How dare you treat us like this?” she
snapped. “We’re just trying to help!”

      
“How do you expect to help?” Isa snarled.
“What do you know about any of this?”

      
“I know that there is something about
this that you’re not telling me, because you are so fucking defensive, it’s
clear you’re hiding something.”

      
Isa spread her arms, her tone going dark.
 

      
“But apparently, you all know more about
me than I do, because I’m not acting as I should, or as I once did, or however
the
fuck
you think I should act!”

      
“What the hell is wrong with you?!”

      
“Kailynn,” Remus said, quickly walking up
to her, “don’t push it. She’s impossible to talk to when she’s like this.”

      
Isa’s arms lowered.

      
“When I’m like what?”

      
“When you are trying to act like an
Elite,” Remus said sharply.

      
“I
am
an Elite, which is more than I can say for you.”

      
Tarah turned away, lifting her hands to
her cover her nose and mouth. Rayal walked over to her and hugged her once
more.

      
“It will be alright,” he assured.

      
“You really are going to let this happen
again?” Remus growled. “You’re going to start pulling this shit once more? You
feel guilty and hurt, so you need to push everyone away? Isa, we’re not going
anywhere.”

      
“You don’t know the first thing about how
I feel!”

      
A chime at the door caused everyone to
turn as a man walked into the home.

      
Kailynn’s eyes shot wide and she found
herself staring, unable to look away.

      
The man who walked through the door was
the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life. He was tall with thick,
wavy brown hair pulled away from his sharp features. His eyes were a stunning
dark blue and his jaw was sharp and defined. His well-built frame was accented
in just the right way by his professional suit. Kailynn continued to stare,
unable to immediately take in the stunning good looks the man possessed.

      
“Sounds like I arrived just in time,” he
chuckled, his voice calm, but strong. His white teeth were also perfect as he
smiled gently. “Isa, perhaps it would be better if you only spoke to me today.”

      
Isa groaned and turned away, walking out
onto the balcony as the man stepped further into the room, setting down his
briefcase on the coffee table.

      
“Paul,” Remus greeted, letting out a
relieved sigh. He shook the doctor’s hand, shaking his head. “She’s doing it
again. It’s the exact same thing she did when Colonel Amori was here.”

      
“Well, the situations are quite similar,”
Paul said. “She’s trying to protect herself.”

      
“They’re not similar.”

      
“Yes, they are,” Paul disagreed with a
gentle smile. “She did something against her duty to protect the few she
loves.” The doctor turned his vivid blue eyes on Kailynn. She felt weak in the
knees, her cheeks flushing. She had to turn away. He was too handsome to bear.

      
“Yes. Kailynn, this is Dr. Paul Arre, the
leading doctor in Elite Psychology,” Remus introduced. “Paul, this is Kailynn.”

      
“Yes, I’ve heard of you,” Paul said,
extending a hand, his palm up.

      
Slowly, trying to keep from shaking, she
took his hand, but was startled when he leaned down and kissed the back of her
hand. When he backed away, Kailynn was worried he would hear her heart
pounding.

      
“You may call me Paul.”

      
“O-okay,” she said meekly, her eyes
averted.

      
“Whatever Isa said to you, or if she said
anything that hurt you, I want you to try and disregard it,” he said. “Elites
have a complicated way of defending themselves psychologically. What happened
last night opened many wounds from five years ago. You know about that, yes?”

      
“Uh, no, not exactly,” Kailynn said. “A
little bit.”

      
“I see,” Paul said, his eyes were looking
over the cuts on Kailynn’s shoulder and chest. “Michael really should look at
those,” he said, motioning to the injuries.

      
“Tarah treated them,” Kailynn said, shaking
her head.

      
“Yes, but I would feel better if he took
a look at them.”

      
“You should go see Isa first,” Kailynn
said quietly, glancing at the balcony where the Elite was leaning against the
railing.

      
Paul glanced at her as he touched his ear
to activate his phone.

      
“She’ll need to cool off a bit before she
listens to anything I have to say,” he chuckled lightly. “Michael Busen.” He
turned to his briefcase and opened it, revealing a few glass bottles and
syringes. “Michael, it’s me,” he said when the other doctor answered the phone.
“What does your schedule look like today?”

      
He listened to the other man as he pulled
out a few bottles, setting them on the table.

      
“I see, but you’re planning to come over
here?” He unwrapped a syringe. “Well, Kailynn has a few cuts. I didn’t get a
good look at Isa’s wounds before she stormed out to the balcony.” He chuckled
brokenly. “About as well as you’d expect,” he answered, dipping the syringe
into one bottle and pulling back the plunger. “I’m going to give her a mild
sedative, so she’ll probably be more cooperative when you get here.”

      
He laughed again.

      
“Okay, thank you. Bye.”

      
He tapped his ear again and unwrapped
another syringe.

      
“You’re going to drug her?” Kailynn
asked, surprised.

      
“Do you want to deal with her as she is
now?” Paul asked with a smile. “Don’t worry, it’s just a way to get her to calm
down. If we can keep her quiet for a day or so, she’ll start to feel better.
She’s too spun up right now.”

      
He filled the second syringe and returned
the bottles to his briefcase.

      
“I’m going out there,” he said. “I don’t
know how long we’ll be, but I suggest you don’t come out. I’ll bring her in
when she’s doing a little better. Michael is will be coming around in an hour
or two to look at both of your wounds.”

      
“Thank you, Paul,” Remus said quietly.

      
The tall, handsome doctor flashed his
smile once more and nodded.

      
“You probably should make an appointment,
too,” he said with a chuckle. Remus smiled as well.

      
“Probably.”

      
Paul went out to the balcony, Kailynn’s
eyes following him.

      
“
That’s
Paul?” she asked, her eyes widening again.

      
“Yes,” Remus said, confused. “Why are you
surprised?”

      
“Hey,” Rayal said, snapping his fingers
in front of Tarah’s face, forcing her to look away from Dr. Arre as he stood
next to Isa outside.

      
“Huh?”

      
“Why are you staring at him?” Rayal
asked.

      
“Why
wouldn’t
I?” Tarah breathed.

      
The week after Maki’s death was rough on
everyone in Isa’s home. Dr. Busen had arrived a half-hour after Paul had left
and double-checked their wounds, though he said that they were properly treated
and complimented Tarah’s work. He also gave the sleeping Isa a short medical
exam, checking her blood pressure and heart rate—“just to be sure,” he said.

      
Remus stayed for only two days before he
returned to the Syndicate. Isa started to come around by the middle of the
week, though her eyes still remained dark and she seemed uninterested in
eating. Paul came over every day and they went to the balcony and spoke alone,
sometimes for hours, while Kailynn waited impatiently inside.

      
Even though she tried to let go of the
way Isa acted the day after Maki’s death, Isa’s actions startled and confused
her so much that Kailynn found herself becoming angrier. On the fourth day of
Paul’s visit, when Isa came into the living room once more, she sighed heavily
and sat on the couch next to Kailynn. Paul excused himself quietly.

      
“Kailynn,” Isa started, turning to face
the younger woman. Kailynn looked at the Elite, her jaw clenching to be sure
she would not yell at Isa out of frustration. “I want to apologize.”

      
“Good.”

      
“I’m trying to get my thoughts straight,”
Isa whispered, flinching away from the sharp tone of Kailynn’s voice. “I killed
one of my best friends four days ago,” she murmured, her eyes dropping. “I keep
trying to think of ways I could have acted that would have saved his life. I
feel so guilty, it physically hurts.”

      
“I thought Elites couldn’t feel emotion,”
Kailynn noted.

      
“…they can’t,” Isa affirmed. “When an
Elite can, they’re considered degenerate. And that’s what Maki would have been
killed for.”

      
“…are you?”

      
“According to all the tests I’ve been
through, no, I’m not a degenerate,” Isa said. “They can’t figure out what’s
wrong with me.” The Golden Elite looked at Kailynn seriously. “I am sorry if I
hurt you. I’m just very confused and worried about everything going on right
now. I did not mean to lash out.”