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“What do you mean?”
“Well, now that I’ve seen his recklessness, there’s no telling what he could do if he had the ring in his possession again. At Black Opps we will safeguard it and make sure he can’t have it again.” She takes it out of her pocket and shows it to Mum, who leans forward curiously.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Anna. Albert and I made it. We know how best to harness its potential.”
“You can’t keep it here. I won’t risk him getting a hold of it.” Annabelle holds it protectively in her grasp. “You don’t understand. I need to keep him safe.” She places a hand over her stomach. I can’t help but wonder if she’s referring to the baby or to Albert and what happened to the baby, since the Annabelle standing next to me certainly doesn’t look like a mother.
“You’re right, I don’t understand. But I trust you enough to know you are telling the truth. Now I need you to trust me when I tell you that he will never get his hands on the ring again, but you need to give it to me so I can keep it safe. I know how it works better than anyone else. Hand me the ring, please.” Slowly, and ever so reluctantly, Annabelle hands over the ring to Mum, who snaps the ring in half. She hands one half back to Annabelle, and pockets the other, “now too much power will never be placed in the hands of one person alone.”
Annabelle gives her a grateful hug, “I love you, Lia.”
“So, I guess this is goodbye.” Mum says, hugging her back.
“Not forever,” Lia says.
“Not forever,” Mum repeats.
Chapter 27 - Emerson Clarke
When I wake up, I am alone in the same room that I was before I was knocked out. I can’t believe what I just saw; my mum and Annabelle being friends, her being betrayed by Albert, the whole situation with the ring. I have no idea what is going on or who to even believe. Not even my own mother would tell me the truth about her past.
Now, ever so slowly, pieces are starting to click into place. It makes sense now why my mother would never talk to me about her past when I’d try and bring it up. She’d always just talk about her and Dad and how they’ve lived in Beast Eye for all their lives. But I guess that’s a lie. It’s all I seem to be hearing lately.
Lies.
Lies.
Lies.
Sweet, sugar-coated lies told by my mother about her past. Chilling lies told by Albert about the power of the ring. The only person who actually seems willing at this moment to tell the truth is Annabelle; and she wanted to KILL my friends not even two days ago. I used to have no idea what kind of power the ring possessed, another wonderful thing I wasn’t filled in on, despite apparently knowing where it is being hidden. If I had the power to turn someone that insane, that power hungry…I shiver at the thought. I’m not sure if I even want to find where the ring is if that’s how it makes people.
And why in the world is Mum still hanging out with Albert at Calveron? Prisoner or not, Albert’s hints have been revealing enough to suggest that she might actually enjoy it there. But how could she possibly even stand him after knowing what he did to her best friend? How can she stand in the same room as him, look him in the eyes and be okay with knowing that he could have possibly DESTROYED THE ENTIRE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT.
I don’t want to get mad at my mum. I don’t want to think that she would ever- no. She wouldn’t. My mum was, is, a good person. She wouldn’t get corrupted by power like Albert would. She wouldn’t side with him unless she knew that there was a good and justifiable cause. I know I haven’t seen my mum in a long time, but I remember she would always fight for a just cause. I know, with complete conviction, she would never do such a thing. She would never turn against what is good in this world, against people who have done no wrong, against her family, against me, just for power. She wouldn’t.
But if she isn’t with Albert for the power, why does she stay? What good reason would she have for staying with that betraying, power-hungry, mother stealing, life destroying-
“Emerson,” I hadn’t noticed, but Annabelle has re-entered the room, Jasper following swiftly behind. I scan his face for a sign to see if Annabelle has told him what she’s just told me, and by the stricken look on his face, I’d say she has. His skin is pale, and his eyes are sunken as if he hasn’t slept in centuries. He takes a seat next to her, his eyes never moving off her face. It’s almost like she has him under a spell, and he is hypnotised by everything that she does. I so desperately want to know what happened while I was gone, and why Jasper is looking at Annabelle with such curiosity, such hope. “Take a seat.”
“Now that you both know the truth, you must understand why you are here.”
“Because Jasper wanted to speak to you,” I answer bluntly. Just because I have witnessed something that has torn down every defensive wall I’ve put up against her, doesn’t mean I’m going to be nice to her. She may be the only person here telling the truth, but I’ve lived long enough to know that you never trust someone the first time you meet them. Building trust takes time. It’s something that should be earned.
She laughs, “Oh, Emerson. I thought you were smarter than that. Now think, why are you really here?”
“To find out the truth.” Jasper whisper’s, his voice barely audible.
“Yes, and what did you discover?” she presses.
“Power,” Jasper replies. His steely look towards me makes me even more nervous to know what happened between the two of them. By the looks of it, it seems like something pretty significant has just occurred.
“Yes, my dear boy.” She looks at him endearingly, “and where does the power lie?”
We are all silent for a moment, not quite knowing how to answer. But after a moment, I decide to speak up, “in the wrong hands.” At that, both Jasper and Annabelle smile at me as if I’ve just told them the best news they’ve ever heard. And maybe to them it is, but I’ve known it all along. The imbalance of power. Too much power is held with the CSO. But I also know if Annabelle tries to take over, the imbalance of power isn’t going to get any better, it’s just going to transfer over and over again until the system finally breaks. I don’t say this aloud though because I know they wouldn’t agree.
“That’s exactly right.” Annabelle stands and gives me an affectionate pat on the leg. “Your mother,” she looks at me, “and your father,” she looks at Jasper, “I’ve been watching them closely. I’ve been making sure they can’t cause any trouble.” I remember Annabelle from the memories telling my mum about Black Opps, and how she would ‘keep an eye on Albert’. It seems that Albert wasn’t the only person she needed to keep an eye on. “For the past ten years, they’ve been working on some new technology. Even with all the skills from me and my team, we have no clue what they’re working on, but we can only imagine that it’s bad.”
“And what are we supposed to do with that?” I ask sceptically. “Ask them? Our parents haven’t exactly been open with us about anything. What makes you think that they’re going to start now?”
