Page 25 of Cerulean Truth (Sapere #1)

TEN

JAMES

I was surprised by Stephen's decision to pick up Emma from the Human World in person. I knew he felt somewhat responsible for her, given he was the one who found her, but seriously, it was a simple drive from Boston to Nevada. What could possibly go wrong?

Besides, he interrupted his consensus tour again to pull this off, and it wasn't exactly the most opportune time, what with us being bombarded with briefings about Resistants and Radicals cropping up left and right.

Honestly, the year we found Emma was probably the worst year to do so, politically speaking.

I hadn't clued her in on this yet because her head was already spinning from all the information we’d tried to give her in such a short period of time.

Plus, without any proper education, I had no clue how to break it down for her in a way she'd understand.

But the sudden birth of Resistants and Radicals who so strongly opposed our carefully planned Great Exposure, had sent the whole Council into a wild frenzy. Toss in Emma's untraceable translation, and they morphed into a bunch of close-minded assholes.

The memory of the day after I saved Maria from the Radicals in Antwerp replayed in my mind.

I glanced at my Nexus, my fingers hovering over it, unsure whether to nex Emma and inform her about the meeting I had set up with Maria. I kept staring at the device, almost as if it held the answer I was seeking. Right on cue, I received an elaborate text from her:

Emma: Hi

Sending that message must’ve taken a significant amount of time and energy. Obviously.

Me: Hello to you too.

I noticed three dots appearing on the screen, signaling she was composing a reply. It was clear her reply would be more extensive since it took her nearly five minutes to answer.

Emma: Are you well?

Or not…

Me: Sure, how are you doing?

I extended the text with a few words… How bold of me . She’d better not reply with “fine.”

Three dots appearing…

Emma: Fine.

Godsdamnit. Even through text, she had a knack for making me want to strangle her. It was like her special superpower. But before I could respond, I saw another set of those three pesky dots pop up. Wow, two texts in a row? Someone was feeling ambitious.

Emma: I was just thinking of you.

Fuck. I swallowed. That text took me off guard. What the hell was I going to reply?

Another three dots appearing.

Emma: So sorry to disturb you but I was thinking of you and the whole magical uproar and I was wondering if you had any news?

Me: Not yet, more news in 48 hours, call you then.

Emma: Ok thank you… for everything. X.

The “for everything” was clearly conveying more than she could write. And then there was the X at the end… Hell, I was turning into a thirteen-year-old. I threw my Nexus on the nightstand with more force than necessary and went to sleep, frustrated with myself.

I dreamt of her all night. Of course. Thirteen-year-old brain, what did I expect? I was half surprised I didn’t wake up to a pool of sperm in my pants the next morning.

The memory morphed right into another one later on that day, after the Council had come to their decision.

I stood in Maria's office, a faint tremor in my voice as I tried to reason with her. The Great Exposure was looming on the horizon, and the news on the growing resistance against it was disconcerting. But none of it was a good enough reason for Emma to suffer.

"Maria, I understand the severity of the situation, but we can't just strip Emma of her human connections. She has friends, a job, and parents who care about her. You can't expect her to give all of that up. The Council is being unreasonable!"

Maria, her stern face etched with concern, shook her head.

"James, this is not solely about Emma. It's about the safety of our entire kind.

The untraceable translation she's using is a disaster waiting to happen. Plus, you are aware one of the main reassurances we can provide to humans upon the Great Exposure, is that we are not able to translate in their world without any trace of it? In light of our wonderful encounters with the Radicals, you don’t think this information could be a goldmine for the opposition? "

I clenched my fists, struggling to hold back my anger. "Emma's a good person, Maria. She would never put our plans for the Great Exposure in danger. We can keep her untraceable translation a secret. Only the Council knows about it anyway.”

Maria's tone hardened. “It’s not only that. We have a twenty-three-year-old maga, translating in the Human World without proper training. You think her accidentally killing humans is going to do any good for the Great Exposure?”

I growled, “She's been living in the Human World for years without incident." I didn’t see any harm in keeping some of Emma’s secrets to myself.

Maria didn’t waver. "Which is exactly the problem, James. We can't afford to wait for an incident to occur. Resistants and Radicals are out there, actively opposing the Great Exposure. We need to eliminate any risk."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Eliminate? Is that what we've become? Heartless, soulless enforcers of a draconian code? Emma's translation is untraceable, yes, but she's not a threat, and she deserves to have a life, just like the rest of us."

The irony of me defending Emma against the same reaction I’d had to Stephen’s news a few days earlier wasn’t lost on me. But something had shifted since our “bloody” encounter. And there was no way back.

Maria's eyes flashed, and her voice grew cold. "James, you're letting your emotions cloud your judgment. Our duty is to protect our kind and the Great Exposure we’ve planned so meticulously. If Emma's presence in the Human World puts it all at risk, we can't afford to be sentimental."

I pointed an accusing finger at Maria. "You talk about duty, Maria, but what about loyalty to our own?

What about showing compassion to someone who has no other connections in life than those in the Human World?

Her well-being is our responsibility, no matter how big a threat she is to the Exposure.

You're so focused on eliminating risks, you're willing to sacrifice one of our own to do it. "

Maria's face turned an angry shade of red. "James, I did not anticipate you becoming an advocate for the soft approach. The world we know is changing, and we have to change with it. I won't allow one person to jeopardize our kind."

The room was thick with tension, our heated argument echoing off the walls. I couldn't believe how Maria, my mentor and superior, could be so ruthless and unforgiving. Emma's life hung in the balance, and I wasn't about to let her be cast aside so callously.

“James?”

I blinked away the residual anger I felt while a voice brought me back from my daydream.

I raised my gaze to find the triplets—Sam, Sarah, and Simon—all staring at me. It took a moment to focus on each one of them because, being siblings, they looked nearly identical. For a split second, I thought I was seeing three times the same person.

The triplets were exceptionally gifted. They were the heads of the Universitas, where every magus or maga in our Collective was trained.

I knew Sam best as she was an Offensive.

Sarah was a Healer, with whom I had rarely crossed paths, while Simon, a Defensive, trained most of his students outside of the Universitas. All three of them were Councilmembers.

"What's up?" I asked, still a bit dazed.

"So this Humanborn coming in, she’s twenty-three, you said?" Simon tried to play it cool but his eyes betrayed his excitement. I couldn't blame him; the retrieval of a Humanborn that old was unprecedented.

“Yes, what about her?” I asked, trying to mask the overwhelming surge of defensiveness tightening its grip on me.

"We were wondering what exactly we could do to help her navigate Cyclos at her arrival?" Sarah said softly, and I instantly felt a newfound appreciation for her consideration.

I hesitated, unsure of how to answer. The only thing which would genuinely help her transition was keeping her connections to the Human World, and I wasn't even able to offer her that comfort. My anger at Maria flared up again. She of all people should’ve known how important these connections were. ..

"Could you maybe get her a Nexus? A fully equipped one, with voice recognition, just in case she has trouble translating at the start," I suggested without revealing too much.

"You want her to have all the drops—even the red ones?" Simon inquired.

"Yes, all of them.” The red drops, activated by touch instead of translation, were typically reserved for children who couldn't generate the energy themselves yet.

Receiving a Nexus with red drops after Entry—which was the level of education we reached at the age of sixteen—was unheard of.

Then again, a Humanborn coming “home” at twenty-three was unheard of as well.

I hadn't told anyone she only translated when her life was in danger, not even the Maumars, but considering she was already twenty-three years old, the rest of the Collective simply assumed she had little emotion or trouble translating anyway.

"We'll get her one as soon as she arrives," Sam promised, and I shot her a thankful glance.

With a Nexus, at least she'd be able to contact whomever she wanted. I had no intention of isolating her from everyone she loved. The mere thought of it made me sick to my core.

Fuck it.

If the Council was putting a ban on Emma’s freedom, I’d help her break it.

If she wanted to leave Cyclos, I'd help her navigate the portal.

If she wanted freedom, I'd be the one to grant her the day pass. And if she wanted to visit anyone from home, I'd be right by her side, all the rules and Maria be damned. I ignored the small voice inside me, welcoming back the “rebel.” I didn’t give a flying fuck. Emma’s well-being was my responsibility, which meant her happiness was as much my priority as her safety.

I excused myself to the triplets and portaled to the Cube, knowing Matthew, Jackson, Justine, and Nino would be there.

I needed a drink.