The Fourteen

Chapter 15: Look Down on the Rebels

Danver was fuming. At his accusation, I flinched. Even in my days in the North, I had never seen such anger.

I placed both hands behind my head, "May you please explain exactly what I did? As your son may testify, I have been doing nothing this afternoon, except sitting here."

"Mae, we all know it was you. I was teaching a class of twelve-year-olds; we were practising using magica, when chaos started. Computers exploded and water sprayed at the students.

I know you broke through the barrier surrounding this room and proceeded to spell cast in the floor above."

Smugly, I responded, "So, you believe-"

"I know."

"- that I somehow broke through this barrier and spell cast in your classroom.

Allow me to remind you that when practicing magic with children, sometimes small bursts of magica may cause damage to the surrounding area. Because these young ones can't control their powers yet, these bursts can be unpredictable."

I could see Danver's anger and accusatory air fade. Good, he was losing ground.

"Also, isn't the barrier above us the same caliber as the anti-magica cuffs? Are they not of the same strength?" I added innocently.

The rebels that had accompanied him into the Glass Room blanched after that comment. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop a smirk.

My words had put Danver in a very rough spot. To admit that I was the source of the mayhem in the classroom was to admit that I could cast through the best of rebel technology.

Danver was silent. His son was not. "You could have casted through the cuffs?"

"I never said I could cast through the cuffs."

There, my motivation for this demonstration was known. In the end, my revenge hadn't caused physical pain. Instead, it had created a haunting, lasting one.

It was a mental warning that I could strike at any moment. Their precious barrier, one that kept us penned in this cage, could be toppled in a heartbeat.

"No, you CAN cast through the barrier and cuffs." Danny repeated.

Boe nudged me. In his eyes, I saw a message telling me to come clean.

I answered, looking Danny dead in the eye. "This is a game of trust, my friend."

At my words, the rebels in the room decided to take their leave. However, as soon as the door slid shut behind them, I couldn't help but smile triumphantly.

Boe gave me a high-five and our fellow Imperials flocked the couches around us. No one said a word; but by the expressions on their faces and the happy air in the room, I knew I had done them proud.

Brooke was all business, "Now that we have them under our fingers, we need to start planning our way out. Soon, they'll trust us enough to let us roam around the compound. But we need a game plan."

Scooting forward I shared my thoughts. "Danny's promised to speak with his father about letting us have meals in the Mess Hall, with the other rebels. It would give us some much needed freedom, and give us a chance to build 'trust.'"

The Imperials were revolted. Dexter spat, "I would rather sit here forever, than share a meal with those filthy mutants."

Imperial children were always told to look down upon the rebels; they were beneath us.

Boe nodded, "I agree, but what choice do we have? Desperate times, call for desperate measures. Thanks to Mae, this barrier is useless; they run a risk if they keep us locked in here." He patted my head. "Lack of freedom might cause someone to smash the barrier, and start a jailbreak."