Chapter 217
“Please,” Jackson says, snapping his eyes to me before looking around at everyone else in the room, all of whom sit in shocked silence. “Let me explain.”
My father narrows his eyes and nods once to my mate as I continue to gape at him, appalled.
“My entire life,” Jackson begins, “I have been raised to believe wonderful things about the Community and horrible things about Moon Valley. In the past six or so months I’m coming to realize that I’ve been deeply mislead and that actually the opposite is true – that the Community is a bad place and that Moon Valley is much fairer than I’d ever believed. What I had been taught about you, sir,” Jackson says, lifting a hand towards my father, “has been…directly countered by our personal interactions.”
Dad nods slowly, hearing him, but the frown tugging at the edge of his mouth lets me know that he, too, does not yet understand.
“I’m inclined to believe that Moon Valley is a good place,” Jackson says, “but if you’re asking me if I love it enough to give my life for it?” Slowly he shakes his head. “It would be easier, sir, to simply lie to you and say that I am a patriot. But you’ve been incredibly good to me,” he looks at my mom now as well “both of you. And I won’t lie to you. I don’t love Moon Valley and I’m not a patriot – at least not yet. I…haven’t had the time.”
My father raises an eyebrow. “Then why should we allow you to continue in this school?” he asks. “We are attempting to raise an army against a serious foe, Jackson, and you could be an incredible asset for our teams –“
“Oh, I’ll still fight for you,” Jackson says, leaning forward, quite serious. I just stare at him, baffled – because honestly none of this is adding up.
“Please,” my dad says, leaning forward and holding up an open hand, begging for an explanation. “Make this make sense, Jackson.”
“The only thing to which I have any allegiances in this entire world is Ariel,” Jackson replies immediately, turning to look at me. My eyes go wide again as his gaze sweeps over me once, as if to reconfirm what he already knows to be true before he turns back to my dad. “She is…the only thing in this world that I know to be true and good – I don’t have faith in anything else, not really. Our bond is the only thing that’s real to me. I’ll never betray her. And Ariel, I know, is a patriot – which is enough for me.”
Jackson turns his eyes back to me now as mine start to fill with tears, as my mouth starts to wobble a bit.
“If Ariel’s fighting for Moon Valley,” Jackson says softly, “then I am too. She’s a Princess of this nation and she takes that role quite seriously, and thus so do I.” He turns his head back to look at each of the three others in the room in turn. “You never have to doubt me – not a single moment. Ariel would give her life for her country and I will give mine before I let her do that. I think…it amounts to the same thing. I’ll fighting for Moon Valley because that’s what Ariel is doing. To my death, if you ask it.”
Jackson shrugs as if it’s the simplest thing even as the tears start to slip down my cheeks. When he glances at me and sees my wet cheeks he frowns, reaching out to gently brush my tears away with his thumbs. “Don’t cry,” he murmurs, shaking his head like he forbids it. “It won’t come to that. I won’t let it.”
“Jacks,” I croak, totally shattered by the sweetness of him, about the depth of this confession that I don’t think he truly understands.
“Please stop crying,” he says, laughing a little like he doesn’t know what to do as he takes my cheeks in his broad hands. “I – I can’t think when you’re like this. Please –“
“I can’t,” I say, melting a little at his touch but laughing at myself anyway – because I know I’m being ridiculous and that everyone is watching.
“Yes, you can,” Jackson murmurs, smirking at me. “Come on, Clark – pull yourself together. You’re a soldier, after all.”
“Oh, shut up, McClintock,” I say, laughing and taking my face from his hands, swatting him away and brushing at my cheeks with my sleeve. “It’s all your fault anyway – quit making such touching confessions and I won’t have to cry so much.”
Jackson just laughs again and we both turn back to the others in the room, a little more embarrassment running through me as I see that all of them are just staring at us, looking rather touched themselves. Mom wipes her own tears from her cheeks with the heels of her palm, taking a deep breath and trying to settle down.
“I’ll take that,” dad says quietly, holding Jackson’s gaze. “Your offer to fight for Ariel, if you’re not yet ready to call yourself a patriot of Moon Valley, as it does amount to the same thing. But I hope that in time you will come to love this nation as she does. As I do.”
“Oh, I think I’m well on my way, sir,” Jackson replies, giving dad a steady nod.
Dad nods back and then turns back to Hank. “What else do you need?”
“Oh, a lot, unfortunately,” Hank says, turning to my dad with raised eyebrows. “If what Jackson says is correct then the Community is enacting great injustices against its citizens – huge violations of their human rights. I think…” he glances anxiously at Jackson here, “that you have an obligation to intercede, Dominic.”
Dad hums a little consideringly and then turns his gaze back to Jackson. “And the Community,” my father says softly, “you believe it strips its citizens of their free will?”
“In every way,” Jackson says with a solid nod. “It denies them choices. It denies them even the knowledge of choice – knowledge that a different life is possible. There are no…options, only commands. They…take children away from their parents – raise them in different sections of the Community where they have no connection to their biological family, no chance to foster affection, because those things are marked as weakness. It’s a move that strips and isolates people – allows their only allegiances to be to the Community itself. It is…” he sighs again, shaking his head. “A bad place, sir.”
I see a muscle flick in dad’s jaw as he works hard to keep his emotions off his face. Family, we all know, is incredibly important to him – and the idea of someone taking his children away…
Dad takes a deep breath, tucking the thought away and turning back to Hank. “How would you suggest we proceed?”
“If young Jackson here is willing,” Hank says, glancing at Jackson for a moment, “I would like to continue asking him questions – quite a lot of questions. The information needs to be amassed and could save lives.”
Dad turns to Jackson with a raised eyebrow and Jackson nods, agreeing to it.
“It means my relocation to the Capital,” Hank says with a sigh, raising his hand to rub at his temple. “God, Sarah’s going to kill me. But…it’s important work. I want to do it. Maybe…I come here once a week, to continue my interviews with Jackson? Until we feel like we’re done? In the intervening time I can confirm his answers and start coming up with a plan.”
Hank raises an eyebrow at Jacks to see if this works for him and my mate nods, steady. Warmth and pride for my Jackson raises steadily in me and honestly, I can’t take my eyes off him.
Mom squeaks in delight at the prospect that Hank and his family will be moving closer and leans forward to him, instantly beginning to make plans.
“You two can go,” dad says, sighing and pushing himself up from his chair. “I think we’re done for now.” He comes around the table and holds out his hand to Jackson, who shakes it warmly, dropping my hand for the first time to do it.
“Thank you, sir,” Jackson says, holding my father’s gaze steadily. “For believing me.”
“Oh, how could I not,” dad says, a little Sinclair smirk pulling up the corner of his mouth. “Someone who clearly loves my daughter that much is…difficult not to believe.”
Jackson blushes lightly but nods, dropping my father’s hand as mom comes flying at us, wrapping Jackson in a big hug before darting over to give me a kiss, murmuring lots of things about how much she loves us and how grateful she is for Jackson’s information.
I hug my mom tightly, pressing my eyes shut, not wanting to let her go. “You’ll be fine, baby,” mom whispers. “Stick with this one and you’ll be fine.”
“I know,” I sigh back. “Just gonna miss you.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll see me around,” she says, and I pull back a little in surprise to see her grinning a little wickedly. “Because if Hank is coming here every week by helicopter – I’m sure I’ll catch a ride every so often.”
I burst out laughing and hug her close again before kissing my dad on the cheek, shaking Dr. Hank’s hand, and moving to Jackson’s side.
Our family is still calling their goodbyes as we slip out the door, pulling it shut behind us. As soon as we’re alone I reach my arms up, standing on my toes, emitting a little squeak of demand. My mate immediately complies with my unspoken command, letting out a little snarl as he pulls me up into his arms, lifting me completely off the floor.
