Page 175 of Cerulean Truth
Without another word, James drew a portal with one swift motion. Less than a second later, he had vanished from my dorm as Julian and I were left in stunned silence on the bed, a sense of doom lingering in the room that his sudden departure was but the calm preceding unavoidable chaos.
FORTY-EIGHT
EMMA
It had been a few weeks since our time at Alliance.
The United Chiefs had come and gone, interrogating us all on the events and actions of the Board, but as all our stories had lined up, they ruled there was no reason to doubt our integrity and left us be.
They did inform us they’d seize temporary power over the magi world, and would establish a new Board of Directors, in time for the Great Exposure.
In the meantime, James’s distrust toward Julian had grown to massive proportions, as had our daily fights about him.
Julian leaving in the midst of battle had ensured any suspicion James had regarding his intentions and character, had tripled.
And me still willing to believe Julian’s good nature, was apparently an even graver offense, which he reminded me of regularly during our scheduled training sessions.
One of the worst fights we had was on a Monday morning, just before we started my physical training at the Scola. The tension between us had already mounted to heights I had never thought possible, and standing there, facing each other, readyto fight each other physically, seemed to somehow enhance our lack of understanding.
His eyes bore into mine, a mix of frustration and concern etched across his face. I could feel the anger radiating from him, and it made my hair stand on end. I wasn't scared of James, but his escalating rage and violence had reached a point of volatility that did leave me a little on edge.
"Why the fuck are you being so stubborn about this?" James demanded, his voice rising. "You’re one of the most insightful people I’ve ever met, you know damn well Julian is not who he pretends to be. He has an agenda, and you're willingly choosing to be blind to it!"
I crossed my arms, attempting to remain calm. "James, I've known Julian since we were kids. He's been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I’m not being stubborn, I hear what you’re saying but I’m not choosing to be blind, I’m choosing to trust him."
"Same fucking thing!” James shook his head, his eyes narrowing. “Will you open your godsdamn eyes? How can you trust him when all he’s ever done is lie to you? Even when you were kids, he didn’t tell you who or what he really was! "
I took a step forward, my own frustration building. "I know Julian lost your respect when he left us at Alliance but that doesn’t mean he’s a threat. He's my friend."
James's jaw clenched, and he took a deep breath, as if trying to control the surge of emotions within him. "Emma, I can't just stand back and watch you ignore the warning signs. You're too important to me."
I felt a pang of discomfort at his words. "I can handle my own relationships. I don't need you trying to control every aspect of my life."
His eyes flashed with a mixture of hurt and anger. "This is not about control. It's about protecting you from someone who's clearly not what he seems."
I scoffed, feeling the heat rise within me. "Well, that’s rich coming from you. What about you, James? You act like you're some guardian angel, but you never told me the truth about yourself. You distrust Julian for not telling me who he was as a kid, but how’s that fair when you’ve been keeping secrets from me all this time?"
James's expression hardened, a flicker of guilt crossing his face before he masked it with determination. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I have kept no secrets from you.”
“Bullshit!” I spat, barely able to contain my anger at his dishonesty.
“What the fuck Emma, how canyoudoubtme? You’re the one person who knows me best!” he shouted angrily.
“Really? Is that so?” I narrowed my eyes at his obvious lie, “Fine, then tell me James, if you’re so open and honest. What aren’t you telling me about your history with Dale? What aren’t you telling me about your ascension to Leadership? What kind of work did you do for the Council before my arrival? Who did you kill back when you were a kid? Or tell me, why is your Skindo-tattoo etched on your right forearm instead of your left, like every other Offensive?”
James grew very still but I pressed on.
“You claim you’re so open with me. You say I know you? I don’t know a damn thing!”
I couldn't help but release a bitter laugh without any trace of humor. “Hell, what’s even your real name?”
He clenched his jaw. "That's different, Emma. Whatever I've kept from you is to protect you. Julian, on the other hand, is athreatto you."
“So you finally admit you’re keeping things from me?” I crossed my arms, scrutinizing him.
He looked away, sighing, a complex mix of emotions flickering in his eyes. “You know everything about me I’m at liberty to say.”
“Nah ah,” I shook my head, the frustration evident in my voice, “that’s not good enough. Not when you’re actively trying to keep me away from a life-long friend who’s, by the way, been a lot more open about himself than you’ve ever been.”
