Enceladus 4: The Invasion

A few days later, I was having dinner with my family.

“What’s Earth going to think when 800,000 aliens come days before the invasion and claim they want to help?” I asked no one in particular.

“They’ll have to trust us,” John said.

Caelum and I scoffed at the same time. He smirked at me. “Those rotten humans won’t trust us,” he said, growing serious. “They won’t believe us. They might just attack the ones trying to save them.”

“Maybe we will be able to hide until the attack happens,” Cassiopeia suggested.

“Hide where?” Lynx asked. He and Alexander had come up for air for this dinner. He said those two words and went back to staring at Alex, chin on his palm.

“I’m not sure, brother. But I agree with Cal. The humans might turn on us. We could use our invisibility, cloak our ships. Each Enceladian can make two people plus themselves invisible. It should work. We don’t want to provoke the humans.”

“The Council should have just contacted them,” said Delphinus.

“I agree with you, Princess,” Golda said. They smiled at each other. The past couple of weeks, they had been getting close. I was glad for that.

“Well, they chose not to and we will respect that,” Cass said with certainty.

I had never liked the Council. It wasn’t like they did anything to me personally but I didn’t think they knew best. It wasn’t their job to control everyone and everything. But they said that it was. “Why can’t we tell the humans on our own?” Everybody stared at me in shock. They obviously remembered how I didn’t want to warn the humans about the attack. “I know I didn’t want it to happen but now it seems like the best option.”

“Amelia, what you are suggesting is treason. You could be executed,” Cass spoke in hushed tones like the Council could hear. “I beg you not to do that.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. See, that was ridiculous. It was like the humans were innocent children. I wondered if I would truly be killed if I contacted Earth.

Talia felt me steaming, no doubt, so she grabbed my hand. I loved how she could read me so well.

“Why does the Council get to control everything? Who gave them all this power?”

“Oh, Amelia,” Cass started. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like her answer. “They just do. It’s been that way forever. Since before Vela and Orion’s parents. Since before the Guclon put us on Enceladus. They’re just there.”

I began shaking my head. Something about the Council always bothered me. When I was younger, I never had the courage to question them. I was different now. “I mean, it just doesn’t make any sense. Doesn’t anyone ever think about it?” My voice grew louder. “I get Space Enforcement. No one there declares themselves rulers. They help. But the Council of the entire universe? There are a hundred billion galaxies in the universe. That’s insane.”

“Amelia.” There was warning in Talia’s voice but I ignored it.

“No. I’m not just going sit around and let these old aliens tell me what I can and cannot do!” I felt something bend in my hand and realized it was a spoon. It snapped in two. Only then did I realize everyone was staring at me. There was fear in all of their eyes.

Give them something to really be afraid of.

“Your eyes,” Talia whispered. There was fear in her voice. I didn’t have to look in a mirror to realize my eyes had gone black.

I stood up quickly, shoving back the chair and causing it to fall. “Excuse me,” I muttered and ran out of the room. I didn’t want to go to my room because Talia would find me, so I flew out of the palace and landed somewhere in the woods.

I collapsed on my hands and knees.

Please don’t let Talia be afraid of me. It would break me.

I could feel my dark side struggling its way out. I wouldn’t let it win. Not today and not during the invasion. But it was like fighting myself inside my head. It was painful. I let a yelp past my lips. Suddenly I felt a surge from my hands. I looked down. My electricity had scorched the ground below.

I gripped my head. I was losing control. Losing it over something so unimportant. I could handle the Council if it meant my family would stay alive. So why was it affecting me so much?

Maybe my father could help.

I laughed and it sounded nothing like me. My father would talk me into it, not talk me off the ledge.

I thought I had finally put it behind me. I was happy with Talia. How dare the Destroyer try and come out now.

“Are you okay?”

I whipped my head up and spotted a little boy. “Go,” I grounded out.

“Do you need help?”

Kill him. He disturbed us.

“Leave me alone!” I shouted to the other me. The little boy stood still.

Just kill the boy and let me out. We’ll have so much fun.

I wasn’t sure if that was Stacia’s voice or my father’s.

“Leave, child.” Finally, he turned and ran.

He ran from you. Now you must kill everyone he loves.

“Stop, stop, stop!”

“Amelia?” It was Talia’s voice.

“Go before I hurt you.”

“We’re not going anywhere, nïx.” That was Lynx. What was he doing here?

“I don’t want to hurt you two.”

“We’re all here for you,” Caelum said.

I looked up. Cassiopeia was also with them. “We came to help you.”

Talia crept closer to me. I didn’t see her fear. “We love you and we’re not going to let you become a monster.” She knelt in front of me. “Come back to the palace. Everything will be okay.”

You can’t trust her.

I tried to ignore the voice. Of course I could trust Talia.

Caelum knelt next to me, lifting my chin. I only saw concern in his eyes. “Come on.”

I shook my head. “The voice in my head is telling me to kill you. One day I’ll listen to it.”

“No, you won’t. You’re strong enough to beat it.” Lynx sat on my other side and grabbed my hand. I wasn’t strong. He was strong.

I was crying hard now. “I need to leave Enceladus. I’ll go and live on Miranda by myself.”

“We won’t abandon you. You’re our family,” said Cass. Even she crouched down, her dress dirtying.

They don’t deserve you. They don’t deserve us.

“Come back to the palace,” Cass ordered. I felt her try to use her mind control. It didn’t work on me. Another reason I didn’t belong with them.

She just tried to control you! Set her on fire.

I shook my head and became dizzy. “Doesn’t work.”

“But this will,” Cal said. I didn’t know what he was talking about until I felt a sharp pain on the back of my head and blacked out.

I awoke in my bed with a bump on my head. Thanks, Cal.

Don’t thank him, kill him.

I stood and moved to the door. Before I opened it, I heard voices.

“. . . we going to do?” Lynx was saying.

“Nothing,” answered Talia. “We are going to continue to show her our love and support. She needs her family right now more than anything.” I was shocked. Talia had never, ever talked to my siblings like that.

“What if this happens again?” Cassiopeia asked.

“Then we’ll deal with it. Right, Talia?” Caelum asked. Had I woken up in an alternate reality?

“Right.”

“How long has she been hearing those voices?” Caelum wondered.

“Voices?” Delphinus was apparently there too.

“Did you know mind control didn’t work on her?” Cass asked someone, probably Talia.

“What?” Del’s voice rose above a whisper.

I didn’t wait any longer. I turned the doorknob and everyone shut up. Talia put her arm around my waist. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay.”

“Hey, Amy. Sorry about the rock. How’s your head?” Cal asked me.

“It’s a little sore. I understand though.”

Everybody gave me tight smiles. I inwardly groaned. Now they were going to treat me like I was fragile and would snap at any moment. Awesome.

“I’m sorry I scared everyone. I don’t know what got into me,” I said.

Everybody told me it was okay at the same time. They were still afraid.

“I’m going to shower if no one minds.”

Everyone was quick to tell me they didn’t mind.

I walked back into my room. Talia followed me. Once she closed the door, I turned to her. “Are you scared of me?”

Her mouth opened as if to say something then closed again.

“I saw it in your eyes back in the dining room. It’s okay. I get it. I’m afraid of myself too.”

You don’t have to be if you just give in.

I winced and sat on my bed.

“No, Amy. I was afraid of what you might put yourself through or that you might hurt yourself.”

She was lying through her teeth.

“I’m not some helpless baby!” I threw my hands up. “I can handle it. Tell me, Talia Durand, are you scared of me?”

She bit her lip. “I’m not anymore. It’s just your eyes in the dining room were black.”

“I need to be alone right now.” I cradled my head in my hands. It was pounding.

“I don’t think that’s wise.”

“Please, love. Just go.”

“Okay.” I heard the hurt in her voice but I couldn’t take it back. I needed to calm down before I found solace in her arms.

I laid back on my bed when the door closed. What was I going to do?

Kill them all.