“We got the basic information from Zed and Willow,” Ralph said sternly as we all entered the room. The doors slammed shut behind us.
“We would like a little more,” Jennisa said, tapping her fingers on the table. “Such as what it's looking for.”
Nina looked pale. “I don't know the answer.”
“Then what do you know?” Ralph snapped back.
I felt anger and glared at Ralph. It was one thing to press a person for information they had, but entirely another when they had little to give in the first place.
I had dealt with the Council longer than the rest of them. So I knew what they wanted for answers and how they wanted them. But if they were going to pick at Nina like this, my calmness was going to disappear pretty quickly.
“Ralph, she will answer the question the best she can, but if you push her for more information, you and I are going to have a problem.”
Katie and Nina both looked at me, stunned, and Ralph simply leaned back. He narrowed his eyes on me, looking for me to back down, but I didn't. I wouldn't. Nina was part of my pack and got the same respect and backing as anyone else.
Ralph gave me a simple nod. “Continue.”
“There really isn't much to tell. I was standing in the middle of the darkness. It was cold like I'd been put in a freezer, and I felt just pure rage. Rage like no other.”
Derrick nodded his head at Katie. “Which is what you had correct, Katie?”
Katie nodded. “Yeah, the same. Henrik and I had a blinding light next, though.”
“Maybe if someone hadn’t woken her from a dream, she would know more,” Jennisa said, leaning back in her chair.
I curled my hands up tightly. I wanted to be angry at Zed for sharing everything, but I knew he would. “She was screaming like she was dying. Excuse me for saving her.”
“From a dream,” Jennisa said, her eye narrowing on me. “We all have them.”
“This is not a dream,” Katie quickly states. “Your subconscious is somewhere else. He's getting into the person's mind, so yes, it's like a dream, but he holds you there. Frank waking Nina up was a safe idea. You don't know what could happen next.”
“And because he woke her, we never will,” Jennissa barked back.
Katie ground her jaw together, which surprised me a little. I had expected her to back down, but she didn't. “All due respect, you pulled me into this for my scientific degrees and understanding, so when I give it, I would like you to take it. Otherwise, stay out of the parts you don't understand.”
I watched Jennisa growl at Katie, looking ready to jump the table. Ralph waved a hand. “That's enough.”
Steve and Derrick smirked slightly in their chairs, almost proud. It would see Katie grow a backbone.
“What else happened?” Ralph asked, trying to redirect it back to Nina.
Nina frowned. “A voice that said we all had to pay and that this was the beginning.”
The Council went quiet. Katie looked at Nina. “Did you see a child?”
I watched as Ralph and Jennisa scowled at the question.
Nina shook her head. “No, it honestly happened so quickly. I was having a good sleep when it all changed, like a light went out. And the cold slithered over me, and the voice spoke up. And that rage set in.”
“We're done here,” Ralph said, pulling himself up. “If you know anything else, you can bring it to us immediately.”
I ground my teeth together, knowing how quickly they dismissed us as soon as we brought this child up. We had all discussed it before, knowing the Council was clearly hiding something. I glanced at Zed and Willow. I hated how quickly they dismissed me asking, but we no longer had that option. We needed answers.
The drive home was quiet, and when I glanced at Nina, I could see the worry on her face. It didn't sit well with me, and I tried to think of something to make it better. At a stop sign, I glanced across the street at the flower shop.
“Why don't we make a few stops before we go home?”
Nina looked at me with hope in her eyes. “Really?”
