"We have to test it."

Althea felt Gemma's eyes boring into her back. She didn't turn around. She knew what she would see if she did: Gemma, staring at Althea like she was gold that Gemma had just unburied.

Instead, Althea didn't respond to Gemma at all, keeping her back facing Gemma, not even moving.

"I know you're listening." Gemma said impatiently, "Can't you say something?"

Althea rolled over. "Fine. I'll say this: no."

"But-"

Althea had had enough, "No Gemma. We aren't 'testing' this. I'm not your little guinea pig, for you to poke and prod and turn into your little resistance fighter. I'm not a part of the resistance. The only thing I have interest in doing is getting out of here, back to my mother, who needs me."

Gemma scowled. "Fine, be a little scaredy cat and run back to your mother."

There was a silence which Althea was perfectly happy to let fall over the room like a veil of tension. Gemma broke it.

"Do you just not get it Althea? Do you not see the injustice of it all? They're stealing from us! They're forcing us to give them a part of ourselves. And what do we get in return? No help from them! They use our powers to continue their life of luxury, hosting dinner parties and balls while we starve! Worse than that! While we die!" Gemma paused for emotional effect, "Maybe you don't get it because it isn't effecting you right now. But you will. You can't just turn your head Althea. We all live in this world we've created. What happens when your mother falls ill? She's older. Older people are more vulnerable. It could be something as seemingly innocent as the flu. Easily cureable right? But how? We have no healers."

Althea shrugged. "I'll find a way. I always do."

Gemma countered immediately, "Until the day you don't. But why does it have to take until then. Don't you have any compassion for your fellow humans? They are suffering now! Just because you aren't doesn't mean you shouldn't help them. You could be the key to saving everyone!"

Gemma finishes triumphantly, obviously positive she'd just schooled any arguments Althea could make. Althea thought the whole thing felt a bit overdramatic though, and decided the easiest way to deal with the situation was to say nothing.

But as she rolled back over, she couldn't help reflecting on what Gemma had said. Was she right? Was Althea being selfish, not wanting to explore her potential ability further? But then Althea laughed at herself. She was being ridiculous. There was no special ability. This whole idea was ridiculous.

Before Althea had managed to fall back asleep, a loud obnoxious bell sounded.

"The inspection bell." Gemma answered Althea's questioning expression. "Sometimes, the royals in charge of running the jail come through for inspection. Usually only about once a week. It's their weekly power trip. Nothing too exciting."

Suddenly, out of the cell doors came a pair of handcuffs and two foot shackles, attached together. Gemma approached the chains, slipping one leg into a foot cuff and closing it, and following suit with her hands in the handcuffs. Without looking at Althea she said, "It's best to cooperate. Otherwise things can get....nasty."

Althea walked over and did as Gemma had done. As soon as the cuffs clicked into place on her wrists, the door to their cell opened, and in sync, they entered the hallway. The flow of other prisoners led them down into a huge banquet hall.

One there, they were directed into straight lines, and told to stand at attention. Five royals stood at the front of the room, three rows from Althea and Gemma, observing the proceedings with disinterest.

When all of the prisoners had entered the room, the doors closed automatically, and the royals began to move, each one taking a row. As they went down, they stopped in front of each prisoner, asking their name, offense, age, and address. If prisoners did not answer to their liking, the prisoner received a loud admonishment from the royal listening, and the scribe noted down the prisoner number of the offending inmate. Slowly the royal in their line, a bulbous, pompous woman, with her hair piled so high on top of her head, Althea would have wondered how it was defying gravity if she couldn't see the telltale stiffness of extreme amounts of hairspray, made her way down their line. Finally, she reached Althea, facing her with the same boredom she'd faced the other prisoners with.

Althea wondered idly what it meant, that the woman didn't have any particular interest in her. Althea supposed the woman had yet to hear the rumors running rampant throughout the castle, the ones saying she was a power stealer.

"Name." the woman recited to Althea.

"Althea Muncorn." Althea wondered for a minute if she should have said her middle name, but the woman didn't seem to care.

"Age."

"Sixteen."

"Offense."

Before Althea could respond, she felt a sharp push from her right side in conjunction with a kick to the back of her right knee. Althea didn't even have time to register what had happened before she was falling forward toward the woman. In horror, Althea reached out her hands to stop herself, latching onto the woman's thick arm. The second her hand touched the woman's arm, the woman fell backwards as well, as if Althea had pushed her, both of them falling into a muddled heap on the floor.

"Pimona!" Two other royals came running over, "Are you all right?"

The woman got to her feet quickly, obviously feeling inferior while lying on the ground.

Another prisoner chimed out, "Gemma pushed her! I saw it!"

The woman looked thunderousy angry.

"Did you push her into me?" she demanded of Gemma.

To Althea's surprise, Gemma looked defiant, "Yes."

The woman was obviously also surprised by Gemma's attitude. "Well we don't allow that kind of behavior around here. You are going to regret this girl. Give me your hand." The last words were spoken with an ominous pleasure, and Althea realized immediately what was happening. This woman was trying to take Gemma's power.

Horrified, Althea tried to think of what to do.

When their hands met, Althea could practically see the power draining out of Gemma. For the first time, Gemma seemed to falter and go pale. As they broke apart, Gemma's eyes were downturned.

The royal on the other hand, looked positively gleeful.

Before Althea knew what she was doing, she reached out instinctually toward the royal and brushed her skin, before pulling her hand back, realizing what she had almost done. They were standing so close, Althea was certain no one noticed, but the royal tripped backwards again, as if Althea had shoved her.

Beside her, Gemma looked up, a huge smile spreading across her face.

The royal looked confused, but the male royal said, "Don't be clumsy Pimona. You must be off balance after that push."

The royal continued looking perplexed, but said faintly, "Yes, I, I supposed I am."

"End of inspection for today." The male royal announced. "We will resume this at a later date."

And with that, the royals swept out of the room, and the prisoners began filing back toward their cells.

As soon as they got back to their rooms Gemma whirled on Althea, "SEE!" She proclaimed ecstatically.

"See what?" Althea said, except she knew exactly what Gemma was so excited about.

"You did it! You gave me my power back!"

Something suddenly occurred to Althea. "You did that on purpose!" Her tone was accusatory.

"What?" Said Gemma innocently.

"All of it! You pushed me so that you'd get a reaction out of her, and when you did you riled her up more, you wanted her to take your power." Althea looked at Gemma in horror.

Gemma looked like she was deciding something. Finally, she took a deep breath and nodded. "You had to see the truth Althea. So I was willing to risk myself for the greater good. I knew if I pushed you into her, when you touched her, you'd return all the powers she'd ever taken. I figured the rumors would get around and you wouldn't be able to deny it. But then, when she got mad, I realized I could prove it to you even more definitely. If she took my power, and then you touched her again, I'd get it back right away. Then the cold hard evidence would be right in your face."
Althea took that in. "But how did you know? That I would touch her again after she took your power? What if I hadn't? What if I had just watched or just frozen in shock?"
"I believed in you." said Gemma simply.
"Well that was stupid of you." Althea responded, equally as bluntly.
Gemma shrugged, "Well it all worked out in my favor."
"Barely," muttered Althea.
"So what now?" Gemma looked at Althea, waiting.
"What do you mean?" Althea played dumb.
"Well you can't deny now that you have a power."
"I don't believe that you got your power back." Althea said, partly as a test and partly wishful thinking.
"Let's not play games Althea. I know that was a lie. If you want to play two truths and a lie next and have me prove it, go for it, but that's a waste of both of our time. I have my power back. Thanks to you. You have the ability to return all the powers that the royals have taken from us during their lifetime. What are you going to do with it."
Althea picked at the thread on the thin blanket on the cell bed.
"I don't know."