Picture of Liana 

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"With Darrel in charge, it was only a matter of time." Her dad tells her mom, jumping to Valery's defense. "For all we know, they needled her into acting. Maybe it wasn't luck Trent made it back with that leaf."

"Maybe they just don't want us to know their secrets," her mom fires back, turning her attention back to her husband.

Valery's dad reaches out, taking his wife's hand in his.

"They could have killed Trent in the field. But they followed him back," he says softly, looking her in the eyes. "How else would they have known exactly where he lived? Exactly who he's close to and the best time to catch him off guard? They've been watching him ever since he stole it."

Beth huffs, crossing her arms to keep her hands out of his reach. He turns to look at Valery instead.

"The council is pretty much the same," he says. "No one is able to decide on anything. You stirred things up, there's no doubt about that. But you also proved it's possible to get there and back. You destroyed a killer beast, and that's going to make things easier on us too. Trent told us what you went through. It won't be overlooked. It was amazing teamwork and bravery with solid resolution and follow through. It's what every Guardian needs."

Valery's mom slaps her husband across the chest."Don't praise her!" Her mom snaps.

"Beth." Her dad sighs, looking at her. "Can you honestly say you wouldn't have done it for me? I know I would have left for you." Her mom falls silent as her gaze softens and her arms fall to her sides. "Someone needs to tell this girl how well she did." He pauses to grab ahold of his wife's hands, holding them to his chest. "Making it there and back is nothing short of a miracle. And everything she's done on top of it? It's incredible and she deserves to know that. Council is going to tear her to pieces. She needs us on her side."

"We need to get back," she tells him softly. She turns her head to look at Valery. "My advice for you? Be careful when it comes to your love life and work entwining. It's not easy on the heart." Her mom pulls out of his hold and walks over to Valery, leaning over to give her a hug. "I AM glad you're home. Olivia spent a whole lot of time healing you up, make sure you thank her." Her mom murmurs and walks out of the room.

"Get some rest." Her dad assures her. He leans over and kisses Valery's forehead.

"Are you two alright?" Valery asks as he straightens back up.

"We're fine, the council is chaotic right now. That's all." Her dad assures her. He follows Beth, closing the door behind him.

The moment the door closes, her tears start to fall as her anger disappears. She lets herself fall into the pillow, hiding her face from the world.

What did we do?

The silence is deafening, nothing to drone out her thoughts besides the clicking of the clock on the wall.

War, because of us. Valery groans. Uncle Darrel used to be such a kind person... He taught my mother how to ride a bike in their childhood. Taught me to read. Now I'll never be able to get the image of him stabbing Trent out of my head. One day I will make him burn. Damn them. The Devil's Own and the council. All we did was save Trent, yet we're the villains of this story? Total bullshit.

A knock on the door. "Brought you some food." Trent calls.

She sniffles, shifting in the bed so that she's propped up on her side and able to wipe away her tears.

"Come in." She calls, her voice as heavy as her thoughts.

"They got to ya, huh?" Trent murmurs, making his way into the room.

"I should have expected it. A warm greeting from my mom? Never." She sighs as Trent settles himself back into the chair.

"She loves you; you know that." Trent assures her as he hands out a bowl of chili towards her. "You got it?"

She nods as she rests the bowel on the mattress. "I wish she didn't love so aggressively." Valery sniffles again as she raises the spoon to her mouth.

"Her brother just came back from the dead, leading her enemy no less. He chose to do that to her. And she needs to face that on top of the emotional toll of you running away, not knowing if you were ok or not. If Matt or Angela pulled any of this shit on us, we wouldn't be handling it any better." Trent points out. Valery swallows the meat and beans that are almost too hot to eat.

"Why do you have to be right all the time?" She complains. Trent smiles and hands her a piece of cornbread.

"Because you are so cute and sulky when I am."

Valery's scowl grows as she bites into the bread.

"Here, I brought this as well." He stands up and reaches into his pants pocket. He pulls out a water bottle, flipping it onto the bed.

"Thanks." She answers.

"The Council should come for you soon. I saw Angela and Matt leave, their tails between their legs."

Valery nods.

"Bring it." She takes another hot bite of chili. "Talk to me until then. About anything."

"So, a lot has happened while you've been sleeping," Trent starts.

"Like?"

"Well, I'm now clean. Liana and Olivia put me on a dialysis machine. Cleared my blood right up. And I'm now going to be staying across the hall from Angela, since my home has been breached. They decided to give me a student to mentor. Gretchen. The council wants me to take a break from being a spy and have me doing some downlow work."

Valerty grins as she swallows another bite. "Trent! That's great! You're moving up, being trusted with a young one."

"I sure am." He grins. "Gretchen has already begged me to allow you to help with some lessons."

"She's precious," Valery smiles.

Valery stuffs a bite of chili in her mouth, trying to finish her bowel before the Council comes for her. It burns her throat, the spice making her eyes water. She sniffles and wipes at her eyes as Trent looks on amused.

"You never did like spicy food."

"Too early to cry," Liana tells her as she walks into the room. "Let's go." Valery nods and hands the bowel back to Trent.

"Good luck." He murmurs as Valery slides off the bed. She nods and follows behind Valery.

"I don't know what to do with you," Liana says, sighing as they walk. "I've mentored so many Guardians, and totaled up, they haven't caused as much trouble as you have."

Valery doesn't say a word as she keeps her eyes on the faded red carpet. The only Guardian whose disappointed face is worse than her mother's is Liana's. Yet Angela's words she overheard in the car run through her mind as they walk. How afraid of me is she?

"Do you have anything to say for yourself before we walk through this door?" Liana asks softly, trying to catch her eye as she throws her arm across the doorway. Valery shakes her head no, stubbornly refusing to look at her mentor. She knows one look will shatter the little bit of courage she managed to gather. "I'm trying to help you child," Liana whispers.

"I don't regret it," Valery murmurs. "I know it's not what you want to hear, but at least it's the truth."

"Get inside," Liana snaps, opening the door and letting Valery pass.

The faded red carpet continues its way into the Council room. A chestnut colored large table takes up most of the room. Matching chairs wrap all around three sides of it. All eyes in the room turn towards Valery as she walks in and across the room, standing at the open head of the table. She clears her throat, her head feeling too heavy to raise to look at all the council members.

"Tell us what you were thinking." Liana prompts Valery as she takes her seat at the head of the table, directly across the room from Valery. Valery clutches the podium for support. She takes a deep breath and swallows.

"I wasn't," Valery answers simply. "Angela came in and my actions were automatic."

"The Council decided that no one was to go after him," Cliff tells her.

"I know," Valery responds flatly.

"So what happened?" Liana pushes.

Slowly, Valery lifts her head to look at each person individually. Liana, Ash, the head warrior, Tessa, the head teacher, Kaci, their publicist, her dad Axel, head of armory, her mom Beth, the accountant, and Kylie, the head of records, and Cliff, head of war strategy. Her parents remain stone faced, not allowed to take sides. Ash, who was once Trent's mentor, and the closest thing Trent has to a father, looks at Valery with sympathy. Cliff, his face scrunched with anger, he was never one who liked being betrayed. The others look on with curiosity and wonder.

"Do you really want to know?" Valery asks. Liana motions for Valery to continue. Valery takes a deep breath and lets her hands fall. This isn't the first time she's been in this position, but it's the first time she's telling the council they were wrong.

"We've been here for so long. Watching the world fall around us," Valery begins, her voice growing stronger, more confident with each word. "It's only now starting to turn personal. It's understandable that many of you don't know how to react. Trent's parents and his sister were all killed because the Devil's Own were searching for the one twice blessed. Me. I'm the reason his family was slaughtered. When he came here, he had every reason to hate me once he found out who I was. But he didn't. He chose love. Somehow, with all that suffering still raw in his heart, he chose love. So, I did too. He didn't deserve to lose a second family. No one should. No one should even have to lose their first family so mercilessly. I wasn't about to sit aside while he suffered, AGAIN. Mom, dad, can you honestly tell me you wouldn't have done it for each other? Hell, for me? What about you, Ash, for Tessa? Ash, Trent was your student. You became a father to him. I know how fondly you think of him. You were sworn to look after him. You couldn't have agreed to abandon him."

"The council has to put aside their personal feelings for the greater good," Kaci says coldly, rolling her eyes to the speech.

"Council is law," Liana snaps.

"But laws change," Valery fires back. "And we are also family. A large family. And families argue. As much as you don't understand my actions, I don't understand yours. How could us Guardians stand by leaders who are so ready to protect their own backs instead of standing up and protecting their people? Or worse, ignore him just to break me just to protect their own backs? Which is the greater crime?"

Liana smashes her hands into the table as she jumps to her feet, glaring across the table to Valery.

"You may not agree with the Council, but you WILL respect them," Liana snaps. "These accusations are uncalled for."

"I would say they are called for. How can I respect authority that chooses to abandon their people? I realized you guys have abandoned me years ago, always pushing me to the side. And just recently, you've decided to abandon Trent. But it's ok, cause you rewarded him, made him a mentor. Let me guess, to ease your own guilt, right? All of this makes us no better than them. If a rescue party was sent out right away, the Devil's Own could have been stopped before reaching their headquarters. It wouldn't have escalated like this," Valery argues.

Liana is leaning over the table, her eyes shooting daggers at Valery. "At least Matt and Angela had the sense to admit they crossed a line! Do you want your powers clipped for insubordination?" Liana growls.

Beth squeaks a protest as Jay grabs her hand, both are looking at Valery, their eyes pleading for her to back down.

"You wouldn't dare," Valery continues, choosing to ignore her parent's looks. "The Angels created me as a last hope. Their remaining magic and energy went into creating me. To make sure someone will be able to help guide you to victory. And maybe, just maybe, things need to change from the inside first, before we stand a chance. If you feel threatened just because a young, ungraduated woman disagrees with you and acts disrespectful, that sounds like your problem. To me, it sounds like at some level you agree with me, just don't want to admit it. I'll await my punishment in the healing chamber." She stomps to the door and opens it. Every eye in the room follows her. She pauses to look back at them. "You should also take some time to figure out how the three of us managed to do something no one else has managed to do. We did the impossible, and not a single person has commented on that. Maybe family is the answer. And maybe, by removing my powers, you're going to end up repeating history, falling into your own fears." Valery steps into the hall, closing the door behind her. She leans against the door, taking a calming breath.

Oh, sweet Angels, I can't believe I just did that. 

Legs weak, nerves vibrating, she makes her way to the healing chamber where she waits on the verdict of her outburst in silence. She opens the door. In the chair sits Trent, waiting for her.

"I might have snapped," Valery sighs. She lets the door close behind her. He chuckles as she crosses the room and crawls into bed.

"I'm not surprised." He crawls into bed beside her and pulls her close. "I got ya." With him keeping her snug, she drifts back to sleep. Once asleep, Trent slips out quietly.

Night settles, quieting the building before Liana comes in to see Valery. Liana sits in the chair without a word. Just looking at her until she wakes up on her own. Valery sits up with a yawn. "Liana," Valery greets, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"Well child," Liana eventually starts. "You certainly know how to get people wound up." Valery shrugs unapologetically, refusing to back down.

"I want to be mad at you, I do," Liana tells her. "But I can't. You crossed a line and you know it. I know you do. But it takes a true warrior to own that. You stood strong against injustice. That's what every Guardian should do. I asked for the truth and you gave it. There's no doubt about that. For once, I could see the ferocity of heaven burn in your eyes. And I am proud of you." Liana pauses, allowing that to sink in. "However, you did blatantly go against the council, completely disregarding their order. Are you going to take your punishment as bravely?"

"Whatever it is, I'll take it. Just don't expect me to apologize. I won't."

"We are way past that," she assures. "I hope you and Trent have seen enough of each other for a while, you're about to find yourself busier than you have ever been. Both Olivia and Ash have agreed to work with you. You'll wake up at six A.M. Report to Olivia at six-thirty. Work with her until twelve-thirty. You'll eat lunch and then report to Ash at one pm. That's every day, during the week. Weekends, you report to me at seven A.M. We'll start the day by having breakfast together. Everything you do WILL be monitored from here on out. It WILL get back to me. Based on your actions we'll decide how long this continues."

"Six AM. Every morning? That's before the sun rises," Valery whines. Liana shoots her a death glare. Valery clears her throat and nods. "No funny business, full cooperation, I promise."

"Good." Liana nods proudly and stands up. "Get on up to your room and get some rest. You start tomorrow." Valery nods and slides off the bed as Liana walks out of the room.

That went well, considering. At least I still have my powers.