Free Catalyst by Shelly Crane Page B

off.
                 
                  She wants to. She wants to help.
     
                  Would you let Sherry?
     
                  Could I stop her?
     
                  His mouth pursed and he quirked an eyebrow.
     
                  Touché.
     
                  He looked at Marissa for a long minute.
                  “You know what this will do to you, don’t you?” he asked her softly.
                  “Yes. It’s worth it.”
                  “What are you talking about?” Celeste asked fretfully. “What can you do?”
                  Marissa looked to Jeff and he nodded, then sh e explained it all to Celeste; a bout how compulsion works, about one compulsion canceling out the other. About what she thought she might could do so she could have a minute with her mom before we had to let her go.
                  Celeste nodded, understanding and stepped towards her mom a little bit.
                  “Ok, why don’t we give them some space?” I said and we all started to move out.
                  “Merri ck, Kay, s tay,” Danny said, not looking our way.
                  “I’m staying, too,” Jeff said and took up a stance near Marissa that dares someone to tell him otherwise. Marissa knelt beside Margo on the floor.
                  So, Miguel, Danny, C eleste, Kay, Jeff, Ma rissa and I watched and waited to see if Marissa could pull off what she proposed.
                  She touched Margo’s hand carefully so as not to scare her. Margo looked at her like she didn’t know her at all. Then she looked at Celeste with the same expression.
                  “Mom?”
                  “Who are you? I need to... I’m supposed to tell someone. I’m supposed to... I’m important. To save her. To catch her. To take her,” Margo mumbled and Celeste whimpered.
                  “Do it,” Celeste ordered in a whisper.
                  Marissa closed her eyes and her whole body convulsed as she tried to undo the compulsion on Margo. You could almost se e the energy surrounding them, t he power of it. Marissa began to breathe heavy. Jeff moved forward to stop her.
     
                  Wait. Just a few more seconds. I think she’s onto something. Can’t you feel that?
     
                  I could literally feel a little current on my skin and a hum of static in the air. Jeff looked pained , but listened to me and held off. He moved to sit behind Marissa and steadied her as she began to sway. Then, what we’d all been waiting for happened.
                  Margo sat up straight and looked right at her daughter.
                  “Celeste,” she breathed.
                  “Mom ma ?”
                  “Oh, Celeste. I’m so sorry.”
                  “It’s not your fault, M om ma ,” Celeste said crying and sniffling. “None of this is.”
                  “But I hate it just the same.” She grabbed Celeste’s hands. “It’s coming back. I can already feel it. Listen-”
                  “No , M om ma , just hold on, ok?”
                  “I can’t, honey. It’s coming. I need to tell you some things. I’m s orry for what I did to Sherry…s o very sorry.” She let the tears fall from her eyes and didn’t wipe them. “But, the Lighters didn’t see. They put too many patches on too many of us, all spread out. They didn’t know which location we were at, they didn’t know what they were seeing. You’ll be safe here.”
                  “Mom, no,” Celeste croaked.
                  “Did you find Sherry? ” she asked me.
                  “Yes. She’s here. She’s