Free arbitrate (daynight) by Megan Thomason

Do you not see what they have in motion? The Clean Slate Complexes are just the tip of the volcano. You need to spend less time worrying about your love life and more time worrying about what the SCI plans to do—both on Thera and on Earth.”
    “I don’t care about the SCI’s antics right now. Why was I kept in the dark about Kira being alive?” That’s what is really eating away at me. My own father and brother kept the truth from me. They want me to be their mole in the Ten but can’t trust me enough to share things that directly affect me.
    “I’m sorry. We needed you to finish up school and take your place on the Ten. The SCI is out of control and needs to be reined in. I knew that Kira’s plight would be a…distraction…for you. It’s not like your mother would have allowed you to come to Kira’s defense. It was for the best even if you can’t see it now. Plus, I think you fail to understand Kira’s state of mind throughout all of this. In the last year, she has spent time both in inpatient psychiatric care and extensive outpatient care. She lost it after leaving Garden City. The deaths of her parents and friends all caught up with her. Add pregnancy hormones on top of it, and she couldn’t handle it.”
    I jerk away from his hand on my shoulder. “ I should have beenthere for her. She needed me.”
    “No. She needed Jackson. Still needs him. He has the calming touch—an ability you don’t have.”
    “I loved her and Jax took that from me.”
    My father drops his head and shakes it. “If you don’t love her any more, it surely has nothing to do with Jackson. Kira stayed faithful to you—and had been excited to see you again, until you waltzed in with a giant chip on your hypocritical shoulder and then threw Jackson to the wolves. I don’t know if the two of you can be fixed. Certainly not if you continue to treat her the way you have been.”
    I need to get out of here. I’m so angry and frustrated that I can’t see straight. I need time to process everything that has happened. Everyone acts like this is all no big deal because there were extenuating circumstances . That I shouldn’t be the least bit bothered that I missed out on the first three months of my son’s life. That I should forgive Jax and Kira for letting me think she was dead, that the only thing I should care about is what the SCI has done and will do. Well, sorry, it just isn’t that simple. They can’t just screw me over and expect me to look the other way. People need to be held accountable for their actions.
    “Is your lecture finished? Am I free to leave? I have some thinking to do.” I square my jaw, lean back, and fold my arms across my chest. I’m done here.
    “You are dismissed. But not trusted. You’re going to have to earn that back. Keep tabs on what the Blacks and your Uncle Henry are up to. That would be a good start.”
    I concentrate on my apartment—not the one with my new “roomies,” Kira and Jax—but the one back on Earth. I empty everything else from my mind but where I want to go.
    And then I go.

    One Month Ago: Los Angeles, California

    I stood in the front row and watched as my Uncle Henry took the stage at the US Democratic National Convention. Alexa flanked my left and Joshua hers—she knew to separate the two of us. Excitement surged through the air as Henry stood to accept the nomination as the Democratic Presidential candidate. The crowd—a sea of red, white, and blue—chanted, “We want more. We want King.”
    The polls showed that Henry had this thing sewed up months ago. This was a formality, an exuberant tribute to the man who obliterated the competition and stood to annihilate the Republican incumbent on Election Day. Henry’s platform was unbeatable and seemingly substantive, unlike so many politicians. Former Chairman of the Board of The Second Chance Institute and current senator of California, he had an impeccable track record.
    If they only knew how true the statement,