A/N: I saw there was only 28 Shatter Me fanfictions and I needed to write one. Since the world in Shatter Me was limited to only what Juliette had seen, and since she was in an insane asylum, she hasn't seen much. So forgive me if my version of the world is marginally different from yours.
It has been surprisingly uneventful.
I expected rebellions
Most of the citizens accepted my leadership without problem. They just want to feed their children. Out of 555 sectors only 9 fought back. The rest were too scared or tired to do anything. It was easy to deal with those 9 sector leaders. I replaced them with people who I trusted.
No one argues with the supreme commander.
I learned that the other supreme commanders are nothing like Anderson. They are cruel and power hungry but they aren't psychopaths. It took hours of discussion and compromising, but we finally agreed on a new regime. The reestablishment is being taken in another more honest direction.
Right now I'm busy working with the sector commanders on rebuilding and recycling new homes for civilians. Aaron told me the current homes were only meant to be temporary but they were never upgraded.
We are building new army bases and using the ones we already have as shelters for civilians who need housing while we build more homes.
It all goes by in a blur
"Juliette love, wake up."
I jerk awake. I fell asleep on top of my paperwork. Aaron is giving me a sympathetic look. He knows how much work I have had to do and understands my fatigue.
"I'm sorry to wake you but there are some civilians causing a problem down in the lobby. They are asking for you. Normally I would just have the soldiers detain them, but they, well it's better if you just come down."
"Aaron…"
"Come downstairs with me love."
"Tell me what's happening." I demand. His lips are pinched together and he grabs my hand, unwilling to answer my question. I yank my hand out of his grip.
"Please Aaron, tell me what is going on."
"Well, these people are claiming to be your parents."
I can feel the blood drain from my face and a bitter feeling courses through my veins.
"It's possible that they are just a couple who want attention, but they have the paper work to prove it."
I have no words for what he is telling me. He grips my shoulder with one hand and slides the other over my cheekbone. His hands are warm. A stark contrast from how I feel.
"If you don't want to face them, I can have the soldiers escort them out."
"No. no I have to. I am the supreme commander of North America. I have come so far, I can't cower at the thought of my parents."
He looks proud.
"You don't need to be afraid or upset. I'll be right here with you."
I look into his beautiful light green eyes.
"I love you." I say to him, my voice barely a whisper.
"I never get tired of hearing that." He tells me softly, "Now let's go downstairs."
He offers me his hand and together we walk out of the office and bedchambers which we now share.
As the elevator declines I feel sick with dread. They locked me up. They treated me like a monster.
I barely hear the ding as the elevator reaches the ground floor.
I hear scuffling and shouting, and I can barely breathe.
"Soldiers. Stand down." Aaron calls. His voice is strong and displays clear authority. That never came naturally to me.
The soldiers back away from the man and woman who they were tussling with. They are thin, and aged but unmistakably my parents.
I have to struggle not to lower my gaze when they lock eyes with me.
And then I see their eyes land on my hand clasped with Aaron.
"Juliette." My mother says. Her voice is thin and frail. "Is there any way we could talk privately?" she asks as if she expects the answer to be no.
I look at Aaron, and he looks unwaveringly back at me. His message is clear. This is your decision to make.
"Very well. Follow us." In my best impersonation of someone with confidence, I turn around and lead the way to our office.
The elevator ride is awkward. I stand right in the front by the doors with Aaron. I can feel the scorching gaze of my parents burning through the back of my suit.
I should feel nothing but anger and hatred for them. I should be bubbling with rage. But mostly I wonder how confused they must be. Last they saw me I was a scared crying little girl. They must wonder about the strange skintight suit I am wearing. They must wonder about the man standing next to me who they surely recognize as the sector 45 leader, and is touching my bare skin without flinching away in pain. But most of all they must wonder about how I am the supreme commander of North America.
When I am seated at my desk pretending to be comfortable I ask,
"Why are you here?"
"Juliette," my mother begins, "We are so sorry. I don't expect you to forgive us, but at least hear us out."
"Okay. Go on. I would like to hear what caused my own parents to treat me as if I was a monster."
"We were scared. When you were first born you were a perfect little girl. Happy, beautiful, healthy. One day your mother simply touched you and was hurt. We didn't know what happened and we were so afraid. I was the one who suggested taking you to the doctors. We just wanted to cure you. We thought something supernatural had happened to you. When we called you a monster we didn't know what we were saying. It seemed impossible our little daughter had turned into something that couldn't be touched. I didn't know what to do. When you killed that little boy, there was nothing we could do, except go along with the courts. We were ashamed, and we thought the insane asylum was more humane than a prison." My father says. My mother is in tears.
"I understand if you don't want to forgive us, but you need to know we love you, and we are so, so very sorry." My mother says.
I don't know what to think.
"But we also want to know what happened with you." my father says.
"Fine. Where would you like me to start." I say with a carefully neutral voice.
"How did you get out of the asylum?" She asks.
"Well. One day, one of the soldiers told me I was getting a roommate. My roommate was a man named Adam Kent. He was my roommate for two weeks before I found out he was an actually a soldier. I was taken out of the asylum under the orders of Warner," I motion to Aaron who is sitting next to me, "The sector 45 leader. I was told I was to be weaponized and used for torture. I was kept in this base. Adam was assigned to watch over me. I found out he was able to touch me. After a few weeks, he helped me escape and we fled with another soldier named Kenji to a place called Omega Point. Omega Point was an underground rebellion lead by a man named Castle. Castle revealed to me that I am not the only individual with a special power. Castle could move objects with his mind. Kenji who was working undercover for Omega Point could turn invisible. I have friends who can conduct electricity, or bend their limbs like rubber. I also found out my power was not limited to causing people pain. I have also have incredible strength and I can crush things with even touching them. I learned I am not a monster, and that I instead have an incredible power. Long story short there was a war, and I was taken captive, along with a pair of twins who can heal people by touching them, by the previous Supreme Commander Anderson. He shot me in the chest and left me to die. Warner and the twins were there, and although the twins could not touch me themselves, Warner had recently found out that he can take another person's power and use it, and that my touch did not affect him either. The twins helped him heal me, and he took me back to the base and hid me from his soldiers. When I woke up, I was told that Omega Point had been destroyed, and there were no survivors. Later I found out that a small band of people had escaped alive including Adam, his younger brother, Kenji and Castle. We brought them back to be base and began plotting a way to usurp the Supreme commander and take over North America. While there I found out I am able to turn my power off. I can be touched without causing people pain. When we put the plan into action, I went with Kenji to the Supreme Commander's boat, I killed him and took over in his place."
When I put it like that it seems impossible.
"What do you have to say?" Aaron asks.
"I know you might not want to hear this, but we are proud of you. We are so very sorry, would you be able to forgive us?" my mother asks.
"But we have something else we would like you to know, "my father states, "We had another daughter. You have a sister."
I am shocked
I don't know what to say
I don't even know how to breathe
"Does she have a power?" I ask, swallowing down the burning hot coal threatening to melt my throat.
"She is four years old, we don't know anything yet. But she looks like you."
"I think Juliette needs a moment to think about everything you've told her. If you would please wait outside." Aaron says, while leading them outside and into a waiting room.
As soon as he is back by my side I fall into his arms and the tears rush from my eyes.
"I don't know what to do," I say sobbing, "tell me what to do."
His hand skims over my hair and he pulls me tighter into his chest.
"I hate them for what they did to you," he says, "but they were sincere in their apology and wanting your forgiveness. They meant everything they said. It's still your decision to make. It's not my place to decide for you."
"I want to hate them, but I don't think I can."
"You wanted to hate me too. Look how that turned out."
I let out a little grin.
"Look at me." Aaron tells me.
I look up at him, and he puts his hands on either sides of my face.
"I love you, and I will support you if you choose to invite them into your life, or throw them out onto the curb."
"I do want to meet my sister."
"If she's anything like you, I'm sure she'll be wonderful."
"I'm going to go talk to my parents. Should I formally introduce you as my boyfriend?"
"Do you want to?"
"I guess so."
"Shall we go?"
I nod
I open the door
And my parents are sitting in two chairs clutching each other's hands. When they see me, they stand up.
I open my arms and my mother flies into a hug. My father puts his hand on my shoulder.
"I forgive you, and I'd like to have you back in my life."
"Your sister is downstairs. Would you like to meet her?" My father asks.
"Her name is Ophelia." My mother adds.
"Of course I would. But first I should formally introduce Warner as my boyfriend."
They smile and shake his hand.
A warm feeling spreads throughout me like honey, as we head down to the lobby to meet my little sister.
A/N: You like? Review and tell me. I think there need to be more Shatter me fanfictions. C'mon people, write!
