AN: Thank you, thank you, thank you if you are still reading this story, and to my reviewers; CaliNative76, Anony, teamjacob0729, EpiphanyFire, Grumpy DelSan13, emmalilly21, and eliza6801, I have been so busy in the past few months and had such bad writer's block even when I had a spare minute, so I really appreciate your loyalty.
Read and review please!
Song suggestion: Hold Back the River, James Bay.
Chapter Eighteen: Dreams of Freedom.
Sue Clearwater stood up and glared at the other Council members. The other members glanced at her as if to wonder if she'd accepted our plea. I wondered how much sway she had over the others as she ushered Sam and I upstairs, no nonsense despite our protests. Leah and Seth were stood at the top of the stairs, intrigued by our campaign, until they saw their mom and hurried back to their rooms. Clearly Sue was a woman to be reckoned with when she was adamant to have her way, the way she believed to be the most beneficial to Sam and I, without considering how Sam and I were perfectly capable of living alone.
"Mrs Clearwater, please hear us out." I begged as she gestured for Sam and I to enter the master bedroom, "We can take care of ourselves."
"I don't doubt that Bella, but you're still children who need to be taken care of." She sighed and motioned for us to sit on the bed either side of her. Grasping our hands, Sue sighed quietly, "I hate that you've been going through this alone, and I understand you wish to continue in the same way, but you can't."
"Why not? We've been doing it for years." Trying to plead our case to Sue appeared to fall on deaf ears as she continued to be unresponsive and unrepentant as she attempted to squash our plans for our future.
"Exactly." She nodded at me, "You shouldn't have had to. I'm sorry about your mother Sam, and I understand, but it's time you two got to be children. You two should never have had such pressure on your young shoulders, and now you won't. We want the best for you, and we'll do just that for you, okay?"
"Yes." Sam and I agreed quietly, deciding she wasn't going to end this until we saw things her way, or at least pretended to so she could happily leave us be, so we nodded along with her words as she wished.
"Good." She smiled, "Now, tonight you are going to stay here and in the morning we'll sort everything out for you." Standing up, she kissed each of our heads. Closing the bedroom curtains, she instructed us to use the clothes from the folded laundry basket left on her bed and that there were spare toothbrushes in the bathroom across the hall, before leaving to convince the Council members to see things her way.
"Sam?" I looked at my brother sadly.
"Don't worry, Bella, its work out for us soon."
"But Sam-"
"Ssshhh…" He wrapped an arm around me, "We'll find a way."
"But what if…?"
"We'll find a way Bella, I promise." He interrupted me, effectively ending our conversation in favour of eavesdropping on the buzz of conversation we could just about hear beneath our feet, through the carpet and wooden beam ceiling.
We sat for a while, comfortable silence filling the room as we listened to the rest of the household. Leah and Seth were shuffling around their rooms, presumably getting ready for bed and organising their things for the next day, despite the early hour. Briefly I wondered what it would be like to have their lives. Coming home to parents, watching someone else make dinner, and not worrying about running a house. But that wasn't us, it never would be, but that was fine by us as our life was all we had ever known.
The Council meeting continued to discuss quietly downstairs, deep voices occasionally interrupted by Sue's protests. Clearly the Council had decided without Sue. I wondered if Sue was actually on the Council, as no one else from the other families appeared to be involved, and was only there because she had discovered our secret. It made sense, the eldest males in the Tribe being the only Council members, and I hoped it would equate our victory as they seemed to accept that our opinion was the way forward for us.
As the clock counted into later hours, and Leah and Seth went quiet too, Sue's voice was no longer heard, only the deep timbers of the Tribal Leaders. They had decided what our lives would be from tonight onwards. I looked at Sam hopefully, while he squinted, attempting to distinguish the murmurs to words.
When their conversation finally dwindled, we heard them leaving. The front door closed quietly as Billy's wheelchair and footsteps disturbed the gravel. There was a clatter in the kitchen and Harry spoke in soothing tones. In response, Sue snapped back as she continued to move around the kitchen in a loud, irritated manner.
"Sam…" I whispered and clutched his hand.
"I know." He smiled at me, a small yet hopeful smile, "I know."
Tears filled by eyes, large happy tears that tripped down my face. Burying my face in Sam's chest, I sniffled. His arm curled around my shoulders and he leaned his forehead on my head. We had done it, we had convinced the Council that we could take care of ourselves, and we would stay together, on the Res, in our own house. I could have hugged each of the Council members for their generosity and faith in our abilities to live by ourselves. Soon, we would be living a free life, just as we wanted so much together.
That night Sam and I climbed into Sue and Harry's bed and dreamed happily for the first time in a long while. No threats of Mrs Uley returning with that wretched Riley guy. No fear that the money would be dwindled away on useless pursuits, such as another unnecessary pair of high heel shoes Mrs Uley had never been able to walk in by the end of the night. No more worry about the adults reining us under their control. We would be free to run our lives, no longer under the oppressive thumb of secrecy. We were taking our lives and beginning anew, creating our dream of a happy, free life.