Imperfection - Chapter Twenty (Patreon)

Olwen

The Hightowers home is located on the upper side of the rook’s class. I’ve never been, but they’ve often been to my family home with their sons. They know of my family intimately, as do most Etherians. But we know nothing about them. We don’t look into their lives as we should. If we did, something like this would never have happened.

“What did you think of the lecture?” I ask. Tiberius is in the front seat, driving me to the location, and he’s been silent ever since.

“I didn’t understand it,” he says.

I laugh.

“Did you forget I’ve read your file? I know how intelligent you are,” I say absentmindedly. Though now I see why he was an “anomaly.” He holds the DNA of an upper-class Etherian. In the eyes of our culture, Tiberius shouldn’t exist. Procreating with outsiders is strictly prohibited. It’s a loss for our society, letting what we’ve gone through years of breeding be tainted by the lowest of the low. And though I’ve already broken some rules by sleeping with him, I would never let myself fall pregnant.

Tiberius is silent as he thinks of a suitable answer.

“It looks like he’s solved the resource crisis in Ethos,” he says begrudgingly. I smile to myself from his tone. I want to ask Tiberius about his history with the Hightowers, but I can’t bring myself to do it. They obviously don’t acknowledge his existence. They see him as a threat, and now I know why. I’m sure Lisa struck him at my parent’s home because she felt threatened by his presence and why wouldn’t she? Their family would be exiled if anyone found out who he truly was. But it looks like they removed his birth mother from Etherium, leading to her untimely death, and Tiberius obviously holds a grudge against our society because of that.

I silently study him from my place in the backseat, feeling a sense of dread in my chest as I realize how little I know about this man. It never occurred to me to dig deeper into his past, as the file said he was an orphan coming into Etherium, but he wasn’t. He’s a bastard child whose father obviously felt guilt about abandoning him to the outside and, in turn, sponsored him. Tiberius knows this and is purposely keeping it from me. And I can’t help but wonder what else he’s keeping from me. In truth, just because we’ve given in to our physical desires doesn’t mean I know him any better than I did the day we met.

“Why is it that every time you’re in a room with one of the Hightowers, they look at you with such disdain?” I ask.

Tiberius shrugs.

“I am a product of a world they see as inferior,” he says.

“And yet they sponsored you,” I point out. Tiberius chuckles.

“Do you know why people like that sponsor people like me? To ease their guilt. To make themselves feel good about where they’ve left the rest of us to suffer because we weren’t smart enough by their standards,” he snaps from the front seat.

As much as I don’t want to admit it, his words sting. I know he’s speaking of the Hightowers, but it melds with his thoughts on Etherians, including me. The Hightowers are in a class below me, and thus have a much more lax view on the world. My views, however, Tiberius has openly expressed his disgust for.

As the silence washes over the car, Tiberius seems to notice his folly.

“Olwen, I didn’t mean—”

“I know what you meant. Don’t bother lying to me now. It insults us both.”

The rest of the ride is in silence as I try and come to terms with what exactly I’m doing with Tiberius. I am no better than his father. Just because I know not to make the mistake of letting a child be born out of this doesn’t make me better. It makes me crueler and less emotional about the gap between us and outsiders.

I’m happy when we finally arrive at the Hightowers to gain distance between me and Tiberius. He remains behind me as we enter their home to be greeted by their staff. I take note that it is a small gathering of members from the rook’s class. I am the only upper class in attendance, something that is noticed right away as everyone clamors to greet me and ask my opinion on the lecture.

“Miss Sheridan, twice in one day, I can’t begin to thank you for the honor of your presence!” I look up as Christian Hightower parts the crowd, obviously the man of the hour. His wife is on his arm this time, and I carefully note Lisa’s appearance as she takes me in, further confirming my theory.

“Your lecture was revolutionary. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to give the king a summary. Hopefully, this can be implemented sooner rather than later,” I say politely. Christian’s eyes light up at my words, his excitement prominent. And yet, his wife has yet to relax.

“Lisa, you don’t seem excited about your husband's success,” I say, poking at the situation. She plasters on a tight smile as she looks at me.

“I am beyond excited; I’m just a little distracted at the moment, is all. Actually, I have some guests to attend to, so if you’ll excuse me,” she says quickly before shirking her arm away from her husband to go meet guests she lied about. I watch her heavily, ensuring that Christian is aware of my ability before looking back at him.

“Is she alright? She seems upset whenever I am around,” I say. Christian is quick to cover his wife’s folly, gesturing for his servants to approach with drinks as he speaks.

“She’s just not used to being in someone of your stature’s presence,” he says firmly. Christian himself is a fascinating man to study. He is not bothered at all by Tiberius’s presence. If anything, he has compartmentalized the idea that this man behind me is his son, able to act as if Tiberius is a total stranger. It's eerily frightening if you truly dissect it. How a human can be capable of denying their own blood.

Christian quickly dismisses himself under the guise of greeting more of his guests, but I know he is going to scold his wife for her behavior. So I go in search of something to keep me busy. I don’t care to speak to anyone at this gathering, as most of them will be unable to hold a conversation with me about anything in particular. I originally showed up to show my support in this plan for Ethos, but now I am becoming more curious about the family who has such a dirty secret that has made his way up the ranks in our society.

I silently study the pictures on the walls, taking in the Hightower family. They seem like everyone else. I can’t help but wonder if this is the same house Tiberius’s mother served in. I can’t imagine how he feels if that’s the case, but I cannot ask him. He would lie to me, forcing me to distrust him even more as the day progresses.

“Haven’t you seen enough of this farce?” I shift my attention away from the portrait to look at Tiberius. His body language is tense, telling me he is fighting for control.

“Farce?” I ask.

Tiberius chuckles bitterly, his eyes shifting to the portrait on the wall.

“Come on, Olwen. We both know you can see right through them. You know how fake these people are,” he says.

I shrug. “Their personal lives mean nothing to me. I only want Christian to know he has my full support on this research.”

I stand, eyeing Tiberius.

“You’ve never been so emotional around anyone else I’ve given this much attention to. Where does this hatred for the people who sponsored you come from? Did they do something to harm you?” I ask. I eye him intensely, giving him the opportunity to tell me his truth. He studies me as well, fighting himself in an inner battle on whether to share this damning secret with me. His eyes widen slightly as he speaks.

“No,” he grumbles, looking away. I feel disappointment swelling in my chest. He’s just confirmed my doubts. We are strangers to one another, and I’ve let my lust cloud that truth. His demeanor shifts as he closes himself off. I release a bitter chuckle, looking up the hallway.

“I’m sure things are confusing between us right now. But if you can’t give me a reason behind your hatred, then I suggest you remain silent and do your job. We are not on the same level. You have no right to speak to me about people in a class above you whose is owed your life,” I snap. I don’t give him a chance to respond as I turn away from him, making my way back to the party.

* *

I’ve come up with a way to help my brother. I’m taking a vacation. My time in the king’s counsel has been taxing, and I have worked hard to make them see it that way. But with my new mutation, I know that any day now, the king will change my future once again. So before that, I have decided to take a vacation.

My work not only speaks for itself, but the king has been very clear that he will not be allowing me to fulfill my duties anytime soon. So I will travel to Ethos under the guise of vacationing to my mother’s current dome she’s stationed at. I know there will be consequences if I am found out, but after today, I’ve found that I can’t continue to put my trust in others.

I can’t be like my father and the rest of Etherium who lets their ability go to waste to appease the king especially since today’s lecture reassured me just how strained Ethos is. My brother needs me, and I am no longer going to place my logic over my emotion. Not when it comes to him.

I don’t look up as Tiberius knocks on the door before entering.

“I don’t have the patience for you tonight,” I murmur as I continue to go over possible routes. To my shock, Tiberius chuckles, pulling my attention. His hair is messily in his face as he takes a seat across from me.

“I know you know the truth about me,” he says. I don’t react.

“The truth?” I ask, feigning innocence. But he only shakes his head, laughing again.

“Don’t lie. It insults us both.”

Silence washes over us as we both glare at one another in a silent challenge. I lean back in my own seat, allowing myself to feel something instead of finding ways to get out of this conversation.

“Yes. I know,” I say softly. I think for a moment, trying to find the right words.

“I’m sorry if today brought up negative feelings for you,” I say. Tiberius’s eyes widen as he looks at me in shock. He then laughs.

“It was much more difficult than I thought it would be.”

I take in a deep breath, placing my hands in my lap as I look at him.

“Would you like to tell me the truth?” I ask.

Silence once again washes over us as Tiberius studies me. He’s once again fighting an inner battle, and I don’t understand where it’s coming from. But he finally comes to a conclusion.

“I will one day. When we are both in the right place to hear it.”