Savior Read Online Free PDF Page A

paused. “Jameson, I appreciate the offer, but there are some doors that people need to open on their own.”
    Then the thin wooden partition swung open. The first thing I heard were chairs screeching against wood floors, followed by shouting.
    Jameson and I rushed to make our way in, but in an attempt to protect us, his parents blocked our entry.
    A window next to me offered some insight on what was happening, albeit through dirty glass and sheer drapes. The room was full, allowing for standing room only, and those inside appeared to be divided into opposing sides. One group charged the door when my mother appeared, and the other effectively blocked them. I noticed Nolan's nose was bloodied, although it was already dry, indicating this hadn’t been his first scuffle tonight.
    Jameson was eager to spring forward, poised, with his hands balled into fists. Yet, only when the second conflict erupted, and his parents were forced to protect my mother inside, did we make our way in.
    “Enough!” bellowed Jameson. “That’s enough!”
    He advanced into the room, and was about to disappear from my sight when I instinctively called out his name. He paused and looked back. “Stay there, Jocelyn.”
    While his words were a command, they were spoken with a certain tenderness that stirred something inside me.
    Still, I shifted for a better vantage point, where I watched his siblings and my cousins come to Jameson’s side in support. Surrounding them were people of all races and ages, their family stones glinting against the flickering lanterns hanging along the walls.
    “When did the Caldwells start defending the Weatherfords?” criticized a disapproving woman in the back corner.
    “Since I fell in love with one,” Jameson declared.
    His blatant announcement sent a flutter through me, stoking the fire that had been simmering in my stomach since I’d first seen him standing in defense of me in front of The Sevens. Here he was, doing the same thing again.
    His demeanor seemed to will others in the room to attack him as he straightened his shoulders and tilted his head proudly.
    When no one dared to respond, he unclenched his fists, relaxed his shoulders, and continued.
    “My family and the Caldwells have been aligned to fight against each other in order to fulfill The Sevens’ agendas. But no more. We stand together now, and if needed, we’ll fight together.” His transparent warning was noticed, causing everyone to turn and look at each other in surprise. “For every one person sent here, Isabella Weatherford saved ten more from imprisonment. It was her work at the ministry, and at great risk to herself, that allowed her to do this. Do not persecute her on the basis of unsubstantiated rumors.”
    “You can’t tell me that she’s innocent,” said a man, indignantly, from across the room.
    “I won’t,” said Jameson. “I have a biased interest in keeping her here. It’s the only way her daughter will stay. And, they’ll be safer here than anywhere else. But there is one person who can confirm Isabella Weatherford’s character, someone who you all know and respect.” He surveyed the room and then swung out his hand. “Isadora?” he said, ushering her to the center of the room.
    A familiar face came into view and my heart softened. The gentle expression on a woman in her nineties emerged from the shadows; it was tucked below her back bowing from age. She had helped save my life, months ago when I had collapsed trying to heal too many people at once, and now she was about to do it again.
    She shuffled forward, the jingling of bracelets hanging from her frail arms becoming the most prominent noise in the room. Her family stone hung from a necklace dangling to her waist; it was a honey-colored amber, capable of converting energy from pessimism to optimism.
    Jameson waited until she was steady on her feet before leaving her side and heading for the door, leaving her to work her persuasion in peace.
    Our families