Explain yourself young lady!

Seth looked at her with a storm of concern flashing across his face.

"CHARLENE, WHAT DID YOU DO?" he demanded.

She froze, caught off guard by his tone. “I taught him a lesson. That’s all!” she said, a little too defensively.

Seth’s eyes scanned her—sharp, observant. Then he noticed it. Her soul—ReNew—wasn’t with her. That might explain it. ReNew had been in the cave ever since they’d left his parents’ house.

“Tell me you didn’t kill him!” Seth choked out, his voice cracking. He gripped the broken necklace in his hand like it was a lifeline. “Tell me you didn’t do something irreversible just to get this stone. Answer me, Princess. Please!”

“Dad, seriously? The plan was to get them to give us the hidden place stones, remember?” Charlene replied. “So we could understand what he’s up to and what their return really means. And I did just that.”

Seth looked like he’d aged ten years in a second. “I understand the assignment,” he said, “but Charlene—answer me, please.”

She waved him off, trying to finish her thought. “I did exactly what we discussed. I warmed up to them, made a connection, and got the necklace. We needed it. That’s the plan. You’re acting like I’m a demon or something!”

She turned to walk away, stung by the accusation.

But Seth wasn’t finished. He grabbed her arm and spun her around with force. “Don’t get upset with me, little girl.”

Charlene yanked her arm back, but he kept speaking.

“The only reason I asked is because your soul isn’t here. You were completely unreachable. What was I supposed to think?” His voice trembled. “I love you too much not to ask.”

“You’re supposed to trust me,” she said, voice cracking. Her heart was pounding. “I needed you to believe in me.”

“Come on, Princess,” Seth said, gently. “You’re emotional most of the time, and you’re so powerful. That’s a dangerous combination, and you know it. I’m not judging you. I’m just scared. For you. For everyone. We’re talking about my parents here.”

His words cut deeper than he knew. She turned away again, folding her arms tightly.

Seth ran a hand over his face. He knew what he had asked her to do—getting close to his parents to uncover the truth—was wrong on a moral level. But the stakes were too high to ignore. Odo had made it painfully clear that he didn’t want to be involved in Realm affairs. And yet, somehow, he now sat on the Council. That kind of contradiction was dangerous.

“By the way,” Charlene said, spinning around again before he could speak, “if you care, he’s not lying.”

“What do you mean?”

“He really does want to get to know you. He wants to repair things.”

Seth’s eyebrows lifted in surprise, but before he could interrupt again, Charlene held up her hand.

“And before you say anything, yes. I felt his emotions when I took the necklace. I know what he wants. And more importantly, I healed him before I left.”

She started walking away. Her voice trailed off behind her. “Good night.”

“Charlene!” Seth called after her. “You can’t just walk away like that. We need to talk.”

She paused but didn’t look back. She wanted to explain. Wanted to tell him how she was really feeling. But he wouldn’t get it. Would he? After all, he had powers too...

“It’s late,” she finally said. “I’m tired, I’m mad, and I just want a bath and some sleep.”

“You have to start learning to control your anger,” he said firmly. “Especially without ReNew.”

She flinched. He knew what those words would do, but he had to say them.

“If you can’t be separated from her and still control yourself… you may need to stop letting her out until you can. I need you to understand that.”

“I don’t get what the big deal is,” she muttered. “He’s fine. I healed him.” She rolled her eyes.

“But what if you couldn’t?” Seth asked. “What if he died? Did you even think about what Beth would’ve felt?”

“But he didn’t!”

“But what if he did?” His voice was rising. “You can’t play the odds like that, Charlene!”

She looked away, eyes glossy.

“I get what you’re saying,” she whispered. “I really do. But it didn’t happen. Please, Dad. Get off my back. I’m trying my best.”

Seth’s expression softened. She was hearing him. Maybe not agreeing, but hearing.

“One mistake is all it takes,” he said gently. “You kill an innocent, and you’ll carry it for the rest of your life.”

Charlene nodded slowly. “We’ll talk more tomorrow. I promise. Just let me rest. I’ll go find ReNew… and think about everything you said, okay?”

“We’ll talk first thing,” Seth said. “I’ve got something for you to work on. I do appreciate everything you’ve done. Don’t get me wrong.”

“Like what?”

“You’ll see.”

---

She slipped into her room quietly, pushing open the door.

“Where have you been?!” ReNew exploded, racing across the room to hug her. Then immediately pushed her back, scanning her up and down. “I’ve been losing my mind!”

“Not you too,” Charlene muttered. She really wasn’t up for another interrogation.

“What happened?” ReNew asked, but she already knew. Something was off.

“Dad’s all over me for being a little physical with Odo.”

“And when you were overly emotional… what happened?”

Charlene hesitated. Then sighed. “I kind of… hurt his dad. My grandfather. But I healed him, okay?”

ReNew’s jaw dropped. “Since when do we go around hurting family?”

“Not you too!”

“I have to be,” ReNew said, crossing her arms. “Think rationally—what if someone laid hands on your dad?”

“I’d be furious,” Charlene admitted.

“So… did you harm him intentionally?”

Charlene exhaled sharply. “Yeah, I guess I did. He was trying to track us through the portal. I wanted to teach him a lesson, so he wouldn’t do it again.”

“But…?” ReNew coaxed.

Charlene looked away. “I don’t know. When the power rises up, I feel it. It’s overwhelming. It’s like—like a drug. I want more. And then I want to use it.”

“Have you told your dad?”

“No. He’d just give me a speech.”

ReNew softened. “For now, let’s just stay together until we figure this out. You need grounding, especially with emotions running this high.”

“Yeah,” Charlene mumbled. “Dad said the same thing. The stronger I get, the more I feel… like I want to do something with it. I want to act. Use it. It’s tempting. It’s so tempting.”

Power shimmered in her eyes. ReNew reached forward and pulled her into a hug.

“It’s okay. I’m here. You’re not alone in this.”

“What’s happening to me?” Charlene whispered.

“You’ve accomplished so much, so fast. That would overwhelm anyone. But we’ll be okay.”

Charlene nodded. “I’ll take a bath. Then sleep. Dad’s got something planned in the morning.”

“Something cool?” ReNew perked up.

“Training, I think.”

“I believe,” ReNew said seriously, “you should really talk to your dad. About everything. The powers. The changes. Your feelings. And your relationship with Odo and Beth.”

Charlene gave a tired smile. “Yeah. You’re right.”

Then ReNew grinned suddenly. “Also, between us? That food Beth made tonight? Whoa. I wonder if she cooks outside of Thanksgiving.”

“I was literally just thinking that!” Charlene laughed. “Breakfast, maybe?”

“I’d love to visit her one morning. Just see what she whips up.”

“Same.”

“Alright,” ReNew said, pulling her toward the bathroom. “Go take that bath. Get some rest. Tomorrow… we face whatever comes.”

“Together,” Charlene said.