The World Walkers: Unnown World: Sasha: Making A Decision

[k_a_webb]

“I can’t,” Sasha said, attempting to hide the tremor of fear that travelled down her spine. “I know what’s he’s capable of.”

“We all do,” Olaf replied. “That’s why we’ve come to you. Sasha, as much as I hate to do this you are the only person who is strong enough to control him if he did chose to return to old ways.”

The second tremor was impossible to hide. “You can’t know that for certain.” Sasha shook her head. “There’s every possibility he’ll be too strong even for me to control.”

“That’s true.” Olaf swallowed, looking as though every word was hard to say. “Unfortunately there is no one else who has the level of magical strength that you and he have. I need you to help me.”

Sasha pushed her fear to one side, focusing on the questions that needed to be answered instead. “If I do chose to help you what do I get out of it?”

“A home for the entire time you’re helping us, an allowance paid to you every month that you can use on anything you need, and when it’s all over enough money for you to be comfortable for the rest of your life.”

“How long do you think I will be helping you?”

“I don’t know. I wish I could give you a time, but it’s just not possible, because he’s going to be dangerous for the rest of his life. What we will be trying to do is find another way to curtail his activities, so you don’t have to spend the rest of your life trapped with him.”

“Okay. I’m going to need a couple of days to think about this.”

Olaf shook his head. “We don’t have a couple of days. He’s being let out in three hours and I need your decision by then.”

Biting hard on her lip, Sasha stared at the table instead of him because it was easier. “What are you going to do if I don’t agree?”

“That’s a question I’m not permitted to answer.”

“In other words I’m not going to have a choice, right? I either go of my own free will or you’ll make me.”

Silence followed Sasha’s words. Lifting her eyes she let them meet Olaf’s and the truth was in them, even though he didn’t want to admit it. Finally he nodded, looking even more uncomfortable than he had before.

“Like I said, you’re the only person who might be able to control him. We’d rather have you doing the job of your own free will.”

“You’ve left me with no choice. I don’t want to be made to do anything, but that’s what you’re doing by telling me that there’s only three options in front of me.”

“Three?”

“It would be easy enough for me to escape you.” Sasha summoned a smile. “The problem is if I leave then I’ll be directly responsible for what he does next, because you’ve told me that I am the only person who might be able to control him. So that leaves me doing as you ask me or doing as you ask me without being in control at all. In the end I’m going to have to help you, because if I’m not in control of myself then I’m ever less likely to be able to control him.”

Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

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>>“The problem is if I leave then I’ll be directly responsible for what he does next,<<

Bullshit. The perpetrator is responsible for his own actions. Trying to pretend that someone else is responsible for that is the argument of a hostage-taker pointing a gun at a hostage and making demands. The threat may be real, but the argument is always spurious.

And I'd love for someone to say that to her.