The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy novel Chapter 439

“I’ll take that,” dad says quietly, holding Jackson’s gaze. “Your offer to fight for Ariel, if you’re not yet ready to call yourself a patriot of Moon Valley, as it does amount to the same thing. But I hope that in time you will come to love this nation as she does. As I do.”

“Oh, I think I’m well on my way, sir,” Jackson replies, giving dad a steady nod.

Dad nods back and then turns back to Hank. “What else do you need?”

“Oh, a lot, unfortunately,” Hank says, turning to my dad with raised eyebrows. “If what Jackson says is correct then the Community is enacting great injustices against its citizens – huge violations of their human rights. I think…” he glances anxiously at Jackson here, “that you have an obligation to intercede, Dominic.”

Dad hums a little consideringly and then turns his gaze back to Jackson. “And the Community,” my father says softly, “you believe it strips its citizens of their free will?”

“In every way,” Jackson says with a solid nod. “It denies them choices. It denies them even the knowledge of choice – knowledge that a different life is possible. There are no…options, only commands. They…take children away from their parents – raise them in different sections of the Community where they have no connection to their biological family, no chance to foster affection, because those things are marked as weakness. It’s a move that strips and isolates people – allows their only allegiances to be to the Community itself. It is…” he sighs again, shaking his head. “A bad place, sir.”

I see a muscle flick in dad’s jaw as he works hard to keep his emotions off his face. Family, we all know, is incredibly important to him – and the idea of someone taking his children away…

Dad takes a deep breath, tucking the thought away and turning back to Hank. “How would you suggest we proceed?”

“If young Jackson here is willing,” Hank says, glancing at Jackson for a moment, “I would like to continue asking him questions – quite a lot of questions. The information needs to be amassed and could save lives.”

Dad turns to Jackson with a raised eyebrow and Jackson nods, agreeing to it.

“It means my relocation to the Capital,” Hank says with a sigh, raising his hand to rub at his temple. “God, Sarah’s going to kill me. But…it’s important work. I want to do it. Maybe…I come here once a week, to continue my interviews with Jackson? Until we feel like we’re done? In the intervening time I can confirm his answers and start coming up with a plan.”