Текст книги "Sunset Rising"

Автор книги: S. McEachern

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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 22 страниц)

Chapter Thirteen

We all hung back at our table as long as we could before we had to start moving toward the door.

“Take that with you,” I said to Jack, pointing to his breakfast. No one in the Pit would ever leave food behind. His full container would sit on the table like a beacon.

I stood beside Reyes as we shuffled out the door with the rest of the crowd. His hand searched for mine, and I willingly accepted it. I felt guilty for getting mad at him earlier and gave him an apologetic look, to which he responded with a sad one. We both knew we could never go back to the way we were. Our future together had disappeared the minute I agreed to be Leisel’s victim.

“I was hoping to see Summer, too,” I said. “I wonder why she wasn’t at breakfast.”

Reyes drew his brows together, and his expression became closed off. “She’s been eating breakfast somewhere else the past few days.”

“What does that mean?” I asked even though I was pretty sure I knew what it meant; Summer hadn’t been sent home early from that bachelor party. Someone upstairs had claimed her for himself.

“You know exactly what it means,” Reyes said accusingly. “I’ve only talked to her once since the night you two left for the party, and that’s when she told me about you two meeting Leisel Holt. I’ve seen her a few times since, but she doesn’t look at me. She doesn’t look at anyone. She just keeps her eyes on the floor.”

I knew why Summer kept her head down; she was ashamed. I never understood why girls who were taken as mistresses by the bourge felt ashamed and embarrassed. It wasn’t their fault. And the thought of my best friend—the happiest person I’ve ever known—being used by one of those pompous old men at the party sickened me with disgust.

When we came to the stairs, Reyes dropped my hand to encircle my waist with his arms. I knew he didn’t want to let me go, and maybe if I weren’t so consumed right now with hatred for the bourge, I would feel the same way.

“Stay safe,” he whispered and then kissed me. Reyes dropped his arms from my waist and turned to Jack. “You touch her, and I’ll kill you.”

Jack stared back at him, seemingly unfazed by the threat. I really didn’t want Reyes to create another scene, so I ignored him and joined the flow of traffic on the stairs. Jack followed me. There were armed guards positioned along the staircase who made it their job to keep everyone moving as quickly as possible. It didn’t take very long for us to get back to the apartment that was an exact replica of where I grew up, and yet was so unfamiliar.

“I have to take this off,” I said as soon as we entered the apartment. Thoughts of Summer and my dad were weighing me down enough without the bulletproof vest adding to it.

Jack lifted up one of my arms to examine the bruises Reyes gave me. “Your boyfriend’s a really nice guy.”

I jerked my arm out of his hand. “It’s none of your business.”

“You’re right. And that’s the only reason he has any teeth left.”

I ignored him and went into the bedroom, shutting the door behind me in an attempt to get a few moments alone. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cry or be sick. Summer was always the brightest light in this dark Pit, and it tore me apart inside to think of her being abused. I was worried about my dad, too. There was no way for me to find out if he was safe or not.

I just wanted to kill someone—anyone—to make the madness stop.

I stripped down to the vest, undid the straps, flipped it over my head, and let it fall to the floor with a thud. The weight off my shoulders and chest was a relief. I put Jack’s t-shirt back on, and it hung from my skinny frame.

A loud banging on the door invaded the small apartment. I knew it would be a guard to perform the routine check-in. Reluctantly, I left the sanctity of the room and went out to answer it. I was surprised to find Jack stripped down to his waist doing sit-ups on the floor.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m a little stressed out,” he said between deep breaths, “and exercise always relaxes me.”

He jumped up off the floor and came to the door with me. I opened it. The guard held out the scanner, eyeing the two of us with a smirk on his face. My shirt was askew, and Jack was half naked and breathing hard. Not hard to tell what the guard thought we had been doing. We both scanned in, and the guard continued to the next house.

“Want to try?” Jack asked, sitting back down on the floor.

“Why not?” It might help me work off the anger I was feeling about Summer’s predicament.

I lay down beside Jack on the floor and fell into sync with him. I had never done sit-ups before, but it seemed easy. I still wasn’t sure how it would ease my stress, though.

Jack rolled over onto his stomach. “Try this.” Balancing with one leg tucked over the other, he began to push himself up and down using his arms. “Push-ups.”

I rolled over and did the same. Up, down. Up, down. This felt like a better exercise than the sit-ups. At least I could feel some of the tension in my neck and shoulders turn into fatigue. Jack counted under his breath. We were at thirty.

My breathing was heavier, too. I was starting to sweat. “How many of these are we doing?”

“Fifty. I don’t want to push you too hard on the first time.”

“Don’t worry about me.”

After another moment he said “fifty” and stopped. I had only counted thirty-six but stopped, too.

“You’re right, it did help to relax me.” I rolled my shoulders, enjoying the feel of my weakened muscles, but I still had murderous energy flowing through me. “What’s next?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t have any equipment down here. Usually I lift weights, run the track, swim, that kind of thing.”

“I know! Teach me to fight—like you fought the guards at your apartment.”

“That’s actually a good idea. You need to learn self-defense with that boyfriend of yours.”

“I don’t think that’s funny.”

“It wasn’t meant to be,” he said, and pushed a small table out of our way. “We’ll start with T’ai Chi, an exercise that teaches martial arts through repetition. Just do what I do.”

He stood up straight and slowly brought his hands up to chest height, crossed them, then stretched out his right hand as he extended his right leg. He curled his right leg, bringing his knee waist high, and then set it down. Then he repeated everything with his left side. Each action was very controlled and flowed into the next. He was going slowly so it was easy for me to follow.

“Seems more like a dance,” I said. “I was hoping for something faster paced and a little more violent.”

No sooner had I spoken than Jack sped up his movements. His leg came up and his foot snapped at my chest, stopping just inches from making contact. Less than a second later, the back of his hand stopped just half an inch from my nose.

He smiled. “Like that?”

“Like that.”

“You need to learn the exercises before you can control them. Try again?”

I nodded.

We went back into the first stance he’d shown me, and he repeated all the actions. Our hands were always moving, stretching one way, and then recoiling and stretching another. Our legs were constantly in motion. We squatted one minute then moved one leg up and balanced on the other leg.

“So how long have you and Reyes been together?”

“Why do you want to know that?” My relationship with Reyes was none of his business.

“Just trying to make conversation.” He shrugged. “Okay, I’m wondering what he whispered to you that made you so upset.”

“He told me that Summer is being used by those ugly old men I saw at your bachelor party.”

“Oh.” He stopped and looked at me. “I’m really sorry, Sunny.”

“Are you?” My anger came bubbling up to the surface again. I decided that killing someone actually would be a good release of all these emotions I had pent up. “How about we try out these moves you’ve been teaching me?”

I tried to strike out at him as fast as he had struck out at me earlier, but he easily blocked my punch. I raised my leg to kick him, but he stepped out of the way. I momentarily lost my balance, but recovered quickly and threw the heel of my left hand toward his face. Knowing he would block that strike, I had my right hand ready to catch him off guard. But he just grabbed both my wrists and somehow spun me around, pinning my arms to my sides.

“Had enough?” he asked.

I raised my leg and brought it down to stomp hard on his foot. This time I did surprise him, and he let go of me. I whirled around to face him, but he was already in a defensive stance. I took a step forward, he took one back. I sped up my movements and so did he. I threw my right hand in his direction and followed through with my body to put more power behind my strike. Jack stepped backward, but didn’t see the chair behind him and tripped and fell. I was already in motion when he went down, so instead of my strike making contact, I ended up on top of him on the floor. I tried to jump up, but he wrapped his arms around my waist and held me there.

“You catch on quick!” he said, smiling. “Who knew sparring could be this much fun?”

“Let me up!” I tried to get out of the hold he had on me, but he was too strong.

Despite my anger, I was very aware that my entire body was pressed against his. Our faces were only inches away from each other. His smile remained as I struggled against his hold on me, his blue eyes never leaving mine. I put my hands on his chest to push away from him and was surprised at how warm and smooth his naked chest felt. I breathed in his scent, a combination of soap and sweat, and my heart beat faster. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to kiss him or punch him.

“Let. Me. Go!”

“Not until you tell me why you’re trying to kill me.”

“Because it’s your fault! You were supposed to sign her up with some old guy who was going to fall asleep, and then she would be sent home.”

Deep down I knew that ultimately Leisel had betrayed Summer, not Jack. But it made me furious that he didn’t think enough of Summer to make sure the plan was followed through. And I was angry with myself for letting Leisel manipulate me so easily.

The smile finally left Jack’s lips, and his expression became more serious. Our eyes locked for what seemed an eternity, neither one of us saying anything to the other. My hands remained on his chest, and I could feel his heart beating strongly just below my fingertips.

Finally, Jack said, “I did sign her up with Forbes, but I should’ve done more for her. I’m sorry.”

He continued to hold me against him for a moment, long enough for me to see the sincerity in his eyes, and then he relaxed his arms around my waist. I jumped up, relieved to put distance between us.

“Apology accepted.” I said it tersely, as if my words were a lie. Despite my mixed feelings, it wouldn’t do me any good to hold a grudge against him.

“If I let you beat me up, will you feel better?” he asked, brightly.

I almost screamed. Let me beat him up? But I realized that’s exactly what I wanted. I needed to release all the hatred inside of me before it ate me alive.

Jack stood up and righted the chair. “Look, I’m frustrated, angry, and feeling helpless, too. I don’t know if Holt has my family locked up or not. I can guarantee he’s already gathering evidence of treason against me so he can legally execute me. And I’m living down here in the Pit where—what do you call us? Borks?—are hated. But I’m hoping that you and I can at least be friends and help each other survive.” He raked a hand through his hair, and it came away black from the coal. “I am really sorry about Summer. If there was any way I could help her, I would.”

Once again I was seeing another side of him. I guess I had never really thought of Jack Kenner as a person before, only as a famous bourge I frequently saw on television. But he stood before me, half naked and apologetic, struggling with his own fears for his family.

Maybe Jack and I could be friends.

“Bork?” I asked. “We call you bourge. But I think I like bork better. It rhymes with dork.” I gave him a sheepish grin. “A truce?”

“That would be nice, because I have a feeling it’s going to get rough down here.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you. You heard Reyes and his friends—you’re a hero. The one thing people needed down here was a victory and you gave them one. I know you think Leisel humiliated you, but that’s not what they saw. They saw an urchin taking down a bourge and putting her in her place.” Jack looked at me as if waiting for my reaction, but I was still trying to make sense of how I went from being a victim to a hero. My brain hadn’t accepted that information yet.

“That’s not all they saw,” I said. “They think they saw a love story between you and me. They believed what Leisel said.”

“I know. And it would seem our love story has sparked a hell of a response from everyone down here.” He took a deep breath and dragged his hand through his hair again. “I’m reminded of a saying I was taught at the military academy. It went, ‘Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. But red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.’ It was used to predict the weather. A red sunset meant clear skies, but a red sunrise meant a coming storm. I can’t help thinking your mom should’ve named you Sunrise, because there’s a storm on its way, Sunny, and you’re at the center of it.”

I gave him a look.  “A storm? Seriously, Jack?”

He laughed. “That was just my corny way of saying there’s a war brewing. You didn’t start it, but you seem to be the catalyst for it.”

“I think something’s brewing too, but I’m not sure about a full-blown war.” I shook my head. “You think no one’s ever thought of that down here? Believe me, we would have started one a long time ago if we weren’t condemned to living in a death trap. But the minute we make any noise, they threaten to lock the doors and shut off our ventilation. How long do you think we’d have before we ran out of oxygen or the entire Pit filled with gas from the mines? Our salvation won’t come until we can leave the Dome. But I think a revolt is possible. We could push back a little to let the bourge know we’ve had enough just like we did when they tried to lower the age of the Cull to thirty.”

Jack rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know. The military reports I’ve read—during my short career—suggest that unrest in the Pit has escalated over the past few years. President Holt included the Pit in the wedding celebrations as an attempt to pacify everyone down here. You know, include them in the wedding and make them feel like one of us. Unfortunately, his own prejudices prevented him from treating you as anything more than slaves. I’m betting he thought the extra bread with dinner was a huge gift for people so undeserving.”

I gave a snort of understanding. “And he never stopped to think that the bread was a slap in the face considering all the food on display in the Dome.”

“Exactly—it’s a mistake that Holt is going to repeat over and over again because he doesn’t know what he did wrong. Life has never been good down here, but it’s worked. It’s worked because despite how people feel about their president, they still believe their leader is rational, sane, and knows best how to run the Dome. But the Holts have always been tyrants, and this one is particularly bad. Damien is insane. He’s cut back your rations and increased your workloads, and he’s also given free license to the guards and supervisors down here to keep you in line any way they choose. People are getting scared and desperate, and they’re finally losing faith in their leader.”

Jack was making a lot of sense. I had felt the tension he was talking about in my own life. We really weren’t being given enough food to have the energy to perform our jobs, especially the miners, which only incited the wrath of our supervisors. There were more guards now too, restricting whatever freedoms we had enjoyed in the past. Yet despite how bad life had become, the thought of war inside the Dome was scary.

“War is a bad idea. The president holds all the power and we have none,” I said. I sat down heavily. Things were looking bleak.

“I think the ball is already rolling, Sunny.” He sat in the chair across from me. “There’s nothing you can do to stop it.”

“Then maybe we could try to control it. You have a military background, and you seem to know an awful lot about how the bourge run things down here. When you go to work in the mines, share your knowledge with everyone. Teach them to fight, like you’re teaching me. Give them what they need to defend themselves.”

He shook his head. “It would never work.”

“You can’t know that unless you try.”

“The only way I can teach them to fight is to expose who I am. Do you honestly think the miners are going to tolerate me pretending to be one of them? No one down here is going to accept me.”

“Reyes already knows who you are. He can help you.”

“Reyes? If he didn’t already have anger management issues, he certainly does now that I’ve married his girlfriend! He isn’t going to help me. In fact, he’s probably the first one in line to kill me.”

A loud alarm rang out in the hallway, and Jack put his hands over his ears to block out the sound.

“The lockdown is over. You were right.”

I retrieved Jack’s t-shirt off the floor and threw it to him. I grabbed my hat and put it on.

“Forgetting something?” he asked. I look around not sure what he meant. “The vest. Put it back on.”

“Right.”

I went into the bedroom and put it on. It felt heavier for some reason. I pulled my t-shirt over it and then put my hat on. I was back to being Autumn Jones.

“I know where the laundry room is, do you know where you’re going?” I asked as I came back into the living room.

“Two miles down into the bowels of the Dome.”

“At the end of the work day, we’ll meet back here, okay?” I held the door open for him.

“Yeah, provided we make it through the day.”

People were pouring out of their apartments and heading in all directions, going to their places of work. We joined the flow and headed for the stairs. As we reached them, Jack gently took my arm and turned me towards him.

“Be careful. I don’t want to get stuck down here alone.”

“You, too.”

We both knew it might be the last time we ever saw each other.

Chapter Fourteen

I watched Jack walk down the stairs until I couldn’t see him anymore. I hoped Reyes and his friends would reconcile themselves to him. Reyes never actually said how he felt about Jack’s presence down there, but judging by the murderous glares he was giving him, I was going to go with hate. I should have talked to Reyes about him when I had the chance.

As I climbed the stairs to the second-level laundry room, my anxiety at coming closer to the main floor of the Dome grew. All I had to do was climb just one more level, and I would be standing right in front of the well-guarded reception area to the Dome. I wondered how long it would take for someone to recognize me. Would they shoot me on the spot? Or take me back to Holt to be dealt with? I think I preferred to be shot on sight.

I hated to admit it, but I was feeling vulnerable being separated from Jack. He was my partner in crime. If I were going to be caught and dragged back to his apartment to await my sentencing, I wanted it to be with him. As selfish as it may be, I didn’t want to die alone.

I approached the laundry room and saw people coming and going with carts full of laundry. I came as soon as the lockdown ended, so I wasn’t sure how I could be late. Being late would not be a great way to start my job here. Tentatively, I entered the hot room and looked for someone in charge.

“Over here,” said someone sitting behind a desk as they motioned toward me.

At first I wasn’t sure if the person was a man or a woman, but on closer inspection, I saw she had breasts. She was stocky and had a shadow of facial hair above her lip. A sign on her desk read “Supervisor Madi,” a female name.

“You must be Autumn Jones. I got a message this morning telling me to expect you. About time I got extra help around here. I’m Supervisor Madi, and you’ll scan in with me personally every morning.”

She held out the scanner to me, and I breathed a sigh of relief that I wasn’t in trouble for being late. I waved my hand in front of the scanner. It beeped, and the green light flickered on. I hoped Jack was having the same luck.

“Come with me,” Supervisor Madi said, getting up from behind her desk to lead me through the laundry room. It was bustling with activity, and I tried not to get in anyone’s way. There were clothes and linens everywhere, and I had to watch where I stepped.

We approached an older woman. “Di, got one for you to train. Her name’s Autumn Jones,” Supervisor Madi said and then left us without any further introductions.

Di looked up from her work and gave me a warm smile. I instantly liked her kind face and tired eyes. Her black hair was caught up in a bun, but a few strands had come loose, and she brushed them away from her eyes. She looked to be in her thirties.

“Am I glad to see you! We sure can use the extra help.” She extended her hand to me, and I took it. She clasped both her hands around mine and gave me a tight squeeze. “I’m Di. Actually, my name is Diamond. My father worked in the diamond mines and thought the rocks were pretty, so he named me after them.” She laughed. “I can’t stand the name, so I shortened it to Di. I don’t mind Di.”

“I know what you mean.” The words tumbled out before I knew what I was saying.

“Why? Autumn’s a pretty enough name. What would you shorten that to?”

I shrugged. “Forget it. I’m just nervous.” I would have to be more careful in the future. I was no longer Sunset O’Donnell. That name would get me killed.

“Well, it’s not a glamorous job in here. All kinds of things end up on clothes, like people getting sick or losing control of their bowels—that one’s always fun.” She rolled her eyes. “And it all comes down here to be washed. Just be careful with the sorting. You don’t want to get that stuff on your hands—you’d be sick before you know it. I sort the clothes by whites, colors, and darks and then make a special pile for the really soiled clothes. Those ones have to be washed by hand first.” Di paused to look around and then said in a conspiratorial voice, “They get sent over to Crystal to get washed, and I don’t mind at all. She’s a stuck up little thing because she has a good singing voice. Not that anyone down here would know. She only sings for the bourge.” I was glad she mentioned it. Crystal might just be the type to turn me in and collect the credits.

“Where would you like me to start?”

“I like your attitude, Autumn—ready to dig right in to work. Why don’t I keep you with me today, and we’ll go through everything together. I’ll teach you to sort and how to use the washing machines and dryers. There’s a folding station over there, too, but that takes a while to master. The bourge like their things folded just so. Here, you can start with this cart.” Di led me to where the carts were lined up. “All the bins with dirty laundry are here, and they’ll stack up all day long. The bins are numbered according to where they came from, like this one.” She pulled a cart out to examine. She pointed to the number on the side—5499114. “The five means it’s from the fifth level, the four is the section number on that level, the nine nine means its personal laundry as opposed to dining room or something, and the one one four means the laundry came from apartments one through fourteen. We’ve got a boy working here who runs the carts up and down from the Dome.”

I took the cart and wheeled it to a table beside where Di was working. I was a little hesitant to just dive right into the laundry considering what Di had told me I might find in there. I gave the cart a sniff, but didn’t smell anything foul. Di was shaking her head at me and laughing. I didn’t need to get into trouble on my first day, so I took a deep breath, plunged my hand into the clothes and piled them up on the table. I tried to sort them like she showed me, but Di corrected me a few times. I didn’t know there was a difference between lighter dark shades and darker light shades.

“Might seem a bit picky, but if you put something red in with light colors, then everything might come out with a red tinge to it. And you can bet a couple days’ credits and a beating to boot that you’ll be paying for that!” Di said.

“Supervisor Madi seems very strict.” I hoped she didn’t think I was being too forward, but I needed to know what I was dealing with.

Di stopped what she was doing and looked directly into my eyes. “And don’t you ever think otherwise. That woman is one letter away from being crazier than the president. There’s something wrong with her.” Di tapped the side of her head. She picked up a shirt and examined it for stains. “And make sure you only ever work with one cart at a time too. The last one who mixed up the carts was thrashed until she was bloody.”

That made laundry a whole lot more complicated. If being recognized wasn’t enough stress for me, now I had to worry about being beaten to a pulp if I made a mistake. I had heard about supervisors like Madi, and it didn’t take much to provoke them.

“All sorted?” Di checked over my work. I was glad she was there to teach me. “Let’s take the load of darks.” She gathered the clothes up in her arms and walked over to a machine. “Put them in like this.” She took each piece of clothing and shook it out before putting it in the washing machine. “They wash up better when they’re separated like that and if anything is mixed up in the clothing it will fall out. You don’t need a pen exploding ink into your wash—you’ll pay for that, too.” With all the clothes now in the washer, she shut the door and showed me where to put the detergent. She pressed a few buttons, and the washer started. “Now let’s see how you do with the next load. I’ll just watch this time.”

I did the next load exactly how Di had shown me. It was a mundane task, yet it needed my full attention or my mistake would be Madi’s pleasure. I had difficulty focusing when my entire life had been turned upside down. My dad’s welfare weighed heavily on my mind, and I was anxious to see him, but there was nothing I could do about it right now. I needed to focus and keep myself out of trouble so I would be able to see him later.

I turned my attention back to the task at hand. I added the detergent to the washer like I’d been shown and then pressed a button. Di corrected me. Then I needed to go back to the table for the third load. Doing laundry was a foreign task, and I suddenly missed the familiar ease of the kitchen. If I had never been drafted to work at Jack’s bachelor party, then Summer and I would be working in the kitchen right now, probably peeling carrots or potatoes. That was a mundane task, too, but since I’d done it with my best friend all day, I’d enjoyed it.

I wondered what Summer was doing. Was she working in the kitchen? Or was she up in the Dome with someone she didn’t want to be with? I tried to put that torturous thought out of my head.

I gathered up the last load and went to the next available washing machine. I shook out each piece the way I’d been shown, and my thoughts wandered to Jack. The memory of how much I enjoyed the feel of his naked skin beneath my hand made me blush. I worried about him in the coal mine because he had a quality that set him apart down here. He carried himself with a confidence that the average urchin lacked.

Di stopped me in the middle of getting another cart. “Don’t mix up your carts, Autumn.”

“All my loads are in the wash. I thought I would start sorting a new one.”

“Never work with two carts at one time. You’ll get the clothes mixed up, and they’ll never find their way back to their owner. Keep track of what you have on the go right now. Your first washer will end in about ten minutes, and then you’ll need to sort them again since the clothes don’t dry at the same temperatures or for the same amount of time.”

My head was going to explode. Who knew laundry was this complicated? For the third time that day I told myself to concentrate and put everything else out of my mind. I couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.

I went over to the washer that was about to end and watched the clothes spin around. It reminded me of my little training session with Jack this morning. I wished I could fight like him. He could move so fast. I wondered if he would do as I asked him and show the miners how to fight. If he could pass even a few of his skills on to them, it might give them a chance against abusive guards. The washer stopped, and I opened the door.

“Let’s have a look,” Di said. She started taking the clothes out one by one and shook them again. “Now, see how the pants have a crease down the middle? You’re better off leaving them damp and running an iron over them. The iron will dry them. These ones can go in the dryer,” she said as she shook each item out again before putting it in the dryer. “Fewer wrinkles to contend with.” I paid close attention to what she was showing me. My life really did depend on getting it right.

A young boy interrupted us. “Miss Di, do you have anything for me?” He had a fat lip and seemed to be holding back tears. He looked younger than twelve, but he couldn’t be. Twelve is the earliest age you could be assigned a job, although I’m sure the bourge would like to make it younger. More workers would mean more production.

“Well, there’s my handsome little Kai.” Di gave the boy a hug. “Kai, this is Autumn. She just started working here today.”

“Hello,” I said. He gave me a weak smile.

“Where have you been?” Di asked him gently.

“Supervisor Madi had me take carts up to the main floor. She said they were getting real mad up there because they haven’t had clean clothes in two days.”

“Madi give you that?” Di examined his lip.

“Yes, ma’am. I was late. The stairs were just so crowded after lockdown, and it’s a long way up here from the eighth level.” A tear spilled from the corner of his eye. I remembered the first time I was struck by a supervisor and how awful it had been. I felt sorry for him, but I knew he would get used to it.