Текст книги "Sunset Rising"

Автор книги: S. McEachern

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Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 22 страниц)

Chapter Four

An old man stumbled toward me. “Now you, my dear, are worth the cost of a drink.”

The little hair he had left on his head had gone completely grey, and he had a big round tummy. This was the closest I had ever been to an old person since there were none in the Pit. His breath stank of food and wine. He handed me a glass of wine, and I accepted because I didn’t know what else to do. I was pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone I was waiting for Jack Kenner.

“Haven’t seen you here before. Where’ve you been hiding? Down there in that Pit? No place for a beautiful woman.” He slurred his words.

He snaked one of his flabby hands out toward me and unsteadily pulled me closer to him. It took all of my will power not to scream. I was taller than him, and he leaned his head against my neck. His hot, putrid breath tickled me. He slid his head lower, trying to lay his cheek on my breasts.

A young man walked up to us. I prayed it was Jack Kenner, here to take me away from this. “Wilson, old man. What are you doing?” he asked jovially.

“Jack, you little devil.” Wilson released his hold on me.

Relief flooded through me at the mention of his name.

Wilson grabbed onto Jack’s arm to steady himself. “Don’t worry, son. You’ll be married soon enough, and then you’ll know what I’m doing with this young lady.” He tried to wink at Jack, but it looked more like a blink.

“I think this young lady might be too much woman for you, Wilson. You couldn’t kiss her if you stood on your tiptoes.” Jack laughed.

“It’s not kissing I’m hoping for tonight!” Wilson said, elbowing Jack in the side.

Jack looked at me for the first time and appraised me from top to bottom and back up again. “You have good taste, old man, I’ll give you that. She’s the prettiest girl here. In fact, I think I’ll take her off your hands.”

“Wait a minute!” Wilson waved an unsteady finger at Jack. “I found her first.”

“Yeah, but I’m the guest of honor. So I get first pick.”

Wilson tried to straighten himself up, but he was still unsteady on his feet. “‘Course you are, Jack. She’s all yours.”

Wilson took back the glass of wine he had given me and stumbled away in search of another girl. Jack watched him go and then stepped so close to me that we were only a few inches apart. My high heels made us about the same height. His tilted his head toward mine, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought he was here to save me from all of this.

“You’re Sunny O’Donnell?” he whispered.

He stared at me with those intense blue eyes that I had seen so many times on television over the past few months. He was about to marry the president’s daughter. He would be president himself one day. That made him a very important person. I felt so intimidated, but I managed to nod.

“Leisel asked me to come find you. I’ll take you back to my apartment.”

I was relieved and anxious all at the same time. Leisel was going through with her plan after all.

But I was still worried about Summer. I tried to look over Jack’s shoulder discreetly to see where she was. I didn’t want to leave her alone.

“Unless you didn’t want to go back to my apartment? Maybe there’s someone who caught your eye?”

“Your fiancée said my friend could go home for the night, but I saw her here,” I said, risking the possibility of being punished. Would he think I was out of line?

“I forgot. She told me to put in a request for… Spring, is it?”

“Summer.”

“Yeah, Summer. Leisel told me to put her with old Forbes. He’s drunk and harmless. He’ll fall asleep at a table, and she’ll be sent home. Until then, she can stay and enjoy the party.”

I finally spotted Summer. Wilson was competing for her now. By the look on her face, she wasn’t enjoying the party at all.

“The president has already left and everyone is waiting for me to clear out,” Jack said as he extended his elbow toward me. “Come on. No one can leave until the guest of honor does.”

“Okay.”

What choice did I have? I wanted to catch Summer’s eye before I left, but Wilson was blocking my view. Jack was still holding his elbow out toward me, and I wasn’t sure why. Finally he picked up my hand and tucked it under his elbow. I was surprised he had expected me to do that—to touch him. My shock must have shown on my face because he gave me a questioning look. I realized my mouth was hanging open, and I closed it.

I could feel his muscles under my hand, caught where it was in the crook of his arm. He stood up straighter as he walked across the room and steered me toward the main doors. He had the confident swagger of someone who knew he was the most important person in the room. I heard a few men shouting out “Good for you Jack!” and “She’s a looker!” They all clapped as we left the room. I had never felt so humiliated in all my life.

Jack remained silent as he escorted me to the elevator and pressed the “Up” button. The doors opened, and we stepped in. He pressed the button for the eighth floor. The small elevator seemed awkwardly quiet and intimate after the bustle of the party. I was very aware that my hand was still trapped in the crook of his arm. I stared at the floor. Although I wanted to break the contact, he hadn’t given me permission.

The elevator doors opened, and we stepped out into an opulent hall. The floor was covered with a plush carpet, which I found difficult to walk on in high heels. The walls were off-white except for one long wall that was painted deep red. A few large flowering plants stood against the red wall with a long mirror in between. My reflection shocked me, dressed as I was in a silk gown and on the arm of Jack Kenner.

He noticed me looking in the mirror. “You’re really pretty.” He didn’t say it like a compliment, more like a fact.

I looked away from my reflection when Jack straightened his arm and pressed his hand against the small of my back, urging me to keep walking. I was grateful not to have to hold his arm anymore.

As we left the elevator lobby, we passed a picture hanging on the wall. Bold strokes of red and yellow sometimes blended together to make gold. The colors were set against a dark background, making them appear even more striking.

“What is it?” I asked, staring, fascinated.

“It’s an abstract of a sunset.”

I looked at a lock of my own hair and compared its color to the painting. Where the red and yellow mixed, I could see the resemblance to my hair. Reyes’s words came back to me: Did you ever wonder how she knew what a sunset looked like? Was this the picture my mother was thinking of when she named me? Had she been here on this same floor, chosen by some drunken bourge to entertain him? It was a sickening thought.

“Was it something I said?” Jack asked.

I shook my head. “No. Not you. Something someone else said.”

Jack looked around. “There’s no one else here.”

“Sorry. I meant a different conversation.” My cheeks flushed red.

“Well, don’t let me interrupt.”

I felt so stupid.

Four different hallways led away from the elevator lobby, and he turned right. We walked for quite a distance before he stopped in front of a door at the end of the hall and passed his hand over the scanner. I heard a click, and he opened the door.

“Oh, Jack! You did it!” Leisel said. She threw her arms around him and hugged him close. I felt awkward and out of place standing there witnessing their intimacy.

“You know I’d do anything for you, darling,” he said.

I turned my head away when I realized he was going to kiss her, but not before I saw some of the kiss. Something about the way he was holding her, about the way he kissed her, didn’t seem right. They were almost stiff and polite with each other, but maybe that was just the way of the bourge.

After a moment, Leisel turned to me. “Look at you, Sunny! You are positively breathtaking! Isn’t she, Jack?”

“Not as breathtaking as you, my love.” He kissed her again. “I’m going to go read. You girls have a nice evening.” Jack headed toward another room and closed the door behind him.

“He’s probably had too much wine. He’ll go and sleep it off. I ordered us some food. I assumed you would be starving after working all night.”

I was starving. My last meal had been over twenty-four hours ago.

“Can I take off my shoes?” I asked. I really didn’t think I could take another step in them.

“Yes, of course. You poor thing, working in those all night, your feet must be killing you.”

They were. I gladly slipped them off. The carpet was thick and cushiony against my aching feet.

I followed Leisel into the living room. A large sofa and two smaller chairs were grouped around a low table. Plates of food sat out, and my mouth watered at the sight and smell. I prayed my stomach wouldn’t start making noises again. It was so quiet in there.

Leisel picked up a small remote and pointed it at a television hanging on the wall. Soft music began to play. I hadn’t seen the television at first, and I was surprised by it. No one in the Pit owned a television. They were only in the common rooms. But I guessed I shouldn’t have been surprised. Jack and Leisel were privileged.

“Please make yourself comfortable,” she said, waving me toward the sofa. She walked over to a small table and poured two drinks. She sniffed the contents of one glass while handing me the other. “Blackberry wine—my favourite! Why should the men get to have all the fun tonight? No one threw me a big party, and I’m getting married, too. Cheers!” She clinked her glass against mine and then raised it to her lips, so I did the same. I had never tasted wine before, and it burned going down my throat. I almost choked.

Leisel made an appreciative noise as she savoured the taste of the wine. “Blackberries grow best in the Dome. They respond well to our artificial light. There are other berries too, but blackberries grow big and juicy and make the best wine.”

I nodded. I had no idea what to say or even why I was there for that matter.

The food looked so good, and my stomach was so empty.

“Oh, I’m being rude. Please help yourself.” Leisel gestured toward the food. She’d either read my mind, or my hunger was obvious.

There was no fork, so I assumed it was okay to pick it up with my fingers. I had never eaten food like this before. The only things on the plate I recognized were the vegetables because I’ve peeled so many working in the kitchen. I chose an orange wedge of something and popped it in my mouth. It was delicious.

“I wasn’t sure what you like to eat so I just ordered some things that pair well with the wine.”

“Thank you. It’s delicious.” I wasn’t sure what she meant about pairing food with wine. Food was food.

I followed the orange wedge with a bite of bread and then picked up something that looked like meat. I didn’t like it as much. Leisel clinked my glass again, and I took another sip of the wine. It didn’t burn as much this time, and a warm relaxing sensation came over me. I set my glass back down on the table to free both hands to eat.

Leisel watched me for a moment. “Thanks for hanging out with me tonight. I know it’s not much of a party with just the two of us, but I really don’t have good friends to share my special day with. Isn’t that pathetic?”

Tears formed in her eyes, and she quickly brushed them away. I was still wondering what role I was supposed to play tonight. Did she want me to hold her hand? I was relieved when she reached for a decadent-looking cake instead.

“Like you said before—you’re the president’s daughter. You’re a very important person and it’s difficult for people to get past that.” I hoped this was what she wanted to hear.

“Do you really think that’s why no one wants to be my friend?” Her self-deprecating look told me the conversation was going in the right direction.

“I’m positive. You’re very kind and generous.” I tried not to choke on the words. The Holts had been anything but kind and generous to the Pit. “Letting my friend Summer go home tonight proves it.”

“You know the boys mean well—they think they’re doing you girls a favour by letting you into their little parties. But I think most of you don’t want to be there, do you?”

Most of the girls didn’t want to be there? Try none of the girls wanted to be there. I popped another piece of food into my mouth to keep from saying anything. I was afraid of how I might answer her question, so I just shook my head.

“Sunny, we’re friends. I’ll never betray you. You can talk to me.”

Leisel picked up my glass and handed it back to me. She clinked it again with her own glass, and we drank. I didn’t really want any more wine. It was making me sleepy. I set my glass back down and concentrated on the food.

“Jack didn’t behave inappropriately with you, did he?” Her question sounded more curious than suspicious. Was she testing me?

“No, not at all! In fact, he rescued me from an older man who was very drunk. Mr. Kenner is very kind.”

“And handsome! Don’t you think he’s just gorgeous? That dirty blonde hair and those blue eyes! I mean there aren’t many men in the Dome who look like that! I’m so lucky he chose me to marry him.”

“He is very handsome. And you’re very beautiful. You make a nice couple.”

“Do you have a handsome someone in your life?” Leisel asked.

I thought of Reyes. He wasn’t handsome in the rich, clean-cut aristocratic way that Jack was. Reyes had the dark hair and black eyes of most people who lived in the Pit, but his chiselled features and six-foot-four frame set him apart. Lots of girls were attracted to Reyes, but I was the one he wanted.

“Yes, I do.”

“Well, what’s he like?”

I found the question odd. She was the president’s daughter—why did she care who I was involved with? I thought I was there to talk about her.

“He’s tall and handsome and strong. He works in the mines,” I bragged.

I picked up more food and realized the plate I had been eating from was half empty. Leisel had only sampled a cake. I leaned back against the sofa and silently scolded myself for eating so much. I relished my last bite.

“Are you going to marry him?” Leisel picked up my wine and handed it to me.

I took a sip. The warm feeling from the wine intensified. “One day.”

“You don’t sound sure.”

“It’s complicated.”

I didn’t want to meet her gaze. My world was so different from hers. I needed to support my father until he met his fate in the Cull next year. Did she really not understand life in the Pit?

“I’m a good listener, and we have all night.”

She seemed to want me to be a true friend and share secrets with her. I wasn’t convinced that was a good idea, so I tried to tell her as little as I could. “My mother’s gone now, and my father just lost his job. I need to look after him, so marriage will have to wait for… well, until I’m available.”

“Then you and I have something in common. I lost my mother, too.” She leaned forward to hug me, and I tried not to recoil. I stiffly hugged her back. “She died shortly after I was born. She had a heart defect. How did your mother die?”

I shifted uncomfortably. How could she ask me that question? “She was thirty-five.”

“Oh, she was Culled,” Leisel said. She took both my hands in hers and looked into my face, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “I promise you that things will be different under Jack and me. We’ll change things.” She hugged me again, tighter this time. “That is, if I manage to live long enough to get married.”

“You mean someone is really trying to kill you?” I slapped a hand over my mouth, mortified by my outburst, but Leisel didn’t seem to notice.

“Yes. My guards tell me they’ve stumbled upon an assassination plot. Someone wants me dead! Someone doesn’t want me to marry Jack.”

“It doesn’t make any sense, though.” My voice sounded slurred. I tried to sort it all out, but my thoughts were getting confused. It must have been from the wine. I put my glass down.

“It makes perfect sense, Sunny. Jack and I don’t want to live with things the way they are now. We want change. But there’s someone out there who doesn’t agree with us, so they’re trying to stop the marriage by murdering me.”

Questions were trying to make their way into my muddled thoughts. Like why not kill Jack? He would be an easier target. She refilled my wine glass and handed it back to me. Dutifully, I took a sip.

“It’s all so hopeless. My guards think the assassins will wait until my wedding day, when I’m in public. Daddy’s holding the wedding in the main reception hall of the Dome so that everyone can come and watch. I’ll have no protection.”

“You’ll be defenseless!” I cried.

“I knew you would understand.”

“There must be something you can do. Tell your father. He’ll change the wedding plans.” It was as if someone else was talking on my behalf. I could hear myself saying the words, but I wasn’t in control of them.

“No he won’t. There’s been a lot of unrest in the Dome lately and our wedding is a political statement to show everyone things are still good. There’s no way he’ll change the plans.”

“I wish I could help.” Somewhere inside my head a little voice told me that was the very opposite of what I wanted to do.

“Perhaps you can help, Sunny,” Leisel said, her expression brightening. “Maybe you can take my place in the wedding.”

Chapter Five

I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. Take her place? As in be the bride? I shook my head. It would never work.

“Just listen for a minute,” Leisel said, her tone suddenly serious.

I couldn’t really get up and leave, so I stayed and listened.

“We’re the same height, but I’m a little… well, healthier than you are,” she said of her figure. I had to stifle a smile. In the Pit, we called her plump. “My wedding dress is big enough for you to put a bulletproof vest on under it. We can cover up your hair with a wig, and I have a veil that will go over your face. No one will ever know it’s you and not me.”

“Your fiancé will know!” And the entire Dome would be watching the wedding. Someone was bound to notice.

“Jack!” Leisel called. “Can you come in here for a minute?”

A tired-looking Jack came into the room. His tie was gone, his shirt unbuttoned and wrinkled. It looked like he had been sleeping.

“Sunny and I have an idea,” Leisel said. I opened my mouth to correct her, but closed it when I remembered whom I was about to correct. “We were thinking that she could pose as me during the wedding. Now I know what you’re thinking—it’s a crazy idea. But she’s thin enough to get bulletproof clothing under the dress, and we’ll keep her face covered. No one will suspect a thing.”

“Is this about the assassination plot again?” Jack asked. He seemed irritated.

I was surprised that he would be so callous about his fiancée’s life being in danger. If my life were in danger, Reyes would do anything to protect me. I took another sip of wine.

“What else would it be about?”

“I think the guards have been filling your head with nonsense. I had some people check into the possibility of a plot and nothing’s been uncovered.”

“Are you accusing me of lying?”

“No. I’m saying someone’s trying to scare you.” He was beginning to look worried.

“My guards wouldn’t lie to me. And I can’t believe how easily you just dismiss it. Maybe you don’t love me, Jack. Maybe this whole wedding is a big mistake!” She burst into tears.

“Leisel!” Jack crossed the room and pulled her off the sofa and into his arms. “You know that’s not true. I want more than anything to be your husband.”

Not for the first time that night, I felt that I really shouldn’t be there witnessing their intimacy. Although I believed Leisel did have a point. Jack hadn’t exactly declared his love yet. I busied myself with my wine.

“If that’s true, then you’ll want to protect me. Do this for me.”

“But if she’s the bride, then I won’t be marrying you, will I?” Jack said gently. Leisel refused to look at him. He lifted her chin to meet his gaze. “Will I?”

“It will be me, just by proxy, that’s all. She can walk down the aisle and exchange vows with you—that doesn’t legally make you married to each other. We have to scan in and register to make it legal. So I’ll just meet you in the Registry room and exchange places with her. It will work.”

“It’s a crazy idea. Of course it won’t work. There will be other people in the Registry room with us during our scan-in.”

“Not if I tell my father I don’t want anyone else in the room. He knows I’m not happy about how public he’s making everything. If I ask for just this one single private moment, he’ll give it to me.”

Jack dropped his arms from her waist and took a step back. He raked a hand through his hair. He clearly didn’t like her plan.

“I don’t want to die, Jack, and I’m really scared!” Leisel threw her arms around him. “We have such a bright future planned together. I don’t want anything to take that away.”

I stared back down at my wine. They obviously had some issues to work out, and I wanted to be anywhere but there.

“I honestly don’t see how it’s going to work.”

“Will you agree if I promise to tell my father? He’s worried about the assassination plot too, but he doesn’t want to call off the wedding. After all, he’s using it to show everyone that life is still good in the Dome, so he can’t very well cancel it because someone is trying to kill me.”

“If your father approves, then I’ll agree to your plan.”

“Then I’ll tell him. I know he’ll approve.” Leisel looked victorious. Jack smiled, pulled her close, and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Oh, Jack, I knew you’d understand. I knew you’d want to protect me.”

I cleared my throat.

“Oh, Sunny! Sorry, we got a little carried away,” Leisel said. She let go of Jack and came back to sit on the sofa beside me. Her tears were gone, replaced with a smile. I hoped the lovebirds wanted to be alone now and would send me home. “It looks like we’ll go through with our little plan.”

I didn’t recall agreeing, although I had the impression I didn’t have a choice in the matter. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this plan,” I said. I knew she could order me to do it. “I mean, there will be a lot of people watching.”

“I thought you agreed with this. You understand how important our marriage is, don’t you? You want to support us?”

“I do! I just think if it doesn’t work… if I’m caught…”

“I know it’s a big favor I’m asking of you. It’s a risk for me too, even with my father’s approval. But if the risks are worth it in the end…” Her voice trailed off and her expression became serious. “You know, when I saw your friend Summer stealing food, I was obligated to report her to the authorities. But I didn’t.” Leisel’s hand came up to caress my hair. “You know, I’m still obligated to tell the truth about her. If anyone asks me if I saw anything, I’d have to say yes. I could get into a lot of trouble for lying. But sometimes friends do things for each other.”

Although my head was swimming from the wine, I understood her implication. Do this for her or Summer was doomed.

“I’ll do it,” I whispered. “It’s very late. Can I go home now? I have to work in the morning.”

“No, silly, you can’t go home! You’ll have to stay here. We have a lot of work to do before the wedding.” A smile lit up her face, and she hugged me.

I just wanted to go home. I wanted to be with my father. I wanted to make sure Summer was home safe and sound. I wanted to tell Reyes everything was fine. I missed them. It felt like it had been forever since I saw them.

“You can stay here in Jack’s room. He can take the sofa and you can have the bed.”

“What?” Jack said.

“Well, you requested her from the party. No one will question it if she spends the night here.”

“I requested her for you, not me.”

“Jack, be reasonable. She can’t go home. I need to fit her with the wedding dress, teach her how to walk down the aisle, how to act, and, well, everything! There’s so much to do and not much time left before the wedding.”

“But I need to go to work in the morning. I’ll lose my job if I don’t show up,” I said. Was it the wine that was making me so brazen? I had never even spoken to a guard like that before.

“Don’t worry about your job. When this is all over, I’m going to hire you to be my personal maid. We’re always going to be good friends.” She stood then and went to Jack. “I’m going to go get some sleep, and I suggest you two do the same. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”

She kissed her fiancé and then skipped out the door.

The apartment suddenly became very quiet except for the soft music playing in the background. Jack stood in the middle of the room looking at me. I remained on the sofa, looking at him. My head was starting to pound, and the food I’d eaten sat heavy in my stomach. I really didn’t feel good. I just wanted to go home.

“You can have the bed,” Jack said.

“If I could just go home…”

“You heard her, you can’t!” he snapped. He dragged a hand through his hair. He was obviously angry, and I didn’t want to upset him any more. He could do whatever he wanted to me and no one would ever question it. “You take the bed.”

“Yes, sir.” I set my half-empty wine glass on the table and stood up. Suddenly the room was spinning around and I tried to grab something to steady myself, but there was nothing to grab.

“Whoa! How much wine did you have?” He was standing next to me, holding my arm in case I fell. I didn’t remember him even moving.

“I didn’t think…” I put my hand to my head.

“You’ve never had wine before, have you?”

“No.” My stomach roiled. “I don’t feel good.”

In an instant Jack picked me up and carried me into his bathroom, where I promptly vomited.