Page 18 of Dissent

Raúl spoke next. “Belinda, what do you expect me to do? She said she didn’t know anything and Jacob has found no evidence to suggest otherwise.”

“You stood before all of Telvia this morning,” Belinda hissed, “and clearly explained that anyone with an affiliation to these rebels would be subject to Cleansing in the Arena.”

“Mother, you can’t possibly expect Father to—”

SMACK!

I jumped, my heart leaping into my throat. Covering my mouth, I tried my best to keep any sound from escaping my lips.

“I warned you not to interrupt me, Jacob. Do not make me hit you again.” Silence came from the library, and my muscles tensed as my heart pounded, my entire body going numb. A minute passed before Belinda spoke once more. “She is a threat to our rule. If you do not follow through with your own regulations, it will make you look weak. No one is above the law, Raúl, not even you.”

The sound of someone sighing filled the void before Raúl’s deep voice drifted through the crack in the door. “What would you have me do?”

“Kill her.”

10: Blue Jays on a Spring Night

Myfeetpoundedtheground as I raced through the mansion, up the staircase, down the hall, and back into the safety of my room. I slammed the door closed behind me, panting and desperate for breath.

“Are you okay?”

I whipped around surprised, and found Chelsea.

“What are you doing in here?” I demanded.

“I was turning down your sheets, remember? What’s wrong?”

My brain couldn’t process anything. I needed to leave. I had to get out of here. I sprinted to my closet and pulled out a backpack. “Get out,” I said as I started stuffing my bag with clothing.

“Mara, what’s wrong?” she insisted.

I wasn’t thinking anymore. I just kept packing as my mind whirled with fear.They’re going to kill me.I couldn’t believe it, but they were actually going to kill me. I was going to die.

I needed to go.

I needed torun.

A firm grip grabbed me by the shoulders, spinning me around. “Mara, what’s going on?”

Before I could even think of what I was saying, the words came tumbling out as I shrugged myself out of her grip. “I’ve got to get out of here! They’re going to kill me because of Chase. I’ve got to go!” I turned away, grabbing my bag and shoving it with whatever I could find. But I didn’t get far. Chelsea’s hand wrapped around my wrist and began pulling me. “Let go! What are you doing?” I fought back, pulling away from her.

“Shut up!” she growled. “I’m trying to help you. I know a way out.” My thoughts froze. I didn’t have time for this. Before I could even finish processing what she said, she was stripping off her uniform, revealing long, lean limbs and delicate lines of muscle over her body, including a six pack that left me gawking. She threw the dress at me. “Put this on.” I stared at the uniform in my hands and watched as Chelsea went into my closet, pulling out jeans and a white t-shirt. She glanced at me and then rolled her eyes. “Don’t just stand there. Get dressed!” Then she was throwing the t-shirt over her head and slipping my jeans up her slender legs.

I looked at the dress in my hand one more time, hesitating, and then something snapped. To hell with it. I had no freaking clue what was happening, but I wasn’t going to hang around to find out. I started stripping my clothes off and changed into the uniform. Chelsea, now dressed, moved around me, grabbing the pillows on my bed, lining them up and shaping them. She was a flurry of motion, putting a blanket over the pillows, rumpling them in different spots before stepping back and admiring her work. She then pulled out one of my dark brown shirts from a drawer and bunched it at the top of the bed where my head would have been.

Once satisfied, she turned to look at me. “Put on good walking shoes and let’s get your hair up in a bun.” She was on me in a moment, raking her fingers through my hair and collecting it all on the top of my head. She twisted the hair around and fastened it with ties and bobby pins. “Okay, grab those dirty sheets. I’m going to turn off all your lights.”

I didn’t question her—I couldn’t afford to. I just obeyed and made sure the sheets completely concealed my bag as my room went dark. All that lit the room was moonlight coming in through my window. I glanced at my bed and realized that, under the moonlight, the pillows looked like my body under the sheets, and the shirt looked like a mess of brown hair. It would fool anyone who might peek in the room into thinking I was asleep. The charade would be up, of course, the second they turned on the lights.

Chelsea opened the door a crack and poked her head out to check the halls before closing the door again, blanketing us in darkness once more. She slipped her hand into the waistband of her pants and pulled out a second mini-tab.

Wait…why did she have two?

She typed feverishly on her device before she looked back at me. “Here’s the plan. You’re going to follow me out of the room, down the hall, and through the servant’s passageways. Don’t look atanyone. Keep your head down no matter what. We’re in the process of shift changes, so the night crew is coming in. The extra people will help cover us. Don’t talkat all, got it? And don’t questionanythingI tell you, just do it.” I could feel the questions already mounting in my mind, but I kept my mouth shut and just shook my head. “Good. Let’s go.”

She went back to the door, poking her head out into the hall before pulling it wide open and stepping out into the hallway. My stomach churned, but I hugged the lump of sheets against my chest, kept my head down, and walked out behind her. She closed it behind me and led the way down the empty hall.

I felt hot suddenly, my chest tightening as I did my best to keep my face low and partially tucked into the bundle of sheets. I wasn’t made for this kind of stuff. The anticipation and anxiety were wreaking havoc on my system, and I swore I could hear the rushing of blood in my ears. I walked closely behind Chelsea, and at some point, we made a left down the hall and stopped at a dead end. She rested her palm flat against the wall.

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