“I can confirm that he’s still alive,” Jen said. “He’s turned his territory into a prison. There are guards everywhere, making sure no one breaks a rule. And your mom’s territory is full of people who are scared and don’t know what to do. Everyone’s scared. I haven’t slept well in a year.”
Letting go of my braid, I reached for my butterfly pendant, twirling it in my hand. “That’s why we created New Haven. We wanted people to have a safe place to live but aren’t under strict commands. Does that answer your question?”
Jen slowly nodded. “I think it does.” She sat back in her chair. “Emmie, your mom sent me to get your help.”
My eyebrows shot up. “My mom wants my help?”
“Yes,” Jen said. “As I’ve said, Austin’s out of control. The man has a split personality disorder or something. He keeps talking nice to everyone, saying he wants our input and wants to make the city a wonderful place to live in. But then he keeps a tight security detail around the River and Ocean Precincts. People have been shot in their own homes for breaking a rule. Anyone who tries to flee to your mom’s territory is either shot by Austin’s men or by your mom’s henchmen because she thinks they’re a spy. I’m lucky to be alive.”
“What do you mean?” Dee asked.
“Austin sent me over to Janice’s territory to be a spy,” Jen said. “I only agreed so I could get out of his territory. Stupid Tami Randall tied me up and then beat me before she took me to Janice. Luckily, Janice hates Tami and Amy as much as I do, so she cut my bonds. She sent me here to get you and bring you back to River Springs.”
“My mom wants me to go back there?” I asked.
Jen nodded. “With your help, she thinks they can take back over Austin’s precincts and get things back to how they were.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want things back to how they were.”
“Emmie, what’s your problem?” Jen glared at me. “River Springs was fine before. Our lives were safe. Things were easy. We all got along.”
“No, we didn’t.” I rubbed my forehead. “Jen, you broke up our fights. Not everyone in the city got along with each other. There was too much tension. And what about our happiness?”
Jen shrugged. “What about it?”
I thought about my mom and my dad. “My parents were forced to marry each other and then when it didn’t work out, they couldn’t divorce. They were stuck in an unhappy marriage and had to pretend everything was fine. I understand having order and structure. But let people choose who they want to marry, what they want to do for a living, and where they want to live.”
Jen shifted uncomfortably in her seat. I was about to ask her what was wrong, but she cut me off. “Listen, this whole thing is incredibly confusing to me. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all.” She took a communication device from her pocket and set it on my bed, right next to my hand. “You can contact your mom through that. She just wants to talk.”
Jen stood and started to walk out of the room, but I stopped her when she got to the doorway. “Jen, who’s side are you on?”
She looked over her shoulder at me. “No ones.”
The communication device sat there, next to my hand, willing me to hold it. I stared at it for a few minutes, not sure I wanted to talk to the person on the other end. It had been too long since I’d last heard her voice.
“Do you want us to leave you alone?” Dee asked.
I looked up at Tina and Dee, both staring at me, their faces sympathetic. Clearing my throat, I nodded. “Yes. I think this is a conversation I need to do on my own.”
Tina stood. “I understand.” She gently hugged me and then left the room.
Dee’s hug wasn’t as gentle. When she pulled away, she ran her fingers over my braid and pulled it forward, so it rested against my collar bone. “I’ll be outside. Good luck.”
“Thanks.” I nodded at the door. “Will you shut the door on your way out?”
Dee left without another word, closing the door behind her.
I ran my finger along the edge of the communication device, debating whether I should pick it up. The device itself was one I’d never seen before. Most of ours were black rectangles in various sizes, with different knobs and buttons for changing channels, volume control, and powering it on. The one near my hand was small, silver, and more of an oval, with only two buttons: one to turn it on and off, and one you held down when talking.
Closing my eyes, I rested my head against my pillow and took a few deep breaths. I hoped to calm my racing heart, but it didn’t work.
I had mixed feelings about my mom. She hadn’t had a big role in my life growing up. She just seemed to be there, in the background, coming and going as she pleased. One day she’d be talking to me like everything was normal, acting as a real mother would. The next day, she would be closed off, avoiding me like an earthquake that destroyed the earth.
My dad told me over and over again how much my mother loved me and wished she didn’t have to work so much. But I’d never heard the words come from her mouth. I desperately wanted to believe my father, but I had no reason why I should.
The fact that she had cheated on my dad with the man I loathed most in the world didn’t sit well with me. Plus, the fact that I was that man’s daughter left me feeling sick to my stomach. I wasn’t sure if I could ever forgive her.
But then again, if it weren’t for the affair, I wouldn’t have been born. I wouldn’t have my amazing friends. I wouldn’t have Eric.
Taking a few more breaths, I picked up the communication device and turned it on. I held it up to my lips, pressed down on the talk button, and forced myself to speak. “Hello?”
The minutes following that one word were tortuous. I twisted my ring around and around on my finger, anxiously waiting to hear a response. By the time it came, my throat was completely dry.
“Emmie?” My mom’s voice echoed throughout the room.
“Yes, it’s me.” My voice came out quieter and higher pitched than I had wanted.
The seconds ticked by, each one a tiny tear to my heart. Her voice was soft. “It’s good to hear your voice.”
“What do you want?” The question escaped my mouth without any thought. I hadn’t meant to sound so snappy and rude. But I couldn’t take it back.
“Can we catch up first?” my mom asked. “It’s been so long since I’ve last talked to you. How are you doing?”
That question was too complex to answer. So, I settled with the traditional answer. “I’m fine.”
“What about your brother? And your father?”
My sarcastic instinct was to reply, “Which one?” But seeing as my relationship with one brother was rocky at the moment and both of my fathers were dead, I reeled myself in. “Derek is doing fine.”
When I didn’t continue, my mother spoke. “And your father?”
She apparently hadn’t heard about his death. It wasn’t something I wanted to talk about. “What do you want, Mom?”
Her sigh was loud and sounded remarkably like my own. “How much has Jen told you?”
“That River Springs is split, Whit is dead, Austin is a traitor, and you want my help.”
“Need, Emmie,” my mom corrected. “I need your help.”
Unfortunately for my mom, she had caught me at a very ornery time in my life. I was too emotional. “Why should I help you? Seriously, Mom, I’d like one good reason why I should even be speaking to you right now.”
“Because I’m your mother!” she snapped.
I laughed. “Funny, because you’ve never acted like it.”
My mom swore, something I’d never heard her do. “Can we put aside our personal feelings for a moment? We have a crisis going on over here in River Springs and I need your help. I need New Haven’s help.”
“Why should New Haven even think about helping River Springs? That city screwed me over.”
“You screwed yourself over, Emmie. You didn’t need any help with that. You’re stubborn and selfish.”
“Wher
e do you think I got that from?”
Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to send my friends out of the room. I was fuming and couldn’t compose myself. They would have been able to calm me down.
“You sound just like your father when you’re upset.” My mom inhaled sharply after she spoke. She probably hadn't meant to say out loud.
It was a statement I couldn’t avoid, though. “Which one, Mom? The one who raised me or the one you’d been sleeping with for all those years?”
“I’m sorry, Emmie, okay? I’m so sorry.” She choked up.
I closed my eyes and thought of the man I’d considered my father my whole life. The man I loved as a father, even though genetically, he wasn’t. He wouldn’t want me acting like this. He’d raised me better. I still wanted answers, but I tried to keep my voice as calm as I could. “For what, Mom? I want to hear why you’re sorry.”
“Does it make a difference?”
I furrowed my eyebrows. “Of course, it does. Sorry is just a word. How do I know if you even mean it?”
“I mean it.” She started to cry. “I’m sorry I wasn’t involved in your life growing up. I’m sorry I never told you the truth about Whit. I’m sorry for never holding you when you were hurt or listening to you when you needed to talk.” She gasped for air. The sound surprised me and made tears form in my own eyes. “I’m sorry for not loving you like a mother should love her child. I was depressed and I took it out on you and Derek. And your father. Philip.”
Reaching over for a tissue, I wiped the tears away. “Why were you depressed?”
“I hated my life, Emmie. I hated who I had become. I didn’t mean for everything to happen like it did. When I first met Philip, I was instantly drawn to his sweet and loving nature. I wasn’t attracted to him, but I felt that over time I could come to love him as he did me. I believed in the city, so I married him and started a life with him.”
She paused and took a few breaths to slow her tears. “But then I got my job working with Whit. The attraction was instantaneous. I had just found out that I was pregnant with Derek, so nothing physically happened between Whit and me. We just flirted a lot and I worked long hours just so I could be around him. It was after Derek was born that we started sleeping together. Emmie, I was so young at the time. I didn’t realize the effect our relationship would have on everyone. Especially Philip. I never wanted to hurt him. It wasn’t until after you were born that I realized the full impact it had on him.”
“But you still didn’t end your relationship with Whit.” I wiped my nose, threw the tissue away, and grabbed another one. “You kept it going all those years and left Dad, me, and Derek all alone.”
Her voice was quiet. “I know. But Philip and I couldn’t get divorced and I was in love with Whit.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “You really loved Whit?”
“Yes, Emmie.” Her voice was firm. “I loved him with all my heart.”
“But he’s evil. He tried to kill me. He killed Vice President Oliver.”
“I can’t say I agree with all of his actions, because I don’t. But when he was with me, he was different. He treated me well and loved me unconditionally. He was sweet and generous. He made me feel special.”
“Did you know? That he wanted me killed?”
“No, sweetie, I didn’t.” Her voice was sincere. “I never would have allowed him to do that. I may have been a horrible mother, but I do love you, Emmie. I know that may be hard to believe, but you must trust me when I say that I love you. I’ll never be able to make up for everything I’ve done or the hurt I’ve caused you, your brother, and your father.”
I wasn’t sure whether to believe her. She had spent so many years around Whit. She could have learned to be deceptive like him. “That still doesn’t explain why you shut me out.”
“I don’t have a good, solid reason. What I wanted more than anything was to be able to have a life with you and Whit. I pictured us having this perfect, happy family. The three of us living together was something I knew I could never have. Seeing you reminded me of him and how I’d never have that happy life I wanted.” She let out a small laugh. “And you hated him so much. Watching my little girl loathe the man that was actually her father was too much for me. I thought I could handle it better if I stayed away. I felt it was the only way to get through my life without feeling the pain every single day.”
“What about Derek?” He and I never had a good relationship growing up, but now it was different. We still joked around and teased each other, but now it was done out of love, not hate. The fact that my mom didn’t include him in her perfect, happy life broke my heart. Despite his quirkiness, he was an amazing guy and brother. He had looked after and protected me, something my own mother couldn’t do. “Why isn’t he in your vision of your perfect life?” My tone came out defensive.
My mom sounded shocked. “You hate your brother.”
“No, I don’t. I love him. He has been there for me when you haven’t. He’s taken care of me this past year when all of my other family was gone.”
“I don’t understand,” she said. “What about your father?”
I wasn’t sure how to tell her, so I just spit it out, the words coming out fast and mumbled. “He’s dead.”
“Not Whit,” she said. “Philip. The man who raised you.”
“He’s dead.” I didn’t like having to repeat myself. The words tasted horrible on my tongue and I worried they'd never wash away.
“What? When? How?” She sounded shocked and saddened, which was more than I could have asked for. I wasn’t sure how’d she react.
“Last year,” I said. “We had a battle with another city. Dad was killed during the fight.”
“Oh, Emmie.” Her tears came back. I could hear her sniffles through the communicator. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
I fought back my own tears. “It was hard at first. But Derek, Joshua, Dee, and Eric helped me through it. Along with some new friends of mine.”
“I’m glad to hear you had such a big support system.” She cleared her throat. “How is everything with Joshua? Are you two getting along?”
That was another conversation I didn’t want to have right now.
It had been going well, but now I wasn’t sure. But I didn’t want anything to leak to Austin, so I lied. “It’s great. He, Derek, and I live together, and we all get along perfectly. Of course, it was awkward for everyone at first, but we adjusted and over time we bonded.”
“Derek and Joshua are friends?” I could hear the smile in her voice. “That’s surprising but good. That makes me happy to know that you have two brothers who are there for you. And Eric. I’m assuming the two of you are still together?”
I twisted my ring on my finger. “Yes. We’re engaged.”
“Congratulations.” Her smile sounded even bigger. “That’s wonderful. You love him, right?”
I smiled. “Yes. More than anything in the world. He’s amazing.”
“Oh, good. I wouldn’t wish upon you what I had to go through. I’m glad you got to choose the man you love.”
“Me, too.” Since I had finally calmed, I figured I should find out what my mom wanted. “Why did you send Jen here?”
“I was hoping for your help. Austin has split the city in two and innocent people have been killed. They’re still being killed. He has taken complete domination of his territory. He hurts and kills those who step out of line. It needs to end. We can’t keep living like this. Families have been ruined and shattered because of him.”
I wanted to reply that Whit had done the same, but I didn’t want to break out in another argument. “What do you need from us?”
“Support. With the combination of my territory and New Haven, we can take back over River Springs. We can restore it and put it back together.”
“I don’t want River Springs how it was before. I left because I didn’t agree with the way it was run and my thoughts haven’t changed.”
“Emmie, it was fine
before you left.”
I sighed. “No, mom, it wasn’t. I know you loved Whit, but he hurt and killed innocent people, too. There were too many rules and too many restrictions.”
My mom’s sigh matched mine. “People need rules and restrictions to keep them from getting out of line.”
“That’s not entirely true. New Haven has proved that to me. Our people are happy. Yes, we have laws they have to live by, but they get a say in those laws. They get to choose their career and their family. We work together to make our community safe and comfortable. I’ve never been so happy in my life. I love it here and the people. I have met so many wonderful people from different cities and different cultures. My mind has been expanded and my heart has opened.”
“What would it take to get you here?”
I wasn’t sure if she would like my answer, but I didn’t care. It was the only way she’d get me to step foot in River Springs again. “I want a promise that things won’t go back to the way they were. I want a promise that my fellow revolutionaries and I will be able to run Infinity Corp and River Springs.”
“No.” Her voice was sharp. “I can’t hand over the city to you and some other children I haven’t met.”
“We aren’t children anymore. We’ve seen more in the past year than you’ve seen in your whole life. We’re smart and capable of running a city. We’ve proved that with New Haven.”
“You have a president and vice president. They’re adults and running your city.”
“First, we are adults. We're nineteen. Second, we put them in charge of taking care of the day to day events for now, but we chose to have them. We’ve been hands-on the whole time. We’ve overseen protecting our citizens and fighting for their freedom and so far, we’ve won. And we’ll continue to win. No matter what you say to me, we will win in the end, I can promise you that. So, if you want our help, you will hand over the leadership of your part of the city to us.”
She swore again. “You know I can’t do that!”
“You can!” I yelled. “The man you loved predicted this would happen, and look, Mom, it’s coming true. We’re here to make this world a better place. We’re going to fix it, whether you like it or not. It’s either now or later. So, you can hand it over and work with us to do what’s right, or we’ll take it from you. You know the second way would cause more bloodshed than there needs to be. We want to fix Infinity Corp as much as you do, but not Whit’s way. We’re doing it our way.”
Rise (New Haven Book 3) Page 16
