From the Dust: A Dystopian Novel (Ember Society Book 1)

by AR Colbert

  Reaching her position at the front of the room, she turned back toward the crowd. “All rise for Chief Justice Martha Hines.”

  Georgia’s mom looked like the Grim Reaper as she glided into place behind the bench. Her eyes were burning like a wildfire, and just the sight of her brought a chill clear to my bones.

  As we stood, I turned my head to make eye contact with Margo a few rows back on the opposite side. She gave me a quick, small shake of her head. Her eyes were puffy like she’d been crying, but they weren’t sad. They were full of terror. It was very different from Georgia’s prideful eyes and smug smile right beside her.

  I turned back toward the front of the room, sure that my eyes shared Margo’s terror.

  “Take your seats.” Justice Hines waved her hand in front of her like she was swatting a gnat. Then she looked pointedly at one of the cameras stationed on the far right. “We’re going to make this quick.”

  She pulled a folder from her desk—not the one I’d handed to Britt—and pulled out a sheet of paper. “This case is fairly cut and dry. Frank Dalton, you have been accused of treason, and I find you—”

  The side doors slammed open before she could finish her sentence, and in poured eight or ten strangers in dark clothes. They had bandannas pulled up across their faces so that only their eyes were visible under their snug wool hats. Each set of outstretched arms held a gun, and whether they were stun guns or actual firearms I couldn’t tell.

  “Stop them!” Justice Hines yelled from the front of the room, but the Protectors were too slow.

  Six of the strangers circled Frank and his guards, whipping the Protectors across the face with their pistols and slamming them with elbows. One threw a punch, knocking a Protector to the floor before he could pull his own gun. The final guard was advancing on a lone man, and I held my breath as I prepared to watch one of the strangers go down.

  But a shot was fired from across the room—a stun, thankfully—and the guard hit the ground instead. Before I knew it, all four Protectors were on the floor and Frank was being pulled out by his arms. But Frank didn’t resist. The strangers had to have been rebels from the Outside. And evidently the Outsiders had a violent side.

  The man who fired the stun was shorter than the others. His broad shoulders bounced slightly with a wild, victorious laugh. He approached the bench where Justice Hines was scrambling for something, and then he turned and looked right at me.

  I’d recognize those hazel eyes anywhere. They mirrored my own. They were crinkled in the corners, and I could imagine his grin under the bandanna. But how did he get here?

  Justice Hines stood tall again behind him, drawing my attention to her imposing figure. Her arms were held perpendicular to her black gown, straight as an arrow, and the weight of a thousand elephants crushed my chest as my lungs pushed my brother’s name through my lips.

  “CATO!”

  CHAPTER 28

  It was too late. The shot had been fired.

  I stared in horror as my brother’s body hit the floor. Cato’s head bounced off the tile in slow motion when his body landed with a sickening thud. My legs propelled me to him, but the force of my motion sent me down to the ground as well. Time seemed to freeze— I looked around as I fell and caught a glimpse of chaos as the others in the courtroom scrambled for the exits or ducked under benches of their own. Their mouths opened and closed in screams, but I heard nothing.

  My hands smacked the cold tile on the courtroom floor, bringing me back to my senses as I landed on my knees, and I realized it wasn’t my own force that caused my fall. It was a pair of large, strong hands that had reached out and grabbed my ankles from under the bench. I was alone on my row now. Emmaline had disappeared in the commotion, so I had to handle this on my own. I reared back as quickly as I could, bringing my elbow into my attacker’s nose with a crack.

  He yelped quietly but didn’t retaliate. Instead, he reached out to my shoulders and whispered frantically.

  “Claren, calm down. It’s me.”

  Raf. Of all people, Raf should understand why I needed to get out there to Cato. I had to see if he was stunned or injured—or both. There was still a chance I could save him.

  “Let me go!” I fought to free myself, but he held on.

  “Breathe. This is important, and I need you to listen.”

  “No.” I yanked one arm free. “That’s Cato. I saw him. He’s shot and I need to get his body before he wakes up. Now please just let me go.”

  Raf’s eyes were cloudy as he reached up and pulled the bandanna down enough to reveal his nose and mouth, safe under the bench away from the view of the others.

  “He’s not going to wake up.” There was a tremble in his voice. But he couldn’t be upset yet. We didn’t know for sure. Firearms were illegal for everyone other than Leaders. Justice Hines was powerful, but she was not a Leader. She was still just a Peacemaker. It should have been a stun gun.

  I struggled to loosen his grip once more. “I just need to see. Please.”

  But he held on even tighter. Turning my body and pulling me closer, he lowered me all the way to the ground beside him, both of us on our bellies, and he pointed straight ahead. In front of us, under the chair legs and tables at the front of the room, before the Justice’s bench, I had a clear shot of Cato. His body lay lifeless on the floor, and leaking from under the sides of his unmoving form was a dark pool of liquid, spreading slowly across the tile.

  His blood was the same color as mom’s. But then, I supposed everyone’s blood was that color. It just seemed so much darker in death, like a mirror into my own heart—a sign of the days to come.

  Beads of sweat dotted my forehead as a wave of nausea came over me, but Raf’s presence was a calming force. I didn’t know how he was able to do it. How he was able to keep his own emotions in check enough to not only find calmness within himself, but to find enough to project into me. It seemed impossible, but I was grateful for it. And it was necessary in order to hear the words he said next.

  “You have to support the judge.”

  I shook my head, trying to protest, but his projection was like a sedative.

  “Not in your heart, but in her heart—she has to believe it. You have to keep going.” He gestured to the right. “See those cameras? Give them a show. The public loves you already. Show them why Classen City needs you on the inside. Because Claren, we need you on the inside.”

  “Raf, I can’t.”

  “You can. You’re strong. This isn’t easy for any of us. No one said it would be easy. But Cato put his life on the line for the cause. He knew this was a possibility. Don’t let his sacrifice go to waste. Congratulate the judge on her excellent shot.”

  Raf winced as he uttered the last sentence. The words were harsh and cruel and his timing was awful. I wanted to scream and cry and grieve. But there wasn’t time for any of that. I had to make a decision now.

  Could I do it? Could I really be convincing enough to make the public believe I was on the side of Classen City and the New American law, even when that law called for the execution of my brother? There was only one way to find out.

  Raf placed his hand on my shaking back, and rubbed a gentle circle. “You’ve got this. But you need to go now.”

  I turned to face his misty eyes and nodded once. I didn’t know why he was helping me after I’d turned Frank in, but there wasn’t time to find out. I just had to trust him. He pulled the bandanna back up over his nose and rolled to the side, rising to a crouch and moving toward the back exit after the other Outsiders. I rolled to the opposite side of the table once he’d gone.

  There were just a few others on their feet. Most of the crowd had already exited, and those who remained were cowering behind whatever protection they could find. Most had probably never seen a firearm or heard a gunshot before—even the adults and other Leaders. At eighteen years old I’d already witnessed two fatal shots and enough spilled blood to last me a lifetime.

  The sight of Cato’s body lying sti
ll on the now stained tile brought an involuntary dry heave from my belly. I forced myself to look away, and mistakenly met the eyes of his murderer. Justice Hines stared at me with a triumphant grin. I wanted to take her down, remove her revolting smile from my sight, but I couldn’t. Instead, I stuffed my blood-thirsty desire for revenge into my deepest depths and focused on the energy I was picking up from Justice Hines.

  Her glee was disgusting. She was so proud and righteous in that courtroom, her heart thumping with exhilaration. And the look on her face was intended for me. She still gripped the weapon in her hands and dared me to act against her. She was ready to take me down, too.

  I allowed myself to lean into her emotions and gathered the confidence I needed to step toward my brother’s corpse. Numb to myself, and feeling only the fiery adrenaline of a killer, I forced a meager smirk to my face and nudged Cato’s arm with my foot. It barely moved through the sticky puddle of blood.

  My actions surprised the judge. No—she was outright shocked. I met her eyes again, maintaining my smirk, and gave an approving nod. My heart was pounding and the room went black around the edges of my vision, but I had to move forward. The red light blinking on the camera across the room was now fixed on me and the horrible monster across from me.

  “Nice shot,” I said. My voice was barely recognizable.

  She stared blankly for a moment, probably trying to read how I was really feeling. If I was on her side, I’d be relieved that Cato was down, but also frustrated about Frank getting away. I’d feel angry and vengeful toward the Outsiders. Angry and vengeful I could do.

  “He had it coming,” she finally said. She was still trying to antagonize me, but I had to refuse to allow it to affect me. I nodded in agreement, still maintaining my expression, which I hoped looked more like a grin than a grimace.

  “He did.”

  “So you’re not upset.”

  “I’m upset that my brother turned against our city and put innocent lives in danger.” Not true. No one’s life was endangered by his stun gun. But that’s not what the public would be told.

  “He was a traitor. He should’ve been sentenced to execution at his trial.” Justice Hines said the last part quietly but full of malice. If she believed Cato should have been executed, why didn’t she order it?

  I cut my gaze over to the flashing cameras on the side of the room and the trembling man operating the equipment. Did he catch her words?

  A cold hand on my wrist stole my attention and prevented me from dwelling on it too long. I turned to meet the icy blue gaze of Emmaline Frasier. Her expression was completely flat as she raised my wrist in the air.

  “Claren Greenwood, you did it again.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. I had no idea what she was thinking as she continued, speaking loudly and turning slightly toward the cameraman. “Thank you for calling Justice Hines’ attention to the intruder and identifying him as a known criminal. Your allegiance to Classen City is astounding, and this goes to show that you will do whatever it takes for our people.”

  From the corner of my eye I watched Justice Hines drop her arms and brush off her robe. She was agitated about something, but she didn’t speak. She seemed to purposely avoid turning her attention toward us at all.

  “Now we really must go and get you cleaned up.” Emmaline pulled me toward the back exit of the courtroom, but I stopped to sneak one last glance at my brother. His bandanna had fallen askew, and he looked peaceful as he lay, a sight that would remain ingrained in my mind forever. I wished his last moments had been a little more peaceful. It wasn’t fair for him to go out like that. And it wasn’t fair that I didn’t get to say goodbye.

  My shoe left sticky crimson footprints as we walked away from my brother’s body, and I think Emmaline may have been speaking, but I don’t know what she said. I honestly don’t even know how I made it out of the room. I was completely numb.

  The hallway was buzzing with Protectors and Leaders searching for the Outsiders. They weren’t searching the right places, though. The halls were lined with doors—some leading to other rooms or offices, some just closets. One of them no doubt held a secret passage to the underground tunnels, because they wouldn’t be foolish enough to attempt an escape through the doors of City Hall. Raf was too smart for that.

  Why wasn’t he smart enough to keep Cato out of here? The thought rocked my numbness away, and suddenly overcome by emotion—all of the emotions tangled into one giant knot in my stomach—I stopped and retched on the hallway floor. The sight of Cato’s blood on my shoe caught my eye as I hunched over, and I couldn’t get my body to cooperate. I was so sick. Sick with grief, sick of death, and sick of the games we had to play to bring the truth to light.

  Emmaline stood motionless, waiting for me to finish before signaling someone over to take care of the mess. She handed me a bottle of water and a small white tablet from a tiny plastic bottle in her bag.

  “Take this. You’ll feel better.”

  I didn’t even question it. I swallowed the pill in a hurry, desperate to find any source of relief for my pain. And after washing it down with a gulp of water I looked up to find Felix Walsh leaning against the wall across from us, watching me with a somber stare.

  Emmaline guided me through a maze of hallways to an obscure exit at the back corner of the building. My feet were getting heavy as we walked through the halls, so I was grateful for her support. I spotted her black coupe outside, but the brightness of the sunlight reflecting from its surface forced my eyes closed. It felt good to close them. So good, in fact, that I didn’t open them again. I didn’t open them until I was safe and sound under my green duvet in Noble borough. It was dawn on Tuesday.

  CHAPTER 29

  A knock at the door finally awoke me from the deepest sleep I’d ever experienced. Emmaline didn’t wait for me to answer before letting herself in. My limbs were still too heavy to get up and greet her properly.

  “Sleep well?” she asked.

  “I did.” I rubbed the grogginess from my eyes and mustered the strength to sit up. “What brings you by so early?”

  “I came to retrieve you. It’s time for you to leave the Peacemaker training program.”

  Of course it was. Memories of Frank’s trial came crashing back into mind. My failed plan to persuade Justice Hines to exile Frank. The Outsiders bursting into the courtroom. Seeing Cato. Watching the judge murder him.

  I closed my eyes, my head spinning as I tried to push through the steady throb of a headache developing. Emmaline came and sat on the edge of my bed. Her presence in my personal space made me uneasy.

  “I’ll wait downstairs while you gather your things. Please try to hurry. I’d like to leave before your roommates wake up. I’m not in the mood to answer their questions.” She stood and smoothed her navy blue slacks before making her way out of my room.

  She wasn’t even going to let me say goodbye. But maybe that was a good thing. I must’ve looked like a fool to everyone after the stunt I pulled yesterday. I tried to tell Raf I couldn’t do it. I should’ve just run away with him and the others.

  To those who sided with the Outsiders, I looked like a horrible traitor. I probably looked like a traitor to everyone else as well. People either saw me show no regard to my brother after he was shot, or like Emmaline, they saw right through my charade of pretending to support Justice Hines. I was a liar either way.

  I didn’t have much to gather before running downstairs where Emmaline waited by the front door. We left quietly, jogging quickly through the cool morning fog to her car. I hesitated before climbing in, taking one last look at the house. I hoped Margo would find success. Edgar too. They had both learned so much already. They would be excellent Peacemakers.

  “I know yesterday was difficult,” Emmaline said as we drove.

  I nodded, unable to respond. She had no idea how difficult yesterday was for me.

  “But you made quite an impression,” she continued. “Which is why you are being reassigned.”


  I nodded again. Maybe if I was lucky I could at least get an indoor position cleaning toilets or something.

  “We’re going to swing by your old home in Morton borough. I’d like to stay with you and accompany you to your new residence, but unfortunately I am needed elsewhere today. You’ll have two hours to clean out anything you wish to keep before your ride comes to escort you to your new living quarters. With you and your brother both gone, the house will be reassigned to a different family next week, so don’t leave anything behind you don’t want to get thrown away.”

  I wondered where my new house would be. As a single woman too young to be matched, I supposed I’d end up in another group home. But group homes in Morton borough were definitely not like the group homes in Noble. I’d probably share a bunk bed with someone in a one-bedroom apartment.

  The sun was fully visible over the horizon as we passed through the business district onto the familiar streets near my old neighborhood. There were quite a few people outside, likely walking to work for the day. But they stopped and looked at the car as we drove past. I didn’t recognize many of their faces, but they seemed to recognize me. Some smiled and nodded toward the car, but what really struck me was the number of people who held their hands over their hearts—just like they had done when Cato rolled through after his trial.

  I turned to see what Emmaline’s reaction was, but she seemed oblivious to it. She didn’t take her eyes off the road until we pulled up in front of my house, and I swear they looked a little misty as she turned to tell me goodbye.

  “I wish you the best of luck, Claren. I’m sorry for the events that brought us here, but I’m happy to have gotten to know you. And this is goodbye for now, but I’m sure our paths will cross again.”

  Unlikely. I didn’t plan on getting into enough trouble to bring me back into her circle again. But I appreciated her kind words. Emmaline wasn’t the kind of person you wanted to leave on bad terms.