Under Ground

by Alice Rachel

  “The news is slowly reaching the whole state,” he tells the refugees. “The authorities are trying to shut us down, but we're using an Underground transmission channel. I’m afraid this place won’t remain safe for long. The authorities will be looking for us. And we are just sitting ducks waiting to be picked off one by one if we stay in this building. We can remain here overnight and rest, but in a few days, we'll need to relocate. They've already found the officers that we shot at the bridge, but they're holding the riots accountable for now. It won't take them long to figure it out and come for us.”

  I tune him out and watch the news. A lot of things happened while we were sleeping. The camps have been exposed for what they are. Some riots started in Eboracum City last night, and the outrage is spreading quickly through the slums, including the ones in New York City, the ones right next to us. The poor are emerging from their neighborhoods, and it seems that nothing can stop them. They’re using whatever they can find as weapons against the officers facing them. What they saw on TV is beyond what they are willing to accept. On some channels, the officers can be seen calling for the population to calm down, reminding them that all resources will be cut if the riots don’t cease. But this creates the opposite effect as it ignites more anger and turbulence. The poor refuse to feed off of anything coming from camps of forced labor.

  Some members from the upper-class are staying home, sheltering themselves from the violence outside, but some others have woken up from their slumber and taken to the streets, alongside the lower class. The journalists catch them in interviews during which they express their indignation. None of them knew where our state's resources came from. They didn't know about the camps; they didn't know that our food was grown by humans exploited against their will.

  “The war has now begun and we plan on winning it," Taylor says. "We need to dig deeper and strike harder. The poor were easy to convince since they’ve been suffering for years. What we need is for every upper-class member to change their ways. They're finally opening their eyes, but the news needs to spread faster. We want a tsunami; we need this whole system dismantled and broken apart. The Underground needs you! Can we count on you?”

  Almost everyone in the room cheers and raises their fists in the air. I cast a glance at Chi. He looks at me, frowns slightly, and shakes his head in such a way that no one knows what he means except me. Chi no longer wants to be a part of this rebellion. His parents' deaths have taken away his resolutions, leaving nothing behind but a shell of who he used to be. Though Stephen is still alive, he is dead to Chi now too, and I know Chi is grieving the loss of his twin brother as well.

  Soothing him has become my primary goal. But if he hasn't changed his mind, then neither have I. I will stand my ground and fight among the rebels. No one can talk me out of my decision. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but at this very moment, a lot of people in this state are rising from under ground—awakening to a reality more dire than they could have ever imagined. The others in the room keep cheering, and Chi's hand squeezes mine ever so slightly. The future is uncertain, but the coffin that was my life is now wide open as the light of freedom finally shines bright on my horizon.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I would like to thank my husband, Christopher, for believing in me from the moment I said I wanted to write a novel. Thank you for always trusting that I could do this, even when I thought I couldn't. Thank you for pushing me to draw each one of my characters too and for listening to my endless babbles and the readings of my scenes. You are my very own Chi, and I love you.

  Merci à mes parents et à mon frère d'avoir cru en moi dès que j'ai parlé de ce projet. Merci pour votre soutien et votre amour. Je vous aime.

  Thanks to each person who asked to read my book as soon as it was finished: Jennifer London, Jessica Meeker, Stephanie Rinehart, Evelyn Espada, and Kylie Kaemke. Thank you so much for asking about it, for reading it, for encouraging me, and for telling me that it was good even though the first drafts were just plain awful.

  Thanks to my parents-in-law, and especially my mother-in-law, Nancy Dupré, for reading the book and loving it from the start. Thank you for taking the time to correct my mistakes and for asking many questions about the story.

  Claire Kann and Batool Al-Shaar, thank you for your honest reviews and feedback. I would never have known to rewrite certain scenes otherwise. Thank you for not sugar-coating the truth. I think the book is better for it.

  To those who read my book online, commented on it, and supported me at a time when I was losing faith in my writing: Josh London, Sebastian K., Nadège Chrétien, Diya Mohanna and Vera Burris—thank you for your kind comments.

  Special thanks to Chloe Berger and Erica Inductivo for being such big fans of the series. Thank you for supporting me and the characters. Your unconditional love for Stephen is very special to me. Thank you for giving him a chance. I know he makes it very difficult... Your endless encouragements just make my day, every day.

  Special thanks to Elizabeth Lee for accepting to proofread the book. Thank you for your precious time and effort.

  Thank you so much to anyone who bought this book or simply picked it up and spent time reading it. I truly hope that you enjoyed it.

  I would like to dedicate this novel to those who see their rights trampled upon every single day. To all the girls and boys in this world who have been denied access to education or the right to freedom. Our thoughts and beliefs are our own; no one can ever change that. Freedom of speech can always be taken away, but our individuality and beliefs can never be destroyed. You are in my thoughts, always.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Alice Rachel grew up in France before moving to the Unites States to live with her husband. When she doesn't write, Alice teaches French to students of all ages.

  She also spends hours reading books of all kinds (Young Adult, New Adult, Mystery, Horror, Romance, History, Graphic Novels...There probably isn't a genre that she doesn't like). She also enjoys going to the movies, visiting museums with her hubby, taking care of her guinea pigs, and drawing.

  Alice loves to interact with her readers (and so do her characters). You can find her on Twitter under @AliceRachelWrit. She also likes to chat through her website at www.alicerachelwrites.com as well as on Instagram, GoodReads, and Facebook. Her drawings can be found on www.society6.com/alicerachel.