Time to go!
Finally, the watchtower of the North Gate comes into view. I can see a light shining inside. It’s lit up like a beacon against the dark sky. I carefully maneuver the 4-wheeler down into the basement of the collapsed building. The lights on the front of the vehicle help me to swerve around concrete barriers and roll over rock and dirt without crashing. The metal door is closed as always, so I punch in the code to open it. My hands are sweaty, which causes my finger to slip on one of the numbers and punch the button directly under it instead. A red light blinks angrily at me. As I wait for something to happen, my heart is about ready to pound out of my chest. After two minutes, I wipe my hands on my shirt and try again. It works and the door slides open.
It’s eerie driving along the empty tunnel by myself. I’m so used to it being exhilarating. But that’s when I’m with Ryker, and I’m not about to lie to Dr. Fredericks’ face.
Regardless of my nerves, I have a mission—one that I am going to complete so I can get to the next mission. I need this to go well so I can find out if the Pump is manufactured on that island.
I park the 4-wheeler next to the other vehicles and cut the engine. After getting the handgun, compass, and map out of the backpack, I head for Dr. Fredericks’ office. I jog all the way there until I reach the blood-red hallway. Here, I walk with the confidence and rigidity of an Exalted. I show no concern over Ryker sending Az to Toledo Lake or that we may get caught in a lie. No, I am a good actor. I raise my hand and knock on the door three times.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
A very large Exalted guard opens the door. I walk in, my false confidence still intact. Dr. Fredericks is sitting at his desk reading over something that I can’t see. As he looks up at me, he smiles. “Mena! It’s so good to see you. How have your lessons with Ryker been? He says you are making great progress. Where is he, by the way?” Dr. Fredericks peers around me, looking for my partner.
“Ryker is in the infirmary. He is having an injury tended to. We encountered an unusually large group of marauders, sir.”
Dr. Fredericks makes a tsking sound. “That’s terrible. Tell him to report to me tomorrow morning then. I need to speak with him. So, your lessons?”
“They are going very well, sir. I have learned so much already. I have some tokens for you from today’s scouting,” I say as I slowly approach his desk. I lay down the compass, handgun, and map. Then I quickly retreat to my prior position away from the desk—away from him.
As he inspects his new tokens, I glance around the room. My eyes immediately land on the small, wood carving of a child. It’s sitting on a bookshelf next to a glass mug with a red star on it. We collected that carving from a family, just days ago. My heart gives a little squeeze as my eyes roam over the hundreds of tokens on the shelves. Hundreds. I can only hope that most of these are Ryker’s doing and not someone else’s—someone that killed the original owners.
“Very nice, Mena. I believe you are ready for your new job,” Dr. Fredericks informs me with a big smile.
“New job, sir?” I ask, struggling to keep my voice monotone and uncaring. I was not expecting this—not at all.
“Why, yes,” he gloats. “Tomorrow morning, you will collect all of your belongings from your room and report to this office. You are becoming a citizen. You will live with them, eat with them, and work with them.”
“And where will the Exalted think I went, sir?” I ask.
“You will tell them that you are moving into the housing for my private guards. That is all.”
“Yes, sir,” I say, because it’s the only thing that I can say. This change of events is going to make it impossible to get out of the Gates again. How am I going to take down the E.S.C.?
“Splendid!” Dr. Fredericks chirps with excitement. “I will see you in the morning then. And Ryker as well.”
“Yes, sir.”
I leave the office, jog down the stairs, run across the basement, climb the stairs in Ryker’s building three at a time, and then enter the hallway of his floor. The corridor is empty. I want to rush forward so that I can see Lily—I know her presence will calm me down—but I can’t hurry. I walk forward like I walk this hallway every day of my life, like I’m supposed to be here. I put on an act even though no one is here to see it.
When I reach Ryker’s door, I turn the knob and enter his apartment. It’s empty. I walk over to the couch. Nothing. The kitchen and bathroom are empty as well. Next, I push open the door to Ryker’s bedroom. There’s a bed, a dresser, and a trunk, nothing more.
Panic rises inside of me. “Lily!” I say her name in a loud whisper. “Lily!”
“Mena?”
I spin around to see Lily sliding out from under Ryker’s bed. “Lily!” I hurry toward her. I scoop her up in my arms. “You scared me!”
“I’m sorry, Mena. I heard the door opening, and I ran in here like Ryker taught me. Your footsteps don’t sound like his. That’s why I didn’t come out right away,” she explains.
“It’s okay. It’s good that you listened to Ryker. He’s told you the right thing. Keep doing that.” I look around the empty apartment. “Have you eaten yet?” I ask my young friend.
“No, Ryker usually fixes me something to eat in the evenings, but he never came home.”
“Don’t worry. He’ll be back in the morning. Something unexpected happened that he had to take care of.” I take her tiny hand and lead her to the couch. “Well, I missed dinner so I’ll fix something for the both of us. How does that sound?” I ask her with a smile. I don’t feel like smiling, but I do it for her.
***
After dinner with Lily, I tuck her into Ryker’s bed. “Will you be okay tonight?” I ask her one more time.
“I’ll be fine. I sleep in here by myself every night,” she says and then yawns loudly.
“I know, but Ryker is always in the next room.”
“I promise I’ll be okay. I’m really tired so it won’t take too long for me to fall asleep.” Lily tugs the covers up under her chin. “Good night,” she whispers.
“Good night,” I whisper in return as I shut the bedroom door.
Once I’m outside, I run over to the infirmary. It’s well past curfew, but I have to try to find Jenna. The front desk is empty so I walk the quiet halls, searching for her. There is no one around. I don’t think there are even Exalted in any of the patient rooms. I groan in frustration. I’ll have to check back in the morning before reporting to Dr. Fredericks.
I climb the stairs to my floor on the female trainee level. Two monitor citizens will be patrolling the halls now. I’ll have to try to dodge them. I did it once before so I should be able to do it again. With the lightest touch, I crack open the stairwell door that leads into the corridor. I watch as the citizens make their rounds. There are two of them as suspected. Once I get the timing down, I slip into hall and into my room with no trouble.
Val is awake and waiting for me when I turn around. She peppers me with questions. “Where were you? Why did you miss dinner? Ethan is about to go out of his mind.”
I flop down on my bed. “Ryker and I went to see his old home—one of the other Republics. I wish you could’ve seen it, Val. I was just like ours, but slightly smaller. They patrol like us, they have watchtowers like us, they have fields like us—and as we unfortunately found out—they have sirens like us. We got caught spying on them. A truck chased us down. It was Az. Az got transferred there.”
“Az?” Val nearly shouts. She is understandably shocked to hear about the trainee we thought was dead.
“Yes, Az. Ryker knocked him out and took him to some people that will bring him to Toledo Lake. I had to come back without him. I hope he makes it back in time to report to Dr. Fredericks in the morning. And when I got back, I had to go see Dr. Fredericks. He’s transferring me tomorrow. He instructed me to live with the citizens. It’s horrible. I won’t be able to get anything done if I’m stuck with them,” I complain, but for good reason.
“That’s te
rrible, Mena. I couldn’t imagine living with citizens. Just let me know what I can do to help. I want to help.”
“Thanks, Val,” I say.
“So, do you think Az will be okay where Ryker takes him?” she asks.
“It’s the other people I’m worried about. Let’s hope they have some good restraints.”
“Good point. And what about Ryker? Do you think he’ll make it back in time for your meeting in the morning?”
“I hope so,” I sigh.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
I rush down the stairs for my morning run. It’s still dark out and the air is cool. My legs work harder than I’ve ever pushed them before. Every second counts because I need to get to the infirmary before I’m due for my meeting with Dr. Fredericks. Jenna needs to know about Ryker. I hope she can cover for him if need be.
When I finish with my run, I head back up to my room for a quick shower. I finish so quickly that there are actually Exalted heading down about to begin their own run.
After a speedy shower, I head down to the infirmary. A citizen is sitting at the front desk. She doesn’t look at me when I approach. At the last second, I decide it’s probably not a good idea to ask for Jenna by name. I maneuver around the desk and proceed down a long hallway lined with patient rooms. The citizen must be completely unconcerned with my presence because she doesn’t come after me.
As I walk down the hall, lit by fluorescent light panels in the ceiling, I peek into open doorways. A few medical citizens are tending to supplies in a closet. Jenna is not one of them so I continue forward. The hall turns and I follow its path around the corner. Room after room is empty.
Finally, I hear her voice. It’s flat and lifeless, which is not like the lively Jenna I’ve come to know. My anger flares at the thought of us having to hide our true selves from the Republic—from everyone.
I stop in front of the room she is working in. She is sitting at a desk, working on a computer. There is a male medical citizen next to her doing similar work. He doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere soon. I need to speak to her now, so I have no choice but to knock on the door. They both turn around.
Before speaking, I clear my throat. “Your assistance is required, female citizen,” I notify the woman.
She nods and stands. The male citizen resumes his work on the computer. Once Jenna is in the hall with me, she pulls the office door shut behind her. “What’s wrong?” she questions me.
“Ryker didn’t make it back last night after our trip north. We had a little mishap. I had to tell Dr. Fredericks that he came to the infirmary last night after we returned. You saw him, if anyone asks. Okay? Please?”
“Of course. That’s not a problem. I’ll go ahead and put it in the system,” Jenna says, assuring me the issue with Ryker will be okay.
“Also, I need some of that sleeping powder you gave to Ryker for our trip to the library. I’m going in again.”
“Stay here,” she instructs me. Jenna heads down the hallway and around the corner. She disappears from sight but only for a minute or two. When she returns she slips a tiny vial into the palm of my hand. “Be careful with this.”
“I will. Don’t worry. Thank you for your help.”
“I should get back before my co-worker comes out the door for some reason. Is there anything else, Mena?”
I shake my head. “No…Oh, I start my work with the citizens today. I may see you around.”
“I understand,” she replies. Then she glances over her shoulder. “I have to get back.”
“Okay. Thanks again, Jenna,” I whisper.
Once outside, in the bright light of the day, I sprint to the cafeteria. I need to show my face one last time. I also have to tell my friends that I am moving.
Ethan will be jealous. I know it.
I sit across from Val. Trudi and Neima are at our table as well. Ethan is sitting across the aisle, but close enough to me that he can hear me. “I’m moving today. Dr. Fredericks wants me to live in the personal guard apartments,” I tell my friends. I wait for them to respond. Val already knew about me moving, but the others didn’t until now. She doesn’t say anything.
“You should be honored,” Trudi says. Neima nods in agreement.
I glance over to Ethan. He surprises me when he says, “Will I be moving there when we are United?” Is that all he has to say? It saddens me that he only shows concern for himself—for his status.
“I suppose so,” I answer. I don’t like thinking about the United Ceremony. It makes my stomach tighten in an uncomfortable way.
“Good,” Ethan responds.
Disappointment eats at my heart. I wish I could crawl inside Ethan’s brain and find out what he’s thinking and what his motives are. He becomes more mysterious by the day.
I eat fast. My oatmeal is bland and hard to swallow, but I force it down so I can escape Ethan. But being around Ethan is better than being around Dr. Fredericks. And being around Ethan is way better than being around Dr. Fredericks if Ryker doesn’t show up. I hope he made it back.
I carry my tray to the front of the room. I’m happy to see that Ethan doesn’t follow after me. After I’m dismissed, I sprint to my dorm room, grab my trunk with my packed belongings, and say goodbye to my old bed. For a second I consider hiding the vial of sleeping powder in the trunk, but then I think better of it and stuff it in my sports bra. The trunk is large and awkward, but not heavy for an Exalted. I’m able to maneuver it to rest on top of my shoulder as I descend the stairs of my old building. Once outside, I head toward the Capitol.
Before I know it, Dr. Fredericks’ office door is in front of me. The walk here was a blur. Was the sun bright? Were there clouds in the sky? Was it raining? Was an army of marauders attacking us? I have no idea. I pause outside before knocking. I collect myself, and put on my Exalted mask. Then I tell myself, don’t react to Ryker. Don’t show that I’m happy he made it back, and don’t show that I’m worried if he didn’t.
I knock three times. An Exalted guard opens the door as usual. I stride in and lower my trunk to the ground. I don’t look around to see if he’s here.
“Good morning, Mena! I see that you are ready for your new mission,” Dr. Fredericks says from his seat behind his desk.
“Yes, sir.”
“Splendid!” He curls his fingers inward several times, motioning for someone to come over. “Ryker, give Mena her new clothes, and then after she’s changed; take her things to storage.”
Don’t react, Mena. Don’t react.
Ryker approaches me, and hands me a folded stack of clothes with a pair of brown shoes placed on top. I take them and say, “Thank you.” My heart stops. Physical reactions are difficult to suppress. I can only hope that I’m doing a sufficient enough job.
“You can change in the restroom, there,” Ryker points to a door in the corner of the room.
I nod and make my way to the room. Inside is a vanity with a marble top and a sink in the center. There is also a toilet. The room is about the size of my old dorm room, with walls painted sky blue. It has a nice feel to it, not at all like the ominous blood-red hallway leading to this office.
Thank goodness I didn’t hide that vial in my trunk. I leave it in my bra and then quickly change into my new citizen clothing. After I’m fully dressed, I glance in the mirror over the sink. The clothes aren’t fitted like my usual attire. They are boxy. I guess that since they are a mossy green, my new job must be as a landscaping citizen. I fold up my black clothing and fasten my knife belt back around my waist.
When I return to the office, Dr. Fredericks laughs at me. “Mena, you are a citizen now. Do citizens use weapons?”
“No, sir,” I answer, while on the inside I’m fuming. I may have to kill him right now. If he takes my knives, I’m going to lose it.
“Hand over your knives and clothes to Ryker. He’ll put them in your trunk for storage. You’ll get them back when your mission is over.”
Overcoming my emotions in this moment is even more diffic
ult than when Dr. Fredericks confronted me in the restroom at the Third Trial Banquet. I don’t want to hand them over. Giving him my knives is like giving him my arm. But I have no choice if I want to complete my real mission. I slowly unfasten the belt. Ryker reaches out and snatches it from me, so I don’t have time to waiver in front of our cruel leader. I easily hand him my old clothes. He puts the items in my trunk and leaves the office with it.
“A citizen dressed similarly to you will be waiting for you in the lobby. She will be your new roommate. She will take you to your new room and show you around. I told her you were Taken and one of our scouts recovered you. This will be a good cover story. Those that are off the supplement will seek you out for information about the outside world. You will report any suspicions to me, understood?” Dr. Fredericks instructs.
“Yes, sir,” I reply.
“Oh, and Mena, you’re name when you are around them is Rebecca . . . Now go. I will call for you in a few days’ time.” He looks back down at the stack of papers on his desk.
“Yes, sir.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Rebecca. I’ve never heard that name before. It feels odd to be expected to go by a citizen’s name. But I quite like the sound of it.
I leave the office, descend the stairs, and find my way into the grand lobby. Colorful banners hang from the ceiling. Beautiful works of art hang from the walls. This grand room is a delight that the Ambassadors clearly take for granted. Not one of them looks around as they walk through the space.
I probably shouldn’t either.
In no time at all, I find the landscaping citizen. She is the same height as me. Her body is soft and round. She has wavy, brown hair and brown eyes. She does not smile as I approach her.
“I am Rebecca,” I say to her as way of introduction.
“I am Claire,” she says in return. “I am here to show you to our room and to your new job.”
Denounced (Exalted Trilogy: Book 2) Page 12
