Sunset Rising

by S. M. McEachern

  “I’m a good listener and we have all night,” she said.

  I knew she wanted me to be a true friend and share secrets with her. I wasn’t so sure it was a good idea.

  “My mother’s gone now and my father just lost his job. I need to look after him, so marriage will have to wait for… well, until I’m available,” I said awkwardly.

  “Then you and I have something in common,” she leaned forward to hug me. I found it strange that she wanted to touch me. “I lost my mother too. She died shortly after I was born. She had a heart defect. How did your mother die?”

  “Um…” I said awkwardly. I wondered why she was asking me this. She must know. “She was 35,” I said quietly.

  “Oh, she was Culled,” Leisel said in understanding, giving me a sympathetic look. She took both my hands in hers and gave me a serious look, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “I promise you that things will be different under Jack and me.” She hugged me again, tighter this time. “That is, if I manage to live long enough to get married.”

  “You mean someone is really trying to kill you?” I asked. I remembered our conversation in the kitchen.

  “Yes. My guards tell me they’ve stumbled upon an assassination plot. Someone wants me dead! Someone doesn’t want me to marry Jack,” she moaned.

  “It doesn’t make any sense though,” I said.

  I was trying to sort it all out in my head, but my thoughts were getting confused. It must be from the wine. I put my glass down.

  “It makes perfect sense, Sunny. Jack and I don’t want to live with things the way they are now. We want change. But there’s someone out there that doesn’t agree with us. So they’re trying to stop the marriage by murdering me.”

  There were questions trying to make their way into my muddled thoughts. Like why not kill Jack? He would be an easier target than the President’s daughter.

  “Oh, it’s all so hopeless. My guards think the assassins will wait until my wedding day, when I’m in public. Daddy’s holding the wedding in the main reception hall of the Dome so that everyone can come and see us get married. I’ll have no protection.”

  “You’ll be defenseless!” I cried hopelessly.

  I was surprised to hear my words slurring together. I tried to picture the main reception hall in my head. I think it had at least one level looking down on it. She would be out in the open for anyone to take a shot at. I didn’t want to see her killed. She and Jack were going to change life in the Dome. They might be our only hope.

  “There must be something you can do. Tell your father. He’ll change the wedding plans,” I suggested.

  “I’ve tried to tell my father, but he thinks I’m crazy. The thing is, I can’t tell my father that Jack and I plan to make changes. He would never approve and would probably call off the wedding altogether. The wedding needs to happen. I just need to find a way to stay safe,” she pondered sadly.

  “I wish I could help,” I said sincerely. I was feeling like all the hope she had just given me for a better future in the Pit was about to be lost. If she and Jack didn’t get married, we would always live under the oppression of President Holt.

  “Maybe you can help Sunny,” Leisel said, her expression brightening.

  “Anything Leisel. I’ll help anyway I can,” I said eagerly. I took a big sip of wine and emptied my glass. Leisel refilled it.

  “Maybe you can take my place in the wedding,” she said.

  Chapter Five

  I didn’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. Take her place? As in be the bride? I shook my head no. It would never work.

  “Just listen for a minute,” Leisel pleaded. I couldn’t really get up and leave, so I stayed and listened. “We’re the same height but I’m a little… well healthier than you are,” she said of her plump figure. “My wedding dress is big enough for you to put a bulletproof vest on under it. We can cover up your hair with a wig and I have a veil that will go over your face. No one will ever know it’s you and not me.”

  “Your fiancé will know!” I blurted out. The entire Dome would be watching the wedding. Someone was bound to notice.

  “Jack!” Leisel called out. “Can you come in here for a minute?”

  A tired looking Jack came into the room. His tie was gone and his shirt was unbuttoned and wrinkled. It looked like he had been sleeping.

  “Sunny and I have an idea,” Leisel began. I opened my mouth to correct her, but she cut me off before I had a chance. “We were thinking that she could pose as me during the wedding. Now I know what you’re thinking – it’s a crazy idea. But she’s thin enough to get bulletproof clothing under the dress and we’ll keep her face covered. No one will suspect a thing.”

  “Leisel, is this about the assassination plot again?” Jack asked in an irritated tone.

  I was surprised he would be so callous about his fiancée’s life being in danger. If my life were in danger, Reyes would do anything to protect me. I took another sip of wine.

  “Of course! What else would it be about?” Leisel said annoyed.

  “I think the guards have been filling your head with nonsense. I had some people check into the possibility of a plot and nothing’s been uncovered,” Jack assured her.

  “Are you accusing me of lying?” Leisel asked in disbelief.

  “No. I’m saying someone’s trying to scare you,” he corrected her. He was beginning to look worried.

  “My guards wouldn’t lie to me. And I can’t believe how easily you just dismiss it. Maybe you don’t love me Jack. Maybe this whole wedding is a big mistake,” she said, bursting into tears.

  “Leisel!” Jack crossed the room and pulled her off the sofa and into his arms. “You know that’s not true. I want more than anything to be your husband.”

  Not the first time tonight I felt that I really shouldn’t be here witnessing their intimacy. Although I believed Leisel did have a point. Jack hadn’t exactly declared his love yet.

  “If that’s true then you’ll want to protect me. Do this for me,” she pouted.

  “But if she’s the bride then I won’t be marrying you will I?” Jack said gently. Leisel refused to look at him. He lifted her chin to meet his gaze. “Will I?” he insisted.

  “It will be me. Just by proxy, that’s all. She can walk down the aisle and exchange vows with you – that doesn’t legally make you married to each other. We have to scan-in and register to make it legal. So I’ll just meet you in the Registry room and exchange places with her. It will work,” Leisel pleaded.

  “Leisel, it’s a crazy idea. Of course it won’t work. There will be other people in the Registry room witnessing our scan-in,” Jack said, annoyed.

  “Not if I tell my father I don’t want anyone else in the room. He knows I’m not happy about how public he’s making my wedding. If I ask for just this one, short, private moment, he’ll give it to me.”

  Jack dropped his arms from her waist and took a step back. He raised his arm and raked his hand through his hair. It was easy to see that he didn’t like her plan, but was feeling backed into a corner.

  “I don’t want to die, Jack, and I’m really scared!” Leisel pleaded. She threw her arms around him. “We have such a bright future planned together. I don’t want anything to take that away.”

  At the sight of them clinging to each, I stared back down at my wine glass. They obviously had some issues to work out and I was feeling awkward being there.

  “I don’t see how it’s going to work Leisel,” he sounded frustrated.

  “Will you agree if I promise to tell my father? He’s worried about the assassination plot too, but he doesn’t want to call off the wedding. After all, he’s using our wedding to show everyone that life is still good in the Dome, so he can’t very well cancel it because someone is trying to kill me,” she reasoned with him.

  “If your father approves, then I’ll agree to your plan,” Jack said reluctantly.

  “Then I’ll tell him. I know he’ll approve,” Leisel said v
ictoriously. He smiled and pulled her close and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Oh Jack, I knew you’d understand. I knew you’d want to protect me,” Leisel said, happily snuggling his neck.

  I cleared my throat.

  “Oh, Sunny! Sorry, we got a little carried away,” Leisel apologized.

  She let go of Jack and came back to sit on the sofa beside me. Her tears were gone now, replaced with a smile. I was hoping the lovebirds wanted to be alone and they would let me go home. “It looks like we’ll go through with our little plan.”

  I didn’t recall agreeing.

  “Leisel, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with the idea. I mean there will be a lot of people watching…” I began.

  “Sunny, I thought you agreed with this? You understand how important our marriage is, don’t you? You want to support us?” she pouted.

  “I do! I just think if it doesn’t work… if I’m caught…” I said awkwardly. Would she be angry with me for fearing for my own life?

  “I know it’s a big favour I’m asking of you. It’s a risk for me too, even with my father’s approval. But if the risks are worth it in the end…” Leisel said, her voice trailing off and her expression becoming serious. “You know, when I saw your friend Summer stealing food, I was obligated to report her to her to the authorities. But I didn’t.” Leisel’s hand came up to caress my hair. “You know, I’m still obligated to tell the truth about her. If anyone asks me if I saw anything, I’d have to say yes. I could get into a lot of trouble for lying. But sometimes friends do things for each other.”

  Although my head was swimming from the wine, the implication of her words did not escape me. Do this for her or she would report Summer.

  “Yes. I’ll do it,” I whispered in defeat. I didn’t really have a choice. “It’s very late. Can I go home now? I have to work in the morning.”

  “No silly, you can’t go home! You’ll have to stay here. We have a lot of work to do before the wedding.” A smile lit up her face and she hugged me.

  I just wanted to go home. I wanted to be with my father. I wanted to make sure Summer was home safe and sound. I wanted to tell Reyes everything was fine. I missed them. It felt like it’s been forever since I saw them. Why won’t she let me go?

  “You can stay here in Jack’s room. He can take the sofa and you can have the bed,” Leisel offered.

  “What?” Jack exclaimed.

  “Well, you requested her from the party. No one will question it if she spends the night here,” Leisel reminded him.

  “I requested her for you, not me,” he said angrily.

  “Jack, be reasonable. She can’t go home. I need to fit her with the wedding dress, teach her how to walk down the aisle, how to act, and well everything. There’s so much to do and not much time left before the wedding,” Leisel said in a panicked voice.

  “But I need to go to work in the morning. I’ll lose my job if I don’t show up,” I interjected. Was it the wine that was making me so brazen in the face of these two important bourge? I had never even spoken to a guard like this before.

  “Sunny, don’t worry about your job. When this is all over, I’m going to hire you to be my personal maid. We’re always going to be good friends,” Leisel said happily. She stood then and went to Jack. “I’m going to go and get some sleep. I suggest you two do the same. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.” She kissed her fiancé on the lips and then skipped out the door.

  The apartment suddenly became very quiet except for the soft music playing in the background. Jack stood in the middle of the room looking at me. I remained on the sofa looking at him. My head was starting to pound and the food I ate sat heavy in my stomach. I really didn’t feel good. I really just wanted to go home.

  “You can have the bed,” Jack broke the silence.

  “Um… if I could just go home…” I began.

  “You heard her, you can’t!” he snapped. He raked a hand through his hair. He looked upset and I didn’t want to provoke him anymore. He could do whatever he wanted to me and no one would ever question it.

  “I’ll stay on the sofa,” I offered quietly. I didn’t want to move. I didn’t want to be in his bedroom.

  “It’s better if you’re in my bed. If someone comes by and checks… they’ll be expecting… you know,” he stammered.

  “Okay,” I agreed. What else could I do? I set my half empty wine glass on the table and stood up. Suddenly the room was spinning around and I was losing my balance.

  “Whoa! How much wine did you have?” he asked. He was standing next to me, holding my arm in case I fell down. I didn’t remember him even moving.

  “I didn’t think…” I put my hand to my head. I wished it would stop spinning.

  “You’ve never had wine before, have you?” he asked.

  “No,” I managed to say. My stomach was roiling. “I don’t feel good.”

  In an instant Jack picked me up and carried me into his bathroom where I promptly vomited.

  Chapter Six

  The pounding in my head wouldn’t let me sleep anymore and I reluctantly woke up. A big fluffy blanket was on top of me and I threw it off. The room was hot enough. I realized I was wearing nothing but my underclothes and the bed I was sleeping in wasn’t familiar. It was big, soft, and very uncomfortable. I tried to sit up but it only made the pounding in my head worse. I was thirsty. I noticed a glass of water next to the bed and I sat up and drained it. The change in elevation didn’t help my head at all, but the cool liquid sliding down my throat felt heavenly. I fell back on the bed, exhausted with my exertion. I tried to recall the night’s events.

  The last thing I remembered was getting sick. I looked across the room and saw the large bathroom Jack took me into. If I wasn’t feeling so awful, I’d probably be astonished that he had his own shower and tub, but all I could do was wonder if there was more water in there. I swung my legs off the bed and stood up. It felt like my head was going to blow right off my neck. I stumbled in and found a tap. I turned it on and ducked my head under and drank.

  I went back to the room and lay down on the bed. I didn’t know where Jack was and I didn’t want to know. The bed felt so uncomfortable and the room so hot. The temperature in the Dome was so much warmer than the Pit. I rolled off the bed and onto the floor. The carpet was about the same thickness as my own bed and it was cooler on the floor. I managed to drift back to sleep.

  “Sunny? Spring? Summer?” A frantic voice disturbed my sleep. Was it Reyes? “What’s your name, where are you?”

  The voice was demanding now. It sounded angry. I pushed myself up onto my elbow and was relieved to find my head didn’t hurt as much as it did last night. I remembered that I wasn’t dressed, so I pulled the blanket off the bed to cover myself. Suddenly, Jack Kenner’s face peered over the side of the bed at me.

  “What are you doing down there? Did you fall out of bed?” he asked.

  Would he understand that I preferred the floor to his soft bed? Probably not.

  “Yeah,” I lied.

  “Are you okay?” he inquired.

  “Just fine,” I said sarcastically. My head was hurting, I had an unquenchable thirst and my stomach was growling again. And all I wanted to do was go home.

  “You scared me. I thought maybe you found a way to get out of here. Leisel would’ve killed me,” he said.

  “I’m here,” I said, as much as I would prefer not to be.

  “Come on. They delivered a protein drink to me this morning in case I had a hangover. You have it.” He rolled off the bed and threw a bathrobe at me. “Wear this. Your dress needs to be washed.”

  Tentatively I stood up. Not as bad as last night, but not great either. I gratefully put on the bathrobe.

  Jack was sitting on the sofa reading something on a computer tablet when I came into the living room. He looked up at me and held out a glass. I accepted it and sat down on one of the chairs. I took a sip. It tasted like the food we get in the Pit. I gulped it down.

  “Slowly o
r you’re going to get sick again,” he warned. “Do you remember everything from last night?”

  I thought for a moment. I remembered agreeing to be the bride at his wedding. I also remembered not having much choice in the matter.

  “I think so. You and Leisel want me to pose as the bride because you’re afraid someone is trying to kill her,” I said.

  “Well, you’re almost right. It’s what Leisel wants, not me,” he corrected.

  “Right,” I agreed.

  “I am going to marry Leisel no matter what. I just prefer she’s the one standing beside me at the altar. So how are you and I going to make that happen?” he asked. He took his blue eyes off his tablet to give me a direct look.

  “Me? What can I do? I’m powerless,” I shrugged.

  “I disagree. She seems to really like you. You might be able to influence her,” he said, still scrutinizing me.

  “Me? Have influence over the President’s daughter?” I laughed. Even the thought was absurd.

  “Just convince her that no one is trying to assassinate her,” he said in an exasperated tone.

  I realized how impossible my situation was. I was caught between two of the most powerful people under the Dome next to the President. And I was no one. If I didn’t help Leisel, she would report Summer to the authorities and have her punished for stealing food. If I did help Leisel, then I can only imagine what Jack would do to me. Either way, I was in trouble.

  Instead of my own impossible situation, I tried to focus on the fact that Leisel and Jack wanted things to change in the Pit. If that were true, then I would do anything to ensure they were married.

  “I might get myself in trouble with you for saying this, but she told me about your plans together. She told me that you both want to… change the way things are,” I began hesitantly. Had I said too much? He didn’t say anything so I continued. “I know this is completely unimportant and doesn’t have anything to do with your wedding, but recently my mom was Culled and my dad lost his job. I know he shouldn’t have! He should’ve been a good worker and gotten to work on time, but he’s just so sad right now… and I am too. I mean I miss my mom so much. But if I don’t keep my job, my Dad and I are going to lose our home. Do you know what that means where I come from? To lose your source of credit?” I asked with uncertainty.