“I think that is highly unlikely.”
Chastity’s face fell, and she turned to face Cora.
“You don’t know that, not for sure.”
“Yes, I do, Chastity. You will get selected for something much more important than menial labor.”
Chastity squinted. “What’s more important than breathing or eating? We would die if we didn’t. And what would we do if we didn’t have the right plants for our medication? It sounds like an important job to me.”
Cora wrinkled her nose. Her gaze cast off to the side. “Yes, Chastity. We do need to eat.” Cora rose from the sofa. “I am glad to hear Ursa is actually applying herself and taking some pride in her work.” She stood, moving toward the monitor. “It may be too late for Ursa to amount to much, but Chastity still has great potential. I think it’s time we get back to her education.”
Chastity cried out in protest, but Cora simply switched off the monitor.
Although she was disappointed that their time had been cut so short, Ursa smiled. Hope had been right. She was special somehow, and her mother wasn’t. She didn’t understand why, and she didn’t know if she ever would, but she accepted it to be the truth. Someday, she would finish school and wouldn’t have to talk to her mother ever again.
Chapter 6
3 Years Later
Chastity
Her eyes skimmed over the words on her tablet. Your first year of education will contain a broad range of subject matter. Once your civil duty has been designated, your time spent in the classroom will become specialized and focused solely on advancing you towards that specific role…
Although the material read dryly, her heart rate quickened, fluttering sensations filled her stomach. Soon, she would move away to an education center and receive her civil duty assignment. Soon, she would be with her best friend.
Starting school colored her thoughts most of the time. Life had been dreadfully dull without Ursa around. When she moved away, she would not only have her friend back but might even make more of them. The possibilities were limitless.
“Chastity, it doesn’t look like you are focusing on your studies.”
She shook her head, shaking off the catatonic stare freezing not only her gaze, but her entire body. “I’m sorry. I was reading about getting a civil duty and I lost my focus.”
Cora laughed. “Completely understandable. I just know you will become something special, like your mom. I just can’t believe how quickly you learn. I mean, I know Ursa set the bar low, but I think you took to math and science much faster than I did.”
Chastity was starting to realize how negative Cora’s words regarding Ursa tended to be. She wondered if they always had been; she had only just become aware of it, and it made her uncomfortable. She scrambled for a change of topic.
“What civil duty do you think I will be assigned?”
Cora smiled. “I am certain you are smart enough to become a doctor, but who knows, you may go even further than that. Your mother did.”
Comparing Chastity to her mother was another habit of Cora’s she could do without. She didn’t want to go to the mountain, especially not if Ursa couldn’t go with her.
“What did you want to be when you were my age?”
Cora’s face fell and she hesitated before answering. “I wanted to be a doctor, but I didn’t quite have a sharp enough mind for it. I mean, I wasn’t lazy, like Ursa. I tried really hard in school. I used my free time in my first year to study, but it wasn’t enough. The State recognized my interest in the medical field, so I became a nurse. It has lower academic requirements.”
Chastity couldn’t understand how the conversation could have taken such a wrong turn. She was trying to lighten her mood and shift the focus off Ursa or her mother. “I think being a nurse is important. When I go to the clinics for my check-ups, I always spend more time with the nurses than with the doctor.”
A bleak smile touched Cora’s face. “That is kind of you, Chastity.” She shifted in her seat. “I suppose there are worse duties. I could have ended up an administrator at the clinic. Can you imagine how dull that job is? Continuously counting the inventory of syringes and medications. You don’t need to be clever to count. Shuffling about with your nose pressed against your tablet all day. Or worse yet, what about the people who have to clean the clinics? I’d rather clean the kitchens in the common rooms than a clinic.”
Chastity smiled. “Yeah, that doesn’t sound like too much fun.” She retrieved her tablet once again. “I guess I should get back to my studies.”
Cora beamed. “And that is exactly why I know you will become someone very important. With your strong work ethic and superior genetics, I have no doubt you will climb to the top. I’ll spend my days bragging to my friends in the common rooms about the girl I educated, like she was my own child.”
Chastity smiled and nodded, casting her eyes down to her tablet. She knew that no matter what she said to Cora, the conversation always looped around to the same place somehow. Ursa had been such a disappointment and Chastity was superior. It made her uncomfortable. She tried to endure it, knowing it was almost time for her to leave this place, forever.
Once she moved away to school, communications with Cora would be optional. It felt callous to think she would no longer speak to the woman who had at times been more like a mother to her than her own, but she didn’t care for the type of person Cora was. She could never truly care for a woman who was so nasty to her best friend.
The monitor on the wall flashed. Cora silently rose from the sofa and activated the system. She stood reading for a moment, blocking Chastity’s view. “Hmm.” She stepped off to the side. “You may want to know about this. Ursa has just been coupled.”
Her tablet fell to the ground as she stood.
“Careful there.”
“How much longer will she be in school? When does she leave?” Chastity was instantly standing in front of the monitor.
“She’s already gone. She left school this morning.”
Her hands clung to the sides of the monitor. “No. No! She can’t leave yet. I’m going to be there soon.”
“Chastity, did you think you would be at school the same time as Ursa? Your age difference is too large for that. Maybe if Ursa had applied herself in her studies, she could have gone into a field where she would have been educated for longer, but even then, it still is unlikely you would have seen each other.”
Her entire body went numb. She dropped to her knees.
“Chastity, this is all so silly. You shouldn’t be so upset over this. There is no need for all the theatrics.”
Chastity rocked, her shoulders hunched, her face damp, completely inconsolable. Cora had said it before, she just wasn’t prepared to believe it. Whenever she dreamt of the life she would have, it involved Ursa. They would live next door to each other once they were coupled. They would raise children together. Ursa’s education had taken longer than Cora had predicted, which gave her hope they would have at least a little time together.
A knock came at the door. Cora answered to let in her mother, who was instantly on her knees on the floor with her. “Chastity, what’s the matter?”
Chastity turned away from her mother, covering her tear stained face with her hands.
“It’s just the silliest thing.” Cora waved her hand dismissively. “She thought she would see Ursa at school. Now Ursa has been coupled and she’s just fallen to pieces.”
Hope wrapped her arms around her small frame, rocking her. She let her mother hold her passively for a time and eventually wrapped her arms around her mother. Hope remained silent, simply rubbing her back and repeatedly kissing her head.
“I didn’t know she had such a silly expectation. For someone who’s so good at math—”
“Thank you, Cora.” Hope cut her off. “I’ll take it from here.”
Her mother released her grip and stood, extending a hand down towards her. Although Chastity didn’t feel capable of standing, her desire to f
lee Cora’s presence gave her the strength to move. She stood, grasping her mother’s hand firmly, leaning on her strength for support. Hope didn’t say another word to Cora, she simply led Chastity back to their apartment.
Chapter 7
Hope
She led her daughter to the sofa and wrapped her in a blanket. Hope swallowed hard, pushing back the tears threatening to escape. Chastity looked so frail. It was heartbreaking to see the pain manifest in her daughter’s body. She wished with every part of her being that there was something she could do to take the pain away but knew only time and perspective could help her.
She sat beside her, draping her arm around her. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Chastity shook her head. “No. It was dumb. I don’t know why I thought we would live in the same apartment building when I got to school. I should have known better.”
Hope pulled a handkerchief from the drawer and dabbed her face. “It’s not dumb, Chastity. Ursa was a very good friend to you. She was practically a sister. Your age difference is unfortunate. It’s just a little too big to be educated together. It’s not common for two people with almost a 6-year age difference to be so close, which just goes to show how special your friendship truly is.”
“But I should have been smarter than that. I should have done the math. I would have realized how silly it was.”
“It isn’t a matter of being smart or logical, not when it comes to matters of the heart. There is no calculation in the world that can change what’s inside of you. You believed you would be together because it’s what your heart desires.”
She sniffled. “Cora said it was silly.”
Hope looked away. Her jaw clenched and her expression turned foul. “Yes, well, Cora says a lot of things. It doesn’t make her right.”
Chastity wiped the tears from her face. “Do you think I will ever see her again? Will we get to live in the same building when I get coupled?”
Hope gently stroked her forehead, pushing back her hair. “I don’t know. It depends on what you get selected to do for your civil duty. I don’t think it is likely, but there is nothing wrong with hoping it could happen. Or maybe, you might live close to one another. Maybe you could meet her in a common room for your free time. There is a chance you won’t live close enough to connect with each other, but you can still send messages. When you are both finished school, you will find a way to be together.”
“Sending messages? How can that compare to playing together in the same room?” Her tears suddenly increased once again. “What if she has a baby and forgets about me? What if she doesn’t want to play with me now that she has a partner?”
Hope was momentarily lost for words. Ursa would most certainly lose interest in their friendship now that she was coupled, and even more so when she had a child. She didn’t want to fill Chastity with false hopes.
“I don’t think that will happen. But even if it does, nothing can remove her from your heart. You have fond memories of her. You know what it feels like to be truly adored by her. You can draw on that when you feel sad, or when you miss her. She is a part of you, and she will continue to influence who you become.”
“Is that what you do? You think about dad and your memories when you are sad?”
A few tears escaped Hope’s eyes, and she quickly wiped them away. “Yes. There are times I miss your father terribly. I try to think of the happy times we shared. I remember why I loved him so much, and how good he was to me.”
Chastity looked up at the ceiling. “I know you miss dad, but I think it’s different somehow. Ursa isn’t dead. If she was, then there would be nothing I could do to see her. But she’s alive, it’s just not right we should be kept apart. I should be able to see her, but she’s too far away from me. And there are rules that would keep me from seeing her. I think it might be easier if she were dead, not just living somewhere without me.”
Hope struggled to keep her face neutral. She needed to focus on her daughter’s pain, not her own. The only trouble was, Chastity was far too clever. As someone who had experienced both scenarios, being separated from Joshua by the dome was more painful than if he had died.
“You know something,” Hope’s voice cracked, “I think you are right; I think death might be easier.”
Chastity nestled into her; her inquisitive mind seeming to settle, eventually drifting off to sleep. Hope pulled her little girl’s limp body into her arms.
Chastity would soon leave for school, even though that didn’t feel possible. Hope had never wanted Chastity to become part of the system; she couldn’t picture her moving away to school or being assigned a civil duty. She had never envisioned Chastity growing up inside the dome, yet she didn’t know if there was anything she could do to change it.
She had hoped Clint and his army would be here by now. It wasn’t rational. It wasn’t logical. But she had held firmly to this ideal until now, when it would be too late to take action. She had done everything she could to stall her dome strengthening project, giving him the opportunity for an attack.
Since her return, she had dreamed about Clint’s possible attack rescuing her from this life, yet she was realizing it was nothing more than a delusion.
The reality was, she wanted to leave this place but she could never face Joshua again—even if she could find the village on foot. There was the hard truth she had been running from since her return: what she had done to him was wrong. She could never face him.
According to his religious customs, she had sworn to stay with him until the day she died. She may not have understood what she was swearing to at the time—something she had used to justify her guilt the first few years—but she still promised to stay with him, regardless of what type of circumstances they ran into. The life they had together was hard, but she didn’t give it much of a chance either. She had run scared, leaving him with nothing, breaking their wedding vows.
At the time, she felt as though it was her only choice. She needed to ensure the safety of their child. She needed to escape from Miriam and her cruel ways. That life had not been suited to her, but Joshua deserved better than what she had done to him.
If Clint didn’t act soon, she would be stuck in this life, and her daughter would become a part of the system. Chastity would be selected for a civil duty, then coupled, and then start a family of her own. The longer they stayed under the dome, the more attachments Chastity would make and the less she would be willing to leave this life behind.
There was only one other option: head to Idaho. That idea had only seemed viable with Joshua at her side. With his bow, she would feel safe. If she were to head out with Chastity alone, they would have no way to protect themselves from any predatory animals.
There were far too many variables to the pair of them making a run for it. What if they traveled a long distance, and it was vacated when they arrived? What if they just missed Clint’s army and would have no one to take them in? It was still far too great a risk to take with her daughter’s life, especially if her daughter wasn’t willing to go.
The trek would be long and dangerous. It would be nearly impossible to pack enough provisions for such a trip. Breakfast bars could be hoarded if she wanted to go hungry at breakfast time, but how would she carry water?
There was no way out of the dome, not if she wanted to stay alive.
Hope draped her arm across Chastity. She watched the gentle motion of her chest rising and falling. She felt so powerless. All she could do was hope that Clint could carry on with his efforts without her help, and that Chastity would be willing to flee with her when the time came. For now, all she wanted was to lay next to her daughter, to hold her delicate frame in her arms while she still could.
Soon Chastity would be taken from her, and all would be lost.
Chapter 8
Personnel 00590
He walked down the narrow hall of the military underground. No matter his mission—the life he temporarily stepped into—it always led him back to this hidden space
. The lights flicked on as he approached, he heard the crackling sound of sparking electricity, followed by the hum of the fluorescent lights.
His heart grew lighter and more joyous with every step. Most of the personnel didn’t enjoy their time spent in the military underground, but not him. He enjoyed the simplicity: the cold concrete walls, the stale humid air, the low ceilings—it all suited him perfectly fine.
It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy his missions; he always looked forward to each new challenge. The deceit of it all. Yet, he didn’t enjoy portraying a normal person; average didn’t suit him. He was so much more than that. Although he thrived undercover, it wounded his ego that people believed he could be someone ordinary.
There was a certain perk to his lifestyle, the reason he had taken to this role immediately; he was special—better than the average civilian. If he had been born in an earlier time—a time before the State—he may have been considered a sociopath. A narcissist at the very least. But the world was better now, more intelligent.
Betrayed: Book Five of the State Series Page 4
