Splintering Reality (Breaking Order Series Book 2)

by Catherine Kopf

“Would you like to come with us?” Becky placed one of her delicate fingernails on her chin.

  “If Ambert and katana-girl are going, I’m in.” Wes twitched his nose. “But what about The Committee?”

  I sighed, relieved Wes was on board, but he was right. The Committee would exile us after disobeying their orders, but more than our lives were at stake. Spies and Regime supporters scavenged for me too. Staying in one location, even Safe Haven, pressed that concern.

  “... Let’s pack and get going. We’ve got to catch up to Calista.”

  Becky and Zeke nodded and left the room together. Wes shrugged and left as well. I placed the journal and the flash-key into my backpack and zipped it close. It was ready for any trip.

  Kuan-yin cocked her head and peered into my eyes. She reached toward me and touched my hand.

  “What?” I jerked away.

  She leaned back in her chair. “So, Enya has fire, right?”

  I nodded.

  “What magic do you have?” Kuan-yin gulped down another helping of her fruit salad.

  I laughed. “Magic’s my sister’s thing. Not mine.”

  “Strange — I’m pretty good at sensing those kinds of things—” Kuan-yin poked at the fruit in her bowl with her fork.

  A clap of thunder boomed from outside, signaling it was time for the plants to be watered. Those wielding water, air, and electricity in Safe Haven used their magic once every few days to keep the plants growing.

  Without warning, Kuan-yin sprinted outside and looked up at the rain. Her face lit as the drops touched her. Removing her shoes, she squished her feet into the mud.

  “Kuan, come back inside. You’ll get—”

  Barefoot, Kuan-yin splashed her toes into a puddle and sent water flying through the valley. “You sound like my dad. Come on, Ambert! Have some fun!”

  Hesitating for a moment, I stood at the edge of the kitchen and stuck my hand out into the rain. The soft trickling of water massaged my arm. I chuckled. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea.

  “This is nothing compared to a downpour! Come out here!” Kuan-yin’s wet hand pulled me into the storm.

  Rain trickled down my back. It coated my clothes, it touched my skin. It was nothing like Fortress’ snow. It was relaxing; it was warm. This rain wasn’t cold or harsh.

  That was the first day taking my Antiserum slipped my mind.

  SEVENTEEN

  Calista

  The room was dark, little light protruding through the curtains. All visible light illuminated from a small fountain, fire instead of water sprouting out of the center. Other items in the room were hazy and out of focus. I was definitely having another vision. But what was this one about and when was it? Why was it important?

  Father knocked on the door, creaking it open as he turned the handle. “You wanted to see me, sir?”

  His voice echoed, feeling dim and not all there.

  “Yes, Hugo. It's urgent,” the deep, gravelly voice came from a man peering into the flames. His features looked so infatuated by them that I couldn’t tell what he looked like under the shades of gold, besides the defined jaw, fair skin, and the dark clothing.

  “What is it, Commander?” Father's face was firm, ready to take new orders.

  “My power is slipping thanks to these rebels,” The Commander’s monotone voice said.

  Father nodded. “Once I find them, their blood will be an example to those on the fence of what you can do.”

  “I don't want you to track down Calista and her rebellion. I’ve got that covered already. You have a more important job. Remind the public why they fear me. I don’t want this world to fall to another war. If Calista wants followers, they won't come if they're dead,” The Commander ordered.

  “Even kill the children?” Father groaned.

  “The Science Department will take them if a foster family doesn’t,” The Commander said.

  “Calista’s blind to the truth. I don’t want to lose her like...” Father bowed his head.

  “Once we get strong enough we can correct the wrongs The Dreamers have done.”

  “Of course sir, the pair of us at the charge.”

  “Feel free to initiate more of the draft. We need all the new help that we can get.”

  “Right away.”

  I woke up with widened eyes to the crashing waves below us. Rain pounded on the metal ship. I shivered from the cold sensation of rain splattering against my face. Thunder roared and lightning flashed. The beautiful stars were gone and all was dark. Water filled the boat, and we used empty metal crates to remove it. We couldn’t be sinking! Chief Starbright would already be furious with us if she were there.

  The captain of the small ship was oblivious of our efforts, staying inside the cabin area of the ship where the control mechanisms were. Lucky him, but that was a good thing, considering we were stowaways. But if the boat turned over, it would be hard for us to survive. Let alone swim. I hadn’t taken that portion of gym class at military school yet, and with a city like Fortress with freezing cold water, swimming was the last thought on my mind.

  Thankfully, the storm stopped within the hour. The clouds were still dark, and a fog slowly drifted over the surrounding sea, luring us into the unknown. I gulped down a lump in my throat and shivered. Maybe luck was sort of on our side even if I was new at this ‘leader’ stuff. Now we just needed to land at the next city and start gathering Dreamers.

  “We can’t see anything now!” Ju-long’s eyes shifted to see our surroundings.

  Enya looked into the waves below us. “Let’s hope we don’t have any more problems.”

  “At least the storm’s gone.” Ivory’s smile widened.

  The boat hit a rock in the middle of the sea with a crash, and shook for a couple seconds before it stopped moving completely, lodged into… a glacier? What was that doing all the way out there? We couldn’t be back at Fortress. I would’ve screwed up within the first twenty-four hours. Within minutes, water filled part of the boat’s floor. We would sink for sure if we didn’t do anything!

  “Now’s the time to panic!” Ju-long yelled.

  Enya clenched her jaw. “I’m not dying today. We either save the ship or find something to get off it.”

  “Are there any emergency boats available?” I asked.

  “Normally, there’s one, Miss,” Ju-long informed.

  “Well, check, Ju-long!” Enya yelled.

  Ju-long ran to check the lifeboat. “The captain took the only boat!”

  Enya slapped her hand across her face before letting out a sigh. “Crap...”

  “Did Dr. Liu leave anything?” I asked.

  “I found this in my backpack. This box says ‘Use when at risk of drowning,’” Ivory read.

  “Can you open it?" my lip quivered.

  “It’s glued shut!” Ju-long pulled on it quickly and his eyes widened in panic.

  The water rose around us. My knees were now wet and covered by the water.

  Ju-long used his teeth to finally pull the string from its restraint.

  An inflatable orange raft came out of the box and to our rescue, and much to our surprise, it inflated itself. I took a sharp breath in, relieved to have help. The rush of being a leader wasn’t something I was used to. What would’ve Chief Starbright done? I didn’t know. I clutched the rosary on my chest and released a heavy breath of air.

  “Thank goodness!” Enya pulled Ivory from the water to our refuge.

  “If it wasn’t for the raft, we would’ve died,” I touched my chest and shivered.

  “We need to thank my father later.” Ju-long clutched onto his backpack. I could tell he missed home already.

  We were all soaking wet. That was an experience we weren’t expecting. Now, we were back on our way to Weisheit. What adventure would we find there? How many Dreamers would we find? What would they teach us? My find was filled with so many questions it was like the waves roaring beneath us. I couldn’t
sleep now!

  During the night, Ivory and Ju-long fell asleep, leaving Enya and me to row the boat. I looked out into the waves, now calmed from the excitement. I still wondered about so many things, especially about dreaming and my own dreams. I looked at Enya. Without her on the boat, I doubted we would’ve survived, even if she stole Ambert away from me. To my surprise, she winced, placing her hand to her side.

  “This is the worst time to get a cramp.” she clenched her jaw.

  “Have anything for it?”

  Enya chuckled. “Geez, we don’t even have enough for my time of the month! And Dr. Liu said women were the weaker sex. Ha!”

  I shifted my eyes awkwardly toward the water. “Yeah...”

  “You okay?” Enya tilted her head. “Ivory’s asleep so talking about this shouldn’t be awkward.”

  “Well…”

  “You still don’t have yours yet?”

  “... I can’t have mine.”

  “Were you born with a birth defect or...”

  “If I was fertile, The Regime would have forced me into a marriage to just reproduce and care for children. So, Father made sure I couldn’t by putting me through experimental surgery.”

  Dawn rolled into view and the sun now was in our path of travel, glistening off of the water below. Enya gazed at the colors before touching my dainty hand. “You can’t have kids? Calista, I’m so sorry…”

  My words were faint. “Please don’t tell anyone, Enya. I got laughed at throughout military school. I don’t want you laughing too.”

  “Laugh at you?” Enya looked at her map and heaved her oar right. “I couldn’t live knowing I couldn’t have a family of my own. It’s why I want to protect Ambert so much. I can’t lose him.”

  “I’m glad you’re here.” a soft smiled crept on my face.

  “Do you know why I wanted to go to Goldcrest?”

  I shook my head.

  “Before The Regime, Goldcrest was a city where dreams came true all the time. People came from all over with just a dream, and sometimes on the lookout for love. My kind of place.” Enya’s eyes glanced into the distance with a beam of hope.

  My expression lit up, glad to see we had something in common. “I’ll bet. It would be nice to find someone with dreams like me to love.”

  “You mean someone like Wes?”

  I blushed. “Wes? What makes you think that?”

  She smirked. “I see how you look at him. He opens you up a way not even Ambert can. He’s the one who freed you from The Regime.”

  “I… I wouldn’t say that.”

  “Try all you want, Wallflower. Not confessing your feelings plays into your reserved attitude.”

  I shoved her comments aside my head. Wes and I were just close friends. I didn’t swoon over him like how Enya described.

  Hours passed, and we used the oars on the raft to steer ourselves away from the sun. Enya used her soaked map to guide us. The others woke up and presented new conversation, but staying on a raft was taking its toll. Each of us went limp from rowing and the water looked more and more threatening.

  “I’m hungry.” Ivory’s stomach growled like an animal.

  I looked at her with weary eyes. “We need to save our rations, just in case.”

  “She’s right. We have to save our strength to find…” Ju-long wiped his forehead.

  Ivory interrupted. “Land!”

  “Where?” I beamed.

  “Finally!” Enya let out a sigh of relief.

  Behind me was a huge patch of land shimmering in the sunlight. Everything looked so wonderful from the distance. I didn’t care where it was, as long as I could get off the boat, I’d be happy.

  I pointed toward the land and we rowed that direction.

  Ivory jumped up and down, rocking the boat. “I can’t wait to get to Weisheit!”

  I wanted to throw up off the side of the raft, but it was too crowded for that. Staying in there any longer would have driven me to insanity. Insanity. That was a strong word. My attempt to find Aurelia and interpret that prophecy drove me down that path as well. I hoped once I found Aurelia and those two lives, I could stop The Regime and rebel against it. My dreams and Mai prevented me from focusing.

  We crashed up against the beach, both relieved and scared.

  “This is Weisheit?” Ju-long asked.

  Ivory’s jaw dropped. “Come on guys. Look at all the tall industrial buildings!”

  We got out of the raft to get a closer look.

  I spoke up, “You mean the theaters?”

  “This is probably a district of the city with drama. It’s… it’s not like…” Ju-long’s voice flustered.

  Lights, red carpets, and stars on the sidewalk surrounded us. People performed plays on the streets, each with their voices drowned out by the sounds of oncoming traffic and city noise. Their actions spoke louder than the silent protest at Safe Haven. My jaw dropped open before my emotions darkened.

  “Enya?” I clenched my teeth in frustration and rage, my head starting to boil over like a pot.

  Enya smirked. “What? Mai would’ve caught us if we actually went to Weisheit.”

  “You didn’t know where we were when we crashed!” Ivory’s fingers twiddled in her hands.

  “I own the map. I choose where we go.” Enya crossed her arms and turned her nose upward.

  “Where are we, Enya?” I clenched my jaw.

  “Where do you think, Wallflower?”

  My face flustered from the mental pressure on my shoulders. “We’re in Goldcrest.”

  I was worthless again. My voice was on mute. Could they hear my words at all? Did they even care? They pushed me into deep waters and I was suffocating. The worst part of it? The person I counted on was scrambling me like an omelet for breakfast, and it was all my fault.

  I pushed Enya to her limits. I tried to be in charge and take a risk by pushing her. Enya decided she’d push me harder, and I fell off the edge. No one was coming to save me from what I’d done. It was all up to my future decisions to decide whether I was going to sink or swim, and I didn't want to sink in a time like this. Not in Goldcrest.

  I looked at all the theaters and felt overwhelmed. We broke our bridge of trust and were being pushed into the water. It was too much to bear. The one person who’d been with me the longest on this journey selfishly betrayed me. Why did I even ask her to come along?!

  “Do you dare to dream?” Ambert’s song lyrics danced in my head.

  This fight with The Regime was a huge risk, especially since I was leading some Dreamers. I challenged my beliefs, but fear choked my dreams. Was it because of my father’s old influence or my own fear to stand out in the crowd? If Wes and Ambert were there with me, they would lift me out of the fear and respect me. They’d help me when I needed them most instead of screwing me over like Enya!

  “If you hadn’t done this, we would be helping people by now!” I clenched my fists.

  Ju-long turned to Enya and mumbled, “She’s right, Miss. You can’t just do that!”

  “Well, excuse me! I was just trying to protect us!” Enya brushed a fragment of lint from her outfit.

  Ivory straightened her posture. “You should’ve told us… that’s all!”

  My face heated, turning a red color. “No, Ivory. That’s not it. She keeps putting us in danger. She always puts everyone in danger! You only care about yourself, Enya!”

  “I’m not afraid to take risks against the rules!”

  I gave a bitter laugh. “Even if it means hurting people with your fat ego?”

  Enya interrupted, inching toward me. “What’s that supposed to mean, Wallflower?”

  “I never spend time with Ambert anymore because you hog him!”

  “I do not hog him! He’s my brother! I’m the only real family he has left.” Enya shoved me to the ground.

  I got up and shoved her back, but Enya’s thick stature barely moved. “I was his family first!”<
br />
  “Really? A shy girl picked to be our leader because she was the chief’s pet?” Enya spat at me with a flame in her hand.

  My eyes bulged before my gaze narrowed. “At least I don’t have to look at myself in the mirror and see a chubby, self-absorbed brat every morning!”

  Enya threw her fireball at me but missed. “You take that back!”

  “Uh… Cally?” Ivory’s lip quivered.

  “No! I just want you to leave! Go away!” I yelled.

  The words I said echoed on the shoreline. My opponent’s fierce expression dulled, faded, and soon diminished just like a dying fire. Her strong posture slouched and she hugged herself giving a silent hug. When she looked me in the eye, a deep feeling of doubt coursed through her.

  Enya lowered her gaze. “You really want that?”

  “Miss… please calm…” Ju-long held out his hands.

  I nodded. “Get out of here.”

  “Fine!” Enya’s eyes watered. Her strong voice quivered. For a moment, I saw weakness in her like I had in my vision. She turned away and headed back to our boat.

  “Cally… someone else is here!”

  My eyes widened. “Enya, wait…” I reached for her arm.

  Ju-long’s voice quivered. “Miss, you know she won’t come back that easily.”

  A dark figure lingered on the beach hill. I watched as he aimed a weapon straight at Enya while her back was turned.

  I pushed her to the ground. “Enya!”

  A gunshot ricocheted in the air, silencing any of our arguments or sentiments in an instant.

  EIGHTEEN

  Calista

  An officer pointed the gun straight at us, dressed in a gray uniform with black cords and a helmet. The gun he held was larger than the handhelds my father kept in his pocket but lightweight and maneuverable. On his jacket by his right shoulder was a small red patch. Those were used to mark an officer’s rank. The more patches an officer carried on his uniform, the more experience and training he had. Thankfully, one patch meant he was just passed initiation.

  Snap…

  I looked at the others, their faces more terrified than mine. They’d been caught by The Regime before, and they never wanted to go back. I hadn’t been caught before. I never had a reason to truly hate The Regime besides the regulations, but I would learn what pain they gave.