Page 2

The feeling of warm, thick fluid dripping down my back…

My pulse quickened at the memory, and I instinctively reached for the golden heart pendant hanging around my neck. It was the first and last gift my father ever gave me when I was five—a small comfort in my dark world.

I didn’t want to talk about what happened in the basement. I didn’t want him to know. I didn’t wantanyoneto know what it was really like. And the truth was, no one could know. Not ever.

“No.” I glimpsed at him, hoping he’d drop it.

His eyes caught mine, and the gentleness of them sent a tingling buzz through me, sweeping out the fear. A smile curled onto his lips as he drew a hand up to mine, steadying my fingers on my pendant.

“You know, you don’t have to lie to me.”

My heart melted. Chase was the best thing that ever happened to me. I worked so hard to keep him away, denying him every time he came around offering to walk me home. But he was persistent, charming, and let’s not forget, incredibly breathtaking to look at. It was no secret that Chase Beckham was the hottest thing around, and every girl at the academy practically dropped their skirts when he walked by. But, for some bizarre reason, he had chosen me. Of course, I shouldn’t have beenthatsurprised given that I was the First Daughter of Telvia. But I held no power, no amazing destined future. Allthatbelonged to my older brother, Jacob.

“I just don’t want to talk about it, okay? Can we drop it?”

His eyes searched mine, pleading, but I held firm. After a moment, he nodded. I gave him a quick smile before turning toward his chest and nestling into him, enjoying the warmth of his body against mine. We laid quietly for a few minutes, enjoying the heat of the sun and the sounds of the birds in the park. Feeling him stir, I looked up to see his face lost in thought. Curiosity got me.

“What are you thinking about?” I asked.

“You.”

“Me?” Well, that was unexpected. “What about me?”

“Your birthday’s next month.”

I closed my eyes and buried my face in his chest. “I know.”

He laughed, nudging me away from him. “Why do you say it like that? You’re going to be initiated, and then you’ll finally get to leave.”

I flopped onto my back again, eyes staring up at the sky through the canopy of the fake spruce trees we rested under. The entire park was a fake. Nothing but artificial turf and plastic plants to create the illusion of a luscious garden. All of Telvia was like that.

“That’s whatyouthink,” I countered. “That’s what happens to people likeyou. But I’m not stupid…I know better.”

He laughed again.Great.I’m glad he found my misery so amusing. “People like me?Now what’s that supposed to mean?”

“When you turned eighteen, you got to be independent and move out. WhenIturn eighteen, I’m still going to be a slave to whatever my dad wants.”

His eyes hardened. “He can’t keep you in that house forever, Mara. You’ll be eighteen, end of story. He’ll have to let you go.”

I snorted, “Yeah,right…” I drawled. “We’ll see how that turns out for me.”

Chase sat up then. “It doesn’t matter if he’s the president, you know.” His brows pinched together in frustration. “The law says that when you’re eighteen, you’re assigned your new position and allowed to move on.”

I covered my face with my hands because I could feel it—the lump forming in my throat and the tightness in my chest. I was on the brink. Chase wasn’t wrong. That’s the way Initiation wassupposedto work. You submitted your application to the Telvian Administration, and it would get assessed by the Council. They scrutinized everything about you—your strengths, weaknesses, parentage, class—allof it. After that, depending how you measured up, they assigned you to your new,permanentlife. The Council decided everything for you, from what district you would live in, to the job you would have, what class you would be in, and, eventually, who you could marry. It didn’t matter what you wanted—no choices, no disagreements, no arguing, no discussion. End of story.

But I wasn’t stupid.

I knew that leaving the Presidential Palace would never happen. When Jacob turned eighteen and initiated, he didn’t get to leave either. Council just assigned him to a position at the REG—Rebel Enforcement Group—and ordered him to continue living at the palace. Why would I be any different?

On the one hand, maybe my parents would be happy to get rid of me. I wasn’t even close to being the favorite, and I was pretty sure both my parents wished I had never showed up on their doorstep. But I had also been my stepmom’s punching bag from the first day I arrived. I doubt she was going to allow me to leave when she gained such satisfaction from abusing me for everything I did. Belinda was my own personal devil.

I felt Chase’s hands on my wrists as he pulled them away from my face. My vision blurred, and tears fell from my eyes when I blinked.

“Mara, they can’t keep you there forever.”

I sniffed, holding my breath, desperately trying to keep my emotions at bay. “You don’t know how they are.”

His eyes flickered with fervor. “You deserve better than living in that house.”