Page 15 of Dissent (The Dissenter Saga #1)

F ire surrounded me. I could feel the flames licking my legs, reaching up to ensnare my arms, but it didn’t hurt.

A look around told me I was in the arena, surrounded by faces I didn’t recognize, except for one.

Chase’s sweet eyes met mine, and although I was being burned alive, I felt nothing but calm.

It felt right somehow. Being cleansed in the arena filled me with peace.

Maybe I would finally get to see my mom. Maybe…maybe she would actually love me.

As the fire climbed up my legs and licked up my spine, I smiled.

I looked for Chase one last time, but I didn’t find him.

I found her . Belinda stood out from the blurred faces of the crowd with that devilish smile she always carried.

I cringed at the sight and then noticed my situation had changed.

The flames that had brought me a sense of peace began to sting.

And then I felt pain, the scorching burn of my flesh.

As my heart raced, my skin began to charr all over my body.

I let out a scream, but all I could hear was Belinda laughing and the sickening sound of melting flesh.

“Mara?”

My body sprang up into a sitting position as I panted, my heart pounding against my ribs.

Quickly, I patted my body down, looking at my torso and arms to check for any evidence of burn, but I was fine.

I was still dressed in the maid’s uniform, but I noticed my hair was no longer in the bun.

It had fallen over my shoulders in a tangled mess.

“Easy now. You’re okay,” a voice ordered.

I whipped around, recognizing Chelsea. She was sitting across from me, her own red locks cascading down about her face.

She had changed out of my shirt and jeans into tan cargo pants and an olive-green, well fitted t-shirt.

The combination highlighted the rich color of her curls.

“You looked like you were having a nightmare, so I thought I would wake you up.”

My brain felt foggy and disoriented. Rubbing my eyes, I looked around—canvas tent, military grade.

My cot rested at one end, and dozens more sat empty in a row against a wall.

There was some furniture—a cabinet and several chairs.

My vision blurred, so I closed my eyes, squeezing them shut before opening them again.

I shook my head lightly to clear the fog.

Bad idea.

A familiar stinging sensation crashed through my senses, and I slammed my eyes closed, grimacing. Damn, I have a killer headache. My hand shot up to the side of my head where the pain was most prevalent. Gauze…gauze wrapped around my head.

“I’d leave that alone if I were you. If Doc catches you messing with it, he’s going to be all sorts of pissy.”

“Doc? What is this? Where am I?” My head throbbed, and I felt awful. What the hell happened? Confusion was quickly morphing into frustration, and any patience I had left was almost gone.

Chelsea waltzed over to a folding chair close to my cot.

Slumping into it, she draped her arms over the backrest. “Welcome to the resistance.” A smug smile crossed her lips.

“This is the Med Tent. That idiot, Harvey, thought it would be a good idea to knock you out. In his defense, though, he didn’t realize who you were until I yelled at him.

Sasha is going to kick his ass,” she relished.

“ Who ?”

She waved me off. “Never mind that. Allow me to simplify this for you since you obviously can’t keep up.” Lifting a finger in the air, she motioned all around. “This is Base Camp. You’re with the Dissenters.”

I froze. There’s no way , I thought to myself. I can’t possibly be … The thought trailed off.

If Raúl was going to spare me before, there was no way he would now. I looked down at my hands. What did I get myself into ? “But…how did this happen? Where are we?”

Chelsea let out an exasperated sigh. “You know, they keep saying you’re smart”—she shook her head—“but I don’t buy it.”

I blinked.

“Oh god,” she groaned, rubbing her eyes with her fingertips. “Okay, look…I’m a rebel. Always have been. You were my assignment. I was placed at the palace as your personal maid.” Her face grew stern then. “You’re a bitch, by the way.”

“ Hey ,” I remarked with a glare.

“Nah, nah, nah,” Chelsea waved her hand, hushing me. “See, I’m not your maid anymore, so I can be honest. How about that? And you were a bitch. See, here ”—she gestured to the tent—“everybody’s equal. No classes, no one better than anyone else, none of that. And here, you’re on my turf, princess—”

“Don’t call me that.”

She gave a sardonic laugh. “See? That’s what I’m talking about. I don’t take orders from you here.” She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms.

I pressed my lips together, glaring at her.

I wasn’t sure what kind of predicament I was in.

I assumed I was a prisoner, and they were planning to hold me for ransom or something, which meant I was in a bad spot.

As Raúl’s daughter, I knew every Dissenter would love to see me dead, and I was no better off now than when I was at the palace.

Fear brewed deep inside my core. I had to be smart about this.

This was not the time to freak out. I needed to gather as much information as I could, figure out where I was, and then determine my options from there.

Weighing my words, I looked back at Chelsea. “So, am I a hostage?”

Chelsea scrutinized me, then answered, “Probably.”

“ Probably ?”

“Probably.” She stood up, lifting her arm to type into her mini-tab.

“Not really my business, ya know? My assignment was to kidnap you eventually, but when you said your parents were going to kill you, that kind of forced my hand. I don’t really know what Sasha wants with you, but hostage is a good guess.

That knowledge is on a need-to-know basis. And I don’t need to know.”

“Humph,” I grunted. I was feeling feisty now, and I just couldn’t help myself. “I guess not everyone is equal.”

Chelsea narrowed her gaze at me. If looks could kill, I’d definitely be dead. Her hands curled up into fists, one of them wrapped in a bandage. She started to speak when someone stepped in, opening a flap at the far end of the tent.

“Morning.” He was a young—roughly my age—tall and dressed in the same tan cargo pants and olive-green shirt as Chelsea. Attached to his hip was a sidearm, but I knew little about guns, so I couldn’t decipher much more.

“Hey, Matias,” Chelsea smiled, sauntering toward him.

I couldn’t help but notice that her gait was different.

A little smoother, softer, and…bootylicious.

Like, those hips rocked back and forth… a lot .

She brushed a swath of curls off her shoulder, tucking them back behind her ear. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been assigned to security detail. Headquarters said you messaged them that she was awake.”

Chelsea turned, motioning her hand toward me. “Yup.”

The boy looked at me, a gentle smile taking his lips. “Mara, right?”

I said nothing, staying serious and giving nothing away. If I was a hostage, who knew what they planned to do to me. I had to figure out how I was going to get myself out of this mess. But he appeared unperturbed by my silence.

“I’m Matias Alvarez. I’ve been assigned as your personal security detail. Headquarters is ready to see you now that you’re awake. Can you stand?”

Personal security? That was going to make escaping a little harder. “Why does—whoever these people are—want to see me?” I remained seated, back straight and displaying the best posture I’d ever had in my life.

Chelsea snapped, “Stop stalling and get up.”

“No love lost there, huh, Chels?” he teased with a smile.

Her cheeks flushed. He turned back to me, stepping closer, bringing my attention to the rich brown color of his eyes, a perfect complement to the dark hue of his hair.

He was cute. Sexy and hot type of cute. But he was still the enemy.

“I’m not sure what Headquarters wants. I just know I’m supposed to get you there. ”

Despite my desire to be obstinate, I found him to be rather disarming. “And what if I can’t stand? From what I understand, some idiot hit me pretty hard on the head.”

“Well, you seem pretty energetic to me, and Headquarters is pretty insistent. So, if you choose not to walk, I guess I’ll have to carry you.” It wasn’t meant as an endearing gesture.

The last thing I needed was to look weak in front of these people.

I was the daughter of the Telvian president, and I should act like it.

I squared my shoulders and held my head high as I slid my legs over the side of the bed and stood up, feeling a little shaky.

I was able to keep them underneath me, though. “I’m ready.”

He smirked and nodded in approval. “I’m glad we could sort that all out. Follow Chelsea, and I’ll follow behind you.” With that, Chelsea led the way.

Outside my senses were greeted with crisp morning air and the smell of citrus and damp earth.

I looked around, and when I did, I found myself frozen as I tried to take it all in.

All around me was nothing but thick forest. Tall trees, green and bushy with pine needles, created a canopy of shade over the rows and rows of canvas tents that must have housed the rebel forces.

They were everywhere. There must have been dozens of them.

People were bustling about, working on different tasks.

And they were all dressed exactly the same—tan cargo pants and olive-green t-shirts.

Some had jackets to fend off the morning chill, while others didn’t seem to notice the cold.