Page 19 of Dissent (The Dissenter Saga #1)
Every muscle in my body felt as though it had turned to stone.
I felt heavy and completely frozen. This was it.
It was now or never. I either joined them, hoping to keep my brother alive, or I turned her down.
In which case, I didn’t know what would happen next.
I had nowhere to go, nowhere to run. It wasn’t much of a choice now, was it?
I tried to shake off the unease. “Deal. I help you, you save Jacob and set him free.” As the words left my lips, the uncertainty grew deeper, taking root in my soul.
Something told me I was going to regret this, but I saw little option.
If I ran back to Telvia, I was dead. If I stayed here, at least I was alive and, if I made it through this whole shitshow, I would be alive with a potential future and with Jacob.
Sasha smiled, her eyes glinting with the victory. “You drive a hard bargain, Mara, but I’m glad we could come to an agreement.” She stood up, her hands on the table to support her. “Let’s discuss the rules of the camp.”
“Rules?”
“Chelsea and Matias,” she called out, “please join us.” I turned to see the flap of the tent open, and Chelsea sauntered in, followed by the boy.
“Matias, you’ll continue to serve on security detail.
You’ll provide personal security to Miss de la Puente, ensure her safety, and make sure she’s comfortable. ”
He stood up straight and nodded, “Yes, Ma’am.”
“Chelsea, I know you served Mara in the Presidential Palace. I ask that you continue to work with her.”
Chelsea’s face grew stern, the smug smile gone from her lips. “What! Why?”
Sasha ignored her tone, moving on as though the protest never happened. “I believe you have space in your corridors. She’ll stay with you in your tent. Help her find her way around the camp.”
She glared at me, her tousled curls framing her sharp features. “Fine,” she grumbled.
Well, this ought to be fun. She was going to be the biggest pain in the ass to deal with. I faced Sasha. “Can you explain to me why I have to be followed everywhere?”
Her warm smile returned, but I couldn’t help but notice a hint of smugness in her expression.
“Child, the woods are not a place to tread lightly. There are mountain lions, bears, and wolves in these mountains. Most everyone travels in pairs. Frankly, you’re no use to me if you’re dead.
” The words dropped like a fifty-pound weight.
“You’ll find this base is quite large. Getting lost is inevitable unless you have someone to help you learn the camp, which Chelsea and Matias can do well.
” She cleared her throat before sighing slightly.
It didn’t take a mind reader to know that she was tired.
“Now that you’ve joined us, you’ll need to be trained in combat. ”
“Combat? Hold up just a second. Why combat ? I didn’t agree to go into any combat .”
Sasha closed her eyes as her long, delicate fingers scratched her forehead. “Nor do I hope you ever see combat, child, but this is a rebellion and I know war will knock on our doorstep before long. It would behoove you to learn to defend yourself.”
Yup, just as I suspected. I was already regretting this.
“Tomorrow, Chelsea will take you to the training center and introduce you to Drill Sergeant Wynters. He’ll instruct you further on your schedule.
” Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Chelsea’s brow arch as a devious smile slipped onto her lips.
“Now, there is one more matter to address.” Sasha walked around the table toward me.
“In your arm you have a tracking implant. It’s been temporarily disabled, but we can’t risk the REG enabling it again. It will need to be removed.”
“ What? ” My hand flew to my left wrist, covering it protectively. “ Removed ? Can’t you just turn it off or something?” Everyone in Telvia had a tracker inserted at birth, and the thought of them removing it sounded nuts to me.
Sasha shook her head. “The virus we implanted in the Council’s software disrupted the tracking system and allowed us to steal the information for your particular device.
This allowed us to access it remotely from our systems. Unfortunately for us, your brother is quite gifted.
He was able to halt our virus before we could complete our mission.
The control we have over your tracking implant will not remain in our control for long.
We need to have it removed immediately and destroyed before the REG can re-establish a connection. ”
Sasha stepped in front of me and leaned back against the table.
Her eyes showed genuine warmth, but there was still something there I couldn’t pin down, and it made me uneasy.
“I have no doubt that the Presidential Palace has realized your absence by now, and I can only imagine how desperate your brother must be to find you. He’ll be making quick work of reversing the damage caused by our virus. ”
“Do you want me to take her to the medical bay?” Chelsea was bored, the contempt gone from her expression, and her hand resting on her hip.
“Yes. I’ll contact Dr. Jones and authorize the procedure.”
“Alright. Come on, Miss Mara.” Her tone was mocking, but I ignored it.
“Wait, I have more questions—”
Sasha shook her head. “Unfortunately, child, this is all the time I have for now. And it is truly imperative that your implant be removed promptly.”
“But I—”
“I know you have more questions, and I will answer them, but they can wait.” She pointed to my arm. “ This is a priority right now.” She looked at Chelsea and Matias, giving them a quick nod.
I pursed my lips in disappointment, but I could tell that I wouldn’t get anywhere with her. I inhaled deeply as I stood and then followed my new posse out.
As Chelsea guided me through the camp, the reality of my surroundings struck me once more.
Who would have thought that trees would be so beautiful…
and massive? In Telvia, everything was plastic, more plastic, concrete, and then just more plastic.
Literally none of it was real. From the grass at Central Park, to the elms, oaks, and palm trees—it was fake.
All fake. But here…oh my god, it was breathtaking.
And the smell ! I couldn’t even begin to really describe it because I had never smelled anything like it before.
But as entranced as I was by the scenery, I was feeling more and more overwhelmed.
In twenty-four hours, my life had completely turned upside down.
I had lost Chase. My parents wanted me dead.
I’d run away from home, was kidnapped by rebels, and discovered my mother was a Dissenter.
Oh yeah, and who could forget that I just signed up to join the rebel cause!
It was just too much, the whole thing making me feel dizzy. What was I going to do?
Lost in thought, it surprised me when I realized I was back at the medical tent.
An older man, probably in his fifties, awaited us inside.
His salt and peppered hair, along with the lines of wrinkles on his forehead, told me he’d lived a stressed life.
He was dressed in a surgical gown. Just looking at him made me feel queasy and my skin itchy.
“That’s her,” Chelsea pointed back to me before sauntering over to a chair and slumping into it.
“All right, I’ll need you to come sit. Are you squeamish?”
“Am I what?” It caught me by surprise. My brain was still trying to process everything, and I was feeling disoriented.
“ Squeamish ,” he repeated. “Are you going to pass out at the sight of blood?” He didn’t give me a chance to respond before he was waving his hands at me and huffing.
He ushered me to sit in a chair that was already prepared next to him.
“Never mind. I don’t have time for this.
Just sit down and look away.” Before I knew what was going on, I was being pulled and pushed into the chair.
He grabbed my left arm and straightened it onto a metal table set at my left side.
Twisting my arm, he exposed the underside of my wrist. “I’ll need you to hold still.
” After a quick swipe with an alcohol wipe, he picked up a scalpel next to a syringe on a tray next to him.
As the light caught the sharpened blade, it glimmered.
“Wait a minute, aren’t you going to numb me or something?”
“This is the rebellion, Miss Mara.” Chelsea’s voice was caustic. “Poor rich girl afraid of a little pinch?”
“Come on, Chelsea,” a third voice chastised. I looked to see Matias, who had been hovering in the background, coming forward. “Give her a break.”
I glanced at Chelsea, her jaw dropping as her posture stiffened. But it wasn’t there long. Her cheeks flushed, and I watched as she stuffed her hands in her pockets and tipped her chin down, hiding her face.