Page 20 of Dissent (The Dissenter Saga #1)

“Don’t mind her,” Matias went on as I turned to face him again.

“This will hurt, but we don’t have many resources here on base, and we need to save those analgesics for our wounded in the field.

Take my hand.” Kneeling down on my right, he didn’t wait for my agreement before scooping my hand into his.

I looked at our clasped hands and then back at his face, only a foot away from mine.

And I saw him— really saw him—for the first time.

His brown eyes were large and deep and…beautiful.

His soft facial features were gentle, with a light speckling of freckles dusting the bridge of his nose and both his cheeks.

They were so light that I would have missed them had his face not been so close to my own.

And his smell…it was completely different from what I was used to.

All the guys at the academy, my brother, even Chase, had this cologne that radiated wealth and sophistication.

But this…this was different. It was citrusy and wooded, deep and light, sharp and gentle, all at the same time.

My attention drifted to his hair, a little longer than how most of the boys kept theirs in Telvia, with slight waves.

The dark brown locks matched his eyes. Then, he gave me a gentle smile, one that reminded me of Chase.

Chase.

The sudden memory of Chase’s burning face captured my mind, and my vision blurred as tears glassed over my eyes. “Shh…it’s okay. I’ll help you.” Mistaking my tears for fear, Matias squeezed my hand and cupped my cheek with the other, keeping my face turned away from Dr. Jones. “Go for it, Doc.”

I felt pressure on my wrist as someone grabbed it and held it down. My heart skipped a beat, knowing that I was about to be cut into, but there was a larger part of me that no longer cared.

I wanted Chase.

Matias glanced back at me, continuing to hold my hand and keeping my face turned away.

My eyes drifted to Chelsea, hovering back behind Matias, and the look in her eyes showed a flash of different emotions.

They were cold while her lips were set in a thin, stern line.

And when our eyes met, she glared, tipping her chin down as her eyes remained narrowed on me.

I looked away, landing on Matias once again.

His eyes were warm, inviting, enveloping.

But I couldn’t get lost in them. A sting seared through my arm.

I tried to pull away on instinct, but the pressure on my wrist tightened.

The urge to turn and watch captivated me, causing me to turn my face.

But Matias’s hand kept me looking at him.

He brought his face closer to mine and looked straight into my eyes.

“Shh…it’s okay. Just look at me. It’ll be over soon. Just keep looking at me, okay?”

I bit my bottom lip, trying to divert my attention from the burning sting in my arm to the pain in my lip.

Inhaling deeply through my nose, I felt the sensation of my flesh being carved out, a deep burn that sent waves of agony shooting all the way up into my shoulder.

And then it lightened to an aching throb.

I exhaled sharply, feeling myself being drained of any energy I had, the lightheadedness returning.

I blinked and felt as a few tears slipped over my lids and rolled down my cheek.

“It’s done, Mara. It’s all done.” The hand that was cupping my face glided to my cheek and wiped away the moisture. “Nice job,” he said as I sniffed and looked at my arm. I counted five stitches.

Dr. Jones was cleaning the area, wiping the blood that had spilled, and then wrapping my forearm with gauze. “Keep it dry. The stitches fall out when the flesh is sufficiently healed. Until then, just keep it clean.”

I took a deep breath. “Can I see it?” Dr. Jones glanced at me before grabbing a small container and holding it out. A half inch, cylindrical capsule. That’s all it was, and not at all what I thought the tracker would look like.

“I’ll take this back to headquarters. Now, as for your head…

” He stepped toward me as Matias stood and backed away.

Dr. Jones grabbed the wrapping around my head and quickly unwound it.

Taking my face into both his hands, he tipped and turned my head.

“That’s looking pretty good actually. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I initially thought.

That should heal up pretty soon. You can wash it.

But don’t pick at it. We can leave it uncovered for now to air it out for a bit.

” He let me go, snatching the dish as he did.

“Now, one more bit of business, and then you’ll be free to go. ”

I eyed him suspiciously. He grabbed the syringe from his tray, lifting it up to the light and giving it several taps.

“W-what’s that? What are you doing with that?” I mumbled, stiffening in my chair.

“Protocol. Everyone gets the serum.”

“Serum?” Wait a minute… One thing was cutting out the tracker, but it was a completely different thing to inject me with mystery juice. “I don’t think so,” I argued.

Chelsea scoffed. “Telvians are such babies.”

“It’s just a vaccine, Mara.” Matias offered. “We all get it annually. It keeps us healthy while we’re in camp and prevents communicable diseases.” I faced him. He really had a nice voice—soothing, calming.

“And birth control,” Dr. Jones added as he grabbed my arm again, exposing my shoulder.

I whirled on him. “ Excuse me? Are you serious?”

“Of course. All of our military are given a fertility suppressant, along with their vaccines. It’s protocol,” he added again, as though that just cleared everything up.

“No,” I said, as I started to pull back my arm.

“Listen up, princess,” Chelsea sneered, pulling my attention. Then—

Pinch!

“Ow!” I yelled, spinning back on the doctor.

“All done,” he said with a smile.

I rubbed my shoulder. “I can’t believe you just did that!”

“Yes, well, you can file a grievance with your commanding officer.” He grabbed his tray, and before I could argue further, he marched out of the tent.

“You did well.” Matias smiled brightly. “I’m impressed.”

I grimaced, annoyed by the invasion of my freaking rights, but couldn’t help but smile at the compliment.

I glanced at Chelsea. She was watching him, and there was a longing in her eyes, one which I knew I’d had many times on my face whenever I looked at Chase.

And suddenly, it all became crystal clear.

She liked him. I looked away before she caught me staring, returning my attention to Matias.

“Thanks,” I drawled, still annoyed. “So what are you guys going to do next to me?”

He smiled again, flashing white teeth in perfect rows. “Well, I’m guessing you’d probably like to change out of those clothes.”

I glanced down and remembered the maid’s outfit.

Rumpled, grimy, and splashed with dried blood, I suddenly realized just how terrible I probably looked.

My hand shot up to my scalp and confirmed what I suspected.

My hair was matted with dried blood. I felt hot suddenly.

I’ve walked around this whole camp looking less than human. “And a shower too, I think.”

“Another luxury we can’t afford around here,” Chelsea hissed out.

Matias snapped back at her. “Knock it off, will you?”

“Seriously? What’s your problem?” She opened her arms wide, challenging him.

He stared at her for a minute before waving her off and facing me again. “We really don’t have showers around here. But there’s a river nearby that’s good for washing up. I can take you there.”

“A river? As in, a flowing body of free moving water?”

Chelsea snorted. Matias cast her a swift glare before returning his attention to me. “That’s right. I forget that you’ve never seen some of this stuff.” The corner of his lips turned up into a smirk. “Come on. I’ll take you there.”

***

After gathering fresh clothing, boots, a small ration of soap, and a clean towel, Matias guided me through camp and down a trail through the trees and greenery.

Chelsea didn’t come with us this time. Headquarters paged her and she needed to report back.

I was glad about it. I knew Chelsea was not happy with me, and it was going to take some time before she came around.

As I followed Matias, he talked the entire time.

I learned that the trees surrounding me were called Sitka spruce, and that the greenery that covered the forest floor was a mix of ivy plants, shrubs, and berry bushes.

The greenery was so thick that I couldn’t see through it at all.

If it weren’t for the narrow path carved through it, I would have been completely lost.

As we hiked, a slow trickling and rippling sound greeted my ears as the smell of must and damp earth filled my nose.

I became more aware of it as we kept walking, and before I could think too much about it, the greenery cleared and we were out of the woods.

A vast body of rushing water greeted my eyes like I had never seen.

It splashed and whirled and spiraled around, playful and energetic.

I looked up and down, only to see that the river traveled endlessly in both directions.

I couldn’t help it. My jaw dropped as I watched in shock.

There was so much water!

In Telvia, we were still rationing water.

We had pulled out all of our plant life, replaced it with artificial greenery, and didn’t even grow food anymore because Raúl kept telling us that there wasn’t enough.

That outside our walls was nothing but barren desert and dried up watering holes.

And yet, here it was. It was all here. Lush trees and water racing through this forest, endless and abundant.

And then I felt it. I felt the little seed of doubt Sasha had planted inside me wiggling and growing, anchoring itself to my core.

Was she really telling the truth? And if she was telling the truth about this, then…

What else is Raúl lying about?