Page 34 of Dissent (The Dissenter Saga #1)

I ran. I ran as fast and as hard as I could, out of the training center, past the dozens of eyes that stared after me in confusion, and back up the trail. I felt like such an idiot, and I was confused—so confused about everything.

My chest heaved from the exertion as I made it to the top.

Looking around, I noticed the trail that looked like the one to the Rock.

I took it. I needed time and space, and I didn’t know of anywhere else I could go where I would be alone.

My feet slowed down, but I didn’t stop. I just kept following the path, even as it seemed to become overgrown by brush.

Tears flowed freely, and I kept wiping them away, but it was pointless. How could I do that? How could I call him Chase? Wes barely tolerated me already, and then to call him his brother’s name? I shrieked out of frustration.

And was he going to kiss me? Was that what was happening?

I ran my fingers through my hair. I was so confused…

and crazy ! There was no way he was about to kiss me.

It was all me and my stupid, unrealized fantasies I had from Chase.

And I was projecting that onto poor Wes who sure as hell did not need that crap from me.

I was the moron in this shitshow. I let myself get carried away, allowing my mind to play tricks on me. I had to get it through my effing head!

Wes. Wasn’t. Chase!

No matter how many times I saw Chase die in my nightmares, my body was drawn to Wes over and over again.

Muscle memory kicking in, seeking intimate moments, with a living replica of the boy I’d lost. He probably thought I was nuts.

One minute I was calling him a rabid dog, and the next I was throwing myself at him.

“ Argh !” I cried out, hands balling into fists.

My legs screamed at me as my lungs burned. Unable to go any further, I finally stopped walking, and leaned forward to rest my hands on my knees, taking in ragged breaths. I didn’t know how I was going to fix this or even if I could fix it for that matter.

“What a mess…” I muttered.

Exhaling sharply, I stood up straight and glanced around, taking in my surroundings, but nothing looked familiar.

Wait a minute…where the hell am I?

I scanned the forest, noticing nothing but a never-ending sea of trees and shrubbery. The path before me had disappeared, taken back by the forest years before my intrusion.

I was such an idiot. This was definitely not the path to the Rock. And if it was the path, I had taken a wrong turn somewhere. I looked around to follow the trail back to the main path, but there was nothing there. Nothing but brush, trees, and more brush.

There was no trail.

“ Great . Fan-fucking-tastic…” I griped with a heavy sigh. Moaning again, I rubbed my face with hands in exasperation, brushing away the dirt, sweat, and tears as I looked around again.

I must have gone off the trail without even realizing it.

Placing a hand on my hip, I pinched the bridge of my nose.

Why did I always do this crap to myself?

How was I even going to find my way back?

My mind spun, racking my brain for solutions as I worried my lip.

Then, I remembered my mini-tab. I could message Matias.

Heat blasted my cheeks instantly. And tell him what? That I ran off from the training center after almost kissing Wes? No way! I liked Matias… a lot . The last thing I wanted to do was make him think I was crazy or into Wes. Absolutely not .

Maybe Edith? Or Chelsea? I shivered at that one.

The last thing I needed was Chelsea on my case about running off.

But Edith would work. Lifting my tab, I swiped through my contacts, and messaged her I was lost and where I thought I was.

She was going to push me for details on everything—I just knew it.

But I would deal with her later. For now, I just needed someone to know I was lost in the middle of fucking nowhere.

My tab binged.

Edith: Stay put. Your tab has a tracker. I’ll send someone for you.

Mara: Ok. Thanks!

Edith: How did you get lost?

Mara: Long story. Let’s talk about it later, ok?

Edith: You better! Sit tight.

It was late afternoon, but there was still plenty of daylight left. I was going to do exactly as she told me to and sit tight. Taking in a deep breath, I scanned my surroundings for a place to relax while I waited. Spotting a fallen tree, I went over and sat on the log.

Well, this is embarrassing.

I buried my face in my hands, elbows resting on my knees.

This sucked so bad, but I refused to cry anymore about it.

I was sick of crying, and I had to get my head back in the game.

My life had turned upside down. I went from being the First Daughter of Telvia to being a wanted Subclass Sympathizer.

Chase was dead, and my brother… God, I missed him so much.

And he probably hated me now, just like everyone else in this freaking place.

My fingers found my little heart, rubbing it.

FML.

I sat up straight, closing my eyes as I took in a deep breath, feeling the air fill my lungs to capacity before letting it out nice and slow.

A twig snapped behind me, causing me to jump.

I glanced back over my shoulder, ready to greet whoever Edith had sent to come get me, but found nothing but trees and brush.

Shrugging my shoulders, I shifted my attention back around when I heard another snap.

Closer this time. I whipped around, eyes huge.

But once again, I found nothing. Standing up, I turned and searched the trees and brush for anything that might be lurking.

My breath quickened, fast and shallow as my eyes darted from one side to the other.

Something needled deep within—a sickening feeling that I was being watched.

SNAP!

I whirled to the left, but still saw nothing. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

I don’t like this.

I took a step backward, my foot landing on a wobbly rock that threw me off balance, causing me to fall to the floor. “Ouch!”

Landing on my side, my shoulder stung from the impact.

“Great. Just freaking great,” I groused as I rolled onto my chest to push myself up.

Then I heard it. Another snap, followed by the most disturbing low growl.

My heart seized, eyes opening wide, as a chill ran down my spine.

Every little hair on my arms and neck rose.

I sensed it. Something was there, and I swallowed hard, trying to shove down the sickly feeling of doom whirling in my core. Slowly, I moved, doing everything I could to make as little noise as possible as I shifted myself onto my feet.

Another growl sounded behind me. Not daring to even breathe, I slowly turned to face it, and my eyes landed on a giant cat.

I’d never seen one in real life, but it looked so much like the pictures of mountain lions I’d seen in my biology class.

I always thought they looked like majestic creatures, but staring at one face-to-face was causing me to change my mind.

They were huge. And with their lips peeled back to reveal sharp canines, I was now thinking they looked less majestic and more terrifying.

I froze, unsure of what to do. We didn’t have wild animals in Telvia. Hell, we didn’t have animals at all except for the occasional bird. I had no idea what to do in a situation like this, and though my heart wanted me to run, my brain screamed not to move a muscle.

The mountain lion crouched low, giving off another menacing sound from deep within its throat.

Shit, shit, shit! I glanced in every direction, desperately trying to figure out how I was going to get myself out of this mess when I noticed a thick branch on the ground to my right.

If I could grab it, I could use it as a weapon.

Slowly I slid my right boot along the floor, feeling the dirt and gravel shift underneath my foot.

Putting my hands out, I crouched myself into my grappling stance like Wes had taught me, preparing for the imminent attack I knew was coming.

I slid my left foot then, inching myself closer to my target.

The cat hissed as it prowled toward me, matching my movements, both of us circling one another in a deadly dance.

I could hear the blood rushing in my ears as my heart thrashed against my ribcage, threatening to destroy itself with the violence of it all. I slid my right foot again, getting closer, as my other foot shifted in pursuit.

Almost there .

The lion snarled, almost as though it was warning me to stay put, to not even think about escaping.

But I couldn’t do that. I slid my right foot one last time, close enough now that all I needed to do was reach down and grab the branch.

As I started to bend, the cat roared at me, swiping out its clawed paw. I froze.

Crap!

This wasn’t going to work. There was no way it was going to let me move again.

But I wasn’t stupid. I knew this thing wasn’t just going to just walk away.

If I hoped to survive another day, I was going to have to fight for that opportunity.

My brain scrambled, trying to assess my chances of survival, when the cat crouched low and then pounced right at me.