Page 53 of Dissent (The Dissenter Saga #1)

F ree! I was finally free. I felt the crisp air across my face as I closed my eyes and soaked in the warmth of the late afternoon sun that penetrated the forest canopy.

It was over. I was no longer in confinement, and it felt awesome .

I stretched my hands up toward the forest ceiling, feeling the minor burn in my muscles as they reached their max length, and then dropped my arms as I breathed in again.

The review had been intense. After I had accepted blame, I had received one hell of a lecture.

Sasha hadn’t been pleased with me, and she made sure I knew it.

But in the end, they released me with something they called “kitchen and latrine duty” once my ankle was cleared by Doc.

And, of course, the Review Board fully expected me to make good on my promise to Chelsea and do the footage they wanted.

Sasha informed me that Edith was to remain as my personal security detail until a more permanent guard could be assigned.

Apparently, she didn’t have much more confidence in Edith than she did in Matias to keep my nose clean. I was a little dismayed by that part.

Edith must have already known that was the plan, however, because I wasn’t outside of headquarters more than a few minutes before she was walking towards me, a huge smile across her face.

“How did it go?”

“Not too bad.”

“ See? I told you it was nothing to worry about.”

“I still feel bad about Chelsea and Wes, though.”

“Well, yeah, duh. But that’s not on you. All of that crap probably would have happened, anyway. Rumor is, they think it was a big setup.”

My eyes grew wide. “What?” I knew Matias had mentioned it, but I hadn’t heard anything else.

She crossed her arms, nodding, “Mm-hmm, that’s what I hear.

Matias’s full report had some extra details in it.

They put the info together along with some other intel they had, and now they’re pretty convinced it was a damn setup.

Long story short, the chance of all three of them being caught or killed was pretty high.

So, like I said, not your fault, and they know it.

For all we know, you being there could have actually saved their asses. ”

I hadn’t thought about that before. When the Telvians had seen me, it redirected their efforts toward me. Maybe that helped, giving the rest of them a chance to regroup and get the hell out instead of being gunned down.

“Oh!” Edith shrieked, clapping her hands together as she did a little hop. “I almost forgot, happy birthday!” Then her arms were around me, squeezing me to death.

Feeling my ribcage about to give under the pressure of her bear hug, I muttered out, “Thanks.” She let me go, a grin consuming the entirety of her face.

“Now, you’ve got places to be.”

“Wait, what?”

“You heard me.” She stepped around behind me and started pushing me forward, herding me through the camp.

“What are you talking about? Where are we going?”

“First off, to the medical bay. Doc wants another look at that ankle to make sure it’s healed all right.” A devilish smile swept across her face as she gave me a wink. “And then , a secret surprise.”

“A surprise?” My stomach dropped.

I never got surprises…not good ones, anyway.

My experience of surprises usually consisted of being whipped in the basement.

Except for one time. One time, Chase gave me a white rose.

A real rose. I had no clue where he got it.

And at the time, it seemed like magic, because I had never seen a real rose before.

All we had in Telvia were plastic and succulents.

And succulents didn’t smell. Not like a rose, anyway.

Roses were sweet, aromatic. Their petals soft, smooth, and supple. I loved my rose.

And then I buried it.

“What surprise?” I asked. “I don’t really like surprises.”

Edith gave me an incredulous look. “Don’t look so freaked out. It’s all good, I promise. But I can’t tell you what it is because he’ll murder me if I do.”

The nerves eased a bit, but memories of my past still lingered in my mind. “Who’ll murder you?”

“You’ll see. It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, now, would it?” She grabbed my hand and tugged. “Now come on. We’ve got stuff to do.”

She guided me through camp while my brain swirled around the different possibilities of what this surprise could be.

Coming up to the infirmary, we slipped into the tent and walked between the rows of cots, each one separated by a curtain to create the illusion of privacy.

Most of them were pulled back, allowing the space to look large and empty.

Edith walked on toward the back where a few curtains were still drawn closed.

“Doc?” she called out.

His voice trailed from behind the curtain. “I’ll be with you in just a moment.”

She motioned for me to take a seat on a cot. “Looks like you’ll have to wait.”

“I guess so.” I plopped myself on the edge.

Bing, bing.

Edith lifted her tab, swiped it, and then smiled like a coy devil. “I’ve got to answer this one. I’ll wait for you outside, ‘kay?”

“Sure.”

She gave me another wink and then returned her attention to her tab as she walked out. I trilled my lips as I waited.

“You look like you’re just about ready to leave here, Mr. Calvernon. I presume tomorrow, but only light duty for you for another few weeks.”

I stiffened. Last I had seen Wes, he was being carried away, unconscious. I knew he was still recovering in the infirmary, and the thought of visiting him had crossed my mind often. But being stuck in confinement made that impossible…until now.

“Miss de la Puente…”

My attention snapped back to the present, catching sight of Doc. “Uh, hi. You wanted to see me?”

“Indeed.” He reached over and grabbed a folded hospital gown on the bed. “I need you to change into this, and then I’ll look at that foot.”

“Do I really have to change—”

He huffed loudly, “Miss de la Puente, there are rules in my ward and you’re going to follow them.”

Bing, bing.

Doc paused, his entire face pinching itself as he looked at his tab. “Blast…always binging me at all hours. How am I ever supposed to get any work done around here?” He returned his attention to me. “Change,” he ordered, finger pointed at me. “I’ll be right back.”

Before I knew it, I was alone on the cot. Except, I wasn’t alone. Wes was just on the other side, and he had been on my mind almost constantly. He was in my nightmares, dying under my hands, or burning next to his brother in the arena. I knew my conscience had me wrapped up and overwhelmed.

He almost died.

And I still couldn’t help but think that, if I hadn’t gone, he might have never been hurt as badly as he was.

And what was worse, he blamed me for Chelsea.

And he was right to blame me. I knew Edith said it was all a setup, but even if it was, Chelsea took that bullet for me.

I knew it. I saw it with my own eyes. It was my fault she was captured and most likely dead.

I shook my head, trying to clear it. Just focus on one thing at a time.

I reached over and pulled the curtain to give myself some privacy and quickly stripped my clothing, leaving only my bra and underwear on.

I slipped the hospital gown over my arms, feeling the cold fabric glide across my skin as goose pimples rose over my whole body.

Of course …the damn thing didn’t close in the back, and I was left feeling a breeze tickling my spine. A chill shook through me, and I did my best to shake it off as I sat back down on the cot.

How was I supposed to do this? How was I supposed to go back to training with Wes when he was released? And the guilt…the guilt of Chelsea’s capture was tearing me apart. I felt it constantly. Ever since we left her behind, I had waking dreams of gunfire and her collapsing to the floor in a heap.

I groaned. I needed to clear this up, to clear the air with Wes.

I needed to apologize for everything. He probably wouldn’t accept it, and that was okay—I deserved it.

But I owed it to him. I owed it to her , but she wasn’t here.

I’d have to take that shit to my grave, but at least I could gain some semblance of peace with him.

I chewed on my thumb nail as I stood, and then rubbed my arms as more gooseflesh skittered across my skin. Taking a step toward the curtain, hand outstretched, I gripped the fabric, but then hesitated.

What if he hated me?

Of course he hated me. What kind of lame question was that?

Wes knew I was to blame for Chase’s death, and I knew he despised me for it.

That was abundantly clear. But a part of me really wanted to mend the bridge with him.

After all, he was Chase’s brother. Chase would have wanted us to get along, right?

And, if I was being honest with myself, I wanted him to like me.

I didn’t want it to be weird and caustic every time we were together.

After that night at the processing facility, I had officially branded myself as an enemy of Telvia, no doubt about it.

There was no going back. Whether or not I liked it, I was a rebel now, a dissenter of the Telvian way.

I had sealed my fate. The rebel base was my new home.

I might as well make it as comfortable as possible.

And it would make things a lot easier if Wes and I could at least be amicable.

I breathed in deeply through my nose, mustered my courage, and then dragged back the curtain.

Wes was lying in a cot, dressed in a similar hospital gown as mine, with a blanket draped over his lower half.

He was propped up into a laid back, sitting position, his eyes closed.

He appeared to be dozing, and I couldn’t help but stare.

Wisps of blond hair were swept back except for one bit, draping over the side of his face, framing his eye.

His face sported his strong jawline and smooth skin.