Page 7 of Dissent (The Dissenter Saga #1)

“Well,” he began as he rolled onto his side, supporting his head in his hand.

“There’s been a significant increase in rebel activity.

Not just in District 3, but in District 2 and District 1.

That whole vandalism incident you saw yesterday isn’t the only one.

There’s been more tagging going on, with the same words spray painted all over the damn place.

With dad’s reelection around the corner, we’re having a hard time trying to figure out how to manage it. ”

“Do you guys think it’s just Sympathizers?”

He took in a deep breath as he flopped onto his back, placing his hands on his chest. “That’s one theory, but we actually think it’s bigger than that.”

“Bigger? Like how?”

He tipped his head to the side, looking at me. “Don’t say anything, okay? This is total REG top secret shit, but…” He cleared his throat before lowering his voice. “We think it’s actual rebel forces getting past the wall.”

My eyebrows hit my hairline. That was crazy!

No one had been in or out of Telvia in years.

The giant wall Raúl had built following the war ensured that.

People battled for what little resources remained after the Great Drought turned civilization into a wasteland.

The country fell into civil war, different regions trying to claim dibs on what water sources were left.

And before you knew it, everything changed.

Everything broke apart, and one country became four regions—or factions—that agreed on very little and the tension remained thick.

The West and South seceded from the United Factions of America, and Raúl was elected to the presidency.

He had a vision of a safe, fully sustainable, and independent country that needed no support from neighboring regions.

Thus, Telvia was born, and to protect it, he resurrected the wall.

My attention returned to my brother. “That’s impossible. How did you even figure that out?”

“We got an anonymous tip from someone, and the REG looked into it. Let’s just say he knew some stuff that is leading us to believe they’re getting into the city somehow.”

Crap…that was bad. “Sounds heavy.”

Jacob snorted, “Yeah, heavy for sure. Dad thinks they are amassing outside the wall and are trying to get more Sympathizers on the inside. If they do that, then that could be a big problem.” He grew serious, and I could tell something was weighing on him.

I stayed quiet, knowing he just needed space to gather himself.

Sure enough, he inhaled deeply and began again, “You know, Father thinks we might have a war on our hands soon.”

“What?” Shit … I knew the Dissenters had been pestering Telvia for some time, but I thought it was all under control. No one had ever hinted that there could be a war coming. “Since when ?”

“Father’s been watching the trends in the city. The people are growing restless, and if the rebels are infiltrating Telvia and spreading lies to people, then they could revolt.”

“I don’t know. I guess I don’t understand why people would revolt.

Raúl’s kept us alive during the drought.

He’s kept people fed, kept order. What do people want from him?

” As much as the relationship I had with Raúl was less than ideal, he was still my dad.

And, deep down, I just wanted him to accept me.

I wanted to make him proud of me, like he was of Jacob.

“People are stupid, Mara. People think they know what they want and then when they have it, they realize it doesn’t make them happy.”

I pondered that for a moment. The memory of reading the red letters across the campaign poster resurfaced.

Dissent, resist, and rise.

My earlier argument with Chase flittered into my mind. “Maybe…maybe people just want to make their own choices.” It was a bold statement to make, but I trusted Jacob. I knew I could engage in crazy talk and not be judged for it.

“Careful, Mara,” he teased gently. “Talk like that will have people thinking you’re a Subclass Sympathizer.

” I smacked him with a pillow and he laughed.

He sat himself back up, taking a deep breath.

“I guess that’s my point, though. People think they know what they want, what they need , and then they screw it up, you know?

” He looked at me, his eyes filled with emotions I couldn’t read.

I wasn’t really sure how to respond to him, so I opted for a nod.

He watched me before looking down at his hands.

“People are like sheep, Mara. They need a shepherd to tell them where to go and what to do, and the Council does that for them. Father does that for them.” We stayed quiet for a moment, the words lingering in the air, and I found my thoughts spinning with Jacob’s words.

Father was the shepherd. Maybe I was just a sheep in the end…

not someone destined to lead the sheep. That was Jacob.

He was the leader. I was just the one following in his shadow.

“Mara?” He interrupted my thoughts. “What are you thinking?”

“Hmmm? Oh…nothing really,” I lied. I trusted Jacob, but I didn’t want to writhe in my self-pity. He knew me too well, though. He watched me intently, and I could just feel him reading my mind.

“You’re not worthless, Mara.” His words caught me by surprise. As much as Jacob had some crazy ability to know my thoughts, I wasn’t expecting him to go there .

“I know that.” I didn’t want to talk about this. It hurt too much.

“No, you don’t.” He scooted up to the head of the bed, taking a seat next to me. He looked into my eyes, making sure that he had my attention. “You don’t know that. I know you think you’re a total disappointment, but you’re not .”

I scoffed. That was easy for him to say. He wasn’t the one that was always messing up. “Whatever, Jacob. I don’t want to talk about this right now.” As much as I tried to shut the conversation down, he persisted.

“No, Mara, you’ve got to listen to me. I love Mom and Dad, but I love you too. And I might look up to Dad, but I’m not blind either. And they’re wrong about you.”

I turned away from him, my gut twisting. “Please stop…”

“Mara, I didn’t come in here to talk about rebels, or war, or anything like that.

I came in here because I still feel terrible about how dinner went tonight.

It’s not fair that they’re so hard on you.

It’s not your fault…it’s Dad’s. He’s the one that went off and slept with someone else, and that’s not your fault.

And I hate how they always take it out on you.

They’ve always set the bar higher for you than they ever did for me, and that’s not fair to you.

” His voice was climbing as his frustration bubbled.

“Shh! Quiet down. Do you want to wake up the entire house?”

Realization struck, and he snapped out of it, taking a few breaths. “Sorry…it’s just, yeah, I don’t know. I guess I just want you to know that you matter, too. You know? That you’re going to be great some day and you can’t let them get to you.”

I shifted my gaze to my hands, feeling my throat closing up, and my eyes stinging with the renewed threat of tears. Oh no…not again. I didn’t want to cry anymore. “I know,” I said emptily. I didn’t mean it, but I said it anyway to pacify him.

“Mara,” he called, but when I didn’t look up at him, he took my chin in his hand and lifted my face until our eyes met.

“You need to forget about Dad and Mom. They’re never going to see you the way I see you.

You need to believe in yourself. Believe in you and then, maybe , you’ll be happy.

” He held my gaze for a moment before letting me go and climbing off my bed.

“Going to bed?” It was all I could muster at the moment.

Jacob nodded as he walked to my door and opened it.

He turned back to me, one hand resting on the knob.

“Remember that I love you, okay? I’m your brother, and I’m always going to protect you, however I can.

Just remember that, all right?” A little taken aback, I nodded, not knowing how else to respond to him.

He paused for a second, satisfied. “Goodnight,” he said as he gave me a small smile and then left my room.

“Goodnight,” I whispered as the door closed.

Despite Jacob’s sweet sentiments, something felt off.

I felt cold suddenly, as an icy chill ensnared my heart and sent a shiver down my spine.

Nothing felt good. In fact, something felt damn right wrong .

I couldn’t help but feel as though something wicked was on its way.