Rise (New Haven Book 3)

by Sara Jo Cluff

  “I love you, too,” Santiago said. As they gazed into each other’s eyes, I cleared my throat. They didn’t look at me, but everyone else did.

  “I know this is hard,” I said, “but no one can tell them anything. No matter what we tell them, they’ll still end up killing us. They don’t want us alive and they know we can’t be turned back to their side, so death is the only option.” I glanced at Vivica and Santiago. “I know it’s hard to watch each other get beat up, but we have to stay strong. If at any moment you find yourself giving in, remind yourself of why we started this revolution. Remind yourself of New Haven and the people we’re fighting for. Remind yourself that we are warriors and we will not back down.”

  We would never back down.

  The moment I walked into the room, Michael and Zoe were both on their feet. Their eyes went wide when they took me all in. With my face still painted, I was probably quite the sight. I raised my hands to show I had no weapons and meant no harm.

  Michael stepped in front of his sister, blocking her from my view. “Who are you? And how did you get in here?”

  “It doesn’t matter how I got in.” I put my arms down and stuffed my hands in my pockets. “My name is Emmie. I’m friends with Dante.”

  Zoe peeked her head around her brother, looking at me with curious eyes. “How do you know Dante?”

  I wasn’t sure how much I should tell her. I was taking a big gamble being in the room in the first place. “That doesn’t matter, either. What does matter is that he’s being held captive by your father, along with nine others. I need your help.”

  “Why should we help you?” Michael asked.

  Zoe stepped out from behind him and took a step closer to me. When she tried to move another step, he put his hand on her arm and pulled her back.

  “I just wanted to introduce myself.” She held out her hand to me. “I’m Zoe.”

  I eyed her hand before I shook it. “It’s nice to meet you.” I put my hand back in my pocket.

  She nodded toward Michael. “This is my brother Michael, who has horrible manners.”

  Michael scoffed. “She broke into our house, steps into your room, claims she’s friends with Dante and you immediately welcome her with open arms. I’ll go get the maid and we can get a room set up for her and a nice warm meal.”

  “A warm meal?” The muffled voice came from outside of the room. I closed my eyes and sighed. Bruce.

  Alarm crossed over Michael's eyes. “There are others with you?”

  Bruce popped his head into the room to see what was going on and then stepped in. He had taken off his weapons, too. “Just me. I’m Bruce. A friend of Emmie and Dante.” He walked up to Zoe and put his hand out.

  She looked over at Michael, who shook his head. But Zoe just shrugged and shook Bruce’s hand anyway. “Zoe.”

  Bruce reached his hand over to Michael, but Michael ignored his hand and bore his eyes into mine. Michael stepped forward until he was right in front of me. “You have two seconds to explain yourself and then I’m calling security.”

  “Two seconds?” Bruce stepped between Michael and me, which was incredible since there wasn’t much space to fit a person there. “Seriously? The two seconds are already up. She needs more time than that.” He patted Michael on the arm. “Listen, let’s just cut to the chase. Your father took our friends and we want them back. It’s simple, really.”

  “And how do you suppose you’re going to get them out?” Michael kept his feet planted where they were, our three bodies squished against each other.

  I stepped back, pulling Bruce with me so we weren’t so close to Michael. But he just took another step toward us.

  “How many times do we have to repeat ourselves?” Bruce asked. “We’ll get them out with …” He pushed his finger into Michael’s chest, which again surprised me. No space. “Your help.”

  Zoe sighed and pulled Michael away from us. “What do you need us to do?”

  “I just need a way to communicate with the citizens of Kingsland,” I said. “Does your dad keep that kind of equipment in your home?”

  “Yes …” Zoe started.

  Michael cut her off. “Why would we give you access to that kind of equipment? This could be a trap.”

  Bruce laughed. “How could we trap you by talking to your citizens?”

  “I don’t know,” Michael said. “It could be a decoy or something.”

  “There’s no decoy,” I said. “We don’t have time for small talk.” I looked at Zoe. “Can you take me to this equipment or not?”

  “Yes,” she said as walked out the door.

  “Uh, I should warn you …” I started.

  Zoe let out a scream.

  “That there are others with me,” I said in a mumble. Smiling at Michael, I took Bruce by the arm and left the room.

  When I walked out into the hall, Zoe was frozen in place. Maya, Tina, Luke, and Joshua were all standing there holding their weapons, plus mine and Bruce’s. It was probably a terrifying sight to Zoe. Bruce shoved past me and went to collect his weapons from Maya.

  Michael walked out and opened his mouth. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was about to yell. I hurried and put my hand over his mouth. He stared down at me in surprise.

  “I know this is awkward,” I said, “but you’re going to have to trust me. We aren’t going to hurt you, I promise.”

  “Well, unless you try to hurt us,” Bruce said. Someone slapped him and I assumed it was Maya.

  “Zoe can take us to the equipment, and you can stand guard.” I kept my hand firmly over his mouth and Michael didn’t try to stop me. “If at any moment we say something you don’t like, you can cut us off. Deal?”

  Michael looked past me at the others. His gaze lingered a while, which I figured had to be on Zoe. He finally set his eyes back on me and nodded.

  “And you won’t yell out when I release my hand?” I asked.

  He nodded. I took my hand away and he smiled at me. “I can see why Dante would want to be your friend.”

  “It’s creepy, isn’t it?” Joshua said. “They’re so much alike, sometimes it scares me.”

  Tina laughed. “They’re like twins who were separated at birth.”

  I rolled my eyes. “We aren’t that much alike.”

  “Yes, you are,” Luke, Maya, and Bruce said at the same time.

  “Again, no time for small talk,” I said. “Zoe, if you would please?”

  Nodding, Zoe walked between Tina and Luke and headed toward the stairs. She passed them and continued down the hall until she came to a room on the right. She walked in, leaving the door open behind her. We all followed her into the room.

  The room was full of computers. There were six large screens on the wall, each showing a different area of Kingsland. There were only two chairs in the room. Zoe sat down in one and Bruce sat in the other. The rest of us stood behind them.

  “You can change the views,” Zoe said, pressing down on a keyboard in front of her. The screens flickered, each time coming up with a new location.

  “Stop.” I stared at the screen in the upper left corner. It was Dante, Eric, and the others. They were all sitting on the floor, some lying down. I took a step toward the monitor. Dante had been beaten badly. “Can you zoom in?”

  “I think so.” Zoe fiddled with the computer until it zoomed in.

  “Scan to the right,” I said. The screen moved and I could get a better look at Vivica and Santiago. They were lying down next to each other. Vivica had been beaten, too. But nothing as bad as Dante. I was relieved to see that everyone else looked okay.

  Zoe sniffed. I put my hand on her shoulder. “This is why we need your help. We need to make sure Dante stays alive.”

  Michael coughed behind me. “If we were to let you communicate with our citizens, what would you even say that could help free Dante?”

  Turning around, I looked at him, keeping my hand on Zoe’s shoulder. “Do you support your dad and the way he runs this city?” />
  “Yes,” Michael said. The moment the word was out of his mouth, I knew he would be a problem. There was no way he’d let me talk to anyone once he heard what I was going to say.

  “I don’t,” Zoe said. She put her hand on mine. Her eyes were filled with tears. “I think he’s been lying to us and the rest of Kingsland.” Michael opened his mouth to say something, but Zoe's eyes pleaded with him. “You can’t possibly believe all the things he says about Dante. We’ve known him and his family forever. They’re good people. I know they are.”

  “Our dad is a good person!” Michael said. “Why would he lie to us?”

  Zoe shook her head. “I don’t know, but he is.”

  “Enough,” Michael said. “This is over. I’m getting security.”

  Sighing, I removed my hand from Zoe’s shoulder. I nodded at Joshua and Luke. Before Michael could step out of the room, the two of them were on him. Joshua got in two solid blows to the head, knocking Michael unconscious. Zoe yelped out in surprise.

  “He’ll be fine,” I said to her. “Luke, tie him up so when he comes to, he won’t cause any problems.” As Luke dragged Michael’s unconscious body to the corner of the room, I looked at Zoe. “So how do I talk to the residents?”

  Zoe wiped the tears from her eyes as she watched Luke tie up her brother. She looked over at me, her face suddenly painted with regret. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”

  I knelt next to her, putting my hand on her arm. “Zoe, you said yourself you trust Dante. He's being held by your father and your own brother has said Dante will not leave this city alive. We need to make sure that doesn’t happen. You’re right; Dante and his family are good people. They only wanted the best for everyone when they left. Your dad has taken everyone who supports Dante and is holding them prisoners, too.”

  Zoe’s eyes widened in alarm. “What? I didn’t know that.” She glanced at Michael on the floor. “You’re not lying to me, are you?”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m not. I’m sure if you continued scanning through all the security feed in the city, you’d eventually find them. Thousands of people are being held against their will. All they wanted was freedom.” I rubbed her arm. “Dante said that a lot of your citizens are getting sick.”

  “They are,” Zoe said. “How do you know that?”

  “Dante has kept in touch with someone named Marcus. Do you know him?”

  Zoe nodded. “Yes. He’s a nice guy.” A small smile formed on her lips. “He used to give me piggyback rides when I was little.”

  “So, you trust him?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Zoe said. “As much as I do Dante.”

  “Good,” I said. “Now, we need to work together to free Dante, Marcus, and everyone else. We need to rally everyone together. If we can do that, then they can all help us break into Headquarters, putting a stop to all of this.”

  “Why would they do that?” Zoe asked.

  I looked up at her, her soft eyes filled with hope. “Because we have a cure for the disease.”

  Zoe stared at me, trying to process what I had told her. Her voice was quiet when she spoke. “How is that possible? No one has been able to find a cure.”

  “We have,” I said, standing. “Our doctors researched and studied it until they did.” I pointed to Dee on the screen. “That’s my best friend, Dee. Last year she came down with the disease. But our doctors cured her.” I pointed to Gideon. “It was his wife, Marie, that put together the final formula. She administered it to Dee and now Dee’s completely back to her old self, with no symptoms at all.”

  “And you think this cure will work on our citizens?” Zoe asked.

  “Yes,” Maya said, stepping forward. “From everything Marcus has told us, plus watching all the symptoms Dee had, we know it’s the same disease. We can put a stop to it.”

  Luke sighed. “We don’t have all day.”

  Tina gave him a sharp look. “They don’t need your input right now.”

  “Fine,” Luke said, folding his arms. “Continue talking about it all night. It’s not like there’s a time limit on Dante and everyone else’s life.”

  Tina opened her mouth, but Zoe spoke first. “He’s right. My dad won’t keep them alive much longer. If you’re going to do something, it has to be now.”

  “I know,” Luke said. “Let’s cut the chit chat and get going.”

  Joshua looked at Zoe. “Can we do a live feed from here?”

  Zoe nodded, turning back to the computer. “Yes. There’s an override system my dad had installed. It will automatically turn on all the televisions in everyone’s homes and every building, plus it will have the audio come out of every speaker throughout the city. Just give me a minute.”

  As she typed away on the computer, Michael stirred. Luke had made sure to gag him in addition to tying him up.

  “Want me to knock him back out?” Luke asked.

  I shook my head. “He’s fine. He can’t move or talk. Just don’t let him escape.”

  Saluting me, Bruce stepped in front of Michael. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll keep watch.”

  When Bruce had his face turned toward Michael, I pointed at Joshua and Luke, telling them they needed to be watching, too. They both smiled and nodded. I appreciated Bruce and all the hard work he put in, but the boy was tiny. Michael could easily take him, even being bound.

  “Okay,” Zoe said. She handed me a small microphone and then pointed at a camera. “Just talk into the microphone and look here. When I press enter, this will go live. You’ll be broadcasted all over Kingsland, including the room my dad will be in.” She hesitated before she went on. “As soon as this is live, security will know you’re here. They’ll be storming in within minutes. You better be prepared for that.”

  “I understand,” I said. “Where’s your mom, Zoe?”

  “She’s sleeping,” she said. “I’ll go to her as soon as this starts and let her know what’s going on. Hopefully, I can keep her calm and from coming in here.”

  I looked at Maya, Tina, Luke, Joshua, and Bruce. “This is it. The five of you have to keep me covered until I’m done.”

  “Before you start, let’s barricade the front door.” Joshua looked at Zoe. “Is there another way into this house?”

  Zoe nodded as she stood. “There’s a passageway from Headquarters to my parent’s room.”

  “Where’s your parent’s room?” Tina asked.

  “Right next door,” Zoe said.

  “Okay,” Maya said. “Joshua and I will head downstairs and move any furniture we can find to block the front door. We’ll lock all the windows and move furniture in front of them, too. Tina and Luke can do the same for upstairs and the passageway.” She looked at Bruce. “Don’t let Michael leave this room.”

  Michael started to sit up, so Joshua knocked him in the head again. “Just in case.”

  Maya looked at me. “Be thinking about what you want to say. This needs to be convincing.”

  “I know,” I said. “Zoe, go to your mom’s room and wake her up.”

  “Right now?” Zoe asked.

  I nodded. “It’s either you tell her now, or she wakes up in two minutes when Luke and Tina are in her room moving furniture around.”

  “True.” Zoe glanced over my face, looking at me apologetically. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but maybe you should wash your face first since you’re covered in that paint. The residents might not respond well with you looking like that.”

  Instinctively, I put my hand up to my face. I’d forgotten about the paint. I must have looked so strange to her. “Where’s the bathroom?”

  “I’ll show you.” Zoe turned and left the room.

  I turned to the others. “Get started.” They all nodded, following me out.

  When my face was fully scrubbed and free of any war paint, I went back into the security room. Bruce stood tall, back straight, his face all business. Michael lay unconscious on the floor.

  “What are you going to say?” Bruce asked me when I entered
the room.

  “The truth, I guess.” Taking off my jacket, I folded it in half and placed it on one of the chairs. “I’m just not sure how I’m going to convince thousands of people to trust me over their president. I mean, I know I’m telling the truth, but they don’t. I’m just some random girl who’s going to show up on their screens.”

  “If only you had some proof,” Bruce said. “Can you air the feed of Dante being held? I mean, he’s pretty beat up. If they saw him, maybe they’d trust you.”

  I twisted my ring as I walked to the door. Furniture scraped across the wood flooring as they were pushed into place. “Maybe. But they’d have to like Dante to feel sorry for him. Over half of the city still supports President Coleman. They’ll probably just be happy to see Dante in the shape he’s in.”

  “True,” he said, nodding. He scratched the back of his head and sighed. “I wish I was brilliant. Too bad I was only given brawn and good looks.”

  I smiled at him. Looking down at the still unconscious Michael, I let the wheels in my head turn, continuing to twist my ring. We needed proof that President Coleman was bad, but where would we get that? We couldn’t get into Headquarters. I turned to Bruce who tapped his finger against his lip, deep in thought. “Hey Bruce, I have a task for you.”

  “My task is to keep watch over Michael.” He folded his arms, trying to look tough and manly.

  “I can keep my eye on him until everyone gets back,” I said. “I need you to put your detective skills to work.”

  Bruce rolled his eyes. “I just told you I’m only good for my striking looks and massive muscles.”

  I rolled my eyes in return. “Oh, come on, we both know you secretly want to be a detective. You’re always snooping around New Haven with that little note pad of yours.”

  His eyes widened in surprise. He absentmindedly patted his shirt pocket where he kept the pad. “I thought no one noticed that.”

  “You’re talking to me,” I said. “You know I notice everything that happens in New Haven.”

  “Blast!” He shook his fist. “I should’ve known you’d catch on to me. You always do.”