Rise (New Haven Book 3)

by Sara Jo Cluff

  “I thought I said no hanky panky?” Derek folded his arms and glared at us. Dante did the same, but I ignored them both.

  “Please, everyone,” I said, “just come on into my room.” I tried to pull all the way back from Eric so I could sit up, but he held onto me. He and Dante were staring at each other. I tucked the information into the back of my mind, determined to talk to them alone when I had the time.

  Dee stepped in front of everyone. “I’m sorry; I tried to keep all of them out. I told them you needed rest.”

  “She does,” Eric said.

  “Then why are you in here?” Dante asked Eric.

  Eric opened his mouth, but I cut him off. “Enough,” I said. “Why are you here?”

  “Who is that question for?” Derek asked.

  I grunted. “All of you. I’ll start with you, Derek.”

  Derek smiled and stepped forward, a slight limp in his walk. He was wearing his, I can’t adult today, shirt. “Thank you for asking me first, since I know I’m the most important person here. I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

  “I’m tired, my side hurts, I’m a little frustrated with certain people at the moment, I’m a little hungry now that I’m thinking about it, and I feel claustrophobic with so many people in here and all of them staring at me.” I faked a smile. “Thanks for asking.”

  Derek clapped his hands together. “Good. Glad to hear it.”

  “Why are you limping?” I asked him.

  “A big, bald man shot me in the leg,” Derek said, waving his hand like it was no big deal.

  “Oh!” I looked down at his leg, even though I obviously wouldn’t see anything since he was wearing pants. “I forgot. Are you doing okay?”

  He raised his eyebrows. “You forgot that I’d been shot? Thanks a lot, Emmie. And yes, I’m doing quite well, thank you. Naomi has taken good care of me. She actually remembers critical things that happen to me.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “So much has happened in the past couple of days. But I’m glad you’re well and that you have Naomi.”

  “Me, too. I’ll leave you now. Goodbye, sweet sister of mine.” Since I was still in Eric’s arms, Derek raised his hand up for me to high-five. After I slapped his hand, he left the room.

  I pointed at Tina and Luke. “You two?”

  Tina looked at me apologetically. “We just wanted to see how you were doing. I also wanted to see how the conversation went.”

  “What conversation?” Santiago asked.

  “She talked with her mom,” Jen said.

  “What?” Dante asked. “When?”

  “Just a little bit ago.” I glanced at Dee and Tina. “Do you mind if I talk to you two later about it?” I motioned to Luke and Will. “I’m sure Tina and Dee will relay everything I say to you.”

  Tina smiled. “That’s true.”

  Luke shrugged. “Sounds good to me.”

  Taking Tina by the hand, they left the room. Dee and Will both smiled at me and then followed them out.

  I looked at Jen. “I’m sure you already talked to my mom.”

  She nodded. “Yes. She hadn’t made up her mind yet, though, when we spoke a few minutes ago. I’ll keep you updated.” She forced a smile and left the room.

  That just left my fellow revolutionaries and Joshua all staring at me. Joshua shifted uncomfortably where he stood. He cleared his throat and looked at me. “We can talk later.”

  He was about to walk out of the room, but Dante put his hand on his arm. “Stay for a minute.”

  Joshua looked at me and then back at Dante. “I don’t think I need to be here right now.”

  Slamming the door shut, Dante folded his arms. “You need to explain yourself.”

  “He already has, Dante,” I said.

  Joshua looked surprised that I had defended him. I still hadn’t decided how I felt about the whole situation, but I was in a foul mood and Dante was starting to piss me off.

  “He betrayed us!” Dante yelled.

  Joshua’s face was red. “I didn’t! I never meant to cause harm to any of you or New Haven, I promise!” He turned to me. “Emmie, I swear on my life that I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I didn’t know Austin was bad. I trusted him just like you did. I haven’t told him anything that would hurt us.”

  Dante shoved Joshua hard in the chest. “You could be lying.”

  Joshua shoved him back. “I’m not lying! Do the lie detector test on me if you don’t believe me.”

  Taking Joshua by the shirt, Dante threw him up against the wall. “How do we know you haven’t been trained to make lies look like truths! Your father was President Randall! He was a monster!”

  “Dante!” I tried to stand, but Eric stopped me. He stood up himself, went over to Dante, and pulled him off Joshua.

  Joshua straightened out his shirt, his chest heaving in and out from anger. “I’m not like my father! I was never trained to deceive! I would never, ever hurt Emmie. She’s my only family! I love her!”

  Dante pushed Eric away and went at Joshua again. He took a swing, but Joshua ducked out of the way. Santiago stepped between Dante and Joshua, holding his hand up to stop Dante from coming forward again.

  Taking Dante by the arms, Eric pulled him away. Dante turned to Eric, pulled his arm back, and punched him in the face.

  “Dante!” I screamed. I got out of the bed way to fast, falling onto my knees. Eric, Dante, and Joshua all rushed to my side. There were way too many hands grabbing at me, trying to help me.

  “Stop!” The sudden outburst from Maya froze everyone in their tracks. “Stop it right now. You’re acting like a bunch of little boys.”

  Santiago pulled Dante away from me. “Let’s go outside, Dante.”

  Dante shrugged him off. “No. I’m not leaving.”

  “Yes, you are,” Maya said, stepping up to him. She slapped him hard across the face. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but you need to go sort it out.” Dante opened his mouth to say something, so Maya slapped him again. “Out. Now.”

  Santiago took Dante by the arm and yanked him out of the room.

  Maya looked down at Eric and Joshua, who were both still down on the floor with me. “Both of you out, too.”

  “What?” Eric clenched his hands into fists. “Why should I leave? I’ve done nothing wrong.”

  Maya bent down and helped me onto my feet and back onto the bed. “You’ve upset Emmie.”

  Tears fell down my cheeks. I shook from the pain of my injury, but also my emotions. Everything that had just happened completely confused me.

  “You’ve done enough for now,” Maya said to Eric and Joshua. “Emmie needs to rest. In case you’ve forgotten, she got stabbed yesterday and almost had her life taken away. It’s getting late. She should have been asleep hours ago.”

  Joshua swallowed. “I’m truly sorry, Emmie. I cannot apologize enough, and I know I’ll never be able to make it up to you, but I want you to know that I support you. Not Austin. I didn’t know he had turned.” He came up to me, even though Maya glared at him. He took my hand. “I love you. You’ve been the best sister and friend a guy could ask for. I hope one day you’ll be able to believe and forgive me.” He squeezed my hand and left the room.

  Maya looked at Eric. “You have one minute and then you aren’t allowed back in here until tomorrow. Tell everyone else that applies to them, too. I’ll be standing guard outside her room tonight, so don’t even think about trying to sneak back in here.” She went to the door and turned her back to give us some privacy.

  Eric stared at her with wide eyes and then finally came to my side. He took my hand in his. “I’m sorry, Emmie. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He wiped a few tears from my eyes.

  “You didn’t,” I said. “It was Dante and Joshua. I’m so confused about Joshua right now. And I have no idea what’s going on with Dante.”

  Sighing, Eric sat down in the chair. “I do. It’s obvious. But first, let me say that I know everything with Joshua is con
fusing. I didn’t know what to think at first, but I think he’s telling the truth, Emmie. I believe we can trust him.”

  “That’s what my gut is telling me.” My laugh was strained. “But I trusted my gut with Austin and look how that turned out.”

  “But you never had a chance to talk with Austin in person. It’s a lot easier to lie to someone over a communication device. There’s a chance we could have caught on if we saw his face when he talked.”

  I nodded. “That’s true. I do love Joshua. I’ve come to accept him as a brother, and I don’t want to lose him.”

  “You won’t.” Eric glanced over his shoulder at Maya, but she was still giving us time. “Emmie, as for Dante …”

  “He’s been so ornery lately,” I said. “But mostly with you, it seems. Did you do something to make him mad?”

  Eric let out a laugh. “Yes. I loved you, proposed to you, and made you unavailable.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”

  “He loves you, Emmie.”

  “I know. All of us revolutionaries have come to love each other. We’re a family.”

  He held up a finger. “Let me rephrase that. He’s in love with you.”

  “No.” It wasn’t possible, right? We were just friends. “He doesn’t love me like that. He loves Whitney.”

  “Oh, I don’t doubt he loves Whitney. But he has come to love you more than just as a friend. I don’t think he meant for it to happen, but it did. He’s confused.”

  “How long have you known?”

  He shrugged. “It’s progressed over the last few months. I think he tried to deny it for a while, but finally realized it himself not too long ago.”

  “That’s just crazy. I can’t believe it.”

  “Believe it.” Maya turned around. “Sorry to interrupt, but it’s true. Santiago and I noticed it, too.”

  “Does everyone know?” I asked.

  Maya stole a glance at Eric and then shifted her gaze back to me. “I’m sure some have noticed. But don’t worry about it, Emmie. He’ll get over it. Just give him time and some space.”

  “I should talk to him,” I said.

  Eric shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea right now. Maya’s right. Give him some space to sort it out.”

  I stared at my lap. “I don’t want to lose him as a friend.”

  Eric took my chin and lifted my face to his. “You won’t. He loves you enough to want to keep your friendship.”

  “Did it hurt?” I ran my hand over his cheek where Dante had hit him. There was a big red mark that was sure to become a bruise.

  “Nothing I can’t handle.” Eric leaned in and kissed me. “You’re worth it. I’d fight to the death for you.”

  I gasped. “Don’t say that!”

  He smiled at me. “It’s just a saying, Emmie. Dante and I aren’t going to duel it out. No one would let that happen. You saw how quickly Santiago and Maya broke this up.”

  I rested my forehead against his. “You know I love you more than anything in this world, right?”

  “I know.” His voice was a whisper. “And I love you even more than that.” He kissed me again, holding his lips softly against mine. He finally pulled away and stood when Maya cleared her throat. “I love you. Sleep well and I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Okay,” I said. “I love you.”

  When he left, Maya came over to me. “Sorry, but you need some privacy and there was too much bad energy in here.”

  “I’m glad you did it. I’m tired and just want to sleep.”

  “Then I’ll leave you alone.” Maya twisted the charm bracelets on her wrist. “I’ll be right outside, so holler if you need anything.”

  She left me alone in the room, with just my thoughts and my mom’s communication device burning a hole in my pocket. Reaching my hand into my pocket, I turned it back on just in case she tried to contact me.

  Twenty minutes later, my mind still hadn’t shut itself down. I closed my eyes and sighed, wanting more than anything to just sleep.

  A voice came out from the communication device, so I pulled it out of my pocket.

  “Emmie?” It was my mom.

  I pulled it up to my lips and pressed the button. “Yes?”

  “I’ll agree to your terms, but under one condition.”

  “Name it.”

  “I want to be involved in the process, along with my two top security guys. We get to have a say in all the planning and will be there for every meeting and decision made. We have thousands of our people to think about and we can’t just hand over everything to you not knowing if their needs are being met.”

  The thought of working with my mom made my stomach uneasy. I didn’t know if I would be able to handle it, but I didn’t have a choice. We needed to get in there so we could end Austin for good. I also shouldn’t have made any arrangements without talking to my fellow revolutionaries, but I was too tired and seeing Dante right now probably wasn’t a good idea.

  So, I made the choice on my own. “Deal.”

  Not long after I finished talking with my mom, I drifted off into the land of sleep. I would have enjoyed the rest if it hadn’t been for all the dreams. Most of them I forgot right after I woke, but there were a few that stuck with me.

  There was one where my mom, Whit, and I were living together. We had a beautiful, spacious home, with a white picket fence and porch that wrapped around the house. Cherry trees surrounded our home for miles, filling the air with their scent. We sat out on the porch, laughing and talking while the sun set. Whit kept throwing a ball out into the orchard and our golden retriever would run after it and bring it back to him. We acted like a real family without a care in the world.

  I woke from that dream screaming.

  In another dream, Eric and Dante had their chance to duel it out. Our friends circled them and cheered them on as they battled with swords. Everyone placed bets on who would win, like it was a game. In the end, Dante ended up driving his sword through Eric’s stomach. I ran to him, falling on the ground, and taking him into my arms. My tears fell onto his face as I watched him die.

  I woke from that dream with real tears streaming down my cheeks and yelling out Eric’s name.

  Then there was one where I was in an open field of blue flowers, just like the ones that bloomed in New Haven. Picking one up in my hand, I twirled it around with my fingers. Someone tapped my shoulder and turned around to see my father. I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tight as he spun me around. When he set me down, Vice President Oliver was behind him. I ran to him and hugged him tight. As soon as I released myself from him, two big arms pulled me into a hug. I didn’t have to see the face to know it was Mack. When he pulled back, he gave me a broad smile, one he hardly used when he was alive.

  More people started to surround me. President Brown, Vice President Mendes, Javier, Eric’s cousin Richie, and my Great Grandma Mae. Steven stood far off, watching us hug and reunite. He looked worn and tired. A hand touched my arm and I turned to see a woman I’d never met before, but I instantly knew that it was Eric’s mom. She held me close, running her hand over my hair. She smelled like warmth and lilacs. I didn’t want to let go.

  That dream scared me the most. I woke up shivering, despite the sweat that ran down my face. They were all people that were dead, and I was there with them. They had been waiting for me and were excited at my arrival. I didn’t know what the dream meant, but I could only speculate the obvious; I would be joining them soon.

  It took me an hour to fall back asleep after that dream. Relief flooded my body when I looked at the clock and saw it was seven in the morning. I couldn’t force anymore sleep.

  Instead, I just lay there and stared at the painting on the wall that Vivica had painted. It was my favorite painting of hers. It was a field of wildflowers with butterflies scattered about. I played with my butterfly pendant as I soaked in the painting.

  There was a small knock on the door, followed by the door open
ing and Maya peeking her head in. “You awake?”

  I turned to her and smiled. “Yes.”

  “You up for a visitor?” Her hair seemed to be spikier than usual.

  “Yes, that would be nice right about now.”

  A part of me hoped it was Rosie, just so I could see her smiling face and abundance of joy. Thinking of her reminded me she was gone, taken by Amber. The thought of how they treated Eric last year before entered my mind, making me sick to my stomach. I hoped they were humane enough to not treat a little girl the same way.

  Maya stepped back and Dee entered the room. She sat down in the chair and took my hand. “I’m glad you’re awake. I couldn’t sleep anymore, and I wanted to see you, but didn’t want to wake you.”

  Turning onto my side, I sighed. I didn’t feel like sitting up just yet. “I had a horrible night, Dee. My dreams sucked. Some were more like nightmares.”

  “I’m sorry.” She rubbed my hand. “I used to have bad dreams when I was sick last year.”

  “Do you still have them?” I didn’t want these dreams to last.

  Dee shook her head. “No, thank goodness. I think it might have been all the drugs in my system.”

  “I hope it’s just that.” I thought of my dream with Eric and Dante. “Have you seen Eric or Dante this morning?”

  “Nope. Besides Maya, most of the city is still sleeping. Lazy people.” She smiled and patted my hand. “As for your pain, how are you feeling this morning?”

  “My side is still tender, but I’m much better.” I touched my butterfly pendant. “There wasn’t a fight last night after I went to sleep, was there?”

  She scratched her head in confusion. “Not that I’m aware of. Were you expecting some sort of rumble?”

  Letting go of my pendant, I covered my face with my hands. “Eric told me that Dante was in love with me.”

  “Wait a minute.” Dee took my hands off my face. “You’re just figuring that out? I’ve known for months. Tina’s known for months. Everyone and their grandma have known for months.”

  “You’ve never mentioned anything to me,” I said, my shoulders slumping.