From the Dust: A Dystopian Novel (Ember Society Book 1)

by AR Colbert

  CHAPTER 25

  Class was canceled Friday morning. I think it was less of a show of respect for Mr. Gadson, and more of an excuse for our instructors to mourn the loss of a friend. They couldn’t admit that they were upset about losing him. After all, he broke the law. To disagree with the Peacemaker’s decision for execution would be walking dangerously close to the line of speaking out against New America. But they could grieve in private.

  I found it difficult to get out of bed that morning, too. I didn’t know Mr. Gadson, but the weight of his death was crushing me. If I’d never said anything to Margo, he may have never been caught. Cato may still be bouncing around Classen City, exploring underground tunnels and bringing people over to the Outsiders.

  I buried my face into my pillow, trying to muffle the thoughts shouting inside my head. It wasn’t effective against the thoughts, but it did almost cause me to miss the rumble of the sanitation truck outside. I pulled the blinds open and spotted Billy looking up and down the street. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small envelope, slid his hand under the lid of the garbage bin, and hopped back on the truck.

  I could only imagine what the note might say. Sorry, Claren. Now that your brother is gone and I’ve got an amazingly beautiful spouse match, I’m afraid we can’t be friends. Better luck next time. Or maybe he was angry. Maybe it would say something like: Thanks for ruining everything, you dunce. That makes two of our men killed due to your mistakes.

  I wanted to crawl back under the covers. If I slept long enough, maybe all of this would pass. Maybe I could wake up in a different time and place where I wasn’t such a hazard to the people around me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do it. Every time I closed my eyes I saw possible messages in Raf’s messy scrawl. I had to retrieve the note.

  And the real message was more upsetting than anything else I had imagined.

  Hey,

  This isn’t the end. I know you, and I know you’re beating yourself up right now. But this wasn’t your fault. It was inevitable. And sacrifice is hard, but there is so much good coming. Just wait and see.

  My dog got out again, but he will be fine. He’s in good hands. And we’re all working hard to make sure no other dogs get lost or hurt. This is just the beginning. Stay strong.

  And know that I’m thinking of you every day.

  I crumpled the note and threw it against my bedroom wall, tears stinging at the back of my eyes.

  No, Raf! You’ve got it all wrong!

  This had to stop. Frank’s way of life sounded wonderful in theory. But Margo was exactly right when she said those kinds of changes would be trouble. It was so much more trouble than it was worth. People were dying.

  And I saw Raf with his match. He wasn’t thinking of me. He was manipulating me. Everyone seemed to be manipulating me, and I was tired of it. The way I saw it, there were pros and cons to both sides. New America didn’t have everything right, but neither did Frank. And going with the status quo would at least keep everyone alive.

  It was time for me to start making my own decisions. I would no longer be a pawn in anyone’s game. I had to take action. I had to put an end to Frank’s plans.

  —————

  I worked hard in class the next week. My days were spent with my nose in a book learning the loopholes in New American law or practicing blocking and projecting with my unknowing peers. I was getting better. I even brought tears to Nita’s eyes during dinner one night. I told her there weren’t any onions in the soup and touched her arm. I’d never seen anyone so upset about a lack of onions.

  Of course it was easy for me to project sadness. I was also pretty great at bitterness, anger, and disgust. But the brighter feelings were nowhere to be found. I couldn’t even remember what hope felt like.

  And my evenings were spent up in my room, alone. I couldn’t think clearly around the others, and I had to make sure every detail in my plan was perfect. Again, there were lives depending on me.

  I penned a response to Raf and stuck it under the lid of the trash can the next Friday morning. It was short and vague. Too many details would likely raise a red flag for him. It said:

  Hi,

  I got your letter, and we have to talk as soon as possible. I should be able to get away on Wednesday night. Please meet me on the back patio at 10:00 pm.

  Emmaline was back in the building on Monday. I knocked on her office door after lunch.

  “Claren, what a pleasant surprise. I have to say, I wasn’t sure you’d want to continue your training with me.”

  I took my usual seat opposite her with as much confidence as I could muster. “I needed some time, but I think I’m ready to continue if you’ll still have me.”

  Her eyes softened. “Of course. I know the last few weeks must have been difficult for you. But I’m glad to have you back.”

  I nodded. “It was difficult at first, but I know everything happened exactly as it should have. I just hope I can redeem my family’s name.”

  I’d repeated these words many times over the last few days. I needed my delivery to be perfect. Of course I didn’t think everything happened the way it should have, but I needed Emmaline to believe that I did. I needed her back on my side.

  “We make no judgments based on a family name. Your individual merits are what matter.” Emmaline smiled.

  “Thank you. I’m afraid I may have some catching up to do there as well.” I returned her smile, grateful that I still had the opportunity to train as a Peacemaker. Emmaline may have been a rattlesnake, but there was no arguing against her talents. The woman was the best Empath I’d ever encountered. There was no one better to train me.

  “I’ve been practicing projecting like you taught me. But before we get back into that, there’s something I need to tell you,” I continued.

  Emmaline tilted her head toward me, ready to listen. “Go on.”

  I thought back to the lines I’d practiced in my room. “Well it’s about the leadership—on the Outside. I may have a way to help you get your man.”

  Her eyes narrowed slightly as she leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “You see, I think the man who disrupted the aptitude test may have been recruiting—trying to get students to join the Outsiders. And from what I gathered the last time I was in Morton borough, the new recruits meet on Wednesday nights. I think the leader may attend those meetings as well, you know, to... indoctrinate them.”

  Emmaline’s lips pinched into a thin line. Guilt bubbled up from my belly, but I pushed it back down. I may be a hypocrite, but I couldn’t let Emmaline know it. Frank wasn’t indoctrinating any more than the New American government was, but I couldn’t let anyone else get hurt. The only way to keep people safe was to put an end to Frank’s plans.

  “So if we can just get back to Morton this Wednesday—”

  “Stop right there.” Emmaline’s jaw was set and her brows were furrowed. She placed both hands back on the desk. “If you think we’re going to let you waltz back home again, you are sadly mistaken.”

  “No, Ms. Frasier. I know I can’t do this alone.” I swallowed the hard lump in my throat. “I just plan to show you where they meet. I imagine we’ll need a Protector or two to apprehend their leader.”

  Emmaline paused for a moment, tapping her index finger on the top of the desk. “And how can you be so certain their leader will be there?”

  “Because I followed Cato to the first recruits meeting—the week of my test. I saw their leader then. His name is Frank.”

  Something flashed in Emmaline’s eyes, but she quickly buried it behind her stony facade. There was no turning back now.

  —————

  I snuck out to meet Emmaline in front of the house Wednesday night as my roommates were cleaning up after supper. I could do this. I had to do this. My focus was on keeping a steady pulse, inhaling and exhaling at a regular pace. It was important to remain calm and clear-headed.

  Emmaline’s expression was grimmer than I ex
pected as I slid into the seat beside her. I guessed she had no reason to be excited until the mission was complete. She gave me a rundown of the operation and let me know we’d meet up with the Protectors once we reached Morton borough.

  I pictured Raf as we drove. Hopefully he’d gotten my letter and done as I asked. If so, he would be making his way toward my house right then, far away from the abandoned church. I couldn’t risk his life, even if he was going to spend it with someone else.

  As for the others— Dax, Dave, Tim, and the rest— I’d done my best to make Emmaline believe anyone else at the church would be new to Frank’s movement. I played up the recruiting aspect of the meetings pretty hard. Hopefully they would play along, feigning innocence. They couldn’t be exiled for simply attending an informational meeting.

  We reached the church at 10:03 p.m. I knew the meeting would have started at ten, and I hoped we’d finish before Raf realized I wasn’t coming to see him. The street was dark, and all the surrounding buildings looked abandoned, as usual. My heart skipped a beat and I second-guessed myself as Emmaline and I exited the vehicle. What if the meeting was called off tonight? It looked awfully quiet.

  A Protector’s vehicle rolled up quietly behind us as we tiptoed to the doors. If Dave took a peek outside, we’d be totally exposed. I took another breath, hoping a deep drag of oxygen might help to calm my trembling legs. It didn’t.

  I turned to survey my surroundings one last time as we reached the front entrance of the church. The Protector had exited his vehicle and was nearing Emmaline and me. In the distant shadows, at the end of the street, I saw another shadowy figure. And in between the row of houses beside the building I saw two more.

  “Ms. Frasier,” I whispered. “I don’t think we’re alone.” I gestured with a jerk of my head toward the figures at the end of the road.

  “Of course we’re not alone. We’ll need a lot of extra hands for the recruits.”

  My eyes widened and I almost choked on the sudden anger that threatened to burst forth. But I swallowed it back down. I couldn’t let her know. And maybe there would still be a way to keep the others out of trouble. We just had to get through this.

  I inched the door open enough to peek inside, but as soon as there was enough room for her fingers, Emmaline yanked the doors wide and pulled a gun from somewhere under her shirt. Oh no. Oh no no no. This wasn’t how this was supposed to play out at all.

  “Nobody move!” she shouted.

  I skulked off to the side, embarrassed and ashamed. I was supposed to be preventing further loss, not causing it. But as my eyes adjusted to the dimly lit space, I gasped.

  I expected to see six or seven people huddled around the lantern in the center of the room. But it was standing room only. There must have been over thirty people in there. And instead of sitting in a circle with them on the floor, Frank stood behind the table on the small stage where I’d hidden the first night I met them.

  Terror filled the room, suffocating me. But it was the look on Frank’s face that nearly did me in. It was a look of disappointment. I’d let him down.

  He raised his arms in the air, shooting a quick look at Dave who dropped his weapon and did the same. Slowly, one by one, everyone in the room dropped peacefully to their knees with their arms in the air.

  “There is no need for weapons,” Frank said. “We mean you no harm.”

  A tear rolled down my cheek before I could wipe it away. What had I done?

  “Are you Frank?” Emmaline’s voice was cold and terrifying. I shivered as I watched the kind old man nod.

  “I am. And I’m the only one you want here. These people have done nothing wrong.”

  A woman on the far left side of the room sniffled. It was Elizabeth, who I’d met at prior meetings. Seeing her crying in that room sent a dagger through my heart. I hoped with everything I had that Emmaline would show some mercy to the rest of them.

  “How many of you have weapons?” Emmaline looked intently at the cowering faces before her.

  “Only me,” said Frank.

  Emmaline pointed her gun at Dave. “That’s a lie,” she snarled.

  “It’s mine. He was only holding it for me as I spoke. I’m telling you, these people are innocent. Take me. I’ll go without a fight. Just please leave them.”

  Emmaline kept the gun pointed at the crowd, her arms straight and strong as steel. I inched cautiously toward her and slowly raised my hand, resting it on her wrists and calmly urging her to drop her aim. As my skin met hers, I felt a flash of her emotion— raw and frightened. She hid it again quickly, but it was enough to give me an idea. An idea that I may later come to regret.

  I kept my hand on her arm as she slowly lowered the gun. And with every ounce of strength I had inside me, I tried to project a feeling of peace and trust. I wanted her to know that Frank meant no harm. I needed her to believe that everyone else was innocent. I used my own emotions and desires as a blanket over her, huffing out the last of her suspicions. And I threw in a touch of victory, because if we walked out with Frank and no one else, it would indeed be a victory for us both.

  To my great surprise, Emmaline relented.

  “Fine. Come with us.” She gestured for one of the Protectors who had entered the room behind us to take Frank. “But the rest of you should know that this is over. Finished. And my grace is used up. Any other incident caused by the Outside, any other citizen of Classen City who is caught mingling with Outsiders, any other thought you have about life outside of these city limits, will cost you your lives.”

  The people in the room were trembling. Emmaline meant business, and the gift of walking away today was not lost on them. She turned and followed Frank and the Officer outside.

  I took one final look around the room before turning as well. Dax’s eyes caught mine, and I felt as though I was going to be sick. The hatred he felt for me was nothing I’d ever experienced. Georgia and I were practically best friends compared to the way he felt about me in that moment.

  And honestly, I hated myself a little bit, too.

  CHAPTER 26

  The ride back to Noble borough was uncomfortable for me as I awaited Emmaline’s rebuke. Frank rode in the back of a Protector’s vehicle. They continued straight, presumably to a holding cell somewhere in the Center, while Emmaline and I turned down the main street in Noble borough back toward the house.

  “I know what you did back there.” Emmaline’s voice was rough, barely above a whisper as she stared straight ahead at the road.

  Chill bumps covered my arms. This was it. It was time for me to face the music.

  “I believed him. I could feel that he was telling the truth. I don’t think the others were guilty at all.” I hoped the truth would set me free. Part of being an Empath was having the ability to discern if what we were experiencing was real based on other people’s reactions. She couldn’t be upset with me for seeing the truth. But I suspected it was more the projection and manipulation bit she was upset about.

  Emmaline nodded. “I know. I felt it too, but it wasn’t about punishing the people. I wasn’t getting them because I thought they were guilty— it was about sending a message to anyone else who may try to stand up and take Frank’s position. We have to be aggressive.” She sighed before continuing.

  “Claren, you are a talented Empath, but sometimes I worry your heart may be too soft for this.”

  I didn’t respond. My forehead pressed against the cool glass of my window, and the lights of Noble borough blurred as I allowed my misty eyes to relax. She was right. I wasn’t cut out to be a Peacemaker. I could never sentence someone to death the way Georgia’s mom had.

  But if I wasn’t a Peacemaker. Who was I?

  Everyone was asleep when we got back to the house, but there was quite a ruckus the next morning as word about what happened got out to the public. I was surprised to see the television on downstairs, my roommates gathered around watching with wide eyes.

  “Claren—you’re okay!” Margo jumped up and
wrapped her arms around me as I entered the living room.

  “Of course I’m okay. What’s going on?”

  Edgar looked at me as though he might cry. “We were just watching the news about last night. You were amazing.”

  I cocked my head to the side, sure that I was misunderstanding. Maybe I was still groggy from my late bedtime. I turned my focus to the television screen to see what all the fuss was about.

  A Protector was speaking into the camera. I didn’t recognize him, but he was recounting the events of the night before as though he was there.

  “There was a whole mob of Outsiders. They were shouting and waving weapons. If it hadn’t been for Emmaline Frasier and her trainee, we may have all been killed.” His expression was grave, but excitement danced behind his eyes.

  The image on the screen switched to footage of Frank behind bars. His eyes were tired, but he sat peacefully in the corner of his cell, avoiding eye contact with the cameras. A woman’s voice spoke over the footage, continuing with the story.

  “The operation was a success, resulting in the capture of Frank Dalton, the rebel leader from the Outside who is believed to be responsible for the recent barrage of attacks on Classen City. He is also believed to be connected to the late Phil Gadson, who was executed for treason just last week.”

  “I’m just glad we got the son of a gun.” The image on the screen flicked back to the Officer. “Now I can lay my baby girl in her bed each night and rest easy that it won’t be her last. The Outsiders are a dangerous bunch, but when their leader is executed next week I’m sure we’ll see things calm down a bit.”

  My heart constricted in my chest. Executed? That couldn’t be right. Frank wasn’t a citizen of Classen City. He was born an Outsider, never really a member of the New American jurisdiction. He could be exiled—banished from Classen City, but he couldn’t be executed. I’d made sure of it in my planning. His citizenship, or lack thereof, was a loophole in the law.