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

by AR Colbert

  The screen now flashed to an image of the woman whose voice we heard earlier. She was fairly attractive, but all business. Every word was spoken as if it was life-shattering. And maybe to her it was; she obviously took her job very seriously.

  “Emmaline Frasier, the Director of Career Development for Classen City has been closely aligned with the case since she eliminated a threat in Morton borough several weeks ago during Morton High’s annual aptitude test. A student from the school identified an Outsider and drew attention to him before he could attack her classmates. That student, Claren Greenwood, is reportedly the same student who led Ms. Frasier and the officers to capture Frank Dalton last night.”

  My body tensed as I felt the eyes of my roommates on me. I didn’t know if they were all aware of the incident at my aptitude test before then. But I couldn’t pull my eyes away from the screen, which was now showing the officer again.

  “I don’t know who that girl is, but we better hold on to her. She’s quite the rising star here in Classen City, and I expect we’ll be seeing much more of her in the future.”

  I wished a hole would open up in the floor to swallow me whole. Who else was watching the television right now? Dax? Raf? Oh, Raf. He must feel so betrayed.

  I guessed it was probably official now. My time with the Outsiders was over. But I had to do one last thing before I could fully commit to the New American way. I had to find a way to keep Frank alive.

  —————

  All eyes were on me again as I entered the classroom a little later that day. The air was alive with a mix of awe, respect, skepticism, and jealousy. Lennie gave me a slow clap as I walked past him to my seat, which caused Georgia to boil over.

  Her eyes were narrowed into slits as she glared at me, and I swear I almost saw smoke coming out of her ears.

  “Who do you think you are?” Her mouth barely moved as she spat her words through gritted teeth.

  I gave her a syrupy sweet smile. “Claren Greenwood, rising star of Classen City at your service.” It was too easy to infuriate her. I knew I shouldn’t enjoy it, but there was no use hiding from the attention. My adventure was clearly not a secret.

  The knuckles of her tightly clenched fists were white as she stood and moved toward me, but Mr. Saxon had perfect timing as he made his hurried entrance into the classroom.

  “Ms. Hines, please take your seat so we can get started.” I had to hide my smirk.

  “Good day, class. I can tell everyone is quite excited over the news coming out this morning. In case anyone missed it, our very own Claren Greenwood assisted in the capture of rebel leader, Frank Dalton.” He gave a small clap, joined by about half of my classmates. My cheeks flushed under the attention.

  “Mr. Dalton’s trial will take place first thing Monday morning, and we have all been invited to attend. It will be broadcast throughout the city. Trials of this magnitude don’t come around often, so you are lucky to have the opportunity to witness it first hand. And it’s actually the perfect way to end your first semester in the program. Next semester we’ll be focusing heavily on trial procedure, so this is really a great introduction for you all.”

  Monday. That meant I had four days to try and get Frank exiled before he was sentenced to death. Margo sat a few chairs away, taking notes as Mr. Saxon began the day’s lesson. My heart pounded in my chest. I still wasn’t sure if I could trust her, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to save Frank on my own.

  I asked her if she wanted to join me on the second-floor landing that night after supper, the way we used to do. Her eyes flashed with light, and I felt a wisp of something that seemed so out of reach for me now. Hope. Hers was hope for forgiveness, for friendship. But it was enough to remind me that I once had hope as well. What a fool I was.

  She spoke first as we snuggled up into our favorite two armchairs. “Claren, I—”

  I lifted my hand to stop her. “I know. I was listening the day you came to my room. It wasn’t your fault.”

  Emmaline was very persuasive when she wanted to be. And after I was able to stop her from taking everyone at the church meeting as her captives, I knew how powerful the art of projection could be. If I had the power to stop Emmaline, then she probably had the power to get anything she wanted. The thought sent a shiver down my spine.

  But it wasn’t Margo’s fault. If anything, it was mine. I should have never mentioned Cato to her. If I was smart, I would probably keep my mouth shut now, too. But I didn’t see any other possible solution.

  Margo’s lower lip trembled. “It was my fault, though. I told her everything.”

  I reached out my hand to hers. Concentrating on the feeling of forgiveness I had resting deep in my core, I tried to radiate the feeling up and out through my arms, from my hand into Margo’s. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Good. It was working. I pushed for her to feel accepted and trusted once again. I wanted her to feel loved.

  When she opened her eyes again, she was almost smiling.

  “How do you feel right now?” I asked.

  “I feel...good. Really good.” She raised an eyebrow at me as I removed my hand from hers. “Are you—”

  I nodded. “It’s called projection. It’s one of the things Emmaline and I have been working on together. It’s what she used to get the information from you.”

  Margo’s head tilted back as she began to understand. “That’s some powerful stuff. But why would she bother coming to me for the information? Why not just use her little trick on you?”

  “Well...” It was time to reveal my other secret. The one I’d hidden from everyone until now. It was time to share the gift that Raf gave to me before I left. “There’s another trick. It’s called blocking. Blocking your affect. And I learned it from a friend back home. Emmaline doesn’t realize it’s something I know how to do. Or if she does, she’s never spoken of it.”

  “And what does it do?” Margo leaned forward, her blue eyes dazzling with curiosity.

  “Well, it’s kind of like building a wall around your emotions. It prevents others from being able to read you. And I believe, to some degree, it helps defend against emotions being projected onto you as well.”

  She shook her head. It was a lot to take in. It was even more to learn, and we didn’t have much time.

  “Would you like to learn how to do it?”

  Margo nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, of course! But why are you teaching me? Why now?”

  “Because that man they are going to execute—Frank Dalton... He’s one of the good guys. And I need your help.”

  My plan was to teach Margo as much as I could about blocking and projecting over the weekend. We would have to work fast at the trial on Monday, and Margo likely had a better shot at getting to Chief Justice Hines than I did.

  Georgia despised me. But she was so arrogant that if Margo feigned interest in meeting her mother, she was certain to oblige. She’d do anything to make herself look good in front of her peers. It would be especially true if Margo had Lennie by her side. As much as Georgia pretended not to care, I knew she was a little jealous over the friendship that had developed between Margo and Lennie since the Harvest Dinner.

  We practiced during every spare moment we had over the next few days. Margo was a fast learner, thankfully. By Monday morning she was ready to go.

  “So once I get to Justice Hines, I just focus on grace?”

  “That’s right.” I nodded. “Shake her hand, and pour every ounce of grace and mercy you have into it. Pour it out until your legs go weak.”

  “And she’s just magically going to let him go?”

  “Not quite.” I held out a folder I’d created. Inside were articles and past judgments establishing the law regarding citizenship. I’d highlighted the areas that suggested Frank should be exiled. An execution would be unprecedented. With the law right in front of her, plain as day, and the feelings Margo would project into her before the trial, I hoped we might just find a way to set Frank free.

  Because to
him, the Outside was home.

  CHAPTER 27

  Three large black vans parked in front of our line of houses Monday morning. I recognized them immediately as the same vans that carried criminals Outside to be exiled. My stomach revolted at the thought of climbing into them. What if this was all a big trick? What if I had somehow gotten everyone in trouble with my actions? Were we all being exiled?

  No. Of course not. My nerves were playing tricks on my mind. Anticipation about what lay ahead was literally driving me mad. I paused on the sidewalk, taking a deep breath to clear my mind. It was all going to be fine. I pushed the file folder tucked under my shirt up closer to my body and tried to believe my little mental pep talk.

  Edgar stopped beside me and placed his hand on my shoulder. “You okay?” he asked.

  I gave a gentle nod and continued with him toward the van. Edgar had grown a lot over these last several weeks and seeing his newfound strength gave my legs the push they needed to propel me forward. He reminded me that there were good people in this city who needed to be protected. Frank couldn’t do it and the current Leaders certainly couldn’t do it. It would be up to us—the new Peacemakers and Leaders to really make some progress.

  My muscles physically relaxed as the vans turned toward the Center gates. We rolled through in single file, driving on to the city hall. My roommates stared out the windows in awe. They’d never been to the Center before. It had such a commanding atmosphere, bringing almost a sense of reverence throughout the van. I shifted in my seat. Reverence wasn’t the right emotion for this place.

  The Classen City news crew greeted us as we stepped onto the sidewalk in front of the giant white columns of the building. Several cameras were set up around the entrance, some pointed at us, others at the news reporter. I spotted the same news anchor who reported my story the week before and ducked to avoid being seen. Margo and I exchanged looks, and she gave me a reassuring nod.

  As students climbed out of the other two vans she made her way over to Lennie, who greeted her with a cheerful grin. His grin stretched in surprise from ear to ear when she took his hand and walked toward the entrance with him. Georgia stalked just a few feet behind them. Her skin may as well have been green with the jealousy radiating from her pores. Green wasn’t a good color for her.

  I hovered near the back of the crowd, trying to blend in with the faces on either side of me. Once inside the doors, I’d need to find some way to separate myself from the others. The students wouldn’t be a concern. They were all so distracted by the beautiful architecture and design of the building to even notice anyone was missing. It was the cameras I was worried about. Well, the cameras and Emmaline. She’d set her eyes on me the second we parked, and she was reluctant to look away, even when other Leaders greeted her.

  The halls were crowded with a flurry of excitement. Mr. Saxon wasn’t kidding when he said this trial was going to be huge. I’d never seen so many Leaders in the same place at the same time before.

  As my classmates were shuffled forward toward the courtroom, I hung back enough to get behind Mr. Saxon and ducked quickly around the corner. A tall man with a brown leather briefcase and a woman with loud heels were walking the same direction. I tried to fall in step with them, attempting once again to simply blend in with my surroundings. But I didn’t make it four steps before a hand wrapped itself around my upper arm.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Emmaline’s skin was so taut across her scowl I thought it might rip.

  “I was looking for the restroom. I forgot to go before we left. I guess I got caught up in all the excitement.” I shrugged innocently.

  She looked me up and down, as if she might find some sign flashing to tell her that I was a liar. I sucked in my belly, hoping the edges of the file folder wouldn’t give me away. The folder wasn’t flashing, but it would surely be a sign that I was up to something if Emmaline saw it.

  Her grip lightened and she gestured forward with her head. “It’s at the end of the hall to the left. I’ll walk you down there and wait for you to finish.”

  So much for sneaking away. We walked in silence toward the end of the hall and I hoped Margo was having better luck. She had to somehow find a way to touch Justice Hines. Even just a brief brush against her arm would be better than nothing.

  The ladies room was clean and bright with light flooding in from a window on the far side of the room. I leaned against the cold tile wall and pulled the file from under my shirt. I’d worked so hard to put everything together, it was a shame to let it go to waste. Maybe Emmaline would be able to take a look and get the message to Justice Hines. She wasn’t a Peacemaker herself, but surely she had some sway over this particular case. And the law was definitely on Frank’s side if they looked closely. But could Emmaline be trusted? Probably not.

  The door swung open as I was flipping through the pages I’d put into the folder and I heard a gasp.

  “No way. Claren Greenwood? Is it really you?”

  I looked up to see a woman in her twenties gawking at me from the other side of the bathroom. There was something familiar about her, though I didn’t think we’d ever met.

  “It’s really me,” I said.

  “I can’t believe it. You’re famous around here. I’m Britt Palmer, by the way.”

  She reached out to shake my hand and a light clicked on in my head. This was too good to be true.

  “Hi, Britt. You look so familiar. Have I seen you around here before?”

  She grinned sheepishly. “I was the clerk in your brother’s trial.”

  “That’s right! You work with Chief Justice Hines, right?”

  She nodded, her smile fading.

  “Well I am so glad I ran into you. I found this folder here on the counter when I walked in, and I’m pretty sure it must belong to her. It has details about the case.” I held the folder out for Britt to see. She paused, uncertain of whether or not she should accept.

  Not wanting to pressure her, I set the folder on the counter and shrugged. “Maybe not. I’ll just leave it here. I’m sure she already has everything she needs. Hopefully whoever left this will remember and come back for it.”

  I washed my hands and checked my reflection, pretending not to care whether she took the folder or not. It worked. After hesitating for just a moment, she joined me at the counter.

  “I don’t know if it’s hers or not, but I won’t risk her missing it.” Britt slid the folder under her arm. “I better run this up to her right now. Thanks, Claren. You really are a great addition to Classen City. Maybe I’ll even get the chance to work for you one day.” She smiled and exited without using the facilities.

  Maybe my luck was changing after all. I tossed my paper towel into the trash can near the window, but movement outside caught my attention. The glass was etched for privacy, obscuring a clear view, but I saw several distinct shapes bobbing along the edge of the wall below. If I had to guess, I’d say they looked like the tops of heads. I held my breath, listening as carefully as I could, and my pulse started to race with excitement.

  Was it mine? Or was the excitement coming from whoever was outside? The walls were thick so I couldn’t hear anything, but I was sure there were people sneaking around outside, and they were heading toward the courtroom. Not wanting to miss a second of whatever was about to happen, I pushed open the door and dashed back into the hallway a little too enthusiastically.

  I ran right into Emmaline. She frowned, obviously feeling my excitement. There was no way she didn’t notice. We were too close and I was too worked up. I’d forgotten she would be waiting out there, and my icy wall was not prepared to block my affect. It was still a puddle of warm water splashing around my stomach and making me feel ill as I stared into Emmaline’s flaming eyes.

  She shook her head and grabbed my arm. I immediately felt the effects of her projection, coursing through my veins like a drug. I felt sleepy and calm and affectionate toward the kind woman that Emmaline was... She really was thoughtful, and it was
so nice of her to take me under her wings... I owed her my life.

  “What’s going on, Claren?” she asked sweetly.

  I wanted to tell her everything. I wanted to tell her about my plan, about the notebook and Margo. She’d probably want to know about the people I saw moving around outside too. Maybe she could help them.

  Or maybe not. Strength built up from my core and I began to resist her projections. Emmaline was powerful, but I knew her games. She wouldn’t be able to overcome my resolve. Not today, Rattlesnake.

  I blinked, focusing on my own emotions rather than those she was pushing into me. “Nothing is going on. Why do you ask?”

  The corner of her mouth twitched. She was really angry. Too angry to fully hide it from me. Or maybe I just knew her well enough now to see it. Her hand on my arm probably wasn’t helping her block much either.

  “I know something’s going on. And I expect you to tell me right now.” Her voice was firm again, her eyebrows drawn together tightly.

  Her grip tightened as well, pinching my skin uncomfortably through my sleeve. The clock on the wall ticked casually behind her. I nodded towards it.

  “There’s nothing going on, like I said. But if we don’t get moving, we’re going to miss the trial. I don’t want to get locked out of the courtroom.”

  She looked at the clock and sighed loudly. “Come on.”

  Still holding my arm, we marched quickly through the halls toward the courtroom. It was packed, but once again a bench was reserved for Emmaline and me at the front of the room. My heart was racing, probably bruising the inside of my ribcage with its force as we slid into place.

  The side doors opened and in walked Frank, surrounded by four angry looking Protectors. His head hung low, and he didn’t bother to take in his surroundings at all. He may as well have been waving a white flag. There was no fight left in him at all as he took his seat.

  Not a minute later Britt walked in, shooting darts at me with her eyes. Uh-oh. She’d obviously tried to give my folder to Justice Hines. Hopefully she didn’t mention my name.