Denounced (Exalted Trilogy: Book 2)

by Elizabeth, Tara

  “Thank you, Claire.”

  I follow Claire out of the Capitol. The bright sun screams at my eyes. My hands reach for my knife belt in a gut reaction to the offense. They come up empty, which causes my heart to ache. I keep my fists clenched close to my body from here on out.

  The citizen dormitory building is similar to my old building. It’s six stories tall with very few windows. We take the elevator to the second floor. Why didn’t we climb the stairs? Do citizens not do that?

  We enter room 222. There are two beds with white sheets, two brown dressers, and one bathroom. “Which side is mine?” I ask Claire. She points to the left. It’s the same side I slept on in my old room. The bed sits up against the cold, gray wall. I take a peek in the dresser at the end of my bed. Inside is all green clothing, like I’m wearing now. “Okay, I’m ready to learn about my job,” I say to Claire as I shut the drawer.

  We travel back down the elevator—only one floor down. We walk across the beautiful lawns to a small building nestled under a tree. “This is where you will find all the equipment that we use. It is our job to walk the grounds and tend to whatever needs tending to. Dr. Fredericks likes everything to be perfect.” Claire grabs a pair of hand shears and turns to leave.

  “Thank you. Oh, what time is lunch?” I ask before she’s out of earshot.

  “Noon,” she responds. She doesn’t say “goodbye” or “see you later”, she just walks off to do her job.

  I didn’t see a cafeteria in the citizen dormitory. Where could it be? I’ve never paid attention to the citizen buildings before. I try not to let my worry show on my face. I quickly grab a pair of hand shears like Claire, and set off to walk the grounds. I stay clear of the areas that Exalted travel most.

  As I pass a citizen, like me, I notice that he doesn’t nod at me. I don’t see many of the citizens speaking to one another for longer than a minute or two. There is no socialization between them. It seems like they may have it worse off than the Exalted. For the first time ever, I feel empathy for this group of people.

  I find a bush to trim. It has some wild growth, so I trim it back. I work this way, alone, until it is time for lunch. After I return my shears to the gardening building, I look around and spot other citizens dressed in green. I follow after them in hopes that they will lead me to the cafeteria.

  They do.

  The cafeteria is on the first floor of the second much smaller citizen dormitory building. When I enter, I look around for the identification pad to scan my finger. I don’t see one, and I don’t see anyone else looking for one. A line is forming on the left side of the room. I take my place at the end and follow along. The room is quiet, only filled with the sounds of eating. Some of the citizens watch me as they eat. A returned Taken. They have never seen one before. I am the first of my kind—or so they think.

  The line ends at a pass-through opening. Cook citizens hand a tray of food to each waiting citizen. They are all handed the same thing: grilled chicken, peas, and a roll. I am handed the same. Then I turn and look out onto the many tables filled with people that I have always overlooked. I see them now. They all look different. They are not furniture. They all breathe. And if given the chance, they would all feel.

  I will help you—all of you.

  I sit across from Claire. She doesn’t greet me. There are two young men and one young woman sitting with us. They don’t greet me either. Not wanting to draw attention to myself, I sit and eat quietly. I casually glance around the room, trying to make eye contact with someone. I catch Jenna’s eyes for a second. She looks away before I can acknowledge her. No one else looks back at me today. I’m glad for this. I would never turn them in, but it helps to be honest when I tell Dr. Fredericks that everyone seems to be under his control.

  When I’m finished eating, I follow other citizens to the front of the room. They turn their trays in without having to check out with someone. Some of them didn’t even eat all of their food. Though this seems like a small thing, it’s strange for me to see uneaten food left on a plate.

  I turn in my empty tray and follow a group of landscaping citizens outside. When they all stop suddenly, I run into the back of an older man. “Sorry,” I mumble as I look around him to see what the problem is. Ethan is striding across our path. His face is stoic and his body is rigid. I hurriedly duck back behind the man so he won’t see me. And he doesn’t see me. He doesn’t see any of us. We are citizens.

  I watch him, as he gets further away. What is he doing way over here? I shake off the uneasy feeling and head over to the gardening building. I grab the same pair of clippers and go to work.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  My first night with my new roommate is difficult. She doesn’t speak to me unless she has to. I retreat to the bathroom. After showering, I pace the tile floor. How do I get out of here? How can I get to Ryker? I need to get back in the library. I’m stuck here. Being sent to infiltrate the citizens happened quicker than I expected. I’m not ready for this, am I? I hope Lily is okay. I hope Val is okay as well. Where was Ethan going earlier today? There are so many questions without answers; my mind is spinning.

  Maybe I can sneak out of here. No, they’d recognize my clothing as that of a citizen. I don’t have my black Exalted things any longer. It’s also after curfew. Doesn’t matter. I need to see him.

  With extreme care, I twist the doorknob and push the door to my room open a crack. Claire is in bed fast asleep. She doesn’t stir when I open it up further. I take this as a good sign.

  There are no hallway monitors that I’ve seen, so I rush forward to the unused stairwell. This will be the quietest way of getting downstairs. My heart is nearly ready to beat out of my chest when I reach the ground floor. I peek out of this door as well. The night is black. There are very few lights in this section of the Republic, which is to my advantage.

  After watching my surroundings for a few minutes, I leave the safety of the citizen dormitory. I run next to the building until I reach its end. There are no Exalted patrolling the interior grounds. They are all at the gates. I sprint across an open lawn, my mossy green clothing standing out like a beacon. Thankfully, no one notices me.

  Finally, I reach Ryker’s building. I hug the concrete wall of the building as I make my way around it. I’m almost to the door. I turn the corner and run smack into an Exalted male guard. We are both stunned by each other’s presence.

  Fortunately, he is stunned for longer than I am. I drop down and swipe his feet out from under him. He falls with thud to the pavement. I hurry and swing my leg around, so that I’m able to squeeze his neck with my thighs. He anticipates my actions and punches me in the leg. Now, it’s me that falls to the pavement. He’s on top of me in a flash. “Stop citizen!” he commands. So, I do. I play dead. He grumbles as he stands and walks around me. He’s trying to decide what to do with me. Eventually, he decides to throw me over his shoulder to take me somewhere. I choose this moment to twist up and wrap my arms around his beefy neck. I squeeze tightly as he struggles against me. He bashes me against the concrete wall of the building, but I hold firm. He falls to his knees, while pawing at my arms and shaking me. Eventually, he falls over unconscious. But to my dismay, he falls on top of me.

  Without too much problem, I’m able to roll him off of me and steal his black shirt to cover my green one. I leave him alive because there is no reason to kill him. Yes, he did see me, but he will never inform the Republic that a landscaping citizen got the best of him—and stole his shirt. I smirk as I sneak away from him.

  The stairwell inside Ryker’s building is empty as is his hallway. I pretend to be an Exalted as I walk with confidence toward his doorway. No, I am Exalted. I absently shake my head. When did the lines blur? I’ve only been with the citizens for a few hours.

  When I reach Ryker’s door, I don’t knock. I throw it open and quickly shut it behind me. A look of pure terror crosses my partner’s face as I burst into his home. After he realizes it’s me, his body relaxes. “You’re
scared me, Mena,” Ryker admits. “What are you doing here? You could’ve gotten caught.”

  “I had to take that risk. I didn’t know when I’d be able to speak with you again,” I tell him. “Where’s Lily?”

  “She’s already asleep—in my room,” he answers from the couch.

  I go over and sit next to him. “What happened with Az?” I ask as I ball my hands up in my lap.

  “I handed him over to some Toledo Lake scouts. They promised not to harm him. I also told them about Dr. Fredericks’ plan to exterminate their people. They said they would pass on the message and prepare.”

  “Prepare? To fight?” I must not have understood him correctly.

  “That’s what they said,” Ryker responds to my confusion.

  “They can’t be serious. They don’t stand a chance against the Republic,” I argue, even though Ryker doesn’t make the decisions for those people.

  “I told them as much, but Toledo Lake is their home. They won’t give it up without a fight.”

  The cushions of the couch fold around me as I lean back defeated and concerned. “What about the library and the E.S.C.? I’m stuck with the citizens now. How will I be able go there? Do you think I can sneak out?” I ask.

  “No, probably not. Maybe I can request that you accompany me on a scouting mission so that you have the day free from being watched . . . He probably won’t go for that just yet, though. Just give it time, Mena. We have time. Besides, I might take a trip over there myself soon, and then we won’t have to worry about returning to the library. I’ll let you know what I find out if I go.”

  I don’t want him to go without me. I want to see it. I want to help. Being stuck in a pointless job is frustrating. It’s pointless because I will not turn anyone in to Dr. Fredericks.

  “We need to decide what to do about Lily, Ryker. This can’t be a permanent solution. She’s alone all day, every day. She can’t even go outside. This is no way for a little girl to live,” I say. Lily seems happy here with him from what I’ve seen, but she’s missing out on the outside world. She needs to be able to breathe fresh air every once in a while.

  “I know. I’ve been thinking about that more as well. I think I’m going to take her to Toledo Lake. They have bunkhouses there for new people. One of the women can look after her. Dr. Fredericks’ has me going out for a few days at the end of the week. I can take her then.”

  “Okay, but we have to stop this soon so she’ll be safe there,” I agree with a condition. I don’t want Lily to leave. I’ll worry about her every second she’s not here.

  Suddenly, I’m very tired. I rest my head back against the armrest. I let my eyes drift closed, but only for a minute. I have to get back to my dorm . . .

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  I’m so comfortable when I wake up that I don’t open my eyes. I curl into a ball and pull my blanket up against my chin. I listen to the soft breathing of my roommate. It’s so close, though. It’s almost right next to my head. At the same time that I roll over and open my eyes, someone chimes, “Good morning!”

  Ryker is lying on the floor next to the couch that I’m lying on. Lily is standing by my feet smiling. “Oh no!”

  “Oh no!” Ryker echoes my concerns. “Hold on. Let me check the hallway, Mena.”

  “What’s wrong,” Lily asks with a frown.

  “I’m not supposed to be here, Lily,” I kiss her on the check and follow Ryker to the door.

  “It looks clear. Hurry and lose the shirt when you get outside.” He points to the black shirt that I stole off the guard last night.

  I nod and slip out into the hallway. I hurriedly tiptoe down the hall to the stairwell. When I reach the ground floor, I take off the shirt and wrap it around my waist. The elastic waistband on my pants holds it in place, and my green top covers it. I slip out into the bright morning sun. I act like I belong there. I stop and inspect plants and shrubs as I travel toward the gardening building.

  It is long past breakfast. I hope no one noticed my absence. I need to be more careful. We need to be more careful. Ryker is harboring a marauder, and I am sneaking out of my dorm. We are both trying to overthrow our leader.

  I pass Claire, my new roommate, on my way to get a pair of clippers. She stops beside me. “Where were you this morning? You weren’t in our room when I woke up.”

  “I en . . .” I stop myself. No, I can’t use the word enjoy. “I have missed so much service since I was away. I wanted to get an early start this morning on my work. I left before dawn,” I lie to her.

  “I see,” she says. I can’t tell if she believes me or not. Her face does not deceive her.

  The gardening building is close by, so I turn and head that way before she has a chance to say anymore. Today, I decide to grab a long pair of clippers meant for trimming tree limbs. They look suspiciously like deadly weapons to me. They make me miss my knives.

  I search for scraggly trees as I walk the grounds of the Republic. There aren’t many branches that need trimming. Everything is already perfect because it’s monitored daily. Regardless, I get to work and keep to myself.

  After about an hour, a man of around 19 years old, edges toward me. He’s dressed like me in a mossy green, landscaping uniform. He has brown hair and hazel eyes. The man comes to stand next to me. “Heard you were Taken?” he says.

  “Yes,” I answer him, while secretly wishing he would go away. I don’t want anyone to notice him speaking to me. Glancing around the area proves to be useless. There are workers and Exalted coming and going all around us.

  He lowers his voice to a whisper. “Is that true, Mena?”

  I tense at the sound of my real name. This citizen called me Mena, not Rebecca. “Who are you?”

  “My name is Sean. I am a friend of Jenna’s. She told me you worked this detail now and that I should look for you. Please know that I will be glad to help you and Ryker in any way that I can,” he offers.

  “Thank you, Sean. It’s probably best that you’re not seen with me. I don’t want to draw attention to you. But thank you for taking the risk and introducing yourself. Are there others beside you and Jenna?” I ask before he heads off.

  “Not that I know of,” he answers, while picking up fallen tree limbs and putting them into a large, black bag.

  ***

  Lunch is the same. I sit and eat. No one really speaks to each other. I work after lunch, eat dinner, and head to my new dorm for bedtime. When Claire is in the shower I stuff the stolen black shirt under my mattress.

  ***

  After breakfast the next day, I am approached by an Exalted guard. I keep my eyes downcast when he speaks to me. “Rebecca, Dr. Fredericks has requested your presence in his office.”

  I simply nod and follow after him. I don’t know whether he knows that I am really an Exalted, like him, or not. He walks ahead of me with confidence. I miss walking like that. I miss facing the world head-on. This feeling of inferiority makes me wonder if all of the citizens feel this way. No, of course not. They don’t feel anything.

  When the Exalted guard approaches the elevator, I realize that he doesn’t know who I really am. We ride up in silence. We walk down the blood-red hallway in silence. I’m jolted out of our mutual silence when he bangs on the office door with his strong fist. Another guard opens the door to Dr. Fredericks’ office. They bow to one another before my escort leaves.

  “Mena! Mena! Do come in!” Dr. Fredericks calls to me. His voice makes my skin crawl.

  Upon entering, I see that Dr. Fredericks is sitting in his regular spot behind his beautiful desk. He smiles at me. “You called for me, sir?” I ask my leader.

  “I want an update. Have any citizens that are off the Pump come forward?” he asks.

  Keep your face blank, Mena. “No, sir. No one has come forward. No one has spoken to me unless necessary.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes, sir,” I answer as I stare into his eyes. He looks back at me like I’m lying. I am lying. Does he know that Se
an spoke to me? How could he know?

  “Hmm. Okay then. I will call for you again in a few days,” he says as he slips his reading glasses on. “Ryker has requested you accompany him on a scouting mission to the west. I declined his request.” He watches me closely for a reaction.

  I focus on keeping my breathing even. I don’t look around the room for Ryker. He may be here but I’ll never know. I bow my head, acknowledging the decline of the Ryker’s request.

  “Well, go then. Get back to gardening.” He dismisses me with his hand.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Two days pass in a green haze. My green clothes and the green plant life of my new job fill my basic life. In a few hours I will sneak over to Ryker’s apartment to see Lily before he takes her away—to someplace safer, someplace she can play outside and be happy. Knowing she will be going to stay with people that Ryker trusts comforts me.

  Today, I sit on my knees and trim the grass that falls over the edge of the walkways. I use a tool that’s similar to scissors. This work is mindless, but I’ve grown to almost enjoy it. I say almost, because I am still frustrated over being stuck here. The United Ceremony is quickly approaching and there are things to do on the outside.

  People pass by me all morning as I shuffle along the walkway on my knees. No one stops next to me until it’s nearly time for lunch. Black boots appear under my nose. I don’t look up. A citizen would not look up.

  “I wanted to check-in and make sure you’re okay. It’s so strange to see you like this.” My hearts swells when I hear her voice. Val came to check on me. I miss being her roommate. I miss her.

  “I’m okay,” I whisper.

  “Good,” she says. She turns and walks away before she draws attention to us.

  I continue to work as if nothing out of the ordinary happened. When I’m finished for the morning, I return my clippers to the gardening building and follow the others to the cafeteria. Again, I sit across from Claire. And again, no one speaks.