Twenty-Nine
Pain stitches up my side, but I don’t have time to slow down. The humongous speakers in the courtyard blare the sounds of the ceremony and I can hear them all the way out here by the fence. The band is in high spirits, but that means the Cardinal’s speech isn’t far behind. We’re running out of time.
My feet pound so hard against the ground I almost miss the sound of the approaching guards. They must be making a sweep of the PIT, making sure all the good little prisoners are tucked away in the courtyard so they can put up the fence without a riot breaking out. I slide into a doorless bunkhouse and hold my breath, waiting for them to pass by.
I catch my first break of the day and they don’t bother to check inside any of the buildings. I pause, leaning against the concrete wall, to make sure they’re far enough away. By now, Daniel’s probably wondering what happened to me.
I have one foot out the door when the band stops and the Cardinal’s booming voice pumps through the air. I have to keep moving, but I keep one ear out for other guards and one tuned in to the Cardinal’s words.
“…everything to make the Permanent Isolation Territory a place where those who can’t live among us can make a life for themselves. As you can see, they have everything they could need.”
I imagine the Cardinal at his podium while shots of a decluttered PIT flash behind him.
“Yet, despite these efforts, there are those inside the PIT who don’t appreciate the second chance at life they’ve been given. Just this past summer, a small, ineffective group of dangerous criminals attempted to break out of the PIT.” A gasp of shock echoes back through the microphone and plays out of our speakers. This is clearly the first the crowd at the ceremony has heard of our little ineffective escape. “There is no reason to be alarmed. Rest assured, I will never allow those who would undermine our society to escape. But let this serve as a reminder that there are dangerous people out there. The people we send to the PIT cannot be rehabilitated or trained, regardless of the benefits provided to them.”
The Cardinal is laying it on thick this year. Are there people out there with doubts about the system? A sliver of hope opens up in my head. If some of the citizens are questioning the Cardinal, maybe they’ll believe us. It might be too late for me and Daniel, but there’s a chance we can stop the Machine from Rejecting more people who don’t belong in here.
I turn the corner and run smack into Daniel. He gathers me into his arms and squeezes tight enough to cut off the scream I was about to let loose. “You’re alright,” he breathes into my hair. “I was so worried.”
“I’m fine. Eric helped me.”
Daniel raises his eyebrows, but I ignore his silent question and pull him back into another hug. Even with a hundred lifetimes, I could never stop wanting his arms around me. I convinced myself last night I was at peace with our good-bye. I was lying to myself.
The tears come out in loud bursts from the middle of my chest. Deep sobs that shake my torso and force me to my knees. Daniel kneels as well and I cling to him with all the strength left in me. I’m not ready to give this up.
“Shh…it’s okay. I’m right here.” Daniel holds me close, smoothing the tangled curls on the back of my head. We don’t have time for a breakdown, but he lets me have my moment. When the sobs slow down, he pulls back, one hand on my shoulder and the other cradling the side of my face. “You don’t have to do this. You can turn around and run to the courtyard and pretend you don’t know anything about this.”
“But you’re staying?” My hands are like a vise on his wrist.
“I don’t intend to live without you.”
There’s nothing left for me to do but stand up and walk into the building. I won’t leave him out here to die alone. I can’t sacrifice a single minute of the life we have together, no matter what that time will cost me. That is a choice I can still make.
Daniel was right. It really is all about maintaining control. The Cardinal and I have that much in common. Of course, the Cardinal wants control of an entire nation, while I’m just looking for a little control over my own life. But I know better now. I can’t control my life. I didn’t control it before the PIT and I certainly don’t control it in here. All I can control is how I react to what life hands me. Today, I fight.
We head into the building, but we can still hear the Cardinal’s voice blaring over the courtyard speakers. This close to the fence his words are blended with the sounds of hammers and metal scraping as the workers rush to get the fence up while everyone is distracted. The clang of bolts being driven into the posts is like the ticks of a time bomb counting down the minutes of this life we have together. It does nothing to help ease the queasiness in my stomach.
Daniel pulls the camera and transmitter out of their hiding spot and plugs them into the Noteboard. “I just need to finish programming in the signal they’re broadcasting in Cardinal City.”
“How do you know what signal they’re using?” I watch him type away into the machine, even though I don’t know how any of it works.
“That’s what I was doing yesterday. They set up the display after lunch and the receiver was already booted up.” Daniel hits a few more buttons before unplugging the Noteboard from the camera. “Okay, we’re ready.”
He hands me the camera and grabs a few boxes he managed to salvage from the remaining trash that decorates the edge of the PIT. Outside, the sun is higher in the sky. Daniel sets up the boxes a few feet from the side of the building to create a makeshift camera stand. “Stand against the wall and I’ll get the camera focused.”
Daniel positions the camera moving the lens back and forth. The Cardinal isn’t speaking anymore, but a dreary music is pumping from the speakers. I wonder if he’s showing more shots of the PIT. The Cardinal described this place like a criminal paradise. If he had shown the same footage last year would I have been appalled at the conditions or outraged at our ‘amenities’?
“Rebecca?” Daniel pulls my focus back to the task at hand. “We’re ready.”
I nod, but freeze at the sound of footsteps walking in our direction. From the volume, it has to be several people and they’re moving quickly. Daniel’s wide eyes meet mine. He grabs the camera in one hand and my wrist in the other, before running back into the building.
I slam the door closed behind us and Daniel shoves the camera under the mattresses. Standing against the back wall I hold my breath and listen for the sounds of whoever is walking nearby.
Back at the courtyard, the music stops playing and the Cardinal’s voice breaks back in over the sound of amplified applause. Whatever they showed the crowd in Cardinal City, they loved it.
Footsteps shuffle by the door. Whoever is out there isn’t talking like the other workers we’ve run across the past few days. Did the other guards notice that Eric didn’t return with the prisoner from the bath house? Are they looking for me? Keeping my eye on the door, I reach for Daniel’s hand as the footsteps stop right outside the building.
The hiss of a whisper is barely detectable over the Cardinal’s boisterous words. Daniel gives my hand a squeeze while we wait for the inevitable.
The door creaks open, but the backlight of glaring sun makes it impossible to see who’s come to take us down.
“So are you guys still going to crash the Cardinal’s party or did I drag all these people out here for nothing?”
My eyes adjust to the light and reveal Elizabeth standing in the doorway. I’m so happy that I get to see her and that she’s not a Cardinal guard that I rush over and tackle her with a hug, almost knocking both of us to the ground.
“Whoa, I love you, too, but you’re making it hard to breathe.” Elizabeth pries my arms from around her neck and looks over my shoulder.
“I didn’t think I’d get to see you again.” Daniel is right behind me, a slow smile revealing his dimples for the first time in ages.
“And let the two of you have all the fun? Never.” Daniel wraps her up in his arms and Elizabeth hugs him bac
k.
“Wait, what do you mean all these people?” I move past her out the door, but stop before I get two feet in the sunshine. At least a dozen men and woman are standing outside the building biting their lips, running hands through their dirty hair and fussing with their threadbare clothes. In the front of the ragtag group are Constance and Thomas.
“I heard what you said,” Elizabeth says behind me. “About making a sacrifice, even when the odds are small.”
“But how?”
“I’ve been here a lot longer than you, girly. I managed to meet a few people before I started hanging out with the wrong crowd.” Elizabeth moves to stand with her group and winks at me and Daniel. “Once I convinced Constance, everyone else was easy. We’ve got all kinds of Rejects, from your mentally slow to physically challenged. All the people I know who shouldn’t be here.”
I want to meet them all, hear their stories, but there isn’t time. I finally know what I’m going to say and the timing is critical.
“Daniel, get the camera. Everyone else, come line up over here against the wall.”
I stop to listen to the Cardinal’s words. Based on last year’s speech we have just over a minute.
“Quickly, now.” I grab Daniel’s arm as he runs by with the camera. “When I point to you, I need you to cut in immediately. Can you do that?”
“Never doubt my technology skills.” He sets the camera down and we take time we don’t have for one last kiss. It’s brief and bittersweet and doesn’t even come close to the kiss we really deserve. But then, that’s kinda the point. This is what none of us deserve. “I love you.”
“More than you can ever know.” I let him go and turn back to the others, swallowing the tears I can’t afford. “I’m going to say a few words and then it will be your turn. We won’t have long before they find us and shut down the feed so we don’t have time for speeches. Just give your name, your Territory and the real reason why you’re here. This is what people need to know.”
The Cardinal’s voice rises and I know we’re out of time. This is the end of his speech. Now or never. Something small and cold hits the front of my chest. I dip my chin and the beautiful simplicity of my grandmother’s pendant strung on a dirty shoestring rests against my breastbone.
Elizabeth’s voice whispers in my ear from where she stands behind me. “So you never forget. This is why you’re here.”
I spin around and she’s motioning with her arms to all of us standing there. I understand what she means. This was what the Cardinal feared when he sent me here. Afraid I’d turn my voice against him. I can almost be grateful.
If everything had gone the way I expected at my Acceptance ceremony last year, I would be outside right now, living the boring life planned out for me and never know what true love is like. Life might be safer on the other side of the fence, but that doesn’t equal better anymore.
“I’m sorry for—”
I stop Elizabeth’s words with the palm of my hand. “How many times do I have to tell you that none of this is your fault? The guilt for this one belongs to the Cardinal and it’s time for everyone else to know it, too.”
I turn back to Daniel and take a second to meet his eyes. I try to say enough words for the next fifty years in that one gaze. I’m glad we don’t have time for a long good-bye. I could never make him understand how much he means to me. I nod my head and wait for the small green light on the front to blink on.
Looking right into the camera I smile as wide as I can. I smile for Daniel and Elizabeth for believing in me, for Constance for showing me what real love looks like. I smile for Molly and all those who came before her who’ll never smile again. Even Eric. I smile for all of them. And then I stop smiling.
“You know us. We’re your children, your classmates, your brothers and sisters. We aren’t criminals. Each of us is here because we’re different. We’re here because the Machine doesn’t decide who’s worthy of freedom, the Cardinal does. We’re here, and any one of you could be next.”
Elizabeth squeezes my hand and Daniel smiles at me from behind the camera. They give me the last bit of courage I need to keep going. “Ladies and Gentlemen of the Territories, before you stands the future.”
The End
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for traveling with me on Rebecca’s journey. From the first word, her story always felt like one that demanded to be told. While I always knew how her story would end, Rebecca (and the others) surprised me with how they would get there. I really don’t feel like their author, but only the person lucky enough to share their adventure with others.
It’s my hope that you’ve loved this book as much as I loved writing it. If you did, or even if you didn’t, I’d love to hear from you. You can write to me at [email protected]
If you’d like to stay informed about future books and get insider info on new releases, please sign up for my newsletter.
And finally, if you feel so inclined, I am always grateful for readers who share their opinions with others. If you loved this book, please tell a friend. You can also leave a review on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, or anywhere books are discussed online. Our fellow book lovers are a constant guide to helping us find out next favorite novel.
Thank you again for being a part of Rebecca’s story.
Before you stands the future!
Sarah
Acknowledgements
This book has been a labor of love that never would have been born without the help of so many. Thank you to my wonderful partners in crime at SAW. Not only would this book have a completely different (and kinda stinky) first chapter without your help, I never would have had the courage to share Rebecca's story with the world. Write on, writers! To my wonderful online friends and beta readers, Rachel, Sarah, & Beth, thank you for chewing me up and cheering me on at the same time. A big thumbs up to my editors, Brent, Zoe, and Tanya. You guys were a dream-team to work with and I know I'm a better writer thanks to you. To my agent, Marisa, thank you for believing in this story, even when everyone else said Dystopian is dead. And finally to my amazing little family, Nick, Sophia and Isabella, thank you doesn't feel like enough. Your support gave me the time and space I needed to bring this story to life and your love gave me the motivation to be the best writer I can be. Love you, mean it!
About the Author
Sarah Negovetich knows you don't know how to pronounce her name and she's okay with that.
Her first love is Young Adult novels, because at seventeen the world is your oyster. Only oysters are slimy and more than a little salty; it's accurate if not exactly motivational. We should come up with a better cliché.
Sarah divides her time between writing YA books that her husband won’t read and working with amazing authors as an agent at Corvisiero Literary Agency. Her life’s goal is to be only a mildly embarrassing mom when her kids hit their teens.
You can learn more about Sarah and her books at www.SarahNegovetich.com.
Rite of Rejection (Acceptance Book 1) Page 24