Delivered: A Young Adult Dystopian Romance (The State Series Book 7)

by M. J. Kaestli

  With a few taps on the screen, Lewis maneuvered away from the image to read the data collected from the facial recognition software.

  Colin 485.

  Recognition suddenly flooded into his mind of the young smug boy Lewis had delivered to the spacecraft.

  Freya’s Colin.

  Security officer. Colonist. Head of Communications. Suspected rebellion leader responsible for the uprising in the atrium. Only child of two convicted rebellion leaders.

  There was nothing about his coupling to Freya in his file, nor their separation. Lewis supposed that their files were altered after Freya’s rise to power. Staring down at the data left only one question spinning in his mind: were they together?

  If they were, then Freya was alive. But how? He couldn’t understand how she fell for Colin in the first place, but it was incomprehensible to think they would be together with such a hefty age difference. Yet, it was possible.

  He knew now how he would spend his time. All of his energy would be devoted to searching the footage. But he wasn’t looking for signs of a homestead. He was looking for her.

  Maybe I can still save her.

  Chapter 18

  Freya

  It was dangerous to stand on the hilltop, but this high mound also provided the best view. She lifted her hand to shield the sun from her eyes as she peered all around. Colin wanted everyone to scurry about under tree cover when leaving their homes, as he felt it was only a matter of time before the State sent more drones.

  Part of her knew he was right. The State was sure to scour the area before the drones doubled back to their home. Even if the camera didn’t spot Colin, he still struck it down. Something the State would want to investigate.

  While Colin worried about the drones, she worried about Gwen. They should have returned by now. Colin assured her that Gwen’s party wasn’t late yet—especially if they brought a large group of colonists with them. He spun the timeline as proof of Gwen’s success to persuade the colonists to make the journey, but Freya knew the truth.

  The radio conversation had gone poorly; no one was coming. Maybe Gwen stayed later than expected, but Freya doubted it. Faris had made it clear Gwen’s group were to leave in the morning, which meant they should have returned by now.

  Something has happened.

  Every time she closed her eyes, images of the bear attack flashed through her mind. What if there was another bear? Or what if there was something far worse? She could only imagine. Her life had already contained enough horrors.

  “Freya!” Colin’s voice echoed from below. “Get down from there.”

  She sighed.

  Busted.

  Just as she turned to descend the hill, she caught sight of something moving in the distance. She froze in place; her mind spun, trying to process what she saw, and what it meant. “Colin!”

  Without warning, she took off at a run further into the clearing, the exact opposite direction of where Colin wanted her to go. But she couldn’t worry about Colin, the drones, or even the State right now.

  There was a horse meandering through the clearing. Just one. Even worse, the horse was saddled yet bore no rider. As she darted toward the creature with heavy footfalls, it pulled its ears back, then turned and trotted away from her.

  Freya stopped running, knowing she lacked the skills to recapture this creature. She hunched over and rested her hands on her thighs as she labored to catch her breath.

  Before she knew it, Colin was at her side. “Freya, we’ve got to move. Now.”

  She nodded, still too breathless to defend her choices. They headed down the hill at a light jog until they tucked under some greenery.

  “Freya, what were you doing out there?”

  With her gaze cast downward, she answered. “I climb the hill each day to look for signs of Gwen after I finish at the greenhouse.”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Please, stop. Just stop. We can’t risk another sighting.”

  Her core lit aflame. She was angry, devastated, ashamed, all at once. She knew that they needed to hide from the drones, but she also knew he was wrong about Gwen.

  “I’m sorry. I know. It’s just that you keep saying Gwen’s okay, but I know that she’s not. Something happened to them.”

  “I know,” Colin snapped.

  Freya winced and took a step back. “You’ve been lying to me?”

  He heaved out a heavy sigh, adding a step of space between them. “I was trying to keep you from worrying. Stress impacts people differently in lockdown. I was worried you’d have a meltdown or,” he hesitated, “do something reckless.”

  She gasped. “You think I’m reckless?”

  His head snapped toward her. “Normally, no. But how else would you describe your behavior out there? Isolation is messing with your mind.”

  She crossed her arms. “You just want us to sit back and do nothing about Gwen?”

  His face burned hot. “There’s nothing we can do! Gwen’s party is either still on their way, or dead. If someone got injured, we can’t help them. We can’t risk the safety of this community because you want answers.”

  “This isn’t about me being impatient—”

  “Yes it is!”

  She stepped toward him. “If they’re in trouble, we should do something about it. We need to send a rescue team back for them. We can’t just sit here where it’s safe while they need our help.”

  “You want to send a search team?”

  His question caught her off guard. She proceeded with mild hesitation. “Yes. Why wouldn’t we? And don’t say the drones. That’s not a good enough reason to leave them to die.”

  “Okay, then. Who should go? How many? And where will they find horses to ride?” He leaned against a tree, folding his arms.

  Her face flushed. He was right. All of it. Since she arrived, she had locked herself in the greenhouses and knew little about how these people operated. Colin, on the other hand, had immersed himself into each facet of their community.

  Maybe Colin had always been brighter than he seemed, or maybe this was the difference between life on the surface versus under the dome. Her skill set held little value out here. Agriculture and speeches. That was all she had. Now, it was only agriculture. So, she pushed hard into her skills, never realizing that holding a single focus was effective for dome life, not surface living.

  And maybe that was exactly why she did this. He was right; she was reckless. Maybe it had less to do with Gwen, and more to do with the fact that every day, she realized more and more how useless she was. She was once the Head of State, but that didn’t make her special. Not here. Head of State. Queen. The titles were interchangeable. In either role, she was never more than a figurehead.

  Her eyes filled with moisture. “Are you telling me we have no more horses?”

  “A few, but they’re older and ill-suited for a rescue mission. Gwen took the best horses and riders with her. And even if we sent two people, how do we ensure they make it back? There is safety in numbers. Who will be their look out? Keep watch while they’re sleeping.”

  A stubborn tear slid down her cheek. “Fine. You’re right. I know nothing about this community, this world, and I’m utterly useless here.”

  His face fell. “I don’t mean it like that, Freya. I just mean that maybe you need to admit that your behavior has less to do with Gwen, and more to do with needing a sense of control. The State beat us. We thought we won, but it was all a trick. And now we can’t do anything to fight them, and don’t even know if we’re safe here anymore, or ever was. It sucks. I get it.”

  Her chest constricted. No matter how she had tried to stay optimistic, the harsh truth of their reality came crashing down.

  The State won.

  Even if everyone could live out the rest of their days in this community, they would live in constant fear. They could never expand, develop new technologies, or explore. And that was only if the State didn’t come for them.

  She turned away from Colin,
gripping her dark hair near her scalp. “Colin, we can’t stay here. I don’t know how to get out of here, or where to go, but we aren’t safe. And we can’t just have lots of babies and hope they can figure it out. We have to do something. Now.”

  He kept his gaze on the ground. “I know.”

  She spun toward him. “You agree?”

  His gaze flicked upward. “Yeah. The drone changed everything. We aren’t safe here. No one is. I just don’t know what else to do. If they sent their men to travel south—people who were all raised on the surface—and they didn’t survive, then how would we? I can’t think of anything else to do other than pack up and go to Hope, but we have just as much chance of dying on the way there as we do living here.”

  Her gaze turned to ice.

  If we leave, the drones will find us.

  Colin rubbed his hand over his face. “We need to grab Aakil—if he’ll help us.”

  Freya’s jaw fell open. “Not help us? He’s your best friend.”

  Colin laughed bitterly. “I know. But he’s happy here, and denial is a powerful thing. I’m afraid we’ll have the same situation here as back in the colony: too many people won’t want to go.”

  She took a deep breath. He was right. They were newcomers here. How could they convince anyone to pick up and leave when they had no plan, and so little chances of success? No part of her wanted to leave, but her gut told her they couldn’t stay. It was an impossible situation.

  ***

  Her leg bounced repeatedly as she sat at the table. Colin searched for Aakil while she sat in wait. Her mind spun in circles.

  How can we convince anyone to leave? And should we?

  If they couldn’t even get Aakil on their side, they wouldn’t convince anyone else either. If Gwen didn’t return, it would give the community even more reason to stay.

  The door burst open. Aakil stood in the doorway with a bottle in hand. Colin stood behind Aakil and shoved him into their home. Aakil stumbled forward, his bottle clinked against the tabletop.

  “Easy, Colin.” A sour stench wafted from Aakil’s breath as he lightly slurred his words. “Let’s just have a drink and talk this through.”

  Freya furrowed her brow. “What is that?”

  Is that what smells?

  Aakil presented his bottle like a prize. “This is what they call whisky. It’s delightful. Too delightful of a substance for the dome. No. They did away with it when those pricks took over. But here, they never stopped making it.”

  Colin took a seat beside Freya, folding his hands on top of the table. “I’m afraid Aakil is a little intoxicated, but we’re having this conversation, regardless.”

  Aakil tilted the bottle. “I take it you’re refusing my offer to make this a social call?”

  “We’ll pass,” Colin answered.

  Aakil shrugged. “Suit yourselves.”

  He raised the bottle to his lips and took a hard pull. Freya noted the dark liquid filled the bottle halfway.

  Colin leaned forward to begin. “Aakil, we need to talk to you. Tonight. This is important.”

  Aakil responded by blowing a raspberry. “Give it a rest already.”

  He placed the bottle down on the table with a little too much force. Colin snatched it from him with sharp reflexes and placed the bottle on the floor between him and Freya. Aakil sat back in his seat, looking away from Colin like a scolded child.

  “Aakil,” Freya began cautiously, “we think something happened to Gwen. She should be back by now.”

  Aakil rolled his eyes. “I’m sure she’s fine. She’s tough and a skilled rider.”

  “Freya’s right. Gwen should be back by now,” Colin said. “And add to the drones—”

  “Oh, come on! You guys need to relax. So, Gwen’s a bit late. It’s not like she can radio to tell us if they took a detour. You guys are just freaked out about the drones.”

  “Shouldn’t we be?” Colin asked.

  “I don’t know,” Aakil snapped. “You destroyed it before I could get a look at it. We don’t even know what it’s broadcasting capabilities were or if it got footage. If the camera was facing you or any of this place.”

  It was exactly as Colin had feared. Aakil didn’t want to leave and so he was trying to make them sound paranoid, just like Faris had done. She hated this. Although Aakil wasn’t much to her, she knew how much he meant to Colin.

  “Aakil, we aren’t safe here. I know you love it here, but we can’t stay. We need a plan.”

  He stood from the table. “I’m really not in the mood for this tonight.”

  Colin jumped to his feet. “Aakil, sit down.”

  There was something in Colin’s tone that made her freeze, even though his anger wasn’t directed at her.

  “We’re having this conversation. Now. I know our chances of living, let alone beating the State are slim. But we can’t just sit here and wait for them to come for us.”

  “I can.” Aakil laughed sarcastically.

  Freya’s gaze flickered over to the bottle on the floor Colin took from him. She realized the bottle’s purpose from Aakil’s mannerisms and slurred speech. The problem wasn’t that Aakil disagreed with their verdict, he was just handling it much differently.

  A sharp knock sounded at the door before the newcomer pushed it open without waiting for a response.

  Freya instantly jumped to her feet. “Gwen!”

  She stepped inside, looking weather-worn and tired. “Sorry to intrude, but we just rolled in and I heard the three of you were together.”

  Freya gestured to the open seat at the table. “I’m so glad you came straight here. I was worried sick about you.”

  Gwen held up a hand to cut her off. “I appreciate your concerns, but we have to talk. We’ve got problems.”

  Freya’s heart sank.

  What now?

  Gwen sniffed the air, then looked around. “You guys drinking?”

  Colin reached for the bottle beside his feet and slid it across the table. Gwen turned back to their kitchen and retrieved four small glasses, filling one for herself with the dark amber liquid.

  “The colony’s gone.” She lifted the glass to her lips and knocked back its contents in one swift movement.

  Freya’s mind froze. There was just too much happening at once. She reached across the table and filled her glass a quarter full, just as Gwen had done.

  Colin took the bottle from her when she finished. “What do you mean, gone?”

  “The State. It was exactly as you said. An airstrike in the night. We had just left.”

  Freya lifted the glass to her nose, sniffing cautiously. The sharp aroma stung her nostrils. She found the smell offensive but figured with the effect it seemed to have on Aakil, maybe it was just what she needed. She took a small sip, instantly hating the taste. It burned her throat, but she took another sip.

  Colin leaned back in his seat, tugging at his hair. “The timing of this can’t be a coincidence. After all this time, they bomb the colony right after the drone spotted me.”

  Freya’s mind started to fog from the contents of her glass, and she drained the last sip before she asked, “I don’t get it. If the drone saw you here, why would they bomb the colony?”

  Aakil leaned forward and snatched the bottle for himself. “Facial recognition software.”

  “What?” Both Gwen and Freya asked at the same time.

  Colin stood and took a sip from his glass before he turned to Freya. “Because they saw me. My face. We used facial recognition software in Security to track suspicious activities. They ran my picture through their system, knew it was me, and that I had strayed from the colony.”

  Freya pressed her eyes tightly closed. “But why bomb the colony then? Why not attack here?”

  Colin took another sip. “Because they only saw me, not this place. They wanted us to stay where they put us. They found out we were spreading out, then decided it was time to take care of the colony.”

  Freya knew that she should feel somethi
ng about the colony, but she couldn’t. The only thing she could process was confusion, exhaustion, and a little shame that she didn’t feel more remorse.

  I was supposed to be their leader. And now they’re gone.

  She had left them behind. Maybe she could have fought harder. Done more. But maybe her indifference stemmed from knowing deep down that they were next. Even if more traveled with them, it wouldn’t have made a difference. It didn’t the last time. No one was safe from the State.