The crowd applauded politely but lacked any real enthusiasm. They couldn’t possibly understand the importance of environmental conservation. How could they? They didn’t face Devina, look deeply into her eyes, and see someone who truly believed that her family’s action were honorable. As Freya transitioned out of government, she held it as her top priority to educate the new government to ensure that they neither repeated humanity’s nor the High Council’s past mistakes.
“The last topic I want to address today is where people will live—something I am asked daily. I have one simple answer for you: wherever you choose. Migration is open to all of our Districts. You may choose to live in the District of Idaho, the District of Hope, or stay inside of this city. The mountain is also available for those who choose to live there, but it will be maintained primarily for research and development. New settlements will be built as the need arises.”
She took a breath, knowing her time was drawing near its end. Not everyone agreed with her next statement, but she knew in her core, it was the right decision.
“Regarding the dome above us, I have decided to leave it intact. The labor force required to disassemble it isn’t worth the resources we would spend to do so. I believe it should stand as a monument, a reminder of what our people have endured. Let it be a lesson to future generations regarding the consequences of greed, fear, and control. I hope that together, we can do better as a society. As a people.”
She took a small step back from the podium and the crowd once again erupted into applause. Colin looked at her with a smug expression and grabbed her hand. Together they walked down the path to the clinic. She longed to change into something more comfortable. Colin wasn’t the only one who hated her outfit. Hopefully, she would never have to wear it again.
Chapter 44
Freya
Her vision blurred. She remembered this life, an unending mountain of messages in her inbox. Eyestrain set in long ago, yet she couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away from her tablet. There was so much to do in so little time. Part of her thought she was insane to call for an election in only one year’s time, yet she couldn’t wait for that year to expire. Soon, it would all be over. Their people would have a new government, and she could return to agriculture.
“Knock, knock,” Colin whispered from her office door frame.
She peered up at him. Her eyes narrowed. “What’s that you’ve got there?”
Colin glanced down at the odd bundle in his arms. “On top of running the world, you find the time and energy to concern yourself over the foreign object in my arms.”
She pushed back in her chair. “What are you up to?”
Colin laughed and dropped his teasing demeanor. “You need to eat something.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Yet you hold a strange bundle instead of a plate.”
Colin shrugged. “I thought we’d switch things up.”
She pursed her lips. “And how are we switching things up?”
“I’ll tell you as soon as you get out from behind that desk and take a walk with me.”
Freya’s shoulders slumped. “I really need to get some work done.”
Colin stepped forward and offered her his hand. “You also need to eat. Since you’ve hardly seen me lately, I thought we would multitask today and spend a little time together over our afternoon meal.”
Her mouth moistened at the thought of food. She glanced down at the time, realizing that it was already past midafternoon, and she had yet to eat a single morsel of food. All meals were still prepared and served in a common room, which meant she had to step away from her inbox. Most days, if Colin didn’t deliver her meals, she wouldn’t eat.
She pushed back from her desk and accepted his outreach to hand. He led her out of the State House and through the atrium before she got an inkling that he was leading her outside.
The moment they stepped through the second door, a light breeze tousled her hair. Her feet halted. Her eyelids pressed closed as the sun’s rays warmed her skin. She missed the surface. Suddenly, she didn’t care if they ate. A walk outside might do more to invigorate her than food.
Colin gave her a moment to savor the crisp air before guiding her around the dome. She peered through the glass to confirm that the State House grounds were on the other side.
“Right there.” Colin pointed to the glass. “You said that was your favorite place to sit and look through the glass—where the dome attack happened.”
Freya took a closer look and realized he was right. “Well, that’s impressive.”
Colin shrugged. “Yeah, well, the State used to have this utterly useless thing called Security. I spent most of my time giving lost souls direction and learned a few things about the dome myself.”
“Security was truly the unsung hero of the State.”
Colin smiled at her remark and pulled her in for a gentle kiss. “Well, now that we’ve abolished the State, I use my former skills to find the perfect spot for what I’m told is called a picnic lunch.”
Her eyebrows stitched together. “And what exactly is that?”
Colin set the bundle down. “Essentially, you pack your meal and take it outside. I’ve been told that the most common choice for a picnic lunch is sandwiches, which are made from bread.”
Freya pursed her lips. “That’s that spongy substance we ate in Idaho. Made from that grain wheat they harvest. How did you get bread?”
Colin unfastened the bundle. The outer shell was a blanket which he flicked into the air and laid out on the ground. He plopped down and patted the spot beside him.
“Yes, it is. I heard we just got some milled wheat from Hope, so I thought it was the perfect time to try out this picnic concept.”
Freya sat with her back propped against the glass. The view was even more spectacular on this side of the dome. The sun felt amazing on her stiff body, as though it melted away her tension. “I don’t know how people came up with this idea, but I like it already.”
Colin untied their napkins and placed one in her lap and one on top of the blanket where he laid out their sandwiches with sides of chopped vegetables and fruit. “Apparently this was normal before the State. This isn’t something just the District of Idaho or Hope did; they say it was practiced worldwide.”
“Well, I’m glad you dragged me out here.” She took a carrot stick and bit into it. “We should do this all the time when I retire from politics.”
Colin tucked in next to her and nudged her with his shoulder. “Have you got any plans for when that day comes?”
She looked at him sideways. “What do you mean? I’ve already told everyone that I’ll be focusing on expanding and creating new agricultural practices.”
Colin shrugged and took a small, hesitant bite of his sandwich, chewing slowly. “I know. But what about us? What about when you’re not working? What do you want to do?”
Freya raised her sandwich to her lips, then placed it back on her napkin. “What do you mean? This picnic is the first down time I’ve had in over twenty years. I haven’t put a single thought into what a slower life looks like.”
She bit into her sandwich, enjoying the spongy texture of the whole grain bread and strange combination of flavors and textures. Colin reached for a radish and began to fidget with it.
She knew he had something on his mind yet wasn’t forthcoming about it. After a few silent bites, she dusted the crumbs off her fingers and asked, “What were you hoping I would do after the election?”
His face flushed. With his gaze cast to the side, he spoke softly, “Well, I understand if you don’t want to, but I thought we should at least talk about if we want to have a family.”
Freya’s jaw fell open. “I don’t think that’s possible. I mean, now that we’ve got access to high level medical care, they can reverse the sterilization process. But the odds of success at my age are incredibly low. I think it’s too late for us.” The fine hairs tickling her face suddenly felt unbearable. She tried to smooth down the
flyaway fuzz, feeling flustered. “I’m sorry. I’ve always just accepted that we couldn’t have a family. After we talked about it in Idaho, I didn’t know you held onto any kind of hope for it.”
Colin kept his gaze downward. “I agree. I don’t think reversing your sterilization would work, but that’s not the only way we can have a family.”
Her eyes widened. “Nothing else has worked yet. Enlighten me.”
Colin laughed politely, but she could see tension in his jaw. “A lot of kids were orphaned from the mountain. I noticed those two kids seemed quite taken with you—and they’re nice kids. They’re in the orphanage, and I get the impression they’re not too happy there.”
She blinked hard. “Is there something wrong with the orphanage? I have to do something if there is.”
He pressed his eyelids closed. “Yeah, it’s not the same as having a family. They need more than a bed. I’ve run into them and they’re lonely and scared. I thought maybe they could come live with us—and we could raise them.”
Her mind was spinning. “Oh.”
He pressed through her silence at a rapid pace. “I mean, they’re better ages for us than trying to have our own since we’re on the mature side. They need someone to look after them. And I bet we aren’t the only sterilized couple who could take in some children. Maybe if a certain influential couple adopted, we could eliminate the need to even have an orphanage.”
Her voice caught in her throat. She kept her gaze downward while she sorted her thoughts.
“I know they aren’t ours.” Colin’s jaw trembled. “But it’s almost like we could get back what the State took from us.”
Her mind drifted back to the mountain when she had seen them outside the medical bay. Mathias had wanted her to hold him and melted right into Colin at his first invitation. The orphanage ensured they were cared for, but maybe Colin was right. Maybe the orphanage couldn’t provide what those kids needed most. Love.
A fluttering sensation flittered in her core. She had only run into the children twice, but they had visited Colin every day in the hospital. It hadn’t occurred to her that he’d formed such a strong attachment to them.
Freya reached for his hand. She could hardly comprehend they were having this conversation, yet it felt right at the same time. “Is this what you really want? You want us to raise Katrina and Mathias?”
His jaw clenched and his eyes lightly misted with moisture. “Yeah, it is.”
Freya nodded. “Well, why don’t we talk to the children and find out what they want? Let’s look into it. If they want to live with us, then why not?”
Colin cleared his throat, fighting to keep his emotions in check. “What about your career aspirations? I’m sure that soon they’ll create a new title for you. You’ll be the first ever Head of Agriculture. Do you think you could be happy taking a step back?”
Freya shrugged. “Why can’t I have both? We’ve already abolished homeschooling, so we won’t have them during the day. And Katrina is old enough to be independent and seemed to care for Mathias already. As you said, they’re a better age for us. Your schedule is still packed but will soon slow down. We’d need help with them until after the election is over, but I’m sure we can find a way.”
Colin squinted. “Yes, I can take the bulk of the work in raising them, but I know how much you love your 14 hour workdays. You would still need to spend time with them.”
Freya leaned back into the glass again and rested her head, looking up at the clear blue sky. “I used to, but I didn’t have anything better to do.” She shot him a sideways glance. “And besides, at my age, maybe it’s time to slow down. Now that going for picnics with my family could be available to me, I might be willing to step back a little. If this is really what you want, we’ll share in the responsibility and find a balance.”
Colin took a deep breath. “Is this a firm decision then? Should we go find the kids and talk to them about it?”
Freya looked down at her lap and retrieved her sandwich from the napkin. “After our picnic. You were right, I’m hungry.”
Colin bit his bottom lip, trying to repress his smile. He picked up his sandwich and gestured to her. “Well then. Here’s to the first of many picnics. Hopefully the next time we have one, we’ll have two more mouths to feed.”
She looked around at the scenery. “I’m sitting just outside the dome, eating food imported from a different District, discussing having a family with my partner that the State took away from me decades after I was sterilized.” She shook her head. “It’s unreal.”
He nodded. “Let’s not take any of it for granted. The bread. The fresh air. The children. Each other.”
She nodded and returned to her sandwich. He may be worried, but she wasn’t. Losing Colin had served as a painful yet powerful teacher. Since the moment she woke up on the spacecraft, she knew she would never take him and their lives together for granted ever again.
***
If you can’t get enough of Freya and Colin, I have a special gift for you: a bonus epilogue! It’s so hard for me to let go of these two, so I wrote a glimpse into Freya and Colin’s future lives together. I’m giving it away as a gift to all of my newsletter subscribers.
You can sign up to grab your copy here: https://tinyurl.com/TSSBONUSEP
Thank you for reading the State Series.
I hope you loved reading it as much as I loved writing it.
***
If you accidentally grabbed this book before reading the series, you can find the story of where Freya and Colin met, Compliant, here: http://mybook.to/Compliant
***
How do you feel after experiencing Freya transform from a reclusive wallflower to a powerful leader? Did you love her story? Or was it because you’re deeply in love with Colin that read until the end? Or was it the world?
Regardless of your reason for landing on this page, if you want to help other readers like you discover this series, the best thing you can do for them is to leave an honest review.
If you missed leaving a review on Compliant, you can do so here: http://www.amazon.com/review/create-review?&asin=B07H8Z34QX
Books in the State Series
Compliant – Book One of The State Series
Conflicted – Book Two of The State Series
Corrupted – Book Three of The State Series
Beyond – Book Four of The State Series
Betrayed – Book Five of The State Series
Conspired – Book Six of The State Series
Delivered – Book Seven of The State Series
Acknowledgments
I want to take a moment to thank the people who have contributed to my work.
Stacy Sowers of Authors Mojo Academy for the weekly help at every step of the journey, as well as the amazing book formatting.
To Ann at Rising Phoenix Creations for my spectacular series logo.
Lloyd of LTT Editorial Services for his editing services.
Amanda Kaye for her continual support and help with everything, and in particular, my book descriptions.
And to all my friends and family for the continued support.
And most of all, thank you, dear reader, for completing Freya’s journey with me. I’m unsure if I would have had the strength to complete my first series if I didn’t know there were people out there who needed me to finish. Your emails, book reviews, and social media interactions gave me the fuel to cross the finish line.
Completing this series was the most challenging thing I’ve done in my life. It means so much to me to have someone to share this story with.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading.
M. J. Kaestli
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Delivered: A Young Adult Dystopian Romance (The State Series Book 7) Page 32