“Sunny,” he began with uncertainty, “I know you think that with everything that’s going on our personal lives aren’t important… but I feel differently. The only thing keeping me together is being here with you at the end of every day.”
I was surprised to hear him say that. But now that he had said it, I knew exactly what he meant. He had become my source of strength too. And living here in this apartment with him had become home.
“Me too,” I agreed. He smiled.
He opened the door and held out his hand for mine. I took it, lacing my fingers between his. As we walked down the hall together toward the common room I felt stronger than I ever had in my life.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The mood in the common room was sombre. It looked like most people had a sleepless night. All conversation was on Crystal. Everyone was outraged that she had been dragged away simply for singing a song. I realized all along I had been hoping to see her here - silently praying that Malcolm West had just given her a slap on the hand and returned her to her parents.
“She’s not here,” Jack said as if reading my thoughts.
“No,” I agreed. “I don’t see her parents either.”
David Chavez waved us to his table once we collected our food and water rations. He was sitting with a large group of people, his wife beside him.
“I hope you avoided the tear gas last night,” I said to Terra.
“David took me home as soon as we realized Domers were coming down into the Pit. We were safe,” she said, hugging her round tummy.
“It was barbaric,” a man sitting at the table spat. “They sent four guards to drag that little girl away and for what? Just because she was singing a song.”
“And we’re not supposed to get upset about that?” someone else chimed in. “Of course we were mad. What did they expect?”
“They did expect it. That’s why they sent so many guards to get her,” Jack interjected. All eyes at the table turned toward him, disgust written on many of their faces. I knew without a doubt that in the aftermath of what happened to Crystal, they were seeing Jack as a bourge again.
“Hate him if you want, but he does have valuable insight into the way the bourge work. We would be smart to listen to him,” I told the group.
“I agree with Sunny. He’s done right by us so far. If it wasn’t for him, there wouldn’t be an Alliance,” David said, backing me up.
“Alright,” one man at the table said with malice, “what do you know about it?”
“I know that they underestimated your reaction when they took Crystal into custody, otherwise they would have sent more. Next time they will,” Jack told the group
“Has anyone seen her today?” the woman on the other side of me asked. We all shook our head no. “Then they still have her… or they’ve killed her.”
“They wouldn’t kill her just for singing a song, would they?” I asked Jack, not sure I wanted to hear the answer.
“That song had enough impact to spark a riot. The last time they had to use tear gas down here was over ten years ago when they dropped the age of the Cull from 40 to 35,” Jack said. “And I think we all know she wasn’t just singing a song. She was urging all of you to go to war. That’s treason.”
Jack’s words didn’t surprise me, but I still didn’t want to hear them. People were exchanging worried looks; some were slamming their fist on the table in frustration.
“We need to save her then,” a familiar voice said. I looked up to see Raine had joined our table. Mica was standing behind him. “She put herself on the line for all of us. We owe it to her.”
“I agree,” I seconded Raine’s suggestion.
A murmur of approval rose up through the crowd. People who had been sitting elsewhere were now gravitating toward our table.
“We’ll need a plan,” Jack spoke up. “First of all, we have to find out where she is. Does anyone know for sure if she came home last night or not?” he asked the group.
“I checked in on her this morning. She wasn’t there. Her parents are devastated,” a young girl about Crystal’s age responded.
“Then we need to find out where they’re holding her. I’ll coordinate the Alliance guards to track down that information. Tonight we’ll come up with a plan and get her back,” Jack informed them.
“I’ll help!” a man shot his hand up into the air.
Soon there was a chorus of people wanting to help rescue Crystal. Seeing everyone come together – standing up for each other – was every bit as powerful as Crystal’s song. I think she would be happy to know the impact her music had.
“Until then, let’s not give them a reason to send any more Domers down here. Anyone starts a riot again and we’ll be back on lockdown. We’ll meet back here right after work,” Jack told everyone.
“Everyone okay with a bourge calling the shots on this?” a woman from the crowd asked.
“I think it’s time we started trusting him,” someone else said.
I was relieved when I heard the crowd agree, even if most were reluctant.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Jack said as sincerely as he could.
He pushed his chair back and stood up and everyone followed suit. We all needed to leave and get to work on time. I joined the cue of people filing out of the room and Jack fell into step beside me.
“They still don’t trust me,” Jack stated in a low tone.
“You have to see yourself through their eyes. It wasn’t long ago we watched interviews between you and Leisel talking about the future of the Dome. One minute you were going to be the next President, the next you’re promising to help them revolt against the current President. People are bound to question your loyalties,” I explained.
“If they don’t trust me, this rescue operation could go bad quickly,” he said with concern.
“Not if it’s just you and me doing the rescuing,” I suggested. Jack raised his eyebrow at me in question. “The less people involved, the better off we’ll be.”
“You’re probably right,” he said thoughtfully. When we came to the stairs he pulled me closer to him. I expected the mandatory kiss on my head, but it never came. I tilted my head back to look at him. “You trust me, don’t you?” he asked.
“Yes. I trust you,” I reassured him, “and they’re starting to trust you too. Don’t give up.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll never give up. I owe everyone down here at least that much,” he said. Before I could ask him what he meant, he lightly brushed his lips against mine and then walked down the stairs toward the mine. I watched him until he was out of sight, and then made my way up to the laundry room.
A guard was standing outside the door when I arrived at work. He gave me a nod that was almost imperceptible and I knew he was an Alliance guard. The laundry room lights were on and the door was unlocked so I pushed open the door and went in. I was surprised to see a woman sitting behind the desk. She didn’t look very old – maybe early twenties, which was young for a supervisor. I looked over at Crystal’s station, hopeful that she may have made it to work, but there was no one at the sink. I was the first worker there.
“Scan in,” the woman behind the desk pointed to the scanner.
I wasn’t sure if I should give her a respectful greeting or not. Madi had never been partial to us talking to her unless we had been spoken to first. I had no idea what this woman was going to be like. I decided to err on the side of caution and stayed silent. I waved my hand across the scanner and it beeped. I felt the familiar moment of relief when I saw the green light.
“Autumn Jones,” the woman said thoughtfully after I scanned in. “I’m Supervisor Gina. I’ll be working here now.”
“Good morning ma’am,” I greeted her.
“What is it you do here?” she questioned me.
“I operate the washers and dryers and sort the clothes ma’am,” I responded. I respectfully turned my eyes to the floor. I didn’t want to provoke another supervisor.
�
��We’re going to be short-handed today. Do you think you can help out with hand washing?” she asked.
“Yes ma’am,” I responded. I tried to hide the alarm I felt when she mentioned hand washing. It was obvious she knew Crystal wouldn’t be in today. I wondered what she knew.
“Well, just go about your normal duties and we’ll see how the day progresses,” she dismissed me.
I grabbed a cart of dirty laundry on the way to my station and began sorting. A few minutes later Di walked in. I saw her scan in and talk to Supervisor Gina. Once our new Supervisor dismissed her, Di took a cart of dirty laundry and stopped to greet me on the way to her station.
“Good morning,” she said cheerfully, motioning with her eyes at Gina. “So if this one turns out like the last one, we going to kill her too?” Di gave me a wink.
“Keep it down,” I whispered. “Hopefully this one isn’t like the last one.” But if she were I wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of her. Life was so much better without the Madi’s of the world.
“There seem to be a few extra guards on today,” Di said, looking over at the two guards lounging against a wall talking.
“I think they’re with the Alliance. They might be trying to find out information on Crystal,” I said.
I saw Gina looking over at us, raising her eyebrows at our whispered chatter. I dropped my eyes to the laundry I was sorting and Di went to her station. More workers began to arrive and scan in. Everyone seemed uneasy with a new supervisor. Little wonder, considering how bad the last one was.
I put my sorted loads in the washing machines and gathered up the hand washing to take to the sink. I wasn’t sure what to do with them so I decided to play dumb and just set them on the counter like I normally would if Crystal was there. I was walking away when Supervisor Gina stopped me.
“The girl who usually works there won’t be in today,” she informed me. “Do you know how to do the hand washing?”
“I’ve been shown once. I can try,” I said.
I returned to the sink and started filling it up with cold water. I remembered how achy my hands and arms became when Crystal showed me how to do this. I wasn’t looking forward to having my hands in cold water all day, but on the bright side, I wouldn’t suffer heat exhaustion. Supervisor Gina didn’t leave. She stood there watching me. I felt uncomfortable in her presence. She seemed to be studying me.
“You’re tall for a girl,” she stated matter-of-factly and then returned to her desk.
I wondered what she meant by her comment. Was it just an observation or did she suspect who I am? I hadn’t forgotten about the bounty on my head. I knew supervisors didn’t make much so four hundred credits would be appealing.
As I suspected, my arms and hands were aching by the time I finished washing the few clothes I had. Di came over with a bundle, but offered to do her own when she saw how much pain I was in. I thankfully let her. I didn’t know how Crystal managed to do that all day.
As my first washer stopped, I started sorting the clothes again between hang to dry and spin dry. I was conscious of Gina frequently glancing up from her computer to look at me. I wondered why. I cast a sly look over at the two Alliance guards in the room. I knew a third one was right outside the door. If Domers did come down here to arrest me, how far would the Alliance guards go to help me? If they challenged the Domers outright, they would expose themselves as traitors and face execution as well. I wasn’t sure I wanted that on my conscience.
I kept my head down and did my work, not wanting to draw any attention to myself. I knew there would be no escape from here if they came for me. I was relieved when I heard the bong bongs at the end of the day. My work was finished and I could leave this room, which I now thought of as a trap.
“Be here bright and early again tomorrow, Autumn,” Gina said to me as I scanned out.
I know I didn’t imagine the emphasis on my name. Now I was positive she suspected that I wasn’t Autumn Jones. But if she knew for sure I was Sunny O’Donnell, she would have reported me by now.
“Yes ma’am,” I said respectfully.
I opened the door and left the laundry room. I knew I couldn’t come back.
Chapter Thirty
I went directly to the common room after work hoping to find Jack there, but he wasn’t. I had left work on time for a change and it took longer for him to climb the few miles from the mines than it took for me to come down a few levels from the laundry room. I was early for the dinner hour and the room was almost empty. I noticed Terra sitting alone eating, so I picked up my rations and went and joined her.
“Oh, hi!” she greeted me. “I’ve never seen you here this early before.”
“Usually I have to work late, but tonight I didn’t,” I explained.
“I usually wait and eat with David, but I’m starving!” she said between bites.
A guard came into the room and turned on the television and the official Presidential Seal loomed up. There hadn’t been a speech from the President since he appealed to the people to find Jack and me.
“I wonder what that’s all about,” Terra said suspiciously.
“I don’t know,” I said thoughtfully.
I wondered what it was all about too. Had Gina reported me, and the President knew I was in the Pit? Was this an appeal for someone to hand us over to him? Or was it about the riot last night? I doubt it would be about Crystal. Malcolm West would handle her himself. It had to be about either the riot or Jack and me.
Jack came in with a few of the other miners and scanned the room. I waved to him to let him know I was there. I could tell by the look on his face that he was surprised to see the screen lit up with the Presidential seal too. He looked uneasy, but remained in line for food chatting easily with everyone around him. Terra’s husband David was the first to join us, and others came toward our table with their food. A few of us got up and pushed more tables together making more room. We were all leery of what the President had to say.
“What were you able to find out about Crystal today?” I asked Jack when he was sitting beside me. Everyone at the table heard my question and quieted down to hear his response.
“She’s with West under the most heavily guarded wing of the Dome,” he informed everyone.
“But you have a plan, right?” I asked.
“It’s not an easy plan. First I need a couple of Domer uniforms,” he said. A few people laughed out loud.
“You’re right, that isn’t going to be easy. In fact, it’s going to be impossible,” David said.
“Maybe not. If Sunny and I disguise ourselves as guards, we can get upstairs into the Dome. Once in the Dome, my computer will be back online and I’ll be able to get into the storage room where they keep the uniforms. From there, we can try and infiltrate the Presidential wing and get to West’s quarters,” Jack explained.
“Your plan sounds complicated,” Raine said. I hadn’t noticed he joined the table. My heart jumped a little when I saw Reyes beside him.
“We’re here to help,” Reyes said curtly, never taking his eyes off my face.
“I’m glad,” I said sincerely. I didn’t want Reyes to be my enemy. I had enough of those.
“Good, because Raine and I plan on going with him to rescue Crystal. You stay here,” Reyes instructed me. I couldn’t believe he was still barking orders at me after all I said to him. He would never change.
“Thank you for your concern, Reyes. Jack and I have it covered,” I said politely. Reyes opened his mouth to respond to me, but Jack cut him off.
“We appreciate both of you volunteering to help, but the less people involved in this, the better chance we have of succeeding,” Jack told them.
He would have continued, but the national anthem began to play, heralding the Presidential Address. The picture of the Presidential seal turned into an image of Holt himself. Everyone in the room turned their attention to the screen.
“I bid everyone good evening,” the President began in his usual manner. “Yesterday’s rio
t was a most unfortunate event. I am told that no one was hurt or killed, for which I can only thank God. I truly believe that if not for His Divine intervention, evil may have triumphed over good. And I know what that evil is! I know Jack Kenner and Sunset O’Donnell are hiding in the Pit. I know that Jack Kenner is spreading his filthy treasonous words and convincing the good people of the Pit to rebel against me. What surprises me is that people are listening to him. We were all appalled to hear the girl, Crystal Reed, singing words of treason. A sweet, innocent girl corrupted by the words of Jack Kenner,” the President spat out, his face turning redder with each word he spoke.
An Alliance guard came running into the room straight to Jack.
“Domers in the Pit. Lots of them,” I heard him whisper urgently.
“How many?” Jack questioned him.
“At least ten per level,” he responded.
“Eighty Domers?” Jack said incredulously.
“To everyone living in the Pit, I ask you if you think you know Jack Kenner as I do – a conniving manipulator intent on destroying people’s lives. Look at how he betrayed my daughter. Now he’s using all of you to strike back at me - to cause dissention in our Dome. I will NOT TOLERATE TREASON!” The President yelled, coming to stand on his feet behind the Presidential desk. He slammed a fist down on the desk and pointed directly at the camera. “YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELVES FOR LISTENING TO THAT EVIL TRAITOR!”
“Oh dear God,” Jack moaned. He grabbed my head and pressed it into his chest. “Don’t look,” he yelled to everyone in the room.
I pushed my head away from Jack in time to see an image of Crystal. She was blindfolded and standing against a white stone wall. The blindfold was wet with tears and in an almost inaudible whisper I heard her singing her song. Then the unseen guns fired. I watched Crystal’s body spasm as each bullet hit it and her body fell to the floor, almost in slow motion, and out of sight of the camera.
I heard someone scream at the top of her lungs and I realized the sound was coming from me. Jack was holding either side of my face, looking at me with a wild expression and tears in his eyes.
Sunset Rising Page 30