Page 15 of Dissent

I flicked the message away. Blowing out another breath, I shifted my attention from Chase to the broadcast, trying to be curious about what the Council was going to talk about. Probably the rebel attack, I bet. That was big news…unprecedented, really. Raúl definitely had to address it or risk people going wild with speculation.

The screen glowed and switched to Raúl wearing his best suit and tie. I recognized the intricately carved desk as the president’s desk in the main Administration building. It was in the center of the city with all the Council offices. There was tension in his brow, but other than that, he was composed, sitting upright with hands folded neatly on the desk. He breathed evenly for a few seconds, looking straight into the camera, and then began.

“Good evening, Telvian citizens. It is with great disappointment that I must report an attack that occurred against the Council early this morning by rebel forces. The attack involved the attempted theft and corruption of several Telvian files and computer systems. Despite the Dissenters’ attempts, their mission was unsuccessful, and the integrity of the Council’s systems remain intact and fully operational.”

Raúl paused, almost as though he wanted to make sure every citizen processed what he just said. Good for Jacob. He was so worried this morning about the systems being offline, and in the end, IT was able to make repairs before the day’s end. Jacob would be in a better mood tonight, thank god!

“Through the efforts of the Rebel Enforcement Group and the brilliant work of one of the REG’s newest members, Jacob de la Puente, we have successfully identified and apprehended all involved rebels responsible for the attack. Telvia will rest easy tonight.” He smiled, showing his citizens his confidence and reassurance that they had solved the problem before he continued.

There was a dazzle in his eyes, a glimmer I had never noticed before. A chill crawled up my spine, and I shivered. And then it hit me…I knew where I’d seen that look before. It was the same devilish gleam Belinda gave me whenever she banished me to the basement. I felt myself press hard against the back of my chair, my face turning away from the screen. My body was reacting, wanting to flee. I shook myself, trying to snap out of it. This wasn’t Belinda. No one was even here with me, but the way Raúl stared into the camera gave me the illusion that he was looking right at me, boring into my very soul.

“Tomorrow, every Telvian citizen is to report to the arena for a mandatory assembly. We will discuss needed safety measures and precautions to address the increasing threat of those who wish to destroy everything we have worked so hard to attain. We must put these Dissenters to an end. The wall must continue to stand. The Council must continue to protect and guide every citizen, so that we might all continue to live in an ordered environment. An environment where there is sufficient food and water for all, and safety from those beyond our wall who wish to pillage and plunder our great city, that want nothing more than to destroy every one of you.” He paused again, placing a hand over his heart.

“As your president, it is my mission to protect you all, from the Noble Class to the citizens of District 3. But in order to accomplish that mission, I will need the cooperation of every citizen. Instructions will be sent to your mini-tab for tomorrow’s assembly. The Council will provide more information at that time.” A full smile returned to his face. “With that, I wish all Telvian citizens a good night. Sleep easy knowing that your government will protect you.” The screen flickered and then went dark.

The glow of the fire in the hearth was the only thing that lit the room. Darkness had come, encircling everything in the library, threatening to swallow me whole. But the flickering light of the flames pushed back the shadows against the darkness. My attention shifted to the light as my eyes focused on the dancing tendrils of fire.

Bing! Bing!

My tab sang on my wrist.

Telvian Council:Thank you for your participation in tonight’s mandatory broadcast. All Telvian citizens are to report to the arena tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. Upon your arrival, we will confirm your identity via a retinal scan. Follow all instructions provided by Enforcement Officers and the REG. Report to your assigned entrance of the arena, as stated below, for scanning:

Noble Class- Report to the North side entrance

Middle Class- Report to the East side entrance

Subclass- Report to the South side entrance

The Council reminds you that this assembly is mandatory for all Telvian citizens. Failure to report to the assembly will be considered an offense against the Council and subject to consequences determined by the REG. The Council thanks you for your cooperation.

Well that’s interesting.I reread the message.

Something felt amiss. The Council rarely called mandatory assemblies. Usually they just had mandatory broadcasts, but the assemblies were rare. But I guess it made sense given the attack on the admin building, though I had never seen them crack down so hard on attendance.Consequences determined by the REG? That seemed harsh.

I shook my head, trying to disperse the confusion as my hand found my necklace. I would have to bug Jacob later for the details. Something else was going on, and I wanted in on the gossip. I blew out a breath and gazed back at the fire, almost out. The dark completely consumed me. The weak light left from the single flame still flickered as it enjoyed its last dance before being smothered by the blackness. Hairs on the back of my neck rose. Quickly, I stood and hustled out of the room before the light gave out and shadows consumed me.

8: The Arena

Whenmyalarmwentoff, I was up and out of bed, rushing to prepare for the assembly. I didn’t want to be late. Raúl and Jacob hadn’t come home last night—too busy working and preparing for today, I presumed. But that meant I didn’t have the opportunity to pounce on Jacob to get the details. A part of me expected Belinda would ride to the arena with me. That was what normal mothers and daughters did, right? But the thought of having to sit in a confined space with her for any length of time caused my whole body to shutter.

I tried to shake it off.

Tap, tap.

“Miss Mara, are you ready?” It was Chelsea, her usual fire missing.

“Come in.” She entered, her uniform better pressed today, and her hair even more neatly tied back into a bun. She wasn’t perfect, by no means, but it was the best I had ever seen her. “Good morning, Chelsea,” I offered. It was my way of extending an olive branch. Her eyes looked to mine, and I could see something within them.

Fear.

Tightness swarmed my chest. I didn’t want her to be afraid of me. Sure, she drove me nuts, but…I was a nobody. I was no one to be afraid of. I was just Mara, the girl with no mom and no hope of a future I could even come close to enjoying. For all my money and riches, in the end, I had nothing.

Chelsea didn’t return the greeting. She took a deep breath before speaking. “Mistress Belinda has already left for the assembly. My instructions are to make sure you leave the house by eight. The household staff are also required to report to the assembly, but we’ll leave after you. I’ll clean your room once I’m back.”

A glimmer of hope skipped through me. I didn’t have to deal with Belinda this morning! Relief swelled from my core. One less thing to worry about. I was so distracted by the good news that I didn’t even notice when Chelsea left. I snatched my mini-tab and strapped it to my wrist, quickly glancing at the screen.

No messages.

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