Page 54 of Dissent

“You wanted to see me?”

She didn’t immediately respond, but after a moment, she looked up and greeted me with an elegant smile. It felt genuine enough, but I felt awkward and out of place. I’d never been called to Sasha’s tent before, and I couldn’t help but feel like I was being summoned to the principal’s office back at the academy.

“Come in, Mara. Thank you for joining me on such short notice.” She waved me in, motioning toward a chair on the opposite side of her desk. I noticed a tea kettle sitting on a folded towel as steam rose from the spout. Two teacups rested next to it.

Blowing out a breath, I made my way toward the desk. The last time I had met with her, Sasha had asked me to stay with the Dissenters, and I had agreed to it, but a part of me still felt unsure. After all, I’d grown up believing the Dissenters were the ones who couldn’t be trusted. Not the other way around. “How has your morning been?”

I shrugged, “Fine.”

“Mm-hmm,” she acknowledged. “And what of your companions? Have you made friends?” The corners of my lips tugged, wanting to smile, but I wanted to play this cool. Apparently, I didn’t play it cool enough because she moved on to ask another question. “Any particular individuals? Chelsea? Maybe Edith?”

I snorted, “I don’t know about Chelsea. I’m pretty sure she already hated me back at home, but I think things have just gotten worse with her. Edith’s been good though. It’s been nice getting to know her.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. But she’s a little…weird.”

“Weird?”

“Yeah,weird.”

“Why weird?”

I hesitated a moment. Was smoking weed allowed? Because I was pretty sure Edith spent her time high. And if she wasn’t high, then she was incredibly insane. I wasn’t sure which one was worse. But, despite that, I still liked her.

“Well…never mind.”

Sasha smiled. “You know, she’s quite skilled with a sword.”

My jaw dropped. “A sword? You guys still battle with swords?”

This time, I got a genuine chuckle out of her. “It’s definitely not a primary weapon around here, but being skilled with a blade can be useful in close combat. Especially if you’re looking for a silent kill.”

A chill ran down my spine. I knew the Dissenters tried to avoid the use of lethal weapons as much as they could, but something about the way Sasha made the comment left me uneasy. I gulped, deciding to move the conversation along. “Yeah, well, she’d probably describe herself as weird too.”

“I have no doubt.” Silence encompassed us as the awkward feeling returned.

“So, what did you want to see me about?”

“Tea?” She didn’t give me time to respond before she was pouring the caramel liquid. She dropped a lump of sugar into the cup and handed it over to me. Of course I wanted tea. That had been one of the best parts of being here! The food was mostly crap, but I discovered I really enjoyed tea. Muttering a quickthank you, I took a sip of the hot brew, feeling it warm my body from the inside out as Sasha asked me another question.

“How about Matias?”

I started choking on the damn tea. Coughing, I patted my chest. It went down the wrong pipe, and I knew my cheeks must have turned a deep shade of sunset red.

Sasha didn’t skip a beat. “Going that well I see…” She grinned as laughter danced across her eyes. I tried to take deep breaths to calm my system while she waited patiently.

“He’s nice.”

“Is that all? Come now,” she teased. “Indulge this old woman. Tell me about the two of you.”

If I thought my cheeks were red before, Iknewthey had colored themselves to a whole new level, because I couldfeelthe heat radiating off them like desert sand. I mean, this was the leader of the rebellion, president of the free people, asking me to gossip with her aboutboys.I hardly even knew her! Was it really that obvious that I liked him? Did the whole freaking camp know I was falling for him? Just the thought made me feel feverish.

I cleared my throat. “There really isn’t much to tell,” I lied, trying to shake her off. But one look at Sasha told me she wasn’t buying it.Please, no.I didn’t want to have this conversation. She sat back in her chair, crossing her fingers in her lap. It was very clear that she had no intention of dropping the subject.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the butterflies that had become raptors in my stomach, accepting my fate. “I don’t know what to say, I guess. He’s sweet and we seem to get along well.”

“Do you find yourself attracted to him?”

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