Page 96 of Dissent

Matias cleared his throat, stepping closer, taking my arm gently and pulling me away from Wes as he stared at him. “We’ve got to go…now.”

Wes’s gaze lifted, leaving me and finding him, and for a fraction of a second, I saw an exchange happen. It was subtle, but something definitely passed between the two of them—something different.

Wes’s eyes narrowed, glimmered, and then his expression shifted. Standing up straighter, he rolled his shoulders back, never dropping his gaze from Matias. “Let’s go.”

Tension had my body coiled tight, like a compressed spring ready to launch. I wasn’t sure if it was the palpable edge between Wes and Matias, or the remnants of the blaze Wes had managed to ignite within me. Whatever it was, a hand grabbed mine, and it snapped me back into the moment. Matias held my hand, lifted it to his lips, and dropped a gentle kiss.

“Follow close behind me, okay? And whatever happens, just always stay behind me.” His gaze swept back to Wes as he signaled something with his hands. Wes opened a bag he had attached to his hip and rummaged through it before pulling out a small bottle. Shaking out two red pills, he handed them to me.

“Take those. We’ve got a long trek ahead of us to get home. The effect should last a few hours.” I looked at the two capsules and recognized them immediately. They were the same ones Matias had given me when I hurt my ankle.

Oh thank god!

I quickly popped them in my mouth and reached for the water bottle Wes handed me. After squeezing the delicious fluid in my mouth, relishing how it quenched my dehydrated body, I gave it back to him.

“Let’s get going.” Wes looked at me one last time before turning on his heels. And then we were moving.

I ducked low, having no time to think as we trekked through the rest of the house. I couldn’t help but be surprised as we went through the kitchen and out the backdoor that we didn’t bump into anyone…not a single guard.

“This is weird, Matias,” I heard Wes grumble behind me. “It’s the fucking Palace. Whereiseverybody?” We were crouched down, rushing through the succulent garden, and staying in the darkest corners of the artificial lawn.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one that noticed.

“Just keep going,” he snapped. And we did. Before I knew it, we were at the edge of the property, a tall wall of masonry waiting for us and, to my surprise, a rope. I stopped short, confused, but Matias grabbed it and didn’t hesitate to climb.

Following his lead, I grabbed it and started climbing myself. I was painfully reminded of how rough of shape I was in. My back ached with every stretch of my arms and strain of my muscles. As I pulled myself up, tremors ran through me. My body had been neglected and abused, wasting away in the dark. Scaling a wall wasnotwhat I needed right now.

But I had to keep going. We had to make it out. And it was the drive to survive that lent me the strength to pull, to climb, to keep pushing myself. And soon enough, we were at the top and sliding down the rope on the other side. The burn as the nylon rushed through my hands was agonizing. But I didn’t care. We just needed to get back to camp. And once all three of us were down, Matias took off again, and I followed with Wes close behind me.

50: The Tunnels

Runningthroughthestreetsof Telvia was easy. It was past curfew, and the roads remained clear of anyone, but we kept to the shadows as much as possible to avoid being seen by the slew of cameras everywhere. There were soldiers patrolling from time to time, but no one seemed to have noticed that I was missing yet. A smile came to my face as I remembered Jacob’s words to me.

You can walk out, and no one will stop you.

I didn’t know what he did or how he managed it, but he was true to his words. He made it possible for me to escape. And I was eternally grateful for it.

After a time, we found ourselves in one of the Noble Class neighborhoods. Patrols were less frequent in this area, so we didn’t have to be as cautious. Eventually, we came up to a property on the outskirts, but the home that once stood there had been completely burned to the ground.

“Oh my god.” My fingers came to my mouth, resting over my lips. “What happened here?”

Both boys stopped short and glanced at one another. Wes’s eyes grew cold, and he turned to face away from me. Matias was the one that finally answered.

“This was Chase’s place.”

My eyes widened. I had never gone to Chase’s home. It was always thought improper for a Noble Class girl to go to the home of a boy prior to matching. I knew it was in the district, but we never talked much about it. Now, seeing it as burned rubble, I was instantly filled with the lingering grief that ailed my heart from time to time.

“This…this was Chase’s house?” Dropping my hand, I stepped toward it. “But…what happened to it?”

“What do you think?” Wes hissed, his own hurt and grief clearly blooming. “The REG torched it.”

It made sense. I should have figured as much, but why leave it like this? I couldn’t even imagine what the other Noble Class citizens thought. “But that was weeks ago, wasn’t it?”

“It’s a warning—this is what happens when you dissent against the government.”

I took a long, deep breath and forced myself to soak in as much of it as I could. This…thiswas why Raúl had to be stopped. This couldn’t go on any longer.

“Come on,” Matias urged us. “We’ve got to find the gateway before those patrols come back this way.”

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