Page 24 of Hysteria Rises
All we’ve ever known is that fragile footbridge… and honestly, I think we’re all within our rights to be nervous about it. But at the same time, it won’t help to fall apart the way Cross confided to me that Malakai did earlier. I chew on the inside of my cheek, mulling over what I heard went down and wondering not for the first time what’s actually going on in Malakai’s head. I rub a hand over my face, peering at him in my peripheral vision, and take note of his sour expression. It’s more than that, though. He’s visibly agitated. Unable to concentrate fully on what anyone is saying.
Gannon scowls. “How the fuck are we going to get supplies now?”
“Easy,” Mal huffs, “we aren’t.” A low-toned growl vibrates from deep within his chest. “We’ll have to make do for a while.” That statement sets off a round of grumbling, unhelpful comments, and groans of annoyance.
I hold up a hand. “Let’s not get worked up about it. First, the Collective has built-in fail-safes. We keep far more provisions on hand than we could possibly use in a few months until the next supply run.”
“The storeroom is chock-full of food and anything else we might need.” Arrow nods, continuing, “And wehave plenty of food growing all the time in the greenhouse.”
I clear my throat, aiming a steely-eyed look at anyone who needs it. “Finneas has ensured we know how to hunt and fish—and taught us well. We’re built for survival.”
Just then, the door to the gathering room bangs open and Kiefer storms out, followed by Nolan and Henry. All three maintain a rigid stance, their faces flushed and grim. Warily, I allow my gaze to drag from one to the next in turn. Henry looks the least lethal at the moment, but that doesn’t mean much.
I work my jaw to the side and draw in a breath as we wait for one of them to take the lead. This must feel strange to them for my father not to be present while we’re in the thick of what might be one of the most worrisome times I can recall for our commune. Fuck it. “I?—”
And before I can formulate the question that’d been on the tip of my tongue, Nolan growls, “Cross, Hayze, Arrow, and Malakai. In there. Now.” He jabs a finger back toward the gathering room entry.
Like a trained fucking dog, I push my chair back, springing to my feet. The others do the same. “Yes sir,” I grit out as I make haste to do his bidding.
The four of us take places in front of the semicircle of chairs. We won’t be invited to sit. We aren’t considered equals. We haven’t earned it yet. This much, I understand. These are the rules we live by.
My attention snaps to the open doorway. TheCollective has not yet followed. Instead, Henry’s low pitched rumble can barely be heard from just outside the room.
“Sounds like they’re getting some instructions for tomorrow’s dailies.” Beside me, Arrow’s eyes follow the action.
My jaw clenches and my teeth grind.
“What do you think’s going on?” Cross turns to me, a dark brow arching high on his forehead.
“Well, we can assume it’s one of three things.” I pause to drag in a breath. “The bridge, the girl, or my father.”
“Or a combo deal.” Malakai smirks, amused at his own words. Only a fraction of a second later, though, his lips twist with irritation when the rest of us give him a blank stare. He rolls his eyes. “Like— Oh, never fucking mind.” There’s some shit he says that, to this day, I’m still perplexed as to the meaning.
The door abruptly slamming shut behind the Collective as they enter cuts off all conversation. We know better than to speak until they are seated, but more importantly, we’re to wait until they’ve addressed us. The significance of my father’s empty chair isn’t something we can ignore. My stomach churns.
“We’ve agreed upon a couple things.” Nolan eyes me, his gaze raking over my features before he does the same with the other three firstborn sons. Wetting his lips, he continues. “One of those decisions was that we’re going to prepare you to step in for him as the fourth member of the Collective.”
My eyes widen. This is the role I’ve been groomed for since birth. I grasp the back of my neck, then give a short nod. I didn’t see this coming.
Henry simply stares at me, an indecipherable expression on his face, arms crossed over his broad chest, but Kiefer looks ready to spit nails. “We’re going to give it some time before we appoint the official new leader. Things are in… flux at the moment.”
I shift slightly, unsure what to make of his comment, but needing to gauge the others’ reaction to the decision. It’s much what I expected: a mixture of easy acceptance from Arrow and Cross and annoyance from Malakai. It’ll be worse from Gannon and Dragan—not fucking looking forward to the snide remarks when they catch wind of this. I inhale slowly, tamping down the distaste at the thought of it.
In the end, this decision wasn’t up to any of us. We simply do as we’re told. That’s always been the way of things. “I’ll be who you need me to be. Thank you for your trust.”
Henry’s mostly tight-lipped, but he gives me an approving nod. “Very well.” He lets out a gusting exhale before continuing. “Malakai, Arrow, you’ll be with Kiefer and me tomorrow as we work to decide the best course of action to begin work on the bridge. Hayze, you’ll have Cross with you to relocate Twenty-three to your father’s quarters where you’ll have access to his equipment.” He juts his chin toward Cross. “Be prepared to sedate her again, and make sure everything is done in a sterile manner.”
Beside me, Cross nods, a hint of a smile twitching at his lips. “You got it. I’ll be ready.”
My brows draw together, confusion reigning when all three members of the Collective are silent for several moments.What’s this about? My chest goes tight with the wait for whatever is about to get shoveled in our direction.
“We’ll also need the four of you to help us by taking shifts to deal with the girl until she calms enough for us to leave her with the women. There was… an incident last night.”
At his words, I swivel to look at the other guys, who are just as in the dark as I am. “We’ll let you know when you’re to go down there to check on things, take food, and so forth. We’ll fill you in on what needs to be done.”
Arrow raises a hand. “But”—his voice trails off, a line forming down the center of his forehead—“why aren’t the women doing that?”
Henry rubs a meaty hand over his jaw. “She’s a poor influence on them, has them worked up, and we feel it’s best to keep them separated as much as possible right now.” After a brief nod, Nolan turns back to me. “She must submit. And that would have fallen to Finneas to take care of on this occasion.” He pauses to cast a glance at Henry and Kiefer. Arrow’s father is stoic, unbothered by this proclamation. Malakai’s not so much. In fact, I could swear, Kiefer is having to employ legendary feats of will not to let his true feelings be known. Because of course he would wantMalakai to have this rite over me—but it’s not his place.It’s mine.
