Rage

Chapter 4

Chapter Four

September 9, 2050

S even. Days.

It’s been seven days since Lita was summoned by the High Majesty, and nothing has been right since.

As each day passes, any hope I had of her returning slowly dies, smothered by more intense emotions and crushing disappointment. A throbbing pain in my chest beats in time with my heart, bleeding through my thoughts, hitting me in random waves that I can’t escape.

I’ve asked girls around the house, trying not to raise suspicions, hoping one of them may have information about what happened to Lita and the other girl. No one wants to talk about it, not that I can blame them.

We’re discouraged from asking questions. If it’s important, the Peace Officers will notify us, and obviously the absence of two house members isn’t enough for them to bat an eye at.

This is the way, as it must be.

Still, knowing things are as they must be, I can’t help but question. Curiosity has sunk into my bones, throwing my imagination into overdrive. I wonder. I worry. I think , and I keep my thoughts to myself.

Death would be the kindest punishment if Peace Officers found out what I was debating, the thoughts and desires occupying my mind as I gathered herbs and spices in the field. They’re dangerous, infectious ideas that slowly consume me, burning through my veins like a disease, and once they take hold, I can’t shake them no matter how hard I try.

I spend hours contemplating how difficult it would be to sneak past the Peace Officers…

How easily Lita and I could run into the forest…

How quickly we could escape…

Yet, for all my daydreaming, I can’t summon the courage to act on it. Even if I manage to get past the guards and sneak into the breeder house, I have no way of knowing if Lita’s there. I’m guessing at this point, clinging to a sliver of hope that she’s even still alive.

Until I know for sure, I can’t defy orders. I must stay and obey, just like I’ve always done, until I know she’s safe.

This is the way, as it must be.

After another long day in the field, I stare up at the dark ceiling of my room, my thoughts refusing to be tamed. My mind wanders, images of Lita tangling together with my desire to escape this place until I’m a mess of confliction once again.

I sigh deeply, my jaw clenching.

How much unrest can one person tolerate before they lose their ability to comply? Before they snap ? I fear I’m well on my way to finding out.

Forcing my eyes closed, I take a few deep breaths, trying to slow my racing pulse. Minutes drag by, but eventually I settle down, slowly slipping into unconsciousness.

Then a frantic knock at the door has my eyes flying open again.

I shoot up in bed, heart leaping straight into my throat, and I look frantically across the room. Elaine—my youngest roommate—is sitting up too, staring at me nervously.

What is happening?

Another frantic knock at the door has fear shooting through me.

“ Torri,” a voice calls through the door. My muscles tense at the sound of my name.

I scramble off the top bunk, tripping across the room to the door despite the protests from the girls behind me. I pop the door open a couple of inches, my eyes falling to the girl standing in the hall, and my insides freeze when our eyes meet.

It’s Sara.

“What is it?” The words fly out of my mouth before I can stop them. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Lita,” she whispers, her bottom lip wobbling. “She’s back but…”

I don’t hear the rest of her words as my muscles move automatically, stepping into the hall and following her toward their room. A few doors are cracked open as we pass, curious eyes watching as we hurry by, but I’m not paying them any attention. My entire focus is on seeing Lita, my fingers tingling with anticipation.

“Is she okay?” I ask, my gaze sliding over to Sara. For a moment, she says nothing, and my steps slow. “Sara?”

She stops abruptly, and I follow suit, standing in the middle of the hall. Worry contorts her features, her brows furrowed and lips pressed firmly together.

“I-I didn’t ask questions,” she starts, sounding uncertain. “She just asked me to come get you, but Torri… She’s not well.”

Nausea turns my stomach, and I swallow down the bile burning the back of my throat. “What do you mean? Is she hurt?”

The way Sara’s features contort even more gives me my answer, and I’m sprinting before I can stop myself, my eyes set directly on Lita’s room. My legs won’t move fast enough, but I still beat Sara by several seconds. I grab the handle and shove open the door.

My eyes immediately go to Lita’s bottom bunk, and my knees almost give out when I see her sitting there. Only, she doesn’t look like she did the last way I saw her.

Her normally perfect hair is a tangled mess, and dirt smears cover her skin. There are dark bags under her eyes, making her look exhausted and much older than her nineteen years. She’s wearing a thin, lacy gown much different from the clothes the harvesters wear.

“What happened?” I mutter, stepping closer to her. She flinches at the movement, but her expression immediately softens as I kneel before her, carefully inspecting every inch of her exposed skin.

A sickening realization nearly makes my dinner reappear, and I fight back the urge to vomit all over myself. They aren’t dirt streaks on her skin.

They’re bruises.