Chapter 2 #2
Tobias has already acted prematurely, putting into motion an avalanche of consequences that can’t be stopped.
He was so desperate to prove himself a suitable leader, he forgot to use his brain.
When I stumbled upon him speaking with Kennedy at his bedside, I was shocked and gutted to hear what he was admitting to his comatose father.
Not because he felt guilt or remorse for his actions, but because it gave him a sense of power that he had masterminded something he deemed worthy of Kennedy’s praise.
Hudson Taylor wouldn’t have been on my radar if it weren’t for my eavesdropping, and by all accounts, he shouldn’t have been on Veritas’ either.
He’s that one-in-a-million probability, the unfortunate soul who unknowingly crossed paths with a force so evil that neither he nor his mother ever stood a chance.
I’ve never bought the notion that everything happens for a reason, not when such malevolence befalls innocents without provocation, but I’m eternally grateful to have been at the right place at exactly the right time to overhear Tobias’ confession.
I’ve never known Veritas to resort to such drastic measures.
They rarely deviate from seeking out children or families who won’t be missed.
Drifters like my parents and me, or kids in the foster system whose disappearance will be brushed under the rug, listed as runaways without further investigation.
And those rare few who initiate contact with Veritas via their website don’t receive any response unless they meet the same criteria.
But something went terribly wrong when Tobias set his sights on Hudson Taylor, and I feel certain his hubristic nature propelled him into acting so brazenly, his desperation to establish himself at the top of the food chain fueling the domino effect he’s set into motion.
Foolishly, he’d misinterpreted a phone conversation the boy’s mother was having while her son played at the park.
She’d been venting to a friend about how much he missed his father, discussing how life wasn’t the same without him.
Thinking he’d just been given the perfect opening, Tobias approached the woman, but after realizing he wasn’t going to be swaying her with some undoubtedly asinine proposal, he made a grave mistake.
Before she could even scream for help, Tobias shot her.
He made a quick getaway with the little boy, but what he didn’t account for was Hudson’s father, who was very much alive.
The one-sided chat he’d mistaken for something it wasn’t was in regard to him having recently deployed.
And while serving his country, that poor man was given the heartbreaking news that his wife had been murdered and his son was missing.
The moment Tobias fell asleep that evening, I took a calculated risk and slipped free of our bed.
On silent feet and suspended breath, I made the ten-minute trek to the eastern border.
I’d hidden the burner phone in the rotten remains of the makeshift bench I used to have such fond memories of.
Its current state was the perfect representation of all that was left of the happiness it used to conjure.
With a pit in my stomach, I made the dreaded call to Raiden, informing him of the Taylor boy’s precarious situation.
The second our call ended, I was inundated with a slew of messages containing several recent photographs of a sweet-faced toddler, allowing me to identify him if or when our paths crossed.
There was no clear course of action to execute a retrieval, and until I was able to confirm Hudson’s presence within Veritas, we were at a stalemate.
If the authorities acted prematurely and Tobias was spooked, Hudson’s disappearance was at risk of becoming permanent.
At this point, I’d put nothing past these people, though I’m loath to even categorize them as a species that’s capable of empathy when they so obviously lack basic emotions.
Their arrogance knows no bounds, which gives them an exaggerated perception of being untouchable.
And nothing good ever comes from a power trip of that magnitude.
There’s been no mention of Hudson around the compound, but my leash is tight and the access I once had to the Tainted’s living quarters is practically nonexistent.
Unless I’m sent to pass a message along, our interactions are kept to a minimum.
Veritas is skilled in maintaining their hierarchy.
My current position is only elevated because of who my Chosen is, but it’s eons beneath a former Tainted like Ada, who’s believed to be favored by their Divine after her son was born without heterochromia.
Her redemption is spoken about with pride and awe, used to impress the newcomers who start to show signs of regret.
Ada’s their success story, proof their perversions have merit while justifying the heinous methods they employ to get their desired results.
Because that’s the end goal–bearing an offspring born free of the affliction is the only true testament of your hard-earned salvation.
It doesn’t matter how preposterous the notion is; if Veritas believes it to be fact, there’s no persuading them otherwise.
The only time I’ve ever allowed my true thoughts to be known was in the presence of Tobias, convinced I was in like-minded company, or at the very least, that he cared enough not to punish me for voicing them.
He’s killed that belief many times over the past six years, and for every day that passes where I’m forced to pretend I’ve been brainwashed like Ada, another piece of my soul fractures.
My greatest fear for when I do make it out of here is that I won’t be whole enough to have a life worth living.
That I’ll be forced to sacrifice vital parts of my being, and, scarily enough, the idea of a trade-off such as that coming to fruition isn’t enough to sway me.
Ada’s shrill whistle snaps me out of my introspection.
She rather enjoys beckoning me like a dog, and the glare she’s aiming in my direction makes it evident I’ve taken far too long completing the errand she tasked me with.
Quickly brushing the dirt from my hands, I tilt my head back, allowing the fading rays of sunlight to bolster the nerves that always accompany being in the presence of a Stillwater.
Fending off their verbal attacks has become an Olympic sport, especially now, when there’s so much riding on my ability to continue acting the part of a submissive and dutiful wife.
Once I’m back inside, I trim the stems and place the flowers in a vase.
The table is set, filled with fruits and vegetables, the potent scent of stew making my empty stomach pinch painfully.
Like Ada, I stand behind my chair and wait to be seated until the Elder of the House arrives.
It doesn’t take long; Tobias is punctual, if nothing else.
He takes the head of the table, seeing as his father is incapacitated, forgoing formalities altogether.
“Lunch looks great, Mother,” Tobias remarks, purposely excluding me from his praise. She smiles graciously, even though I’m the one who peeled the potatoes, along with dicing the carrots and onions.
Any chance Tobias is given to diminish my worth, he greedily takes.
Once upon a time, his opinion was something I held in high regard, but it’s irrelevant now.
I used to lie awake at night, replaying the many conversations we shared, the kisses and laughs.
Was any of it real? Or was it all fake? Did he pull the con of a lifetime and dupe me into falling in love with the enemy?
Or did something happen, forever changing the sweet boy he once was?
I’ll never know. I could ask, and perhaps he’d answer, but I wouldn’t believe him.
He’s too skilled at deception, and regardless of what he might say, no explanation will ever justify his betrayal.
I wish I could say my hatred for Tobias sprang forth the moment he laid waste to our relationship, but love doesn’t work like that.
It’s not a switch I can flip, and it took time to reconcile who he is with who I thought he was.
My imbecilic heart didn’t want to face the truth, but he’d grown increasingly distant since the day of our Claiming, and I’ll never forget the exact moment I truly accepted he was lost to me.
That whoever I’d been in love with no longer existed, if he ever did.
He’d gripped my chin, his gaze unwavering as he began to undress me, despite my refusal or lack of interest in engaging in anything sexual.
I knew deep in my soul that denying him wasn’t an option.
Veritas made our marital obligations exceedingly clear, and failure to comply was simply unacceptable.
But I never thought those rules applied to us.
Tobias never raised his voice or lashed out in anger, but the quiet way he exerted his control unnerved me more than any heated words ever could.
Disbelief mixed with confusion, and all I could do was stand there and accept what was happening.
He used my body in a way he never had, without care and affection, and the next morning, he behaved as if nothing ever happened.
As if he didn’t decimate my heart and rip apart all of our carefully laid plans.