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Authors: Jennifer Wilson

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BOOK: New World Rising
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I glared at the thin boy and reached my fingers out further. Hell would freeze over before I would willingly stay in a room alone with a Tribesman.

The air crackled as my fingertips grew nearer to the doorframe. Before I could think to pull my hand away, sparks flew from my fingers and I was blown backwards. Everything faded to black before I even hit ground.

When I came to, I was lying on my back looking up into the face of the Taciturn boy. He smiled knowingly at me.

“I told you not to do that.” His smile erupted into a full-blown grin as he offered me a hand. Glaring at his open fingers I rose, refusing his aid. He just shrugged and walked to an open cot on the other side of the room.

“Be thankful you only touched it with your fingertip. I pressed my whole palm to it. Came around three hours later and damn near soiled myself.” He flung himself down on the cot and began picking at his cuticles.

Looking down at my own fingers, an angry burn was blossoming on my index finger. My brow furrowed. I turned my hand twice, staring at my nails. They were long, protruding grotesquely over my fingertips.

How long had I been unconscious?

I checked my other hand and then my arms before grabbing for my hair. Uncharacteristically it was pulled back. I pulled the tie holding it back and the greasy locks fell to below my shoulders. I gaped at the long blonde hair. I had always kept it short, cut blunt with my knife. The few times I ever caught my reflection I knew I looked too much like my mother. She was a beautiful woman, but in Tartarus beauty was a dangerous thing. It made you a lusted object, a target. It was a weakness and I hated it. Keeping it cropped short in a disheveled manner helped hide that attribute. I pulled at the hair, wishing it gone.

“Don’t worry, you were only out for four days.” A young man stood in the doorway watching me. His voice was oddly familiar.

He wore dark pants like the pair I had been given and a patched grey shirt that was frayed at the edges. There were no distinguishable Tribe markers on him. In his hands was a tray of food. Just as the guard had, he pressed his hand to the panel, waited for the beep then walked through the doorway. My new roommate bounded toward him, snagging a steaming bowl and chunk of something brown.

“About time, I was starving in here.” He muttered, stuffing the chunk in his mouth.

The newcomer set the tray on what I assumed was to be my bed. I was surprised when he actually turned his back to me to do so.

Rule number one: trust no one.

Rule number two: never turn your back to someone. (See rule number one.)

I watched him with cautious eyes as he turned back to me. His face was startlingly gentle as he looked at me. His features were sharp, but those eyes were… There was something in those hazel eyes I barely recognized. Something I hadn’t seen in a long time. Kindness?

“The regenerating serum does that.” He gestured to my hair and nails. “It enhances cell growth. Doc Porters is fascinated by it, he used it to heal your back. One of the side effects, however, is that your other more influential cells, like hair and nails, grow at an accelerated rate as well.”

I stared at him, unable to find anything to say.

“I will be back for the dishes later. The water is for you. Doc Porters said you needed to keep hydrated.” Looking me over one more time he turned to leave. As he pressed his hand to the panel I found my words.

“Thank you.”

He stopped in the doorway, but did not turn around. “You’re welcome.”

I watched as he disappeared around the corner.

“So she speaks.” My cellmate eyed me over his soup bowl.

“Aren’t Taciturns supposed to be the strong silent type?” I let a little venom slide into my words as I moved to inspect the food left for me.

“Not all of us fit the molds we were born into.” His gaze hardened.

I cautiously sniffed the soup, my stomach awakening in response. It smelled delicious and there was steam rising from its surface. I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten something hot. Reason told me my captors would not waste their time rescuing me, just to poison my food. But I still struggled with the idea of eating something I had not prepared. 

“If you’re not going to eat that I will.” The Taciturn boy called.

I wanted the will power to give him my food and see if it killed him, but I was too hungry. Instead I compromised, tossing him the brown chunk I supposed was bread and sipped at my soup.

He caught the bread with ease and stuffed it into his mouth. “Cheers.”

I watched him as I finished my bowl and then drained my water glass.

“So why are you here, Taciturn?” We watched each other cautiously from our respective cots.

“I left my Tribe due to… artistic differences. As I’m sure you know, leaving a Tribe isn’t the easiest thing. I was jumped by my own and left for the Scavengers to feed on. Three days later I woke up here.” He gestured to the room around us.

“And where exactly
is
here, Taciturn?” I began biting my nails back down to a reasonable length.

“No idea. Unfortunately our captors are better with the questions than the answers.” He shoved another hunk of bread in his mouth. “It’s Arden by the way, I despise being referred to as
Taciturn
.”

I wondered if that was his real name. Regardless, this forsaken Tribesman may prove to be a good source of information if not an ally. And right now I needed as many allies as I could get.

“Phoenix.” I offered as a sign of camaraderie.

He smiled around the hunk of food in his mouth, taking my bait. Before I could ask any more questions the room was cast into darkness as the light went out. I jumped to my feet ready for an attack. I could see Arden’s eyes glinting in the darkness.

“Easy Phoenix, it’s just lights out. They’ll rudely wake us in the morning with them again when they want us up. No point wasting a good night’s sleep.” The springs of his cot squeaked as he settled in for the night. “I
am
a light sleeper though, so don’t try anything stupid.”

With his warning still ripe in my ears he rolled over and almost instantly began snoring. I had never before slept in the same room as another person and his presence left me feeling twitchy in the dark. Worse than knowing someone else was in the room with me was knowing there was a door
I
could not pass through but anyone else could easily walk in. My mind instantly thought of the dark-haired guard, Maddox, and his overtly roaming eyes.

I curled up in the middle of my cot and pulled my knees to my chest. Rigidly, I pressed my back against the concrete wall and braced myself for a long night. From my vantage point I could see both the doorway and Arden’s slumbering form.

If anyone was coming for me tonight, I would know.

 

 

I STARTED AWAKE
with a jolt; the familiar scream caught in my throat as it did every morning. At some point in the night I could no longer fight my body’s exhaustion and I had fallen asleep. Choking back the scream I shook myself awake. How could I have been so stupid?

The room was still dark. Arden’s motionless form was still breathing deeply but something had changed. The blanket I had left sitting at the foot of my bed was now draped over me. Our food tray was gone and a fresh glass of water lay on the floor by my cot. Someone had been in the room and I had slept thorough it. The hair on my arms stood up.

Normally I was so vigilant, so aware of my surroundings, and last night someone had not only come into the room without my knowing, but had actually managed to place a blanket on me without my knowledge. I shuddered and pushed the blanket away from me. Staring at the matte wool, I wondered if it was a sign of kindness or a threat, warning how close they could get to me.

In my experience, kindness did not exist in Tartarus.

The lights flicked on, causing me to flinch. Arden began to stir, grumbling as he folded his arm over his eyes. Not two seconds later the guards were outside our door scanning their palms to enter.

“Sleep well?” Maddox’s hard eyes raked over me as he entered the room.

At the sound of his voice Arden jumped up from his bunk, clearly on edge.

“You two have a busy day ahead of you.” It was the blonde ponytail that spoke this time. I had still not learned his name. Not that it really mattered. To my disappointment he moved toward Arden while the hulking Maddox descended upon me.

I restrained myself from breaking his nose when he grabbed my arm and yanked me from the cot. But the satisfied sneer on his face told me he could see the anger burning inside me. He was enjoying this.

They dragged us from our confines and at the first split in the barren hallways they separated us. I glanced over my shoulder. Arden was watching me too with apprehension in his chocolate eyes. Not wanting to appear weak, I broke our connection and marched forward with robotic precision. Whatever torture they would administer, I would not give them the satisfaction of breaking me.

 

 

 

 

THE DARK GREY
room had become painfully familiar over the last few days. Each fissure in the wall, every stain descending from the ceiling, I knew them all. I had prepared myself for the cruelest physical pain, but this monotony was almost worse.

I knew how to control myself, to play along. My first two outbursts in this room had earned me a taser gun in the ribs. Both times I woke up back in the cell with Arden staring down at me. After that, I realized their immediate intention was not to kill me, but they weren’t about to set me free either. Every day I asked them questions as I answered theirs, but my queries were never answered. I was no further now than I had been the day I woke up in the doctor’s office. My few belongings were still gone and the little girl’s situation was still unknown. Arden, while a decent companion, proved equally useless, knowing less than I did about the city itself or our whereabouts.

As I stared at the greying walls for what felt like the hundredth time, I could feel my composure slipping.

“Where were you born?” The sandy-haired inquisitor asked me for the hundredth time.

I ground my back teeth together. “I have told you that already.”

“Tell me again.” His piercing eyes bore into mine.

“I was born in The Sanctuary. No, I don’t belong to a Tribe. Yes, I survived on my own. NO, there is no one else I am working with. And NO, I don’t know anything about The Sanctuary. I have no family, as I have said before they’re all
dead
. AND NO, I have NO idea how the hell I got into this pit you call a city!” My voice rose with each sentence until I was nearly screaming. “I’m not answering any more of your idiotic questions until you answer some of mine!”

I jumped up from my seat and grabbed the edge of the table. With a force that surprised even myself, I jerked the table into the air and then slammed it to the floor. Papers splayed everywhere as the glasses of water exploded on the concrete floor.

The reaction in the room was instantaneous. The inquisitor jumped backwards pressing himself into the wall while Maddox’s hands wound around my neck. I flailed, clawing at his arms as he yanked me off the ground. His grip tightened, making black spots appear in the corners of my vision. I had lost control. I knew that, but I didn’t care.
Do it
, I thought,
go ahead and kill me
. It would be better than reliving this same day over and over again.

The door to the tiny room exploded open as the white-haired woman burst in.

“ENOUGH!” She screamed over the chaos.

Instantly we all froze. Maddox’s hands released me and I crumpled to the floor gasping for air.

“Get Veyron to take her to the showers. She smells like a Scavenger.” Disgust was strong on her stern face, “Keep the boy busy, I want to see her in the cell
alone
.”

With one last look of revulsion in my direction, she swept from the room. How long had she been watching us?

Maddox yanked me to my feet, half carrying, half dragging me down a new hallway. He threw me into a small room covered in bleached tile. There was a shelf piled with clothing in the corner and a showerhead mounted to the wall. He shut the door behind him as he entered and I moved to further myself from him in the small space. Panic rose in my chest. I was trapped.

A hunger rose in his eyes as he gazed at me.

“You heard the boss, you smell like a repulsive rat.” He gestured to the showerhead with his gun.

“She said for you to find another guard to take me here. I assumed Veyron would be a woman.” Ice burned in my voice.

“Veyron has better things to do than babysit a defector like you. Besides, what’s the matter little girl, embarrassed about your body? You know if you can’t do it yourself, I will be forced to do it for you. And I won’t be gentle.” His dark eyes danced with pleasure as he attempted to intimidate me.

Suppressing the shudder running through me, I bit my cheek and began pulling off my shirt. I could have killed him, I wanted to. But the likelihood of my being able to disarm and subdue a man his size was not high. In an open space, where I had the chance to run, maybe. But trapped in this maze of never ending tunnels, I wouldn’t get far. Besides, something in his eyes told me he would enjoy it if I fought back. That he might even lose control and force himself on me in the excitement. So instead of attacking him, I swallowed back the bile and continued to undress.

He leaned back against the wall, tapping his gun as a reminder of the power he held over me. His black eyes filled with lust as they raked over my exposed torso. The last thing I wanted was for this man to see me naked, but I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing I feared him. Going against all of my instincts, I turned my back to him. I tried to pretend he wasn’t there, tried not to feel his eyes on me as I removed the rest of my clothing.

Keeping my back to him I turned on the water and stepped into the stream. It was freezing at first, but to my surprise the water warmed. Normally I would have taken my time—showers being such a rare thing and all—but Maddox’s eyes were searing into my skin. I wanted nothing more than to put my clothes on again. I made sure to soap my stringy hair and wash the stench of captivity off my skin. As soon as the last of the suds slid off my body I snapped off the water and turned to face him. It took all of my strength not to cover my chest as his eyes traced my body.

“Not bad for a runt.” He threw a towel in my face smirking as I covered myself. It was obvious he was aroused by the situation.

Using the towel as a shield I pulled new clothing from the pile and dressed hurriedly. I moved for the door and he clicked his tongue at me.

“Don’t be leaving a mess for someone else to clean up after you. It’s bad enough we have to feed you, we certainly aren’t gonna be your maids too.”

Quickly I gathered my strewn clothing and deposited them in the bin he indicated in the corner.

“See, not so hard, is it.” To my relief he opened the door. This time as he grabbed my arm I couldn’t repress my revulsion and I flinched away.

I instantly regretted it.

His black eyes glinted as he purposefully pulled me closer and began dragging me down the hall again. I swallowed the blood pooling in my mouth. The inside of my cheek was raw where I had chewed through the soft skin to keep from screaming.

I hated this man.

To my surprise the cell wasn’t empty when we arrived. The white-haired woman stood with her hands laced behind her back as we entered. Her gaze flitted from my wet hair to Maddox.

“Leave us.” Her voice was cool and controlled.

“But mam—” Maddox argued.

“I am plenty capable of handling this girl and my guards will be right outside.” Her honey eyes were cold despite their naturally warm tone. I smiled vindictively as he was put in his place.

He nodded once and removed himself with one last longing glance at me.

“You look like her you know.”

I snapped my eyes back to the stern woman.

“I almost didn’t see it at first, but now with your hair long you look like her.”

“Who?” I narrowed my eyes.

“You’re stubborn like her too. Your mother.”

I staggered back a step, as if she had just pulled a weapon on me. “You have no idea who my mother was.”

“On the contrary child, I knew her better than you did. She is the reason I am trapped in this god-forsaken city.” Heat blazed in her eyes. “So forgive me that I don’t trust her offspring either.”

I choked on my words. How could this woman know anything about me, about my family? She had to be lying.

“Funny how things come full circle sometimes.” She tilted her head, appraising me. “It has become apparent to me that you are not going to be cooperative.”

“Why should I be when you have done nothing for me in return?” I spat back.

“We saved your life.”

I scoffed. “For what? To keep me prisoner in this hellhole? To make me suffer by living a longer life in this shitty city? If you wanted to do me a favor you would have let me die.”

“I had a feeling you might say that.” She stepped aside and I noticed my bag sitting on the cot behind her.

I made a move to grab for it but she blocked me. “We have removed anything that could be deemed a weapon. If you are willing to cooperate then you may keep your belongings.”

Crossing my arms I gauged her. “What about my questions?”

She took a calculated breath before answering me. “Some things will be answered in time,
if
you uphold your end of the deal, but for now… WEAVER!”

A handsome young man appeared in the doorway. At first I didn’t even see the small body that clung to his side. As soon as he pressed his hand to the panel and it beeped, the tiny frame dislodged herself from his side and ran to me. A host of different emotions tore though my body as I watched the small child crash into my side, shock being the most prevalent. I stood frozen as her tiny arms wrapped around my waist. She buried her face in my shirt before turning her large doe eyes upwards to mine. Tears shimmered on her cheeks, but the look on her face was pure joy.

Hesitantly my arms wrapped around her. She was alive… she was here…

“She refuses to speak to us and has proven nearly as difficult as you. I am hoping that by reuniting you two, you will begin to be a little more cooperative. My name is Arstid. If you decide there is something imperative that you have not yet shared with us, ask for me personally.”

Arstid turned to leave, but paused at the door.

“Jutta only had one child I knew of, so I assume this is not your sister.”

The blow of hearing my mother’s name hit harder than I expected. I nodded.

“Then why did you risk your life for this child?”

I turned my gaze down at the girl in my arms. “I don’t know... I guess… because no one else was going to.”

The truth was I didn’t really know what made me save her. Arstid raised a white eyebrow before turning to leave. The moment she was gone I pulled the child away from me and knelt to her level.

“They haven’t hurt you, have they?”

Tears still glistened on her round cheeks, but she shook her head no. I pulled my sleeve down and wiped her face dry.

“Have they been treating you okay?”

She shrugged and nodded.

“And feeding you?”

She nodded again. I sighed with relief as I gazed at the little stranger who had come so unexpectedly into my life.

“How old are you?”

She held up ten fingers, looking at each of them in turn. My heart felt like it was splintering. She was younger than I had been, younger than any child alone should be in Tartarus. Once abandoned by their Tribes, most kids lived only days, rarely seeing five.

“Don’t you have a family?”

At this her face turned down and her eyes began to fill with tears again. She shook her head. A part of me wanted to hug her, to comfort her, but I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t the nurturing type. I could barely stand myself, much less other people. But something in this little girl softened me.

“What’s your name?”

She swallowed thickly and I noticed for the first time the scar across her throat. It was an old one, healed with time like the one on the back of my head. It ran from the base of her left ear to her collarbone.

“You can’t speak can you?”

She shook her head again. The child was not stubborn, as Arstid had falsely accused. She was a mute. I looked her over carefully. Her nails were chewed down to bloody stumps and her body was small. Too small, like mine was, like a child that knew hunger all too well. She must have been an abandoned orphan, undoubtedly pushed out by a family of Scavengers. It was amazing she had made it this long. The girl began to fidget under my gaze.

“It’s okay, we can figure out your name later.” She smiled a little at this. “I’m Phoenix.”

Her smile widened.

We were interrupted by the beep of the door. The same young man with the food tray came in.

“I see you found your friend.” To my surprise he was talking to the child. She grinned up at him with admiration. I looked at him more carefully now. Could this child see something in him I could not? Maybe his actions had been purely out of kindness and not a threat as I had first thought.

BOOK: New World Rising
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