Arisen, p.25
Arisen, page 25
part #2 of Awaken Series
The SUV made a sharp turn onto a main road, effectively putting multiple cars between us.
“Shit,” I muttered.
The SUV was moving quickly, passing car after car and then racing off down a street just as our light turned red. We were losing them.
“No,” I said. “We need to catch up.” The panic in my voice made me sound like a different person.
Liam’s lips were drawn into a hard line. When the light turned green we were off again, turning left where the SUV went. Now it was all about making the right guesses, since the vehicle was nowhere in sight. The navigator told us that we were a mere mile away from our destination, so we decided to just keep moving towards the venue.
“Shit, sorry, wrong turn,” Liam said as my heart sunk. He quickly re-navigated, but I feared we were too far behind now.
“Hey, look,” Liam said after what seemed like an eternity. The SUV was pulled up to the curb, a street away from the building Luna was supposed to be in. Liam parked directly behind it.
We got out of the car, and I began frantically searching for signs of the whoever had been driving the SUV.
I heard Luna before I saw her. Her voice cut through the air like daggers, and her sobs sent shivers down my spine. A siren sounded in the distance, getting closer and closer to where we stood.
I rushed across the street, barely aware of Liam trailing me. Luna was knelt on the ground wailing, her shirt covered in blood. A body lay in her arms.
There was what appeared to be a dead Oportet guard lying a few feet away, a pool of blood encircling his head. A brick lay nearby.
When I reached Luna, I inspected the scene more closely. My first thought was I was too late, but I soon recognized that none of the blood was hers; it was Jasper’s. His eyes were closed, and his body was limp against Luna’s.
I almost stepped on a cellphone as I knelt down in front of my sister. She squinted at me, wiping tears from her cheeks.
“Megan?”
The hospital was much larger than Oportet’s. Luna had ridden with Jasper in the ambulance, and after Jasper was taken to the trauma center she joined us in the waiting room. After a long, tearful hug, Luna told us Jasper was in surgery now to remove the bullet from his stomach.
Her dark hair was longer than I remembered it, and her facial features were more defined. The tears turned her blue eyes electric, just like I remembered.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” she said through her tears. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”
“I’m so glad you’re safe too.” We hugged again.
When I let her go, Liam scooped up my hand, and he absentmindedly drew figure eights against my skin.
Liam and I sat next to each other on the teal pleather arm chairs as Luna stood on high alert. “Why don’t you sit down?” I suggested softly.
Luna just shook her head and paced.
Liam put his arm around my shoulders, and I leaned into him, grateful. I felt selfish for it, but all I could think about was how thankful I was that it wasn’t Luna.
A man with tussled blonde hair and a tattooed arm burst into the waiting room; a purple-haired girl trailed behind him. Luna turned, her eyes holding a note of accusation as she looked at them.
“Is he okay?” the girl asked, running a hand through her short hair. She had piercings in places I didn’t think possible. In Oportet, ears were the only things we were allowed to stick metal through. My parents would’ve had heart attacks if they’d ever witnessed her appearance. The thought of that encounter was almost enough to make me smile.
Luna explained to the girl—Drea, Luna called her—what the surgeons were doing, and that all we could do was wait. The man approached her, reaching out his hand.
“Don’t touch me, Ash,” Luna snapped, dodging him. “This wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t such a complete piece of shit. But no, poor Ash didn’t get his way so he had to take everyone else down with him.” Luna took a step towards him, throwing a fist towards his face.
Ash caught her hand mid-air. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
She struggled against his grip, yanking herself free—that was when Drea moved in, wrapping Luna in a hug as she cried into her shoulder. Drea cocked her head at us as she held her.
“Um, who are you?”
Luna attempted a pained smile as she looked at me. “This is my sister.”
She pulled away from Drea, moving towards us. I stood up and let her pull me into a second embrace. She was the only family I had left. Luna didn’t even know about what happened to our parents; I thought it best to wait to deliver that news.
“This isn’t how I thought our reunion would be,” Luna said, tears staining her face.
“Yeah, me either.”
“Is this the boyfriend I’ve heard so much about?” Luna asked.
Liam stood to shake her hand. “For today,” he replied. “Who knows how she’ll feel tomorrow. She’s quite fickle.”
I elbowed him in the side.
“Ah,” Luna said. “Seems like the Megan I remember.” Her eyes were red and puffy, with dark circles underneath. She kept glancing down the hallway, looking for any sign of Jasper’s fate.
“You need to sit down,” Drea said.
Luna finally allowed herself to be guided to a seat, relaxing ever so slightly as she slumped down into the chair, burying her head in her hands. “This is my fault,” she said. She repeated that sentence even as Ash, Drea, and I tried to convince her otherwise, and she didn’t stop until the surgeon came in–finally uttering Jasper’s fate.
28
Luna
He’s going to make it.
Those were my new favorite words, playing over and over again in my head until they formed the most beautiful melody.
He’s going to make it.
Jasper was asleep when I was finally allowed to see him several hours later. Drea went in next, and then Ash. I had just gotten back from a coffee run when Ash was urging me to follow him, a grin on his face. “He’s awake.”
I thrust the coffee into Ash’s hands, then ran past him. I sat down on the side of Jasper’s bed, taking his hand in mine. I heard the door close behind me.
“How many people can say they’ve taken a bullet for the girl they loved?” he said, shifting in the bed. He winced.
I put a gentle hand on his chest. “You probably shouldn’t move yet.”
“Seriously, though. That was so metal.”
I laughed through tears. “So metal.” Before I knew he was going to be okay, I’d had so many things I wanted to tell him—so many final words I never spoke. Now that I held his hand in mine, nothing in particular came to mind.
“Ash and I talked,” Jasper said. His thumb traced circles into my skin.
My eyes flashed to his. “Oh?”
“He told me everything,” he said, his jaw tensing. “And I politely informed him that if I weren’t on bed rest, I’d be kicking his ass right now.”
I tried not to smile. “And I’ve seen you take a guy down, so I guess it’s good he has a head start.”
Jasper grinned. “Oh, yeah.” He squinted at me. “Why am I always having to fight for your honor?”
I shook my head. “In all seriousness, please don’t. He’s not worth it.”
“Trust me, I know. Who knew getting shot would be what it took to get Ash to stop being such an ass?”
“Time will tell if that’s actually the case?” I was skeptical to say the least.
Jasper shrugged. “He seemed remorseful. He wants to talk to you, too, you know.”
Great. Because that turned out so well the first time. I kissed the hand I held between mine.
“So… You escaped from a fascist regime, wrote a best-selling exposé, joined an activist organization, and orchestrated a full-scale rescue mission.” Jasper raised a brow. “I guess I have to ask: What’s next, Luna Beckham?”
Ash was waiting for me in the hallway, leaning against the opposite wall. He straightened when he saw me.
I crossed my arms, resolved to letting him do all of the talking.
“I need you to know how sorry I am,” he started. “It’s killing me to think about how much you hate me right now.” His eyes showed genuine pain, and he struggled to maintain eye contact.
I let out a breath, my resolve slipping. “I don’t hate you, Ash.”
He finally met my gaze, nodding his head. “But you definitely don’t like me either. I really screwed up, and I just—I don’t know. I wish I could’ve been happy just being your friend.”
That made two of us.
“And I need you to know that you were never just another conquest. I really loved spending time with you and getting to know you. I don’t think I’ve ever met a girl quite like you.” His voice gradually lowered. “But I know that I was wrong to kiss you, and it was wrong to intentionally try to damage your relationship.”
Duh. Didn’t someone ever teach him right from wrong? But no one ever got a chance to—both his parents died before he was grown up. I debated on whether or not that was a valid excuse. But then I decided my anger would do neither of us any good.
“I forgive you.”
Ash’s eyes widened. “You what?”
“I forgive you. Now don’t take that for granted, and start treating people—especially women—like humans instead of pawns in your own personal chess match. Okay?”
He paused. “I won’t. You’re one of a kind, Luna Beckham.”
I touched his arm. “And I really do think you’ll find it one day.”
“Find what?” He stared at my hand on his skin.
“You know what.”
Now that I wasn’t so worried about Jasper I could finally devote time to Megan. We’d been letting her and Liam stay in the apartment when they weren’t here at the hospital. It was sweet that they were supporting me by spending so much time here, but I figured they were probably just happy to be out of Oportet.
I also had no clue what had happened back there. Obviously, it had been a success. Rachel called to tell me she was on her way to the hospital to fill me in. I’d been so distracted that I still didn’t know how Megan and Liam managed to find me outside the ballroom, or even where our parents were. I had so many questions.
I found Megan in the hospital cafeteria. “Where’s Liam?” I asked. I sat across from her and pushed a cup of coffee to her. By the look of her trembling hands, she didn’t need anymore.
“Um, he’s around.” She took a sip of the coffee, then set the cup in front of her and cleared her throat. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
She bit her lip. “It isn’t.”
I didn’t see how it could be any worse than what we’d already been through.
“Three years ago, you and Jasper escaped Oportet.” She stared down at her coffee, twirling the stirrer straw around and around. “Obviously the Council wasn’t about to tell the real story, so they made up a false one to control the masses with more fear.”
“Yeah, I figured,” I said, taking a big gulp of coffee. “So how did they manage to spin our great escape?”
“They told me my entire family had been murdered by terrorists. The story of rebel Outsiders sneaking in through the new gate, killing guards, civilians, and Tomlinson in their wake—it was plastered on every television screen, newspaper and magazine for months. Lancaster used the event to gain support for his initiatives and ideas for years.” Megan’s sad eyes found mine. “I had my suspicions, but I only just recently verified your survival—when Rise Up sent in a member to orchestrate the revolution.”
I studied Megan’s face. “Wait, what do you mean your entire family? Mother and Father?”
“Lancaster had them killed.”
A wave of conflicting emotions passed over me. I didn’t know what to feel. I was heartbroken for Megan, infuriated with Oportet and its leaders, saddened for my parents, and guilty that I didn’t feel as upset for their deaths as I would’ve if they hadn’t caused so much harm.
“And they used Lilly as a test subject. She was one of the first to undergo the medical brainwashing procedure. She can’t feel any emotions of her own anymore.”
I raised a hand to my mouth. Now I was heartbroken for Lilly and Jasper too.
“This was all because of us,” I realized out loud.
Megan’s eyes flashed fire. “Yeah, Luna, it was.”
My eyes widened in shock. That was a slap to the face.
“All of it was because of you. And Jasper. And me. And Liam. My awakening, starting a group for other kids like us, the alliance with Rise Up, and the end of Oportet. It, and everything good that came with it, started because you and Jasper had the courage to see a future bigger than a single individual.”
“But—”
“Oportet was the last of a corrupted, oppressive government that ran itself into the ground. We can’t lose ourselves in the past, or in what we could or should have done. The point is what we did do, and what we’re going to do from here.”
I was speechless. After a few beats of silence, I smiled. “Since when are you so damn wise? You’re like a completely different person.”
Megan wagged her finger when I cursed. “Still a rule-breaker, I see.”
I laughed. I’d almost forgotten about Oportet’s backwards, moralistic set of rules. Heaven forbid we use swear words, but violence against dissenters was perfectly acceptable.
“We have so much catching up to do,” I sighed. I reached for her hand. “I’m so sorry that I left you all alone to mourn our parents, and me, I guess.” I wished I could apologize to my parents. It wasn’t their fault they were caught in the crossfire, and even though my relationship with them was a rocky one, I still loved them. I loved them despite what they did to me, and I loved them despite their misguided beliefs.
Megan shook her head. “I was never alone.”
I saw a girl with long blonde hair enter the cafeteria, a boy with wide-rimmed glasses and a bowtie at her side. Rachel came up behind them, waving at me enthusiastically.
Megan beat me to a standing position. She dashed across the room to hug the blonde, almost knocking her over.
29
Megan
“I think this is the most gentle and nurturing I’ve ever seen Megan Beckham,” Julian said.
I pulled away from Melanie. “Ha-ha. Don’t think you’ll be getting the same enthusiastic greeting.” I couldn’t help but grin. I’d been waiting very impatiently these last few days for my non-biological sister and her pretentious boyfriend.
“I wouldn’t dare.” He returned the smile, hugging me anyway.
I awkwardly hugged him back, wrinkling my nose when he pulled away. “Can we agree never to do that again?”
“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”
Luna and Rachel were embracing to my right, and she motioned for us all to sit down. Liam and Ash sauntered in too, and we had to combine tables for them join us. Liam’s bruises were fading to yellow, and he’d regained his strength after a few days of stuffing his face with all the food he could get.
“Okay, so here’s the deal,” Rachel began, waiting for us all to settle. “Operation Liberate was a success.”
We all cheered, causing many a head to turn in our direction. It was hard not to be loud right now. My heart was so full it felt like it would burst. Everything was finally coming together.
I was free. We were all free.
“What about people like Lilly?” Luna’s forehead creased with worry. “I don’t know how I’m going to tell Jasper,” she said quietly.
Ash looked at her from across the table, and I could tell he wanted to comfort her. I really wanted to know what was going on there. Questions for another day, I supposed.
“Dr. Reynolds is prepared to start procedures immediately,” Rachel said. “He’s convinced he can cure everyone who was operated on in Oportet, especially since that first Alzheimer’s test subject was such a success.”
Luna’s eyes were hopeful. “But I thought he needed a detailed report of the procedure?”
“And he got one,” Liam said next to me. “It was one of the reports I printed when I hacked into the OSD’s database.”
“Dr. Reynolds thinks his research in Alzheimer’s disease and amnesia also applies to these procedures. It all has to do with repairing damaged neurons and restoring memories that seemed lost, but never really were. This also applies to emotional impairment, like in the case of the medical brainwashing.”
“Alzheimer’s?” Ash said, leaning forward in his seat.
Rachel smiled. “He’s looking for more subjects, if your grandfather is interested,” she said.
Ash looked over at Luna, who gave him an encouraging smile.
“The people of Oportet are divided, just as expected,” Rachel continued. “To our surprise, however, nearly a third of them were open to the idea of leaving Oportet. It seems as if Lancaster’s extreme measures actually did more harm than good for his cause. He ended up radicalizing the moderate dissenters, and his extreme nationalistic rhetoric actually created a huge population of sympathizers for the rebel cause. If we hadn’t done what we did, it was obvious that Oportet would have imploded within the next ten years without any outside influence.”
I was shocked. I hadn’t realized that the Society wasn’t the only group of people who felt the way we did. I felt kind of naïve.
“I wonder how many other secret groups there were in Oportet,” Liam wondered aloud.
“Probably quite a few, even if they were made up of small pockets of close friends,” Rachel said. “We actually talked to a high school history teacher yesterday, and he told us that there was a group of teachers that met after school on Fridays in secret. They discussed Lancaster’s terrible new educational reforms, and they even obtained illegal media from the outside—textbooks, mostly—and educated themselves about the outside world. It was torture, especially for the history teachers, to teach such blatant lies when they knew the truth.”
