Cass' P.O.V
Everything has fallen apart. The world is divided into two alliances: the Citizens and the Rebels. War hasn't quite fallen upon us, but I'll be damned if it doesn't soon. Open shootings, floggings, protests, riots: order is diminishing.
It's breaking me as well. Sometimes, I sit on the floor of terrible motel rooms and stare at the wall while life goes on around me. It seems so peaceful, in all honesty. Staying completely still, tuning out all sounds, everything going on around me. Focusing only on my breathing. In and out, in and out, in and out, in and-"
"Cass!"
I turn my attention to the intruding voice, belonging to Gabriel DiAngelo, my - well, I don't really know what we are. But what I do know is that he is the only thing keeping me together. I smile up at him.
"I'm fine," I whisper.
The half-smile he returns nearly distracts me from the concerned look in his eyes.
Nearly.
He tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear and kisses my forehead before helping me to my feet. He leads me over to the table where everyone else is standing. On the table is a map of the entire Western Hemisphere. The map is littered with blue and red dots (blue for Citizens, red for Rebels), unfortunately more blue than red.
"Nice of you to join us, Cass," Lana Marano says sarcastically.
I roll my eyes and Bastian Harding, Lana's boyfriend, elbows her side.
"Our goal," Gabriel says. "Is to turn the Citizens into Rebels. Let's not forget that. We can't use violence."
Apollo Belacourt, my brother, mimes the action of a tear rolling down his face. I smile, but mouth the word "no".
"We have to be better than them, show that we aren't barbaric like they think we are," I clarify. "Just in case certain minds aren't able to process that."
I wiggle my eyebrows at Lana who sticks her tongue out at me. Beside her, Bastian is clearly struggling to suppress a laugh.
"Anyway," Joseph Cullen interrupts.
Joseph Cullen was the Council Head of the Underground, our old home. It was destroyed in a fire set by the Government. Gabe, Lana, Bastian, Joseph, Ryella (Joseph's daughter), Apollo, Matthew Fulton, and I are the only survivors.
"Yes, anyway," Gabe says. "We need to lay low, gather some more reinforcements, find the Rebels."
I nod slowly.
"After we do so, we can show the Government that we aren't their puppets. We aren't their dolls."
Dolly.
The word flashes through my mind briefly, but not inconspicuously. Caden used to call me Dolly. Caden Pierce. My ex-boyfriend. We were together in secret around a year before I came to the Underground. Then I had thought that he told my father about us. My incredibly abusive, incredibly unforgiving, incredibly dead, father. He was killed for harbouring me. Because I have the Gift. An experiment gone wrong. An experiment they tried and failed to reverse. The thing that gave my green eyes their glow. The thing that lets me move things without touching them. The thing that prevented Caden and I from being together publicly.
I feel my hand start to shake.
Not this again.
"Cass, you okay?" Gabe's voice sounds distant as the flashback comes.
Gabe nods and opens his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a loud bang as the door flies off its hinges. Almost instantly, someone knocks me off the chair I'm sitting on, shielding my body with their's. I close my eyes tightly and grip their shirt, burying my face in it.
"THIS IS THE CAPITOL POLICE!" Someone shouts from a megaphone. "ALL OF YOU ARE GUILTY OF ARSON, VANDALISM, MANSLAUGHTER, AND RESISTING ARREST. TURN YOURSELF OVER NOW AND NO ONE GETS HURT!"
I whimper.
"I have a plan," Comes a voice right next to my ear. Gabe's voice. My breath hitches as he continues. "I'll distract them, you guys make a run for it."
"O-Okay," I stutter, completely aware of how close his face is to mine. "Be safe."
"I will," His warm breath tickles my ear. "On three. One, two-"
Gabe is cut off by a voice coming from the hallway.
"What the hell-?" Caden says, followed by a loud bang and the sound of something hitting the floor.
I can barely hear the voices calling my name.
Gabe covers my mouth to muffle my scream.
Caden was just shot.
The flashback stops as the world blackens around me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Woosh it's been a while. A LOOOOOOOONG while. Welp, here you go. Chapter one. This book is gonna be intense man. Anyway. I love you all!
-Athenasgirl12
YOU ARE READING
The Revolution (Third Book In The Dissent Series)
ActionThe few that remain in the Dissent are struggling to survive. They are fugitives, wanted everywhere they go. They have to rely on each other if they want to survive, let alone start the Second Revolution.
