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  ARISEN

  Awaken Series Book Two

  Maggie Sunseri

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  Arisen

  Maggie Sunseri

  https://maggiesunseri.com

  Copyright © 2019 Maggie Sunseri

  eBook Edition

  This work is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the author, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review or article.

  To those who fight the good fight. Keep going.

  Contents

  1. Megan

  2. Luna

  3. Megan

  4. Luna

  5. Megan

  6. Luna

  7. Megan

  8. Luna

  9. Megan

  10. Luna

  11. Megan

  12. Luna

  13. Megan

  14. Luna

  15. Megan

  16. Luna

  17. Megan

  18. Luna

  19. Megan

  20. Luna

  21. Megan

  22. Luna

  23. Megan

  24. Luna

  25. Megan

  26. Luna

  27. Megan

  28. Luna

  29. Megan

  Epilogue

  A Note from Maggie

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  1

  Megan

  The guards’ opaque helmets reflected a multitude of intense iridescent spikes of light from the bright afternoon sun, and every citizen was silent as they took their positions. The pounding beat of synchronized marching filled the town square. Eventually, some guards scattered among the crowd, while others surrounded the mass. The assembly was about to begin.

  All of Oportet’s citizens stood before the Council’s stage. When Head Councilman Lancaster made his first steps onto the elevated platform, we began to clap. Those closest to the stage smiled with their hands outstretched, as if Oportet’s leader was a god in human form. Face rigid and eyes hard, Lancaster raised his right hand, silencing the crowd.

  “My fellow citizens,” he began. His voice boomed with authority through the speakers. “We are here to remember the filth that lies beyond our walls, and what will happen if it infiltrates our home again.

  “It is March First. Three years ago today, we let evil penetrate our society, and we, as a community, made a vow to never let that happen again. Three years ago today, a group of rebel Outsiders snuck in through the new gate and murdered former Head Councilman Tomlinson, five guards, and five innocent bystanders, including two precious children and three well-respected adults.”

  Melanie’s hand slid into mine, giving it a small squeeze. I focused on Lancaster. His words were supposed to bring me to tears—to rekindle the pain of losing my family. But I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of breaking down emotionally. Lancaster’s words barely breached my defense, bouncing harmlessly off the wall I spent the past three years erecting.

  Three years ago today, my parents and older sister were murdered by a group of rebel Outsiders. The Council’s Expansion Project had called for Oportet’s existing wall to be lowered back into the ground, while guards worked to install an electronic gate to the new outer wall. The rebels hacked into my father’s email, disrupting the guards’ schedule so that they could sneak in through the new gate undetected. At the same time, my sister Luna and her boyfriend Jasper were attempting an escape. It was all too easy for the rebels to murder them, along with my parents and the guards who showed up too late.

  “Let’s go out for ice cream once all of this is over,” Melanie whispered.

  “Quiet!” a voice demanded behind us, making me jump.

  I peered over my shoulder, only to be greeted with the stern eyes of a man in black, guns tucked in both sides of his belt.

  Melanie Wilson, the closest thing to family I had left, stiffened next to me. After my parents were killed, I had the choice between staying with my former best friend Stacy Caraway’s family, or I could stay with Melanie’s. Both families stepped up, but to everyone’s surprise, I chose the Wilsons.

  The Wilsons had only lived in Oportet for a year. They were the kind of newly integrated Outsiders my parents detested. Stacy had been my best friend for years, and she came from a family respected by both my parents and our society. Which was exactly why I didn’t choose them.

  Taking in a ragged breath, I turned back to Lancaster.

  “Evil lies beyond Oportet. This is what the American citizens chose when they rebelled against their government. They chose death, disease and decay.” Lancaster’s voice grew louder; his face trembled with the might of his words. A vein protruded from his forehead.

  Behind him, a large screen came to life with video images. Ragged, grimy people appeared on dismal street corners. Their arms reached out toward the crowd, ribcages protruding and cheeks hollowed. The presentation flashed to a clip of a screaming woman, her child lying limply in her arms. Next was a group of hooded people running from a burning building, alcohol-laden bottles in hand, and another group looting a store, guns slung haphazardly on their backs. The footage continued, effectively conveying the message of chaos and disorder to the crowd’s eager eyes.

  “That’s bullshit,” I mumbled.

  A guard slammed the back of his gun into my skull; pain erupted in the back of my head.

  “What did you just say?” the guard snarled in my ear. “I thought I told you to shut your mouth,” he spat.

  I received a swift kick behind my left knee. My leg buckled, and I fell hard to the pavement.

  Melanie sunk down to help me up, sending me an agitated look in the process. What did she expect? She knew how I was. She opened her mouth to say something, but I shook my head and let her help me to my feet.

  “I don’t foresee you lasting too long with an attitude like that. We have ways of silencing little girls like you,” the guard said, his fetid breath hot on my neck. “Watch yourself.”

  My mouth formed a thin line, fighting the urge to turn back around and take a swing at him, or to at least throw the finger over my shoulder.

  The crowd began to yell, and I glanced around to see faces full of rage and hatred, letting the emotions slide off their tongues like venom. I turned back to the screen, where there was an image of rebel Outsiders holding signs with blurred out messages.

  I didn’t scream like the others. I studied the rebels’ hardened jaws and clenched knuckles, the way the corners of their lips tipped upwards in masked humor.

  Melanie shuffled nervously beside me. She was far too delicate for these kinds of assemblies. Mercifully, it was almost over. I tried to send her comforting thoughts—the only thing I was capable of doing with Mr. Douche Guard behind me.

  “Yes!” Lancaster yelled with the crowd. “You have a right to vent your anger, to unleash your loathing of these abominations. These aren’t humans. These are animals—criminals and murderers. They killed our former leader and our own citizens. They tore apart our once great nation, the United States of America, and corrupted millions of innocent people. Oportet provides the only resistance against these revulsions, and the only protection from the destruction they bring.”

  I stole a peek behind me as propaganda—thinly masked as
a presentation—came to an end. Mr. Douche Guard was chatting with one of his friends a few yards back.

  I turned and whispered to Melanie: “Meeting. Tonight. Get the word out.”

  2

  Luna

  I woke with a start. Jasper’s arms were wrapped tightly around my body. Something—a noise of some sort—had woken me, I thought. I listened for several seconds without moving, but the apartment was now silent.

  Trying not to wake Jasper, I carefully untangled from his hold and slid out from under the covers. I pulled a sweatshirt over my head to combat the chilly apartment’s midnight air.

  My throat was dry. I crept through the dark apartment, on a quest for water, in a hurry to return to the warmth of Jasper’s arms. Goose bumps formed on my bare legs, the sweatshirt barely reaching my mid-thighs.

  The apartment had an open floor plan. The kitchen and living area were blended together seamlessly.

  I felt around for the kitchen light switch, lazily flipping it up. When my eyes adjusted, two figures popped into view.

  I screamed.

  A man with intricate black tattoos snaking around his right arm and up to his neck stood in the apartment doorway next to the kitchen, grinning. A woman holding a suitcase burst into laughter behind him. She had dark purple hair and more piercings than I could count. And those were just the ones I could see.

  “Hello, love. I see you’ve made yourself at home,” the man said. His mouth curved into a smirk before scanning the length of my body.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I pulled Jasper’s oversized sweatshirt down, covering as much skin as possible, as they entered my home.

  “Luna?” Jasper’s voice sounded from the next room. “Are you okay? What—” He stopped midsentence when he saw the two intruders. Then he broke out into a grin. “Drea,” he said, wrapping the girl in a hug. He moved on to the boy, whose eyes were still on me. “Asher, man. I was hoping you’d turn up.” They exchanged one of those guy-handshake-half-hugs I would never understand.

  “I’ve missed you, too, mate. Do me a favor and stop this Asher business. It’s Ash.”

  “Yeah but it’s so much fun to see you get all red in the face,” Jasper said, receiving a punch to the shoulder.

  “Could someone please explain what the hell is going on?” I asked. “Why are these people in our apartment at three in the morning?”

  “Technically, love, you’re in our apartment,” Ash said.

  Why did he keep calling me love? And what kind of accent was that?

  “You’ve had the place to yourselves for months. You’re welcome,” Drea added in the same strange accent as Ash. Her eyes narrowed.

  Reading my expression, Jasper went to stand next to me, his fingers stroking the inside of my wrist.

  “These are the owners. They were the ones who moved away before we got to Portland. And now they’re back.”

  “Oh,” I managed. “Where did you go?” I asked Ash.

  “To the border,” he said. “All the airlines have been blocked since everything went to shit back in ‘39. We wanted to see if there were any ships that could take us back to England.”

  That explained the accent.

  “Apparently the military is doing a better job at locking down the border than we thought,” Drea said. “They don’t need any foreign powers taking advantage of the fall of the once great American Empire.” Sarcasm seeped into her words. “To be totally honest I always thought China would take over, but last I heard they were battling their own revolution.”

  “No one enters, no one leaves,” Ash added. “I thought the whole point of this revolution was to bring back the old ideals. Now you’re telling me I don’t have the bloody freedom to leave this shithole?” Ash crossed his arms. He wore black skinny jeans and a sleeveless shirt that showed off his well-defined muscles and elaborate tattoo.

  “How long are these policies going to last?” Jasper asked. He gestured for us to move into the living room.

  “Until we can get our shit together, I presume. But Washington has been trying to reestablish a government for years now, or at least a constitution. They’re gridlocked. Everyone’s too afraid of what happened last time, right before The Fall.”

  “Better that they’re cautious, in my opinion.” Drea yawned and spread herself out on the couch. “We don’t need another rise of totalitarianism.”

  I felt Ash’s eyes on me again. I met them, expecting him to look away. He didn’t.

  Jasper didn’t seem to notice. “This is my girlfriend, Luna, by the way,” he said.

  “I apologize for the scare earlier,” Ash said, but his smile suggested otherwise. Drea snickered, no doubt replaying my startled scream in her head. “My darling sister is sorry as well.”

  “Um, it’s okay,” I said. “I’m going to go put on some clothes now.”

  I walked to the bedroom quickly, listening to the voices and laughter floating through the apartment as I slipped into some jeans. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I stared into the mirror at my heavy eyes. The space underneath them was getting darker—bruises from the demons that kept me up at night.

  “Hey, are you okay?”

  Jasper appeared in the doorway, his head cocked to the side. The shadow of a smile faded from his lips.

  “I’m fine. Just tired,” I said. “I’m glad you’re reunited with some old friends,” I added, forcing a smile.

  “You didn’t sleep again last night, did you?” Jasper’s eyes teemed with concern. He reached a hand to stroke my cheekbone.

  “Some nights are worse than others.”

  “You can go back to sleep if you want,” he said. “I’ll make sure Ash and Drea keep it down out there.”

  “No, I’m already up. I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep if I tried.”

  Jasper frowned.

  “Seriously, I’ll be fine.” I took his hand in mine. “I’ll make some breakfast for everyone.”

  3

  Megan

  I always buzzed with energy after assemblies, a tingling sensation bubbling beneath my skin. There was something about a crowd full of brainwashed robots screaming at inflammatory propaganda that really got me going. That was probably why I called for meetings after assemblies. All of that pent up energy had to be released somewhere.

  “Mom’s in bed. We should go now,” Melanie whispered, carefully shutting our bedroom door behind her. I slid off the twin bed, noticing for the millionth time how incredibly tiny Melanie’s room was compared to my old room. And this room had to hold twice as many people.

  I didn’t mind, though. It was like having a sister—well, a sister my age. I already knew what it was like having an older one. I shut my eyes, willing my walls to go up.

  “Are you okay?” The bed bowed with Melanie’s weight. “I’m not sure a meeting is such a good idea. Not today…”

  My eyes flew open. “Why? Today isn’t any different than yesterday, and it won’t be any different than tomorrow.”

  “It’s the anniversary of your parents’ and your sister’s deaths. It’s okay to be sad.”

  I sat up, avoiding Melanie’s eyes. I pushed from the bed.

  “Megan—”

  “Seriously, I’m fine. Let’s just go, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  We snuck through the window. The energy I’d felt at the earlier assembly rose to the surface. Our room was on the first floor, so there wasn’t much of a drop to the ground. Melanie let out a breath, tucking her long blond hair behind her ears. Her light brown eyes were wide with anxiety, the way they always looked when we snuck out.

  After I made the decision to become a part of Melanie’s family, my parents’ prestigious friends and coworkers just shook their heads, giving me sad smiles and looks of disapproval. Melanie would be a negative influence on me, they thought—or said. I had too much potential to become a part of a family on the lowest tier of Oportet’s social structure. My family had meant something, and the Wilsons ju
st didn’t.

  “Do you have something planned for this?” Melanie asked, letting her tense shoulders finally relax now that the house was out of sight. We were only a short distance from the abandoned houses that lined the old border. After the Expansion Project, the plan was to reconstruct the decaying buildings and then start building homes within the new border.

  It had been three years. There were no new construction projects.

  “No. I just wanted to, um, get away.” I needed to escape my thoughts for a couple of hours.

  Melanie grew silent. I sighed, kicking a rock on the road in front of me, watching it slam against a mailbox with a smack!

  “Megan!” Melanie hissed. She looked around us nervously, her eyes wide.

  My lips turned up.

  The house where we were meeting others was the farthest from civilization we could get in Oportet. It was at the very edge of a neighborhood that had been completely abandoned for years. As we approached, the faint sound of voices and laughter travelled through the air.

  We slipped in through the front door, the room falling silent as we entered.

  “Megan!” Lacy squealed, breaking the quiet. She gave me a hug. “We were starting to worry…”

  “Yeah, sorry I’m late. We got held up.” I felt the force of many pairs of eyes on me, but I shrugged it off. It was nothing new.