Rite of Revelation (Acceptance Book 2) Page 8

  Eric, Patrice, and Elizabeth don’t waste any time claiming a spot at the table. Daniel squeezes my hand, and I squeeze back. There are so many questions, but they can wait until after we eat. My stomach growls and I let out a giggle as I lift my clunky boots over the bench and sit next to a woman who must be only a few years older than us.

  Daniel, Constance, and Thomas follow suit, and it isn’t long before platters of food arrive. The woman next to me hands over a steaming bowl of fresh meat, potatoes, and carrots.

  “Please, take as much as you want,” she says, smiling as if she really means it. “I’m sure you’re all starving and there’s plenty here for everyone. Welcome to Allmore.”

  Sliding a juicy piece of meat on to my plate, I pass the bowl over to Daniel. Eric is already tearing into his meal, and Elizabeth looks like she might cry, her eyes closed while she savors a bite of something.

  Patrice tops off her plate, and Ethan slides onto the bench just in time to take the bowl from her. “You guys picked a great night to show up. Beef isn’t super common here yet. We’re still working on building up our herd.”

  “Herd?” Daniel asks around a mouthful of carrot.

  “Our cows. We have a small pasture just outside of town.” Ethan fills his plate and digs in. “It will be another year before we’re ready to slaughter our own, so for now we have to get our beef in trade.”

  Trade? Just how organized are these villages? In Arbor Glen we only saw a tiny portion of the village. After lunch, Alan kept us contained to the rider’s rooms, so we never really saw how everything worked. When I pictured what these cities would look like, I dreamed of a place like where I grew up, but expected to be completely disappointed. So far, this place feels pretty close to perfect.

  We all fill up on the best food we’ve had in who knows how long. They were kind enough to feed us in Arbor Glen, but none of the food was even close to this good. Of course, the joyful atmosphere could be making the food taste better. As many questions as I have, it’s hard not to get caught up in the festive feeling of the room.

  Next to me, the kind woman who welcomed us is talking to another woman about the same age about a new chicken coop. “Samuel figured out a great new way to insulate the walls so we don’t lose as many hens this winter. Last year was a challenge. And Thad is going to show us how to set up traps around the coop at night. We might get lucky and add a few foxes to our menu.”

  The other woman nods with approval. “I’m sure Stewart and Karen can come up with some good recipes for anything you catch. They’ll welcome any fresh meat we can find.”

  Their conversation is cut off by a dinging of forks on plates. Around the room, more people join in the clatter until a man standing at the end of the room quiets the din by raising his hands in front of him.

  “Hail, friends!” The man’s smile is infectious.

  “Hail, Liam!” the room shouts back at him.

  “Let’s thank Stewart and Karen for tonight’s delicious meal. I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say it was a special treat.”

  The room breaks into applause as a young man and woman at another table stand up and lift their hands in recognition of the thanks.

  “I want to get a few quick progress reports in before we get to the most exciting part of dinner.” Liam nods to the woman sitting next to him. “Ana, how is the PE office doing?”

  Ana bounces up from her seat, her young face smiling out at the group. Looking around the room, I realize for the first time just how young everyone is. A few could be our age, while most are a bit older, maybe mid-thirties. Only a few might pass for any older than that. There are even fewer children.

  Ana sits back down. I’ve missed all of her report, but I doubt any of it would have made much sense anyway. Several others stand and talk for a few minutes about various areas of the village; farming, animals, infrastructure, medicine. It all comes out as a blur of noise as I scan the crowd for any face that doesn’t fall between twenty and forty years old. As the last man finishes his talk about clothing manufacturing, I’m certain I’ve looked at every face in the room. Only a handful of older people and fewer than thirty children.

  Liam stands back up and thanks the speakers. “Now on to what most of you are looking forward to. Would our visitors please join me up here?” The entire room turns to catch a glance at the seven of us as we inch off the wooden benches. Everyone is smiling, but it doesn’t stop the suspicion that we are somehow under inspection.

  “Our new friends were able to escape from the Cardinal in a brave rebellion of his evil rule.”

  The entire room bursts into applause. The way Liam puts it, we went out in a blaze of glory instead of sneaking through a fence in the dark of night.

  “Arbor Glen found them, but it will come as no surprise that Alan wouldn’t let them stay.”

  The applause stops to be replaced with solemn nods and pinched faces of concern.

  Liam turns to face us as we shuffle in a herd to stand next to him. “Before we decide if you have a place here with us, we’d ask that you tell us about yourselves.”

  My stomach turns over the food I just put in there. “What do you want to know?”

  Liam smiles, but his words don’t match. “We’d like you to tell us why you were sent to the PIT.”

  Fourteen

  No way. I’m done with this. I turn away from him and motion for the others to head to the door.

  “Wait.” Liam grabs my arm and speaks softly so only we can hear. “Where are you going?”

  “We aren’t a carnival side show. You’ll have to get your fun torturing someone else tonight.” I pull my arm out of his grasp and hold on to Daniel. I’ll need all of his support to walk out of the place that was supposed to become our home.

  “The Cardinal Rejected me because I didn’t want to marry a girl.”

  I whip around to find a man standing at his seat on the other side of the hall. He sits down and another man, maybe in his mid-twenties stands up in his place.

  “I never made it to Acceptance. The Cardinal sent me to the PIT when I was twelve for selling contraband liquor to help feed my family.” He sits and a woman next to him puts a comforting arm around his shoulder.

  The woman sitting next to Liam, Ana, who gave the PE report, stands up. “I was put in the PIT because every essay I wrote for grammar school was about wanting to be more than just a mother and a wife.”

  “And you are.” Liam puts his arm around her and plants a kiss on her forehead. “You are so much more.”

  I’m frozen. Marcus told us there were others, but I didn’t really stop to think about what that meant. There are other Rejects living out here and several of them live in this village.

  “We would never put you on display to hurt you.” Liam focuses back on me. “This community survives because we trust each other. And that trust starts with trusting us with the part of you that you most want to keep hidden.”

  I nod at him and pull Daniel back to the front of the room.

  “My name is Rebecca Collins.”

  A soft murmur travels around the room. Liam takes a step closer, his eyes wide. “Are you the Rebecca who made the video that ruined the Acceptance ceremony?”

  I nod in shock. “Did you see it?”

  “No, we don’t keep a connection to the Territory feed, but it doesn’t take long for word about something that big to travel around the villages.” Liam makes a little bow. “Please, continue.”

  “My name is Rebecca and the Cardinal Rejected me because I think his policies are unfair.” I rub my thumb against the smooth knot of my necklace and smile at Daniel. “And apparently I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut.”

  Any tension still in the room vanishes, and everyone bursts into laughter and calls of encouragement. The knot that’s been swirling in my gut slowly untangles. I was wrong. This isn’t a public shunning, it’s an initiation.

  The others line up behind me, and one by one we all share our Rejection stories, while t
he people of Allmore laugh and cheer us along. Patrice gets a good laugh out of everyone when she explains the Cardinal Rejected her because, “apparently Rebecca has a hard time keeping her mouth shut.”

  Eric is last, and the only one who doesn’t look relieved to finally make claim to the false charges that sent us careening on a path to right here. “My name is Eric.” I can barely hear him over the silence of the room. Several villagers shout out for him to speak up. “My name is Eric, and the Cardinal Rejected me because I deserved to go to the PIT. Because I didn’t understand the importance of loyalty or family.”

  Liam stretches out a hand to Eric. “But you do now?”

  Eric nods, but won’t look Liam in the eyes.

  “Now, what say you?” Liam spreads his arms out to the room, his face beaming. “Will we welcome these brave souls, or send them away to fend for themselves?”

  “Welcome! Welcome!” Shouts fill the room, bouncing against the walls until the sound drowns out even my own heartbeat.

  “The people have spoken. Welcome to Allmore, where all are welcome and more!” Another round of applause finishes his words, and a warmth spreads through my arms. I grab Daniel’s hand and he grabs Constance’s next to him. The others are holding hands as well. I catch Elizabeth’s eye. A few tears track down her face, but her smile is beaming. I nod at her; we don’t need words. Molly would have loved this. Actually, she would have hated everyone staring at her and clapping. But this embrace, as if we’re instantly part of the family. This she would have loved.

  “I’m sure you have more questions, but they will hold until tomorrow. The sun is set and the day is done. Until the morning’s rise, friends, sleep well.”

  The entire room responds with a chorus of, “Sleep well.” Villagers group up and move about the room, sharing hugs and brief greetings with friends. Several stop by to share a hug with us or to welcome us again. Slowly, the room thins out as others head out the door into the village.

  “Well, that was fun.” Liam leans against the table, a smile stretched across his face. “I’m afraid we weren’t expecting new arrivals, so we don’t have the best accommodations to offer. Greg has already let me know his group will get to work on new housing right away. For tonight, we’ll put you up above the medical building since there are actual beds there.”

  He waves at the last few stragglers to leave the building then stands to stretch.

  “Ready?” Without waiting for an answer, Liam spins around and marches out the door. “Allmore is fairly safe, but we encourage everyone not to walk alone at night. We share the forest with plenty of animals, not all of them friendly. We’ve not had an attack in forever, but better safe than sorry.” He looks over his shoulder without missing a step and flashes a smile at us. Is he joking? Maybe, but I’m okay with the buddy system.

  A few buildings down, Liam pushes open a door with a sign hanging to the side reading ‘Infirmary.’ He pauses just inside and waves at the wall. Instantly, the room is flooded with soft artificial light.

  I’m aware of my mouth dropping open, but there’s nothing I can do to stop it. “Well, that’s fancy.” I grin when I catch Daniel rolling his eyes at me. “And unexpected.”

  “Our infrastructure team has solar panels hooked up to all our main buildings. We’ve got most of the private houses set up as well. All except the most recently built. We’re hoping to be fully set up before winter sets in.” Liam gestures to a staircase. “There are spare beds upstairs. Not much privacy, I’m afraid, but we’ll work on it.”

  We all walk up, and Liam waves the lights on in a wide open space with nothing but two rows of beds and rolling racks with hanging sheets that serve as the only privacy. Ana walks into the room with a huge bag and plants a kiss on Liam’s cheek.

  “Thanks, love. May I present my beautiful, amazing, patient wife, Ana.”

  Ana slaps him on the arm, but there’s no ill will behind it. “You forgot level-headed. If not for me, you’d have these poor souls sleeping in the clothes they walked up in.” She hands the bag over to me.

  “Thank you. I’m Rebecca. This is Daniel, Elizabeth, Eric, Constance, Thomas, and Patrice.” I point to the others and they nod at their name.

  “Well, I’m never going to remember that in the morning, so don’t be shy about reminding me.” Ana wraps her arm through Liam’s. “There are plenty of pajamas in there, so hopefully we’ve got something to fit everyone. We’ll work on getting you some clean clothes in the morning. For now, you can hand your dirty ones over to me after you change, and I’ll make sure they get added to the wash.”

  With her olive-toned skin and dark hair, Ana is stunning. Her plain clothes do nothing to diminish her beauty, and the simple green shirt she wears brings out golden flecks in her eyes. Back home, a woman this beautiful would be married to an important man, too. The difference, of course, that back home, that woman would never lower herself to fetch clothes and do laundry for a bunch of strangers. It could be easy to become friends with Ana. “Thank you, again. For everything. Honestly, it’s a little overwhelming.”

  “Don’t mention it. You’ve been through enough.” She tugs on Liam’s arm and leads him to the door, suppressing a yawn. “You wait downstairs, and I’ll be down in just a moment.”

  Everyone digs through the bag for pajamas, checking to see which of the light cotton pants or shirts will fit. Such simple clothes, but it feels like our collective birthday. For the first time in forever, we are safe and fed. It almost feels normal.

  Night clothes sorted out, the others move about the room, rearranging the beds and privacy sheets. Daniel pushes two beds together and grabs several of the rolling curtains to create a little bit of privacy for us. I step behind one of the sheets and my heart rate soars faster than an Airtrain. This is the first time Daniel and I have been anything close to alone since before the Acceptance ceremony. Our last night in the PIT together flashes into my head. We made promises, vows.

  He’s my husband. But every moment since that night has been focused on staying alive. There wasn’t time to think about the two of us when I had so many other people depending on me. But they’re fine now, tucked safely in their own beds with full bellies and clean clothes. Right here it’s just me and Daniel, and I have no idea what I’m doing.

  “I hope the pajamas fit,” Ana’s chirpy voice calls from the other side of the curtain. “Just pass out your dirty clothes once you’re changed.”

  Daniel smiles at me and pulls his dirt-encrusted shirt over his head.

  My eyes follow the smooth curve of muscle across his chest, spreading to his shoulders and on down his arms. My fingers itch to run along the edges and soak in the heat of his skin.

  Daniel catches me staring at him and smiles in the way that attempts to liquefy my bones. With one step he’s right in front of me, his hand cupping the side of my face. He leans down and whispers, his lips brushing against my ear and sending shivers coursing through my body. “You are beautiful.”

  His mouth finds mine and I’m lost in him. The whole world falls away and nothing exists but his warm lips on mine and his hands testing, exploring. My fingers grip his waist. I can’t get close enough to him.

  Daniel pulls back and, with one swift motion, my shirt is off and tossed to the floor. He pulls me back to him and the heat of skin meeting skin threatens to scorch us both. Flames flare everywhere his hands touch me until there’s nothing left of me but ashes.

  “Ah-hem.” Ana clears her throat no more than a foot on the other side of the thin piece of fabric separating us from the rest of the room. A giggle follows that I’m pretty sure belongs to Constance.

  Apparently these curtains are more sheer than they look. A year ago I would have been embarrassed, but not now. I love this man with his arms wrapped around me and I don’t care who knows it. Daniel smiles down at me and places one more soft kiss on my lips.

  We untangle our arms and finish getting changed so Ana can take our clothes. After she leaves, the room settles around
us, and the whispered conversations die off. Daniel and I snuggle into bed, my back pressed against the hard planes of his chest.

  I close my eyes and enjoy the sheer perfection of the moment. We are full, safe, and warm, tucked away in a village that even the Cardinal himself can’t control. Right here, right now, we have nothing to worry about.

  But the moment doesn’t last long.

  Flashes of the PIT fill my mind. All those innocent people still in the PIT, still struggling to eke out some kind of existence with empty bellies and the constant threat of danger. Those women who thought they were getting out, but got left behind. I’ll never forget the hurt of being that close to freedom only to have it snatched away. I can’t forget them. Soon, it will be time to bring them to safety, too. But tonight, at least for one night, I’ll sleep in peace.

  Fifteen

  My eyes pop open and I bolt upright, my pulse racing. It’s pitch black, but a second later my eyes adjust. I’m safe. I shake my head to dispel the remnants of the nightmare that broke my sleep. Daniel stirs next to me, but doesn’t wake. I could lie back down, but I’ll never get back to sleep and will probably only wake him up with me.

  I scoot out of the bed, careful not to disturb Daniel, and wrap one of the blankets around my shoulders. Soft snores fill the room. Everyone else is still tucked away in dreams that aren’t filled with shouting guards and the Cardinal, laughing maniacally while I’m dragged in front of a rioting crowd.

  I tiptoe from behind the sheet separating us from the rest of the room. At one end is the doorway leading back downstairs, but there’s another door at the other end of the room. Might as well use these last few hours before dawn to check out our new home.

  The door opens to an old-looking staircase. I wrap the blanket tighter so I don’t trip and walk up into the dark. I push open a door at the top of the stairs and step out onto the roof. Cool night air blows around me and whips away the last ounces of sleep from my eyes. A hunched figure perches at the edge of the roof. Eric.