Dawn of Rebellion (Dawn of Rebellion Series Book 1) Read online

  “Good idea. We’ll let him decide what to do with them.”

  The rest of the trip takes place in silence. I was hoping we would be taken straight to the camp. This was definitely not part of the plan. If they keep us there for more than a day or so it’s game over. We would never make it to the rendezvous in time.

  A few minutes later, we are standing in front of the largest house I have ever seen. It is massive and eerily beautiful. The white pillars and manicured lawn seem out of place here. Most of the colonies are filled with ruins and forests and the British have built horse barns and gardens? I wonder if people here actually care how close they are to the slave camp or if they are too worried about how far they are able to hit the cricket ball. The most shocking thing of all is the children. There are only two of them but their innocence seems alien in a country such as this. They are running along the grass, playing fetch with a large golden dog.

  “Keep moving.” And I am shoved forward.

  We go in through a side door. As we pass through, I glimpse a red hand print on the frame. Blood? Inside, the building is dark and foreboding. The lighting is dim as we are taken down a long hallway. I think the walls are dark green but it’s hard to tell in the yellowish light. Our footsteps echo on the concrete floor. I don’t have a good feeling about this place.

  We stop farther down the hall at a door with an enormous lock. The older soldier pulls out a ring of keys. He searches it and finds the one he wants. After he opens the door, he unlocks our handcuffs and shoves us in. The force sends me tumbling to my hands and knees. The door slams shut.

  This isn’t just a room. It’s a cell, like in a prison. There are no windows and the only light is coming from the single bulb in the center of the ceiling. There is no way out.

  I startle at a coughing sound. I look around and there, huddled in the corner, is a boy. He moves out of the corner and in to the light. What I see shocks me. I have never seen someone so broken before. He has dried blood in various spots on his face and in his hair. Both his eyes are swollen and his nose is broken. His pain is obvious.

  “Who are you?” I am glad Lee can speak because I don’t know what to say. I am frozen to the spot, staring. I want to help but I can’t move.

  He stumbles, coughs again, and rasps out his name, “Jeremy.”

  Lee nods and points to me. “Dawn,” he says, “and I’m Lee.”

  Jeremy stares at us, considering what to say next. He leans back against the wall and closes his eyes.

  What have we gotten ourselves into?

  Chapter 37

  Gabby

  “Gabby?”

  “I’m here Claire.”

  “Am I going to die?”

  “You’ll be just fine.”

  “Gabby?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m scared.”

  “Me too.”

  Chapter 38

  Gabby

  “Don’t you let him die in here. Escape.”

  Escape

  Escape

  Escape

  I hear her say these words over and over. I’m sorry Claire. I broke my promise to you. Jeremy’s gone and I will be soon. I sink back into sleep and let the dreams take over.

  Chapter 39

  Gabby

  I’m back in London and I’m running through the medical compound. I did it! Dawn is at home feeling manky and now I can save her. I was so scared I’d lose her. She is the only good thing in my life. I made myself a promise a long time ago that I’d never let my baby sister down. They can’t catch me, no one can. I’ve gotten clear of all the medical buildings and the alarms are only a distant sound now. I don’t stop leggin it until I reach our building. This is our fifth home in the past month. Even in the dodgy east end the government doesn’t like people squatting. We’ve tried foreclosed homes, builder’s models, and now abandoned buildings. Wherever we live, I make sure Dawn can still get to lessons. I go too but she’s the smart one. She’s going to do brilliant things one day. I’m sure she’s going to be chosen to go to uni. I try to make sure that none of our troubles hold her back from her incredible destiny.

  I reach the room we’ve claimed as our own. Dawn is lying on the ground sleeping. I go to her and gently shake her shoulder. “Wake up Dawn. I’ve got the medicine.” She won’t wake. I feel for a heartbeat and panic when I don’t feel it immediately. I eventually find it. It’s very faint but it’s there.

  The medicine is in a syringe with a needle attached. I gently push the tip of the needle into her arm and press the plunger down. Then I wait. The next few hours are the worst of my life.

  Finally, her eyelids flutter open. My heart skips a beat. She’s okay.

  “Water,” she croaks.

  I tip a cup into her mouth. As soon as she can speak more she asks, “How?” I just shrug. There is no way I’m telling her how I got this medicine. She wouldn’t approve of me breaking the law and risking myself even if it meant saving her. I would go to the ends of the earth to keep her safe and healthy.

  “Dawn,” I moan, “I love you.” My last thought before sinking back into sleep is that at least she is safe back in London. The heat is overwhelming.

  Chapter 40

  Dawn

  I’m beginning to lose hope that we’ll make our rendezvous. Instead, we’ll probably end up like Jeremy, battered and bruised; within an inch of our lives. He says he was caught outside the fence and that’s why this is happening to him. Weren’t we also caught outside the fence? I daftly assumed they would just throw us in the slave camp.

  “You look familiar,” Jeremy says after a while. Every time he speaks, his voice is strained. “What did you say your name was?”

  Up until now, Lee had done all the talking but, this time, Jeremy is speaking directly to me.

  “Dawn,” I say quietly.

  “Dawn.” He mulls that over for a minute. Then there is recognition in his eyes. “Are you Gabby’s sister?” he whispers, as if he is afraid of anyone else hearing this. His eyes widen, astonished.

  I snap my head up. “You know Gabby?” I say urgently. He nods, contemplating what to say next. I glance at Lee and notice he is listening intently as well. “Is she OK?” I need to know.

  “She was the last time I saw her.” At least I know she is alive.

  “What are they doing to her? Is she hurt?” I have so many questions that they just start spilling out.

  “When I was there she hadn’t been hurt. She’s had a hard time but she’s tough.” Is that admiration in his voice?

  “She sure is.” I lean back in relief. I didn’t come all this way for nothing. There is still a chance.

  Lee comes to sit beside me. “You good?” he asks.

  “Yeah.” I respond. Jeremy winces as he moves himself closer to us.

  “So, what are you doing here?” Jeremy asks.

  “We’ve come to get her out of this place.”

  “Ha! You know, Gabby would kick your ass if she knew you were risking your life for hers.”

  I smile at this. He does know my sister. “I’ll let her, but after I get her out of here.”

  He spreads his arms wide and says, “How’s that working out?” Sarcasm. Gabby’s favorite. No wonder he’s friends with her. She does like her arse holes.

  “We won’t be here long, don’t you worry.” I wish I felt as confident in that fact as I sound. No one has anything left to say for a while so we just sit in silence.

  “There’s something you need to know,” Jeremy says.

  “And what is that?”

  “Your father.” He stops there. I don’t know what Gabby has told him but he has no right to speak to me of such things.

  “Yes?” I snap.

  “He’s alive.” I can’t breathe. Come on Dawn; in and out. I find my voice.

  “What?” I croak.

  “He’s here. They call him General Nolan.”

  “Alive?” I faintly remember a soldier mentioning General Nolan. “How do you…?” I can’t
finish the question.

  “He came here asking questions about Gabby.” At my accusatory look Jeremy continues. “I wouldn’t tell him anything until he told me who he was.”

  “This is impossible. I remember the day he died. It was a car accident.”

  “Or so you were told.” His voice is no more than a whisper now.

  I only remember bits and pieces of that day. My mom’s reaction is what I remember most clearly.

  Without saying a word, Lee grabs my hand to still its trembling.

  I don’t know what to say. My dad, working in the colonies? I remember so little about him, but I always pictured him as kind and loving. Can this be the same man? If he is here, that means he left us. He made us believe he was dead and abandoned us to the hard life we’ve been living. He's no better than some toss pot. What about mom? I wonder if he even knows what his supposed death did to her. I wonder if he even cares. What will he do when he finds out who I am? He obviously knows Gabby is in the camp and hasn’t done a damn thing to help her.

  After giving me some time, Jeremy speaks again. “You’re a lot like your sister, you know that?” He says.

  A laugh bubbles out of my chest. “You’re delusional.”

  “I really hated Gabby when she got here,” he confesses. At my curious look, he explains. “My little sister had grown so attached to her and I was worried.”

  “Well your sister must be pretty smart. Gabs is definitely someone you want in your corner.” He’s quiet for a moment and I’m worried I said something wrong. There is a sadness about this man; I feel for him.

  “Yeah, I learned that pretty quickly,” he says.

  Chapter 41

  Gabby

  Ring a ring o roses

  A pocket full of posies

  Atishoo, atishoo

  We all fall down

  “Gabby, honey, don’t pull your sister down so hard.” Mom is setting up the food outside. We are having a barbecue today for everyone in the neighborhood! All my friends are coming so I hope Dawn doesn’t think she can follow us around all day. Little sisters can be such pains.

  Mom made potato salad today and daddy’s coming home early from work to help out! It’s going to be a great party. It’s finally gotten warm outside and mommy said we can turn the sprinkler on later! We have better toys than my friends. None of them have sprinklers or a playhouse in the back yard. We just have to make sure we don’t run in the garden.

  Mom got mad last time. She loves her flowers and I do too. They are so pretty.

  I run inside with Dawn close on my heels. It’s so annoying how she follows me like a puppy. “Mommy?” I ask, trying to be a proper lady like she wants me to be.

  “What sweetie?”

  “Can I call daddy to see when he’s coming home?” I love when he comes early because then he’ll play with us. Mom smiles at me. She is so pretty. She walks to the phone and picks it up. She hands it to me and it is already ringing. I love it when I get to use the phone. Sometimes mommy lets me call my friends.

  “Hello?” Daddy answers.

  “Daddy! When are you coming home for the party?” I yell as if he can’t hear me. Dawn is standing next to me trying to grab the phone. I wish she’d just go away.

  “Hi baby girl! I’m leaving now! I can’t wait to see you. Are you helping your mom?”

  “Yeah. She said we can go in the sprinkler later!”

  “That’s great! Listen, I have to go so I can get home fast! I love you. Don’t you ever forget that. I will always love you and your mom and your sister.”

  “Yeah daddy! Love you too!” I hang up without saying goodbye. Dawn starts to cry because she didn’t get to talk. Why does she have to be such a baby? I run outside to see if my friends are here yet.

  A few hours later I run inside to grab a towel. I am dripping water all over the floor but mommy doesn’t even yell at me. I don’t know where she is. Maybe daddy got here and I didn’t see him. I run outside and collide with Dawn, knocking her to the ground. She starts crying but no one comes to help, weird. I tell her to be quiet but she never listens to me.

  Who invited the police? I didn’t know we were friends with them. I don’t think I like it. Mommy is talking to them. She sees me run up but she doesn’t even turn. Instead she just starts walking, leaving her own party.

  “Mommy!” I yell but she doesn’t turn. Instead, Gail from next door grabs my hand and leads me back to the house. We stop on the way and she picks up Dawn, who is still crying. She takes us into the house and sits us on the couch. I squirm, knowing mommy will be mad that we’re getting the couch wet.

  “Girls,” Gail starts, “Your dad was in an accident.”

  “Oh it’s OK,” I say, “I have accidents all the time. I just need a Band-Aid. I don’t even cry. When will he be home?”

  “He’s not coming home dear.”

  I wake with a start. The pain from that day feels new all over again. They say that before you die your whole life flashes before your eyes. Maybe the heat is finally killing me.

  Chapter 42

  Dawn

  I wake suddenly. Lee and Jeremy are both on alert as two soldiers walk in. They don’t look at us as they stand on either side. They each raise an arm in salute as a third man walks in. For the first time since I was little, I am in the presence of my father. He steps forward and scans the room. His eyes stop on me but I’m not sure if there is recognition in them. He turns to the two soldiers who continue to salute and says,

  “You may leave us.” They obey and then he points to me. “You, come with me.” He turns and exits the room, expecting me to follow. I do. We’ve only been here for a few hours and already my legs are stiff. As soon as I am through the doorway, he slams the door and locks it. “This way.”

  He leads me down the long, dark hallway. We make a right turn and then a left. This place is like a maze. I can hear the music coming from the party the soldiers had mentioned. I picture those kids we saw playing with the dog. They couldn’t have been much older than Gabby and I were at the party that changed our lives forever. I don’t remember it but Gabby has told me the story so many times that I feel like I do. We finally stop at a door that looks no different from any of the others. He holds it open for me to enter and then comes in behind me and shuts the door.

  “Sit,” he orders. I look around and am surprised to find that this room is rather inviting. Against each wall to the left and right is home to plush, velvet couches. The walls are a light blue that might be considered soothing in any other situation. The lighting is warm and much brighter than any I’ve seen in this house so far. There is a large wooden desk in the center of the room.

  I sit on the couch farthest from this man who abandoned me, but he pulls the chair from behind the desk and sits directly across from me.

  “Who are you?” he asks. I am stunned by this question. I don’t know if I should tell him the truth. He obviously knows Gabby is in his slave camp and hasn’t done anything about it. When I don’t answer him he says, “I know you aren’t a slave. We did a count this afternoon and it was correct.” He is watching me suspiciously. I still don’t say anything so he starts yelling. “Speak to me dammit! Who are you?”

  “My name,” I start, through gritted teeth, “is Dawn Nolan.” At first he looks confused, but then his eyes widen and he brings his hand to his mouth, covering it.

  “Why are you here?” This was not what I expected him to say. I don’t know what I was hoping for. Maybe an explanation? An apology? I doubt I’ll ever get either. He is such an arse.

  “Why do you think?” I narrow my eyes at him. He refuses to acknowledge he knows anything. Instead he gets to his feet and starts pacing the room.

  “You shouldn’t have come. This is a dangerous place.”

  “I would never abandon my family. Gabby is all I have left. Everyone else is dead.” I say the last part just to sting him. He may be my father but that doesn’t make him family.

  “Dawn.” His voice is strain
ed.

  “Save it. Unless you can explain away all our hardship since you ABANDONED us, I don’t want to hear it. I just want my sister.” Pain flashes across his face and then it is gone.

  “What is your plan?” he asks. When I don’t respond he says, “I know you don’t think so but you can trust me. I’ll do what I can to help.” I don’t want to tell this man anything, but at this point, we need him.

  “How do I know you won’t betray us?” I ask. “I don’t know you. You're a damn soldier!”

  “I don’t think you can afford not to trust me at this point. You can’t do this on your own.” His eyes are pleading.

  “We’ve done everything else on our own since the day you left.” I say but after the look that crosses my father’s face I make a decision. “Fine, the day after tomorrow at sundown the fence will be off.”

  “I’ll take care of the guards.” He says immediately, even though I didn’t ask for his help. I don’t thank him. Is that what he’s waiting for? Neither of us moves until I speak.

  “Why did you leave us?” My voice is low but I know that he heard me. I can’t look at him as I wait for his answer.

  “It’s not that simple,” he whispers. “I thought I was protecting you. You have to understand. You don’t refuse orders. If you do, they will take away your reasons for refusing. They would have come after you. Your mother…” Before he can finish, there is a knock on the door.

  “Everything OK in there sir?” someone yells from the other side.

  “Yes. Find me Rad.” My father’s mood abruptly changes as he opens the door and starts barking orders. “Get up. You are going back to camp, slave!” He takes me back to the cell where Jeremy and Lee are. He opens the door and points to Lee. “You too. Come.” He then yells down the hall. “Rad, Jeffers.” Two squaddies appear around the corner.

  “Yes sir,” they say in unison.

  “Take these two slaves back to camp. When you get there, take the girl out of the box. She’s been in there long enough.” I have no idea what the box is but I don’t really care. I am going to be with my sister soon.