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

  Before we’re taken away, my father leans down and whispers in my ear, “You need to go west.”

  Chapter 43

  Dawn

  We are ushered down the hall and before we know it we are out in the crisp night air. The music from the ongoing party rings in my ears. The night is hot and sticky. A mosquito lands on my neck. I try to smash it but end up missing entirely and hitting myself in the face with the chains on my wrists. The farther we get from the house, the darker it becomes, until the only light comes from a flashlight one of the soldiers is carrying. The music grows quiet and all that is left to hear is the sounds of the bugs in the night. I really hate bugs. After the first attempt, I don’t even try to swat anything that lands on me. I am sure to wake tomorrow with red bites all over my body.

  We reach the entrance to the camp and the soldiers shove us in and then lock the gate once more. Lee and I take in our surroundings before going forward. It’s hard to make out much of the camp but there is a fire in the distance that illuminates the nearby huts.

  “Here we go,” I say as we start moving forward. I tug Lee’s arm and we head towards the fire. I need to find Gabby. If Drew and Sam succeed in their task, we have to be ready by sundown the day after tomorrow. We reach the fire and all eyes are immediately locked on us. No one speaks until an older woman stands and walks towards us.

  “We didn’t get a new group today,” she says matter of factly. “Where’d you come from?”

  I don’t say anything but Lee speaks up for both of us. “We were just brought here. They caught us outside the camp.” After nervous whispers, a man stands and points to Lee.

  “Listen to him talk. He’s not from England.” It’s almost an accusation. Lee backs away and pulls me with him.

  “Wait!” the older woman says. “Are you American?” When Lee doesn’t respond her eyes widen in wonder. I step between them.

  “He is, but I’m not.” I walk away, not wanting to waste time talking, but she grabs my arm.

  “I’m Amanda,” she says expectantly waiting to hear our names.

  I point to Lee, “He’s Lee and I’m Dawn.” As I say this I see that she is no longer looking at us. Across the camp yard, soldiers and flashlights have gathered around a box. It’s a wooden structure that looks almost like one of those outhouses I’ve seen in old pictures. It is on stilts and has a door in the front. This must be “the box” that my father was talking about.

  “Oh my, they’re letting her out,” Amanda whispers before heading off in that direction. Curious, we follow her.

  The soldiers open the door and out tumbles a person.

  “Oh my God!” Lee says, suddenly beside me. The soldiers spit and walk away. The length of her hair tells me this is probably a girl. She is lying in the dirt, not moving.

  “Do you think she’s dead?” I ask Lee.

  “I don’t know,” he says.

  As soon as the soldiers are out of sight Amanda rushes forward to help the girl. “Oh no, oh no,” she mutters repeatedly. She points to Lee. “You, come help me. Let’s get her to her hut.” We carry her in and lay her on a bed. Amanda begins wiping her face with a cloth, saying, “Come on darling, wake up.”

  As soon as the first layer of dirt is gone my breathing hitches in my throat. I drop to my knees beside the bed and brush the girl’s hair out of her face. “Gabby?” I whisper. I lean down so that my forehead is touching hers and then look up at Amanda. “Is she going to live?” The words break on their way past my lips.

  “How…” Amanda starts, but then realizing now is not the time, she just says, “You know her?” I nod. “She’s strong. I think she will be okay.” My heart is beating rapidly as I stare down at my sister. Lee comes and kneels beside me.

  “So, this is her,” he says.

  Chapter 44

  Gabby

  No no no…I have to keep going. I can’t stop now. I must be almost there. I am running, always running. Only this time, I can’t remember why or where to. I just keep my feet moving. Oh man, it’s so hot out here. I must be sweating buckets. That’ll be real attractive when I get there. That’s strange; I can’t think who is going to be there. It must be important though, for me to be running this fast. I love running. The wind in my hair and the scenery rushing by makes me feel invincible; like I can conquer the world. That’s daft. I'm a right prat. I’m not going to be conquering anything in my life, that’ll be my sister. She’s the smart one. How odd, I don’t know her name. Nothing seems familiar to me here except for the feel of my feet hitting the pavement. I feel like I’ve been running forever but I’m not even knackered yet. I think I’ll just keep going for a while longer. Strangely, though, my face feels cool, and I feel a hand in mine.

  Chapter 45

  Dawn

  It’s almost morning and I’m sitting next to Gabby’s bed. Holding her hand as she squirms, I keep expecting her eyes to just pop open. All this movement would sure wake me up. Her feet are kicking, her arms are twitching, and her breathing is coming fast. What has she been through?

  “She’s probably just dreaming,” Amanda says calmly. I don’t know this woman but having her around makes me feel better for some reason. I can tell she cares a great deal for my sister, but I find it strange that she is the only person in the entire camp that has come to check on Gabby. She has been here for over a month and she has always been good at making people like her.

  The escape needs to happen tomorrow at sun down and I am afraid that Gabby won’t wake in time. Then all of this will have been for nothing. She makes sounds in her sleep sometimes. Every time she mumbles something I snap to attention, thinking she is coming around. Every time I am disappointed.

  Amanda has not asked much about us. I haven’t even told her that Gabby is my sister. Depending on how well they knew each other, however, she may have guessed. This is a very smart and perceptive woman. Lee never says anything to her but, then again, I don’t get much out of him either. He doesn’t believe in idle wittering.

  Suddenly, screaming fills the room and Gabby’s head thrashes from side to side. I grab her and try to stop her but I don’t know what’s going on. When she finally stops screaming her eyes fly open.

  “Gabby, it’s okay. I’m here.” Slowly, she turns to look at me, confusion in her eyes.

  “Dawn?” she asks tentatively. Her voice is hoarse. Tears roll down my face as I look at my sister. This, right here, makes everything worth it.

  “It’s really me Gabs,” I manage to choke out. She reaches up and cups my cheek with her hand. The next thing she does surprises me. She slaps me!

  “What the hell are you doing here, are you daft?” Well, at least she’s found her voice. This is the sister that I know and love.

  “I came to get you out of here.” I don’t know why I even have to explain this to her. She would do the same for me. She tries to speak but has a fit of coughing. Lee hands her a cup of water which she quickly slurps down.

  “Dawn,” she raises her voice again, “you are such a prat. Why you can’t just do what you’re told? You should have stayed in London. This is no place for a girl like you.” Okay, I know she’s been through hell but I’m here for her and she’s mad? I don’t give her a response because frankly, I don’t think she deserves one. I’ve been trying to get to her for so long and now, after about a minute, she’s already pissed me off. Lee refills her cup.

  “Who the hell are you?” Gabby snaps at him, narked. He stops in his tracks and stands motionless, shocked by her rudeness.

  “Gabs, this is Lee. He’s the reason we were able to find you and he’s getting us out.”

  “So I can blame you for bringing my baby sister here?” Lee sets the water down next to Gabby and steps back.

  “Yeah and you can blame me for getting your ass out of here.” Lee doesn’t take crap from anybody.

  “Nope, can’t be done. I’ve tried.” Of course she has. That’s probably why she was in that box thing.

  “Gabby we can.” I grab
her hand. “We’ve got people on the outside.” Gabby tries to put up an argument but she just doesn’t have the strength, yet. “Rest up. You’re going to need your strength.”

  As she drifts back to sleep, I sit on the ground near the entrance and put my head in my hands. I don’t hear Amanda walk up so her voice makes me jump.

  “She awake?” she asks.

  “Yeah, awake and pigheaded. That’s my sister.” I lean back against the wall as Amanda enters the hut. I realize I never told Amanda who I was but she didn’t seem surprised that Gabby is my sister. That woman must see more than she lets on. After a few minutes, I follow her inside.

  Amanda is sitting by the bed, making Gabby eat something. I can tell they must be close by the way they are laughing and getting along. They both look up when I enter the room. Amanda smiles at me but there is mixed emotions in Gabby’s face. I sit next to her and grab her hand. I hold it to my heart. She takes my other hand and holds it to hers. It’s a sign our mother taught us a long time ago. Family comes first, the rest of the world be damned. If only my parents still followed that as well.

  Chapter 46

  Gabby

  “Your sister, Dawn, must love you a lot?” Amanda is sitting beside me on the bed, holding a plate of food for me to eat.

  “She shouldn’t have come.” I am so narked at Dawn. This entire time, the one thing that has kept me going is the knowledge that Dawn was safe back in London. The truth is that she’s been in the colonies almost as long as I have. Why does she have to be the hero? If anything happened to her because of me, I would never forgive myself or her for that matter.

  “She loves you.” I don’t know what Amanda is trying to do. She doesn’t know Dawn.

  “I hit her.” I am starting to feel really bad about this. The truth is that I am so happy to see my sister and it makes me feel guilty. She’s here because of me.

  “I think she’ll forgive you.” Of course she will, it’s Dawn. She’s forgiven me for a lot over the years. The real question is, will I forgive myself for her being here?

  “Who is that man with her?” I’m hoping Amanda has taken an interest in him. She can be very perceptive. I’ll bet Dawn never told her she was my sister.

  “He never says much. I think he’s American.” I don’t know what an American is but I don’t really care right now. They say we can get out. After what happened to Jeremy and then to me, I don’t know if it’s even worth it to try. I trust Dawn, but I don’t know Lee or these people they supposedly have on the outside. Before I can say anything else to Amanda, Dawn walks back in. She sits next to me and grabs my hand, placing it over her heart. I respond with the same gesture.

  Outside the moon has risen and the noises from the camp drift into my room. It feels strange for me to have Dawn here but I’m secretly glad for that as well. She isn’t the same Dawn I left in London. I don’t quite know what it is yet, but there is something very different about her.

  “Okay, sis, we need to be ready to move by tomorrow.” Dawn must be joking. I haven’t been able to get out of bed on my own yet.

  “I need more time to get my strength up.” Even one day would help.

  “There is no more time.” It’s Lee this time who speaks. “Our only chance is tomorrow at sundown.”

  “That can’t possibly be our only chance.” For the life of me I can’t warm to Lee. There is something about him that I can’t move past. Maybe it’s just the lack of words coming from his mouth. I tend to be a talker so I find that odd.

  “Gabby, Lee’s right.” Could Dawn possibly have made a friend? I was always telling her she needed to make some but she was more comfortable alone.

  “Well, what’s this grand plan of yours?” I direct this at Lee so my sarcasm doesn’t sting Dawn. It doesn’t work, though, because she’s the one who answers.

  “At sundown tomorrow our people on the outside will have the power to the fence shut off for about a minute. That’s our chance.”

  “And how are they going to do that?” Do they really think we can do this?

  “Don’t worry about it,” Lee says. He thinks he’s ended the conversation but he doesn’t really know me. This is not over.

  Chapter 47

  Gabby

  I can’t sleep anymore. I’ve been sleeping in that hot box for days. I get deja vu as I sit up in bed. It reminds me of when I first came here and was let out of that box. Amanda took care of me then too. So did Claire. I swing my feet around so they are on the ground and try to stand. The first time I put weight on my legs, I fall back onto the bed. I am more successful the second time. My legs are weak from the heat and the dehydration but Amanda has me drinking so much water that I need to pee every hour. All evening I’ve had to be held over a bucket to do my business. How embarrassing. I don’t want to wake anyone right now. Dawn and Lee are both crashing in here with me, making for very little walking room. I stumble around them and out the door.

  The farther I walk, the better my legs feel. I hope they’ll be up for the running that I expect us to have to do. It is late and all of the fires have been put out for the night. I know this place well enough now that I can find my way in the dark but I stumble over rocks and sticks on the ground. Each time, my legs wobble and threaten to give out from under me. I manage to avoid falling and keep going. I am relieved to see that the squaddies are no longer a constant presence here.

  I do my business and find my way back to my hut. I sit beside the door and lean back on my elbows. It really is a beautiful night. Looking up at the sky full of brilliant stars, I could almost forget where I was. A snore from inside the hut brings me back to reality. I chuckle as I head back in.

  Chapter 48

  Dawn

  There is a quiet snoring beside me. I look over at Lee and laugh silently to myself. I hadn’t noticed Lee snoring before now. It feels good to laugh even for a second. Today is the day we either accomplish what we’ve come so far to do or we probably die trying. Surprisingly enough, I’m not scared. Back in London I was the little chicken shite who was too afraid, too timid, to really live her life. It made everything so simple but I didn’t know what I was missing out on. Now, life grows more scary and complicated every day, but I wouldn’t go back to being the person that I was.

  It’s early, so I am the first one awake. I decide not to get up quite yet. After tonight, life is only going to get harder. We’re going to be on the run. I have no delusions about living happily ever after with my sister. I knew what I was getting myself into when I came here and she’s going to flip out when I tell her that our father is still alive but I can’t distract her now. Her anger could ruin our plans. And then there is Drew. It could get ugly.

  Gabby doesn’t know that Drew is here. I understand why Lee hasn’t mentioned it (he doesn’t know the history there) but why haven’t I? It’d make her happy that he came all this way. She would think it was all for her because he never told her about his brother. She’d never suspect he was here just to help me or that we might possible have feelings for each other. Drew has my feelings so twisted and confused that I can’t answer that. Of course he’d always choose Gabby over me. She’s, well, Gabby. I won’t even give him that choice though. I can’t put myself or Gabby through that. As always, I just have to bury whatever feelings I might have, for now.

  I need to do something to clear my head. I get up and go to the door. I hadn’t noticed that Gabby was already up but she is standing outside talking to Amanda. They both turn to me as I walk up.

  “Good morning Dawn,” Amanda says. I barely know this woman but she has this motherly quality that instantly makes you feel loved.

  “Hey sis! We’re just going over our plans.” Gabby in charge, as usual.

  “Are you coming with us?” I direct this to Amanda. Normally I might object to anyone else coming since we don’t have much time to get past the fence, but I can’t imagine leaving this woman behind.

  “Oh, dear me. I couldn’t imagine. I’d never make it out there.
Plus, I can’t leave all these people here.” Amanda looks shocked that I would even suggest her coming along. I am confused as to why they are discussing plans if she’s not coming. At the look on my face Gabby clarifies.

  “Nobody is going to work today. We just found out that the groves flooded last night and the bosses don’t want to deal with it.” I still don’t get it so she continues. “That means that lots of people are going to be around when we’re trying to pull our vanishing act. Amanda is going to help with that.”

  “Help with what exactly?”

  “We can’t trust any of them Dawn. Some of them have been here so long that they’ve turned into robots. Some git around here would surely turn us in. Amanda is going to make sure people are busy tonight.” I can tell Gabby doesn’t want to have to waste time explaining this to me. She has never had much patience but I have never really asked questions. I always just went along with anything she said.

  Chapter 49

  Dawn

  The rest of the day passes without incident. The entire camp seems to be buzzing with a nervous energy. I guess when you’re a slave, you don’t really know what to do when there’s no work to be done. The minutes tick by and we are all getting antsy. There is nothing worse than waiting. Our plans have been made, everyone knows what to do, and so now the only thing left is to sit here waiting for the sun to go down. No one talks much; there is nothing left to say. We’ve all said our goodbyes to Amanda and thanked her for everything. Before sunset, she will start the usual bonfire. This time, however, it’ll get going much earlier and hopefully draw more of a crowd. We need as many people as possible to be on that side of the camp.

  My mind keeps wandering back to Drew and Sam. We’ll be back with them tonight. It’s only been a few days, but so much has happened since we last saw them that it feels like it’s been way too long. I can tell Lee is anxious to be back with Sam and on the move again. After everything he lost to a camp like this, it must be killing him to be here. I had never considered how hard this probably is on him. He’s become so distant that half the time I forget he’s even here. I’ve been so grateful to have him with me that I fear I’m becoming selfish. I am still lost in my thoughts when Lee taps me on the shoulder.