Day Star: A Dystopian Romance by Ella Storm

Author:Ella Storm [Storm, Ella]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ella Storm Publishing
Published: 2020-05-20T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

He saw my panicked glance towards the door but I didn’t move. I wouldn’t be able to outrun him. A lengthy pause ensued while Maverick waited for my reaction.

Even though I dreaded the answer, I asked, “Why?”

“Because of the games you create.”

I frowned and looked up, puzzled. For a fleeting moment, I saw tenderness in his eyes and a trace of pity that he blinked away. It angered me. He had no idea who I was or what I had been through.

I raised my chin a notch and said in the iciest tone I could muster, “Explain yourself!”

A flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes. No doubt my change in attitude bewildered him. “Stephen had a lot of influence in the government and the military. When Battlefield Glory came out and took society by surprise, he was curious about all the hype, and wanted to find out why the government encouraged the middle and lower classes to become addicted to the game. Through his personal contacts in the army, he learned that the game transmitted subliminal messages to control the minds of the ninety-nine percent so they would accept their fate in life—”

“I never—”

These revelations choked me. That I had inadvertently helped to oppress the people revolted me. All this time, I believed my work brought some happiness because it helped people escape their dismal lives for a few hours. I wanted to lash out.

“We know.” He took my hand and gave a gentle squeeze. “As I was saying, after Stephen learned about the subliminal messages encoded in the game, he became curious about the designer. Which led to you—”

“Why?” I interrupted.

He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not sure why he was interested. His mind worked like an encyclopedia. He would collect information and file them in his memory. Often his interests were random subjects he found intriguing. His mind was peculiar in that sense.”

I saw the dry lump of pain he swallowed, and looked away. It was too familiar. He grieved the loss of his friend.

“When Stephen discovered that the prodigious designer was a sixteen-year-old orphan girl, living alone, and being taken advantage of by the military, he wanted to protect you and kept a distant eye on you. He never told me why he cared, but I guessed something about your plight reminded him of his own life. He supplemented your food rations to make sure you had enough to eat and put in a kind word with the police to keep watch on your property.”

It was all surreal. I didn’t want to believe him, but some things were starting to make sense. The chocolates and other small delicacies I’d sometimes find in my deliveries were always a joy. I just assumed my employers were thanking me for a job well done. And not once had I been robbed when it was a common occurrence for food packages to go missing during delivery week.

My emotions got the better of me. I blinked away a tear, angry at Stephen Fleming for taking pity on me and grateful that someone had looked out for me.

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