The Unspoken: Book One in the Keres Trilogy by Waller A. E

Author:Waller, A. E. [Waller, A. E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: magic, girl adventure, Fantasy, dytopian fiction, action adventure, friendship
Published: 2015-06-01T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Merit’s hand flinches in mine and I hear Doe breathe in sharply through her nose. Harc has been caught.

“Children,” The Mother continues, openly weeping now though we can all see on the large television screens setup on either side of the stage that her eyes and handkerchief remain dry. “Theft is the greatest of all misdeeds, worse even than disobedience. It embodies deception, defiance, carelessness, and moral depravity. Don’t worry, children, we will find the culprit. Be not afraid, your Mothers will protect you.”

I exhale slowly. They don’t yet know it’s Harc.

“We must flush them out. Make them understand their wicked actions have brought suffering to everyone in Chelon. To help the sad wrongdoer see how their misdeeds have impacted all of the children of Chelon, all meal rations will be cut in half, and activities on the Quad will be suspended. Instead of enjoying your free hours after dinner each night, a Play Group will be selected to set an example of public learning. Every day the thief chooses to stay silent will increase the consequences tenfold. PG3420, come forward.” As The Mother calls this Play Group, I can feel Harc lean forward as if to go with them. Wex catches the back of her shirt and whispers something in her ear.

They strap PG3420 into strange spiral hooks that hoist them up over golden pyramids on the stage. They hang suspended, straddling the razor sharp pyramid peaks, unable to move without the apexes cutting into their upper thighs. Everyone in the Quad stands transfixed, unable to look away. Merit and Wex both keep a strong hold on Harc’s arms, whispering urgently and quietly through unmoving lips.

“We have no way of knowing if it was you.”

“The Mother purposefully didn’t say what was taken, or from where, to draw out everyone who might be guilty.”

“You will jeopardize everything.”

“Just keep still.”

Doe sways a little when the first of the blood begins to stream down the pants leg of the man hanging over the far right pyramid. I slip my arm under hers to support her. Somewhere to my right a woman is sobbing uncontrollably. I hear Play Groups of the smaller children whimpering, clutching to Mothers’ tunics and aprons, burying their faces in the folds. Fury builds up inside me with every anguished noise I hear.

There is a slight scuffle behind us, as a boy pulls on a girl’s hand to hold her back. When I turn my head to look, her flashing green eyes meet mine for a split second and I am forcibly reminded of a wildcat we once saw trapped in the metal jaw traps that Fauna Management sets around the fields. The girl is savage with fear and anger and determination. She is in the same year as PG3456- I recognize her from the Oath of Service. I try to remember her line assignment. Keepers maybe?

“I did it, it was me!” she screams out, and the boy flings her hand away from him in disgust.

The crowd turns and moves away from her as she makes her way to the stage.

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