Apprentice by Kristen Young

Author:Kristen Young
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Christian, Science Fiction, YA, Dystopian, Young Adult
ISBN: 9781621841395
Publisher: Enclave Escape
Published: 2020-10-13T05:00:00+00:00

19

Hater Recognition Signs: A Primer for the Young

4. Allegiance

Haters cannot ally themselves with the good and kind reign of the Love Collective.

Haters wish to tear down our peace and prosperity.

“You have to report her.” Sif is adamant as she kicks at a small patch of dirt at the side of the grassy field. In the distance, a group of Apprentices kicks a ball around, chasing each other away from the goals.

I shake my head. “No way.”

A shout from under a tree near the corner of the field draws my attention. Far away, Cam leaps from the pack, ball clasped to his chest. When he’s sprinted in front of the crowd, he turns toward us and waves the ball above his head, whooping in wild joy. Behind him, Rook sneaks up with stealthy steps. I open my mouth to call out, but it’s too late. Rook takes Cam down with a sudden thump, ripping the ball out of his hands and dancing over Cam’s collapsed form.

“But the love points you’ll get. I mean what she did crossed so many boundaries it isn’t funny,” Sif argues. “Locking you out of the classroom. She can’t get away with it.”

“If I report her, she’ll report me back. And those reports are more pain than I need right now.”

“You been reported?” Sif’s head snaps up and she gives me a sharp look, full of suspicion.

“False report. Long story.”

“I got time.” She shifts away from me ever so slightly, and a familiar old nausea grips my stomach. All of the sensations of that horrible day come rushing back to me like I am still there. The sterile office. The quiet hum of the ancient air conditioner on the wall. The triumphant grin on Fedge’s face as the Lovers marched me in.

“There were these three guys at Nursery Dorm who always had it in for me.”

“Why?”

“My memory, I guess. I made them look bad, so they wanted to put me in my place. Anyway, one day they decided to try and get me removed. So they made up some story about how I’d supposedly said Supreme Lover was a Hater, and—”

“Wha-at?” Sif gasps. “That’s the dumbest accusation I’ve ever heard!”

“I know. They weren’t very clever. But we still ended up in the Lover’s office for hours.” I stare off into the distance, fighting against the tide of unwanted memory.

“Now see here, Apprentice Flick,” Lover Zink says. “Lovers don’t make up accusations. You must have said something to make them think—”

“I didn’t say it, Lover Zink!” I wail. “I love Supreme Lover Midgate. I would never say . . . that!”

“What happened?” Sif asks.

“Huh?” I am still trapped in a fog of recollection.

“What happened to the accusation?”

My head clears. “Eventually the boys’ story fell apart. They couldn’t even agree on where I’d supposedly said this horrible thing or what I was doing at the time. Bez swore I said it on the drill fields, and Myk claimed I was in the dining hall, and Fedge. . . well anyway, the Lovers realized that they were making it all up, and they had to let me go.

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