Keira lay in bed, daylight had invaded any darkness left from the previous night. She had woken up from a dream that she was reunited with her team, that her people were safe and she was out of this house. She dreamt that Josh had got around to asking her to marry him and she happily agreed. For a moment when she woke up, she was torn between reality and what she wished was true. She did not know how much she cared about Josh until now, it is true that you do not know what you miss until it is gone. She had lay in bed for quite some time before standing up. She had to stay with a schedule to occupy her thoughts. She started with some sit-ups and then push-ups. She had limited space and missed being outside, to have the freedom even though their days consisted of training. She had become timid, nothing would happen if she gave in and settled for what Caleb had in mind. He was slowly grooming them, giving them the idea that they were safe and looked after. She knew better,
In days that came, she saw the Commander become more lenient. Keira had visited Sasha often and knew that even this little bit of freedom had a price. This was another tactic, and she wondered what the Commander was planning. Caleb was away on business, by business she knew it had everything to do with The Chosen. Under the careful watch of Jim, she and Sasha were sitting in the kitchen. It was the first time that they were given as much space, they were no longer a threat. Keira also did not want to hurt this community, they were peaceful. Sasha held the cup of tea close to her face. "I know our focus is the whole of Meraki, and I should want to escape but I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around this." She took a sip and slowly exhaled. "If this is the enemy, what do our allies look like?" Keira loved this kitchen, it reminded her of home. Although it looked nothing like their kitchen back home, it had a homey touch to it. It reminded her of countless convers
"Good morning Miss Summons." Caleb did not turn when she entered, instead, he was engrossed in a conversation with a man next to him. This time she went and sat in the chair herself. Behind her, she could hear Jim clear his throat. "Sorry," Caleb said cordially. "This is my brother, he is a General from my army." "Alexander, please to meet you." He walked around the desk and held out a hand to meet her. Although a General he seemed a lot more approachable than Caleb. She could see the resemblance. Where Caleb had clear blue eyes, Alexander had grey-blue eyes more or less the same shape. Both had long dark lashes and dark hair to compliment it. In size Alexander was taller and had broader shoulders, he was clean-shaven and his hair was cut short. "Pleased to meet you, under the circumstances." She returned the favor and shook his hand, he had big hands she noted. "She is not as bad as you made her out to be Caleb?" He turned his head to face Caleb and then looked back
"Good morning princess." Sasha hunched over Keira. "I brought you a cup of coffee." "Not you too." Keira rubbed her eyes and slid out from under the covers. "How did you get in my room?" She looked around. "Jim is not that bad once you get to know him." Sasha went to sit on the bed beside Keira and handed her a cup of coffee. Keira sat up straight and took a long sip of her coffee. "Wait, you get along with Jim? He mostly grunts at me or leaves snide remarks." "I had told you before that your temper will get you in trouble." Sasha gently patted Keira. "I also believe it has something to do with you not keeping busy daily. You had a routine, now you wake up and go about your day. You are bored and frustrated." "You at least have to take things a bit slow, that baby bump is growing by the day. You have no choice but to take it easy. You know I have always just been myself." Keira sighed. Sasha grinned. "They will get to know you with time, maybe with the added freedom yo
Nearly two months had passed since Keira and Sasha had landed on Meraki. Plans are still in motion to infiltrate Ouro but it takes time. Keira felt like she had a purpose again, having Alexander here from time to time opened doors for her. She had been to both battalions a couple of times to get a feel of their training and rules. Their army was massive. Most were based underground to evade any scouts. They also made use of massive trees, these giants were also turned into control rooms and lookouts. Because the vegetation was so dense they easily connected the trees with bridges. Although this method seemed outdated to most, it had kept them safe for a long time. The bases were a lot different from the communities. Their network was flawless, their people were disciplined and everyone was fully informed of what was expected of them. This only made her realize how small their tribe was compared to this. They also had à magnetic cloaking blanket for extra cover for Ouro
Keira woke up to a noise from outside her door. It is way too early, she thought to herself. She opened up the covers and slowly stood up. She grabbed the robe from the chair next to the bed and quickly ran to the door. Still half asleep, she knocked, but there was no answer. She put out her hand to the handle, since the last time she has not tried again. No surprise there, she thought. It was locked. She heard footsteps down the hall, all in a hurry. She banged against the door. "Hello?" She shouted. She heard loud voices coming closer, thank goodness she thought. The knob turned, and Jim's face appeared. "Yes, Miss Summons." He looked haggard and worried. "What is going on?" She demanded softly, looking at some of Caleb's close guards walking down the hall. "Go back to sleep. We can handle it," Jim said as he was about to close the door again. "Wait!" She pushed back open. "Maybe I can help?" She saw Alexander running down the hall dressed in gear. He was suited up. She was s
Keira lay low for a couple of minutes while deciding on her next move. Her glance ran over Caleb, he lay motionless in the corner. She had to come up with a plan quickly.“When will they come?” She heard the first man comment impatiently. The betrayer slowly lifted his head. “Stop asking the same question.” He sounded irritated. “Don’t you trust me?”“I don’t want to get caught. He has a huge army.” The man kicked his shoe in the dust.“How hard did you hit him over the head? He is not moving; he is useless to us dead!” The man in the uniform shouted.“Look you just told me to knock him out, and I did what you asked. I am going to check on Frank.” The man said turning around to leave the shelter.She pushed back further between the rocks, cautiously so they would not be alarmed. She held her breath when the man walked past just meters from her. She slowly let out a breath when he was out of her reach. Now was the time she thought, taking on one was better than two. Out of
Three days in bed has made her restless. Sasha had told her that Caleb had woken up, the hit on his head was not fatal. She would hate all their plans to go to waste if something happened to him. She was still in pain, but the pain medication had helped a lot. From inside her room, things seemed to have gone back to normal. From time to time, she listened in on the conversations that went on in the hallway. The past three days Sasha had to help her with even the smallest of things. She could not take a bath due to pain, and she could not fix the bandages on her back by herself. It was the first time she had to rely on someone this way.Caleb only entrusted a small amount of people in his house. It was evident that he had a target on his back, it was just sad that his people were also in on it. It just comes to show that you can’t trust anyone. She looked up as there was a knock on her door. “Miss Summons, are you awake?”She knew the voice all too well. “Yes, Jim.”Jim had
Keira woke up entangled in her hair. It was still dark out, she gasped as her fingers traveled over a body next to her. She cringed; Caleb will have a field day about this. She was certain she had put up her pillow tower the night before. She tried remembering the previous night; she remembered how Caleb had to take her home after the dinner and introduction to society. She had three glasses of champagne and it had hit her hard. She had never had champagne before, it was something that everyone knew of but nobody had laid their eyes on. She quickly removed her hand from Caleb’s bare chest. She was extra careful not to wake him up.“Don’t tell me you have never had champagne before.” She jumped when she heard his voice in the darkness. “I have not.” “I know, you had told me a couple of times last night.” He halted and moved around in the covers. “I must say, I rather like you when you are not stiff as a plank.” He was having fun with her and she hated it. Bits and pieces
There was a sense of excitement ruling the house. It was the day of her Welcoming party, dresses had been delivered early in the morning. Caleb had his fair share of suits, he told her that he would decide on a colour that matched the colour she was wearing. She had a hair and makeup appointment at three, that gave them enough time to be ready in time. She decided on a powder blue and white ombre dress with a mermaid tail. From the white one-shoulder top it gradually turned blue towards the bottom. The bottom part was decorated with teardrop crystals, and the top shoulder had a long sleeve trailing to the bottom. The top was decorated with the most beautiful silver needlework. As accessories, she had a thin crystal band, that was her headpiece. She did not want it to overshadow the dress.Caleb had left for the afternoon, giving her the freedom to get dressed. She walked over to let the hairdresser and makeup artist in. The ladies greeted cordially and as usual, did not make
You could hear a needle drop in the dining hall, it felt like everyone stopped breathing momentarily.Keira looked up to face her grandfather, she showed no fear. This room feared him. “Good evening grandfather.” She greeted sternly.“Join me in my study after dinner.”He did not smile, he did not welcome her. He just continued with his dinner, her eye caught Cassandra eating quietly next to him. Her grandmother seemed frail next to Zavier. Although he was old, he was intimidating. After what seemed like an eternity they had finished dinner in silence. “Follow me.” Her grandfather instructed her when dinner had finished.She quietly walked behind him through the dining hall, his office was situated in the West wing. The big door opened to a study, and a couple of books decorated the shelves. She supposed that they were not needed on Meraki. They were ornaments of a forgotten time, a time on Earth.She went to sit on the only chair available in front of the big steel desk. T
“You will be fine.” Caleb turned his back as he put on a white long-sleeve shirt.Keira caught a glimpse of his bare back; she was getting used to him. An old married couple, she thought. They surely bicker like an old couple.“My grandfather does not seem like a people person.” She responded worriedly.“He is not from what I remember, as I recall Cassandra has always been the attentive one between the two. I don’t think your grandmother ever recovered from losing your mother, she had always seemed like she was alone. You still need to meet your cousins, I wonder how they turned out.” He shrugged and took out a pair of pants from the drawer.“They are probably a breeze, I don’t think they will adapt to me coming into the picture.” Luckily for Keira, she will only meet them with her welcoming party. “Cassandra did say that she will speak to my grandfather regarding our engagement. I am sure she already did as you are coming to dinner.”“The West family dinners, I was part of that
“You have to be kidding me!” Keira said aloud.“Just go with it, your grandmother is already suspicious.” Caleb urged her.Caleb has been in her face ever since they had come to Ouro. Not that she could be any more uncomfortable.“There is no time,” Caleb said hastily.With a swift move, he had spun her around and pressed against the wall. This was an act she kept reminding herself of as his mouth pressed against hers. It was not a real kiss but it still left her frozen in position. “Giggle or do something.” He whispered under his breath.She let out a high-pitched giggle, her stomach churned. This was not good, she felt her whole existence crumble as she evaded his eyes. She knew what she would see, I do not approve of Miss Summons.She heard movement and looked up. She quickly pushed Caleb away as soon as she noticed Cassandra standing behind them. “Sorry.” She stated that she was genuinely humiliated.Caleb followed her lead and turned around, as if he felt her discomfort h
“I will take the bed thank you,” Keira said already making a run for it.“You know this is a super king-sized bed, a whole family can camp out here and invite their pets,” Caleb answered unbothered by her actions.“I do not know what type of sleeper you are, you might think you are catching culprits and wander off to my side of the bed.” Keira eyed the luxurious silk nightgown spread on the bed. Her fingers glided over the soft fabric.“Miss Summons I most definitely do not wander in my sleep. Also don’t worry, you are not my type if you were wondering.” Caleb said grabbing the men’s pyjamas from the bed and continuing to walk to the bathroom.They had just returned from the dining hall, and Keira had eaten things that she had never heard of before. They cross-pollinate a lot of fruit trees to get a lot of different varieties. Meraki also has a vast amount of fruits that only grow here. Her grandfather was in meetings and she had heard from Cassandra that he had to inform the cou
Keira held onto Caleb’s hand to the West Mansion. Ouro was divided into four sections, the working force was staying on the outline closest to the walls. A wall separated the working class from the upper-class families. These families were also employees of the Chosen, others had businesses and had shares in surrounding mines and farms. When moving more inward towards the middle of the city the terrain changed. There was a man-made mountain range that overlooked the city. The second level housed the founding families and the highest peak was allocated to the West family. Cable cars were the way of public transport all around. Farms and Mines were based outside of Ouro, everything worked on solar energy. Guards were stationed all around, everything seemed peaceful.The West family had a firm grip on the whole of Ouro, everything was laid out perfectly for them to have control over the people and all that happened around Ouro.Keira looked over at Caleb. He had been quiet the
Like a Giant, the City came into full view. It was unlike anything Keira had ever seen before. The walls had a mirror-like shine but were black in color. There were small observation posts around the wall that hosted guards to defend the city. Closer to the gates it became more busy. She was not used to this amount of traffic. Hoovers were all over, small, big, carriers then there was the odd contraption here and there. She was expecting way less than the picture in front of her.“Be calm, I can see you are overwhelmed. They are going to test you at the gate, I am going to ask that you go first. Hopefully, when they get your results they won’t be bothered with me.” Caleb looked out in front of him and she knew for him coming back here would be torture.The road towards the entrance had huge rows of trees and gardens, this reminded her of pictures she had seen of castles it was flamboyant like you were entering a different dimension. This was for the rich and they spared no ex
Keira had to say goodbye to Sasha once again. She had decided in the end that taking any more time would risk exposure. She did not want to put anyone else’s life in danger. “Are you ready for this?” Sasha asked Keira trying to hide the tears in her eyes.They were sitting next to each other in the living room. It started raining and it felt to Keira like the rain was a reflection of how she felt inside. Even though the clouds could express themselves, she had to keep her tears cropped up. Keira had to be strong. “Why are you crying? You know I will be back, I won’t be killed that easily.” Keira smiled at Sasha gently pressing her hand.“I know, it might just be pregnancy brain.” She smiled. “I also know that everything has led to this point, it is just sad that you are doing this with Caleb. Although I trust him now, you would never know what he is truly capable of. What do we know about Caleb, other than what we have heard?” She rubbed her finger over her lips. “I think i