Rebel Heart

Early summer, 2585

Victoria

She loved to come to the lake. Nowhere else on earth was so beautiful and cool. Sunlight shimmered on the water and played chase with the golden ripples that dipped behind the shadows cast by stately redwood trees, only to emerge a heartbeat later and begin its game once again. The trees surrounding the lake were ancient now, born before the two thousand year wars.

Perhaps it was her father who made this place seem special, who created the magic. He was wonderful and good. He cared deeply for his family and his friends. But more than that, he worked hard to uphold the laws of the cities and to bring understanding between the City Dwellers and the outsiders.

He had promised her, had obtained the passes needed to go outside the perimeter of the virus-free bubble that protected them. She had been so proud when he handed her the permit.

"Victoria, I'm giving you this for safe keeping," he'd told her. "Now, don't lose the pass. Without this little piece of paper both you and Vanessa will have to stay home and I'll be forced to swim alone."

But her father was a busy and important man. Minutes before they meant to depart for the lake, he was called away on something vital, matters of state that had to be taken care of immediately.

She and Vanessa watched him leave. Yet they had the treasured passes in hand. There was no reason Tori could think of that she and her twin should stay home. They left the sterile confines of the City to swim and play, just as they had planned.

Oh, and it was such a beautiful day. Vanessa's giggle slipped across the deep blue surface and seemed to dive beneath, as if following her twin in a careless display of frivolity. Nessa's dark blond curls broke the surface of the water. She shook her head. Droplets flew into the air then shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. They caught rainbows of light and melded with their source. Laughter rippled again.

Tori dove then quickly emerged from the mysterious depths; with strokes synchronized perfectly, they swam to the farthest point of land. Reaching shallow water, they waded ashore, oblivious to everything except the beauty of the day.

"I wish father had been here." Nessa's small breathy voice lost itself in the towering trees and thick foliage.

"He had important business." Something was about to happen. Tori sensed it--some sudden stillness in the air, something that warned her.

Nessa DeMontville cast an exasperated glance at her twin who moved past her toward a huge granite rock that loomed almost ten feet above the earth. Another boulder soared higher.

"He promised us, and it has been so long."

"Sometimes he doesn't have a choice." To Tori, the forest had suddenly turned quiet--too quiet.

"Are you sure it was alright for us to come without him?"

"We have the passes," Tori said, scarcely able to breathe.

Nessa shook her head. "Yes, but..."

"I rest my case." She crossed her arms in front of her.

"But father..."

Tori patted the rock next to her. "I promise as soon as we dry off, we'll go home. Come on, join me."

Nessa looked from her clothes to the sun-warmed rock. After a few seconds, her gaze drifted back to her sister. Nessa trembled, and Tori knew her sister was afraid.

"I suppose we'll have to sneak in through the tower window," Nessa said.

"Only because it's so much fun," Tori replied.

The tower she spoke of stood guard over Tower City, an ancient reminder of a time long past. It looked over a larger arm of the lake they now enjoyed. A small, hidden door located at the tower's base enabled the girls to escape the stifling confines of the City.

No one had the freedom to come and go from the City, as they pleased; no one except physicians. Since the last outbreak of the deadly signe virus, most travel was forbidden and permits were given only to a chosen few.

Tori lifted her face to the sun, intent on the precious moments she had left.

"I'm sorry Nessa, truly I am. If I'd realized you didn't want to go, I wouldn't have asked. Now that you're here, you have two choices; go up the ladder or walk through the gates. But then Father will know within minutes."

"So he will be angry?" Nessa asked.

"I don't know. Why did you agree to come with me?"

Nessa's head shot up. Her grey eyes clouded. "I couldn't let you go alone. What if something happened to you?"

Tori smiled tenderly then just as suddenly sobered. "You worry too much. Remember, we have passes and Father did approve this outing."

"But that's because he planned to be here."

Out of the corner of one eye, Tori watched her sister slip out of her swimsuit and struggle into her clothes. Nessa pulled on the form-fitting black body suit, wriggling to get into it. After that, she tugged at the bodice until the material flattened all her newly blossomed curves. Her dark blue tunic slithered over her head and rested an inch above her knees. Nessa buckled the wide silver belt she always wore before she buttoned the two remaining buttons, fastening them securely below her chin.

Nessa waited and tapped her foot impatiently. To Tori, it looked as if Nessa waited for her to climb from the rock and dress, but Tori didn't want to leave.

"Are you coming?" Nessa asked finally.

"Another minute. The sun feels so warm and..."

"Tori."

"What?"

Thunder boomed in the mountains far to the east and instantly the sky sizzled, turning the air sultry. Clouds billowed over the mountains and formed huge dark figures. The noise from the burgeoning summer storm eclipsed all other sounds.

Something awful was about to happen. Suddenly anxious to be home, Tori rose.

She slid off her sunny perch and scrambled into her clothes. Loose fitting breeches and a lightweight cotton shirt slipped over clean fresh skin, a sharp contrast to her sister's attire. She quickly tugged on her boots, hobbling on one foot then the other. When she finished, she straightened, brushing dusty hands on her pants.

"Race you to the cross roads." Tori started across the stream. One foot landed in the bubbling creek with a loud splash, the other landed squarely on the other side. The exhilaration left her breathless, and she gave no heed to the racket she caused, racing across the summer-dried forest.

A sharp cry pierced the woods. The scream was followed by the sharp report of a bullet. Both girls fell to the ground and froze. After several terrifying seconds passed without another shot, they raced for cover.

Lightning scorched across the sky. Rain threatened. Black clouds filled the horizon, blocking out the sun.

"Tori...what?"

"Hush!" she said sharply.

"But..." Nessa's voice whispered through the shrubbery.

A terrified cry sounded an alarm in the forest. Nessa huddled closer to her sister.

"Stay here. I'm going to see for myself." Guilt swept through Tori. She had caused this--her sister's fear. Nessa shouldn't be here.

Nessa stiffened. "No, I..."

"We can't stay huddled in fear. One of us has to go."

"Don't you dare leave me."

Tori studied her sister carefully. "Are you sure?"

After a hesitant nod from Nessa, Tori rose on all fours. She peeked over the decaying log they hid behind then looked back at her twin. Nessa's hands were clenched in tight little fists, and she had an unusually stubborn look about her, her chin slanting a little higher than usual.

"All's clear." Crouched low, Tori moved swiftly along a narrow winding trail toward the crossroads. Nessa followed. And despite her apparent fear, she managed to stay on Tori's heels.

Before she could warn Nessa, even before she could stop herself, Tori stumbled onto the road.

One man, dressed in the stately gold and purple robes of a councilman, an advisor of the City, stood with his back to her. Two other men, hands shackled behind them, stood in front of the Advisor.

Thieves.

Behind the thieves stood five thieftakers. The golden red emblem emblazoned on their uniforms designated them as such. Then Tori's gaze caught and held the eye of one of the thieftakers. He was younger than the other four, but she knew first-hand he was twice as deadly. Quentin Morray.

Tori felt the cool, arrogant stare down to the tips of her toes. She rubbed her arms in a futile attempt to ward off the cold that enveloped her. She'd known him for a long time, known him as long as she could remember. Every time they met, Morray made her skin crawl.

Tori put him from her mind, her attention riveted to the Advisor who slowly turned toward her. Too late, she realized who he was. Her body shuddered and her heart slammed against her chest.

The Advisor's fists held tight at his side and the scowl creasing his brow were the only indication of his anger. She watched horrified. Their eyes met for one second before she looked away thoroughly penitent. The forest was as silent as death itself. Then...

"Father," Tori choked on the words.

"Daddy," Nessa whispered softly.

Tori froze.

Yet it wasn't the fear that caused the sudden and deep chill sweeping through her, or her hatred of Morray. Nor was it the unexpected sight of her father that frightened Tori so very much. Even though his expression was hard and unrelenting, she'd seen that look before.

What terrified her were the thieftakers. One already prepared a hangman's rope for the thieves. It was a cold-blooded group she'd run across, and she knew her father was here with his one guard for the sole purpose of stopping the lynching.

The two thieves were barbarians, a hated group, reviled by most City Dwellers. The thieftakers were circling the thieves, pushing and shoving, taunting the men who had no means to defend themselves.

The thieves were helpless. Their only hope lay in Advisor DeMontville's ability to hold the angry thieftakers back, on his ability to negotiate. But now his attention was focused on her.

"What are you two doing here?" DeMontville's voice rose above the others. "Go to my glider. Now!" His harsh tone sent the girls scurrying.

Even as her father shouted his warning, the scene erupted in chaos and angry cursing. Tori stopped mid-stride and watched as a bolt of lightning hit a tree nearby, saw the swift flight of a knife, a glint of silver.

A roll of thunder drowned the terrible agonized scream. One of the thieves dropped to the ground, a knife protruding from his back.

"For the love of God. Go, now!" her father yelled again, but Tori froze to the spot. She could feel her sister's body tremble beside her. She stared at the thieftakers, sure Morray threw the knife. But she had not seen him do it.

"What is this? You murder a man without benefit of trial," her father called out as he turned his attention to the immediate problem. "I would have seen to them." He looked to the other prisoner who frantically dodged the thieftakers, desperate for his own life, his eyes wild with fear and hate. "Stop him!"

The thief stumbled. One man took Advisor DeMontville's command to heart.

A bullet was fired. The report echoed through the forest as the thief dropped to the ground, silent in death.