Retaliation (The Assassins Book 1) Read online

  “I need you to take me to see Jonathan. I want some answers now!”

  “I’ll let you go, but only if you promise not to take a swing at me. I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I’m here to take you to General Blake, and he’ll answer all your questions. Now, I’ll release you, but only if you promise to be a good girl?”

  “Yes,” I replied, even though I really want to punch him in the face, or anyone at that moment. So many emotions are going through me at once, and I just need to hit something. It’s how I learned to deal with my feelings in the past, by punching a bag or boxing in the ring with Brina.

  “All right then, I’m letting go of you now.”

  He gently releases me, and I quickly move away from him.

  Sgt. Jensen nods his head in my direction. I can tell by his

  expression that he’s still a little leery of trusting me.

  “Please follow me, ma’am.”

  I follow Sgt. Jensen through a hallway and take notice that the structure seems to be made of steel. As I continue to follow him, I notice other rooms to the left and right. He can tell that I’m curious about the place.

  “Welcome to our humble home. This is where we live now. It’s where we eat and sleep when we aren’t out on a job. Unfortunately, that’s all I can tell you, until after you see the General.”

  The “General” I think. Well that “General” has a lot of explaining to do.

  Sgt. Jensen leads me down some metal staircases. I can’t help but notice how clean this place is, not a finger print on anything. He continues to lead me down one flight of stairs into what seems to be a common room or living room.

  As we walk through the room, I glance over to find three guys and one girl lounging around. They try their best not to look interested in what’s going on or who I am, but I can feel their sideways glances directed at me. I really want to stick my tongue out at them, but I think that would be childish. Of course at this moment I don’t care, so instead, I give them a middle finger salute as we pass, and smile to myself.

  We continue through the living room, and then make a right turn into another hallway. We finally stop in front of a door at the end of the hall. I look up and notice the nameplate reads General Blake. My heart feels like it slams into my chest. My palms are sweaty. What will I say to him? How will I react? Before I can even begin to form a plan on how to react, we’re being told to enter.

  As I begin to enter the room, I find that I’m having a hard time controlling my breathing. I gaze up to find Jonathan standing tall and rigid behind his desk. He looks unsure of himself and of what he should do next.

  After a few awkward moments, he clears his throat and asks me to have a seat. I can tell he’s trying to act calm and casual about this.

  So much for the epic reunion I thought we would have. I don’t know what I was expecting. Maybe a hello, good to see

  you, I missed you so much, let me explain why I let you think I was dead. No, instead I’m greeted by a calmness that makes my nerves stand on edge.

  I can’t take the tension between us anymore and I plop down in the chair across from his desk, still having trouble breathing, but not wanting him to know that.

  Two can play this game. I stick my chin defiantly in the air to show him that this situation doesn’t bother me either.

  Jonathan turns to the Sgt.

  “Sgt. Jensen, you’re dismissed.”

  Sgt. Jensen gives him a salute. As he sends a glance my may, I see a brief moment of sadness in his eyes before he turns and walks out the door leaving me to an unknown fate.

  There is another long uncomfortable pause between us. After a few more unbearable moments of silence, Jonathan finally decides to speak to me.

  “Clara, I’m sure you have so many questions for me.”

  I don’t even let him finish speaking before I’m out of my seat and in his face. I explode on him before he can blink.

  “You’re damn right I have questions for you. How dare you sit there with that self-righteous look on your face. How could you let me believe all this time that you were dead? I held you in my arms as you took your last breath. I watched in agony as they lowered your casket into the ground. I have mourned you for the past two years, and here I find you alive and well, living here, wherever this place is, and you don’t even look happy to see me.”

  My finger is poking him hard in the chest, but he doesn’t budge. His calmness in this situation only pisses me off that much more.

  Before I can stop myself, I slap him across the right check as hard as I can, as the tears begin to fall. God help me, I have a break down right then and there.

  He moves his hand out and reaches for me, but I slap it away because I can’t handle him touching me right now.

  “Don’t you dare touch me. You don’t ever get to touch me again.”

  I collapse onto the leather sofa drained from all the emotions, sobbing like a baby. I sob so hard, that I can’t seem

  to catch my breath. I don’t even look up when I hear him move a chair over to sit in front of me. I can tell he hesitates to reach out to me again, unsure of how I’ll react.

  “Clara, please look at me and let me explain. That’s all I ask of you. I’m not who you think I am.”

  I lift my face to stare into his eyes baffled by what he just said.

  “What the hell are you talking about? Not who I think you are. Do you think I’m so stupid that I wouldn’t recognize my own fiancé?”

  “I don’t think you’re stupid at all. It’s just that I’m not Jonathan. You talk about burying me and mourning me, but I did the same for you. Until today, I thought you were dead. You see I’ve met you before, but you’ve never formally met me. I buried my twin brother Jonathan two years ago, and then his fiancé, you, a month later. I’m Jackson Blake, Jonathan’s twin brother.

  4

  Six Years Earlier ~Casting Ceremony

  “Clara, sweetheart, you look absolutely breathtaking in that dress. I can’t believe my baby girl is sixteen. The years have gone by so quickly.”

  Clara gazed lovingly back at her mother’s reflection in the mirror. She had asked her mother to help her get ready for the casting ceremony.

  Now, as her mother stood over her brushing her hair, she could see tears forming in her eyes. She couldn’t stand to see her mother cry. The truth was that she had never seen her mother cry, so when she saw her mother’s eyes tear up, it broke her heart.

  “Don’t fuss over me mother, you know how much I hate it.”

  Clara had tried to sound stern, but her mother only smiled at her, knowing that her daughter was just teasing her.

  Her mother then sent a worried look back in her daughters direction.

  “Are you nervous at all about tonight?”

  “I don’t think I really have anything to be nervous about. I have done everything that the President has asked of me. I have been loyal to the government, I’m top of my class, I have followed all the rules, and I’ve never spoken one bad word against the President or the government.”

  Clara’s mother went back to lightly brushing her daughter’s hair as she continued their conversation.

  “It doesn’t always work that way sweetheart. I mean, it used to when President Caesar Valence first took over the government. Ever since his son Justice has taken over, the selecting officials have been experimenting with the selectees. To him, this is all a game. He likes nothing more than to play with people’s lives. I just want you to know that if you’re for some reason chosen to be moved to the middle or lower class, that I will do whatever it takes to protect you.”

  Clara was caught off guard by the direction the

  conversation was heading. She knew there was always a slim chance of being moved to another caste system, but she felt confident that she would be able to remain in the high class district with her parents. Her father after all, is a high ranking political figure within the government.

  Clara knew that thirty years ago there had b
een a War that had changed everything. What she didn’t know, was how the world had been before that war. Everyone was banned from talking or reading about it. It was considered to be high treason, a crime punishable by death, if the War or the way America had been before the War was mentioned without permission from the President, or a government official.

  Once, her mother had mumbled something under her breath about how different things were when she was a child, before the war, but her father had cut her off before Clara could make sense of the information she was hearing.

  Clara shook her head and decided to let all the worries fall from her mind. Today was to be considered a special day for her. After the casting ceremony, the selectees would be allowed to attend a ball in their honor.

  The day after the ball, each selectee would be sent to their chosen caste system. The ball is a chance for friends who were selected for another caste system to say a final goodbye. The rules were, that if you didn’t belong in the same caste system, you were forbidden to socialize with one another on a personal level. It’s only permitted to speak to one another if you’re speaking about business related activities.

  As Clara gracefully made her way downstairs, she found her father there waiting for her. She could tell that he was suspiciously trying to hide something behind his back. He held his hand out to help guide her down the last few stairs. He placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand.

  “Pumpkin, you look so beautiful. So very grown up.”

  Clara smiled and gently kissed her father on the cheek.

  “Thank you. I see that you’re trying to hide something behind your back? That wouldn’t happen to be a present for me would it?”

  Clara’s father laughed.

  “Of course it is sweetheart. I can’t seem to hide anything from you. I wanted you to have something special on your big night.”

  Clara’s father pulled a white rose corsage from behind his back. He then gently slipped the corsage onto her wrist.

  “Thank you. It’s so beautiful. I love it.”

  “I’m glad pumpkin. I’m so very proud of you and the young lady you’ve become. I know that without a doubt you will be selected to remain here with us. It’s where you belong.”

  Clara smiled lovingly at her father. If he said that everything would be all right, then she believed him.

  She watched as her father left her and walked over to place his arm around her mother’s waist. In that moment she thought everything was perfect, and that nothing could take away her happiness, but she would soon find out that she was wrong.

  5

  Six Years Earlier ~Casting Ceremony

  When they had finally reached the auditorium where the casting ceremony was to take place, Clara started to feel nervous. Her father kept reassuring her that there was nothing to worry about, that she would be chosen to remain in the upper class with them. However, with the way the President was acting lately, anything was possible.

  As Clara waited for the President to make an appearance, she started to fidget with her hands. Her mother noticed, and gently grabbed her hands to stop her.

  “Please sweetheart, don’t fidget. I can promise you that there is nothing to worry about.”

  Clara gave her mother a smile to let her know she was fine, but it was a fake smile that only masked what she was really feeling inside. There was just something about the President that gave her the creeps. When she visits her father at the Capital, the President stares at her with his cold menacing eyes. It’s as if he’s trying to communicate to her that he had plans for her. She knew she was just being paranoid, but she couldn’t help how she felt.

  Clara was about to comment to her mother about it when the second in command, Apollo, appeared on the stage. Nobody knew Apollo’s last name, as he simply went by Apollo. He was the President’s personal body guard, as well as his second in command. He was certainly not someone you would want to start a fight with.

  If Clara hadn’t been so nervous, she might have laughed at the tall and muscular Apollo who was now tightly squeezed into a suit, and looking very uncomfortable. Apollo didn’t smile as he stood up at the podium to address the crowd.

  “Welcome citizens of East America, and welcome selectees to the quarterly casting ceremony. Before we begin the ceremony, it’s customary to explain the reasoning behind this ceremony.”

  Clara sat up a little taller in her chair, and leaned forward. She had heard others whisper about what would happen on the night of her casting ceremony, but those who had been through it already flat out refused to answer her questions. Now, she would find out why.

  Apollo took a sip of water, paused for a dramatic effect, and then began his speech.

  “Young selectees, you know that you are all here tonight because you have recently reached your sixteenth birthday. Before we begin the casting ceremony, let me explain something very important to you. When you each entered the ceremony hall, you were asked to sign a piece of paper. That paper is a legal document stating that you are not allowed to speak of this night, and what happens here to anyone, except the family members, and friends who have already been through the ceremony. I’m sure that I do not have to remind you of the punishment for betraying the President’s trust.”

  Clara remembered the piece of paper, but she was not given time to read it, as her father had dragged her away in order to introduce her to a few new members of the government.

  Clara realized that her thoughts were starting to wonder as Apollo rambled on and on. She finally turned her attention back to what he was saying. She decided that she didn’t want to miss one thing he had to say.

  “Before Caesar Valence took over this country, the people of America were in upheaval. They were killing one other in the name of religion, for greed, because of race, sex, nationality, for money, drugs, and for many other greedy reasons on their part. At the time we had a President that was elected by the people. He was very much like our President today, except that he let America fall into chaos. He had no concern for the American people only what he could gain from running the country. Other countries around the world were starting to take notice, so they started to attack us, and our way of life. When war broke out on American soil, the President was not prepared. If it had not been for our current President’s father, Caesar Valence, God rest his soul, America would have fallen completely during the war. Caesar rallied America, and we fought back. Once the war was over, Caesar closed the borders, stopped all trade with foreign countries, and has brought

  America out of darkness and despair. You see, in the past, too many American’s became greedy, wanting more than they could afford, and living above their means. In order to remedy this, the caste system was put into place. This would ensure that those who were truly responsible, trustworthy, and showed loyalty to the government would receive the life they deserved.

  The caste system has worked for over twenty five years now, and will continue to work for generations after you. After Caesars death, his son Justice Valence replaced him as President, and with the help of the other selected leaders in North, South, and West America, he continues today to keep all of us safe.

  Tonight, each of you will be placed in one of the three caste systems according to the life you have led prior to this moment. You have nobody but yourself to thank, or blame for your placement. I don’t have to remind you that you are not allowed to interact with members of the different caste system on a personal level. You may interact for business purposes only. You must obtain permission from the President before you marry, and before you have children. Failure to obtain the approval of the President will result in severe punishment, and maybe even death. Now, before we begin the selections, let us invite President Valence to the stage to say a few words.”

  Clara watched as the President made his way to the center of the stage. She then noticed that his son Jules was not too far behind. She couldn’t stand either one of them. They both gave her the creeps whenever she was around them.

&nb
sp; As if Jules could read her mind, he turned to stare right at her. His eyes found hers. For one moment she wanted to show her defiant side by staring him down in return, until he stopped, but she knew she couldn’t push it, not until after the ceremony. Her only choice was to relent and turn her head away. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him smile that sick twisted smile that turned her blood cold. She decided to ignore him as she turned her attention back to the President.

  “Welcome selectees. It is always an honor to proceed over these ceremonies. After the placements have been read, you will join me in the ballroom for your last night together. Tomorrow, you each report to your selected caste system. Those of you who will be leaving your family, will be given your new family assignment tonight. Now, if the selectees

  would please join me on stage in alphabetical order of last name.”

  Clara wished her last name started with an A, just to get her selection over with. At least she wasn’t last, just somewhere in the middle. There were over forty selectees attending the ceremony this time. She knew that in other towns, there were similar ceremonies conducted by officials who were selected by the President. Because she lived in the capital, those who reached the age of sixteen, got to have their ceremony conducted by the President.

  Clara looked down the row of selectees, and made eye contact with her best friend Ava Williams. She felt bad that her friend would be one of the last ones to be called. She smiled at Ava, and Ava sent her a reassuring smile back. She felt confident that her best friend would also be selected to stay in the upper class.

  Just then, Clara’s attention was brought back to the ceremony taking place when a boy in her class, Braden Jacobs, was selected to be sent to the lower class. She could tell that Braden was in complete shock, as was she. She couldn’t think of a single thing that Braden had done that would warrant him being sent to the lower class.

  When it finally sank in to Braden himself, he became furious. He lunged for the President in a surprise move all the while pointing his finger and accusing him of messing with the system.