Claimed (16 page)

He let out a tired breath and then nodded.
“Fine. If that’s what you want.” He cupped her face with one hand, as if unwilling to leave her.

She shivered from the heat burning at her core. Her legs felt weak and wobb
ly. He knew exactly how to melt her.

He turned and walked quietly out the door, leaving her with an unbearable ache to fall back into his arms
again; where she belonged.

*****

He had to get away from the house; from Ellie. He had run far into the forest, his emotions sweeping over him wildly.

Ellie was right. He had messed up. In his blind attraction to her, he hadn’t thought things through clearly.
His kiss had only possessed him more to have her.

He panted wearily as he neared the house, a stream of sweat dripping down the side of his face. The morning sun bore into him, heating him and he reached for his water bottle as he continued to walk on toward the house.

Tara emerged from the corner of the house. “Hey,” she said, striding up to him.

“What are you doing up so early in the morning?” he asked, wiping the sweat off his face with the back of his shirt sleeves.

“Since when had we the luxury to sleep in so late?” she retorted with a grin.

“You can start now.”

“I don’t think I’d ever get the habit.”

He smiled. “I’m glad you came, Tara. This would have been hard without you. And besides, I’d always wanted to show
you what the forest was all about.”

She wound her hand around his arm. “You still haven’t, come to think of it. You go for your long runs but have never once taken me with you.”

He laughed. “Do you think you’d be able to keep up?”

“That’s not the point,” she growled.

“Well then, what is?” he teased.

She grew serious. “
Jared, what are you doing? Do you even know the hurt you’re causing Ellie?”

Jared frowned. “What are you talking about? Did she say something?”

“She didn’t need to. She’s a woman and so am I. I know what she’s going through.”

He fiddled with the mouth of his bottle. “I thought you were helping me.”

“I am,” she protested softly. “Jared, I wanted to give you a chance to live your fantasy and that’s why I came along. Because once we leave here, you’d be returning to real life. A life which will not be able to accommodate Ellie.”

“That’s not true. It’s possible to have both. I will prove I can have both.”

“And do you think it is fair on Ellie? Are you willing to risk her life and take her down the same treacherous road you will be travelling?”

His face darkened with anger. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“The trouble with you is you’re refusing to see things clearly.”

“Well then, explain it to me!” he growled. “What have I missed?”

“That Ellie can lead a peaceful and happy life. One that won’t be ridden with suspicion and deception. She is engaged to Edmund who can give her what you might never be able to do. Do you really want to drag her through all the turmoil that we’re preparing ourselves for? Jared, how do you think she is going to accept you when she discovers that you’re intending to bring down her father? Regardless of how we may feel about her family and friends, she loves them and will always remain loyal to them.  It’s an admirable quality but not what we need.”

“It’ll work out,” he muttered.

“No, it won’t. Don’t you get it? She is infatuated with what she’s seen of you so far. But she doesn’t know you, does she? That you’re a chimera and a rebel? To the country, you would be a terrorist. What greater threat can you give a woman who wants nothing more than to lead a quiet life? It’ll break her apart and if you have a family… God help that you can keep it together.”

“I need a shower,” he said quietly.

She grabbed his arm. “I love you, Jared. You’re the only brother I have and I do want the best for you. But I won’t stand by and watch you destroy Ellie’s life when she already has the best going for her. She’s got a good heart and she doesn’t deserve to have the life you’re destined for.”

He tried to brush past her, but she blocked his path way.

“She’s confused enough, Jared. If you love her, let her go.”

He played with Evelyn’s hair as they lay lazily before the fireplace. He knew exactly the impact his caresses were having on her because she was giggling shyly. From the corner of his eye, he watched Ellie glare at them randomly over her book.

“Your glass is empty,” he said. “I’ll get you another bottle.”

“You’d have to go down to the cellar,” Evelyn answered, slightly tipsy. “Don’t be late.”

He smiled and strode out of the room, acutely aware of the pair of eyes following his every move.

He had thought long into the morning about what Tara had said. She was right. He was stubborn. But she was also right about everything else. He had pursued Ellie in the false belief he could have her along with the future bestowed upon him. He had wanted to prove James wrong. And he thought he had. Hell, he had almost fooled himself into believing that it was possible. And last night, that kiss had made it seem that he was close to realizing his dreams.

He ran h
is hands through his hair. Damn- Tara did have a knack of ruining things for him. She had certainly managed to drum some sense into him despite his in-appreciation for it. But Ellie was already falling for him and the only way he could rectify his errors was to pretend he was no longer interested in her. Perhaps then she would return to Edmund and forget about him.

His plan seemed all too easy, but to play it
out before her and to watch her visibly agonize over his betrayal to her, tore him from the inside. He hadn’t known how much it would hurt him until he felt his heart clench from the pain.

“Some fine acting you’re doing,” Ellie remarked from behind him.

He didn’t turn. He had known she would follow him. He clutched tightly onto the sides of the cellar racks.

“You’re in the wrong business,” she continued. “You had me
successfully deceived last night and now, you’re doing an even better job with Lynnie. Is this how you normally win your women? Through unscrupulous tactics?”

He picked out a
wine bottle and turned to her suavely. “I’m only trying to have some fun. Something you should attempt once in a while instead of that seriousness you carry with you all day long.”

She fumed, walking closer to him. “You sure had me fooled from the very first day. I should have trusted my instincts. You’re the same weak, selfish bastard who dragged Tara out of her workplace. It was my fault for thinking you were only being protective.
”

He grasped the neck of the bottle tightly, restraining the words
from spilling out of him and shout at her that she was right. He
was
being protective. He wasn’t the low-life scum she was thinking he was now.  That he would always love her like he had done the first instant he had seen her.

He pushed past her quietly and headed towards the door.

“That’s it? You’re not going to defend yourself? You’re not going to say I am wrong? That there is some perfectly fucking good reason as to why you’re doing this? Why won’t you talk, damn-it?!” she screamed.

Because he had nothing to say.
There was nothing he could say to alleviate her pain. He walked out of the cellar, leaving her standing all alone behind him.

She stared after him, shocked with disbelief. How could anyone be so cruel?

She had resolved to crush her attraction to him but
he
had pursued her. He had relentlessly come after her to prove that it was he and not Edmund she should love. Each time,
she
had pushed him away. But then last night, when he had sealed her mouth with his kiss, she had known that she had tested her emotions to her brink; at a point too far to turn back and resume the normality she once enjoyed. She no longer could simply resign to marrying Edmund all the while knowing her heart belonged to Jared.

And she had woken this morning, excited to tell him that. Least had she known, that Jared had deceived her all along. He had been toying with her feelings, probably testing her loyalty to her fiancé. And she had failed miserably. Yes, she had lusted after another man while being betrothed to another. 
If she was Jared, she wouldn’t trust her either.

She paled as she fell to the floor. She had always mapped out her life. She knew exactly what she wanted out of it. She knew where she was going and what she wanted to do.
Edmund was that man who was supposed to fit into her plans. He was the perfect husband who was meant to support her and cheer her as she would race to make her dreams a reality. But then Jared had come along and thrown all her plans into chaos. For the first time in her life, she had discovered love and the man who was meant to love her back assumed she was a cheap, lying whore.

She laughed through her tears. She ha
d always thought she was clever. She had made plans of her future in the misbelief that they would work out excellently, being very careful in keeping account of any factors which might disrupt it. Her laughter broke into a soft sob. She was stupid. She was going to marry a man who cared very little for her. And she had fallen in love with another who cared even less.

*****

Edmund strolled into the kitchen and took a chair beside Liam.

“What’s up?” Liam asked as he poured him a drink.

“Ellie wants to return home tomorrow. She’s insisting upon it.”

Jared swiveled his drink quietly, his tension pulsating at his temples.

“Why? Did something happen?” Kayla asked concernedly.

“Nothing other than she isn’t feeling well. I wonder if the venison got to her. She has never been too keen on meat.”

“I should check on her,” Kayla said, making a move towards the door.

Jared stiffened. She was hurt and she needed time alone to heal her wounds.

“No, leave her be,” Edmund said, rubbing his forehead with the pad of his thumb. “Give her some time. She is awfully quiet and doesn’t want anyone about her just yet.”

“We should go then too,” Kayla said.

“No!” Evelyn protested. “Why should we have to go because she does? We’re having a wonderful time. I think we should stay the three days we had planned and leave the day after.”

“It isn’t right,” said Kayla. “Even if she doesn’t need us to leave, it’s good camaraderie. She is our friend, Evelyn.  It’s what we need to do.”

“I’m sure she would understand. I don’t see any reason why we need to leave,” Evelyn argued.

“Kayla’s right.
Besides the Vice-President’s arriving for the Sector dinner in two weeks. There are things we need to sort out such as the protestors building up at Central,” said Liam.

Jared perked his ears. When had protests begun in Central? How was it he never heard of them?

Edmund looked at Jared. “How much are you interested in politics, Jared?”

Jared shrugged uninterestedly.
“Only as much as it will take to knock me out when I need it.”

Edmund laughed. “Not much, I gather then.”

Jared smiled. “You’re in luck. The wine’s not doing me any good. So why don’t you give me a dose to put me to bed?” He gulped down his glass of wine. “What’s all this about protestors? I’ve never heard of any protests in Central.”

“It must have been after you left the neighborhood,” Edmund
remarked snidely. “A group of protestors calling themselves the Central Monologues took up march five days ago, demanding a rise in the minimum wage level for every employee in the Sector.”

“Which is ridiculous,” Liam shook his head. “We’re the most gracious sector of all of New America.
We pay a minimum of four dollars an hour while every other sector pays a dollar less. If we relent to their demands now, who knows what they would be protesting for next?”

“The Governor’s got a tight hold on this matter. He doesn’t want any needless issues rising before the
Veep’s visit so he’s suppressing the protest for the present.  But as soon as the dinner’s done with, he’s going to put an end to all these marches. It’s utterly embarrassing. No other Sector has had an uprising such as this in decades. It makes us feel inadequate and hopeless. Like we aren’t doing our jobs,” Edmund spat out in disgust.

Jared glanced over at Tara who didn’t blink upon hearing about the protests. She calmly
re-filled her glass, listening obediently to their conversation.

“
Why is the Veep visiting?” Jared asked as solemnly as he could, although his guts were writhing with rage. Did these people even know what it was like living on four dollars an hour?! The cost of this camping itself would have fed five families more than adequately. Their lavish gifts would have sufficiently financed the only debilitating school in the Sector.

“For the usual reason,” Edmund mumbled. “Assessing legislative decisions, analyzing the sector budget, and now
, most likely, investigating as to why a protest group such as the Central Monologues was allowed to emerge.”

“But if they’
re non-violent protests, why should they be stifled?” asked Jared.

“Are you kidding me?” Edmund retorted with disbelief.
“Because they will encourage more people to rise against the government, of course. We can’t afford to be the butt of every political joke in this country. We’d be the first Sector government to accommodate an uprising in five hundred years. And if we ever fall under such a predicament, we’d be taken over in the blink of an eye by the New American federal government. There is no knowing then if we will be allowed to keep our jobs. The movement has to be suppressed at all costs,” he added quietly.

“Laws on freedom of speech
were abolished a thousand years ago,” Liam explained. “Protests of such nature are rendered illegal. And since the abolishing of rights on the common man, we have been at peace longer than we ever have been in the history of human civilization.”

“They’re just trying to survive- like the rest of you…us,” Jared corrected in a low voice.

“And we’re doing the best to give them what they need,” Liam replied. “They are nothing more than an inappreciative lot! A thousand years ago, their descendants were homeless and begging on the streets.  The economy was at an all time low. Consumers had exhausted their credits, developers exhausted the lands. We were on the verge of losing every rainforest in the world. Species were dying. Every resource was being depleted. Ironically, except for the world human population. No, that grew and was virtually unstoppable. And with the addition of these so-called rights that people claim they should have, it brought the world to its knees. The accessibility of things like the phone and the internet gave people too much of a voice and the system started collapsing. There wasn’t any order. Governments began to fail to no surprise. There wasn’t any control. Until corporations took matters into their hands and began first with a silent culling of the human population.”

“Liam!” Kayla growled.

“Why hide it, Kayla? He is one of us now. If we don’t tell him, then Saunders will,” Liam scowled.

“The facts on the culling is secretive and is only known to established elites,” Evelyn explained quietly.

“How did it happen? The culling?” Jared asked, forcibly stamping down the bile rising from his gut.

Liam gulped down his drink. “Water,” he put simply.
“The basic necessity to retain life. Water was what was used to curb it.”

“How?”

“Since there was a possibility that bottled water would be tested, the bottles containing the water was manufactured with a chemical agent which triggered sterility and caused cancer upon ingestion. It was years of quiet effort and labor to cull the population with as much undue stress upon the people as possible. There were of course combined efforts from multi-national companies in the food industry including genetically modified foods, processed food, pesticide and fertilizing manufacturers. Diseases were introduced into the air and into farmed animals. Basically, corporations worldwide got on board because of the dire need to save the planet.”

“It sounds cruel,” Tara muttered.

Liam smirked. “So says the sensibilities of a woman. If it hadn’t been for the corporations, we would have
all
been doomed. The earth was already overpopulated as it was. There weren’t enough resources to cater for all those people.”

“I still don’t believe that those itself could have curbed the population. Wasn’t the population at
fifteen billion at its peak?” Jared said, frowning.

“You’re right,” Liam nodded. “We had the Great War in 2034, remember?”

“But that was to put an end to the Middle Eastern invasion of the world. Aleemadin, the so-called Muslim crusader was bent on purifying the world. Declaring that he was the next Saladin, he unified Arab countries to invade western countries and this sparked the Great War,” Jared recited as he had learnt in school several years ago. Suddenly, everything he had known didn’t seem to make any sense anymore.

Liam shook his head. “A lie fed to commoners. There was no
Aleemadin. Corporations were the instigators to the war. They dressed someone in an Arab garb and took pictures. They spread dissension between enemies and when the time was right, they provoked an invasion. Both sides, unaware to the other, were funded to continue the war lasting three years. In the meanwhile, those who could afford it lay in hiding in bunker cities hundreds of feet below the ground.”