Betrayed: Book Five of the State Series Read online

  Betrayed

  Book Five of The State Series

  M. J. Kaestli

  No portion of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or any other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except for brief quotations for reviews, or noncommercial uses and with proper and correct citation.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  https://mjkaestli.com/

  Copyright © 2020 M. J. Kaestli

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 978-1-9991850-1-5

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Books in The State Series

  Acknowledgements

  TRIGGER WARNING:

  This book contains some scenes which could be triggering to those who have been the victim of physical, physiological, or sexual abuse.

  Chapter 1

  6 Years Later

  Hope

  “Mommy, can we have a bedtime story?” Chastity asked, looking up from under her thick lashes.

  Hope smiled down at her precious little daughter. “I think Ursa needs to go home and hear a bedtime story from her mother.”

  “But she doesn’t tell them to me anymore,” Ursa whined, “she says I’m getting too old and I can go to sleep all by myself now.”

  “Yeah,” Chastity nodded excitedly, “she doesn’t get them, and she’s never heard yours. Her mom never told her about the princess on the surface. I bet you tell way better stories than her mom.”

  Hope hesitated. Naturally, her story of the princess on the surface wasn’t State-approved entertainment for children. She shouldn’t tell such stories to her own daughter, let alone someone else’s. She knew holding her tongue was the right thing to do, but she couldn’t. Chastity had to know where she came from, even if it didn’t resonate. Maybe if Ursa knew the story as well, she could someday help her realize that Hope’s stories had ulterior motives.

  “What story would you like me to tell?”

  “The surface princess,” Chastity piped up, her bright blue eyes twinkling.

  Ursa nodded eagerly. “Yeah, that one sounds so cool; I want to hear it.”

  Hope nodded to the girls, surrendering to their whimsical request. She sat on the sofa, one girl tucked in on either side of her. Ursa and Chastity listened intently until she got to the part about the Princess’ accident. “She opened her eyes. Through the fog of her helmet, the fair Princes Cecilia saw her true love for the first time.”

  Chastity gasped, wide-eyed, leaning her small body into her mother. “Her true love was outside the dome?”

  No matter how many times Chastity heard this story, she acted like it was her first. Hope smiled. “Yes. Her true love was outside, waiting to rescue her.”

  “Rescue her? How?” Ursa chimed in. “How did he get way out there? Wasn’t Cecilia driven out there by her guards?”

  “Why, yes, she was driven there.”

  “Then who drove her true love out there?” Ursa raised an eyebrow, peering through the curtain of her wavy locks.

  Hope bit her lower lip. “Ursa, let me tell the story all the way through. You are getting so hung up on every little detail. If you keep this up, I won’t be able to finish my story tonight.”

  She parked her hand on her hip. “But I don’t get to come over very often; you have to finish.”

  “Then perhaps you should stop interrupting me, and I’ll get to that part quicker!” Hope looked down at her while Ursa mulled the concept around. “Shall I continue?”

  “Oh yes, please! The next part is my favorite.” Chastity bounced on the sofa.

  “Well, Princess Cecilia looked at the man who was tapping her on the shoulder. She couldn’t see him very well, so she lifted off her helmet.”

  Ursa blurted, “But she can’t take her helmet off!”

  “I told you this story is good!”

  Hope paused, peering at Ursa before proceeding. “He helped her remove her helmet as he was not wearing a helmet himself. She looked at his face, initially thinking it was dirty, but soon discovered it was covered in hair.”

  “Why was his face hairy?” Ursa squinted. “That sounds gross.”

  “It wasn’t gross.” Hope smiled warmly. “He was quite handsome. His hair was golden and fell into shaggy waves around his face.”

  “Golden hair? That can’t be real. Nobody has hair like that.”

  “Well, Ursa, he did. You see, he wasn’t like anyone you’ve ever met before. He wasn’t born inside the dome.”

  Chastity gasped again.

  “He was from outside the dome?” Ursa gulped, “But how did he live?”

  “If you remember your history lessons, our people survived by going into a mountain during the war, before the dome was built. It wasn’t until after the war ended that we built the dome and moved here. This man was from a different group of people who also survived the war but did so by living underground.”

  “Then how did he find her?”

  Hope hesitated. “Ursa, this is nothing more than a story; it isn’t real. Do you want me to finish or not?”

  Ursa’s shoulders slumped. “Sorry.”

  “So, she took off her helmet and sat gazing at his ruggedly handsome face. His eyes were a shade of deep blue—”

  “Oh, I get it. You made up this story because Chastity has blue eyes—like she is the daughter of this handsome Prince and Princess. Are they going to be coupled and have a little Princess?”

  “I don’t get it.” Chastity looked confused, hurt almost.

  Hope realized sharing with Ursa was a mistake. She was far too invested in this story, which might lead her to share it with others. The last thing she wanted was for Ursa to tell her mother.

  Chastity must figure this out on her own. There could be repercussions for sharing this story with Ursa, for all three of us.

  The monitor on the wall flashed. Hope picked up her tablet to check the time. “Ursa, I do believe your mother wants you to go home.”

  Ursa jutted out her lower lip. “But I want to finish the story.”

  Hope grabbed her small button nose. “Another night, my dear
. It’s your bedtime.”

  Ursa stood, quickly leaned in and gave Hope a hug, and patted Chastity on the head. “I wish I could come over more often. I wish you could educate us, instead of my mom. She has never told me a made-up story before.”

  “Maybe she used to try, but you asked too many questions.” Hope poked her side tickling her, making Ursa jump and squeal. Ursa jumped a safe distance away, sneering, looking for more. Hope stood, refraining from taking another shot at her and placed her hand on Ursa’s shoulder. “Ursa, your mother has a job to do. She is supposed to teach you—both of you—what the State requires her to teach. If it were my job to teach you, I wouldn’t be telling you silly stories either.”

  Ursa huffed, wrinkling her nose. “I know.”

  “Chastity and you are both very lucky, thanks to your mother. If she hadn’t been willing to teach Chastity, you would have been alone all these years. That is what life is like for people who don’t have a sibling. Your mom would have to teach you exactly what she has been teaching you, but without Chastity.”

  A curt knock came at the door.

  Hope looked up, then back at Ursa. “Now we’ve done it.”

  She quickly spun around and opened the door to reveal, as expected, Ursa’s aggravated mother, Cora.

  “Hi. Sorry.” Hope tried to greet her warmly, while still appearing apologetic.

  “I’m sure it was little miss chatterbox, not you, causing the delay.” Cora raised a thin sharp eyebrow and looked at Ursa. “It’s bedtime, young lady.”

  Without another word, Ursa marched out the door, arms folded. Her little stomping feet created as much protesting noise as she could muster. Cora rolled her eyes and went back through the door.

  Hope turned back to Chastity. “It is your bedtime as well, my dear.”

  Chastity peeled herself off the sofa, dragging her feet into the bathroom. She performed her necessary nighttime rituals and crawled into bed. Hope was almost instantly at her side, ready to tuck her in.

  “Mommy, what did Ursa mean? Why did she say that about my eyes?”

  Hope smiled, jaw clenched. She made a mistake. Ursa was a little too bright, too perceptive. She should have saved the story for another night when Ursa wasn’t around, giving a lame attempt at something State approved.

  She’d underestimated Chastity’s excitement for the tale, or perhaps the story was too unique. The girls spent a considerable amount of time together, it was only natural Chastity would tell her everything—even something as trivial as a bedtime story.

  Hope knew if she told Chastity enough times, someday she would remember. And if she could remember, then maybe someday she would understand the truth. She had to ensure Chastity knew the story, her story, even if she had to pass it off as a fairytale.

  “Because you are special. When you go to school and meet more children, you will see how special your eyes truly are.”

  Chastity looked up at her with a wrinkled brow. “Is there something wrong with me?”

  “No, my love. You are perfect.” Hope brushed a piece of her hair off her face. “You are too young to understand genetics. Someday, you will understand something called a recessive gene and understand that there is nothing wrong with you. You are simply unique.”

  “Has anyone ever had eyes like mine before?”

  “Why yes, of course. Before the war, there were many people with blue eyes. When you get further along in your education, you will learn about them. They had blue eyes, light golden and copper hair, light skin. There just weren’t as many of them left after the great war and their traits disappeared over time. This just means that you are a descendant of one of those people.”

  “Huh?”

  Hope shook her head. “You are bright, my dear, but you are far too young for this conversation. I promise you, it will all make sense when you are older.”

  Chastity’s eyelids grew heavy. Her curious mind weighed down with the fog of sleep. Hope brushed her light brown hair from her face and kissed her cheek. She gazed at her, wondering what she would look like when she was older. Chastity definitely had her father’s eyes and full lips. What worried her was questioning what others would see. Would her fine, fair hair and skin draw too much attention to her? If she only had blue eyes, it wouldn’t concern her. The combination of her blue eyes and fair coloring would make Chastity stand out in a crowd.

  If she was already raising eyebrows, then having her sharing a story about the surface might put any suspicion over the edge. But if she didn’t tell Chastity the truth as a fairytale, would she ever get the chance before it was too late?

  Chapter 2

  Ursa

  “Mom, I’m bored.”

  Without looking up from her tablet, Cora replied. “Then finish your schoolwork.”

  Ursa huffed until she had expelled all possible air from her lungs. “I already did. And education time is over today. Chastity’s mom doesn’t make her do schoolwork at night.”

  Cora looked up at her with her sharp jaw firmly set. “Yes, well, Chastity is smarter than you are. She is ahead in her studies, doing so in the limited hours I have her. You, however, are running behind. You take longer to learn than she does—even though she is practically half your age.”

  Ursa flinched and looked down at the floor. “Are you saying I’m dumb?”

  Her mother shook her head. “Not at all. You spend more time daydreaming than you should, but you are average, perhaps you could be bright if you focused on your studies. I don’t think it’s your mind that’s the problem, just your focus. Chastity is special. Both of her parents were special, which is why her mom has a civil duty while I help raise Chastity.”

  Although her mother’s explanation made sense, it did nothing to comfort her wounded pride. Ursa had always known Chastity was rather clever, but as she was older, she always thought she held the upper hand.

  Chastity looked up to her as though she was her big sister; a role Ursa fulfilled with pride. She always knew her mother educating Chastity was a special circumstance, she just didn’t understand that those circumstances were because Hope was special, therefore, producing a special child.

  Her mother’s abrasive tone was adding to her misery. Ursa couldn’t tell if she was disappointed with her, or if she was resentful about watching after Chastity. Maybe it was both.

  Regardless, Ursa couldn’t help it if Chastity was smarter than she was. Her mother just said both of Chastity’s parents were special. The connection suddenly clicked in her mind. My mom isn’t special. She wants to be; she wants me to be, but we are both just average. That’s why she’s mad at me all the time.

  She lifted her chin. “I finished my schoolwork. Can I go and play at Chastity’s house now?”

  Her mother shook her head. “Why do you always want to play with someone younger than you? You are going to move away to begin your education soon. I worry you won’t know how to properly interact with your classmates.”

  “How is this different from other kids who have younger siblings?”

  Her mother pursed her lips. “The two of you would be closer in age, if you were blood siblings. Chastity is a sweet girl, but I think you need to learn to focus. If you can’t learn now, I don’t know when, or if, you ever will.”

  Ursa lifted her head higher. “Well, I guess leaving soon is an even better reason to go over tonight. I won’t get to see her anymore.”

  Her mother sighed. “I guess you can go. I don’t know why I bother. We will get notice any time now for you to be moved. I hope your instructors can get through that thick skull of yours better than I ever could.” She rose from the sofa and put the kettle on. “What do the two of you do together, anyhow? And what does Hope think about you going over there when she works so hard?”

  Ursa shrugged. “I don’t think she minds. Sometimes she even plays with us and tells us stories.”

  “Stories? What kind of stories?”

  Ursa smiled. “Oh, just silly stuff. Like last time, she was telling us abou
t Princess Cecilia and how she traveled outside the dome and met her handsome prince out there.”

  Her mother nearly dropped the kettle and spun around. “She’s telling stories about leaving the dome? That’s insane. Why would she do that?”

  Ursa rolled her eyes. “Mom, it’s just a story. It doesn’t mean anything.”

  Cora’s knuckles gripping the pot turned white. “I don’t agree. The State provides acceptable stories for parents to share with their children.”

  Ursa’s shoulders fell. “Mom, those stories are boring. It’s fun to hear something new. It’s just silly stuff. It’s just to make Chastity feel important because she has blue eyes and no one else does.”