Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 68870 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68870 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
He places a soft kiss on my shoulder before pulling his fingers out and licking them clean.
“You’re not affiliated with the Insurgence. I am the Insurgence, and you belong to me. You’re entangled in all of this, and you can’t go back now.”
I know he’s right. A part of me will always belong to him and I can never deny that. He’s been a part of who I am since I was a young girl. And now he’s a part of it until my last breath. I need to come to terms with how far I’m willing to go for the cause. For him. I have a feeling I will do anything. I may not call myself an Insurgent, but I still do things that break the rules, like providing medical help on my side of the wall, using the skills they taught me to help non-elites.
“Your class isn’t the first of its kind being taught on the other side of the wall. Anything the Regime has made illegal has been going on for decades underground, with a vengeance. They pop up here and there, then we shut them down when we’re close to getting caught. People on the other side desire these things. In return for these classes, they need to give us much-needed supplies that only they can obtain. It’s an easy trade, and a way to get goods without stealing them. Or fighting for them.”
“A peaceful way,” I say, and he nods.
When we go back upstairs Owen says to prepare for twelve people in my yoga class tomorrow.
“Go to go the abandoned wing of the hospital, past the old morgue, and set up your class in that room. The supplies will be waiting there for you.”
“How do I explain what’s happening if I get asked? What do I say about why I arrived at work early and I’m wandering around the abandoned area of the hospital?”
“That part is up to you. I supply you with materials, the Librarian puts the word out about class, and you come up with a reason. If anyone could come up with one, it’s you. You know the hospital,” he says. I can tell from his eyes he trusts that I can do this.
He pulls me into his arms and takes me straight to bed, where he keeps me until the last possible second. I can’t complain, though, because my mouth is busy.
Chapter Ten
Minnie
Six weeks later…
Every Friday morning, I wake up a few hours earlier than normal, making love with Owen until it’s time for me to head to the checkpoint alone. I told the other workers I was meeting with a wedding planner before work. Everyone knows that I’m being forced to marry soon and they have never questioned the lie.
At the hospital, I change into exercise clothes, put in my earphones and pretend I’m going on a brisk walk through the hospital halls. It’s an enormous and busy place. In the early morning hours, it’s not unusual for people to walk the halls for exercise.
I move out of range of the security cameras and make my way to the abandoned area of the hospital, past the old empty morgue, and into the small dark room where all the material is kept. Mats, blocks, bolsters, straps, icons, and even an essential oil diffuser to set the mood are waiting for me. There’s no music, but I prefer it that way. Instead I talk and educate the elites who come down to take the forbidden class. I tell them about the other side of the wall and what’s really happening. What life is like on the other side.
Within a month, my class grows from a dozen to nearly two dozen. It’s a bigger crowd than I’m comfortable teaching, but I enjoy the interaction with others.
On Friday and Saturday evenings following my shifts, I go to my dorm room and look out the window. I can always spot Owen’s lamp, which continues to signal me in the dark. I flicker the light in my room off and on, one time, to signal to him that all is well.
But it isn’t all well. Although I enjoy leading the group of curious elites through meditative poses and planting the seeds of compassion and rebellion, I hate being away from Owen. I know what I’m doing is needed, but I’m being selfish.
Knowing how hard it is for Owen doesn’t help either.
Every Friday I have to peel his arms from around me. Every time it breaks my heart. He hates when he can't have eyes on me. I know he has friends on the other side that keep watch on me so it can give him some sort of peace. But the distance we keep between us is tearing us both apart.
On Sunday night following my last shift, I rush back to Owen. We fuck like animals out of sheer relief that we’re both okay and alive. When we eventually make our way back to his bedroom, we collapse on the bed and don’t leave for hours, just so we can stay naked and close as long as possible.