“I don’t like to be lumped in with the likes of Holt. He’s a tyrant. For what it’s worth, I was marrying Leisel to gain control of the Dome by becoming president. There are a lot of people who don’t like the way things are under his government. Unlike President Holt, we don’t think you’re very lucky down here at all. Things need to change.”
Reyes put on an expression of mock surprise. “You mean things should change for the better in the Pit? Isn’t that the same crap your fiancée fed Sunny? And look how much better off she is for it.”
Music filled the room, heralding President Holt’s announcement. A collective groan went through the crowd, but for the first time in my life, I was interested in what Holt had to say. By now he knew we had escaped.
“I bid you a good morning.” The president began his address in his usual tight-lipped manner. “The events of the past twenty-four hours have affected us all. My daughter’s wedding, which the entire Dome was anticipating with great excitement and happiness, has been the target of two malicious people intent on destroying the very fabric of our society. Jack Kenner, my daughter’s estranged fiancé, presented himself to me—and to every one of you—as a man who held great promise as the next president. I believe I speak on behalf of us all when I say my daughter’s marriage to him was supposed to be the very symbol of hope, progress, and success for the future of our society.
“Only her wedding day did not turn out to be the beginning of a bright future beside the man she loved. Instead, she was traumatized!” The president’s voice rose to a yell and his face turned red. I overheard a few people taking bets on when spit would fly out of his mouth. “Jack Kenner is a traitor! He tried to lead my Leisel down a path that would end in the destruction of our society, but she said no to him. My daughter is faithful to her people. She held the good of the people above her own love for her fiancé and above her own personal happiness, and that is why Jack Kenner inflicted pain and humiliation on her!” Holt was beginning to look a little crazed, and the spit was beginning to fly. I heard someone behind me being congratulated on winning the bet.
The president paused, trying to get himself under control. Then he looked directly into the camera. “Jack Kenner is a criminal, and he has escaped, with his new wife in tow. I want them found and brought before the tribunal to answer for their crimes of treason.”
His words caught the attention of the entire room. Everyone was sitting up and staring at the television with shocked expressions on their faces. A murmur went through the crowd, and I wanted to sink lower in my chair, but knew it would only draw attention to me. I glanced over at Jack, and his wide-eyed expression told me to stay calm.
“We have already made a preliminary search with no luck in finding them,” President Holt continued. “Therefore I appeal to all of you. Anyone with information leading to their arrest will be rewarded with four hundred credits. And anyone found hiding them will be considered a sympathizer to traitors and punished according to our laws. Death.”
The Presidential Seal flashed up on the screen, signalling the end of the address.
“Well, that’s it then,” Jack said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table.
I knew he was right. It was just a matter of time before someone recognized us and collected the reward. The reward was enough to ensure an urchin would never be homeless, even if he lost his job. I looked around the table. I didn’t think Reyes wanted to collect the reward, but maybe one of his friends?
“What do you mean ‘That’s it’?” Reyes asked. “She’s a hero down here—no one’s going to turn her in.” The murmuring among the crowd was getting louder, and Reyes had to raise his voice to be heard above it. I was getting concerned someone would overhear him.
“Reyes, he’s right, that’s a huge reward. I won’t blame anyone who takes advantage of it,” I said, resting my hand on his arm to quiet him.
“I’ll blame them!” Suddenly he was on his feet, climbing up on his chair. I couldn’t believe he was doing it with Jack and me sitting right there. He might as well just turn us in himself.
“Everyone! Listen to me!” he yelled above the din of the crowd. The guards stepped forward in response to Reyes’s yelling, but the room started to quiet down. In the distance I could hear noise coming from the levels above and below us.
Now that he had the room’s attention, he lowered his voice, but only slightly. “Sunny O’Donnell took on the president and his darling little daughter when no one else has ever had the guts to do it! The bourge treat us worse than their livestock! Our food is their leftovers!” He kicked his food container off the table, sending it skidding across the floor. “Our lives are devoted to making their lives better, and what do we get for it? They kill us for being late, they kill us for not having a job, and they kill us for turning thirty-five!”
He paused and looked around the room. All eyes were on him. A guard was speaking into his communicator. He was probably looking for backup.
“Yesterday, for the first time, we saw the bourge humiliated. We saw what pain does to them. And that pain was inflicted on them by one of us. Sunny O’Donnell is not a traitor! She’s a goddamn hero! And anyone who turns her in to the bourge for that measly offer of four hundred credits will have me to deal with!” Reyes pounded his first into his palm.
Someone started shouting “Sunny O’Donnell” over and over, creating a chorus that went up among the crowd. People began to stand, throwing their fists in the air. I couldn’t believe what was happening. How could they see me as a hero? Leisel was the one who humiliated me, not the other way around. She used me to frame Jack as a traitor, and I went along with her plan. I wasn’t a hero—I was a naïve and stupid girl who was duped by a master manipulator.
Jack stood and joined the crowd, putting his fist in the air calling out my name. He was looking at me with that wide-eyed expression again, willing me to do something. Then I realized I was the only one in the room still seated and not shouting out my name. I stood and put my fist in the air too, yelling “Sunny O’Donnell.” I felt so stupid. I knew we would be put on lockdown again.
Just as the thought entered my mind, armed guards came rushing into the room. I saw someone at the front of the room get the butt of a gun against the side of his face, knocking him to the floor. Another guard pointed his gun at the ceiling and pulled the trigger, and a loud bang reverberated through the room. I lowered my fist and gave everyone at our table a look that said, “Stop!” I did not want to be the cause of anyone being shot or hurt. Under my angry glare, Reyes stepped down off the chair and lowered his fist.
“Lockdown,” I said for Jack’s benefit.
“It won’t be for long,” he said.
“How would you know that?” Reyes asked.
“Because you were on lockdown all day yesterday. They need you to cook, clean, serve, work the mines and do all the things you do. When you don’t do them, life in the Dome comes to a halt. We’ll be off lockdown by lunch.”
As I listened to Jack, something inside me clicked, and I looked at him with new eyes. All along I had only thought of him as the famous bridegroom—as the man who would become president one day. But now I was seeing him in a whole new light. I flashed back to him at the wedding, dressed in the military uniform of a high-ranking officer. I remembered his comments about lockdowns to Bron—about how they were used to divide us. And he thought he knew when lockdown would be over.
It occurred to me that Jack possessed very valuable insight into the bourge and how they ran the Pit… insight that could come in handy if someone wanted to start a revolt.
Chapter Thirteen
We all hung back at our table as long as we could before we had to start moving toward the door.