The Citizen (Sacrisvita Book 10) Read online

  THE CITIZEN

  SACRISVITA BOOK X

  Dylan Steel

  THE CITIZEN: SACRISVITA BOOK X

  Dylan Steel

  Heritage Publishing

  Copyright © 2017

  www.DylanSteel.com

  Cover design by Flappy Dog Designs.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places, and events are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  ALSO BY DYLAN STEEL

  1. BROKEN

  2. INJECTIONS

  3. INSTRUCTORS

  4. THE TRIP

  5. AN ACCIDENT

  6. BACKFIRE

  7. OFFERING

  8. AMOS

  9. THE ROOF

  10. TOURNAMENT

  11. THE REPLACEMENT

  12. THE MENTOR

  13. DISCONNECTED

  14. ERASED

  15. OFF-TOPIC

  16. PERSONAL INTERESTS

  17. GOODNIGHT

  18. GLITCHES

  19. CUT OFF

  20. CEREMONY

  21. ADULTS

  READ MORE BY DYLAN STEEL

  ALSO BY DYLAN STEEL

  Sacrisvita

  THE PRODIGY: A Sacrisvita Prequel

  (FREE and only available HERE.)

  THE INSTITUTION: Sacrisvita Book I

  THE ARCHIVES: Sacrisvita Book II

  THE RELIC: Sacrisvita Book III

  THE ESTATE: Sacrisvita Book IV

  THE VANISHED: Sacrisvita Book V

  THE CAPTIVE: Sacrisvita Book VI

  THE OUTCAST: Sacrisvita Book VII

  THE TRIALS: Sacrisvita Book VIII

  THE ROGUE: Sacrisvita Book IX

  THE CITIZEN: Sacrisvita Book X

  THE SURVIVOR: Sacrisvita Book XI

  ***

  Third Earth

  SLEEPER: A Third Earth Prequel

  (FREE and only available HERE.)

  ALONE: Third Earth Volume One

  ***

  For the most updated list of Dylan’s books, visit www.DylanSteel.com.

  Join Dylan’s Insiders Club to find out when her next book is out! Plus, get an exclusive prequel scene to Sacrisvita.

  1. BROKEN

  Thwack-thump-crunch.

  “Oh… no.” Everett’s eyes filled with a mixture of disbelief and horror as he looked at Sage. “I am so, so sorry.”

  Sage’s jaw hung open as she stared at the fractured bits of metal scattered in a messy circle around the leg of his chair. Rage welled up inside her. “I… It…”

  Everett bent over and started collecting pieces of the destroyed tech. “I’m really sorry. I-it was an accident.”

  “You’re sorry?” Sage hissed. Her nostrils flared. “Well, that magically fixes everything, doesn’t it?”

  The petite blonde instructor stopped pacing in front of her desk and cleared her throat. “Anything you two would care to share with the rest of the class?” She raised an eyebrow and craned her neck so that she could see to the back of the room.

  It took a tremendous effort for Sage to tear her gaze away from the floor and meet the instructor’s impassive gaze. “Not really,” she said through clenched teeth, “except Everett just murdered my databook.”

  He whipped his head around to face the instructor. “It was an accident, Ms. Zayer. I knocked it off the desk and—”

  Ms. Zayer held up a hand. “I don’t need all the details. Frankly, there isn’t time.”

  “But my databook is—”

  Ms. Zayer silenced Sage with a look. “You may procure a replacement for it from Mr. Messer after class. I’m sure he has loads sitting around.” She rolled her eyes. “In the meantime, you can share with your partner.”

  “My partner?” Sage frowned.

  “Yes, dear.” Ms. Zayer pursed her lips and nodded toward Everett, who looked even more mortified than before.

  Sage’s eyes widened. “But he just—can’t I switch?”

  “No. We’re about to break into groups. And I would appreciate it if you both reserved your talking for that portion of the hour.”

  Ms. Zayer turned her attention to the rest of the students. “If you’ll look around, you’ll notice your seats are already offset in twos. The person beside you will be your partner for the remainder of your time in this class. You’ll be working together for the rest of this period on the next assignment, which you will find outlined in your files. To clarify, talking is expected during this part.” She sighed and gave Sage and Everett a pointed look. “You may begin.”

  Sage’s heart sank. This was exactly why she tried so hard to get to class early—but no, not today. Today, she’d had to double back through the halls just to avoid Carnabel—she’d been an especially nasty version of herself ever since the expected pairings had been announced—and Sage had just barely managed to get to class without being late. Choosing a good seat hadn’t even been an option.

  Now, she was stuck with Everett, killer of her databook. Perfect.

  Ms. Zayer’s fingernails tapped the desk as she circled around behind it. She slid into her seat, disappearing from view as she added, “Oh, and the first individual assignment—that I’m sure you’ve all been diligently working on all period—is due tomorrow at the beginning of class. Late assignments will not be accepted.”

  Crossing her arms, Sage slumped back in her chair. She glared at Everett out of the corner of her eye. His face was red, and he seemed to be finding his databook utterly fascinating.

  “So what’s the assignment?” she muttered.

  “Uh…” Everett pulled himself together and flicked through the file, reading quickly. “A presentation. Ours is on the specific and implied rule of law regarding Chances within the System of Worth.”

  “What?” She blinked.

  “I think it’s…” he trailed off as he skimmed the assignment. “Looks like we have to talk about the specific rules surrounding Chances. When we’re supposed to strip them, when we’re not, when we can’t… Oh, and it looks like we’re supposed to go into exceptions and some of the history that played into the Quorum’s reasoning behind the whole system.” He fell silent, frowning as he continued reading the requirements.

  She groaned. “That’s gonna take forever.”

  He cringed and looked up from the screen, adding, “Reports start next week.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Unfortunately not.”

  “Well, does it say when ours is?”

  “Hang on… No. Just that any group can be called at any time.” He hesitated, an apologetic look scrawled across his face. “I should have some free time tonight. We can work on it then if you want.”

  “You mean after I redo today’s assignment?” Her eyes narrowed. “Sounds great,” she said dully.

  “Uh, yeah, I guess.” He shifted his weight awkwardly. “How far had you gotten on it?”

  “I was almost done,” she said coldly. “Only three questions left.”

  “I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

  “I know,” she grumbled, grinding her teeth. Just because it was an accident didn’t mean she couldn’t be irritated about it.

  Everett closed his mouth and studied the back of his hands. “We can work on both of them together. Maybe you can look over my answers and compare them with what you remember?”

  “Fine.” Her jaw was starting to ache from clenching it so hard. “How far have you gotten on it?”
/>   “Oh.” He licked his lips. “Pretty much the same as you.” He nodded. “Yeah. I’m sure I’ll have finished by the time you’re ready to go over it.”

  “Really?” Sage shot him a doubtful look.

  “Definitely.” He fidgeted in his chair, turning his attention back to his databook. “You know, this doesn’t look like it’ll be that hard. It’s just a lot of information to—”

  “Everett?”

  “Yeah?” He didn’t look up from the screen.

  “How far did you really get on the assignment?”

  He froze. “Huh?”

  “Eprah’s name.” She blew out a breath in exasperation. “Have you even started it? It’s like an hour of work.”

  “I know, I know.” He winced. “It’s just—I have another assignment due next period, and I didn’t have enough time to finish it last night since—”

  “Are you kidding me?” Sage rolled her eyes, shaking her head in disbelief. “You know what, it doesn’t matter. I’m sure I’ll remember most of my answers anyways. We should probably just stick to working on the presentation together.”

  “O-ok.” He paused, looking pained. “I really am sorry.”

  “Uh-huh, I got that.” She leaned forward, cradling her head in her hands. This was only the first week of school, and her newly-assigned partner was already behind in at least one of his other classes, so the odds weren’t great that he’d be devoting his full attention to this one. Also, he was a liability around her tech and had already forced her to redo an entire assignment. And she was stuck with him.

  This was going to be a long year.

  2. INJECTIONS

  “Ow!”

  “Stop being such a baby, Pippa. It’s just a little pinch.” Marnie stood a few feet away, shooting her an incredulous look.

  “Well, I don’t like it.” Pippa raised her chin defiantly.

  “Doesn’t really matter if you do, does it?” Marnie retorted. “May as well get used to it—it’s not like it’s going to go away any time soon.”

  “Whatever.” Pippa pouted and rubbed her arm as she turned and walked out the door.

  Sage gave her a wry grin as she left. She didn’t like this any more than Pippa did, but Marnie was right—there was nothing they could do about it, so she might as well just get used to it.

  “Next!”

  Sage stepped in front of the nurse. Turning to the side, she pulled up her sleeve. She sucked in a sharp breath as the nurse hastily ran a frigid sanitizing swab over her bare arm, and she looked away as the nurse jabbed a needle into her flesh.

  Of course, Pippa was right. It certainly didn’t feel good. Never did—at least, not in the few weeks she’d been getting the injections. But what was worse was the eerie sensation of the medical cocktail streaming into her body, worming its way inside her.

  It made her want to scratch her own skin off—not that she did, of course. It wouldn’t help anything. The only real positive thing about the whole situation was that she wouldn’t have to repeat this particular duty again for another week.

  Another cold swipe across her arm, and Sage was being rushed out the door to lunch. She clenched her jaw and stepped into the hall cautiously. The fertility injections always seemed to make her a little nauseous—all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball until the feeling passed. But after her first injection, she’d learned that the bland food from the cafeteria would help her stomach settle quickly, so she forced herself to move forward toward the promise of relief.

  Forcing herself to pick up the pace, Sage rounded a corner. Just a little farther, and she’d be on the way to feeling better.

  She stopped dead in her tracks, staring down the hall. She’d know the back of that head anywhere. Cosmo was standing just a few yards in front of her.

  Rox.

  Great. She’d been successfully dodging him ever since they’d learned that they weren’t going to be paired. Her stomach turned again, reminding her of its impatient need to be soothed—or else. This was not exactly the ideal time to break that streak of avoidance.

  Sage tiptoed backward with the best combination of speed and stealth that she could manage. Cosmo hadn’t noticed her yet, and with any luck, he still wouldn’t.

  She ducked behind the corner and sighed in relief, sure she’d slipped away unseen. Unfortunately, she’d have to take the long way to lunch today. Her stomach somersaulted disapprovingly, and she clenched her jaw shut a little tighter as she continued moving forward, this time along a slightly less direct route.

  Her thoughts wandered to the last time they’d been together—their perfect moment, ruined by the harsh reality of Eprah’s decision. Sage blinked back tears. Not the time, Indarra. Get a grip.

  She didn’t realize how distracted she was until she walked past an open door and smacked headfirst into someone who was leaving a classroom, giving herself an instant headache to go along with the rapidly growing nausea.

  “Arr-arrgh—Eprah’s name!”

  “Sorry,” Sage mumbled as she rubbed her head.

  Penelope stood in front of her, palm pressed against her forehead. “Didn’t expect to run into anyone here,” she joked feebly.

  “Ha-ha,” Sage replied in a dull voice.

  “That’s gonna leave a bump.” Penelope poked her brows and wiggled them gently, wincing at the motion.

  “I’m sure Drue will be happy to kiss it and make it better,” Sage said, gritting her teeth as she fought back the growing urge to empty her stomach.

  “Probably.” Penelope forgot the pain for a moment and grinned mischievously. “I’m sure your guy would do the same.”

  Sage chose to ignore the comment. “If I don’t get lunch soon, I’m gonna lose it,” she managed through clenched teeth.

  “Oh!” Penelope grabbed Sage’s arm and turned on her heel, marching them toward the cafeteria. “I totally forgot today was your injection.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Rox. That means mine’s tomorrow again already,” Penelope muttered under her breath. “I hate those things.”

  “You and me both,” Sage said.

  “I know. Everyone does.” Penelope snorted. “They say there’s no side effects, but…”

  “Yeah. I know. I get sick. You get this weird, crazy energy.” Sage wrinkled her nose. “I’d pick yours any day.”

  “It’s not that great when you have class right away afterward and you don’t want to get on your instructors’ bad side,” Penelope retorted.

  “I’m sure it’s awful,” Sage said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  Penelope rolled her eyes. “I’m not saying it’s worse. I’m just saying it’s not as great as it sounds, thank you very much.”

  Sage started to come back with a sardonic response but stopped as soon as the cafeteria came into view. A wave of relief washed over her, her stomach already starting to settle in anticipation of lunch. This year was the first time she’d been grateful for such boring food.

  “So have you guys talked?” Penelope picked up her tray, casting a sideways glance in her direction.

  “Who?” Sage bit her lip as she stared at the soup and crust of bread on her own tray, ignoring the look of expectancy her best friend was shooting her way. Perfect. This was exactly what she needed to take the edge off.

  “You know who,” Penelope said, lifting an eyebrow as she sank down into her seat. “You and Nic.”

  Sage ripped off a piece of bread and dunked it in her soup before shoving it in her mouth. “Why do we need to talk?” she asked between bites.

  “You’re kidding me, right?” Penelope frowned. “Have you guys even seen each other since final pairs were announced?”

  “Sure.” Sage swallowed. “I mean, not exactly one-on-one, but…”

  Penelope shook her head. “You can’t avoid it forever.”

  “I know.” Sage clenched her jaw. Her stomach was starting to feel better—before this conversation.

  “Looks like now is as good a time as any.”
<
br />   “What do…” Sage turned, following Penelope’s gaze over her shoulder. Her eyes widened. She whipped her head back around, catching the sly look on Penelope’s face. “Don’t you dare,” she hissed.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Penelope smiled sweetly.

  A tray clattered on the table beside Sage.

  “Hey.” A deep, masculine voice came from just over her shoulder.

  “Hey,” Sage said. She looked up at Nic, offering him a small smile, which he readily returned as he took a seat next to her. His arm brushed hers, sending eager chills tumbling down her body.

  “Hi, Nic.”

  “Penelope.” He nodded in her direction, only taking his eyes off Sage for the briefest moment.

  “Huh. Weird.” Penelope raised her voice. “I just remembered I have to finish up an assignment.”

  “You sure about that?” Sage’s eyes narrowed.

  “Um, yeah.” A knowing grin played at Penelope’s lips as she rose from the table. “Totally forgot. Guess I’ll see you guys later.”

  “Ok.” Nic waved, oblivious to the girls’ silent argument.

  “Penelope…” Sage glared at her, trying to make her feel guilty for ditching her, but it was too late—she’d already turned and walked away.

  “Guess it’s just you and me,” Nic said cautiously, trying to meet her eyes.

  “Uh-huh,” Sage mumbled, deliberately dragging her spoon through the soup.

  “Is everything ok?”

  “Yup.” She took a big bite of bread.

  “Are you sure?” Nic hesitated, poking at his food. “It seems like you’ve been avoiding me.”

  She nearly choked. “No.” Suppressing a cough, she added, “Why would I be?”

  “I’m not really sure.”

  “Well, there you go.” Sage shrugged, using the crust to sop up the last bits of her soup. “Classes have been crazy busy. And after my databook got smashed, I had to redo a bunch of assignments, so I got a little behind and needed to—”

  “Sage.”

  The tone in his voice stopped her mid-sentence.

  “Please look at me.”

  She bit her lip, forcing herself to lift her eyes.

  “I told you I wanted to be with you whether or not we were paired. And…” He frowned, trailing off. “Eprah’s name, Sage. We were paired.”