Awaken (The Awaken Series Book 1) (28 page)

Jasper rushed over to me, and I met him halfway. He cupped my face in his hands, pulling it to his. His lips moved against mine, demanding, loving, and most of all—relieved.
 

Click.

We pulled apart, and I caught sight of Tomlinson falling, lifeless, over Jasper’s shoulder. Jasper moved to shield me from the sight, but it was too late.
 

I had witnessed far too much death for one lifetime.

“Time to go,” Dr. Reynolds said. He stuck his silent pistol back in the pocket of his lab coat, lifting his glasses to rub his eyes.

Jasper and I slid into the second row of seats, never once breaking contact. We clung to each other like it was the only way we knew how to live. The thought of our lives ending on that road changed us; we would never be the same.

The car lurched forward, slamming my head back against my seat.

“He drives like you, Jasper,” I said, letting out a surprised burst of laughter. We sped down the road, and we finally caught sight of the opening in the wall ahead of us. “Dr. Reynolds?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you,” I said. I saw him nod in the rearview mirror, the corners of his mouth tipping upwards. After a moment of silence, my curiosity won me over. “So how did you know where we were?”

“One of the guards from the first shift contacted your father, asking him a question about the nature of his duties, and imagine his surprise when the guard mentioned how glad he was to be moved to the second shift rather than the first. That’s when he called me—your family had kept in contact with me since the procedure, and they trusted me.” He shrugged.

“Your father explained the situation to me. He said that you had no doubt run off to your boyfriend’s house, and that he feared you were planning an escape. He told me about the suspicions concerning your remembrance, and it didn’t take long for all the signs to add up. I hadn’t realized that they also called the first shift of guards and Tomlinson, alerting them to go to the new wall immediately. I asked Tomlinson if I could go along for the ride, and he agreed; I’m also highly respected among the Councilmen for my innovations in neuroscience technology. Tomlinson had no reason to doubt me,” he finished.

“We owe our lives to you,” Jasper said, his arm still around me. “I’m not sure if that debt can ever be repaid.”

“You helped me get out of Oportet and avenge the murder of my fiancée,” Dr. Reynolds said simply. “Consider yourselves no longer indebted.”

I swallowed. I knew that Jasper and I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for Dr. Reynolds and his silent pistol, but I hated that more death was our only option. I couldn’t say I felt incredibly guilty for the death of a murderer—who knew how many executions Tomlinson had ordered in his lifetime?

The opening for the gate grew bigger and bigger in the horizon until we sped through it. We must have been going at least eighty miles per hour.

The three of us cheered and yelled like maniacs. Jasper and I kissed. Dr. Reynolds hurled his silent pistol out the window. The storm was over; the skies were clearing.

By the time the sun disappeared behind the massive trees, Jasper had fallen sound asleep, his head resting on my shoulder as I watched the world speed by outside my window.

The moon was full and big, and the way it was sending light through my veins let me know that the hardest part of my life was over. It was finally time to discover that
something more
.

Dear Megan,

I just wanted to send you another update. I miss you. I keep thinking I see you around Portland, but it’s always just some other red-haired preteen.
 

It has been almost three years since I left you, and I have spent every day learning and growing. I did exactly what I said I would do. I found my purpose through traveling and writing. I always thought I would write fiction, like the stories Aunt May used to read us, but as it turns out, I suck at fiction.

So I wrote my story. I started at the beginning and wrote all the way through my escape. I learned to accept that my purpose was not to wake up those in Oportet, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t open the eyes of those on the Outside.

I don’t call them Outsiders anymore, and I don’t use the term “the Outside” unless I’m writing to you. Everyone is so different here. I like it…well, until the fighting breaks out. There is always someone feuding with someone else, through words or actions, it doesn’t really matter. Their differences tear them apart. It’s still better than being all the same, I suppose. I still don’t understand why it’s so hard to tolerate the differences. Maybe I have a different perspective—considering where I’ve come from and what I’ve been through.

Not everyone fights. People are starting to learn how to cooperate and live without a government, and that’s scary for them. Everyone was so used to their old methods of division, but I think they are finally learning the concept of unity.

All of
Jasper’s
our friends are really cool. I wish you could meet them.

I’ve started something, Megan. The
Outsider’s
people here are letting go of their fear. There was a protest in front of Oportet’s headquarters in Portland (where Outsiders apply to become citizens). There were people screaming into megaphones, reading excerpts from my book. Some handed out flyers and held up big signs. I had never seen anything like it before! The people here are so passionate when it comes to what they believe to be wrong. They aren’t afraid to speak out. Jasper says it wasn’t always like that. He says that just before the fall of the American government, protesting was essentially illegal. He said that if you protested against the powerful, you could be labeled a terrorist.

The people have learned how to stand up for themselves again. They have learned what it means to change people—to change themselves—when something isn’t right.
 

Jasper calls me a celebrity, which means I’m “adored by the masses,” as he puts it. He likes to exaggerate.

I heard that the number of people applying to become citizens of Oportet is down more than eighty percent since my book became a bestseller. So much for the Expansion Project, now there won’t be anyone to fill up the new space. Ha!

Jasper and I don’t care too much for the glory or fame, though. We’re happy just sharing our story. Jasper’s in a band now, did I tell you that? People love him. I guess you could call him a celebrity too!

We moved into an apartment in Portland. Jasper was right. I am a big-city girl. It’s nice to take a break from all of the traveling and settle in one spot for a while, you know?

Well, I guess that pretty much sums up our lives for now. I hope I see you again someday, Megan. I hope you learn how to speak out. I hope you find love. Love for what you do, and love for how you live.

I hope you change a life. It doesn’t matter if it’s just one. It doesn’t matter if all you do is change yourself. Maybe you already have.

I hope that you learn to think and act differently than the rest of them. I hope you make people look twice. I hope you make people think twice.

I hope that you reach high. I hope that you see yourself in others, and I hope that this makes you a kinder person.

I hope you don’t stop doing all of these things until you’re happy. I hope that you find what I did: the flame that ignites within you when you find out what it is that you love, the light that enters your eyes when you tell people about it, and the soaring feeling when you see something through to the end.

I hope you learn to feel, to experience, to try anything once—to stop and think before you speak or act—to question everything.
 

Above all, I hope that you learn to trust yourself.

I know that you’ve been told your whole life that trusting yourself and questioning things is dangerous. I know that you’re scared. I was once scared, too.

I hope you let go of that fear.
 

Be courageous.
 

Be spontaneous.
 

That is all I ask of you. I know it’s a lot.

I also know that this letter will be stashed away in the second drawer of my dresser with all the other letters.
 

Maybe you’ll get to read them one day.

With love,

Luna

Thank you for reading Awaken. To hear the minute I release a new book, sign up for my free newsletter at
http://maggiesunseri.com
.

I would like to first thank my supportive parents for helping me make my dream a reality. I never could've done this without them. To my mom I owe the most thanks, for not only has she been my biggest fan, she has also tirelessly edited, formatted and promoted my book. I need to offer thanks to my dad, who also read Awaken, and then read it again, to provide his edits and suggestions that greatly improved the story.

I also have my encouraging and inspiring teachers to thank. Mrs. Gibson and Mrs. Joyner, you have helped me improve and grow as a writer this year. You have also given me generous amounts of encouragement. To all of my other amazing teachers over the years, you as well deserve my gratitude for pushing me and helping me develop as a writer and a person.

A special thanks to all of the friends and family members who have ever encouraged me to pursue my dreams, no matter how crazy they seemed. Lelia Graf, you have been my best cheerleader through all of this. I am so thankful for someone who so avidly motivated me to get this story out there.

Finally, I'd like to throw a thank you out into the universe for every writer, poet, artist, musician, activist or anyone else who has ever influenced me. What you bring into this world inspires me, makes me think, and shapes my perception of our world. Ideas
can
change the world. Words
do
have power.

Awaken is Maggie Sunseri's first novel. She lives with her family in central Kentucky. Aside from her passion for reading and writing, Maggie enjoys documentaries, cooking and nutrition, and the practice of mindfulness. Her dystopian fiction stems from her interest in history, politics, and contemporary activism movements such as environmentalism, animal rights, and gender equality.

She would love to hear from you!

Maggie Sunseri

P.O. Box 1264

Versailles, KY
 
40383

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