Weeks of healing for Rain, Adam, and Mist brought their bodies back to full strength, or close to it. For Mist, there would be no returning to the battlefield, not now that she knew she was pregnant. Rain and Adam both wanted to return to the ranks and help defeat the rest of the Mothers that were still fighting near the center of Michaelanburg. With every passing day, their ranks dropped, but as long as President Violet and her cabinet were still at large, the Quebecians would not back off.
Saying goodbye to Mist had been difficult, but Rain was also relieved that she no longer had to worry about the safety of her best friend. Fighting alongside the woman she loved most in the world and the man she wanted to marry had been weighty, and she was thankful at least one of those people was now out of harm’s way for good.
Rain had different roommates in
Being back in the air was a sensation Rain couldn’t quite get used to, but this mission was different. The first time she had flown, the flight had been long, and she’d been nervous for far more reasons than she was now. This time, she was on a small plane with a select group of soldiers who were being moved to the front to help complete a mission that was almost done. All eight of the soldiers on board the flight had recovered enough from their wounds during various other attacks that they could now go back into active duty. Rain was ready to storm the fort where President Violet was reportedly hiding, and she was glad to have Adam by her side, not only on the flight but also when they landed.It was loud inside of the plane, so no one could truly talk, and despite their relationship status, Rain didn’t dare touch Adam with her hand while they were in uniform and active. But the fact tha
Rain stepped inside the large circular room along with about thirty of her fellow soldiers from the Quebecian army. She glanced around at the faces of her fellow soldiers and saw the confusion and uncertainty on all of their faces. Adam was just a few people away from her. They caught eyes for a moment, but then Rain focused on the center of the room where President Violet was standing.All around her, large boxes marked as explosives were stacked on top of one another, the highest stacks coming about to her waist. She was a short woman, with short dark hair and a swath of purple in the front, sort of like Mother White’s stripe, though Rain had assumed that that was natural.Next to Violet was a pillar of some sort with what looked like a golden button on top. Wires from each of the boxes were wound around one another, creating one thick wire that was con
The view out the kitchen window was beautiful. Snow capped mountains in the distance, open fields full of green grass and brightly colored flowers in the foreground, with plenty of trees and bushes throughout. No matter how many days Rain stood in that room, doing what some might think as mundane tasks, like doing the dishes or cooking dinner, she would never, ever get tired of that view. To Rain Blue, that view meant freedom. “Mama! Come outside and play catch with us!” her daughter, Misty, shouted as she came flying through the backdoor. “Dad is gonna teach Wally how to throw a curveball!” “Oh, wow!” Rain said, drying her hands on a dishtowel as she turned to see her daughter’s bright red hair fly by on the other side of the table. Misty was a little blur and had been the entire four years of her life. Luckily, her cousin, Wally, who lived next door with hi
“We, the women of Michaelanburg, in order to create a perfect nation, where women are free to follow their dreams and correct the injustices of the past, do solemnly uphold the laws, beliefs, and sanctitude of the Motherhood. In all that we do, let us put our sisterhood above all else, standing shoulder to shoulder, pledging to sacrifice our individual needs for the betterment of Womankind.”The words to the national pledge were etched above the plasma screen at the front of the room, as they were in all classrooms. Rain’s eyes drifted upward, tracing over the message, as she simultaneously listened to Mother Swan’s lesson. She knew every word of the pledge, having learned it at age two, like all of the other women in the country, but something seemed different about it today. For some reason, her eyes were focused on one word--sacrifice. What had the Mothers meant when they’d included that word? Had it bee
Mist was in their shared room, her nose glued to her tablet, and Rain would’ve assumed she was studying for one of her classes if she didn’t know her friend better. Mist’s caramel blonde hair was down, flowing across her back, frizz setting in with the afternoon and Mist’s fingers constantly playing through it. Rain couldn’t help but smile at her as she watched from the doorway of the room the pair shared with two other girls. When they were twenty-five, in four years, they’d be able to move to their own quarters, on a higher floor, should they choose to. Or they could stay in shared accommodations, if they preferred. Most women decided to stay with the same pod until they reached Grand-Motherhood, unless they chose to marry, in which case they’d be given one of the apartments on the other side of the building where couples were given more privacy. While there were benefits to marriage, Rain didn’t think that was the route f
The girls passed a few other students on their way downstairs and out the back of the building, but the others were busy chatting about class and studies. It was just as well; Rain didn’t want anyone to notice the pair--not that she intended to do anything to get either of them into trouble, but the woods they were headed into were sort of off-limits. Not that anyone had ever told them specifically not to go there, but no one else ever did, and it was well-known nothing good could ever come of straying too far from the other women.Being an Agriculture student, Mist was naturally overly curious about the outdoors, so it made perfect sense she’d be drawn to the forested area. Despite her professors and the other Mothers encouraging the girls to let their curiosity be fulfilled through videos, books, and the carefully crafted learning centers available on campus, Mist had first began wandering through the woods they were headed to now when she
Birds twittered to each other in the nearby trees, leaping from branch to branch or fluttering through the air in search of food or companionship. Some of their songs were cheerful and bright while others were haunting, like the look in that construction worker’s eyes. Rain tried not to picture him, but the weight of Mist’s words had forced his image into her mind, and she couldn’t help but wonder what her friend had meant by what she’d stated earlier, that the man shouldn’t be blamed for whatever had brought him to that position in life. Who else was there that should be held accountable? Shouldn’t all men be held responsible for what they had done, collectively as a sex, to women throughout history?A twig snapped beneath her feet, bringing her back to the woods around her, and a squirrel darted across the path in front of Mist. The Mothers said wildlife was coming back in abundance now that so many girls were choosi
Rain managed to pull her eyes off of the unexpected entryway in the ground before her and meet Mist’s gaze. “A door?” she repeated. “Why would there be a door in the ground?”Mist shrugged but still answered. “I’m not sure. I opened it earlier and went a few steps inside, but it’s so dark, I didn’t want to go alone.” Her eyes flickered a few times before she added, “I’m not scared or anything. I just… didn’t want to get trapped down there.”A small smile pulled up one corner of Rain’s mouth. She knew her friend well enough to know she would be a little scared to go down there alone, as anyone would, but not terrified. “Do you want me to stay here and make sure the door stays open? Or keep an eye out for… anyone?”Before she even finished, Mist was shaking her head. “No, it’s okay. I don’