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CHAPTER1
“Everyone, stay in your seats!” Shella’s sharp yet shaky voice drew Ansley’s attention to the other side of the dining hall. Shella was one of four dorm counselors here at Still Water Farm. “Director Ratan has an announcement to make.”
Tension banded Ansley’s stomach, obliterating her appetite, which hadn’t been that strong in the first place. Breakfast at Still Water Farm was usually an orderly, task-oriented event. The residents went through the line where they received a tray of calorie-dense items. They sat at large round tables and consumed the food as quickly as possible. After drinking lots of water, they headed off to perform the tasks assigned to them for the day. The entire process took less than twenty minutes. The residents were only allowed to linger and socialize during dinner, so sitting here waiting felt unnatural.
“Why aren’t you eating?” Eden asked. She sat beside Ansley and was the closest thing to a sister that Ansley had ever known. They’d been assigned to the same dormitory when they arrived on Black Bear Island, a small private island located near Sitka, Alaska. They’d lived here for the past fourteen years and had become inseparable.
“I can’t stop thinking about Jodi.” Ansley kept her voice down, not wanting to share her concerns with the other ten women at their table. “Why won’t the founders let anyone see her? They won’t even tell her dorm mates what’s happening to her.”
During dinner three nights ago, Jodi had a convulsive seizure, and no one had seen her since. Her condition was mysterious and concerning. However, Ansley didn’t think Jodi’s recovery justified the odd behavior of the founders. They’d been huddled in the corner of the dining room when Ansley and Eden had entered. They whispered urgently and made vague motions toward the forest and the sky. Something was wrong. Seriously wrong.
“Maybe Jodi’s condition has improved and Director Ratan wants everyone to stop worrying.” Eden was an optimist. She could find a glimmer of light in even the darkest situation.
It would be nice if that’s all Ratan wanted, but Ansley knew too many of the founders’ secrets to remain hopeful. The founders had reluctantly taken her into their confidence eight months ago when Mistress Neeva had been seriously injured. The roof on one of the dormitories had collapsed, trapping Mistress Neeva beneath the rubble. She’d been lucky to escape with her life, but she was left with multiple broken bones and a badly sprained back. Someone needed to take on Mistress Neeva’s duties until she was fully recovered and all of the other administrators had responsibilities of their own. Ansley had no idea why the founders had chosen her, but her unique perspective warned that this announcement was bigger than Jodi. It involved everyone.
Director Ratan strode to the front of the dining room a few minutes later. The other five founders lined up nearby. Director Ratan was the oldest and most intimidating of the founders, and the stress of his position was starting to show on his face. His skin looked weathered and his gray hair was nearly gone on top. He raised his hand palm out, signaling everyone to settle down.
“I have a lot to explain and it is going to be hard for you to understand, but you must believe that every word is true.” He paused, looking more uncertain than Ansley had ever seen him. “You are not orphans as we told you. You are fugitives from a distant star system. We brought you here to protect you from some very evil people. The specific reasons are complicated, so I will not get into them. What matters right now is that a hunting party from the Citadel has found us. At least we hope to God that the hunters are from the Citadel and not Torret or Pyron.”
Ansley knew that the Citadel was a training center for people with extraordinary abilities. Torret and Pyron were planets, but the other residents didn’t know any of that. Director Ratan was not doing a very good job of explaining things.
“The hunter ship has not yet contacted us, but they will likely be here within the hour,” Ratan blurted.
“Hunter ship?” someone called out. “What does that mean?”
“Why would anyone hunt us?” another said to their tablemates.
“We do not have enough time to arrange an evacuation,” Ratan told the room at large. “That leaves us two choices, surrender or fight.” He sounded and looked completely defeated. “We failed you completely. I am so very sorry.”
The room exploded with urgent questions and overlapping conversations. Mistress Neeva, the only founder Ansley trusted implicitly, moved to Ratan’s side and shouted over the den until everyone quieted down again. “The hunter ship will send down soldiers. We have weapons and this house is shielded, but our chances of success are slim. That is why we are leaving this choice up to you. Do we surrender or attempt to fight them off?”
“We are not giving up without a fight!” someone shouted.
“We can’t fight off trained soldiers,” one of her tablemates countered just as vehemently.
“What doyouthink we should do?” Eden called out. “Is resisting them a dangerous waste of time?”
Mistress Neeva cleared her throat and squared her shoulders. “It is not in my nature to surrender, but I do not think anyone should be forced to fight. If you want to fight, move to that side of the room.” She motioned to Ansley’s right, over by the massive fireplace.
About half of the residents stood up and moved to the area she’d indicated.
“The rest go with Mistress Jayne. She will explain what you need to do once the hunters arrive.”
Ansley and Eden both rose and looked at each other. They had not immediately joined the fighters, but this was their home, the only one either of them remembered.
“I want to fight,” Eden decided, though her gray-green eyes reflected her fear.
“Me too.”
They joined the fighters as Mistress Jayne led the other young women out of the dining room.
“Stay here,” Mistress Neeva said firmly. “We need to retrieve the weapons.”
“Block all the doors and create a circular barricade in the middle of the room,” Director Ratan advised. “That way you can shoot at the soldiers while protecting each other’s backs.”
Tension gripped Ansley’s belly and her heartbeat thudded in her ears. Why had Ratan said, “You can shoot at the soldiers,” and not “We can shoot at the soldiers”? According to her research, they had fled their home world to avoid becoming weapons. This felt wrong. Everything about it felt wrong.
The fighters sprang into action, turning tables onto their sides and shoving furniture in front of the doors.
