Species Traitor: A Science Fiction Dystopian Novel by Kate Mary (universal ebook reader .TXT) 📗

horrifying reality I knew would greet me when I finally opened my eyes.

My body wouldn’t obey, though, and soon not only was I fully awake, but I was also completely aware of the throbbing pain on my neck. My eyes were still closed when I reached up, and I let out a hiss when my fingertips brushed the scorched flesh.

A hand closed over mine. “Don’t touch it.”

“Ione,” I managed to mumble, recognizing my cousin’s voice.

My eyes fluttered open to find her hovering over me, her expression twisted with worry. I looked past her and saw other people—all of them human—milling around. I was back inside the stadium, I realized. I didn’t remember being brought here, but that wasn’t much of a surprise. With the way my head was pounding, I had a feeling I’d been out for a while.

“What’s going on?” the words had just come out when another scream ripped through the air.

Ione frowned, her lips pressed together as she pulled her dark hair away from her neck. “They’re branding everyone.”

I stared at the red, swollen mark on her neck, speechless.

It consisted of two letters just under her left ear, and despite the angry red color, it was almost pretty. The T was plain, but the S elegant and decorative, and the two letters were intertwined like they were one character instead of two. I knew what they stood for. Species traitor. It was what we were, after all. But why had the mayor bothered making it so pretty? It seemed at odds with her intent, which was to punish us.

“I’m sorry.” I started to reach up to touch the brand but stopped myself.

That was when I realized my hands were now free.

Like I’d thought, my wrists were raw and sliced in several places from the plastic they’d bound me with. I hadn’t noticed the pain at first, too focused on my throbbing neck and my cousin, but I was now very aware of the aching cuts. It would scar for sure, but it wouldn’t be the worst thing I’d endured today.

“You got the worst of it,” Ione said. “Dean held the iron against your neck until you passed out. For the rest of us, it was a pretty short process, although not painless.” My cousin winced. “It will heal, and I don’t care. They can do whatever they want as long they let me go home to Rye.”

My gaze moved to her stomach.

“We’ll be home before we know it,” I said.

“Let’s hope so.”

Another scream made me shift, and Ione grabbed my arm when I moved to sit. Once up, I was able to get a good look around. Like my cousin, dozens of humans had already been branded while others stood in a line, waiting for their turn. There were guards everywhere to ensure things moved swiftly, some armed while others took the responsibility of holding people down so they, too, could be marked as traitors.

On the other side of the fence, the half-humans had been grouped as well, but I couldn’t see what was happening.

“Are they being branded, too?” I asked, my thoughts going to Finn for the first time since I’d regained consciousness.

“No,” Ione said. “Chipped.”

I swallowed, knowing what this meant. Mayor Waters would now know exactly how many half-humans lived in the District, as well as where they were at all times. There would be no more escape attempts.

“Finn?” I asked as I scanned the people on the other side of the fence, searching for him.

“I haven’t seen him,” Ione whispered.

I spun to face my cousin. “What do you mean?”

“Just what I said. He found me after you were taken away and told me what was happening, and I was with him during the broadcast.” She gnawed on her lip, her eyes blinking rapidly like she was trying to keep the tears at bay. “Those poor people, Ava. I just can’t believe anyone would do that. Even for Veronica Waters it seems low.”

“Finn,” I said, more impatiently than I intended. “What happened to Finn?”

“I don’t know. I was with him when they,” Ione swallowed, “branded you. After you passed out, soldiers rushed in and started ordering people around. He was dragged away from the fence and so was I. I looked for him after they’d finished with me, but I couldn’t find him. That was when I found you. They brought you in while I was in line to get my brand, and you were lying here unconscious. They must have just dropped you on the ground and left.”

“We have to find him.”

I started to stand, and once again Ione moved to help, but thanks to her round body, she was the one who ended up needing the assistance.

Once we’d managed to make it to our feet, we moved to the fence. The sight of all the half-human children on the other side made my heart ache. My own chip had been implanted when I was young, and I barely remembered the pain, but so many of these kids were older. Even worse, they were alone, their human parent on this side of the fence and unable to comfort them while their Veilorian parent was back in the District. It seemed crueler than even the hot iron against my skin.

“Do you see him?” Ione asked, dragging my focus back to the task at hand.

I scanned the crowds of children, searching for Finn. He was nowhere in sight, though. Why? Where was he?

“He isn’t here,” I said.

“I’m sure he’s okay,” Ione replied, but her tone gave away her own worry. “He’s the son of a council member, and the mayor has to know that. Maybe she’s using him to negotiate or something.”

“Maybe,” I said.

But in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help wondering if Dean had something to do with this. I wish I’d never gotten involved with that asshole.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The guards had finished branding the humans by mid-afternoon, but we weren’t released. On the other side of the fence, all