Malcolm (Book 1, The Redemption Series) by S.J. West Read Free Book Online Page B

me.
    As two guards grab both my arms, I close my eyes and pray that I'll soon awaken from the nightmare my life has suddenly become.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER four
     
     
    As I pace back and forth in my prison cell, I begin to understand why so many people who are held captive for years on end lose their sanity. The four walls surrounding me are white. The floor is white. The ceiling is white. There is nothing to sit on except for the floor which is kept at such a cold temperature standing is preferable for the most part.
    I have no way to judge time except for counting the meals which are teleported inside my cell. If I assume they are feeding me three times a day, then I've been trapped inside these walls for at least two days.
    As I make what has to be the thousandth lap around the perimeter of my prison, my mind races with thoughts about what might be happening on the outside. I have no doubt my father is trying to arrange my release, but I know he will fail. My Auggie isn't my Auggie anymore. I don't know what's wrong with him, but I do know the man who accused me of treason isn't the boy I grew up with. He is not my best and most trusted friend any longer.
    I'd heard rumors that a technology existed which allowed you to change yourself into whatever human form you wanted. However, that type of science was outlawed because...well... no one wanted someone else to have the ability to look exactly like them. It didn't mean someone couldn't gain access to the technology though. There were always black marketers who could procure whatever you wanted as long as you had the money to pay for their services.
    With no warning, my father suddenly appears in the middle of the room. I go to him, but know it isn't really the flesh and blood him, just a holographic projection.
    “Anna, don't say anything,” my father warns me not only with his voice but his eyes. “They're only allowing me to speak to you for a few moments to explain things.”
    I see my papa's eyes dart around him, and I know he isn't alone in whatever room he’s in. He's being watched, and his words will be chosen carefully.
    “I'm sorry you were accused for a crime that I myself committed.”
    “Papa...” I say about to ask him why he's confessing to something he didn't even know about. No one knew about the messages I received from Gladson for Auggie except the three of us.
    My father holds up a hand to signal me to not say anything more.
    “I should have told you about my dealings with the rebels, but I knew how loyal you were to Empress Catherine and Emperor Augustus,” he continues to say.
    I stand there speechless but let him continue to spin his false confession.
    “The emperor and empress have accepted my declaration of guilt and have agreed to release you, my little cherub. They have also agreed to keep to the marriage contract even in the face of my betrayal.”
    “What will happen to you?” I ask, needing to know this above all else.
    “The emperor knows how close you and I are,” my father says. “He has agreed to not execute me since he knows how much it would upset you. I guess you can consider his compromise a wedding gift to you. Instead, I will be sent to our furthest settlement off-world. It will take me half of my remaining lifetime to get there. So, even if I tried to come back, I would die before I ever reached Earth again. I’m so sorry that this has to happen, Anna, but I want you to know that I will always love you and carry you in my heart until the day I die.”
    My eyes well with tears, and I feel the sting of my heartache leach the last bit of hope I have left for a happy life. Even though my father will remain alive on a distant planet, which I'm grateful for, he might as well be dead to me. Our life together has come to an end, and I'm not sure where to go from here. I will have no one left to lean on. I'll be all alone.
    “I won't be allowed to contact you again until I've