Rise Against the Faultless by Melissa Hardaway Read Free Book Online Page A

back to the ground to their meager existence. I didn’t like it.
    I reached my room, 3624, on the
third level of an endless hall of small dormitories. As I approached the door,
it automatically opened for me. The inside had a small bed against the wall on
the left and just past it was a door leading into my own bathroom. The bathroom
was just large enough to contain a full sized shower, sink, and toilet. The
lights slowly came on and went off as I entered and left the rooms. “Lights
dim,“ I tested, and was right, they were voice activated.  There was a small
desk and chair on the far side of the room with a window directly above it. The
walls were a muted green color and the sheets and comforter on the bed were the
same standard white as those at my home. Three stories down from my window was
a large and open courtyard with several different obstacles, which I assumed
were for training.  Just past them was a gigantic covered in ground pool, no
use for it now that the weather is so frigid.
    I threw my bags on my bed and
started to unpack the few items that I had brought along with me. I might as
well settle in since this could very well be where I lay my head for the next
three years. Mom had insisted that I bring some of her makeup with me for any
social outings that I had here. She’d shown me how to apply the makeup to my
eyes and lips, but it still felt foreign to me. I smeared some of the balm on
my lips and then quickly wiped it off again. I’ll try that later.  I put it in
the small cabinet under the sink in the bathroom.  There was a closet on the
wall opposite the bed where I carefully hung my new red dress.  After I had
settled in, I waited for instructions, I still wasn’t sure about the rules of
wandering around here. Besides, if I did leave, I would surely get lost.
    No time had passed and I heard
the blond woman’s voice through a sound system in the ceiling instructing all
initiates to the main hall for the State Leader Ann Brutus’ address. Her voice
came through my PID to guide me down the long and confusing halls to the lower
level into the huge main hall. It had to be four times the size of our local
assembly hall at home, and I imagine that it probably isn’t the biggest place
here. After milling around for a few minutes I spotted Lo in the crowd. She
waved me over and we found seats about half way up the hall. “Can you believe
this place?” Her eyes were wide, and I could tell the experience was a little
overwhelming for her.
    “I know, it’s ridiculous.
Where’s your room?” Please let it be close to mine.
    “I have no idea!” We both
laughed at that. It didn’t surprise me that she didn’t remember, Lo doesn’t
always pay attention to her surroundings. “I hope that blond keeps giving us
directions, or I’ll be in the ranks with the Grime in no time.” We were
interrupted by the actual blond woman walking on to the stage and addressing
the crowd.
    “My name is Terra Sharp. I am
the director here at the Training Compound. If anyone has any issues or
problems, please address them at my office.”  The ease with which she addressed
the crowd made it seem like she had done this many times, but she didn’t look
old enough for that to be a possibility. She looked to be almost six feet tall
and her hair was almost as short as my father’s. Her image was projected on to
three large screens at the front of the building. “Please welcome State Leader,
Ann Brutus.”
    Ann took the stage and gave a
short welcome to us, with not so subtle reminders that our confidentiality is
not just expected, but enforced. “Much is expected of you all, and I know that
you will live up to, and exceed those expectations. You are allowed to go to
any unlocked portion of the Training Compound. This is more freedom than you
are used to. Take care not to leave the grounds, the boundaries are clearly
marked. Your free time is your own. However, your roaming freedoms will be
revoked if you are late or