ACCUSATION (Book One of The Criminogenic Trilogy 1) Read Online Free Page A
Author: BT Murphy
greeted them. Calvin did all the talking. Frantic, hushed commands and requests were spoken before the rough stranger let them in.
The room was lit only by a collection of candles; cloaked strangers stood talking in huddled circles. At the center of it all stood a regal woman, her white cloak swam behind her as she silently moved through the crowd. Her features were soft, comforting, and calming. Giselle had never seen anyone as lovely before. Her skin was the color of the caramel, just like Giselle’s. Mixed race children were very rare within Regions; it was frowned upon to have relations with anyone other than who the State dictated. This was especially the case with interracial romances.
“Who is she?” Giselle breathed, captivated by the beautiful stranger walking toward her.
Calvin smiled broadly before responding proudly; “That is Evelyn Strongborn. Fearless leader of the Uprising, regal queen of Zone 3, and my mother.”
Evelyn sashayed toward Calvin and Giselle. Cupping Calvin’s face in her hands, she grinned warmly; “Bringing strays home again?” Motioning toward Giselle, she requested warm clothes be brought forward for their unannounced guest, and before Giselle could do anything, she was ushered towards warmth.
“Tell me, where did you get your lovely eyes from?” Evelyn spoke with an educated drawl; her accent wasn’t typical of Zone 3. It intrigued Giselle; she wanted to know more about this mysterious matriarch.
“My mother,” Giselle squeaked. “she is the fair one.”
“And your father?” Evelyn pressed.
“My father was not.” Giselle lowered her eyes, talking of her father was a sensitive topic for her. They all fought so hard to preserve his innocence, but it was all in vain. It felt like he had been in The Facility for so long, that she hardly remembered what he looked like anymore, but it had only been a month. Evelyn recognized that sadness; she’d felt it too.
“Ah, not to worry dear. We don’t mind a bit of mystery here either.” Evelyn led Giselle to her private chambers, where she could get changed out of her wet clothing. It was hard to believe that they were inside an abandoned warehouse. Giselle hadn’t seen such finery in Zone 3 before; she didn’t think that it existed outside of Zone 1 and museums. Delicate paintings adored the walls, while intricate furnishings decorated the space. Evelyn had an impressive collection of antiques, and that was something that had Giselle’s attention.
“I’m sorry,” Giselle started, searching for the words she wanted, “but where does all of this come from? It is all so beautiful.”
Evelyn scanned the room, “This old stuff?” she replied nonchalantly, “My Zone 1 inheritance.”
Giselle gasped, was Evelyn a Zone 1 leader, sent to spy on the Could’s? With her mind racing with questions and possibilities, all Giselle could hope was that she had paid enough attention to her surroundings to be able to leave in a hurry.
“Relax, I am not the enemy here.” Evelyn sensed her unease, “You see, this is what I was left with after my father was detained for being a Could. I didn’t have anywhere to go after they tossed me out of my home, so I took what I could and left.” Evelyn explained her story to Giselle, the pain of her past visible on her face whenever she’d drift off into a memory. “They used to use this warehouse for the manual labor, you know. This is where we were kept after the first purge. Everyone here is a survivor of that first ill fated event in our history.”
“My father was detained as well, now they are investigating me. I’m sure of it,” Giselle blurted out, relieved to be rid of her secret.
“We know. That is why I sent Calvin to find you, you are more valuable to our cause than you might think, young lady.”
Chapter Five
Peter walked into the classroom with a skip in his step. It had been a few months since
The room was lit only by a collection of candles; cloaked strangers stood talking in huddled circles. At the center of it all stood a regal woman, her white cloak swam behind her as she silently moved through the crowd. Her features were soft, comforting, and calming. Giselle had never seen anyone as lovely before. Her skin was the color of the caramel, just like Giselle’s. Mixed race children were very rare within Regions; it was frowned upon to have relations with anyone other than who the State dictated. This was especially the case with interracial romances.
“Who is she?” Giselle breathed, captivated by the beautiful stranger walking toward her.
Calvin smiled broadly before responding proudly; “That is Evelyn Strongborn. Fearless leader of the Uprising, regal queen of Zone 3, and my mother.”
Evelyn sashayed toward Calvin and Giselle. Cupping Calvin’s face in her hands, she grinned warmly; “Bringing strays home again?” Motioning toward Giselle, she requested warm clothes be brought forward for their unannounced guest, and before Giselle could do anything, she was ushered towards warmth.
“Tell me, where did you get your lovely eyes from?” Evelyn spoke with an educated drawl; her accent wasn’t typical of Zone 3. It intrigued Giselle; she wanted to know more about this mysterious matriarch.
“My mother,” Giselle squeaked. “she is the fair one.”
“And your father?” Evelyn pressed.
“My father was not.” Giselle lowered her eyes, talking of her father was a sensitive topic for her. They all fought so hard to preserve his innocence, but it was all in vain. It felt like he had been in The Facility for so long, that she hardly remembered what he looked like anymore, but it had only been a month. Evelyn recognized that sadness; she’d felt it too.
“Ah, not to worry dear. We don’t mind a bit of mystery here either.” Evelyn led Giselle to her private chambers, where she could get changed out of her wet clothing. It was hard to believe that they were inside an abandoned warehouse. Giselle hadn’t seen such finery in Zone 3 before; she didn’t think that it existed outside of Zone 1 and museums. Delicate paintings adored the walls, while intricate furnishings decorated the space. Evelyn had an impressive collection of antiques, and that was something that had Giselle’s attention.
“I’m sorry,” Giselle started, searching for the words she wanted, “but where does all of this come from? It is all so beautiful.”
Evelyn scanned the room, “This old stuff?” she replied nonchalantly, “My Zone 1 inheritance.”
Giselle gasped, was Evelyn a Zone 1 leader, sent to spy on the Could’s? With her mind racing with questions and possibilities, all Giselle could hope was that she had paid enough attention to her surroundings to be able to leave in a hurry.
“Relax, I am not the enemy here.” Evelyn sensed her unease, “You see, this is what I was left with after my father was detained for being a Could. I didn’t have anywhere to go after they tossed me out of my home, so I took what I could and left.” Evelyn explained her story to Giselle, the pain of her past visible on her face whenever she’d drift off into a memory. “They used to use this warehouse for the manual labor, you know. This is where we were kept after the first purge. Everyone here is a survivor of that first ill fated event in our history.”
“My father was detained as well, now they are investigating me. I’m sure of it,” Giselle blurted out, relieved to be rid of her secret.
“We know. That is why I sent Calvin to find you, you are more valuable to our cause than you might think, young lady.”
Chapter Five
Peter walked into the classroom with a skip in his step. It had been a few months since
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