Rebels Read online

  One-Twenty-Six Press.

  Rebels

  Sarah Noffke

  Copyright © 2015 by Sarah Noffke

  All rights reserved

  Copyeditor: Christine LePorte

  Cover Design: Andrei Bat

  All rights reserved. This was self-published by Sarah Noffke under One-Twenty-Six Press. No parts of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. If you are seeking permission send inquiry at http: www.sarahnoffke.com

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Summary: No one is more dangerous than those who were once suppressed and have broken free.

  Published in the United States by One-Twenty-Six Press

  ISBN: 978-0-9862080-7-2

  Praise for Previous Works:

  “There are so many layers, so many twists and turns, betrayals and reveals. Loves and losses. And they are orchestrated beautifully, coming when you least expected and yet in just the right place. Leaving you a little breathless and a lot anxious. There were quite a few moments throughout where I found myself thinking that was not what I was expecting at all. And loving that.”

  -Mike, Amazon

  “The writing in this story was some of the best I've read in a long time because the story was so well-crafted, all the little pieces fitting together perfectly.”

  -The Tale Temptress

  “There are no words. Like literally. NO WORDS.

  This book killed me and then revived me and then killed me some more. But in the end I was born anew, better.”

  -Catalina, Goodreads

  “Love this series! Perfect ending to an incredible series! The author has done this series right.”

  -Kelly at Nerd Girl

  “What has really made these books stand out is how much emotion they evoke from me as a reader, and I love how it comes from a combination of both characters and plot together. Everything is so intricately woven that I have to commend Sarah Noffke on her skills as a writer.”

  -Anna at Enchanted by YA

  For Dad, Kathy and Bea.

  Table of Contents

  Reading Guide

  Get your free book here

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Acknowledgements:

  About the Author

  Reading Guide

  Get your free book here

  Reading Guide

  Sarah crafted the Dream Traveler universe and has 5 series that take place there. Characters from different series bounce between the books. The reading guide below offers a suggested order for consumption to decrease spoilers and stay on the timeline. The last three series listed can be read in any order.

  For more information please visit Sarah’s website at www.sarahnoffke.com or email her at [email protected]

  Join the mailing list here for freebies, updates and more! http://www.sarahnoffke.com/connect/

  A Dream Traveler Series: The Lucidites Series

  Awoken, #1:

  Stunned, #2

  Revived, #3

  A Dream Travelers Series: The Reverians

  Defects, #1:

  Rebels, #2

  Warriors, #3

  A Dream Traveler Series: Ren

  Ren: The Man Behind the Monster, #1:

  Ren: God’s Little Monster, #2

  Ren: The Monster Inside the Monster, #3

  Ren: The Monster’s Adventure, #3.5

  Ren: The Monster’s Death, #4

  A Dream Traveler Series: Olento Research

  Alpha Wolf, #1:

  Lone Wolf, #2

  Rabid Wolf, #3

  Bad Wolf, #4

  A Dream Travelers Series: Vagabond Circus

  Suspended, #1:

  Paralyzed, #2

  Released, #3

  Soul Stone Mage Series: An Urban Fantasy Witch Adventure

  House of Enchanted, #1:

  Dark Forest, #2

  Mountain of Truth, #3

  Land of Terran, #4

  New Egypt, #5

  Lancothy, #6

  Ghost Squadron Series: A Military Space Opera Adventure

  Formation, #1

  Exploration, #2

  Evolution, #3

  Degeneration, #4

  Impersonation, #5

  Get your free book here

  http://www.sarahnoffke.com/free-book/

  Chapter One

  Hard to believe three months ago I’d never even seen a horse, and now I’m crouched down low on one who shares my name. I tried to rename her, but Rogue said it would confuse the horse. Wind races through my hair as we canter across a rare stretch of flat ground. Most of the trek between Rogue’s farm and Austin Valley is dense brush and steep hills. However, Em easily manages the trails, which have been carved into the side of the hills by Rogue’s many commutes to and from the Valley over the years.

  “Only a little farther now,” I say to Em, the golden palomino I’m riding.

  A stiff ache has formed in my neck from checking my back, hoping he’s not following. The sun is just now coming up over the eastern mountains and hopefully Rogue is still sleeping. He’ll wake up soon and discover I’m gone. Discover I’ve left. And he’s probably going to kill me for what I’m doing, but if I can accomplish what I returned to Austin Valley for, then I’ll endure his anger.

  I’ve only been gone for a night from his house and already I miss it. Miss the way it has its own personality, one which is comforting and also intriguing with its many oddities. Rogue’s house was built following the strictest of construction protocols, but he snuck in many of his own ideas, adding secret compartments in walls and drawers in the stairs where we keep our shoes. I know I’ll be returning to him and that house soon, but to be away after these long three months feels wrong, like I’ve left a vital organ behind.

  When Rogue told me about his house he said he had a garden. He lied. He had a patch of weeds. Now he has a garden. Good thing he didn’t tell the same lie about his house. Otherwise I would have been living in a shack. It was obvious he’d spent all his time on the house, sustaining himself on cans of beans and freeze-dried fruit during its construction.

  As the terrain in front of us grows denser with brush, I slow Em into a trot, intent on keeping a quick pace. Rogue was right about Em; she’s an incredible horse and her competent navigating allows my
mind to wander back to when I first entered this new world full of Rogue, his farm, and his animals.

  After our escape from Austin Valley, Rogue and I rode continuously, me holding on to him, trying to absorb the steady bounces of the horse. Rogue made me close my eyes when we finally neared his house. I listened with shut eyes as he dismounted and then pulled me off the horse and set me on my unsteady feet. My back ached from the ride and I never thought my head would stop vibrating from the constant rattling of the hooves on uneven terrain. I heard something approaching but with Rogue’s giddy breath by my ear I didn’t worry.

  “Keep them closed, Em,” he said to me.

  And then a wet soft sensation nipped at my fingertips.

  I gasped, pulled my hand to my chest. “What was that?” I said, jumping back into his arms.

  He laughed, one so pure I immediately relaxed. “That’s Athena. Specifically her tongue.”

  “What? Gross! Dogs lick you? What did I do wrong?” I said, my eyes still dutifully closed, but the idea of an animal wiping its tongue against me made my mind cramp with strangeness.

  “Nothing,” he said with a chuckle. “It means she likes you.”

  If these strange animals did that if they liked me, I was worried to find out what they did if they didn’t.

  With Rogue’s hand guiding me at my back I stepped roughly twenty feet. Then he spun me around to face him.

  “Open your eyes,” he said, an eagerness in his voice.

  I peeled open my eyes to find the sun setting over Rogue’s broad shoulder. We’d ridden most of the night and day to arrive there before dark. Clear rolling hills the color of spring moss stood in the distance at his back. Forest punctuated the areas to the sides. And to the north I could just spy a small stream snaking between two hills. My eyes finally found Rogue’s, which were overflowing with excitement. His smile widened, a perfectly crooked one. His almost black hair was wilder than usual, having been swept every which way by the wind as we rode.

  At his knee I caught movement. I dared to look down. Only in books had I seen dogs. This one had a long black snout, perky ears, and a coat of black and brown fur. I jumped at the sight of her. Which made her ears perk up more and she struck a protective stance.

  “Heel, girl,” Rogue commanded, and she sat her hindquarters back on the sandy dirt ground. “She’s never seen one of you.”

  “A girl?” I asked, taking another step backward, as the dog tweaked her head to the side at the sound of my voice.

  “I was talking to Athena,” Rogue said, with an amused smile. “You’ve never been in the presence of a dog, right?”

  I nodded. “Do you always talk to them like they’re people?”

  “No,” he said with offense. “I treat animals with way more respect.”

  He had his hand down at his side and Athena looked between it and me with a tentative expression in her brown eyes. “She senses your fear, Em. It makes her worried you mean her harm.”

  “I know what she’s capable of,” I said, tension laden in my tone. “She has teeth, and aren’t dogs like her police animals outside the borders of Austin Valley?”

  “Yes, she’s a German shepherd. And need I remind you, you’re outside those borders now.”

  All my life it had been about what happened inside versus outside Austin Valley’s borders. Black and white. Safe and unsafe. Happy and unhappy. I figured the world outside the Valley was full of savages. An unforgiving world where nothing went the way you wanted and no one did as you pleased. A world that was unkind and imperfect. Of course, I’d seen the world outside Austin Valley during brief dream travels but that had always been to an approved location, like a college auditorium or a closed down amphitheater. Before Rogue showed me Amsterdam I’d never seen a place in color. The irony was my life in Austin Valley had been in black and white and now I was seeing everything in high definition.

  Athena regarded me with doubt when I reached out a hand to her. “I’m all right,” I said, willing my hand not to shake and my voice to remain steady.

  Rogue waved his hand at her and she stood, taking two steps in my direction. Her nose touched my fingertips, a cold slippery feeling. Her long snout grazed my pant leg. And then, as though she’d confirmed I wasn’t a threat, she suddenly made a circle and took the spot next to Rogue’s leg again, his jeans caked in dirt from the long ride.

  He looked way too entertained by that exchange. “See, that was easy.”

  “I have my hand, so I’d say it wasn’t a complete failure.”

  He stepped forward and pointed over my shoulder. “Well then, if you’re ready I have more to show you.”

  I turned, and there nestled between an assortment of trees was a house as clean and perfectly built as the ones we have in Austin Valley. Well, not exactly like them. Better. It was a Craftsman style house with a front porch. An A-frame roof. Four columns and four steps leading up to a mostly windowed door. It was small. Four rooms. And it was painted in the ideal shade of mossy green, blending in flawlessly with its surroundings.

  What astonished me wasn’t the precision of the lines, or the big windows on the front of the house. It was another dog—this one yellow—bounding in my direction. It was wet and smelled like fish and dirt. I found that out firsthand when Poseidon rammed both his paws on my shoulders, knocking me to the ground and licking my face like I was dinner. As opposed to Athena, there wasn’t a hint of threat in his approach. All unabashed affection. I found my hands were in his hair and my mouth laughing.

  “What am I, Poseidon? Chopped liver?” Rogue said with a laugh. The excited dog bounded off me and gave Rogue a similar welcoming but without knocking him over. I stood with Rogue’s assistance, dusting off my pants and immediately realizing I smelled like dog.

  “Sorry, even after all my strict training that Lab won’t mind. Makes sense you two became fast friends,” Rogue said, pulling a twig out of my tangled long hair.

  “Shush it, Rogue,” I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward his house. His house. Four steps led me to the front door. Everything was perfect. Not a flaw anywhere I could find. And my eyes were busy searching, not for flaws, but rather hungry to absorb every detail. My palm was on the handle to the front door before I caught myself. I turned, giving him a questioning look.

  “Go ahead,” he okayed. “It’s not locked.”

  I twisted the stainless steel handle and stepped into a room unlike any I’d ever seen. The walls were paneled in polished wood. A soft rug greeted my feet as I moved forward. My neck craned to see the exposed beams overhead on the ceiling, which was at least twenty feet high.

  It was dark, but my eyes studied everything I could see around me: the stone fireplace on the far wall, the entryway which spilled into a kitchen and then the arched hallway.

  “You did all this?” I asked.

  He nodded, a cute coyness on his stubbled face.

  “When?” I asked in astonishment.

  “Every night while dream traveling. You like it?”

  I turned around a full circle, my eyes sweeping over every detail it could capture within that minute. “I absolutely love it. I’ve never seen anything that feels and looks so much like…well, it’s like you captured the true idea of home in this place.”

  Rogue laughed. “I knew you’d say something complex.”

  “Is that all right? Was that an okay reaction?”

  “Anything you said would be fine. It would be perfect.”

  In that moment I wasn’t merely in love with the guy who had built that house, I was in awe of him. In awe that he was someone I knew and could reach out and touch and hold against me. I snaked my arms around Rogue’s neck, urging him down closer. He kept a smile on his face and a distance of a few inches between us. His hands pinned against my hips and his eyes held mine. Finally he pulled me in close and kissed me, one so pleasing I didn’t even care that we both smelled like dog. Each time our lips met my chest tightened and my legs grew wobbly. And then as my mouth continu
ed to move against his he said, “Hey, Em?”

  “What?” I said, not particularly liking the idea of words at that moment.

  “You wanna meet the goats?”

  Not especially. Not right now. I sighed, utterly deflated. Rogue would let me close, but not close enough. Always interrupting our intimacy with a distraction. But inside that small house built with his hands, I knew he wasn’t going to be able to avoid me. Which was what I thought he was doing. I was wrong. Rogue wasn’t afraid of being close to me. He was hiding something.

  Chapter Two

  I leave Em by a cluster of trees at the last clearing before the back hills of Austin Valley. It’s where I’d met her. It’s a safe place for the horse. One she’s familiar with.

  I know from my hike out of the Valley three months ago that it will take me hours to get back into town. However, I’m stronger than I was back then, my muscles toned from plowing and building and surviving off the land. It’s a beautiful thing. I realize now how Rogue got lost in it. I know now how he came to terms with his own loneliness. He fell in love with Mother Earth. Fell in love with the labor of living. It has an essence to it that you lose when the essentials are done for you. I never appreciated water until I had to carry it on my back. Never appreciated a home until I learned to build. Never understood what our animals do for us until I milked goats.

  As Rogue suspected, the goats were my favorite animal on the farm. I adopted a kid whose mother didn’t survive her birth. Jasmine. Every time I came to feed the goats, she’d hide from me behind objects too small to shield her. When I found her she’d then chase me around the pen. Rogue said I spent a lot of time playing. When I told him I’d stop, he scolded me with a single look and said, “Don’t even think about it.”

  Our life on his farm hasn’t been perfect, but if perfect has a color then it’s the green of Rogue’s eyes. And if perfect has a sound then it’s the patter of his footsteps in the evening as he traces around the house making sure everything is set for the next day. If perfect has a place then it resides between the two of us. And yet I know that in our world there are too many complications. But as I hike farther into Austin Valley I know my purpose is to help us achieve perfection. My mission is to make our life better with the means which exist in the world I once depended upon.