Apocalypse Before Finals by Julie Steimle (electric book reader txt) 📕

She scowled at them both. "Will you two stop telling me what to do? I said I was fine."

Jafarr shook his head, sternly folding his arms. "As your bodyguard and protector, I am reminding you that if you want to help us at all in carrying out a rescue plan, you will go to bed now."

Everyone else blinked at him. Absolutely everyone.

"Bodyguard?" a number of them whispered with gasps.

Alea Salvar flinched. "You are not - "

Yet Zormna stepped back, rested a hand to her forehead and nodded. "He is. And I will go to bed."

Greater gasps echoed in the room.

"What nonsense! An Alea doesn't need a bodyguard," Anzer Dzhon shot out, casting his friend an incredulous stare.

And yet Alea Salvar's face turned crimson. It was like a thousand spiky quills stood up around him, and he yelled through growling teeth at Jafarr, "You are not the Leader-of-Many!"

Jafarr did not look at him. There was no point to it. Alea Salvar knew what he was saying but did not want to believe it.

Yet a murmur through the rebellion members protested the head of Zeta's remark, saying, "Of course Jafarr Zeldar is the Leader-of-Many. He heads the rebellion. We all know it. We just don't have a Tarrn."

And yet eyes turned up to Zormna as those last words died on their lips.

Feeling their stares, Zormna bowed to those crowded in the room and began to unfasten her PM uniform, taking off the top. Her tee shirt underneath stuck to her skin from sweat, still declaring that Pennington Pirates swabbed up. She pulled on it and then proceeded to roll up her right sleeve.

"NO!" Alea Salvar grabbed her hands to stop her.

Zormna jerked out of his hold, throwing off his hands, and rolled up her sleeve anyway. Baring her shoulder, she showed the crowd her family brand mark which stood out of her skin. Her hands were shaking.

Such an audible intake of breath echoed throughout.

Zormna then reached into her shirt and pulled out her medallion on its long unique chain.

"I am the last Tarrn, and Jafarr is the Leader-of-Many."

"When redheaded people are above a certain social grade their hair is auburn." - Mark Twain -

If the room had been silent before, it was now deathly still. Everyone's eyes were on Zormna, except Salvar's and Jafarr's. Both young men looked away - Salvar in horror and Jafarr in embarrassment for Zormna's sake. Everyone else stared at the medallion in Zormna's hand. They all saw the circular brand mark on Zormna's shoulder, authentic in family identity and size. She stood there, trembling, yet firm and fearless in her way.

Finally, she dropped the medallion onto her chest as she said to the crowd, "The Kevin had been protecting me. I was not gone on special projects this past year, but I had been sent into hiding on Partha, as the Kevin..." she grumbled under her breath, "...thought it was a good idea."

Alea Salvar looked up now, his expression stricken. "No more, Zormna. Tell them no more."

She shook her head, meeting his desperate stare. "No, Salvar. It is time that they know because it is time to fight back."

Jafarr nodded. He then turned to his people and said, "And I stand with her."

The young Zeta district leader shot his anger at Jafarr again, but his glare faded when he took in the expectant faces of the rebels in the room...and of their own soldiers. So much hope was in their eyes. All their previous despair had evaporated. Because here was an answer to prophecy. Chills ran down everyone as they beamed up at Zormna, nodding. Several fell to their knees. It wasn't just rebels on their knees either. Surface Patrol officers dropped down and bowed to Zormna.

"Woah!" Zormna's eyes grew wide. She reached down immediately to the ones right in front of her. "Don't bow to me! Get up!"

A few of them rose. Most still stared, awed. Those who had known her since her childhood murmured to themselves over how well she had been hidden in plain sight. Anzer Dzhon looked flabbergasted, but rose quickly to his feet - especially since Jafarr yanked him up and snapped at him to quit being stupid. But really, they were amazed. Alea Zormna Clendar fit what they knew of the prophecy exactly. She was a Tarrn. She was an amazing soldier. And she was a great beauty like the famed ancient queen that was her namesake. It sent a tremor of awe and unworthiness though most them all.

Of course, for Zormna, this was unsettling. It was one thing to be saluted as a military leader, but another to be worshipped like a savior. It sent shivers up her spine. Her face flushed red in desperation. She had to make them stand. It was too much to handle seeing them on their knees. She grabbed Jafarr's arm. "Make them stop."

"Attention!" Alea Salvar called out.

The soldiers rose, but not as fast as wanted. They shared hope-filled looks with one another. Most grinned, imagining exactly the kinds of things Zormna would do to root out the enemy.

Jafarr just waved to his crowd with hanging shoulders. "Get up. You're just going to make her upset."

The rest of them rose.

Jafarr went immediately to Mr. Demmon. "I need you to spread the word and gather the people so we can arrange for our counterattack. And find Orrlar and Eergvin. They should be here by now, if the PMs haven't shot them down."

Mr. Demmon had not taken his eyes off of Zormna, but he nodded vigorously. "Definitely."

The man called for two others to go with him and he hurried off.

"Hey," Alea Salvar called to his officers, eyeing Jafarr severely. "All of you, go back to your stations. I want Aleas Riinz and Kriisk sent in. We have work to do."

Saluting, the soldiers turned and marched out of the room, though reluctantly. Alea Brenn lingered, staring back at Zormna with no desire to leave, yet at the same time looking incredibly lost, as if he had forgotten his station.

"I knew it!" Anzer Dzhon jumped with an arm-pumping whoop. "I knew something was up!"

Alea Salvar shot Anzer Dzhon a sharp look. "Hey! Go back to your station."

Jafarr cringed, glancing to his friend.

"No. Wait." Zormna went to Anzer Dzhon. "I want you to go with Mr. Demmon to make sure he can get back into the compound once he is done with his task."

"Alzdar's dad?" Anzer Dzhon looked around. "Was he here?"

"Al's dad?" Zormna looked to Jafarr.

He shrugged. "Yeah. I didn't tell you?"

She shook her head.

Jafarr shrugged again. He then pointed out the door. "He's gone that way. You'd better catch up with him before he leaves."

"You can take a ship," Zormna said.

"Yes, sir!" Anzer Dzhon jumped to go, running through the crowd.

They heard a huff back in Alea Salvar's direction. Both of them turned. Alea Salvar had such a glare. He said, "Are you both forgetting who the head Alea of this district is?"

"That would be me," Zormna said, her chin lifting.

Jafarr almost took a step back. He could feel the air tense up.

But Alea Salvar's dirty glare turned into an annoyed huff. "You were demoted, and you know it."

But Zormna stepped up to him. "No. I was stolen away and dropped unceremoniously into an American suburb with a vague destination and no one coming back to check to see if I was ok. That's not a demotion. That's a scandal."

"We were protecting you!" Alea Salvar snapped. "Dural Korad was all over the Zeta district not long after we sent you to live with your family - "

"My family? Salvar! My great aunt was long dead - two years before you dropped me off there!" She shouted so loud the lingerers outside in the hallway hushed stiffly. "Why didn't you even bother to check to see if she was actually living? For pity's sake! She was already old when she got killed! And she was murdered!"

"You survived it, didn't you?" Alea Salvar snapped back. "You managed. We knew you would."

"That is a total load and you know it!" Zormna growled. "The Kevin was covering his own butt and yours, that's what. If I was discovered as a Tarrn under his - "

"That's right!" Alea Salvar snapped, his face red with anger. "Dural Korad was this close to shutting the Patrol down. You had to be sent away on 'special projects' to save us all. Besides, we knew you could handle it. It was for the safety of the entire Surface Patrol."

Zormna silently shook her head at him. She peeked once to Jafarr and said, "If the Kevin had listened to me and Alea Arden and joined the rebellion like we had wanted, we could have avoided a large number of deaths... including the other Tarrn families still alive at that time."

Alea Salvar swallowed. Then he straightened up with the reply, "Dad would never have joined the rebellion. He doesn't believe in it."

Jafarr closed his eyes, massaging his forehead.

Stepping back from Alea Salvar, Zormna said, "Do you?"

Alea Salvar sighed heavily, looked around himself and said, "I don't know. The rebellion seems to want chaos - "

"That's not true." Jafarr stepped up.

Meeting Jafarr's gaze, Alea Salvar looked bitterly doubtful. "Oh, really? Then what plan for the future do you have once you've demolished our society as we know it? Hmm?"

Looking to Zormna, Jafarr said, "A republic, if we can keep it."

Alea Salvar blinked at him, not quite understanding.

"Benjamin Franklin. He said that," Jafarr explained. He then shook his head. "We have plenty of models for a good government. And we, the people, are sick of this corrupt oligarchy which allows no social mobility let alone improvements on the city where we live. They keep every good thing for themselves."

"Social mobility?" Alea Salvar balked.

Jafarr nodded. "The Knarr nation had it once. We used to be a republic. The people had the vote. Don't you know your own history?"

Bristling, Alea Salvar retorted, "History is about the past. The past is past. Over. Unless you have a real plan - "

"Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it," Jafarr ground out.

Alea Salvar pulled back.

"George Santayana." Jafarr folded his arms.

With disgust, Alea Salvar huffed. "Why are you quoting Parthans?"

"Because they know what freedom is like," Zormna said, urging Jafarr to keep his distance. "Salvar, the age of High Class rule is over - especially if I have anything to say about it."

But Alea Salvar cringed. "You are talking about changing everything. The general population is ignorant. The masses don't always act on the wisest motives. You aren't thinking republic. You are thinking democracy. And democracies are unstable and lead to mob rule."

Jafarr scratched his head. "Having the vote is not the same as total democracy. We're just talking about getting rid of the caste system and replacing it with a representative system."

Alea Salvar stiffened.

Zormna stepped up to him, putting a gentle hand on his arm. "Salvar, the caste system has to go. And so does ruling by a military state."

"There will be chaos." Alea Salvar stared at her.

Jafarr shook his head. "Don't be so pessimistic. The people have been waiting to be free. And I believe we have a right to have