Chasing Freedom

By Arielle Caldwell

World Collapse happened 18 years ago. There weren’t many survivors. Mayor Meirnon became ruler of Ethica. He built a wall to keep anyone from escaping and forced the people into poverty.
Paradin is an 18 year old girl who wants her freedom. She starts asking questions and becomes defiant towards Meirnon. She must fight for her freedom from a government who would kill her so no one found out the truth. This is the year she’s eligible for The Acquiring, a ceremony for the drawing of the troops. She would rather run than serve in Meirnon’s army.

Marindra is her best friend who tries to keep Paradin out of trouble. Gallan is a bad influence Paradin can’t live without.
All she wants is her freedom and to find out the truth to what’s outside the walls. Her unbearable loss will only fuel her. What she discovers will shock her. Can she bring down Meirnon and expose him? Will she be able to get the freedom she desperately wants?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arielle Caldwell
• Release date: Oct 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311600127

Arielle Caldwell

I am a 28 year old Navy Veteran, mommy, wife, lover of all things pink, knitter, and photographer. I hope you enjoy reading my works. If you want to know more or to contact me, please visit my Facebook page. Thanks!

Book preview

Chasing Freedom

by

Arielle Caldwell

Copyright by Arielle Caldwell

Cover art by: Nevermore Press Covers

Smashwords Edition

Thank you for downloading this ebook. It remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover others works by this author. Thank you for your support.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

More from the Author

New Adult:

The Nerita Torlan Trilogy:

Burning in Water, book one

Drowning in Fire, book two

The Awakening, book three (Coming Soon)

Reclaiming Souls (NaNoWriMo novel for 2013)

Dystopian:

After-Ending (Coming 2014)

Acknowledgements

Thank you to my family, friends, fans, bloggers, beta readers, and promoters for everything. Without you all, I wouldn’t be able to do any of this. I love you all.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

One Month Later

Two Months Later

Epilogue

Chapter One

Sometimes I wondered what it would be like to live outside the walls; to be free from the compounds of our entrapment. I was an infant when the walls were put up to keep us safe from the deteriorating world around us. All throughout school it was fed to us how it was unstable outside; that we would never survive...but I couldn’t help but wonder...what exactly were they trying to keep us away from?

Paradin, stop staring off, Marindra scolded me, you’ll get the cane again! She was sitting next to me in class. I glanced over at her and looked her up and down. Her purple hair was electrifyingly bright, her slender figure was covered in a baggy grey jumpsuit and her golden eyes burned fiercely as she glared at me.

My features were nothing compared to her beautiful complexion. I was just another boring girl in Ethica. Purple eyes, long pink hair, ordinary skin complexion, and an even more boring social life. I think the scars numb the pain from the cane by now. You should be the one paying attention, Ms. Never Gets in Trouble.

She squinted her eyes at me and stuck out her tongue. Ms. Dramer was talking about how we were never to leave the walls. I rolled my eyes.

Paradin, roll your eyes again and I will make sure you get the cane in City Square! She pursed her old twitchy lips together in a hard line and squinted at me with displeasure. People around there did that a lot to me.

Yes, Ms. Dramer. I won’t do it again, I replied as I sat up straight in my seat, wrapped my ankles around each other, and folded my hands together on the desk. When she turned her back, I rolled my eyes again.

World Collapse happened eighteen years ago next week. We are going to celebrate our survival with the annual reenactment, Ms. Dramer spoke in a quick, high pitched, shaky voice, If you wish to participate, you have until tomorrow to get me your proposal. If you do not want to participate, you owe me a five thousand word essay and a week at the livestock cleaning.

Gross! Dementrix called out from the back of the class. He always liked to cause trouble and be disruptive. My classmates started to giggle and whisper.

She slammed her ruler on the desk. Be quiet! Everyone! We all shot up in our ugly grey jumpsuits, folded our hands on our ugly grey desks, and looked straight ahead at the ugly grey walls.

Ethica was dirty and not just a little, either. Rotten food lined the walkways, bodies of dead animals infested with maggots were everywhere...and that was what I called home. It became normal and no one seemed to mind much. Our school house was painted grey with grey everything. Mayor didn’t like to see color, said that it gave hope and made people happy; both of which he didn’t want. Our uniforms were the ugly grey jumpsuits. Only the Elites got to wear jeans and shorts...I envied them sometimes.

Pay attention! The last day of school is the day after the reenactment so if you don’t show up and do your part, you will fail and have to be here for summer. The horn blew, signaling the end of classes. Be here on time tomorrow with your proposal. Mayor will be here to give his speech so come in your cleanest outfit and take a bath.

Yes, Ms. Dramer, we called out in bland unison, standing to leave after she walked out.

Paradin, you’re going to get in more trouble if you don’t stop daydreaming, Marindra scoffed at me.

I just shrugged it off. "I can’t help but wonder about