the Thermidorian Reaction

Chapter 10

'More people being taken in for minor crimes.'

'Kids are being taken in, blamed for taking part in riots, other stuff they probably shouldn't have been involved in, and some aint coming back.'

'Kids are having their Time taken.'

'Elites are holding kids in dungeons, draining their Time.'

Aerin couldn't stop the words from echoing in her mind for days after she overheard the conversation in the yard. No matter what she was doing, where she was, they would jump into her conscious on their own accord, like a burn that wouldn't soothe.

She had spent the rest of that afternoon and into the evening sitting on the chaise fretting. Her book sat ignored beside her, her nails suffering the damage of her nervous habit of biting them until they bled. Kasia tried to be the voice of reason, assuring Aerin it was nothing more than rumors and gossip. Surely, such things weren't possible. They were against the law, and like the Timeless said, someone would notice. Someone, somewhere, would come forward.

After a long while and countless assurances, finally Aerin felt her worry slowly fade. She knew it was Kasia, using her Ability to ease her as she did from time to time. She was going to call her out, tell her not to influence her that way, but by the time the two partyed and she had finally come inside, the warmth of the day had long faded, being replaced by the chill of night, she was glad for the effect.

Each time the thoughts crept into her mind, she pushed them away just as quickly. She knew it was all lies. Fear mongering by those who opposed the system to try and rally support from those who were cared for, standing behind the structure that they had all known for centuries. There was nothing stronger than a rumor, especially ones like what were rippling through the country. And when that rumor trashed the upper class, demonizing them and making those below them only further victimized, of course it would run rampant. So much so, that it had made its way through Windsor.

But no matter how quickly she pushed away the words, silenced the sound of Samuels voice in her head, there was still the remnants that refused to fade. That tiny remainder that was enough to keep the tension in Aerins stomach clenched tightly at all times.

This was the very thing she was afraid of. These rumors, these outright lies, were surely what were causing the increased issues in the towns. She had no idea where they started, what had fueled this particular filth or why, but she knew it was dangerous. Dangerous not only to the way of life as they knew it, but to Elites all over. If these rumors continued, they would reach more and more ears. And of those ears decided to find any reasoning in them, any cause to use them for the purpose of destruction and harm, then people could get hurt.

People like her father had.

No matter how many times she assured herself that they were nothing more than the bored ramblings of an old store clerk, nothing seemed to ease the fear Aerin felt. It was as though the subtle idea she had felt in the back of her mind over the last several weeks had been true, that things were worse than before.

When her father had been killed, the disruptions and unrest had come merely from the apparent 'unjust' system the Timeless felt they were party to. They wanted freedom from Agreements, but also Time as they desired. They offered suggestions for common ground, such as Time banks, freedom from effects of Ability, permission to live as their own, without influence from Elites. They asked for the outpost towns to be under the charge of the Elites, to improve the way of life for all Timeless, not just those who undertake Agreements, although, they had no ideas for how to improve those areas without the exchange of payment. Currency, a long forgotten and abandoned concept from well before the Time Agreements insurrection was suggested, of course. But how would this new payment system be divided?