The Republic of Linae (Book 1)

Chapter 11: Allyson

The appointment that Dad set up for me is directly at the doctor's house for discretion. It's in the suburban region of the capital in the area that is a lot less densely populated. Unlike the houses in the center of Urda, where we live, these houses do not have specific requirements to follow.

Typically, Catipilis citizens will reside in the rural and suburban regions. It's often difficult to find Wolfani in a house this far from the city. Dad wouldn't trust a Catipilis to keep a secret like this contained, however, so this doctor has to be one of the few Wolfani who live out here.

Dust from the dirt driveway kicks up into the air when I fully stand up. I can feel every pebble underneath my flats. When I go to school later, someone's going to notice the dirt that's going to collect on the side of my blue flat.

The grass reaches to my calves, tickling my ankles as Cameron and I walk. There is no pathway that leads from the driveway to the door. Just flattened grass that's slightly browner than normal.

My heart lurches toward my throat while Cameron reaches towards the metal knocker at the door. I subconsciously rub my hand along the tattoo on my wrist.

I used to dream of having this stupid CT removed. I used to think that everything would be fixed after the tattoo was gone from my wrist. As if something as simple as a tattoo was the thing that hindered me from seeing my father.

For eleven years, I have had this tattoo etched into my skin. For eleven years, this mark has followed me everywhere I have gone. This mark forced an identity on me that I once resented with every fiber of my being.

Now, I don't want to see it go.

My father is giving me everything I have wanted. A family. A place among the Wolfani. An escape from the world of the Catipilis. All the hopes and dreams that I gave up on are now falling right into my lap. I should be grateful since I am getting an opportunity at a fresh start. No one else gets this chance.

I grip Cameron's arm before he can use the knocker. I am about to assume the identity of Allyson Hansen, the president's mysterious daughter. The girl the world had forgotten about until she came back into the spotlight. A member of the elite Wolfani who gets whatever she wants when she wants it.

In order to become Allyson Hansen, I have to give up everything that has made me who I am today. The little girl that once dreamed of giving everyone the freedom they deserve will have to disappear. I can no longer be the Allyson I've always known myself to be. I have to be someone who I am not.

Cameron lifts an eyebrow at me. "What's wrong?"

This is my only chance at a fresh start. Cameron and I are just starting to get along and Mom seems to genuinely care about me. I have the opportunity to get everything I have ever wanted if I walk through that door— if I leave the old Allyson behind.

"I can't do this," I exhale. My lungs begin to constrict on me. Did I really save Lydia and escape that place just to forget about who I was and how I was treated?

There is no ounce of sympathy on my brother's face. He knocks on the door with the knocker loudly. "You have to," he responds.

The door opens immediately after, revealing a middle aged man. His receding hair is graying at the roots. His joyful green eyes study the two of us for a brief moment before he widens the door. "Please come in," he states. "I have everything ready for you."

My brain doesn't register the words he says to me or the walk into the brightly lit white room in his basement. All I am focused on is taking deep breaths.