Rising Up

Book One in the Tranquility Series

Genre: Dystopian Novel

Challenging the bonds of manipulated and enforced emotions in a domed city.

Synopsis

In the domed city of Tranquility, happiness isn’t just expected—it’s enforced. Every citizen wears an Alt, a wrist device that monitors emotions and punishes even the slightest hint of sadness, anger, or fear. Sixteen-year-old Ember Vinata has always played by the rules… until the sudden death of her mother shatters the façade of perfection she’s been trained to uphold. Her forbidden grief draws the attention of two very different boys: Will Verus, a loyal Plauditor raised to uphold the system, and Xander Noble, a rebellious outsider who wants to expose the truth.

When Ember discovers that the government is manipulating emotions on a massive scale—and that her own empathic abilities may be the key to stopping them— she’s thrust into a dangerous conspiracy that threatens the only world she’s ever known. As rebellion ignites beneath the dome, Ember must choose between obedience and freedom, safety and truth. But in a city where feelings are weaponized, one girl’s awakening could be the spark that destroys Tranquility…or saves it.

Excerpt

As she lay in the king-size bed that night, Ember’s mind raced.

It was impossible to sleep. Nor did she welcome her bizarre dreams. With an impatient snort, she finally got up out of bed. She had to make use of a time when the Magistrate and others weren’t around.

She slid her fingers along the soft fabric of her silky nightgown. This will never do. She’d need an outfit suited to exploring. After switching on a tiny light inside the closet, she pulled out a pair of tight pants and a loose velvet tunic that hit her mid-thigh. Comfortable and warm, the clothes were an improvement. If only they were black. Nevertheless, she threw off her nightgown and dressed, deciding against shoes. They would be far too noisy as she walked.

Her bedroom door had an interior bolt for privacy, although the Magistrate had assured her she would never need to secure it, she was “protected here.” She put her finger on the latch where it picked up the fingerprint permission. She winced and then froze when she heard its answering click, but it slid open with barely a sigh. After a moment of suspended effort, she guardedly poked her head out of the doorway, goosebumps making a home on her neck. No one could know she was up roaming the mansion. With a glance at the bedroom camera, she sighed with relief. The green light was off, the red light on. I guess he’s given me some privacy when I sleep. Who knows what the Magistrate would do if he found out? Perhaps then the lock would be on the outside.

The hallway beyond was inky, a shroud of security for her midnight probe. As she went along, her bare feet made tiny impressions in the fleecy carpet, but no noise at all. It was as if she were a ghost floating along the floor.

Life on the Line

She stood shivering from fear at the end of the hallway, mentally tracing the route she remembered. The interior entry to City Hall was on the opposite wall. The moonlight from an adjacent window pearlized the raindrops on the glass and illuminated the metallic shine on the door to the foyer of the main building. She scampered across the room, not knowing if she would discover an accessible entrance or a secured one.

When the electronic knob turned with no resistance, and the door glided open, she gagged on a laugh. Too easy!

To her right was the front desk. A.S.P.E.R. greeted her from the front desk, blinking her eyes and moving stiffly, apparently awakened by Ember’s intrusion. Ember hesitated, frozen in place. Is this annoying android going to make noise? Her fears were short-lived. The computerized attendant settled back into a fixed pose. I guess even artificial intelligence needs to sleep, she mused.

Ember slunk forward toward the library but halted her advance and made a turn-around. Despite her inactive bedroom camera, she couldn’t ignore others mounted throughout the lobby and in the library. Shazz! I’ll be seen! Even now, her identity was funneling into some viewing station at the Plauditorium. And if, for some reason, the footage wasn’t in real time, it would identify her and get reported.

She cringed and fell back, moving with stealth into a spot behind the concierge counter to think. Crouching, she leaned against the desk’s support beam and raised her eyes to the ceiling, begging the universe to send her some kind of idea.

A soft click drew her attention. A.S.P.E.R. had come alive again!

The artificial head swiveled, the body angling in Ember’s direction.

Ember pulled in a lungful of air, and little spiders danced across her skin. The robot knew who she was, and she’d register her activity! Doom glued itself to her flesh.

“Ember Vinata. You are here late.” A slight whoosh of movement accompanied precise enunciation of syllables.

“Um. Yes.” A rapid-fire conversation began happening in her own head about what to answer, how to explain. She scrunched her shoulders against her neck. “I’m … exploring.” Might as well be honest. What else could she say?

“It is an odd time to explore. However, you live here, so that is okay.”

Ember bit her lip to contain the joy of her deliverance. “Thanks….” With her new-found consolation, she released a blast of pent-up CO₂ but frowned. The cameras … still an issue. “A.S.P.E.R.?”

“Yes.”

“Is there a way to turn off the cameras in here?” Ember’s eyes darted to the corners of the room, dread weaving a web of improbability.

“I can do it.”

Ember gazed up at the female droid, wanting to hug her. “I would be grateful.”

“You are not a guest but are catalogued as a family member. I am not programmed to interfere with the wishes of a relative. The cameras will remain off for a period of twenty minutes.” Could she investigate enough in twenty minutes? She’d have to.

The library had easy access. She imagined the Magistrate had no reason to lock the inner entrances. Only he would be inside at night. Even the servants were gone.

Wishing she had a whisper of light, she took a moment to adjust to the gloom. Her eyes scanned the room, stopping on the panel with the carved smiling faces, now appearing macabre and eerie in the shadows, and she shivered. They looked evil in the night, like ogres guarding a palace. And where would the magic button be to access the space beyond? She’d have to feel around, grope the wooden ridges and sink her fingers into odd spaces. She didn’t want to touch those faces, either.

Rings and Books Hold Clues

Even if she got in, the rings were under lock and key inside. Her hope of stealing a ring vanished in the moment, slippery with disappointment. Something else….

Her eyes settled on the hundreds of books lining the shelves. What were they for? She looked around behind her before tiptoeing over to the closest shelf. Pulling a yellow one out at random, she flipped it open. She remembered blood in her dreams. But no blood here.

The book held handwritten pages. She stopped at an entry, straining her eyes to read it in the blinding shadows. A few words were in bold, and she could pick those out. “Happiness,” “monitoring,” and “hope.” The darkness made it impossible to read more. She slid it back in and pulled another, this one’s cover a Kelly green.

In the gloom, she backed up into a chunky desk, hitting her left heel on a broad, heavy metal leg. Vibrating pain tore through her foot. “Shazz!” she yelled out. Putting her hand over her mouth, she froze.

After a minute, she heard nothing and relaxed again. But it was time to go. The longer she stayed, the more vulnerable she was, and the cameras would reactivate. Now, grab a book and— The entrance to the library slid open. Her heart skipped a beat.

She dropped to all fours and scrambled around the desk’s solid bulk, finding the desk’s kneehole a perfect cubby for hiding. She didn’t dare breathe as she wedged herself into the space, silently thanking the seat for being pushed aside.

Footsteps from someone trolled the room. She could see nothing from her vantage point. It was both protection and a blind spot, but her senses perceived it. Exasperation and puzzlement flowed her way, hitting her like a fuzzy cloud. The person paced for several minutes before stopping; then a shallow beacon of light swept the room, stopping here and there. Her breathing stopped when the pinpoint beam landed on the top of the desk. Then, as if the final illumination was satisfactory, Ember heard the person soft-shoe his way back out the door, its whoosh of sound a balm to her panic.

She exhaled in relief, her extremities tingling and numb from the danger. If she could see her own aura, which was a gift she lacked, it wouldn’t have been a pretty sight.

Rubbing her arms and biting back a buried scream, she crawled out, grabbing the desktop’s edge and pulling herself up.

Her fingers hit on a flat object on the desk. It was another book. She wouldn’t have seen it in the gloom, its cover as black as her surroundings. She picked it up, turning it over in her hand, deciding whether this was the reward for her bravery. Her mind was a mush of emotions and conflicting ideas.

It had been a close call, but the danger had passed. She did not know who had investigated the library in the murky darkness. Was it the Magistrate? Or a servant? The cover of night was a security blanket, but it also yielded no answers.

The best payout was the mysterious book. She craved its explanations. Something she could use against the Magistrate or the Elite? Inanimate objects had no auras, but she felt the book’s presence as strongly as if it were a real person.

She pulled up her shirt and tucked the five-by-seven-inch tome into her underwear. It lay perfectly flat, tight against her skin. Even on the Magistrate’s turf, she dared anyone to search her private parts.

In her quarters, she could settle down to peruse the book.

A sigh escaped her lips. No. She’d escape somehow and find Will. No matter what he said, no matter why he was distancing himself, she had something in her hands now that could help figure everything out. She could read and analyze the book, but he had to see it, too. Without him, no matter what she found, she’d have no way to fight back. Will was her one singular hope. She tiptoed her way to the library door, hearing the whirr of surveillance cameras roaming the interior. The dark would not prevent their perfect recognition features. Her mouth went deathly dry.

How did I convince myself that I could get away with exploring these rooms on a wing and a prayer? He will know.

She broke out in a fresh sweat, her blood whipping through her veins as if punishing her for her stupidity. The book’s leathery cover squeaked against skin already moist from her defenselessness. She dropped her head to her chest, not to hide her face, but out of despair. Keeping the book was critical, but she had stolen it, and who knows if it was somehow recorded?

Somehow, she had to get out of here, no matter the risks. Better to run than to be a sitting duck.

The front door of City Hall was the closest exit. She headed there, out the library door and into the main foyer of the building. With no time to listen for anything but her beating heart, she launched herself forward.

Her anxiety fueled her sprint, each step faster than the last, the door looming large before her. White knuckles shone in the silvery moonbeams sliding down from the promontory windows as she grabbed the massive lock and turned. Gears clicked.

Then the door opened with a purr before a piercing siren ripped through the air.

Rising Up, on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/3z8vk8m4

Interview on this site: https://writeanygenre.com/2025/12/20/tanya-ross/