Dark Needs (Tales of Dystopian Decadence Book 1) by Finley Blake Page A

the masses,” Icharus said, his mouth a grim line of displeasure. “DeVille Enterprises is the mastermind of this operation. But what good is my money and power if all it buys are the privileges the Regime is willing to distribute? What if I want more than what they decide to reward me with, and what happens when they decide I’m useless to them? What then? They could easily slaughter both me and my father, and then confiscate all our assets, declaring them property of the government. The Regime doesn’t need us to run our factories and maintain these machines, but it’s convenient for them at this time. No matter what you might think, the DeVilles are just pawns too, because the wealthy and privileged give the people something to aspire to, while simultaneously keeping them down.”
    “No, the privileged ones aren’t just something to aspire to. They are also something to resent.” I narrowed my eyes at the ominous plumes. “You might be the privileged elite now, but someday when the people figure out they can’t be you, they will find a way to do away with you, like they’ve done in so many revolutions around our world.”
    “Precisely. And you aren’t just the daughter of one of the Regime’s most famous courtesans.” Icharus put his hand on my shoulder, his gaze also on the scene before us. “You aren’t just trying to follow in her footsteps in one way. Like her, you have the heart of a rebel. What you are seeing here is only the tip of the iceberg as far as the Regime’s hold on the States. Imagine, if you can, what else they have done, are doing, or will do to us if we let them continue to rule. None of us are safe, whether we are the poor or the privileged. We are all being taught to despise one another. The Regime is playing us, class against class.”
    Tipping my chin up to the sky, I blinked into the brilliance of the blue overhead. “For now you have everything,” I said. “Why change a thing?
    “Because the one thing I don’t have is peace of mind.” He turned me from the hills with their monstrous contraptions and guided me to the stables. “Maybe one day, there will be a mob of angry civilians at my door, ready to destroy me simply because I’m rich and they’re not. Or, like I said, maybe the Regime will decide I am no longer useful to them and then I will conveniently disappear. And then, of course, there’s just basic human decency. No one has a right to keep nature from any of us, especially not other men calling themselves leaders. Wait right here.”
    As I pondered his words, Icharus walked into the building and the long face that had been regarding us disappeared from sight. When he emerged, Icharus was leading a white horse and a black horse. They were both so beautiful, it took my breath away for a moment.
    “This,” he said, “is the true privilege – getting to know these beautiful creatures. Would you like to try riding?”
    “Me?” I pressed my hands to my chest as I looked up at the horses. This was one thing the school could not afford, let alone maintain in the confines of the metropolis. Up here on the hill, however, I could get lost in all the luxuries offered to me if not for the knowledge that below us, people were suffering. It would be so easy to just myself be a part of this life, to beg Icharus to forget his scheme and allow us to live happily ever after…
    “I know,” Icharus said when I slid my gaze back toward the valley. “But I didn’t bring you out here to make you feel guilty about being here with me. I did it to show you just one aspect of what we can change if we follow-through with this plan. Of course, there are other options, like just staying here with me and forgetting about it. All of it.”
    How did he see through me so well? Looking up at him from underneath my lashes, I threaded my fingers together in front of me and whispered, “Really?”
    “Really.” He watched me so intently, I had to turn away before answering.
    “No,” I