My pulse pounds in my ears. What is she doing here? She’s never come to a History Teaching before. She’s never been to any Teaching.
It must be part of the Gratitude Ceremony. What is she here for? Is she going to speak to us again? Is she simply observing us, watching for any signs of defiance?
I force my gaze forward, focusing on the video. Does my fear show on my face? Can she see the defiance? Is she suspicious? Do I look just like everyone else? Do I stand out? She stands watching for the entire History Teaching. I can’t relax, feeling her cold gaze sweep over us.
The video ends and the Teaching Bell rings. We stand and file out of the room. I glance towards the doors and realize Ellen disappeared. Is she waiting out in the hall? Has she hidden herself so that the girls don’t know she was watching? Did anyone else notice her standing there? Will she be here only for History Teaching or is she going to come into all our other Teachings?
We reach the Circle Room for our next Teaching, Mathematics. I stride along the spiraling steel counters until I reach my stool. I sit down and tap the counter three times. A hologram pops up, floating in front of me. Two ear chips sit on the counter. I pick them up and place them in my ears. An automated voice fills my head, “Welcome to Mathematics. Your lesson today: Pythagorean Identities.”
It rattles off a question.
A projected light keyboard hovers above the counter. My fingers fall through the holographic buttons as I type in the answer. The keyboard flashes green and asks another question.
Problems come through for the rest of the hour. When I get them right, it flashes green. When I’m wrong, it darkens to a red and instructs me as to what I did wrong. I don’t know how well I’m doing in Mathematics compared to the other girls. We don’t share any reports on how well we are doing. We don’t even have reports of any kind.
That would show that we are unequal.
As I answer the questions, I search the room for Ellen. I’m in the back of the room and have a pretty clear view of the whole room. Unless she is standing directly behind me, I doubt she’s watching. I gradually begin to relax and focus more on my Teaching.
The questions grow in complexity as the hour passes, but I manage to keep up. After the hour is over, the Teaching Bell signals the end of class. I tap the counter three times again and the hologram vanishes. I pull out my ear chips and go to the Circle Room down the hall for my next Teaching.
I.L.I. Intelligence Level Improvement. It’s the only Teaching that I like. The lessons are different from all the other Teachings. Instead of just listening to a voice talk, and typing in our answers, the lesson varies each day. We do different types of mind puzzles, matching, memory, logic. Sometimes we are even paired into groups to boost our social skills and practice working together.
Today, however, we have single projects. I go to my seat along the corner and tap it three times to bring up my hologram. There are no ear chips for this Teaching. It’s a memory puzzle. Long lists of numbers appear across the screen. I have to remember as many as I can until they disappear. Then I type what I remember into the hologram. It must be grading my results, but I have no idea how close I get every time.
I fall into a rhythm, until Piper gasps softly. I glance at her. Her eyes widen as she stares at something across the room. I follow her gaze and fear quickens my pulse.
Ellen once again stands across the room, watching girls’ holograms. She silently stalks behind them, moving along the counter. Do the girls know they are being watched? Are they shaking in fear, knowing that Ellen sees their work?
YOU ARE READING
986 (Complex Series, #1)
Science Fiction-first book in Complex series- In the Complex, where everyone is emotionless perfection, a young girl discovers through forbidden friendships the frightening truth behind her seemingly flawless world. (the lovely cover was created by @clarkethevirus)
