“What? You didn’t? He must not have made it, then. I told him it wouldn’t work.” Anger tints Josh’s words.
“Didn’t he know that he’d get sent to the Unknown? Did he expect
“We’ve always wanted to know more about the Unknown. He decided to start working in there, trying to get people to start rebelling more. He thought he’d be able to find a way to escape and we’d work from there.”
“Does he think he will actually be able to escape?” Piper’s eyebrows rise.
“He always says, ‘There’s always at least two ways to escape, although they might not be what you expect.’ If there’s a way to escape, Canton would find one. He’s the one who got us into the girls’ Complex.”
“How can you be sure there’s a way of escaping, though? If there was a way out of the Unknown, don’t you think someone would have discovered it by now? How do you know the Unknown even exists? How do you know it’s not just another lie of the Heads? What if they just kill the people who rebel?” Piper asks.
My stomach sinks. If they simply kill the defiant children, Dana’s dead. Because of me.
“I…I don’t believe that.”
“Why not?” Piper challenges. I want to know to know his reasoning too, just to force away the guilt in my stomach.
“Because…” Josh’s voice is filled with pain. “I don’t know, I just don’t believe it. Canton and Dana can’t be dead.”
Why would the Heads keep the rebels alive? They’re no use to the Heads. It’d be easy to have them dead, unable to cause any more problems. Why would the Heads waste food, living space, and other resources on the ‘ungrateful’?
Piper’s quiet. She’s proved her point.
Josh bites the inside of his cheek. “You didn’t see Canton though? He couldn’t have gotten caught. He had it perfectly planned out.”
“No, he didn’t come unless he missed us or…” I trail off, realizing there’s no hope in what I want to say. If he missed us, he would have gotten safely back to his room that night. He’s in the Unknown, or dead.
A soft cry escapes Piper’s mouth. “Brinn,” She’s breathless, “can you remember anything from last night, after Free Hour?”
“No, but that’s probably because it was just like any other night.”
“Maybe, but what about the bandages? Is it possible that they happened to appear the same night Canton was supposed to reveal all the Heads lies?”
“Maybe they’re connected, but how? Why would we get bandages just because Canton got taken to the Unknown? And what about our memories…”
“They can’t…they can’t take our memories, right?” Josh sounds desperate for someone to reassure him that it’s not possible.
“I…” Piper’s voice fades.
They can’t take away our memories. It’s not possible.
But what about all the other technology they have? What about the medical knowledge they use to keep the Disease away? What about the intelligence it must take to keep us from ever getting sick? What’s keeping them from our memories?
“I can’t believe Canton’s in the Unknown for something that no one can remember.”
He doesn’t say what we are thinking. He might be dead because of it.
A bouncing stream of light runs through the crack of space between the door and the doorframe. Josh frantically gestures to be quiet. We wait for the Official to pass, pressing ourselves against the walls. She doesn’t even look our way.
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)
