Piper manages to get near to me before we reach the track at Free Hour. She slips behind me on the escalator and I restlessly wait to reach the top.
“You got the message, right?” Piper says as we step off the track.
I nod. “What do you think?”
“I’ve been thinking about it all day. We should go, all of us.”
“What if it’s a trap?”
“I don’t think it is. If they wanted to take us to the Unknown, they would have already.”
“But,” I reason, “what if they’re waiting to reveal everyone who’s involved with us?”
“It’s possible, but the Heads aren’t exactly known for their patience.”
“True, but—” Kate falls into step with us. Piper flawlessly changes the subject to the newest song we are learning in Music Teaching.
I shift my thoughts to the final Profession Exam tonight. What will it be like? How will it be different? The Official said that the results on our exams would determine which Profession I’m best for, but none of the questions have anything to do with the Professions. How do they know which would be best for me? Which Profession do I want?
Control? Renewal? Meal? Patrol?
The easiest would probably be the Renewal Official. It’d be terribly boring at times, but easier than the Patrol Official. If I was a Patrol Official, I’d have to drag away girls that are rebelling, just like I am. I wouldn’t want to be a Meal Official. I don’t think I could hand girls their Vita, knowing I was drugging them. What about Control Officials? I’m not sure what they do exactly, but their name suggests it’s far from pleasant.
I guess I’d want Renewal Official. It wouldn’t be too difficult. I might even be able to be a bit like Dawn, letting the girl get away with small acts of defiance.
I just have to convince the Heads on my final Profession Exam that I should be a Renewal Official.
˚˚°˚˚
I walk down the hallway to Circle Room 15. My stomach filled with lead. I pass Circle Room 10. My head pounds. I think Piper is a few steps behind me, but I can’t risk checking. My hands shake at my sides. I press them against my skirt in a feeble attempt to stop them. Circle Room 13 goes by. Is that Kate’s head bobbing in front of me?
Circle Room 14 is gone. Circle Room 15 looms ahead. I turn at the door and step nervously inside. It doesn’t look like a Circle Room. The smooth gray countertops, orderly line of stools, they’re gone. All that’s inside is seamless steel flooring.
One giant, empty circle.
Seven Officials stand around the perimeter.
I stumble further into the circle. An Official steps forward, her hand gripping a crumpled black cloth. I try to stand confidently as she ties it around my head, blackening my vision. My knees start to shake as she yanks tight the final knot. A hand pushes against my back. I shuffle forward, into what must be the center of the circle.
Soft breathing floats from my right. An Official? Another girl? What’s happening? I wait. Counting the seconds away in my head. 53. 54. 55. I focus on taking deep breaths. I’m okay for right now. Nothing has happened yet. I just need to stay calm. I need to do well on this test.
My thoughts abandon the counting. Instead, I repeat only two words, trying to remind myself how important my actions are here.
Renewal Official. Renewal Official. Renewal Official.
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)
