984 (Complex Series, #2)

Chapter Two

My head pounds as I lift my heavy eyelids. I force my eyes to focus. I trapped. A thin metal cord wraps around my arms and legs, tying me do a hard chair. I give the cord an experimental tug. It only cuts into my flesh. I wince as blood dabbles around the slice. I glance around at my surroundings. 

I'm in a small rectangular room, all the same gray of the Complex. If my arms were free, I could stretch my arms straight out and touch both walls from this seat. Footsteps pass through the halls. Occasional voices. None of them stop at my door. Do I want them to?

My hands are tied together sitting on my lap. I bring my hands up to my mouth, trying to bite through the thin cord. All I manage to do is make my teeth ache. Whatever the cord is made of, it doesn't break easily.

Laughter echoes from the outside hall. But laughter shouldn't belong in a place like the Unknown. It must be distorted scream or moan. 

The laughter-like noise continues, growing louder. The door to my room slowly slide open. A girl doubled over in laughter stumbles in.

Laughter and the Unknown don't belong with each other.

Her hair would never pass in the Complex. It bounces down her shoulders in tight red curls. Not constrained by braids. She walks over, her eyes still crinkled with giggles. 

The door is still open. A girl walks passed and shouts, "Charlotte. Act more serious. We don't want her to get the wrong impression."

Charlotte explodes in another fit of giggles. The girl smiles, rolls her eyes, and continues walking. 

Charlotte walks towards me. She sees the cuts the cords have made. Her bliss is erased. "I hate these offie chords," she mutters.

I look into her face. No make-up. They must not have Renewals here, but I've never seen a person without make-up on. It's terrible. Her face shows some red bumps and her eye lashes are too small. Without lip gloss, her lips are too pale. Then I stop myself. This is how people really are, not how the Heads make them.

She strides over to the door and pops her head out, "Would someone get David please? Tell him to get the offie cutters."

Someone else shouts out, "Get the offie cutters yourself."

Charlotte sticks out her tongue in the direction of the voice, "Yeah right. If you want me to use the cutters, I'll probably chop this Rivie's hand right off."

Fear stabs through me. Cutters? Chop a hand off? Maybe the cords on are better than the alternative. And what did she say? Rivie?

A boy strides in. A boy, right here, in front of me. Where any Official could see. He holds a small steel square in his hands. He walks closer with Charlotte right behind him.

Charlotte must see the fear on my face. She smacks her head, "I also forget! You probably have never seen a boy before. Don't worry about all the offie junk the Heads tell you, boys really aren't dangerous, evil, and the other stuff they say. Just pretty annoying."

I don't mention that I have in fact met a boy. I'm too amazed that she's brave enough to go against what the Heads say.

David comes closer holding the small steel square in his hands. He presses a button and a sharp black blade flips out. He says, "Just relax, don't move. Don't let it touch your skin."

I nod slightly. 

He presses the blade against the cord. A slight sizzling sound reaches my ears. The cord seems to almost melt away around the knife. My hands are free.

Charlotte chatters, "It doesn't look like much but it could burn your fingers right off. There's a chemical on the blade that dissolves the cord. That's why I'm too afraid to use it. It's kind of silly considering I'm a R.I. But good thing I've got David to help. He only gets somewhat annoyed when I have to keep calling him in," she smiles. Her teeth are a little crooked in the front. Something the Renewal Officials would fix right away. Her face is sprinkled in freckles that bounce up and down when she laughs.