984 (Complex Series, #2)

Chapter Fourteen

Christopher rants to a group of ten or so people. Each person glares at Charlotte and I. My eyes widen when I see Dana listening to Christopher. 

Charlotte and I freeze in the doorway. Neither of us want to go in there with Christopher.  Charlotte's face turns bright red.  She stutters, "Oh! P-Piper! I f-forgot! We need, we need, um...to do something quick! Uh, let's go." She quickly steps out the door. I turn to follow. 

As a follow Charlotte down the hall, I hear a few snickers coming from the Eating Hall. 

Charlotte turns a corner ahead of me and stops walking, leaning against the wall. 

"I'm sorry Piper. I handled that offie terribly.  Christopher scares me so much. He's always spreading rumors and blackmailing people about every little thing they do. See, he wants to be the next leader.  Once Miranda dies, which will be a little over a year considering she's almost nineteen, there will be a new election. Christopher will probably win through his blackmailing. Plus he's the Council for the Fields. He's got that position through offie blackmailing too."

"Why doesn't everyone in the Unknown just, I don't know, agree to stop listening to whatever Christopher says? If everyone knows he's blackmailing people?" I ask. 

"It's not that simple. There are 8,000 people in the Unknown. Sure, we all see each other every once in a while, but we aren't all Rebbies with everyone. The only people you really know well are the people in your Pros. Besides, we can't just go around saying, 'Don't listen to Christopher.' Nobody will take us seriously."

"But doesn't everyone know how horrible Christopher is?" I respond.

"Somewhat. Not really, I guess. It's just the people who work in the Fields and people with Pros who work closely with Fields, like the Kitchens and Odds, who understand how offie bad Christopher is. Everyone else believes his perfect, I-really-care attitude. Those people will vote for him and the people he's black-mailing will vote for him."

"Is it guaranteed Christopher is going to be the leader of the Unknown some day?"

"Pretty much. It's offie horrible, isn't it?"

I shudder slightly at the thought of Christopher being in control. 

I hear more snickers and turn my head. Christopher and his group are walking past us. Fingers point and lips turn up in smirks. I see Dana's bobbing head in the group. She's purposely avoiding my gaze. Why would she be hanging out with Christopher? She hates him.

Shouldn't she be at her Pros in the Kitchens?

After the group is out of sight, Charlotte turns to me. "Wasn't that your old roommate, Dana?"

I nod slowly. 

"Why would she be hanging out with Christopher?" She asks. 

"No idea." I say. "She hates Christopher..."

"Shouldn't she be at her Pros?" I ask.

"She may have been able to slip away. She might have said she was going to the toilets or something. Or, today might be her day off. Every other week, people get one day off. Well, actually, it depends on the Pros. Kitchens get a day off every other week, but I get a day off whenever there are no Rivies. Which barely happens."

"It still doesn't make sense though. Dana hates Christopher.  He was being mean to her yesterday."

I hear a beep come from my Notice. It's the first message I've received. I try to remember back to Miranda's lecture on which button to push. I just guess and press the green button.