984 (Complex Series, #2)

Chapter Seven

"Christopher, knock it off," he repeats in a mocking tone.

Miranda's eyes flash, "I am the elected leader here and I can very well-"

"Leader, whatever Miranda, you couldn't touch a single hair on my head and you know it. If you were to hurt me in the slightest way, the Council would kick you out of office."

"Only because of the stupid lies you've told everyone. Everyone is afraid of you, nobody respects you. Is that what you want?"

"If that's what it takes to be the next Leader, I will do whatever I have to." Christopher responds coolly.

I hear the whoosh of the door sliding open. I turn to see Dana stride through the door. Her confident step falters a little when she sees Christopher in the room. She trips slightly over her other foot, earning a snicker from Christopher, but regains her stride and comes towards me. She keeps her gaze resting on me, not even sending a glance to Miranda or Christopher.

She looks pale with worry.

Miranda addresses Dana, "Thanks for arriving so quickly. Please allow Piper ot shadow you for the rest of the day Also, I would like to have a meeting with you at some point tomorrow, I'll send you a Notice on when you may come. Everything Piper and I discussed today is completely off limits and you can’t discuss them, even between yourselves."

Miranda turns to speak to me, "Piper, I will also send a Notice to you on when we can speak again. I'll let Charlotte know that you may need to miss some of your Rivie Orientation. If it is a message from me, it will say it is from Miranda, Leader, okay?"

After I nod, Miranda waves her hand, "You are dismissed. Thank you again."

Dana leads me out of the room. As the door slides shut behind us, I hear Christopher break out into rapid whispers that are inaudible the second the door closes.

Dana and I begin walking down the hall, Dana looks anxious, "What did Miranda talk about? Are you okay? I like Miranda, I mean she's okay and everything, but every once in a while she gets crazy plans. I mean, she would, of course she wouldn't..."

Dana takes a deep breath and starts over, "Miranda would never hurt you of course, but, sometimes she's a little merciless with the questioning. I was afraid, you know, with you being a Rivie and everything, that, oh, I don't know, I just, I was just..."

Dana stops again, "I'm sorry, Piper, when I'm nervous, I don't make any sense when I'm talking. I know what I want to say, but my mind decides that I'm going to say something completely different, you know?"

I ask, “Why are you nervous?”

“I’d be lying if I said Miranda didn’t scare me at least a little. Don’t even get me started on Christopher.”

“Don’t worry, I understand.” I smile, hoping she calms down.

Dana sighs and continues, "I suppose the hallway isn't exactly the best place to be discussing these things either. We'll find a better time to talk about this."

We walk silently back to the Kitchens. When we enter, the wonderful aromas hit me.

Dana says, "The first day I was here, all I wanted to do was get off my offie feet and relax. Do you want to sit down for a while to process everything?"

I agree gratefully and Dana shows me a corner free of any activity.

I sit, my feet rejoicing. I didn't realize how tired I was until I sat down. In the Complex, we didn't do this much walking.

I let my mind wander. Bridget and Canton. I thought they were in the Unknown, not with the Ecru. But I guess what they did was severe enough for the Officials to sentence them to the Ecru. Canton ran down the halls of the girls' Complex, causing the Officials to have to use the red shot to mind-wipe everybody, or almost everybody. Sienna still remembers and it sounds like Bridget can remember too. Bridget was suspected of killing an Official, Dawn, even though it was actually Brinn.

During the Profession Test, Bridget carried herself with confidence. But lying on the cot, she looked so weak and afraid. I wouldn't have even suspected her of being the same person, had she not proven it to me.

I've never met Canton before, but who else would know of Brinn and Josh. Brinn had once described him to me as covered in freckles. Brinn told me that Canton was extremely smart and cunning. He managed to break into the girls’ Complex by himself during the day. I can't imagine that the boy who was lying in the cot by Bridget running from the Officials and shouting to girls about the lies of the Heads.

How do you get out of the Ecru? How do you save yourself?

Is Bridget immune to the red, like Sienna? Is it a coincidence that they are roommates?

My thoughts are interrupted when a scream rips through the air. My eyes dart back and forth, trying to locate the source. Metal clatters somewhere.

I turn my head and see a younger boy has dropped a pan on the floor. Food scatters across the floor. The boy looks fearfully at the faces watching. J., the cook Dana was speaking to earlier, quickly strides forward.

The boy pleads desperately, "I'm so sorry J., I've only just started here. It was an honest mistake. I'm sorry. Please, don't be mad."

J. inspects the scene. The pan tipped upside down on the floor, still sizzling. The Windsors' supper, flung across the floor. The boy, practically begging, at her feet.

Much to the boy's surprise, J. smiles. "It's okay, mistakes are mistakes, you just need to learn from them. How are you supposed know you are succeeding if you never fail? It's nothing we can't fix, don't worry. Now let's clean this mess up and get back to work, yes?"

The bustle of the Kitchens resumes. J. quietly instructs the boy, teaching him about what to do next time. The boy looks more surprised than anything.

If the boy had been in the Complex, an Official would have sent him here without a second of hesitation.

I allow myself to close my eyes, promising to open them only after a few seconds. But the seconds pass and I nod off to sleep, exhausted.