987 (Complex Series, #3)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Once we exit that room, James embarrassedly says, “We’s don’t a-know exactly what these rooms be a-for. We’s a-use them for a water source, ya know for a-drinking and washing.”

He slides open the door. I bite my tongue to keep from laughing. Brinn’s mouth falls open and she shares an incredulous, yet disgusted look with me.

Inside is stalls with toilets inside. Just like the Complex. The toilets are practically immaculate.

Piper stammers, “Y-you use these f-for drinking water? And for bathing?”

James looks confused, “Yeah, what’d be a-wrong with that?”

Piper bites her lip and glances at me, I shrug.

Piper cautiously explains, “These are toilets.”

James stares at her blankly.

Piper sighs, “Toilets are where you…uh…empty your bladder…in…”

Rose giggles, “Ya don’t a-know what yer a-talkin’ about. We’s a-go potty out in them woods, not inside the village. We’s don’t a-go where we drink from.”

I try to push away the disgust that’s lingering inside. If they never used the toilets as well, toilets, it’s not that disgusting, right? They’re probably just as clean as the cups we drink out of.

James still stares disbelievingly at us, “This be what ya had at yer Complexes? Ya went to the bathroom in these things?”

Bridget somewhat embarrassedly nods her head in confirmation.

Rose raises her eyebrows, “This Complex place be a-soundin’ strange,” she pauses, then adds, “do ya be a-thinkin’ we be strange?”

Piper grins, “I think you’re different from what we’re used to, but I don’t think your strange.”

Rose informs us, “Well, ya sure do a-talk funny.”

I say, “That’s just the way we were taught to talk.”

Rose frowns, “Were ya taught by yer mommy and daddy too? Where be yer mommy and daddy?”

I swallow. There are two words of their dialect that I don’t know. Mommy and Daddy.

Canton explains, “We don’t…we don’t know what that means. They didn’t have those in the Complexes.”

James’ face morphs into a strange, almost sad expression.

Rose argues, “But, ya have to a-have parents-”

James interrupts, “Rose, ya can a-drop the subject.”

“Why, Daddy? How’s can they not a-have a mommy and daddy?” Rose questions.

James sends her a warning look. Rose looks like she wants to continue to argue, but she doesn’t say anything more.

Bridget squints at something on the far wall. She points at a small, square shape hanging on the wall, “What’s that?”

James strides over to the object and we follow.

James says, “We’s don’t a-know. They’s be in all the buildin’s. They’s be here when we’s arrived. They’s don’t a-have no use.”

Before I can get too close of a look at the object, Spara and Nikolas appear in the doorway.

My heart beat picks up. They must have found the Taser. They are here to carry out any consequences that they see fit. What will they do?

I realize the worst thing they could do. They could force us out of the village. Lead us far away and simply abandon us. With no bags and without Spara and Nikolas’ help, we would quickly die, from dehydration, animals, or other horrors of the outside world.

I have subconsciously been thinking that we need to escape, we need to get away. But we can’t. Without Spara and Nikolas’ assistance and protection, we’ll die. We need to win over their trust. We need to gain their help. 

Spara makes eye contact with each of us before saying, “We’s a-went through yer bags.”

Piper coolly raises an eyebrow, “And?”

Spara glares at Piper, “Ya best not be a-getttin’ smart with me, young-un.”

Piper’s face quickly drops any expression, “Sorry,” she mumbles.

Spara smirks, “It’d be a-no problem.”

Nikolas rolls his eyes, “I’s don’t have no time for silly a-bickerin’. We’s have a-decided from a-lookin’ in yer bags that ya be a-tellin’ the truth about yer past. We’s a-think ya really did a-come from the Complexes.”

I relax slightly. Does that mean that they didn’t find the Taser? How could they not? It was just sitting right inside the bag.

Maybe they’re just keeping it a secret that they know about our lies. Maybe they’ll address them when we least expect it.

Nikolas asks, “How’d ya escape?”

“What do you mean?” Piper says.

Piper becomes, even though we never discussed it, our personal spokesman. She can lie as easily as she tells the truth. She knows when to lie and when not to. Even though she messed up once about the Taser, it’s not really her fault.

Nikolas explains, “How’d ya escape? Did ya sneak out? Were ya supposed ta leave? Did ya have a-help? Are more young-uns a-comin’?”

Piper answers carefully, “We had help from some other people but we weren’t supposed to escape, at least the leaders didn’t want us to. And no, I don’t think anyone else is coming.”

Spara questions, “Why ya? How did ya escape, but no other young-uns have? Were ya special or something?”

Piper bites her lip, before saying, “Remember what I said about us not allowed to make any choices? We made our own choices anyway. I guess that could make us special, but I think we simply chose to do something, instead of nothing.”

Nikolas asks, “Does there be anyone a-chasin’ after ya?”

Could there be Officials looking for us? What if Ellen heard about out escape? What if she sent Officials after us?

Piper hesitantly answers, “I don’t think so.”

Nikolas shoots a look at Spara. Spara begins to urgently whisper to him. Nikolas and Spara quickly begin a whispered argument among themselves.

My attention slips away from them and back to the strange object on the wall.

I recognize it from the Complex. When I was being questioned by Derek, they were placed on every door in that part of the hallway.

It’s a lock. You need a fingerprint to unlock the door. I glance closer and see the tiniest seam in the wall. If you didn’t know that there was supposed to be a door there, you probably wouldn’t even notice it. Which would explain why no one else has figured it out yet.

I catch Canton’s eye and tilt my head slightly in the direction of the scanner. He explored all over the Complex, he’s had to see them before.

Canton’s eyes widen in understanding.  Whose fingerprint is needed to open that door?

More importantly, if there’s a door in every building, what do the doors lead to?