274 (Complex Series, #4)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

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I wake up to Charlotte lightly shaking my shoulder. I moan, wanting nothing more than to fall back asleep. Charlotte laughs, “Wake up. Stop being so offie lazy.”

A smile flits across my lips and I open my eyes. Charlotte helps me back on to the wheelchair. She says, “So, I’ve decided to take you to visit the Cleaners today. It’s a pretty easy Pros. Besides, since you are in a wheelchair, you’ll probably get out of most of the cleaning they make you do.”

“They make you clean on the tour?”

“They’re low staffed. Nobody really wants to be a Cleaner. The only reason most people pick that Pros is because they are kicked out of other Pros or they just want to be away from other people. I guess a few people like it but…”

“You can get kicked out of Pros?”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t really happen that often. By ‘kicked out’ I mean they aren’t qualified to do that Pros or if they fail to do what they are supposed to.”

Michelle enters the room and helps me into my wheelchair. She says, “You’re recovery is looking pretty good. You should be able to get out of that wheelchair in a few days.”

Charlotte dramatically applauds. I roll my eyes at her antics. How can a girl so light and free be restrained under the Heads control? How can she be betraying everyone in the Unknown with such a bright smile always dominating her face?

How would she behave if she didn’t constantly have the Heads’ threat hanging over her head?

Michelle says, “Your friend, Marie, is she always that…opinionated?”

I laugh at her choice of words, “I don’t know, I never truly met her. She contacted me once through holograms, but that was all. I didn’t know she was that ‘opinionated’ either.”

Charlotte says, “She hacked the holograms?”

 “She claimed it was untraceable.”

“Was it?”

I shrug, I still don’t know the answer to the question. I assume it wasn’t, Bridget told me I would be taken to the Unknown shortly after she contacted me. Was that just a coincidence?

Charlotte says, “Josh and Benson would love to talk with her, I’m sure.”

Michelle explains, “They’re actually coming in later today to talk to her. I’m not sure how they’ll get along though.”

Charlotte laughs in agreement. Michelle messes with a few more things before Charlotte takes me away. We go to the Eating Hall first, eating a quick meal before heading off to the Cleaners Wing.

Charlotte says as she pushes me along the hall, “Just remember, don’t get too affected by their attitude. They can be offie depressing at times, but you have to keep it from bothering you. They almost always give the self-pitying speech of how miserable it is that they don’t have enough Cleaners. And, please have some compassion on us and join.”

“How depressing?” I ask, unsure of what I should expect.

“It depends on which people you meet. Just…keep it in mind.”

I frown at what she says, wanting to ask more but we’ve arrived at the Cleaners Wing. Charlotte slaps her Notice to the scanner at the door. We slip through the opening doors which close behind us.

The set up is the same as most Teachings. A small lobby area with two or three people sitting behind the counter. Except, here in the Cleaners, there’s only one disheveled looking girl sitting there, worriedly reading something on a hologram.