Her words send chills down my spine. The people in the Unknown die too quickly as it is. Will I be dead soon? How quickly is ‘quickly’?
Miranda takes a deep breath and sits back at her desk.
She offers me a tight smile. "Let's cover some more...neutral....content, yes?"
I nod. It’s clear Miranda isn’t the person you try to argue with.
My heart begins sinking. There's no way out. I will never see Brinn and Sienna again.
Tension still hangs in the air from our argument. Miranda pulls open a drawer on her desk. She takes out small object she lays it on the desk. "This is a Notice.”
A thick black strap dangles from her fingers. A circular screen sits in the middle, surrounded by a couple of buttons.
"Hold out your arm." Miranda commands. I obey and put my hand out in front of her.
She twists the cold, hard strap tightly around my arm. "The Notice will stay tightly wrapped around your arm through magnetic force, so you will never have to worry about it coming off. If you want it off though, press this small button here." She motions to a button where the strap overlaps itself.
"The Notice will show on the screen what the hour is. If someone sends you a message, it will make a beeping noise and you can press this button here," she motions to a green button on the side of the screen, "to view the message, it will come up in hologram form. If you would just like to view the words on the screen, which is much harder that hologram form, but more private, you can press this button," she points to a blue button on the other side of the screen, "and the words will come up in sections on the Notice."
"The Notice is waterproof and easily cleansable. The battery is actually powered through your pulse in your wrist. . If you want to type a message, you press this orange button and a light keyboard with be projected right in front of you, so you can type and walk at the same time. You can leave your Notice on your wrist at all times, even when you're sleeping. In fact we encourage you to, because each Rivie gets one Notice, no replacements. You have more of a chance of losing it if you’re constantly taking it off and on. They’re our main form of communication, it’s important that you keep it safe.”
I’m not sure if I followed all of it. I’ll figure it out over time. Miranda has one wound tightly to her wrist too.
Okay, Notices out of the way, let's move on to daily life. For now, you will stay with Charlotte and explore the different kinds of Pros in the Unknown."
"Wait," I interrupt.
Miranda's eyes flare slightly at my interruption but she doesn't say anything, "Yes?"
"What exactly are Pros?"
Miranda relaxes, "Sorry, I forgot for a second that you had Charlotte as an R.I. Pros is short for profession. Here you get to choose what your Pros is and if you want to change Pros, you will be able to. Charlotte will show you a different Pros every day. You’ll learn a lot more about the Unknown through these sessions, than anything I can teach you in just a few hours. You will be in the same bedroom as Dana for now, if not permanently.”
She adds, “Just because you were roommates in the Complex doesn't mean you will be close to someone here. A lot of times people just grow apart. Dana can teach you more about daily life, you will stay with her the rest of the day, and tomorrow you will get started on Rivie business."
She pauses. The information is starting to get mixed up in my head, but I force myself to focus.
"Now, let's talk about the people in the Unknown. First of all, boys and girls do mix, although you are telling me that have already mixed. Men aren't dangerous of course; it's just the Heads' propaganda. People in the Unknown vary tremendously. There are people who aren't totally loyal to the Heads, but are still too terrified to say anything. There are people who are loyal to the Heads and perfectly obedient, those people are here in the Unknown through a mistake. Then, there are people who don't care either way. Some people enjoy the freedom of the Unknown and are happy like Charlotte. Others become dreary with the work. How you are going to respond to this is entirely up to you."
"Another thing about the Unknown, the people here have come up with their own slang. One of them, I am sure you have heard many times, is Rivie, yes?”
I nod. People seem to constantly call me that.
“Rivie is our word for a new person, or a new a-RIVE-al. You will be a Rivie for only a few days, don't worry, and then there will be more Rivies and then people will completely forget. We get about one or two Rivies a day. Another common word people use is offie. Short for Official. It used to be a very offensive term, but now people use it less seriously than. It basically means really or very, but negatively. There are a few other terms that we have in the Unknown, but you will pick them up soon enough."
She pauses thinking, "Um...that's about it for now. I'll send a message to Dana's Notice telling her to come to pick you up."
She presses a button on her Notice. A hologram pops into the air and Miranda begins typing quickly in the air in front of her. Even though I can't see the light keyboard, I know it's there.
After one minute or so passes by, Miranda smiles. "Okay, Dana will be here in a couple of minutes. She was down helping in the Fields. Like I said, you will just follow Dana around the rest of the day. In the morning, Charlotte will pick you up from your bedroom to begin your Rivie work."
"Will Dana know who Charlotte is?" I ask.
"Everyone knows who Charlotte is. You may not have the most informative R.I., but she knows the Unknown better than anyone, she has been her since six year."
An awkward pause fills the room as we wait for Dana's arrival. Miranda asks, "Are there any other questions?"
I shrug and say, "Why are you in the Unknown?"
Miranda presses her lips together. A fire ignites itself in her eyes, and intensity fills her words again, "Let me give you a tip. Don't go around asking people why they are here. Most people want to forget the Complex."
My face turns hot. I drop my eyes to my hands and bob my head a few times. Tension coats the room. The door opens, breaking the pressure.
I bring my eyes up, thankful for the distraction. Dana strides confidently through the door. Before she was in the Unknown, only the bottom of her braid curled and frizzed. Now, her tight curls bounce at her shoulders, free and wild. Dana's face lights up in a smile when she sees me. She runs forward and wraps her arms tightly around me. I stiffen at the contact.
Dana pulls away and gives me an apologetic smile, "Sorry, forgot about the whole no-contact thing in the Complex thing. We call that a 'hug'. Here in the Unknown, people aren't so...stiff."
I nod, suddenly timid. Even though I've spent practically my whole life with Dana, this new free Dana seems like a totally different person.
Dana beckons towards me with her arm, "Come on, Rivie, I've got work to be doing. I'll fill you in on everything you need to know along the way. Oh, we can be the best of Rebs."
I smile uncertainly at this sudden rush of words. Reb must be another one of those Unknown terms that Miranda was talking about.
Dana leads me out of the room, I glance back towards Miranda. She seems to be purposely avoiding my gaze, pretending to be very interested in a hologram floating above her desk.
We step out into a hallway, people scurrying up and down the steel floors, all with serious expression on their faces. The mood is a lot heavier in this hall than the one I was in earlier with Charlotte. Everyone has stains scattered across their gray clothing and a worn down expression. Every once in a while though, a cheery face bobs through the crowd.
Dana begins talking about our sleeping arrangements. "So, we will be sleeping in a room that was designed to hold fifteen girls at the maximum. With you joining, the count will now go up to twenty one. There isn't quite enough space here in the Unknown, rumor is that more and more girls and boys in the Complex are rebelling. There are mattresses on the floor, so you will probably end up sleeping on one of those. Sorry, but that's just the way things are here. It's not like the bunk beds are any more comfortable. In fact, at least you don't have to worry about falling off the third bunk up and hitting the floor. Of course, I've only done that twice, but it hurts badly enough."
She breaks into another smile and reaches over and does another one of those hugs, right in the middle of the hallway. Heat rises to my cheeks as people elbow their way past us, muttering about us being in the offie way.
Dana practically squeals, "Oh, Piper, I'm so glad you are here. I was getting rather lonely here. Sure, I've got new Rebbies but there's nothing like a Reb that I've had since I can't remember."
Gratefully, she continues walking down the hall again, with that silly smile still plastered across her face. Strange, the Dana I remember was calm and serious. She was collected, not silly and giggly.
"Um, Dana?" I ask.
"Yeah?"
"What's a Rebbie?"
"It basically means friend. Didn't your R.I. cover... wait, did you have Charlotte for an R.I.?"
My smile answers the question.
"Isn't Charlotte awesome?" Dana says, "She is-"
Dana freezes. She twists her mouth up and walks quickly forward, her head down. I struggle to keep up with her.
"What is it?" I ask.
"Tell you later. Just keep walking." Dana mutters through gritted teeth.
A face darts in front of us, halting our speedy walk. My first impression is sharp angles. His cheek bones jut crudely out from his face. His hair is shaved against his scalp, prickling up as it grows back. His eyebrows protrude high over his eyes. His nose points sharply out. He scowls.
Dana stops, and I run into her back. People around us give us a wide berth. The boy leers at us. "So," he spits, "This a new Rivie?"
Dana stands in front of me, trying to stand firm, but cowering slightly. Dana would stand confidently up in front of an Official, maybe even Ellen herself. Why is she so afraid? He only looks a couple years older than us, maybe he's a fifteen year or a sixteen year.
"I said," the boy repeats forcefully, "Is this a new Rivie? I'm offie talking to you, Dana."
Dana takes a step back, squashing my toes. She gives him a spineless nod yes.
"I suppose I will have to find something against you, too. My work never ends." He drawls. "By the way Dana, remember, vote for me at the next election. Otherwise, the information I have against you might...slip out."
Dana glares at him, livid. "Christopher. You and I both know that it's not true."
"Ah, yes, Dana, you and I do both know that. But the Council doesn't. So, they wouldn't know who to believe. It would be my word against yours. And, sadly for you, I'm on the Council. It’d be a Council's word against a lowly Kitchen's word. Who do you offie think is going to win the argument?" The boy cackles and pushes away through the rush of people.
Dana stands there with her fists clenched. People brush past us, every touch causing me to flinch. In the hallways of the Complex, every person had their own space, we never made contact.
After a couple seconds or so, Dana begins walking again, muttering angrily under her breath. She whispers, "I hate him, Piper, really, truly, offie hate him."
Saying the word hate in the Complex is punishably by the Unknown. I suppose the threat is invalid now that we are actually in the Unknown.
"And, my offie fake attitude is killing me. It was their idea, but it's driving me offie insane. They said, pretend to be all bubbly and happy and ditzy, people will never suspect you. But that's not who I offie am."
I can’t make sense of her angry words. Dana barges through a sliding door. A wave of heat hits me. Beads of sweat form on my back. Steam floats through the air. Wonderful scents reach my nose. I sniff and fill my noise with the delicious aroma.
Dana looks back at me, the anger wiped off her face and replaced with a grin. "Wonderful, isn't it? The scent alone makes the heat worth it. Welcome, to the Kitchens." She says, splaying her arms dramatically. "That, my Rebbie, is the delicious smell of Windsors' Late Meal. While we eat the disgusting brown sauce and oatmeal back in the Complex, Ellen and Derek have been feasting on this!"
Girls and boys scurry back in forth, stirring one thing and chopping another. Dangers jump out of every corner. Fire leaps out around pots. Knives glisten as people slice food. And the color. Bright reds and oranges. Deep blues. Every shade of green imaginable.
Dana's eyes sparkle at my reaction. I must be staring with my mouth wide open.
Dana shouts to be heard over the bustling nose, "This is where all the food is made, food for the Complex, the Officials, the Windsors, and of course, us in the Unknown. The Complex, the Officials, and the Unknown, eat basically the same thing. Although, our cooks do add a little bit of extra flavor to our food, but that's an Unknown secret. Nearly everyone works on that food. But a few lucky people get to work on the Windsors' meals. It's a nerve-racking job, because if you accidently mess up Ellen's order, she might order your execution. Of course, we don't get to eat anything, but, say, if something accidentally were to fall on the floor, well..." Dana's eyes sparkle. "And, of course, if we accidentally make too much of something, we may as well..."
A flustered girl spots us and makes her way over to us through the chaos. "Dana. I am so glad you are back. Kinzie burned Ellen's sautéed mushrooms. Jennifer spilled nearly our whole supply of salt on Derek's lobster. And, Holly twisted an offie ankle out in the Fields and we are low on people for gathering."
"What do you want me to do?" Dana shouts over the noise.
"Send a Notice for four Odds and gather some new mushrooms. Bring them back here immediately."
Dana nods and we scurry back out into the hallway. Dana strides confidently in a different direction.
Dana presses some buttons on her Notice. She begins typing through the air. After a couple minutes, a ping sounds through the air, and Dana looks up. "Okay, I've sent the Notice to the Odds, now mushrooms."
The hallway ends abruptly after we turn a corner. Dana presses a part of the black strap to a scanner. The door glides open.
My mouth falls open in disbelief.