My heart starts to pound. Another dead Eeke, who could it be? Possibilities flash in my mind. Brinn. Sienna.
Marcus' voice cuts through my thoughts, "Another dead Eeke?"
Canton looks confused, but doesn't say anything. Miranda begins walking towards the door, "They will be bringing him in here. I need to see this, you two need to stay in here until I give the okay, got it?"
Marcus asks, "Why can't we leave?"
Miranda is already walking through the sliding door, "This is private business. We don't need rumors spreading everywhere. You should be thankful I let you see-" She pauses, glancing at Canton. Canton doesn't know yet. He doesn't know that Josh is dead.
Miranda shakes her head, "Anyway, I need to go. Stay." The door slides shut behind her, leaving me with Marcus and a very confused Canton.
Canton asks, "What was she talking about? Something about a dead Eeke?"
Marcus and I share a glance. I give him a slight nod. Canton should know. Besides we can't keep it a secret forever, may as well get it over with.
Marcus clears his throat, "Canton, there's something I need to tell you."
Canton searches Marcus' face, trying to get some type of information. Finally Canton says, "Fine. Just tell me. And, be blunt, bluntness saves time."
Marcus gives him a short nod. "Okay. Here it goes. Josh is dead."
All the color drains out of Canton's face. All the energy just seems to go out of him. It looks like he has almost melted against the cot he's lying on. "Tell me it's not true." He whispers.
Marcus sighs, "I wish I offie could, I wish I could. I just found out yesterday. I saw him for the first time in years...and only because he was dead."
Canton doesn't cry, but his voice comes out tight, "I...I never said sorry. I wanted to come here and he wanted me to stay. I said we could both go together...he said he had to stay. I told him, there's nothing for us here, we've found out as much information that we could, we've explored as far as we could ever go...he said no because of Dana and Brinn. He thought we could find out so much more for them. I was so mad...I just...I guess according to you, Marcus, I went screaming into the girls' Complex. I never got to apologize to Josh about arguing with him...and now he's dead."
Marcus tries to comfort him, "Come on, I'm sure Josh knew you were sorry. We used to fight all the time, but we knew we were still Rebs in the end."
Canton's brow wrinkles, "Rebs?"
Marcus smiles weakly, "Unknown terms, you'll get used to them. It means friends or buddies. Sorry, forgot you were a Rivie."
Canton nods slowly, like it's all too much to take in.
Marcus asks, "Would you...would you want to see him? They will probably be...disposing of his body soon. So, if you want to see him, you better talk to Miranda soon."
Canton shakes his head, "I don't want to see Josh, not like that. I want my memory of him to be of him alive, laughing, joking around, not...lifeless."
Marcus nods slowly.
Miranda walks through the door, her expression grave. She asks, "Who had the Complex number of 630."
Marcus' face loses all color. "Seth." He whispers, his voice barely making any noise.
Canton's eyes widen, "No, please no."
Miranda doesn't say anything, she just purses her lips.
Marcus lets out a soft groan, "Are you offie kidding me?" He's not talking to Miranda. He seems to be talking to no one in particular. He begins to shout at the ceiling, "Are you offie kidding me? Please tell me you’re kidding. Two of my rebs gone in two days. What are you doing, Ellen? Is this your plan? Are you going to kill me next? Are you offie kidding me?”
Tears stream down his face and his voice breaks into a whisper, "Are you offie kidding me?"
Miranda puts a hand on his shoulder and murmurs something in his ear. He nods, takes a few deep breaths, and follows Miranda back out of the room.
Another person dead. I wonder if they are going to kill one per day. Who's next? Do the Windsors know about our sneaking out at night? Is this how they are punishing us? If so, who's next? Sienna or Brinn? Who's going to be the next lifeless body delivered to us? What about me?
I shake my head, trying to rattle the grotesque ideas out of my head.
I glance at Canton. He's just lying in his bead, staring at the ceiling. He's mouthing something. He looks...guilty?
"What's wrong?" I ask.
Canton smiles ruefully, "What do you think? I just found out that two of my three only true friends are dead."
I bite my lip. "I'm sorry. It's just you look almost..."
Canton's face darkens, "Almost what?" His voice is nearly a snarl.
I shrink back, "Nothing, never mind."
Canton eyes bounce back and force nervously. Maybe he's afraid that he will be killed next. Are we safe here? Can the Officials kill us if we are here in the Unknown?
I shift from foot to foot, unsure whether I should say something, or let the silence continue. Canton is obviously mad about something, is he mad at me? What did I do?
I'm still trying to decide when Miranda and Marcus walk back in. She addresses Canton, "Would you like to see Seth or Josh?"
Canton quickly shakes his head no.
Miranda nods curtly, "That's fine. Now, we have something else to discuss. Canton and Marcus, I'm not sure if you are safe here."
For some reason, she's looking at me when she says this.
I speak, "What about me? Do you think it's just because they were roommates? Or, do you think they found out about the sneaking out at night?"
Miranda narrows her eyes at me, "It's possible someone may be leaking information to the Windsors somewhere. You'll never truly know."
Why is she mad at me? What did I do? Does she think these two deaths are my fault? Are they my fault? What if I had convinced Josh not to come to the Unknown? Would he be dead today?
Miranda speaks to Canton and Marcus again, "Canton, as long as you are here, you’re safe. We are bringing some Cons in the Nurses' Wing to protect you. We know for sure that these Cons aren't loyal to the Heads. Marcus, I would try to have at least one or two of your friends by you at all times."
Marcus frowns, "I don't want to seem needy. I think I can handle myself."
Miranda rolls her eyes, "Really, Marcus? Do you need to be 'manly' about this? Would you rather be dead?"
Marcus swallows and casts his eyes to the floor. "Sorry. Of course, I'll have someone by me."
"Thank you." Miranda says, "I need to go meet with-" she stops herself. "someone. Piper, I'll have Charlotte pick you up from here as soon as she can."
She leaves me with a cold stare and turns on her heel, exiting the room. Marcus looks at me, "Why is she so angry at you?"
I can only shrug and give him a bewildered expression. He smiles slightly, "It's probably something else bothering her. She might just be taking it out on you, since you're a Rivie. I wouldn't take it too seriously."
His words help me feel a little better.
We walk out of the room, leaving Canton alone. Marcus is nice enough to wait with my for Charlotte. We try to make small talk, but it's strained. Tears keep on welling up in Marcus' eyes. Finally we both just fall to silence.
Charlotte walks through the door, only a minute or so later. She's trying to be her cheery self, but it's difficult even for her. She smiles tightly, "Let's go. Today we are visit with the Teachers."
We walk down the hall. I glance at the people walking past use. Almost everybody has a concerned expression. They must have heard about the other dead Eeke.
As we walk down the hall, I catch a glimpse of something. I squint, trying to see better. It's not until Dana turns around that I'm sure it's her.
Dana is walking down the hall, angrily whispering at Miranda.
Miranda quickly catches Dana's shoulders and guides her into her office.
Why is Dana so angry with Miranda?