I say, “Piper said she’ll help you out. I’m sure together you can live. She’s an Official, remember.”
My encouragement sounds weak, even to me. Never have I heard of someone beating the Heads at their own game. But then, who should live? Charlotte, who’s been forced to betray nearly everyone she knows with the threat of her life or Piper, an Official, who’s undoubtedly taken kids to the Ecru and to the Unknown and claims to be saving kids?
Charlotte and I spend the rest of the day touring.
She shows me the Kitchens, full of food and delicious smells I didn’t know existed. The infinite Fields bursting with colors. The hectic classrooms full of giggling, noisy kids. The Rivie Rooms where Rivies show up when delivered to the Unknown, a place where I once sat unconscious. The monotonous, hard work of Cleaners, tidying the messes of everyone else. We only visited the lobby of the Cons, and don’t get to see the Vitals.
The Vitals are small group of people trusted by the Heads who create the base for the Vita. Apparently the Heads add more to the substance, but it begins in the Unknown. We finish back at the Nurses Wing, which I’ve already obviously seen.
Charlotte explains she has a quick errand to run, but it will take only an hour or so.
Charlotte leaves me with Michelle in the Nurses Wing after giving me a tight hug goodbye and promising to come back for a slightly tardy Mid-day Meal.
Michelle pushes me through the hall. “Do you want to visit Marie? She woke up this morning and is already talking.”
“Yes, I’d love to. Is she hurt badly?”
“Not anymore than normal. She’s bruised and scratched pretty badly, but the same as everyone else. She wasn’t in the Unknown very long.”
She stops in front of a door on the left and it slides open. She wheels me inside and I see Marie lying weakly on the bed.
Her black hair is still in a partial braid, strands drooping out. Her weak grey eyes stare at me, but still hold a bit of the intimidation they did before. Her skin is decorated in dark bruises, bright red scratches and blood.
I smile shyly at her, unsure what to say now that I’m in front of her. “Hi, um, Marie.”
“Claire?” Her voice is full of incredulity.
“Yeah….how, how are you?”
“What are you doing here?” Her eyes drill into mine.
“What do you mean? I’m here to talk to you. I thought it’d be nice…”
“No, I mean, what are you doing here in the Unknown? Why aren’t you still in the Complex?”
From her disbelief, I can tell she didn’t mean for me to be sent to the Unknown. I explain, “I rebelled, just like you.”
“What made you break?”
“I was actually wondering the same about you.”
I can’t say the real reason I rebelled. I rebelled because Bridget was already sending me to the Unknown. I decided it would be better to go out remembered. But, I have the feeling that I shouldn’t give away Bridget’s identity to her, especially with Michelle listening in. I don’t truly know if Michelle and Marie are trustable.
Marie responds, “I was sick of following the Officials’ orders, you?”
I lie, “The same, except I also wanted to break the monotony.”
“Did you rebel after I did? Were you planning on doing something before I contacted you?”
I continue to avoid the truth, “I was planning it long before you contacted me. I just wasn’t sure when I wanted it to happen. I decided to do it the day after you rebelled.”
Marie falls quiet. Did I say the wrong thing? Does she know I’m lying?
I say, “How did you know I was rebellious? What gave it away to you?”
“Just little things, your body language, your reactions towards different things. I doubt the Officials would have caught on. With that many girls, it’s impossible to evaluate every action.”
Maybe Bridget did catch on though. Maybe she was watching me and discovered exactly what Marie noticed. I make a promise to myself to focus more on how I react to things.
I ask, “How did you hack the holograms?”
Marie worriedly glances to Michelle before carefully saying, “I practiced a lot…”
Michelle breaks into the conversation, “You were able to hack the holograms? How?”
Marie sends a glare to me. Did she not want anyone to know? Why wouldn’t she want people to know? It’s an amazing skill and could be used for good.
Michelle prompts, “Can you really hack holograms?”
Marie hesitates, “Yes, but I wouldn’t be able to explain it to you without a hologram with me. It’s all very complicated.”
Michelle grins, “I’m going to go tell the Techs. Could you teach someone?”
“I guess?”
Michelle scurries out of the room in excitement.
Marie glares at me, “Why’d you have to do that?”
“I didn’t know that you wanted that skill kept a secret. I’m sorry, but it’s really cool. Think of all the possibilities that it could open up.”
“But what if an Official finds out? I’ll be killed. That’s not the kind of thing you want everyone to know.”
The thought of her being killed because I gave away her secret sends shudders down my spine.
I say, “There aren’t any Officials here. You can openly say anything against the Officials and nobody even reacts.”
“That’s what my Nurse was saying, but how can that be possible? Why wouldn’t the Heads care?”
I shrug, unsure what to say. I have no idea what the answer is myself. “Maybe it’s too much work to enforce it. It’s easier just to let us say anything we want, as long as we don’t act.”
Michelle returns, adding to what I last said, “And if we can’t escape, we truly can’t act. What’s the harm in words if that is all they are?”
I argue, “But what about the people who did escape?”
Michelle sighs, “Didn’t I tell you not to listen to those rumors? That’s all it is, a rumor. The only way to get into the Unknown is through the Rivie Rooms. There is no way to leave.”
I bite my lip, but don’t say anything more. There’s no point in arguing when I myself don’t know what to believe. But the thought of someone being able to escape fills me with hope.
Michelle addresses Marie, “I told the Techs and they are going to send someone to talk with you about it tomorrow. Is that okay or do you want me to reschedule it another day?"
Marie says, “No that’s okay. I can show them how, I guess, but I don’t know if it will work here.”
Michelle shrugs, “No loss in trying.”
Marie deadpans, “Of course, unless the system is different and we get caught. That could easily result in our deaths but no loss, right? ”
Michelle’s smile drops. “No, but, I meant...”
Marie smirks but she doesn’t say anything more. I feel bad for Michelle, she was only trying to help the Unknown and Marie. She just didn’t think of the consequences.
Michelle’s eyes flash but she forces a smile back to her face, “Right. I’m going to go check on some other Eekes. I’ll be back in a couple minutes to take you back to your room, okay Claire?”
I nod, even though I’m not sure whether I want to be alone or not with Marie. In my mind I had created an image of what I thought Marie would be like. Intelligent, but humble, mischievous, but kind. I’m now realizing that my thoughts couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Michelle scurries from the room, leaving me alone with Marie.
Marie raises her eyebrows at me, “Why are you talking to me again?”
If I wasn’t stuck in this stupid wheelchair, I’d run from the room. I say, “Well, you contacted me right before you rebelled so…”
Marie snickers, “So you thought that meant I liked you? That you were special? That we could become the best of friends?”
My mouth dangles open. If she didn’t like me, why’d she contact me? It was a mistake to come here.
Marie says, “Just what I thought. I simply noticed you were rebellious and choose to contact you because you were the first person I saw. Don’t flatter yourself.”
All my anger rises up in heat. How can she talk to me like this? She barely knows me. My volume rises a notch as I say, “Listen, I don’t know why you seem to think that you have the right to talk to me like this. I’m in the Unknown because of you. I was caught because of you. I dealt with the Ecru because of you. Don’t act like you’re perfect.”
Marie’s eyebrows fly up before she bursts into laughter, “You liar. You said you were planning to rebel a long time before I did. Don’t try to pin your mistakes on me. If you’re going to lie, at least get your story straight.”
I want to scream the truth at her, but I can’t. I don’t know what is at risk and I won’t take those chances.
I sigh in relief as the door slides open. Charlotte pokes her head in, “Hi, Claire and uh, Marie, is it?”
Marie purses her lips, “Who wants to know?”
Charlotte’s brow wrinkles as she hesitantly says, “Um, me? Charlotte?”
Marie rolls eyes in disdain but keeps her mouth shut.
Charlotte glances back and forth between the two of us before saying to me, “Okay, so is now a good time to go for Mid-day Meal?”
I nod thankfully, “Now is a great time.”
Charlotte begins pushing me out of the room, saying, “Great meeting you, Marie!”
Marie doesn’t even look at Charlotte as she says, “Wish I could say the same.”
Charlotte and I both keep our mouths shut until the door closes behind us. Charlotte says, “Nice friend you have there.”
My words are laced with sarcasm, “She’s lovely, isn’t she?”
Charlotte giggles and chatters all the way to the Eating Hall. She hands me a tray and begins filling it up with food. Just like Morning Meal, there’s a variety of different foods you can add to the Complex basics to make it more delicious. Charlotte gives me a little of everything to try.
We take a table in the back of the almost empty Eating Hall. I begin chewing, every bite tasting better than bland Complex version.
We are halfway through our meal when we once again get the same visitor. Christopher. I inwardly groan as he sits across from us, a fake smile plastered to his face.
Charlotte growls, “Do you purposely try to seek us out? What do you offie want from us?”
Christopher shrugs, “I thought we already went through this. I want to know anything I can use against you.”
Charlotte rolls her eyes as Christopher turns to me. He says in a loud whisper, “There’s something I think you need to know about Charlotte.”
Charlotte says, “Christopher, you said you wouldn’t tell anyone as long as I voted for you.”
“I thought I’d just tell one person. The election is only in a few days and I thought it’d be a good idea to make sure you knew the threat was real.”
“What do you mean?” Charlotte asks, fear creeping into her voice.
As much as I want to protect Charlotte, a small part of me wants to know what this secret is. What could be so important that the thought of anyone else knowing terrifies her?
“I’m going to tell Claire your secret. You’ll have to convince her not to tell anyone.”
Charlotte seems to relax, “Fine, but only Claire, right?”
“Right. As long as I have your vote, I’m a man of my word.”
Charlotte opens her mouth to disagree, but Christopher turns to me. He says, “I think you should know for your own safety, that Charlotte…”
He takes a dramatic pauses, “…is a spy for the Heads.”
He stares at me, waiting for my response. I only blink at him, I already knew this. Should I pretend to be surprised?
I ask, “How do you know this?”
He grins, “Don’t you understand? I know everything about everyone. I even know your secret.”