Book Two of THE COMPLEX TRILOGY
Heather Hayes
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, places, and events are a product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
First soft back edition October 2018
© 2018 Heather Hayes. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
Published by AH Digital FX Studios, INC 10/19/2018
AH Digital FX Studios, INC
10551 E. Ririe Hwy.
Idaho Falls, ID 83401
www.ahfx.net
ISBN: 978-1-945597-07-7
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018912585
Cover by Adam Hayes
Book Layout and Design by Adam Hayes
The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Paperback printed in United States of America
For Connor and Haley
Thanks for giving so much of your time to help this trilogy become a reality.
Chapter 1
Bam. Bam. "Elira, hurry up so we can go to bed," my best friend, Avra, calls through the bathroom door. Okay, okay. Which of these bottles of soap should I use? I can't stand here undecided in the shower all night long, so I choose the green bottle with exotic looking fruit on it. Ooh, it smells heavenly.
I've never been in such an exquisite shower before. Fancy gray and white tiles surround me in a beautiful pattern. A cascade of warm water falls on my head from I'm not sure where in the ceiling. A sigh escapes my lips as the dirt and blood my body has collected tonight melts off and disappears down the drain.
My broken toes sting more and more as I stand there enjoying the smell of exotic fruit. I need to get off my feet. When I turn the intricately carved handle in the shower, the water stops raining on my head. I make sure to wipe down the beautiful walls as I leave. I don't want to leave any of my grime behind.
This stunning bathroom is connected to an equally stunning bedroom that Avra and I will be sharing. I can't believe this magnificence is just for our personal use. I think of the two large, sterile bathrooms in the glass dorm, and the sixty girls who share them, unaware of what they're missing. I thought the glass dorm bathrooms were beautiful the first time I saw them. I sigh at how narrow my perception of the world was a few short months ago. I wiggle into the pink thing I find on the bathroom counter. It feels so smooth and silky. My fingers fidget with the edge of the silky... nightgown, as Florence Hamble, my—mother called it. I still can't believe the lovely woman who owns this house gave birth to me. Whew, at least I'm clean now. I won't leave a trail of blood on her beautiful carpets.
"What's taking you so long, Elira?" Avra, calls out.
"Coming," I say through a mouthful of toothpaste. After I spit and leave the bathroom, I hobble into the bedroom and collapse on the softest bed that I have ever laid upon. It is like sleeping on a bed made of fluffy clouds. Avra plops down on the other end. My outstretched hand tries to find her, but she's too far away to reach. This bed is that big.
"How do I smell, Avra?"
Sniff, sniff. "Fruity and amazing." I have to agree; my skin is soft and radiant. I don't know what all the soaps and scrubby things in the shower are, but wow, they worked magic on me after a jaunt into a dirty laundry bin and a garbage truck.
Avra sighs as she sinks into our cloud-like bed. "Elira, your parents are rich."
The fine furnishings in our new bedroom seem to nod in agreement. "I know. I can't believe it. I always thought they had given up everything to get me a spot at the complex. I assumed they were either living in poverty or dead."
Avra takes a bottle of sweet smelling lotion from the bedside table and rubs some of it into her dry hands. "So, are you mad that the government took you away from all of this and stuck you in the complex?" Her slippery hands gesture to the lavish furnishings around us.
I trace my fingers over the elaborately-carved, glossy headboard above our heads. "Hmm." These things are nice. "Avra, all of this stuff is here now, but it could be gone tomorrow. I'm mostly upset that I lost so many years loving and being loved by my mother. I have no memories of her, except for today."
Avra nods. "She is beautiful. I thought a princess was welcoming us to her castle when we walked in the back door tonight."
I smile as I remember my first impression of my mother, Florence Elira Hamble. "You know, Avra, I bet I would be completely different if I had spent my days sleeping on clouds and eating grapes off silver trays." I point at the tray on my bedside table that has actual grapes on it.
Avra plucks a big, purple grape off the bunch and pops it in her mouth. "I'd be mad about losing all of this if I were you." She scoots across the enormous bed to squeeze my hand. I'm glad she still has energy to talk to me after all we've been through in the last few hours; maybe the adrenaline hasn't worn off. Avra was amazing tonight. She lays back on a stack of fluffy pillows and takes in our surroundings. "I love the way your mom decorated this room. It's like she knew you'd come back, and she wanted you to know how much you were missed." There is a note of longing in her voice.
My parents could have easily moved on, but there are pictures of baby and toddler Elira with her raccoon eye, all over this room. My view from this bed is of my name in purple painted decoratively on the wall and pictures of little me surrounding it. The picture of my mom hugging toddler me cheek-to-cheek is particularly poignant. "I can't believe she didn't forget about me after 14 years."
Avra gives me a serious look. "You two have so much to catch up on. You could go out there and start right now."
I cover my yawn and shake my head. "No. My mother is right. I need sleep before we catch up; plus, I feel—nervous around her."
"She's a stranger to you right now, but she won't be for long." Avra stands up and walks to a picture on the wall of baby Elira being hugged by a man with a similar face shape and coloring as me. He doesn't look ashamed or repulsed by my purple raccoon eye. "Your dad looks nice."
I get off my fluffy bed and limp to join her by the picture. "Yeah." My eyes are drawn to the father I haven't met. "He's a doctor." He is away at a conference tonight, whatever that is, but he'll be back tomorrow. "I can't wait to meet him."
Avra is getting tired; I can see it in her eyes. I also sense a touch of jealousy radiating from her as she asks, "Do you think both of my parents are still alive?"
I realize that our conversations tonight have been all about me, yet my sweet friend has lost just as much as I have the last 14 years. "Yeah. Well—I hope so. I will help you find them, Avra."
My friend frowns at me. "They didn't join your mom and Ernestine in the plan to get us back. What if they were happy to get rid of me?"
I can't imagine such a thing. "They weren't happy to get rid of you. I know it. Mentor Maxine told me that only cruel parents are happy to have their children taken away. We'll find them, and I'm sure they'll welcome you home with open arms too." Avra looks like she has doubts. "Hey, even if they don't want you back, we are
a family. We will figure out this new world together."
"Who's we?"
"Oh, you know, the first complex escapees in 40 years."
Avra smiles. "Ha, ha! We did do that tonight, didn't we?" She surprises me with a hug. "Thanks, Elira." Her bottom lip trembles. "I'm sorry I didn't believe what the complex actually is at first. You really did save my life today."
She pulls back from me and I blush at the magnitude of her compliment. "What are friends for?" My broken toes are throbbing and Avra is trembling, so I lead her to sit on the end of the bed with me. "I am your crazy person after all." Ow, my body. Maybe I should have accepted the pain pills my mother offered me.
She smiles and sighs. "Do you think the boys are doing okay in their rooms?"
I think of the amazement the boys had on their faces when they saw where they will be staying. "I'm sure Ernestine is enjoying every minute with Rocky." Her son was surprised that she wanted to share her room with him. Her dedication to get him back saved us tonight. "Rocky and Ernestine will probably stay up all night talking. They have years to catch up on."
Avra finds a big knot in her wet hair, so she slides off the bed, picks a silver brush off the vanity and starts brushing her hair again. "Yeah. Ernestine is a dedicated mother. We would've been goners without her van." She sets the silver brush down and looks at herself in the mirror, tilting her head to the side. "How do you think the other boys are doing?"
"You mean Scott?"
She smiles and nods. "Yeah."
I imagine the boys looking at all of the fine furnishings of this gigantic house the same way we have. "Our boys are probably thrilled to share a room with only two others instead of 15. Honestly, I'm glad Scott is in there with the twins. I'm afraid those two might be at each other's throats right now."
Avra stifles a laugh. "Yeah, they are fighting over you like I told you they would."
My heart thuds harder than usual in my chest. "I know. What should I do?"
She raises her eyebrows at me. "You should choose between them, so they can start acting like brothers again instead of rivals."
"You make it sound so easy."
She smiles as she sits on the bed again. "You're making it harder than it has to be."
I scowl at my best friend. "How many hearts have you broken lately?"
Avra thinks about that for a second, then cringes in sympathy. "Are you leaning toward one of them over the other yet?"
I think about the last week and nod. "Jefrey has done nothing but get on my nerves since we planned this escape. I understand his fear, but I need him to be stronger than his fears. Garth—waited for me in the garbage truck and carried me when my foot couldn't run."
"Do you love him?"
"I—I didn't even say who I'm leaning towards yet."
Avra leans back and giggles. "You didn't have to say it. I can tell."
My eyebrows scrunch together in frustration. "I don't know if we really understand what love is. We've read about it in a few books, but the complex was a loveless place. How can we know if we get it right?"
Avra rubs her cold feet then climbs under the covers. "Remember the book Cinderella? I see Mentor Roberta as my evil step-mother, Julie and Mara as my evil step-sisters, and Scott as my handsome prince! The way he makes me feel has to be love!"
I can't help but laugh. "So, it's as easy as that, huh?"
"Yep. If you could hold Garth's hand right now, would you?"
I look down at my empty hands. "Yes," I say sheepishly.
"I knew it. It's thrilling, isn't it? No wonder the complex keeps the boys and girls separated by glass. Poor Shasta and Tessa will never know what it's like." Yeah. I realize now how unfair things are for them. Avra gives me a hard nudge. "Make sure you hold Garth's hand tomorrow."
I imagine all of us sitting on the comfortable sofas and chairs in the big room out there. Jefrey might throw something if he sees me take Garth's hand. "I—I will hold his hand while my dad, the doctor, fixes us up tomorrow." Yawn. "I hope his ear will be okay; there was so much blood running down his neck..." I unconsciously grab the neck of my nightgown as I remember Garth's blood running down his neck and soaking into my jumpsuit as I laid my head on his shoulder.
Avra pulls my hand off my nightgown. "Garth won't feel a thing if you're holding his hand." A secret delight creeps into her eyes. "Your dad is a doctor. You never liked doctors in the complex. How funny."
I smile at the irony. "I know. Make sure he knows what medicine you usually take and have him listen to your heart. I didn't risk my life to get you out just to have you die out here."
My friend shrugs. "Okay, not a problem. I'm not afraid of doctors." Yawn.
Sigh. I have parents. Two of them. I had no idea just yesterday. My hand wanders to the raised purple birthmark around my eye. My fingers follow the shape of it. "Avra, my mother—she is so beautiful. Do you think she's ashamed of the way I look?"
Avra yawns and looks at the digital clock on the bedside table. It says 3:45 am. "Obviously not, Elira. She wouldn't have spent 14 years paying Ernestine to get you out and made this safehouse for you if she was ashamed of you."
Avra has a point. Relief washes over me. "Okay, you're probably right."
"My mother on the other hand... We know nothing about her."
I nod. "We have a lot of parents to look up." I join her under the covers. "I say we start with yours."
"Thank you."
My eyelids are getting heavy. "No problem. I just wish, yawn, I could disguise myself better."
"Your mom said we are going to get new haircuts and disguises tomorrow."
My eyes won't open anymore. "Good, I'm glad someone is on top of things. Yawn. Will you turn off the light? I need to sleep."
"Sure. Good night, Elira."
"Good night, Avra."
Chapter 2
Sniff. Sniff. My nose wakes me up the next morning. Bacon, eggs, and something sweet overpowers my senses and makes my fancy, cloud-like bed suddenly less appealing to my sore body. The clock on the bedside table says 11:10 am. I guess there isn't much morning left. I hope they didn't throw away my victuals. I slip out of bed and stretch. Ow, ow, ow! My toes and my back hurt. Well, to be completely honest with myself, everything hurts. The only thing that doesn't hurt is my head. I have been so stressed out lately. It's wonderful to have the mental strain over with. I can let Ernestine and my mother take over the decision making for a while. We're all out, Rocky and I have found our mothers, and we are in a nice house with, from the smell of it, delicious food to eat. I think of the five apples that Garth had stuffed in his jumpsuit and the broken-down shack I thought we'd be staying in, and feel grateful.
The full-length mirror on the back of the door draws my eyes to it. Ugh. I've definitely looked better. My eyes are puffy and my swollen toes are the same purple color as the unique birthmark around my left eye. This nightgown is rather... sheer. I'm amazed at how much of my body is revealed through it. I can't let the boys see me in this. Just the thought makes me shiver.
"Elira, look in here. How will we ever choose what to wear?" Avra giggles as she leaves the closet with something yellow and heads to the bathroom to try it on.
The closet in my room is so big; I walk inside of it like it is its own room. The sheer number of colorful clothes hanging in here is overwhelming. I have never worn anything but jumpsuits. My hand shakes a little as I pull each hanger out and look at the beautiful clothes hanging from them. There are tops with separate bottoms, flowing long tube things, like the one my mother wore last night, and attractive leg-hugging things. I'm used to solid colors, but these clothes have many colors and designs. My eye is drawn to a white top thing with blue flowers on it. When I pull it down to examine it, I'm afraid it will be too small for me. Oh well, I'll just cho
ose one of these other hundreds of things... There is a wall in the closet just for shoes, socks and underwear. To think, I was planning on wearing the same three jumpsuits for the rest of my life. What should I wear? I don't know if I should match a top with a bottom, or if I should make them completely different... I will need my mom to help me figure this out later. I take one of the long tube things off a hanger and slip it over my head. It is a breathtaking deep purple color and flows around my legs, bouncing in a fun way. I cringe as I pull on some shoes that match the purple color and try not to tip over. "Ow!" My broken toes don't appreciate being shoved into shoes with heels. "Ah! Ow." These are almost the shortest heels in here, but they are much taller than I'm used to and the pain in my toes is too much to bear. I kick them off and wobble out of the closet to get Avra's opinion.
"Wow! You look so pretty, Elira!"
I pull some of the tube's fabric away from my leg. "Thank you. Do you think these things are for every day, or just special occasions?"
"Who knows? I want to wear one too!"
I see a handwritten note stuck to the closet door. "My mother says that the clothes in the closet are all for us. We can pick whatever we want. I think I'm going to look for shoes with flat heels and open toes. Ow!"
Avra picks out a pretty pink tube outfit. The pink against her brown skin is stunning. We brush our hair in front of the mirror in our extravagant bathroom. I look at the little doodads in one of the drawers; I'm sure we are supposed to put them in our hair somehow. I pick up a pink one and bend it, pop! It opens up like a mouth. I let the little mouth bite into Avra's hair and bend it back the way it was. Ha! It's staying! Avra makes a purple one bite into my hair. Well, this is as fancy as I know how to make us. I'll need my mother's help with these hair things too.
We walk out of our bedroom into the common room. All of the boys are sitting at the table on the left end of the big room. They look, different. The new clothes they're wearing make them look—handsome! The boys' mouths drop open when they see us. I feel heat bursting from my cheeks. I like the attention but feel like they should stop staring now, too. We walk to the table and sit down in the two empty chairs left for us. I sit between Garth and my mother. My mother wraps her arms around me and squeezes me like her life depends on it. She doesn't let go until I squeeze her back. That was—nice. As I straighten myself in my chair, my knee bumps into Garth. I turn red and feel sweat start to form on my forehead. I've never eaten victuals next to a boy before. The proximity is unsettling.
The Complex Law: Young Adult Dystopian Page-Turner (The Complex Trilogy Book 2) Page 1
