Garth leans toward her. "It's been dyed. These sideburns, earlobes, and eyebrows are all fake. We have to live in disguise now." He pulls off his fake sideburns and eyebrows.
His mom watches him and nods. "That makes sense." She takes Garth's deformed hand and gently examines it. "Garth," she looks across the room to her other son, "Jefrey, I am your mother. My name is Wiona Yesterly, this is your father, Bart Yesterly, and this is your little brother, Joseph." The family nods at each other, except for Bart. He just grunts. No hugging here. Mrs. Yesterly continues, "I have had a hole in my heart every day since they took you away. Bart thought it would be better for us all if we pretended that you boys had died. So that's what we told Joseph when he was old enough to understand."
"What? Who took them away? Where have they been?" Joseph asks.
Bart speaks up, "The government took them away to live in a complex full of other messed up kids." Jefrey jumps to his feet at that comment. Ernestine and I grab his arms and set him back down.
Joseph punches the arm of the couch with his fist. "I hate complexes. One took my grandpa away, so I can't visit him, and one took my brothers away, so I have no one to play with." Ernestine winks at Joseph.
Garth's voice is pained as he asks, "Father, do you honestly think our ‘flaws' are bad enough that we should be shut away from the world in a work house?"
Before he can answer, Wiona jumps in, "Absolutely not. We were heartbroken when they deemed you unfit. They are wrong to take kids like you two away, with only minor flaws."
Garth isn't satisfied with that answer. "But are they right to take away the kids with major flaws?"
Wiona is speechless. Bart barges his way into the conversation. "Of course, they are! Flawed people aren't smart enough to realize that they shouldn't reproduce." Jefrey jumps to his feet again. Ernestine and I ease him back down a second time.
Their mother looks at her hands sheepishly. "It's so hard to know what is best for society anymore. I don't think the Complex Law is fair or right though."
Bart punches the arm of his chair. "The Complex Law makes life better for those healthy enough to keep our society thriving. If a person will be a burden or a disgrace to our society, they should go to the complex."
Jefrey jumps to his feet yet again. "You are calling me a disgrace. I could beat you at anything, old man." Bart bristles as he squeezes the arms of his armchair.
Wiona tries to calm the room down. "Bart has some very strong opinions because of the propaganda that the government rams down our throats, but deep inside he is your father, and he does love you as much as I do."
"Speak for yourself, Wiona!"
Garth's mother slaps her knee. "Bart, why don't you and I go get the lemonade for everyone?"
"I would rather..."
She stands up with a deep frown on her face and hauls Bart out of his seat by the hand. "We will be right back with the lemonade. Joseph, would you keep our guests company while we are gone?"
"Sure, Mom." Joseph smiles at me and winks. He really is the cutest little boy. He looks like a younger version of Garth and Jefrey before they changed their appearance, with a little bit of mischief and secret delight thrown in.
"Don't listen to Dad. He likes to throw fits quite often, but Mom always talks him down. He'll see reason soon. You'll see."
Garth rubs his hands together nervously. "I hope so, or we won't be able to visit again. There is a reward for turning us in, and we are never going back to the complex."
"Was it horrible there?"
"No," Jefrey says.
Garth wraps his arm around Joseph. "It wasn't horrible per se. They were considerate more than kind to us, but our whole lives were a big lie. They told us that the world was toxic and that's why we had deformities. They said we were lucky that our parents had paid a whole bunch of money to get us into the complex where we could be safe."
"Holy moly. That is sad, but awesome!"
"Joseph, you can't tell anyone about us. Not your friends, not your teachers, no one. If anyone figures out who we are, they'll send us back to the complex."
"I won't tell anyone. I want you to come back as much as you can."
"If anyone asks about us, you tell them that we're friends, Garrett and Jack, from Wellington."
"Okay, I will. I know how to keep secrets. I will be your spy."
Ernestine laughs to herself. She'll have to explain what a spy is to us later.
The twins' parents walk in with trays of lemonade just then. Bart is much more subdued and helpful as he silently offers us a drink. Wiona seems relieved.
She pats the sofa next to Garth. "Jefrey, come sit by your brother. I want to show you two something." Jefrey obediently sits by the brother he isn't fond of. She hands Garth and Jefrey a thick book. "Here are all the photos I have of you two before you were taken. Look at how happy we all were."
I watch the twins as they look at pictures of their past. Joseph leans in and makes lots of his own comments about their surroundings. Their mother looks over their shoulders and adds comments now and then. I can see love and happiness in her eyes as she observes the three of them together. Bart seems to be struggling inside. The expressions on his face keep going from anger to acceptance to fear to sadness. Life is complex sometimes; there is no doubt about it.
Wiona touches the purple splotch between Jefrey's fingers. He flinches away. "You are handsome, Jefrey, despite your flaws."
"I know, thanks."
Garth looks at his brother and shakes his head. Wiona looks at Garth's stuck-together fingers again. "That hand will be noticed. How will you hide it?"
"I have pockets in all of my pants. I'll be just fine. It's my earlobe that might be a problem."
"What's wrong with your earlobe?" Garth pulls the fake one off and shows her. His mother gasps. "How did that happen?"
"A complex guard shot it off when we escaped."
Wiona hides her mouth with her hand. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, D—someone stitched it up for me. It's practically healed now."
"That is the most terrible thing I've ever heard. Maybe you shouldn't have escaped."
Garth looks at his mom with pity. "If I had the chance to go back and change things, I would do it all again." His eyes turn to me. My heart beats faster as I remember the blood running down Garth's face as he carried me and my broken toes to the van. He turns back to his mother. "I actually feel lucky. Now that I've met you, I have everything I want. An earlobe was a small price to pay."
When it is time to leave, Wiona and Joseph hug the twins, not as tightly as the Taylors hugged Scott, but that's okay. Bart gives his sons a quick handshake. Wiona pulls us aside and says, "Officers have been over here many times since you escaped. They will continue to stop by, so be careful when you come again. I would like to take you boys back right now, but I don't think Bart is ready for that."
Ernestine nods. "I agree."
"I'll have to help him lie to the peace officers the next time they stop by. I'll try to help him understand why we have to break the rules. He'll come around. Don't give up on him. Where are you staying?"
Ernestine doesn't even hesitate. "I don't think it's safe to say at this point."
"Oh. Yeah, you're probably right."
The twins hug their mom one last time as we walk out the door. Joseph sees the mitts on the grass and tells his brothers, "Hey, you have to come back soon. We never got to play catch!"
Garth rubs Joseph's head of dirty-blonde hair affectionately. "Okay, Joseph. We'll come back soon so you can teach us to play catch."
"You don't know how?"
Jefrey scoffs, "No, no clue."
"Don't worry. I'm really good, I'll teach you. Goodbye!"
Jefrey shakes Joseph's hand. Garth p
ulls the little guy in for another hug. "Bye, little brother."
I sit in the front passenger seat on the ride home. I can hear the twins whispering back and forth with emotion about their family. It definitely didn't go as well as Scott's trip did, but I think we can still call this visit a success.
Chapter 12
I am thrilled when Mother insists that we learn how to do some landscaping, since we are pretending to be landscapers. She shows us a video on caring for plants and then outfits us in our disguises plus work gloves and boots. "How do you guys feel about wearing a jumpsuit again?" Mother asks hesitantly. "Many landscapers wear these." She holds up a plain light blue jumpsuit.
I frown. "You destroyed ours for a reason, Mom."
The scowls on my friends' faces speak for themselves. Mother shrugs and puts the jumpsuit she's holding back into the box it came from. "Okay. That's a no to the jumpsuits."
The sun is shining, and it feels so nice on my pale flesh. Mother rubs some kind of lotion on my exposed skin, claiming I could go from white to red in one day. I am assigned a flower bed, where I'm supposed to pull out any plant that doesn't look like the three kinds of flowers that were put in there specifically. It's called weeding.
I look over at Scott, who is positively beaming as he transplants some flowers to a new flower bed for my mother. He finally gets to work with the plants he loves. I work next to Garth, who is giving up on his gloves and weeding with his bare hands. He pauses when he sees me looking at him. "Maybe I should let your father surgically separate my fingers."
"We can make gloves that will fit your fingers, Garth. Only do the surgery if you want it. The rest of us don't care."
"I care," Jefrey mutters.
"Of course, you do," Garth mutters under his breath.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You hate everything about me."
Jefrey sneers. "Not everything, just your ugly three-fingered hand, your obsession with Elira, how often you break the rules, the way your feet smell, the way you chew your food..."
"Got it. Thanks."
I know I'm the main reason they aren't getting along. I feel bad and I don't want to hear the brothers fight, so I leave them and walk over to Avra to help her with her flower bed. I take off my gloves after a while just to feel the sensation of the warm, black earth. I giggle when I find a wiggly gooey-looking thing in the dirt. I pick it up to show Avra, when a man walks into the yard. I set the thing down and rush to Ernestine to point out the man. She looks at him and stands up slowly. My friends all freeze when they see the displeasure on Ernestine's face.
"Rocky, come here." He looks confused as he dusts himself off and walks over to his mother. They approach the strange balding man together. "Son, I would like you to meet your father, Frank Moore."
The man is dressed in a flannel shirt and black pants. He is slightly overweight and has straight brown hair that is balding in the front. He smiles at Rocky and says, "My boy! I always knew I'd see you again!"
Ernestine grabs Rocky and Frank by the arm and hauls them to a secluded group of trees next to the shop so they can't be overheard as easily. I sneakily follow them and work on a flower bed close by. Ernestine immediately jumps down Frank's throat. "No, you didn't think you'd see him again. You said getting him back was a lost cause. You were angry that I wouldn't give up. You left me."
The smiley man wilts before my eyes. "I always knew in my heart of hearts that you would find a way, Ernestine. I just couldn't handle the daily heartbreak that you made our life into."
Ernestine folds her arms in front of her body. "I needed love and support during the hardest time of my life, and you just left."
Frank can't raise his eyes to meet Ernestine's gaze. "It was like I had lost you both, you were never home, Ernestine. I know now that what I did was wrong." He takes a step closer to his wife. "Will you forgive me?"
"Ha!" Ernestine scoffs. Rocky glares at his mother, which softens her a little bit. "I will have to think about it."
Frank turns from Ernestine to Rocky. "I saw on the news that six people had escaped the complex, and that you were one of them. I knew when the news said that Ernestine was wanted for questioning, that she had found a way to break you out."
Rocky looks at his father silently for a minute before answering. "It was actually my friend, Elira, who figured out how to escape. Mom was waiting on the outside to help us make a getaway, and Florence has hidden us here at her house." I groan to myself. I don't care if this man is Rocky's father; Rocky shouldn't tell him too many details.
Frank nods "I went to the old house first. I walked into your study room, Ernestine. There was a map of the city of Florence sitting on your desk, and nothing else. I remembered you telling me about Florence Hamble, who lost her daughter the same day. I figured it was a sign that you were with Florence. I looked her up and came here. Did you leave me that clue, Ernestine? Did you want me to find you? Or do you have the money and government seal of approval to leave the country?"
Ernestine can't seem to stand still. "I obviously can't ever leave the country. I—I only left you that clue because Rocky should know who his father is. That does not mean that I want you back."
Wow. The silence that follows that remark is uncomfortable. I wonder how Rocky feels as his parents talk about their mistakes and hurt feelings in front of him. My heart goes out to my friend.
He looks his father in the eye and extends his hand. His father reaches out and takes it. He then brings his other arm around for a hug. Frank Moore's eyes fill with tears. He hugs Rocky for several minutes, then lets him go.
Rocky looks at both of his parents. "Our family has been through a lot because the government took me as a toddler." Frank and Ernestine both nod in agreement. "In the complex I remembered being loved by my parents. I hated the complex after I was taken away. I was almost charged as a dissident several times because I was so angry and dissatisfied with the answers I got to my questions." Ernestine puts her arm around Rocky and squeezes him. He gives her a quick smile. "I learned to keep my mouth shut, and my head down." He looks at his dad. "Mom was miserable knowing I was alive in the complex, living my life without her. You, Dad, were miserable, seeing her miserable. I think our family needs to start over. Let's get to know each other again. If we decide we can't live together, then fine, we won't. But, maybe under happier and healthier circumstances we can. What do you say?"
Frank's wrinkled eyes crinkle deeply as he smiles. "I say yes. I would like to earn your forgiveness, Rocky. And yours, Ernestine. I would like to know my son."
Ernestine looks down at her feet. "I guess for your sake, Rocky, we can try it. I don't want him living here with us. He'll have to come visit if he is serious about entering our lives again."
Rocky nods in agreement. "Great, it's settled then. Do you have a place to stay, Dad?"
Frank looks at Ernestine wistfully. "I was hoping I could stay in our old house. It is still half mine. I could fix it up a bit. Is that okay, Ernestine?"
Father pulls into the driveway in a stylish silver car and hurries over to tell us that the authorities are patrolling the streets today and are headed this way. We start packing up our landscaping tools.
Ernestine looks both ways down the street before addressing Frank again. "It's fine, as long as you don't tell the authorities anything when they come calling. They know that's my house. I'm sure they are watching it."
"I will tell them that I just came back to town after 12 years, and I'm trying to fix up the place. You weren't there when I came back, and I don't expect you to return since you are a wanted woman."
"That's right, and don't let them trick you into giving up anything else. We are dead to you. That's what you have to say."
"Okay, Ernestine, I will."
"Good, go to it then. Don't forget t
he outside of the house needs a fresh coat of paint when you're done with the repairs."
Frank smiles and shakes his head. "I won't forget. Goodbye, Ernestine. Goodbye, Rocky. Your hair and your ear look good, son."
"Thanks, Dad." Frank waves at everyone, then turns and walks away.
Ernestine and I smile and wave at the passing peace officer as we load a thing called a wheelbarrow with spades and wilting weeds. I fall into step with her as she takes the wheelbarrow to the shop. "Ernestine, there are quite a few people who are in on our secret now. Does that make you nervous at all?"
"Yes, Elira, it does."
Chapter 13
The next day is rainy and gray. We stay inside and try to find any information on Avra's parents that we can on the computers. We find a newspaper article with a list of parents who had signed a petition to get their children back the year we were taken.
"Did the petition change anything, Ernestine?"
"No. The petition amounted to nothing."
"At least we know that these parents want their children back."
"I know almost every name on this list. I was the one who riled them up. I'll go check on the three names I don't know. We'll hope one of them is Avra's family."
After a four-hour jaunt outside, Ernestine returns sure that the unknown people aren't Avra's parents.
"What does that mean, Ernestine?" Avra sobs.
Ernestine wipes the tears from Avra's cheeks. "I'm guessing that your parents just aren't the type to cause trouble. They accepted the government's ruling and moved on."
"They didn't want me."
"No. Don't tell yourself that."
Avra lays her head on her arms at the kitchen table. "It feels impossible."
"Well, we aren't giving up. I will personally visit every last name on the complex's affected family list even if it takes years. You, and your parents deserve to be reunited. Fourteen years is—so long."
Avra starts sobbing again. "Th-thank you."
The Complex Law: Young Adult Dystopian Page-Turner (The Complex Trilogy Book 2) Page 9
