"My brother and his family are looking at a house for sale in this neighborhood. Do you think it's a good neighborhood for families?"
"It's okay, but there aren't a lot of kids around here."
"Do you have children?"
"No. I don't have any children, or a wife, or any relatives. Sorry, I'm not much help. You may want to ask the house across the street. They have kids."
"Oh, okay. Thank you, have a nice day."
I trudge slowly back to the car. I was so sure he was Avra's dad. I guess not. Ernestine beats me back again. She had two possibilities on her side of the road, but she was pretty sure they weren't Avra's family. We write down my yellow house's address and Ernestine's two possible addresses, just in case.
We go to a drive-through restaurant for lunch. It feels like we are talking to someone on the telephone when we order our food. A minute later I look out the car window to see the lady who talked to us through the machine. She hands us a bag of hamburgers and fries and tells us to have a nice day. I think I will have a nice day. That was awesome.
After lunch we drive to the last neighborhood by the train tracks in town. If we don't find her family here, we'll have to drive to the next town and try again. Avra and I are going to start at opposite ends of the right-hand side of the street and meet in the middle. I'm pleased to see that there are many yellow houses on this street. I'm not pleased to see that the houses are tiny and run down—every one of them.
I start on the far end, giving my lost dog speech. I don't meet any possibilities for a while. Avra is only five houses away, and Ernestine is almost right across the street when a man pulls up to a yellow house two down from me in a shabby looking blue sedan with a red hood and a white door. He climbs out and struggles to get the door to shut properly. His chocolatey brown skin piques my interest, but when he looks at me, I swear I'm looking at an older, male version of Avra. He tips his dirty, wide-brimmed black hat at me as he walks into his house. I wave at Avra and Ernestine to join me.
I grab Avra by the shoulders. "I'm sure that was your father! He looks just like you. We need to do this together." She nods nervously. "We don't need to do the dog approach. Just cut to the chase." We approach the yellow house; I insist that Avra knocks. She shivers and shakes as the door opens. The man looks at us all briefly, then focuses on Avra. I nudge her.
She finds the courage to speak. "I—I was wondering if you had a d-daughter named Avra years ago."
The man doesn't say anything for a long time, then he opens the door wider and says, "Why don't you come in a minute?"
We all nod and enter the small, raggedy-looking house. There is one couch with stuffing coming out of the arms. The three of us sit on that. It feels like our backsides hit the floor, but we try not to look startled. The man walks over to a small, scratched wooden table, picks up a familiar-looking newspaper on the seat of a hard, wooden chair and tosses it onto the table. He puts the chair in front of the couch and sits on it.
The man looks into Avra's eyes and says, "Yes, I had a daughter named Avra. She had a bad heart and the government took her away when she was two."
Avra folds her shaking hands together and says, "I—I am Avra. I just broke out of the complex."
The man nods his head as he looks at her. "Peace officers have visited here a few times looking for you." His eyes keep flitting over to the discarded newspaper on the table. "You, uh, look like me. Your mother always wished that you looked more like her."
"Where is my mother?"
"She is at work. She leaves for the sock factory at six in the morning, and she gets home at six at night."
"Do I have any brothers or sisters?"
"You have a sister, Roselle, but she stays at your aunt's and your grandma's house a lot. She's fourteen. I wish I had a picture to show you, but I don't have any."
Avra looks around the blank, dirty walls hungrily. "Can I meet my sister and my mother?"
"Yes, but not tonight. Tonight is a bad night in this neighborhood. Come back in four days. Come at 6:00, when your mom gets off work, bring all your friends so I can meet them. It must have been hard escaping the complex. I want to hear all about it when your mother and your sister are here."
He stands up, so we get up too. "Okay, we'll come back in four days," Avra says.
Ernestine looks the man in the eye. "Please don't tell anyone else about our meeting. We have to live in hiding. We are wanted people now."
"Yes, I know."
"What is your name, sir?"
"Jim Brown."
Avra approaches her dad, hoping for a hug. They awkwardly reach out and hug each other but let go quickly. We walk silently to the door, unsure of what to say when Jim says, "See you in a few days," then sends us out the door and shuts it.
I look at Ernestine and she looks quizzically at me. That was a really weird visit. We look at Avra, who is soaking in her surroundings with a mixture of happiness and pain on her face. The corners of her mouth turn up when she says, "I found my family. I can't wait to meet my mother and sister. Let's go home so I can tell Scott."
I give her hand a squeeze. "Okay. He will be so happy for you."
Avra looks out the window the whole ride home. When we get to my parents' house, she rushes in and finds Scott sitting at the table. "Scott, I found my family! I have a father, a mother, and a sister named Roselle. Only my dad was home today. I get to meet all of them in four days."
"That's great, Avra!" He hugs her and laughs with her.
I feel like something is off. Something is off about Avra's dad, and something is off about her reaction. I can't put my finger on it though. When Avra goes to bed early, I approach Ernestine and my mom in the kitchen.
"Ernestine, what do you think about Avra's dad?"
Ernestine frowns and scratches her head. "I think he lives in poverty, and he may have been happy to have one less mouth to feed when Avra was taken away."
"Really?"
"Yes. Did you see the empty cupboards? That's probably why the sister stays with relatives so much."
I look at the wall that is shared between the basement kitchen and our bedroom. I imagine my sweet friend curled up on the cloud-like bed behind the wall. "Can we trust him? We do have a $100,000 bounty on our heads."
Ernestine twists her lips together. "That's a good question. I wish I knew the answer."
Mother looks at Ernestine with worry in her eyes and shrugs. "If we don't let her go to her family, it'll break her heart. I don't know if I can deny her what she wants so badly."
Ernestine nods in agreement. "We have to decide between what the heart wants and what the brain says is logical."
•
I'm relieved that the twins did not kill each other while I was gone. The holes in the wall are patched. Garth approaches my mom after dinner and says yet again, "Mrs. Hamble, I'd just like to say how sorry I am again about your walls. I'll paint them when the patches are dry."
"I accept your apology. You've had a long day; you should go to bed." Mother stands with her arms folded as Garth hugs me good night. I sigh with disappointment. I guess a gentle hug is all I'm going to get tonight.
I whisper in his ear, "Is Jefrey going to be all right?"
"Yeah. Don't worry about him."
"Okay. Should I be worried about you?"
"Only if it means I'll get longer hugs—and kisses"
My cheeks immediately turn red. I let go of Garth and walk to my bedroom door. Mother frowns at me when she sees my smile and the blush on my cheeks as I close the door to my room.
When I crawl into bed, I assume Avra is asleep, but the sniffling I hear tells me I'm wrong.
"My parents are poor, Elira," Avra says through the covers.
"Can you breathe under there?"
She glares at me. "Yes, I can breathe, but I didn't see any food or anything, really, in my parents' house."
"It's okay to be poor. I used to think that all parents were poor outside the complex. Their food was probably in the fridge."
Avra pulls the covers away from her mouth so I can hear her better. "I think you have more in this one bedroom, than my parents have in their entire house."
I look around our room and have to agree with her. "That doesn't bother me. Does it bother you?"
She covers her eyes with her hand. "I feel sad and embarrassed. My dad said to bring all my friends, but I don't want everyone to see how poor they are."
"I understand. You don't have to bring everyone if you don't want to. In fact, I don't think we should go with you. The bounty is too tempting to risk it."
"It wasn't too risky for you to go with Scott or the twins."
"I—I know. It's just that people in that neighborhood would have so much to gain with $100,000. Don't be mad."
"I'm not. I understand." Avra almost convinces me except for the tear that is sliding down her cheek.
It's time to bring up the positive things about today. "I bet you want to meet your mom and sister, right?"
Her eyes light up. "Yes, I do. Do you think my sister looks like me?"
"I hope so, because you are breathtakingly beautiful."
"Why do you always say that?"
"Because it's true, and I guess my raccoon eye and I are a little bit jealous."
Avra laughs. "I can't believe that you could be jealous of anything that I have."
"Well, believe it, sister."
"Thanks for being my friend, Elira."
"Thanks for being mine, too."
Chapter 15
I have an uneasy feeling all day long. I pretend to be happy when Garth and Jefrey have a successful visit to their parents without killing each other. I didn't go with them this time. I want those two to be on their best behavior in front of their dad, and I'm afraid that I don't bring out the best in them right now. Scott had a great visit with his parents yesterday, and he goes back again today. He is lucky that they live so close, and that they miss and love him so much. Rocky is finally feeling better, and he wants to help his dad do some work on their house. Ernestine doesn't want him to go alone, so she goes with him.
My mom, Avra, and I, have a nice morning painting each other's fingernails with tiny little bottles of paint and tiny paintbrushes. It is fun to have some "girl time," as my mother calls it. Avra doesn't seem to think so though. She breaks down in tears as we finish and rushes to our room.
"Mom, I don't know what to do for her."
"You are doing all you can. Some battles have to be fought alone, especially inner battles."
Knock, knock. I rush to the bookcase and pull out the red book. I shut myself into the hidden room as quick as a wink.
I hear a woman's voice through the door. She sounds friendly and familiar. The hidden door opens up and my mother stands there alone looking at me uncertainly. "I let the woman who claims to be Maxine in and I have taken her upstairs. I hope this isn't a set-up."
"What? Maxine is here?" I run up the stairs as quickly as I can without looking back.
"Maxine!" My favorite mentor, my surrogate mother greets me in the doorway of the piano room. I wrap my arms around her and squeeze her as tight as I can.
Maxine looks five years older, but she is happy to see me. "Elira, I'm so glad you're safe."
"Maxine, I am so happy to see you!"
My mother clears her throat. "I let her in because she said she met Ernestine at her house. Ernestine sent her over."
"I'm so glad Ernestine was at her house when you called. Maxine, this is my mother, Florence Hamble."
Maxine turns to my mother and extends her hand. "I have known of you for some time, but it is nice to meet you personally, Florence."
My mother is still skeptical for some reason as she takes Maxine's hand. "How do you know of me?"
"Your husband does extraordinary work in the medical field, and I know he has a generous heart for those who can't pay for all of his services. I know you do much for the poor and hungry of Herrington as well. Your kind reputation has preceded you."
Mother finally softens up. "Oh, well, thank you. I have heard many great things about you as well, Maxine. Elira said you helped her escape, and that you were the one kind adult she could turn to in that place."
Maxine's eyes fill with sadness. "I certainly tried. Do you mind if we sit down? There is much going on in the complex lately that you should know about."
"Yes, have a seat, and I will get us some cold ginger ale."
I sit down across from Maxine and try not to explode with questions. "What is going on in the complex? Is Shasta okay? Was she punished for helping me?"
She takes my hand like she is afraid of what my reaction will be. "Shasta is okay, but she was interrogated. She told them that you wanted to escape to save Avra's life. They asked her why the specific boys went with you, but she didn't know. She was a mess when they finished with her. She is being fed medicated food. Actually, all residents of the complex are being medicated from age 10 and up now."
My stomach turns and I feel like I am going to throw up. Poor Shasta. It's all my fault. "Why are they medicating them all? And so early?"
Maxine shakes her head in disgust. "The complex chief was livid when you escaped. He ordered the medication in the food to be changed to a new mix of hormonal inhibitors and behavior modification drugs. He is afraid that people are going to escape more, now that you've been successful."
"Oh, no. I didn't think about what would happen to the friends I left behind." I bury my head in my hands.
She pats my knee. "It's worse for the residents but I feel a shift happening with the mentors and other employees. They know in their hearts that what is happening in there is inhumane and just plain wrong. It's good to not be the only one who resents it now."
I look up from my hands. "What about you? Were you punished?"
Mother returns and gives us each a glass of ice-cold ginger ale.
Maxine sits back in her chair and shrugs. "I was interrogated, but so was every other mentor at the complex. I chose my words well."
"Mentors aren't tortured though, right?"
She takes a long drink of ginger ale. "Correct. I just sat in a chair with my rights intact."
I think of the other mentors at the complex. "Did Mentor Bridget or Mentor Roberta tell the chief that you had a connection to me?"
Maxine wrinkles her nose and nods. "Roberta did mention it, unfortunately. I wasn't there when you escaped, so I think that was my saving grace." Mother smiles in relief. "The Complex Chief thinks the patient rights I have suggested over the years contributed to your escape." She shrugs. "I was basically demoted and have been reassigned to the five-year old girls and any other grunt job that they can find. I have been very formal and careful since you left."
My mother looks at Maxine curiously. "What made you want to be a mentor in the complex? Have you always been against the complex system?"
Maxine's eyes look sad for a moment. "I had a sister who was four years younger than me. Her birthday was January 15th, so she didn't have her mandatory check-up until she was almost three. I was seven at the time. My mother was hopeful that they wouldn't notice that she was blind. Unfortunately, they did notice, and they took her away. I was determined from that point on that I would get a job in the complex one day so I could see my sister again."
I sit on the edge of my seat, enthralled by Maxine's story. "So, did you see her again?"
"Even though I applied every year after I reached adulthood, I didn't get the job at the complex until I was thirty."
"So, your sister was 26."
"Yes. They had her working in the laundry room, folding sheets and pillowcases day after day, for eight years. I was thrilled when I finally found her down there."
"Was she happy to see you? Or, not see you? Feel you, again?"
"She didn't remember me at first. I found every excuse to go down to the laundry room for weeks. She would talk to me, but she didn't believe I was her sister until one day someone accidentally tripped me when I was walking toward her. She heard my scream and jolted out of her chair. She said she remembered that scream when she was taken away from her family. She finally believed I was her sister."
"Was? Is she dead?"
She frowns as she looks into her glass. "Yes. She accidentally tripped on the cords of several hot irons and burned herself severely. No one hurried to her aid. An infection set in, and within three weeks—she died." Maxine wipes a single tear from her eye with a finger.
Mother shakes her head. "My cook, Freda, suffered from severe burns, but she didn't get an infection."
"I don't think the doctors did much for her. She was blind and now covered in burns, so they just let the infection take her."
I feel a tear forming in my eye as I watch Maxine's face crumple. "What was her name?"
"Cheri."
"What a beautiful name."
"After I finally found out where they had taken her, I watched her die of the infection. I decided from that moment that I would help anyone in the complex who needed my help. I felt a connection to you, Elira, from the beginning. I am so proud of you for getting so many people out."
The appreciation that I've always had for Maxine doubles somehow. "Thank you for telling me about Cheri. That must have been horrible. I'm so glad you're okay. I've been worried about you and Shasta."
Maxine's eyes darken. "You are right to be worried, Elira. Things were never good there, but they are so much worse for the residents now. They are creating mindless zombies who just eat, sleep, and work."
"What about their schooling?"
"They've cut schooling hours in half for age 10 and up and are starting them at jobs for the second half of the day. They are all so medicated that they don't fight back. It's disgusting. All the things I fought for all these years have been undone. I told them that starting them working too early would cut their life spans in half. I guess they don't care anymore and unfortunately, I'm not in a position to help anyone who is getting over-worked.
The Complex Law: Young Adult Dystopian Page-Turner (The Complex Trilogy Book 2) Page 11
