The Complex Life (The Complex Trilogy Book 1)

by Heather Hayes

  Book One 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 August 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 08/24/2018

  AH Digital FX Studios, INC

  10551 E. Ririe Hwy.

  Idaho Falls, ID 83401

  www.ahfx.net

  ISBN: 978-1-945597-06-03

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018956642

  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 Mom and Dad Hayes

  Thanks for including me in your family, flaws and all.

  Chapter 1

  I can't hear myself think. The 30 girls around me are so excited that their voices have lost their distinctive words and become a loud buzzing beehive around me. Well, that's what I've been told a beehive sounds like, anyway.

  "Elira!"

  Oh. I heard that. That's my name. I wish it wasn't coming from the owner of that annoying, bossy voice though.

  I open the drawers under my bed and start pulling all my clothes out. I don't look up as I ask, "What do you want, Mara?"

  Mara flicks her long, white-blonde hair at me with her shriveled hand. I flinch as it hits me in the eye. "Everyone else is packed and waiting for you. Hurry up or we'll leave you here and move into the glass dorm without you."

  "Go ahead and try. Mentor Maxine won't leave any of us behind."

  "Has your purple scar scarred your brain? The glass dorm is the best dorm in the whole complex! You should be waiting at the door like the rest of us. You have five minutes, scar-face." Mara turns around and yells at the rest of my roommates, "Get your bags and line up in the common room. We're about to meet the boys, my friends!"

  I walk across the room to the big mirror by the door. Girls bump me with their gray duffel bags as they rush out of our room. I finally have the mirror to myself. My reflection reveals that my green right eye is also red now. Mara's whip-like hair is to thank for that. My green left eye is surrounded by a purplish birthmark that continues along my face and behind my left ear. I gently hide some of it behind my medium-length light brown hair, then I give up and push my hair behind my ears. I rarely bother hiding my scar. I don't really care what the other girls think about my looks. We've lived together so long, we all know who's where on the prettiness pecking order. I've been told by my mentors that it looks like I have half a raccoon mask. I wouldn't know for sure, of course. I've never seen a raccoon or been outside since I was two.

  Mentor Maxine pokes her head in and hangs up a brand-new calendar on the wall next to the mirror. It's January first. The biggest day of the year. My dormmates and I have gone through this ritual many times; we move out of the dorm we've lived in all year and into a new dorm. The new dorm is always bigger and nicer than the last one. The glass dorm has an added benefit that we've all heard rumors about, and I think everyone, especially my best friend, Avra, is more excited about this move than usual. I am curious, but I didn't lose sleep over it last night. I'm excited to start new classes. I like that part. I like to learn new things.

  I have lived in the complex for as long as I can remember. I am one of the lucky ones. It's very expensive to pay for a spot in the complex. The outside world has become toxic from hundreds of years of pollution and chemical warfare. It's so toxic that almost the entire human race is plagued with deformities.

  I wonder if my parents are still alive sometimes. They must have given up everything to pay the fee for my spot inside the complex, while they suffer outside in the toxic environment. Avra says the toxins have surely killed them by now. What selfless people they must have been. I really am lucky.

  I walk back to my bed and shove all my clean, size medium black, white, and gray jumpsuits into the two gray duffel bags that I own. Now my buttons. Ow! I accidentally prick my finger on the back of one of the round, yellow, metal buttons that I am required to wear. All seven of them fit perfectly in a little side pocket on my duffel bag. I wipe the drop of blood from my fingertip onto my black sock. I check to make sure my name, Elira 223, is embroidered on the bags. Since all 30 of us 16-year-old girls have the same gray duffel bags, the workers in textiles embroider our names on them so we don't mix them up. Last January, I accidentally packed my stuff into Avra's duffel bags. She didn't mind; she's awesome like that. I had to pick long, black, curly hair off my clothes after we switched dorms though. Avra's hair used to be beautiful, but it's getting thinner all the time. She wears a red button because she has internal deformities that affect her heart and cause hair loss.

  The bossy voice from before interrupts my reminiscing, "Mentor Maxine is waiting. I only have one working hand, and I still packed in half the time you're taking," Mara snarls as she flips her hair again. I turn away to protect my eyes. A strand of her hair gets caught on the orange button pinned to her chest. She frowns as she drops her bags to untangle her hair with her good hand; she gets minimal assistance from her shriveled hand.

  I throw the last pair of socks in my bag with a little bit more force than necessary. "I know, Mara. I'm done, I just have to zip up my bags. Now get out of my face!" I glare at her as I force the sides of my bag together, so it will zip.

  Avra waits for Mara to stomp away before she slides up to the side of my narrow twin-sized bed and helps me get my second bag zipped. "Please don't fight with Mara today of all days."

  I look from Avra to Mara's smug face that is now leaving the room. "I won't. I just hate being bossed around." I finish zipping up my second duffel bag. "I don't want to ruin this day for anyone, especially you."

  "Do you think real boys look like the boys in our school books?"

  I stop and try to think if I have ever seen any boys when I've been to the doctor's office inside the long, confusing halls of the complex over the years. There are pictures and books with bodies of boys and girls in the doctor's office, but I'm sure I've never seen a boy in person. Both of the doctors I've seen are male, but they are old, so is the director of the complex. I've never seen a male who is under 40 years old. "Yeah, I'm sure they do. Why?"

  "I really like the looks of the boy on page 91 of the science book. I wonder if any of the boys in the complex look like that."

  "Maybe, we'll know in about ten minutes."

  Avra picks her duffel bags up off her bed then sets them back down again. They are heavier than she can comfortably carry. "Elira, why don't they let us see the boys in the complex until we're 16?"

  "I don't know."

  Avra starts to wobble on her feet, "I feel like my heart is going to pound its way out of my chest."

  I steady her with one hand. "Don't get yourself sent to the doctor's office. I will ask Mentor Maxine if she knows why, the next time she's in a talkative mood. I'm guessing it isn't necessary be
cause we'll never share dorms and most of the jobs at the complex are done by all one sex or the other."

  "Which of the jobs are done by both sexes?"

  "I'm pretty sure gardeners, janitors, chemists, and artists are jobs done by both sexes. Why?"

  Avra's head droops. "Really? I was hoping cooks were both."

  I let go of my friend as her balance stabilizes. "Oh yeah, I think you're right. I think most cooks are female, but they have some male cooks. Somebody has to bring the boys their victuals every day."

  Avra looks pleased. "Good."

  I smile at her. "You will be making my victuals two years from now. Crazy."

  "You always pay more attention to what the mentors say than I do."

  "You're right. It wouldn't hurt you any to pay attention more. I'm ready; let's go see this glass dorm!"

  Avra giggles nervously, "Yay!"

  I put one duffel bag over each shoulder and discreetly lift the back of one of Avra's bags as I follow her into the common room. I don't want her to overwork her heart or fall down with fatigue. A long line of teenage girls is glaring at us as we enter. Huh, it looks like I really am the last one. Oh well. The back of the line hasn't hurt me yet.

  Mentor Maxine's tall, thin form walks to the double doors of the dorm and unlocks them with a key that she slips into the pocket of her purple jumpsuit. She stands in front of the slightly open doors. "Ladies, may I have your attention please? I know you are all excited about this move compared to all the other January first moves you've made, but you must quiet down and use decorum. The glass dorm is special because the school room of this dorm has a thick glass window on one side. You will be able to see through the glass into the school room of the 16 boys dorm. There is a telephone on the glass wall that can be held to your ear and mouth. If someone on the other side of the glass wall picks up their telephone, you can talk to each other about the school work you're doing. Consulting people with different points of view about your studies can be very enlightening."

  Liza, the girl in front of Avra snickers, "Yeah right! I'm going to talk to the boys about anything but schoolwork." She straightens her black jumpsuit and fluffs her short, red hair with her thumbless right hand.

  Liza's friend Jade twirls her thick black hair around her finger. "I am going to find the best looking one for myself."

  I scoff, "What's the point? He'll always be on his side of the glass, and you on yours."

  Mentor Maxine clears her throat and continues, "Since there are 60 of you and 55 of them, the telephone requires a sign-up sheet to use. You will stay in this dorm for two years instead of one. This is the last dorm you will have with each other as an age group. There are already 30 girls in there who have lived in the glass dorm for the last year. You will learn from each other and prepare yourselves to accept a job when you turn 18. At that time, you will share a dorm with women of all ages who do the same job as you. Please straighten out your line and follow me into the next dorm over."

  Avra turns toward me and giggles nervously as she squeezes my hand. I hope her heart can handle this. Maxine throws open the doors, and we follow her into the glass dorm in a rush of anticipation.

  Chapter 2

  Our feet sound like thunder as we rush through the double doors behind Mentor Maxine. So much for keeping in a straight line. I cannot believe how big this dorm is. Our last dorm was narrow and everything from the floors to the ceiling was brown and wooden. The dorm before that was floor to ceiling yellow plastic. This dorm is called the glass dorm for good reason. Everything is white and covered in glass sculptures and chandeliers as we walk into the common room. A group of girls I've never met before is staring at us from their seats on white chairs and sofas. We are invading their space.

  Mentor Maxine clears her throat loudly to get our attention. "As you can see, the tables and chairs you will eat your victuals at are directly behind me. Victuals will be delivered at 7:00, 12:00, and 5:00. Your bedrooms and bathrooms are to your left through those two sets of doors. The school room is to your right, down the hall and through the only door on the right. As usual, the sofas and chairs around you are for relaxation and socialization time. If you want them to stay white, keep your hands clean. When you have chosen your new bed and put your personal items away, you may explore your new dorm for the rest of the day."

  "YAY!" The wild stampede of girls rushing to the doors with bedrooms behind them is deafening. Their bags are so bulky that a traffic jam forms in the two doorways. I can't help but laugh at how stupid they all look trying to shove their way through. Avra motions to me that she wants to join them. I think it would be better for her heart if we wait for the crowds to clear out. I, myself, am not in that big of a hurry. I plop down on a white couch next to a girl with short, dark brown hair and most of an ear missing. Avra frowns at me as she stands behind us twisting her chocolatey brown hands together, too nervous to sit down.

  I look at the brunette with piercing blue eyes and say, "Hi, I'm Elira. What's your name?"

  The brown-haired girl looks at Avra and her red button, then at my yellow button and half a raccoon mask before answering, "I'm Julie. I'm in the yellow club too." She has a dismissive air about her that I don't like.

  I notice Avra twisting her hands harder as I say, "Yellow club?"

  "Yeah. I can still hear perfectly well out of my messed-up ear, so I'm a yellow, not an orange."

  "Okay, good for you. I personally don't think the colors of our buttons matter much."

  Julie looks at me in disbelief. "Surely even you have noticed that the yellow button people are the healthiest."

  I think about that for a minute as I sneak a peek at Avra's frowning face. "We may be the healthiest, but we're certainly not the prettiest."

  Julie sniggers at me, "You've got that right; your half mask is hideous."

  What a... I don't have to take this. "It was nice to meet you too," I snarl as I grab my bags off the floor. I head to the right-side door to check out the bedrooms behind the wall with Avra right behind me.

  "I hope all the older girls aren't that rude," Avra whispers to me as we peek into the four bedrooms. As always, the room on the right side of the hall, next to the right-side bathroom, is filled with the sickest girls. The laundry chute is always in the right-side bathroom, and sick girls go through a lot of laundry. As I look at the girls in the right-side bedroom, I recognize about half of the faces. It'll be fun to get to know the older girls, as long as they aren't like Julie. Almost all of the girls in this room have red buttons. A few of them have extreme physical deformities like missing legs or missing arms, which qualify them for orange buttons. I feel bad for them. This toxic world is horrible to some people's bodies.

  When we were little kids, there used to be more extremely deformed girls who lived with us. Some of them couldn't talk or walk. Most of them went to the final doctor and never came back. I wonder sometimes about why they didn't come back. I've always assumed that they died while at the doctor's office. I haven't found the courage to ask Mentor Maxine about that yet.

  I'll be in the same room for two years in this dorm. To be honest, I really don't want to hear the sickly reds getting up over and over again in the night, so I'm not staying in their room. I've spent enough years of my life staying with them. I'm just going to be selfish this year and choose a different room. The next room over has lots of orange buttons, it's pretty full. I recognize Deedee, Rose, and Lacey choosing beds next to each other. Well, it's hard not to recognize them since their heads are all much smaller than they should be. I watch Julie, the yellow button snob with short, dark brown hair, walk into the next room over with a sneer directed at me as she goes. I don't care who else is in that room. I don't want to be in there with her. The left-most room is next to the other bathroom, and it has a window! Hardly any rooms in the complex have windows. I want this room.

  "This is
the perfect room, Avra! Let's pick two beds by the window."

  We are almost trampled to death as twelve girls storm out of the window room and down the hall. Avra follows me as I find four empty beds by the window.

  A plump girl with long red hair and freckles clears her throat from next to the door, "Uh, I wouldn't sleep that close to the window if I were you."

  I look at her incredulously, "Why not?"

  The girl spins her orange button around and around with her extremely small, crooked fingers as she answers, "The toxins from outside can seep into the cracks around the window, and make you sicker than you already are."

  I raise my eyebrows as I look over the small, thick-paned window. "I don't see any cracks. I'm willing to take that chance. I like looking outside."

  The overly concerned girl shakes her head at me. "You're crazy. When you wake up feeling nasty, you might want to move to a bed closer to the door."

  "Okay, will do." I roll my eyes so only Avra can see as we unpack our clothes, putting them in the drawers under our beds. Avra bites her bottom lip to keep from smiling.

  "Vanessa, let's go check out the new boys in the school room with everyone else," an unusually tall, thin blonde with a red button says to the overly concerned red-head. That poor blonde girl looks like someone strapped her to a machine and stretched her. She is at least 6'3" tall and can't weigh much more than 100 pounds.

  "Okay, Shasta, let's go," Vanessa says as she pulls her long, red hair back into a ponytail. The two friends bump into Mentor Maxine as they leave the bedroom.

  Mentor Maxine walks straight across the room towards us and motions for Avra to sit down on her bed. She sits down next to her and puts two fingers on Avra's wrist to feel her pulse. Maxine's eyes fill with concern as she sets Avra's hand back down. "Dang. Are you sure you don't want to stay in the sick room on the other side of the hall, Avra? The mentors keep medical supplies and snacks in there. It may be helpful if you feel faintness coming on."