Liza doesn't look deterred. "I'm going to get John to be a weaver with me," she whispers to Jade who is back from her punishment.
"Start thinking about the jobs you are interested in doing. These will be jobs you do for the rest of your lives, so pick carefully. I can help tailor your education to benefit you in your job. Just let me know what you are interested in. Exploration starts now. Make sure you get your assignments done and turned in before you approach the glass wall."
I am deep in thought about the freedom that guards must have to wander around the outside when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see Vanessa, my roommate who's scared of windows, pointing to the glass wall. The five boys from yesterday are beckoning me to join them at the glass. I grab my paper and join them at the window. Both twins smile at me, and my heart starts beating a little bit faster. All four boys are wearing black jump suits. I wish the twins would wear different colors so I can tell them apart easier. Bryon winks at me, makes a heart with his hands and holds it in front of his real heart and then moves it out and back like a heartbeat. Ugh. Rocky is smiling and pointing to his paper. I look at his extra credit problem and see that he has the same answer as me.
I nod my head and mouth, "I got that answer too."
He shakes his head and points to the writing in the corner of the paper. I read it, Do you think that the mentors sleep here, in the complex?
I frown and write, I don't know, no one tells me anything about adult life around here. What do you know?
Rocky wrinkles his forehead and writes, I know that Mentor Bob doesn't sleep here. I overheard him talking to Mentor Jim about being tired and leaving this imaginary world to go home.
This information bothers me a bit, but surely there is an explanation. I write, I'm pretty sure that there are other complexes. Our complex can't hold all the healthy people of the world. I will ask Mentor Maxine today. Sometimes I can get a little bit of information out of her.
Rocky nods at me. You do that, and we'll talk again tomorrow.
I'm trying to understand why we aren't talking about school work. I write on my paper, Why do you care?
Rocky takes his time writing back, I like to know what is really going on around here. I know that we are kept in the dark about a lot of things. For example, I know that there are people outside who aren't dying from toxins.
I gulp. How do you know that?
Garth, the twin with the orange button writes on his paper, We had a window in our bedroom last dorm, and we saw two healthy looking people out there without suits.
This information excites me. I write back, I have a window right now! I've seen a woman out there. I've wondered why she looks so healthy. It is likely that she has internal deformities though.
Jefrey smiles at me with those crystal blue eyes of his. He writes on his paper, I knew you were smart.
My cheeks heat up, heh, heh, how do I respond to that? I'll just change directions. Why do you want me, of all people, to help you find out about the mentors' world, Rocky?
You are the only girl over there who is wide-awake.
I look around my school room before I write, Uh, everyone except Tessa, over there, is wide-awake in this room.
Nope, you're the only one.
I have no idea what he is talking about. I watch Liza and Kimberly giggle next to me as they watch Curly put a garbage can on the male skinny mentor's head. Now that I think about it, I do wonder about things and ask more questions than most girls. Is that what he's talking about? Mentor Bridget presses her loud alarm button just then. "Time for victuals, ladies. The last one in the school room has to clean the white boards." The room clears out in a hurry. I look back as I leave, and once again, one of the twins looks back and smiles at me. I wish I could tell which one.
Chapter 7
When the 17 girls get back to the dorm after their day at potential jobs, I am clamoring to talk to anyone who will acknowledge me. I sit at a table full of older girls. "Vanessa, what job did you do today?"
Vanessa frowns at me suspiciously. "Why do you care?"
I pull the foil off my victual tray. "I'm a curious person, and I know you have many skills to choose from. Cough, cough."
Vanessa pulls the foil off her tray too and digs in like it's her last meal. "I worked in textiles. I sewed 10 shirts and 10 skirts on an actual sewing machine today."
Huh, skirts. We all wear jumpsuits in the complex, even the mentors. I look at Vanessa curiously. "I've seen those kinds of clothes in our textbooks, but, who wears them?"
Vanessa pauses for a second before shoveling a spoonful of chocolate pudding in her mouth. "I don't know. Maybe we get to wear different things once we get our jobs."
I nod, thankful for a logical explanation. "Yeah, that must be it. Did the workers in textiles wear shirts and skirts?"
Vanessa scratches her head with the handle of her funny squarish spoon. "No. They didn't. They must be for other jobs. Do you want your pudding? I'm starving."
"Um, no. Take it." Vanessa scoops the pudding out of my tray greedily. I turn to Shasta, who is eating quietly on my other side. After our conversation at the window last night, I feel like she just might like me. We'll find out. "Did you decide to check out the kitchens, Shasta?"
Shasta's long thin fingers set her fork down. "Yeah. The mentors thought it would be the best thing for me."
"So, how was it?"
Shasta's long thin face breaks out into a smile. "Surprisingly, it was great. I loved making delicious and pretty things to eat, more than I thought I would."
I smile encouragingly at her. "Did you make the chocolate pudding in the trays tonight?"
"No... I made the most delicate white cookies that I have ever seen. We decorated them with sweet creamy frosting. They taught me how to swirl the frosting around to make it look like the flowers in our text books."
I watch Vanessa lick the last of my chocolate pudding from her spoon. "Huh, I wonder who gets to eat them if it isn't us."
Shasta's forehead crinkles with thought. "Yeah, I kind of wonder that too... We made hundreds of them. Maybe they were for the boys."
"That must be it. Those lucky spoiled brats. I'm going to check on Avra. Have a good night, Shasta."
"I will. You too."
•
The crying coming from Avra's bed is pretty loud.
"Why do I have to have this deformity?" she moans. When she was brushing her hair this morning, a whole handful fell out. I tell her not to worry about it, but now that Scott is giving her some attention, she is very self-conscious about her looks.
When Mentor Maxine comes in to check Avra's pulse, like she always does, I corner her. "Is Avra going to be all right?"
"Yes, don't worry about her. I'll take care of her."
"Do you think she'll be able to be a cook like she wants to?"
Mentor Maxine doesn't look at me as she writes on her clipboard. "Um, that is probably the best job option for her. Being on her feet all day will be hard, but I can arrange for a chair or stool in the kitchens for her."
I look across the room at Avra's tear streaked face. "Do you think she'll have a long life?"
Mentor Maxine pauses before she answers, "I will do my best to make it is as long and happy as it is possible to be."
She isn't being very talkative. "Are you happy, Mentor Maxine?"
That question seems to disorient her, she pushes her gray streaked brown hair behind her ears. "Yes, I am."
"I just wondered, sometimes I see sadness in your eyes. What makes you happy?"
Mentor Maxine's wrinkles around her blue eyes stand out as she forces a smile. "I feel like I am helping you girls to the best of my ability. I try to be an advocate for you with the administration, and that makes me happy."
"Do we need an advocate?"
> A shadow passes behind Mentor Maxine's eyes. "Everyone needs an advocate in this life, but I think you sweet girls need one more than most."
I think of how cold and distant the administration is when they come to inspect the dorms twice a year. "Does the administration care about us?"
Maxine gives away more than she knows as her eyes darken. "I feel like I do more than them, sometimes."
I know I'm pushing my luck with all these questions, but I have one more I need to ask. "Do you live here at the complex? Or do you leave the complex when your shift is done?"
Mentor Maxine looks down as she picks some strings off her jumpsuit. "I leave when my shift is done. I take the... proper precautions, to get to my apartment. I know, that is a new word for you. An apartment is a safe place to live for adults. It's a complex of its own."
"Do you wear a suit like the guards do when you leave?"
Maxine shakes her head and turns to leave. "I think it's time for you to go to bed. I love your inquisitive mind, but that's enough for today. Goodnight, Elira."
"Goodnight, Mentor Maxine." Dang. I felt like I had her on a roll. Oh well, at least I can tell Rocky that I know mentors don't live here.
As I change into my pajama suit, I look out the window. I am sure that I see the mysterious woman peeking through the gap in the trees. There is a single light post on this side of the complex; it gives just enough light to see the woman's shape in the trees. I curl up on the foot of my bed and rest my chin on the cold windowsill. If it's cold in here, it must be freezing out there. The woman is there. I can see her. She's staying in the tree branches this time. I can see why—the guard is marching back and forth along the complex wall. He is looking straight ahead, so he hasn't seen the woman in the trees. She waves at me! I hesitantly wave back. She uses her fingers to make weird gestures at me again. I wish I knew what she was trying to say. I shake my head and shrug my shoulders. The guard stops and walks up to my window. I can't see his face through his helmet, but I know he is looking right at me. He then turns to see who or what I have been gesturing at. The woman is gone. Thank goodness. I smile sheepishly at the guard and shut the blind. I climb into bed and try not to feel unsettled as I fall asleep.
Chapter 8
Morning victuals smell so good this morning. Bacon! Avra is chipper and happier this morning than she was last night. Everyone else apparently smelled the bacon as the trays were brought in by the cooks, too. The tables are completely full except for three spots with the sick red button girls again. Avra and I sit down and start digging into our bacon and eggs. I can't believe how hungry I am.
A red button girl sitting across from me finishes her victuals and makes a low, whining sound as she uses her fingers to make weird gestures. Mentor Roberta walks up to our table and starts gesturing with her fingers too. Huh...
I can't hold back my curiosity. "Mentor Roberta, what are you doing?"
She frowns at me as she answers, "Dahlia can't hear, so she communicates with her hands. It's called sign language."
Aha! I knew the mysterious woman was trying to communicate with me with her hands. "Why haven't we all learned it then? We should all be able to communicate with her."
Mentor Roberta huffs, "Dahlia is rather sickly, she doesn't leave her bedroom that much, and she will start a job in the laundry soon since schooling isn't doing her much good. It is too much work to teach you all when you will rarely see her to use it."
I try not to let Mentor Roberta see how angry her insensitivity makes me. Poor Dahlia. "Can Avra and I learn it at least? I think Dahlia deserves to have more friends to communicate with than just mentors."
Mentor Roberta huffs and looks at her clipboard. "I would normally say that your regular studies keep you too busy to add anything else. But, your grades are exceptional, Elira. So, um, okay. If you insist. I'll ask Mentor Bridget to teach you two during exploration time, but you must assure me that Avra won't fall behind."
Avra frowns and jabs me in the side with her elbow.
I smile sweetly at them both. "I'll help Avra keep up with her studies. Thank you, Mentor Roberta."
•
During school time, I swipe an extra piece of paper from Mentor Bridget's desk. Andric would be so proud of me. I write down everything that I learned from Mentor Maxine last night. Avra is bouncing with anticipation because she gets the first turn on the phone today. As soon as exploration time starts, I run to the glass and press my paper up to it. Rocky, Garth, Jefrey, Bicep, and Bryon rush to the glass and read what I've written. They all nod. They seem to have suspected what I found out. I write a new question on the back of my paper. Did you guys have white frosted cookies for victuals yesterday or today?
The boys all shake their heads. Hmm.
Rocky presses a message to the glass, We only get desserts like that on special occasions.
I write back, Yeah. Us too.
Rocky looks at me like he's trying to decide if I can handle what he has to say. He writes, What is your earliest memory? Do you remember life before the complex?
Wow, this guy doesn't mess around with small talk, does he? I will have to think about that.
"Elira, it's your turn to use the phone!" Avra calls out to me as the timer goes off. Oh, I forgot that I was right after Avra on the sign-up sheet. I walk to the white, corded telephone and take it from Avra. A handsome face with a yellow button greets me on the other side of the glass. My cheeks burn as Jefrey places the phone next to his ear.
"H-Hello?" I say in a choked voice.
A deep smooth voice answers back, "Hello, Elira."
I feel my hands start to sweat and shake. That voice is different than any voice I've ever heard before. It's so... appealing. I think he can tell how unnerved I am because his eyes light up and they don't leave my face for even a second.
"I'm sorry, I-I have never heard such a deep voice before. It's amazing to my ears."
Jefrey smiles at me and laughs. I could listen to that happy sound all day. His blue jumpsuit is unzipped a little bit at the top. I can see that he has a purplish birthmark, or scar, very similar to mine on his left collarbone. I point at my own collarbone, temporarily forgetting that I can use my voice to communicate with him. "Is that your deformity? It's the same color as mine."
"Oh, yeah. I have several big splotches of purple. My clothes cover them up pretty well."
"That's lucky. My clothes don't cover mine, obviously."
Jefrey's blue eyes flick toward my raccoon eye. "I like your half raccoon mask. It makes you look mysterious."
My stomach flips when his deep voice says that. "Oh, well, thank you. I assumed that everyone thought I was ugly. I get called raccoon face a lot."
"You're the furthest thing from ugly that I've ever seen. Don't listen to them."
My mouth feels dry, "I—I won't. What is your brother's deformity?"
Jefrey gives Garth a dismissive look. "His pinky finger and his ring finger are stuck together on his right hand. So are the other two fingers on that same hand. Haven't you noticed?" The other four boys crowd in closer to try to hear my response.
I look at Garth's hands and am surprised to see that it's true. "No, I haven't noticed, till you said something."
Jefrey punches Garth in the shoulder playfully. "My brother is a three-fingered weirdo." Garth is watching me with his clear blue eyes. He puts his right hand behind his back when he sees me looking at it. I don't know why he is so self-conscious. With eyes like his, who would waste time looking at his hands?
"Where is Rocky's button? I can see that one of his ears is gone."
Jefrey rolls his eyes and looks at Rocky as he says, "Rocky is going to be charged as a dissident if he isn't careful. He can't hear out of that ear or hole, I guess. He is supposed to be wearing an orange button. He doesn't wear it like he should because he says that it
isn't anyone's business to know what is wrong with him."
I think about that for a second. "Huh, I have never thought about it, but he has a point..."
The smile on Jefrey's face disappears. "Dissidents go away and don't come back, Elira. Rocky and Andric should follow the rules."
I laugh humorlessly. "I've seen Andric taking things apart in your school room."
Jefrey turns to look at Bicep as he answers, "Exactly, if you've seen him do it, just imagine who else has seen him, too." Bicep rolls his eyes.
Vanessa, my roommate who's afraid of windows, grabs the telephone out of my hand. "Your turn is up. It's my turn now." Of course it is.
Jefrey's eyes droop. He drops the telephone from his ear right before another boy rips it out of his hand like a hotcake. He holds up a hand to say goodbye. My heart skips a beat. The other boys hold up their hands too. I self-consciously grin and raise my hand also.
I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see Mentor Bridget standing there with her arms crossed over her chest. "Elira, I was told I need to give you sign language lessons during exploration time. We only have ten minutes left, let's get started."
I shrug and wave at the five smart boys, then join Avra and Mentor Bridget at her desk. She hands me a book with pictures of hands in weird positions. She flips to the beginning of chapter two. "This is the sign language alphabet. Every letter of our alphabet has its own sign. She shows me her closed fist with her thumb on the outside. This is an A. I want you to be able to do the entire alphabet without help then I'll teach you some simple signs for words. You can practice during your exploration time."
This is exactly what I need. "Okay. I can't wait to learn this. Thanks, Mentor Bridget."
"You're welcome. I need a drink; I'll be right back."
Avra rolls her eyes at me. "Why did you insist that we learn this? I don't want to communicate with Dahlia that much. I need my free time." She makes a pouty face as she waves at Scott on the other side of the glass. I turn to watch Scott wave back at her. I also notice Andric sliding a box of chemistry stirring rods up his sleeve.
The Complex Life (The Complex Trilogy Book 1) Page 4
