The Complex Leader

by Heather Hayes

  Ring, ring. Greggory shakes his head to clear it before he answers the phone. "Hello? Perfect. We won't worry about it then. Thanks, Damon. Bye."

  A smile erupts on my face. "Damon got his petition information on the news, didn't he?"

  "Uh, yeah, he did."

  "So we are going home!"

  "I guess so. I wonder if I can get some cash somehow too..."

  •

  "Are you sure this is how computer technicians dress?"

  "Yeah, computer geeks can wear whatever they want, pajamas even. People are so desperate to have their computers fixed that they don't care what the person who does it wears."

  I fidget with my plain red T-shirt and tan pants. "All right. I won't worry about these clothes then. Where are my sunglasses?"

  "On the table, but I think real glasses would be better for Mom and Dad's basement."

  Where could I get real glasses? "Maybe Laura Beckman will lend me some stuff again."

  Greggory looks in our almost empty fridge again. "I bet she will. Let's go."

  My friend has everything I need again, even some plastic name badges that don't specify a company. I'm going to be Laura Beckman and Greggory is going to be Pat Green. Apparently, Laura and her mother used to sell homemade fudge at the city fair and these are their nametags. I'm so happy they put "Pat" instead of "Patricia" on her mother's. Greggory wouldn't appreciate having to dress up like a girl.

  We use Laura's telephone to call my parents' house. Greggory holds the phone out so I can listen in too, but he is our voice. "Hello, Mrs. Hamble. This is Pat Green from Computer Cronies Repair. We received a call from you a week ago about the computer in your basement having some problems. We would like to stop by within the hour to get that fixed for you. Will that work?"

  There is a noticeable pause as my mother makes sense of who and what is happening. "Oh-I'm so glad you finally found time for us. I miss using that computer; it will be nice to have it fixed. How much will it cost me?"

  "I'm guessing it'll be about $300 dollars. Is that going to be a problem, ma'am?"

  "No, that will be fine. I'll have it ready for you."

  "Thank you very much, Mrs. Hamble. My partner and I will see you in about 20 minutes."

  "I look forward to it. Thank you."

  We park around the corner to my parents' house, because we don't want the peace officer on the road staring at Greggory's car while we're inside. My heart flutters with excitement and bleeds at the same time. We have agreed not to stay longer than two hours. I calm my beating heart as we walk down the sidewalk.

  Knock, knock. My mother's smiling face and the unsmiling face of the peace officer who flirted with me a week ago greet us at the door. My mother's voice is unnaturally happy. "Hello, Pat! I'm so excited that Computer Cronies sent you here today. I can't wait to have my basement computer working again." Oh, Mom. I wish I could hug you right now.

  The peace officer looks at the two of us for a long time. Does he recognize me? Maybe we should have dressed Greggory like a woman... "So, how long will you two need to fix the computer?"

  Greggory says as seriously as he can, "As long as it takes, officer."

  The man in uniform raises his voice. "This house is under government scrutiny until further notice. I have been told not to let anyone linger here for longer than an hour. So, an hour is all you're going to get. Good luck and get to work."

  Mother looks from us to the officer to us again. "I-uh, I'm so sorry to be making your job harder. I'll just show you to the computer. This way, please."

  The peace officer follows us down the stairs, much to my annoyance. I ask my mother in an inconspicuous way, "What was that heavenly smell?"

  Mother turns her head toward me, so the officer can't see her face. She rolls her eyes. "Oh, my cook was making strawberry cheesecake today. It must be done."

  I see the peace officer lick his lips, but he does not change directions.

  Mother presents the computer to us with extra flourish. "Here is the computer that isn't working. It sometimes won't turn on, other times it will turn on, but I can't access my favorite programs."

  Greggory looks at Mother authoritatively. "I have seen this happen twice in the past week. We will get right on it."

  Mother smiles and asks in her sweet way, "Do you need anything? Extension cords? A flashlight? A drink of water?"

  The peace officer rolls his eyes and sits down on the sofa. I wish I was sitting on that sofa-with Garth. I clear my throat and disguise my voice so it's lower. "I would like a drink of water, if it isn't too much trouble, ma'am."

  "Of course, it isn't too much trouble. I'll even bring you a slice of that wonderful-smelling cheesecake if you'd like."

  "You're too kind, ma'am."

  As mother leaves, she asks the peace officer, "Would you like a slice of cheesecake? I could use another pair of hands."

  "Sure, thing, ma'am." The officer gets up and follows my mother up the stairs.

  I know I should be more cautious, but I can't wait another minute. I rush to the bookshelf and pull the red book out. Click.

  The face I've been dreaming about is suddenly right in front of me. "Elira!" Garth whispers excitedly as he wraps me in his arms. I want to laugh and cry at the same time, but I don't get to do either. Greggory shoves me into the hidden room and shuts the door.

  My lips find his like they're traveling a one-way road that can never be forgotten. I break away from him long enough to say, "I only have a few minutes, but I just had to see you. I miss you so much." He kind of stinks, since he can't shower in here, but I've missed him so much that his stink is like perfume to me.

  "I wish you didn't have to leave. Just stay with me." My boyfriend's longing tears at my heartstrings.

  I shake my head. "The peace officer let two people in. He has to let two people out."

  "Elira?" Avra's voice asks from the sofa.

  I smile and drag Garth to the sofa with me. "Yes, Avra, it's me. Are you all right? I hear you can walk again."

  She lights up like I've brought Christmas into their world of darkness. "I can walk. I'm almost back to normal. Right, Scott?" Her boyfriend nods and smiles at me from beside her.

  I squeeze her hand. "I'm so glad."

  Garth pulls me back up, kisses me, and then holds me against his shoulder. "Are you safe? What's going on out there?"

  How much should I say? "We're trying to get a million signatures, so we can have an emergency vote about the Complex Law."

  His posture straightens. "How many do you have so far?"

  "I don't know. I have been trying to stay away from Damon today." Oops. I shouldn't have let that slip out.

  Garth's eyes narrow. "Why?"

  "He admitted today that he's still interested in me-but I'm not interested in him! I just want to be with you, Garth. I miss you so much."

  The door swings open. My brother calls in, "I can hear them lingering at the top of the stairs. You better get out now."

  I take the two notes out of my pocket and hand them to my boyfriend. Greggory waves to Avra and starts pulling me out the door. I kiss Garth one more time and hold his hand as long as I can. "I love you, Garth. Don't forget me."

  "I won't. You're all I think about in here. Stay safe."

  Click. I feel like my heart has been ripped out of my chest. That was not nearly long enough. I slump into a computer chair and pretend to be interested in the screen as I hear my mother's loud voice approaching. She is holding two plates of cheesecake and so is the peace officer. She exclaims, "Look at that! You got it to turn on. Why don't you take a little break and have some cheesecake?"

  I glare at the peace officer like he is responsible for the hole in my heart. "Thank you, ma'am, but if we only have an hour, we better get this finished first."

&n
bsp; The officer can't take his eyes off the plates he's holding. "Oh, I'll just subtract the time it takes you to eat from your total time here. Let's dig in."

  Greggory snatches one of the officer's plates. "Okay, if you say so."

  We sit in an awkward silence at the downstairs table as we eat our cheesecake. The peace officer's eyes never leave our faces. I think we better just wrap this up and get out of here.

  I gulp down my last bite and give my brother a loaded look. "Come on, Pat. Back to work we go."

  Greggory looks sideways at the peace officer's intense gaze. "Okay, Laura."

  We pretend to fiddle around with the cords and click on as many menus as we can, so the man in uniform can't tell that we aren't doing anything. Greggory raises his eyebrows at me and I nod. It's time to be done. He clears his throat. "Mrs. Hamble, your computer is as good as new. That will be $300."

  My mother hands me a wad of cash before the peace officer says, "Just wait a minute here. $300 for an hour of work? I don't think even the good doctor who owns this house gets paid that much."

  "When you hire the best, you have to pay for it," Greggory says without batting an eyelash.

  "What is the name of your boss? I'd like to have a word with him about his prices."

  "His name is-uh, Mr. Comp."

  The peace officer narrows his eyes. "Mr. Comp owns the computer repair company you work for. What is his phone number?"

  Greggory shrugs. "Oh, he just got a new one, so I'm not sure what it is."

  "Okay, well, where is your office located? I'll just drop by."

  Greggory is running out of ideas. "It's-uh, actually, just..."

  "That's it." The peace officer jumps on Greggory and pushes him to the ground.

  My brother yells, "Run! Don't look back. Run!"

  I don't need telling twice. I bolt to the outside door and race through it. I can hear my heart and my breathing as loud as anything as I run around the corner and jump into Greggory's car. I forget my driving anxiety and step on the gas. The sleepy peace officer camped out on my parents' road looks at me quizzically for a few seconds and then pulls onto the road to follow me. I don't know what to do. I have to lose this guy. I speed up and take a right, then a left, then zip around a bunch of buildings I recognize vaguely. I think I'm getting near the car wash, actually. I don't see the peace officer behind me as I approach my hideout. Should I drive around longer? I'm afraid I'll get lost. I'm going in. Once I'm through the plastic strips, I shut off the car and run down the stairs to my room.

  Tears are streaming down my face as I shut the door behind me. "Elira, what's wrong?" a deep voice asks from behind me.

  Chapter 27

  "Damon, what are you doing here?" I ask through my tears.

  "I came to tell you that we got to a million votes nationwide half an hour ago. Why are you crying?" he asks as he wraps me in his arms.

  I collapse on his shoulder. "Greggory is gone. Peace officers took him. I had to run for it so they didn't take me too. What have I done?"

  He pats my back gently. "Where were you?"

  "My parents' house."

  Damon frowns at me. "That house is under surveillance. Why on earth did you go there?"

  "Well, the man who owns this car wash found us and demanded money to keep quiet, so we needed to get some money from my parents. We posed as computer repair workers."

  "Elira! I would have given you the money you needed or found you a new place to stay. That was an unnecessary risk."

  I don't look in his eyes. "I know. I just really wanted to see Garth again."

  Damon's arms drop from around me. "Oh. That's really why you did it."

  I pull the wad of cash out of my pocket. "I still got the money I need to stay here four more days."

  He scoffs. "That's a terrible price to pay for this dump."

  I wipe my eyes with a finger. "I know. I just don't know what else to do."

  Damon's eyes soften. "Well, four days may be all you need. Since we got the required signatures, Brock called the President and insisted that we vote whether to repeal the Complex Law or not in five days."

  I raise my eyebrows. "That's so soon. How will Alexander Prystine ever agree to that?"

  Damon snickers. "Well, it sounds like angry mobs have been surrounding the President's house for a few days and he can't take it anymore. He agreed to have the vote on Thursday."

  I collapse onto the couch. "I can't believe it. This could work." The reality of where my brother is suddenly comes back to me full force. "I-I just hope they don't hurt Greggory and my friends in the complex too much before then."

  Damon joins me on the couch. "I don't think they'll hurt him, but they will definitely keep him locked up until after the emergency vote."

  A sigh escapes my lips. "I can last five days. If the repeal doesn't pass, I'll just have to figure something else out-I've never been completely alone before."

  Damon looks around the storage room I'm now calling home. "I would be happy to stay here with you. Or-you could even stay at my place." His hand finds my knee.

  I scoot away. "No! That is not going to happen, Damon."

  "I just want to help you. I won't touch you-unless you ask me too."

  I shiver. "I'll be fine sleeping here alone." I turn my back on him as I calm myself down.

  "Elira, don't be mad at me. Is there anything you'll let me do for you?"

  I turn back around to face him, hating myself for what I'm about to ask. "Is there any way you could buy me some dinner?"

  •

  I have never been this alone before. Damon insists that he is bringing me dinner every day until the emergency vote. Yesterday he took me to his apartment building and showed me how to grill steaks. He was a little bit annoyed when I wanted to wander around his apartment complex looking for Maxine. I didn't find her. Today he brought me a giant meatball sandwich and a bag of chips after he got off work. He wants me to witness the vote tally on Thursday. I agree to go with him and I'm thankful for a way to make my meager food stretch. When I take my disguise back to Laura, I apologize that Greggory's disguise is with him in solitary.

  She hugs me the way my mother would. "That's just fine. I'm not worried about those things. What I am worried about is whether the country is going to vote to repeal the Complex Law or not."

  I nod in agreement. "I know. I'm worried too. We've come so far, I'd hate to be defeated at the last moment."

  Laura looks into my sad eyes. "I just made some cookies. Would you like to take a plate of them home?"

  "Yes! I mean, uh, yes, please. That would be very nice." I am an embarrassment when I'm worried about starving to death.

  Laura loads the plate of cookies awfully high for a single person. I wonder why until I get back to the hideout and discover a twenty-dollar bill beneath them. It brings tears to my eyes. I hope I can help her as much as she has helped me.

  •

  KNOCK, KNOCK. I hate waking up this way. I don't have Greggory to calm my anxiety. Jack, my brother's greedy friend is here to collect his "rent." I pull my hair over my eye and just pay it, thankful that he isn't turning me in for the bounty on my head.

  At lunchtime, I eat my last apple and the last five crackers from the bottom of the last box. My food is officially gone. My stomach growls with discomfort. Will I be able to last until Damon comes with spaghetti tonight? I'm feeling awfully hungry and alone when the phone rings. It's my mother! It is such a weird conversation.

  "Hello?"

  "Hello, this is Florence Hamble. I would like to order a large wooden bench."

  "Mom! Oh, Mom, I miss you. I want to come home."

  Her voice cracks a little. "I-I want the cushion to be soft and comfortable."

  "Mom, I have enough money and food to last until the vote d
ay, but that's all I have. I don't know what I'll do if the repeal doesn't pass."

  "I don't care if it costs more, I only want things that I love in my yard."

  "Mom, if there is any way to come see me, will you do it?"

  "Yes, that will work. Thank you very much. I will pick it up tomorrow or the next day."

  "Goodbye, Mom. I love you."

  "Goodbye and have a nice day."

  I wish.

  I get so tired of sitting around by myself in my dark basement room that I take Greggory's car out and drive around the city for a while. I don't go very far away because I'm afraid I'll get lost or that someone will recognize this car. I drive by my parents' house to see if the peace officer is still parked outside. He is. I eventually end up in the parking lot of a grocery store. I use the $20 Laura gave me to buy enough food to get me through Thursday, the emergency vote day.

  I stand next to an old man in the line to check out. He looks familiar to me. I must be lonely, because I say to him, "Excuse me. Are you Elmer?"

  He looks confused. "I am Elmer. I'm sorry, but I don't know who you are."

  "I am one of the troubled youth that Dr. Hamble taught to drive on your property."

  The man looks at me knowingly. "Oh. I know who you are." He lowers his voice. "Everyone I know will be at the city building Thursday morning voting to repeal the Complex Law."

  I step back, surprised. "Why do you think I care about that?"

  Elmer whispers in my ear. "You are his daughter, Elira."

  I look away. "I don't know why you would think that."

  "I may be old, but I'm not stupid."

  His eyes bore into mine as I ask, "Do you really think the repeal will pass?"

  He lowers his voice. "Yes, I do. Everyone 70 and up will vote to repeal it, everyone who has had a child taken away to a complex will vote to repeal it, and anyone who saw that video of the complex on the news will vote to repeal it. I say your chances of being a free woman soon are very good."

  I feel tears forming in my eyes. "Thank you, Elmer. I needed this encouragement today."