"Good night, Elira."
"Good night, Mentor Maxine."
Chapter 15
Shasta sits by Avra and me at morning victuals. She watches us closely but doesn't say anything. I am determined to be happy today. I'll start right now. "Hey, Shasta. Thanks for sitting by us. Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, good enough. Vanessa kept sleep talking last night."
The image that brings to my mind is hilarious. "What did she say? Anything good?"
Shasta smiles mischievously. "She said something about you."
Avra nudges me and laughs out loud. "Well? What did she say?"
Shasta scoots her eggs around her tray. "At 9:45 she sat up in bed and yelled, ‘Elira, I saw you meeting your five boys in the school room! Stop seeing them or I'll tell Mentor Roberta you're a dissident!' I shook her until she woke up. She was dead sure that you were meeting five boys in the school room though. I told her that Andric is gone so you couldn't meet with all five of them, even if you wanted to."
Avra starts to laugh, and I laugh with her to hide my discomfort. I was in the school room at 9:45 last night meeting Garth. Shasta doesn't mention that my bed was empty. I'm not going to bring it up. "Vanessa is desperate for some male attention, isn't she?" I ask. "She's even a jealous dreamer. I only get a tiny, little bit of boy attention."
Shasta folds her napkin after using it, "Yeah, it's funny. But while we are on the subject, you do get more than a tiny, little bit of attention, Elira. I think the whole glass dorm is mad that so many boys are trying to get you to look at them."
"I really don't ask for it."
"I know, I just worry that Vanessa or some other girl will do something mean to you out of jealousy."
I huff, "That's all I need." Shasta smiles at me sympathetically. I nod at her. "I'll try to ignore them more or be more discreet. Thanks, Shasta."
In the school room, I notice that Julie is smiling from ear to ear with Mara as I sit down in my usual seat. "Ow!" I jump out of my seat and pull a sewing pin out of my buttocks. Julie bursts out laughing. Mentor Bridget marches over to Julie and escorts her out of the room. I cringe as I sit down on my hard seat again—that pin went deep!
Mentor Bridget marches back into the school room and glares at us. "If any of the rest of you have stashed items from job research weeks, I suggest you turn them in or throw them away." She stares down Mara and a few other well-known troublemakers before continuing, "If I find one more pin, chemical, kitchen knife, or pair of scissors in this dorm that shouldn't be here, I will charge you as a dissident on the spot, so help me."
Vanessa raises her hand. "Has Julie been charged as a dissident?"
Mentor Bridget purses her lips. "No. She is on her absolute last warning though. The rest of you, consider this your last and final warning as well."
A murmur of disappointment flows through the room. I guess I'm not the only one who doesn't like Julie.
Mentor Bridget clears her throat. "Everyone, open your reading books to page 106 and read that short story. We will discuss it when you are done." Everyone stands up and gets a reading book off the shelf. Mentor Bridget meets me at the book shelf. "Are you okay, Elira?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"I've been harder on you than on Julie this last week, and I see now that it was a mistake to do that. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I'm not very popular around here. I'm used to it."
"Well, after a day in a solitary cell, I'm sure Julie will think twice before she does something else."
"I hope you're right. Thanks."
I am thrilled when exploration time comes and Jefrey tries to communicate with me through the glass. When the other boys crowd around I shake my head to steer them away. I remember Shasta's warning this morning. So just Jefrey and I smile and laugh as we try to communicate without sign language or papers. He points to his eye, so I think he's saying I. He lifts up his hand, he's rubbing his fingers over his thumb back and forth. Hmm. I hear someone behind me mutter, "Money?" I turn around to see Mentor Bridget looking at Jefrey with a quizzical look on her brow. She sees me looking at her and turns and walks away.
I don't know what money has to do with anything. People use money to buy a spot in the complex, but we certainly don't use it in here. I think Jefrey might be saying feel. So I feel... I mouth the words then look to see what he does next. Jefrey holds up his hand again with his fingers sticking up and his thumb tucked in. Well, there are four fingers, does he mean four? I feel four. He is pointing at me now. I feel four you, or I feel for you... What? What does he feel for me? He points to his heart as the loud shriek sound goes off for victuals.
Shasta pulls me to the door for victuals even though I can't take my eyes off Jefrey's handsome face. "Lots of girls saw that, Elira. You didn't listen to me at all this morning, did you?"
"Y-yes. I did," I say even though my heart feels twice as big as my head right now. I don't care that Mara purposely steps on my foot during victuals, or that the guard stays in front of my window all night. This has been an amazing day, as far as I'm concerned.
Chapter 16
"Elira, I haven't seen you smile like this for weeks," Mentor Maxine says at morning victuals.
"Oh, well, I had a great day yesterday, and I think today will be a good one too," I say as my mind replays how Jefrey radiated as he touched his heart and looked at me yesterday.
"I hope it's still a great day after you learn the subject matter Mentor Bridget is teaching today." Mentor Maxine turns red and shakes her head.
"What are we learning about?"
"Uh, I don't really like talking about it. You'll just have to find out for yourself."
Curious why Mentor Maxine won't elaborate, I grab Avra's arm and walk into the school room, taking in every corner, hoping to figure out what uncomfortable learning is about to take place.
There are pictures of human bodies all over the walls. I'm pretty sure I've seen them in the doctor's office before. We're learning about the human body? What is so uncomfortable about that?
The older girls snigger and laugh as they look at the pictures on the walls. Shasta looks at me and smiles as she sits down. "I remember this day from last year. Have fun."
"If I have fun, you'll have fun too, right?"
Mentor Bridget clears her throat. "All of you 17 girls need to line up by the door. You've already had the lesson we're having today. There's no need to repeat it. Mentor Maxine will escort you all to the doctor's office." Shasta and Vanessa look nervous. Mentor Bridget calms them down. "Don't worry, you won't be getting a shot or an exam you have to get naked for, it's just your yearly check-up. One of our two doctors will check your eyes, ears, heart, and lungs. If one of the doctors finds that your deformities have worsened, you may have your button color changed. The doctor's office waiting room will be cramped with all of you going at once, so please use manners and decorum."
Without too much fuss, Shasta, Vanessa, and all the other older girls follow Mentor Maxine out the door.
Mentor Bridget sighs, "There now, having a smaller group makes this discussion easier." She hands each of us a pamphlet entitled, "How Babies are Made." Huh. I've always wondered how babies are made, this should be interesting. Avra raises her eyebrows at me and shrugs.
"I will give you sixty minutes to read the material in the pamphlet, and then we will discuss any questions that you have."
I hear gasps and giggles as the girls around me read the pamphlet. I feel my cheeks raise in temperature as I read it too. Avra leans over to me, "This is why they keep us separate."
"Yeah, I think so."
Mentor Bridget stands up to get our attention. "Okay, I know you learned a little bit about the hormones that cause your monthly cycles and draw males and females together in science a few years ago. This is the rest of the story about how we as human bei
ngs come to exist. I'm sure there are questions about what you've just read, so what are they?"
Mara raises her hand, "How often can a female have a baby? Every nine months, or do they wait longer to have another one?"
"Usually they wait longer to let the body heal before they have another one. Any other questions?"
Avra raises her hand and asks quietly, "How many babies do you think our mothers had before they died of the toxins?"
"It's different for each female. Some have internal deformities, or lack of interest, or lack of opportunity to have children at all. Others have a child every year... until they die from the outside toxins. Every person is different, but because of the terrible effects of the toxins on human bodies, and limited complex space and food, it is becoming unpopular to have many children."
Jade raises her hand with a mischievous smile on her face. "So, have you ever, you know, tried to make a baby?"
Mentor Bridget turns beet red. "That is a personal question, not an academic question. I will not be answering it, and you will be scrubbing the toilets and showers in both bathrooms for your impertinence."
Jade groans and glares at the door. Okay, I guess that means we better keep this conversation academic.
Tessa shakes her short, black hair out of her eyes as she raises her weak skinny arm. "So, these things the pamphlet calls birth control really stop people from having babies?"
"Yes, they do."
Liza raises her hand forcefully. "I'm asking this question for academic reasons only. Will we ever get the chance to have a baby? Or will we always be separated from the boys by glass?"
"You will not ever have a baby, or even have the chance to. We only have so much room in the complex. You are lucky to have your spot and you have no money to pay for a child to have a spot."
Mara raises her hand again. "But, how will the human race survive?"
"There are people... who are healthier than you. They will make sure the human race survives. Do not tell yourself that human reproduction is your job. It is not. You have other equally important jobs to do. Most of you will always be separated from the boys. The few of you who will work with the boys at your future jobs will not share sleeping quarters with them or have any alone time with them. You don't want to pass on your deformities to a child, do you?"
Liza looks at her right hand that is missing a thumb. "Well, no, I don't, but I don't think the complex can stop everything nature intends."
"Actually, it can. It is not good for the survival of the human race to allow reproduction of extreme deformities."
My mind is positively exploding thinking about this. "So, you're saying that only people with minor or no deformities are allowed to have children."
"Yes. I am."
I blush as I ask, "I'm a yellow, why can't I?"
Mara scoffs out loud, "How many raccoon faces can this world handle?"
"That's enough, Mara." Mentor Bridget scratches her head in an agitated way. "If you live in this dorm, then you have 12 jobs to choose from. Having children is not one of them."
Liza pipes up, "Will the boys learn this stuff too?"
"Yes, they are learning it after noon victuals."
Avra is mortified, "That's going to make seeing Scott awkward," she says to me.
Liza raises her hand. "If the complex had a way to stop us from having babies with the boys, would they stop separating us?"
"They do have ways to stop you from having babies. It was tried many years ago, but the co-ed experiment was deemed a failure. Separation works better."
Jade glares at Mentor Bridget. "Some of us don't agree with that."
Mentor Bridget takes a deep breath. "It is a crazy, toxic world we live in, and we must all play our part if we want to survive. I don't have children because I am playing my part in the survival of the human race by being your school mentor. You will play your parts in the survival of the human race by growing food, cooking it, and keeping us clothed.
I raise my hand. "So what was the point of giving us this lesson, if we will never play a part in the creation of children?"
Avra pipes in. "I'm going to feel awkward when I see the boys through the glass from now on for no good reason."
Mentor Bridget looks at me thoughtfully before answering, "I have overheard many of you talking to each other about this subject. False information was being circulated. Knowledge makes us wiser when making choices in our jobs and more accepting of our place in the world, than ignorance does." Okay... That's helpful, but not really.
I overhear Liza whispering to Jade, "This kind of knowledge just makes me want to try this stuff out."
I see Mentor Bridget write something on her clipboard before sending us out for noon victuals.
•
Shasta gets back from the doctor's office and sits with Avra and me for victuals. She has a smile on her face so big that I wonder how it all fits on her skinny face. "How was your baby lesson?"
Avra shakes her head and laughs. "Awkward."
I frown when I think about how much effort they take to keep us separate from the boys. "Yeah, I don't get why they want us to know, if we will never get to be near a boy."
Shasta shrugs. "Who knows. The doctor's office was crammed and horrible today."
"Did they change your button color?" I ask sarcastically.
"No, they don't come any darker than red. I sometimes think they'd give me a black button if they had one."
I take a quick sip of water. "Why do you say that?"
"They keep upping my pain and heart medication, and my spine keeps curving more. The looks on their faces don't give me much optimism."
"I know what you mean." Avra says.
I avoid the boys during exploration time because they are red-faced and still talking to their mentors about the baby pamphlet. Mentor Bridget helps Avra and me with our sign language alphabet. I was doing some of the letters wrong.
I do manage a wave to both Jefrey and Garth with minimal blushing before we're sent out of the school room for the night. As I crawl into bed, I wonder two things. One, will the guard ever leave my window during evening hours? Two, if I had the choice, would I want to have a baby?
Chapter 17
Mentor Maxine's purple back is the first thing I see as I crack open my eyes the next morning. What is she doing in here this early? I shut my eyes straight away, because it's blindingly bright, and I'm not ready to get up. Mentor Maxine isn't alone. I can hear someone else whispering. I strain my ears to pick up what is being said. "She is practically defunct, Maxine. We may as well send her to the final doctor now."
I'm pretty sure it's Mentor Roberta. I open my eyes just long enough to see Mentor Roberta folding her arms across her purple jumpsuit.
Mentor Maxine won't be bullied. "No, she has these spells from time to time, but she still has plenty of life left in her."
"But is she strong enough to work a job? If she's not, then we are wasting time and resources on a defunct worker. Keeping her is contrary to the whole point of this complex."
What the...
"I can't in good conscience send a reasonably healthy person to the death doctor."
"Don't think of them as people, think of them as what they really are: damaged, unpaid workers."
Gulp. Did I just hear that correctly? I don't think I can stomach any more of this conversation. I wiggle and squirm and pretend to wake up. The two mentors quit whispering. I look over at Avra's bed. She has an oxygen mask on and looks gray around the edges. Her eyes are closed.
"Is there a—yawn problem, Mentor Maxine?"
Mentor Maxine gives Mentor Roberta the evil eye as she answers me, "Yes Elira, there is. Avra isn't breathing well this morning."
"Oh, that happens to her from time to time, but she'll snap out of it before you kn
ow it. I'll keep an eye on her, so you can go about your day, if you like."
Mentor Maxine smiles at me and squeezes my shoulder. "Thank you, Elira. You are a good friend to Avra."
Mentor Roberta glares at Mentor Maxine and shakes her head. The mentors leave in an awkward silence. I fight the heavy feeling in my chest as I climb into Avra's bed and wrap my arms around her. Her curly black hair makes a soft pillow for me to lay on. Why does this have to happen right as I'm getting over Andric? I hold back my tears for a long time, but they start to leak out.
Vanessa yells at me from across the room, "I told you that sleeping by the window would make you sicker!"
I don't have to put up with this. "Shut up, you annoying know-it-all!" I hear Vanessa leaving in a huff, but I don't sit up to watch. I have got to do something. I can't let my best friend die.
I have this terrible feeling that Andric was right. We are all living a lie. I look at the girls across from me smiling and laughing as they make their beds. How can they be this happy, if the life we live is fake?
My waffling mind is suddenly set. My mission is to find out how deep the lie goes. Mentor Roberta made it sound like we are only here to be free labor. I need to know if that's true. My troubling observations are making more sense to me.
If this really is a labor complex... Avra probably won't be able to work full days, and they'll send her to the final doctor, or as Mentor Maxine put it, the death doctor. I won't let that happen. If it comes down to it, I will have to take Avra and break out of here. The toxic world can't be worse than imminent death.
How will I find out what I need to know? I will have to be creative and question the mentors. No one else knows more than I do around here, well, except my boy gang.
Avra slowly wakes up. She wiggles weakly. "Elira, get off me. You're squishing me. Why are you crying?"
I sit up and wipe the tears from my puffy eyes. "I don't want you to die."
The Complex Life (The Complex Trilogy Book 1) Page 8