The Complex Life (The Complex Trilogy Book 1)
Page 16
The fancy lady slowly inches her way toward me. She studies my face with a strange look in her eyes. She reaches out and touches the purple birthmark on the side of my head. I flinch and take a step back, looking at her questioningly. She pretends like my standoffishness doesn't bother her. I pull some hair forward to cover my purple eye as much as possible.
"I wish my husband was here. He is a doctor and he could fix your wounds. But he will not be back until tomorrow. I have rags and disinfectant we can use to clean you up. That is the best we can do until he returns. Any other doctor will turn you in."
Avra starts to whimper. Scott moves her to a chair next to the big, beautiful table on our right and sits down with her. Rocky tries to hide behind his mother, but she takes his hand and pulls him so he is side by side with her. Jefrey sits next to Scott at the table and watches the fancy lady with distrust.
Garth pulls his hand off his ear. The blood is making his fingers stick together. He forces his fingers apart. The woman walks over to the sink behind the big fancy table and wets a towel. She pulls a box out of a cupboard with some doctor-looking things in it and sets it on the table. She hands Garth the wet towel.
He nods his head in appreciation. "Thank you." I take the wet towel and wash Garth's hand and face for him. It's the least I can do after he saved my life tonight.
The fancy lady looks at us all with compassion. "It looks like none of you will be able to show your faces outside for quite some time. Luckily, there is plenty of room for you all here in the basement. There are three bedrooms down here. One is... for the girls. One is for the boys, and one is for Ernestine."
The lady walks to the left and beckons us to join her. "There is also a hidden room that can be accessed by pulling the red book on this bookshelf." The fancy lady walks straight to a bookshelf that reaches from floor to ceiling and pulls a red book almost off the shelf. We hear a click, and the shelf swings forward. A midsized room with three sets of bunk beds around the walls and two sofas facing each other in the middle greet us all. "If the house is ever searched, you must hide in here. You will be able to go outside from time to time though. I will tell the neighbors that you are my hired help."
Why would this rich, fancy woman risk so much for us? I can go no longer without asking, "Who are you?"
The lady takes a step toward me. "Ernestine and I met fourteen years ago. The day that the government took our beautiful babies from us. We were both distraught and tried to comfort each other. Ernestine said she would not rest until she had her son back. She quit her job, which caused financial hardship for her family. I felt terrible about that. So I hired her to investigate the complex to find a way to get our children back. I've been preparing this house to keep our children safe from the government as soon as we could free them. That day has finally come. It's truly a miracle."
She still hasn't answered my question. So I ask again, "What is your name?"
"My name is Florence. Florence Elira Hamble."
About the Author
Heather Hayes loves a good story. She believes a good story will entertain you and leave you feeling like a better person for having read it. She loves living in Idaho with her husband and five daughters. If she isn't writing, she is probably watching a volleyball game, cooking, skiing, reading, or planning a trip to somewhere new.
A Message from
Heather Hayes
If you liked discovering the secrets of the complex with Elira, please tell your friends about it and leave a review on Amazon; it helps me out more than you know. The rest of THE COMPLEX TRILOGY is coming soon to Amazon and HeatherHayesAuthor.com.
The Complex Life
The Complex Law (October 2018)
The Complex Leader (November 2018)
If you like a good story for younger readers, check out my other books:
Unexpected Magic
A Tale of Regrets
Rissy's Summer Son
The Fantastic Backyard of Imagination