Wow. I'm thrilled to know that even villainous people have goodness in them. "It has been a heart-wrenching time, Avra. Knowing that my best friend was back in the place that would kill her and being betrayed by someone I used to care about left me-a mess."
Avra pats my hand. "Well, the good news is, Brock won today! Things are going to change for all of us. Are you ready to lead us into a newer new world?"
A laugh escapes my lips. "I won't be the one leading us anywhere. If everyone does their part, then no one person will have to lead us. Well, Brock will still have to be the smiling face of our little rebellion."
Knock. Knock. Who could that be? It's 1:30 in the morning. I wrap my robe tightly around myself and walk to the door. "Elira, I need to talk to you," Greggory says through the crack in the door.
"Okay, just a minute." I tuck Avra in and kiss her forehead before I leave. "Greggory wants a word with me. I'll be back soon."
"Okay, I'll try to stay awake," she says with a yawn.
I giggle as I watch her eyes blinking. "Good luck with that."
Greggory leads me to the couch in the great room. A single lamp dispels the darkness in the room. Everyone else is asleep. "So, Brock won."
I smile excitedly. "Yes. Our plan is going to work."
Greggory looks down at his hands. "I don't know about that."
What is he thinking? "Why? The video is ready. You just need to put it on the air in a couple of days."
"I wish I could, Elira."
No, he can't get cold feet now. "Why can't you?"
"I was just fired."
"What?"
"When we got back here, dad listened to a message on the answering machine. It was my boss firing me for my supposed drug addiction. He said he left a message at my apartment two days ago, but since I hadn't answered, and the news has proclaimed my family ties loud and clear, he called here."
This is not happening. We have to counteract it somehow. "Can you talk to him? I could talk to him. I pleaded your case all day Monday to people. I can do it again."
Greggory shakes his head. "No, it's too late. I don't want to make him any angrier than he already is."
"Does Mom know?"
"Yeah."
"What did she say?"
He grins as he recalls our angry mother's words. "She said I still have to do it when I go to clean out my desk."
"When are you going to do that?"
"Tomorrow."
My brain tries to make what we have to work with still work. "But Brock gets sworn in tomorrow; it's too soon. What happens if you wait a day?"
Greggory scoffs. "They'll throw away my stuff and refuse to let me enter the building."
Well, we have no choice then. "Yes. We can make it work. When do people watch the national news station the most?"
"What day?"
I roll my eyes. "No, what time of day?"
"Prime time is 7:00 pm."
"Good. Brock will be sworn in by then. Can you get the video on that late?"
Greggory rubs his messy blonde hair anxiously. "I don't know, maybe. I was told to get my stuff out by midnight tomorrow or lose it. So, they should let me in."
"You have to figure out how to get in that room and put the tape on. It's a day or two early, but if it's our only chance to get near the machines, we will make it work."
Greggory's eyes are agitated. "I want to do this, but I'll be making so many people there mad. What if I chicken out? Will you go with me?"
I won't allow Greggory to chicken out. Somebody should go with him. "I would love to, but I doubt Mom and Dad will let me."
My brother taps his fingers together. "We'll have to fib a little to the parents, but I'm sure my boss will let my cousin Edith help me carry my stuff out."
I guess this means I'm going then. "What will happen when they see what we've done?"
His eyes narrow as he calculates how to do this. "I'll have to lock them out of the control room and once the video is done, we'll have to escape, probably through a window."
Oh boy, this is going to be intense. "If we don't get your stuff out with us, will you be okay without it?"
"Yeah, I don't have anything special there except a mug I really like."
"I'll get you a new one."
"You better."
Chapter 18
"Brock Hamble, do you swear to represent the people of The United Cities in the second-highest of government offices and obey and uphold the laws of our country for the next 10 years?"
"Yes, I do."
Our pudgy little President, Alexander Prystine raises his deep voice so all can hear. "I now present to the people of the United Cities our newest senator, Brock Hamble!" He's acting pleased to have Brock now, but that is going to change tonight. I wish I could see his face when he finds out. The crowd around me erupts into applause. I feel like my own clapping does nothing to add to the roar, but I guess the roar wouldn't happen without each of us adding to it.
My parents are on the steps of the Adanlay National Government Office Building with Brock, Chantilly, and Joy. What a bunch of happy, beautiful people. I'm proud to be related to them, I've decided. This is a good day; I wish I could stay longer and savor this hard-earned victory, but I don't have time. There is a luncheon going on here in about a half an hour. I am not staying for it, though. Ernestine is taking Rocky, Garth, Brock, and me back to Herrington right now. We don't want to risk being seen and causing problems. We will be causing problems today, but this is not the time nor the place.
•
"Mom, Garth and I need to drop off a can of paint to Rocky's dad. We told him we would do that after the election."
I've never seen my mother so exhausted. She is sitting on the comfiest chair in the piano room with her feet up and a silky mask over her eyes. "It can wait until Ernestine can take you."
I was afraid of this. "No, I want to practice driving around the block a little bit, too."
Mother pulls her mask off. "Only if an adult goes with you, and frankly, we're all exhausted from last night and this morning. You should be curling up on the couch with Avra to watch our video go live in an hour."
"Mom, I don't want to miss the video. I'll be quick. I just need to feel like I can do simple things on my own. Please? Let me have this one thing?"
My mother must be more tired than I think because she nods at me. "You have half an hour. Don't go anywhere risky. We need you ready for the next phase of our plan."
I can't keep my conniving smile on the inside. "Okay. Thanks, Mom." She pulls her mask back over her eyes.
I sneak into my dad's empty office and call a number I have on a little slip of paper. "Molly? Hello. This is Edith Westergard. We met at Brock Hamble's booth at the Herrington City Fair. Yes, it's good to hear your voice too. Anyway, something big is happening tonight. Watch the national news station at 7:00. We won't be the only ones disgusted with the Complex Law after tonight. We'll need your help. Are you willing? Great. Thanks. Bye." Here goes nothing.
Garth wraps his arm around me as we walk to the garage. "I can't believe she let us leave together."
"I think I'm finally more than a kid in her eyes-or maybe she was too tired to think straight." I sigh as we enter the garage. "That video is intense. People are going to freak out."
Garth hefts a can of white paint into the back of my purple car. "Are we really going to drop this off?"
"Yes. Frank needs all the supplies he can get for that house. You are going to drop me off at the national news station after that."
"Elira, why can't I stay with you?"
His pleading eyes are hard to resist. "It'll be too hard to explain why Greggory brought two people with him to clean out his desk. And it'll be too hard to get away."
Garth's eyes fill with c
oncern. "Exactly. You shouldn't go. He can do it himself."
I don't want to tell Garth that my brother might lose his nerve on his own. "He says he needs another pair of hands."
Garth is not convinced. "I can be his other pair of hands."
"No, I want to do this. Please let me. I escaped the complex. I can escape an office building."
My boyfriend huffs out his exasperation. "Do they have peace officers there?"
I avoid his eyes. "No, but they will be called for once the video starts."
Garth shakes his head and cups the side of my face with his hand. "I don't know if I can leave you there."
I smile at him. "You can. I will be fine."
"If I don't have you back in my arms in a few hours, I will do something drastic."
"Deal."
I drive the short distance to Frank Moore's house. Garth takes the can of white paint inside to Rocky's dad. I am tempted to leave Garth here, so he won't do something stupid, but he'd probably walk home and tell my parents what I'm doing. I better just take him with me. As I pull back onto the road, I realize that this is the only drive I've tried on real roads. Garth squeezes my hand. "Do you know how to get to the national news station?"
I nod assuredly. "Yep. I remember from our date night."
My boyfriend lovingly takes my hand. "We need another one of those."
I sigh. "Yes, that sounds great, but work before play."
I decide to take the easiest route, which unfortunately, will take us past the complex. I keep my eyes on the road as I see the concrete monstrosity looming in front of me. I wonder what Shasta is doing behind those thick walls right now. Her blistered fingers might be showing bone, for all I know. Garth stares at the complex as he asks, "Do you think Jefrey is sorry for what he did?"
I have been thinking about the same thing since Avra woke up and told me he regretted hurting me. Our conversation last night convinced me that he has changed. "I bet he's sorry. His plan didn't turn out too well for him."
Garth haltingly asks, "Do you want to save him, Elira?"
I look at him and see the turmoil behind his eyes. "I-I want to save everybody. The real question is if he will let me-or us, I guess."
He looks at his hands. "Do you think he's worth the effort?"
Words start coming from my mouth that feel right somehow. "Everyone, even jerks and back-stabbers, deserves to be free." When did I decide that? "I can't think about him right now. I have a job to do in fifteen minutes."
Garth squeezes my hand. "What do I do after I drop you off?"
"Go home. I'll get a ride home with Greggory."
"Is he already there?"
I feel my nerves taking over. I barely miss a pole as I turn into the national news station. "He should be waiting in the parking lot." Oops. I better keep both hands on the wheel.
Once we're parked, my boyfriend peers out the window. "There he is." Garth takes my hand and kisses it. "Elira-I don't think I should leave you here."
"I'll be back in your arms in a few hours. I love you." I wrap my arms around him and press my lips to his. I try to let go, but he doesn't let me, so I stay in his arms. A knock on my window forces me away from the beautiful eyes and lips that always make me feel safe and wanted.
I hear in a muffled voice through the closed window. "Come on, sister. It's desk cleaning time." Greggory taps a small video tape against the window to reinforce his point.
I open the door and start to climb out until something stops me. Garth hurls himself into the driver's seat as he holds onto the edge of my jacket. "Whatever happens, get out. Don't let them take you back there." He looks worried.
"Okay, I will. I'll even break my toes if I have to." Garth laughs and pulls me in for one more kiss. I feel myself trembling as I climb out of the car after that. Garth waves as he drives away. He drives like he's been doing it for years. I hope I really do get to collapse in his arms in a couple of hours.
Greggory clears his throat. "No more gloomy face. You are my cousin now, and you're not sad; if anything, you are mad that I've been fired. Can you sell that to these people?"
I mentally switch gears. "Yeah, no problem. Let's go."
Greggory hands me an empty box that looks like the one he's carrying except there are two large packages of cinnamon rolls in his. I don't know what their significance is, but I enjoy the spicy scent of them as the two of us enter the national news station. A grouchy-looking, middle-aged woman looks up from her desk. "What are you doing here, Hamble? I heard you were fired for your illegal drug use."
"It wasn't for me, but Mr. Fronze doesn't believe me, so yeah, I'm fired. I just came to clean out my desk."
"Who's this? Your druggie girlfriend?" I can't help scowling at her.
Greggory pats my back. "No, of course not. This is my cousin, Edith. You should speak to us in a kinder way if you want a cinnamon roll."
The woman licks her lips as Greggory sets the fresh cinnamon rolls on the long, narrow desk top. "Well, let me know if you need help, Greggory, and-I'll call an intern for you."
"My cousin, Edith is here to help me. I'll be fine. Make sure everyone gets a cinnamon roll and knows that I will miss working here. Have a nice day, Winifred."
"Heh."
Greggory takes me around the corner to a big room full of office spaces that he calls cubicles. Heads start popping out of them and sniffing. At least three people leave their desks to follow the heavenly scent. Good thinking, Greggory. When we find his desk, I'm surprised to see a picture of my parents with Brock and Greggory on his desk. This can't be more than a year old. I pick it up and smile before I place it in the box I've been toting around. Greggory hands me another photo frame. Is this our family? It looks like my mom and dad when they were much younger. Brock is about twelve, Greggory is maybe six, and I-I am in this picture. My head is turned so you can't see my left side at all. I am a toddler, close to two. I look like a normal kid, with no deformities from this point of view. We are in a sunny, sandy place with funny looking trees. I wish I could remember this day.
I turn to my brother. "Can I have this?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I like that picture."
"So do I. I've never seen it before."
"If you do something for me, I'll give it to you."
I roll my eyes. "What?"
My brother shrugs. "I'll tell you later. Put all these bottles in your box."
I frown as I start stacking long, skinny glass bottles in my box. "Dad said you quit drinking."
"I have."
"Then what are all these for?"
"My friends give them to me, and I've been stashing them in that drawer, so they aren't at home with me when the temptation strikes."
"That actually makes sense." I frown as I lift my box off the floor. "This is crazy heavy now. I can't carry any more than this."
"That's fine. I'll just stick these papers and that bag of jerky in my box and we'll go."
Someone clears their throat from behind us. "Greggory, I'm glad you came in. I feel terrible about this, but company policy left my hands tied. I'm sorry."
Greggory stops shuffling things in his box and looks at, I assume, his old boss. "Mr. Fronze, I am sorry to have disgraced this company."
"Little choices can have big consequences. Was it worth it?"
Greggory's eyes harden defensively. "It wasn't for me, and believe it or not, it saved a life that matters very much to me, so I don't regret it."
Mr. Fronze looks Greggory in the eye like he wants to believe him and sticks out his hand. "I know you will find something better somewhere else. Good luck."
Greggory takes the man's hand and shakes it firmly. "Thanks, boss." The man walks away, and I see regret fill my brother's eyes as he watches him go.
Greggory seems to come to himself. "Right. Of course. Follow me." I trail him as he takes me around a corner into another big room with big machines and only one person operating all of them. One wall of the room has a gigantic window; it kind of reminds me of the school room in the glass dorm except there is a giant desk on the other side of the window and two men sitting there talking to each other and an unseen audience. Greggory smiles at the short, dark-haired man running the machines. "Hey, Victor, Winifred said there was something for you at the front desk."
"Really? I wonder what it is."
"Go get it. I'll watch the live-feed for you while you're gone."
"I don't think I'm supposed to do that."
"Five minutes isn't going to hurt anything. I think your mom might have dropped off your dinner or something. It smelled tasty."
"Hmm. All right. Don't touch anything. I have everything the way I need it for the night."
"No problem."
As soon as Victor leaves the live-feed room, Greggory locks the door and shoves a chair underneath the handle. He calls out to me, "Set those boxes by the window over there. We'll grab what we can before we leave." I nod wordlessly and obey.
Greggory whips the small video tape out of his pocket and leads me to a big black machine in the center of the room. I see a small screen on the side of it that shows the two men behind the giant desk. A little timer is counting down from 30:00 in the corner. I guess that the 27:44 I see means there are 27 minutes left in this news broadcast.
Greggory opens a slot in the big machine and sticks the little tape in quicker than a wink. With the push of a button, the news broadcasters turn into the laundry room in the complex. I feel the breath leave my body. I see Dahlia, who used to be so cheerful as she did her work, shoving heavily soiled clothes into a big, black washing machine like a zombie. Everyone else around her has the same blank stare as they labor like robots. The timer in the corner now says 14:35. Can we keep everyone out of this room for 15 minutes? The men on the other side of the window just keep talking like everything is normal.
The Complex Leader Page 9