The Complex Leader

by Heather Hayes

Once the floor shines, I collapse onto the couch. My body hurts and my only clothes are wet and dirty. It's going to be a long night. At least my hands are clean-and wrinkly. Greggory walks back in and plops down on the couch with me. He has a bundle of stuff in his arms. He throws the bag of jerky he brought from the news station at me. I dig into it gratefully. He sets the two pictures of our family on the little side table by the couch. I'm glad I cleaned it off. He looks at me with a smirk on his face as he pulls plastic covers off two royal blue jumpsuits.

  "I know this isn't your first choice of apparel, but they're clean and dry. I found them in a closet upstairs."

  I start to laugh in a tired and irrational way. "Why not? I'm going to call this the 'backwards freedom day.' I may as well put on a jumpsuit again."

  Greggory looks distressed. "If you sleep in wet clothes, you'll get sick, and Dad isn't here to help you."

  I start to cry. "I know. I wish he was here. I wish Mom and Garth were here too."

  Greggory sets the jumpsuits down and wraps his arm around me. "I know I'm a poor second or third choice, but I'm here."

  I wipe my eyes with my hand and smile. "Thank you, Greggory."

  "Get into some dry clothes and let's get some sleep. I'm sure everything will seem better in the morning."

  I roll my eyes. "Do you really believe that?"

  "Mom used to tell me that, and honestly, things do seem better when my sleep tank is full."

  "But what about toothpaste and breakfast and..."

  "Shh. We'll worry about it in the morning."

  Chapter 20

  "Elira, wake up," my brother's voice whispers in my ear.

  I moan as my body screams at me from the deep cleaning last night. "Why? There's nothing to eat. And no shower to take. And no Garth."

  Greggory's voice is surprisingly cheerful. "Actually, I made a quick trip to the grocery store while you were sleeping, and I brought back muffins and juice!"

  "Really?" I jump out of bed, excited beyond belief for the simple food I'm about to eat. I sit down at the table and dig into a lemon poppyseed muffin. "Thank you, Greggory. You really shouldn't have though. They probably recognized you."

  My brother turns on the old television and sits down on the couch to watch it. "It's amazing how little people looked at me when I was wearing this jumpsuit. I was just a grunt worker to them. Well, except one elderly woman. She, uh, winked at me."

  I giggle. "You should call yourself 'the invisible man-with a flirtatious grandma weakness.'"

  Greggory takes off his shoes and throws one of them at me. "Gross."

  I dodge in the nick of time. "Ha, ha!"

  My brother's eyes light up as he watches the television screen. "Uh, Elira, come here. Bring your breakfast."

  I grab a bottle of orange juice and a second muffin before I join my brother on the couch. "What's going on? Why are all of those people shouting?"

  Greggory claps his hands together. "People are rioting! They are disgusted by what is going on in the complex. The video is working after all!

  "No way," I say as I shove a big chunk of muffin in my mouth. "Where is this protest happening?" I ask with full cheeks.

  He points to the screen. "The Herrington City Building, which is perfect. A mob at the entrance there is going to be hard to ignore."

  I take in my drab surroundings. "How far away is that from here?"

  "Only four blocks." I see a gleam in my brother's eye as he asks, "Why? Do you want to go?"

  I don't have parents calling the shots anymore. Is this a stupid idea? "Yes, I want to go! This is what we've been working for. If enough people are upset, they'll have to listen to Brock when he proposes to change the law. How many people do you think are there?"

  Greggory cringes as he pulls off his stinky socks. "I don't know, 100 probably."

  "That's not amazing, but it's a start. We should go in our normal clothes. I think a guy and a girl in jumpsuits will draw attention considering the video they are protesting."

  Greggory unzips his jumpsuit and changes right in front of me. "What should we do about your eye?"

  "Geez, Greggory! You should warn me to turn around at least."

  "Sorry. I forget how-innocent you are."

  I roll my eyes. "There are worse things to be. I've been trying not to rub my eye. Is the makeup gone?"

  "Well, no, it's not gone, but a little bit of purple is showing through on the side of your face. Just keep your hair over that eye and you'll be fine."

  "Okay. I'm going to change; would you please turn around?"

  Greggory snorts. "Yes." He looks around the room. "Actually, I think I'll make a wall for us to change behind with those boxes in the corner."

  I cautiously unzip my jumpsuit. "Good idea. You were right, by the way."

  He starts moving boxes around. "Right about what?"

  "I do feel better now that my sleep tank is full."

  He sets a box at eye level on the wall he's making. "Ha! I told you. It works for me every time."

  I pull my shirt over my head and straighten it out as best I can. "Okay, I'm ready. Are there any hats or glasses laying around here?"

  Greggory puts the last row of boxes almost to the ceiling. "Yeah, there were some company hats and jackets in the closet upstairs. I think there was a pair of sunglasses too. Let's go join a protest."

  •

  I definitely appreciate all the conveniences of my parents' house as we dig around the dusty little closet in the upstairs office of the car wash. I brush the dust off a Sparkly Clean Car Wash baseball cap and jacket before I put them on. The sunglasses we find are not particularly feminine, but they're better than nothing. Greggory pulls his expensive-looking sunglasses out of his car for himself.

  He looks at mine and then at his. "Do you want to trade glasses?" he asks.

  I shrug. "Nah, it's fine. Yours suit you."

  He smiles and slides his glasses on. "Okay. I think we should walk. The peace officers are probably looking for my car."

  The dust we've stirred up makes me cough. "Yeah, I need some fresh air anyway."

  We walk down the quiet, older part of town without seeing any peace officers or pedestrians at all. Greggory points to the biggest house on the street. "That's my friend Jack's parents' house. They are the only people with money left on this side of town."

  "Should we talk to them about staying in the car wash? Or will they turn us in?"

  Greggory rubs his chin. "I don't know. I think we should play it on the safe side. If they find us, I'll talk to them, but I'm not going to seek them out."

  We turn the corner and are amazed at the noise and scene that greet us. There are definitely more than 100 people here. I'd say it's closer to 1,000. People are yelling and holding signs that say things like, 'Stop Tearing Our Families Apart,' and, 'Complex=Slavery and Death.'

  I see a familiar-looking pregnant woman leading the front of the crowd in a chant. "Every human has a flaw! Repeal the Complex Law!" the people yell.

  My heart swells with pride as I watch Molly trying to save her unborn baby and convincing others to join her cause. I join in with the chanting as I watch the doors and windows of the city building. Is anyone going to come out and address the crowd?

  A woman keeps turning around and looking at me. She doesn't say anything, but I wonder if she recognizes me. She turns her attention to Greggory after a while. I feel like I should talk to her before she talks to anyone else. I sidle up next to her and say in her ear so she can hear me over the crowd, "Do you know me? You keep looking at my friend and me."

  The woman looks closely at my face, particularly the left-side of my face. "Are you the Hambles who put the complex video on the air yesterday?"

  Oh, no. What should I say? I smile sweetly at her. "What would you do
if we were?"

  She smiles with excitement. "I would probably hug you. I've been dying inside since they took my son away eight years ago. No one has taken my side when I've said how cruel and unfair the law is until now. So, tell me the truth. Are you the Hambles?"

  I think I can trust her. "Well, this is Greggory Hamble, but I'm just..."

  "Elira Hamble."

  Oh, boy. I narrow my eyes at her. "You can't believe everything news reporters guess at."

  She leans forward. "Oh, haven't you seen the news this morning? Investigators couldn't find a birth certificate for Edith Westergard. Your parents even confirmed that Edith Westergard doesn't exist after some careful interrogation. Everyone knows that you're Elira Hamble."

  I feel my stomach drop. Why did I venture out into this crowd today? Everyone knows that I am wanted for two things now. The bounty on my head has got to be enormous. I lean closer to her. "Are you going to turn me in?"

  She scoffs at me. "No. I want to help you. Things are finally changing because of you." She pulls some cash out of her pocket. "Here, take this money. Use it however you need to; living in hiding must be hard. Your makeup is coming off your birthmark, too, by the way. Buy more of that." I pocket the money as she leans in closer. "Rumors are circulating around the crowd that we will probably have to move our protest to the capital city. You'll need money to travel that far."

  I have to speak louder as the roaring crowd starts a new chant. "I don't know what to say. Thank you. I don't even know your name."

  "Laura. Laura Beckman. My son's name is William Beckman. Help me get him out. I live in the only red house on Pine Street. If you need my help in any way, don't hesitate to ask me."

  It's a good thing the boisterous crowd is watching Molly up front because I wrap my arms around the total stranger in appreciation. I whisper in her ear, "Laura, I appreciate this so much. I have a question though. How safe do you think I am? Do these people think like you, or do you think they'll turn me in for the bounty? What is my bounty at now?" I take a step back to watch her face.

  Laura looks around the loud crowd. She has to raise her voice to be heard. "These people think like me; I mean, look at them chanting." She lowers her voice and leans into my ear. "You could probably wipe the makeup completely off your eye and they'd lift you on their shoulders like a hero. But I'd be careful in public in general. Especially around people who haven't been negatively affected by the Complex Law. The bounty on your head is at $80,000. Greggory and the rest of your friends' bounties are at $20,000."

  My eyes grow huge. "Yikes! That's good to know. Thank you."

  Greggory nudges me. "I think I see Damon writing on a notebook over there."

  I squint my eyes to see the man in a black hooded sweatshirt better. "That's not Damon, that's a hoodlum."

  My brother laughs. "He obviously doesn't want everyone to know who he is. Let's go talk to him."

  "Okay."

  We walk to the edge of the crowd where Damon is in fact dressed like a hoodlum and is taking notes. He raises his eyes briefly as we approach him. He does a double-take when he sees me. "Elira!" he says as he drops his notebook and wraps his arms around me. He whispers in my ear, "I've been so worried about you. You thought you pissed the government off when you escaped. Ha! They will kill you if they find you now."

  I look at him questioningly. "What's changed? I went from being a wanted woman to-a wanted woman?"

  Damon taps my forehead with his pen. "Your video has the country in an outrage! Brock's secretary says the phones have not stopped ringing all morning, and there is a line circling the building to see him. People want the Complex Law changed after all!"

  I smile at Damon as I let that news sink in. "I knew they would. It's time to reunite families."

  Damon's focus goes from me to the city building in the blink of an eye. "Hey, look! Someone is coming to the door. It looks like the new mayor of Herrington, Johnathan Lawrence."

  The overweight, balding man that is approaching the crowd wipes his considerable forehead with a handkerchief before addressing us. The crowd hushes so they can hear him without a microphone. "Hello, my fellow city members. I know you have all been outraged by the film that was leaked on the news last night showing the inside of the Complex of Undesirables. Very few people know for sure what goes on in there. This video probably doesn't portray the true day-to-day activity that has benefited our society for 150 years. We do have people of lesser abilities making goods for the community in a helpful way there after all."

  The crowd erupts. "BOO! DEPRAVITY! SLAVERY! DEATH! BRING DOWN THE COMPLEX!"

  Mayor Lawrence wipes his forehead again. "Now, now. If you wish to make a change to the Complex Law that has successfully improved our country all these years, you'll have to take your complaints to the senators and President Prystine in the capital city. We only have limited power here. I can only change Herrington laws."

  A loud man who looks an awful lot like Scott's dad shouts, "When is the high-speed monorail to Adanlay opening to the public?"

  "Next Monday."

  Molly walks in front of the mayor and speaks into a megaphone that someone in the crowd hands her. "We will march on the capital city next Monday. We will fill the monorail with protestors all morning long and start our protest march at the capital building at noon sharp. Are you with me?"

  "YEAH!" the crowd shouts back.

  The mayor looks confused and cowed as he backs up and eventually retreats inside the city building again. Damon scribbles away in his notebook. A scruffy-looking man steps up to me and says, "Edith, I don't think you should be this exposed. Do you see the peace officers lining the city building? They will snatch you up in a heartbeat."

  I don't look at the man as I ask, "How do you know who I am?"

  He leans in closer and whispers in a voice less deep, "Because I'm Ernestine."

  I throw my arms around my disguised friend. "Is everyone okay?"

  "Get off me! Yes. They are fine for now. There is a peace officer inside your parents' house 24/7 and another outside."

  "Oh, no. How did you get out?"

  "I know how to climb through windows and scale buildings. I was fine. The rest of your friends are going to have cabin fever before long, though. They can't leave the bunker. Not to shower or go to the bathroom, not at all, unless the peace officer leaves."

  "Someone should draw him out every so often."

  "Yeah, I am thinking of ways to do that. Don't worry about us. We'll figure it out. Where are the two of you hiding?"

  I plop my hand on top of my head. "Have you read my hat?"

  Ernestine squints as she reads, "Sparkly Clean Car Wash. Isn't that place abandoned?"

  Greggory leans toward Ernestine's ear. "Yep. We have it all to ourselves. We're actually in the basement storage room."

  "Good. I'll stop by when I have news. Here is some money. Your parents are going to be worried sick until you're back under their roof."

  I add the bills to the ones the kind lady gave me. "I know, my mom is probably furious at me for lying about where I was going last night. Don't let her worry about us. Greggory is resourceful on the street, and I have two new friends who want to help us."

  Ernestine looks at me suspiciously. "Who?"

  Damon has been standing back a few steps, but he steps forward and shakes Ernestine's hand. I whisper into her ear, "This is Damon from Brock's campaign; you should remember him from voting day, and my other friend is Laura, that woman over there in the red shirt."

  Ernestine nods at Damon and then looks in the direction I'm pointing. "I think I recognize her. She had a son taken away a while ago, right?"

  "Yes."

  "Perfect. You can trust parents of complex kids. This protesting is great. I think the government officials are scratching their heads today."


  Damon asks Ernestine, "Are you going to the protest in Adanlay on Monday?"

  She adjusts the fake beard on her face. "If I can, yes."

  I butt in. "Good. I don't know if Greggory and I should risk it."

  Ernestine shakes her head. "Don't go. You two are worth a lot of money; you need to watch your backs. Do you have any messages you want me to take back to the house?"

  I nod energetically. "Tell Avra I'm sorry I can't come home to help her, and tell Garth that I love him." Damon frowns and turns around with his notebook.

  Ernestine rolls her manly-looking eyes. "Do you want to say anything to your parents?"

  I feel my cheeks redden with embarrassment. "Oh, yeah. Tell them that I'm safe and happy, and I love them too."

  Ernestine looks at the peace officers that are moving closer to the crowd. "Will do, kid. I'll see you later."

  "Bye, Ernestine."

  •

  I am so full of joy as my brother and I walk back to our hideout. "Did you see how many people were there? That crowd cares about people like me, Greggory!"

  He smirks at me. "It's nice to have you feeling comfortable in a crowd. I was afraid you'd ask to hold my hand again." He laughs as he remembers my apprehension at the fair.

  I slap his arm playfully. "Oh, shut up. I have some money. We should stop somewhere to get food and clothes."

  He nods his head. "I bought us a few days' worth of food at the grocery store this morning, but we should get you some eye makeup and both of us some clothes."

  "Is there anything close by?"

  Greggory looks up and down the street. "Nothing fancy. There is a variety store around the corner. It won't have much selection, but they'll have what we need there."

  "Do they have a bathroom? I feel like I'm going to burst. Oh-and makeup too?"

  My brother grins at me. "Yeah, they have it all."

  After relieving myself, we pick out some plain colored shirts, pants, underwear, and socks in the variety store. I get a bottle of makeup that doesn't match my skin tone as well as the stuff my mother bought, but it will still work if I pull my hair in front of my eye. My brother's stomach growls as we leave the store. "Have you ever had pizza, Elira?"