Inside, Pt. 1

by Kyra Anderson

  The club was as loud and bright as ever with teens filing in excitedly, eager to get out of the cold night.

  “When we’re doing our rounds, we’ll glance at the notes,” Clark whispered as we started into the club, the car pulling away for the two experiments to hide where the crowd of teenagers could not see them.

  As usual, we stopped at the table where Becca, Jill, Taylor, and the others were waiting.

  “Ah, there they are! Finally!” Devon smiled broadly. “How are you two?”

  “Good,” I answered tiredly.

  “Are you ready for the Halloween party next week?” Jill grinned, an excited light playing in her eyes.

  “Already wanting tonight to be over?” Becca teased.

  “Of course!” Jill gasped. “The Halloween party is the best one of the year! You’ll see, Lily.”

  “I’m sure I will,” I groaned. All I could think of were the plans we had for our rebellion during the Halloween party. I still did not know how we were going to figure out how many people were willing to help without putting everyone in danger of being caught.

  The group chatted for a while before Clark skillfully told the others we were going to go do our rounds. As we stepped into the crowd, he turned to me and whispered in my ear over the loud music.

  “Maybe we should actually do our rounds and see if anyone is talking about the rebellion,” Clark told me. I quickly agreed and we started our shuffled wandering to hear the hot topics of the evening. I wasn’t sure whether to be disappointed or happy when I did not hear anything of our rebellion.

  When we had rounded the room once, I grabbed Clark’s wrist and pulled him behind one of the raised platforms on the dance floor. He glanced around before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the papers.

  “Have you looked at these?”

  “No,” he shook his head. “I didn’t want to risk it.”

  He unfolded the papers while I held my breath, unsure what to expect.

  S18Q1B009E1-1**

  S12Q5B118E0-3

  S4Q19B787E12-0

  S23Q2B107E6-9*

  S10Q1B027E8-1

  S9Q4B423E7-2

  I blinked at the strange set of numbers.

  “What is that?” It looked nothing like the codes we received before.

  “I don’t believe it…” Clark hissed, his eyes darting across the page.

  “What?”

  “These are addresses…”

  “What?” I repeated.

  “When Central was being established during the post-war radical uprisings, they created a new system of identifying buildings in the city so that uprisings would not know which buildings to target,” Clark whispered. “These are in that code.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I got bored and researched some things in the Commission Library over the summer,” he admitted. “I don’t know exactly what they mean, but these are addresses.”

  “Well, that’s good to know,” I said slowly. “Wonder what they’re addresses for…”

  Clark flipped the page and looked at the next note, which had a strange drawing on it. Below the sketch that appeared to be a map was the title of a book.

  “This must be in the library,” Clark mused. “Maybe there’s something in this book that could be useful…”

  “So, we need to get into the library on Monday,” I said slowly. Clark nodded and looked over the two pages.

  “I really want to know who’s giving us this…” he said, folding the papers and tapping them against his hand. “Do you want to keep them?”

  “Sure,” I shrugged, taking them only to realize I really had nowhere to put them. “On second thought, you keep them,” I laughed. He placed them in his pocket, smiling.

  We made our way to the balcony where the Commission Kids seemed more tense than usual. They were feeling nervous from the incident with Miranda and no one was sure how to feel or act around one another.

  “Clark,” I whispered as we made our way to an empty corner. “I invited Becca to my house on Sunday, is that allowed?”

  “What?” Clark blinked. “Of course that’s not allowed! You’ve got Mykail there!”

  “I know…but…” I stopped. I realized that even though we had spent so much time together over the last week, I had not told Clark that Becca knew of our plan to overthrow Dana and the Commission of the People. I hesitated, knowing that he would be heavily against the idea of looking for help outside the Commish Kids.

  “But nothing,” Clark shook his head. “What are you going to do if she catches a glimpse of him? Do you really think you can explain that away?”

  “Well…” I started slowly, refusing to meet his eyes. He was silent for several long seconds and then he groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “Please, please, please tell me you didn’t do what I think you did…” he pled. I did not say anything. He groaned again, hiding his face in his hands. “Lily…” he moaned, sounding as though I was physically hurting him.

  “I’m sorry, but she knew something was wrong and I needed someone outside the Commission to talk to…”

  “You just put both of your lives on the line,” he told me sharply. “She is in serious danger, and you put her there.”

  “She wants to help.”

  “No, absolutely not,” Clark snapped.

  “Why not?” I challenged. I knew we could trust Becca, even though she was outside the Commission. I thought that Clark would know her well enough to understand that she would not say anything to endanger us.

  “We can’t trust people outside the Commission,” Clark shook his head. “When you were first introduced to the Commission, and you saw everything that happened there, you were frightened, weren’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “And if Dana had taken Miranda in the same night, or even one week later, you would not have said anything in protest because you were still processing, you were trying to figure out the situation and what the boundaries were. If Becca becomes a part of this, she’s our weak link. She will not be in the Commission every day. She will be the weakest against Dana’s influence. She’s not with him every day, she doesn’t have to face him, and as soon as he puts a little pressure on her, she will fold.”

  “How can you say that?” I growled. “Becca is your friend as well.”

  “Of course she is,” Clark sighed. “But she’s now in danger, as we all are if she exposes us.”

  “Alright, alright,” I groaned. “For now, we’ll keep her on the outside of the plan, but she already knows about it, so it wouldn’t be fair if we just leave it at that.”

  “It might not be fair, but it will be safer…” Clark murmured. I glared at him, not liking his reaction. He glanced at me and sighed heavily. “Fine. She can come over to your house and meet Mykail, but that’s all. Until we really know what’s going on, it’s probably better that that’s as much as she knows.”

  “Thank you, Clark.”

  “I’ll be over there as well,” he declared strongly.

  I huffed, but was secretly pleased that he would be there. It saved me from explaining everything and telling Becca something I shouldn’t. Since Clark was more in tune with what was safe for other people to know, he would be able to stop me from saying anything dangerous.

  The night moved on. All of the Commish Kids were tense, and most didn’t even leave the balcony. No one was speaking to one another. They were just walking around the metal grate balcony, looking at one another, not sure they could trust anyone. Clark and I watched from our spot, sensing the tension. When the club was closing and people were leaving, I felt a nervous ball in my stomach watching the Commish Kids gather, waiting for the meeting to begin.

  “Alright,” Melissa sighed, calling the meeting to order. She went through the procedure of recording her voice as she opened the meeting. “Who has anything they would like to share?”

  For the first time since I had been part of the Commish Kids, no one spoke. Melissa lo
oked around, annoyed rather than surprised.

  “No one?” she groaned. “Come on, everyone. Pull it together.”

  “Let’s face it,” Dean growled. “No one actually went around the club tonight to hear the gossip because we were too busy gossiping among ourselves about last week.”

  Many Commish Kids murmured in agreement. Melissa turned off the recorder.

  “You mean this whole thing with Miranda?”

  “What else?” Dean snapped.

  “Are we just supposed to pretend that nothing happened?” Samantha hissed. “Just go on like everything’s alright?”

  “People get taken into the Commission every day, why should she be treated any differently?” Melissa challenged.

  “That’s different,” Brent shook his head. “Miranda wasn’t a criminal. And Julie sure as hell wasn’t a criminal. Now, Dana’s doing God only knows what to both of them, and they haven’t even done anything wrong!”

  Again, most of the kids in the Commission agreed. Melissa looked around until her eyes rested on Clark.

  “Clark?” she asked. “What do you think?”

  Clark got very nervous, as did I. I felt my heartbeat pick up and a nervous sweat form on my palms as I wrung my hands together. Clark took a deep breath and lowered his eyes.

  “Why should you ask him?” Gracie groaned. “He’s Dana’s pet. He’s going to favor what Dana does more than what happens to any of us.”

  “Why would you say that?” Clark growled. “I don’t agree with what Dana did with Miranda and Julie, but if I’m honest with myself I know I can’t do anything to change it.”

  “Why not?” Dean challenged angrily.

  “Dana is the second most powerful man in the world. What he says is practically law, particularly when it comes to the Commission and who gets taken,” Clark said. “If you want to say something about what he’s doing, you have to make a deal more appealing to him rather than just order him to undo what he’s done.”

  “We tried to exchange ourselves,” Dean reminded him.

  “Why are you all forgetting that Dana is extremely smart?” Clark laughed incredulously. “He knew that if he took you in exchange for them, more parents would get upset because he had no grounds to take you. He can afford to have us upset, but the parents have a lot more power than we do, and they can raise concerns more effectively.”

  “Why can’t we?” Karmen snapped.

  “Yeah, why can’t we say that we’re pissed as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore?” Ryan seconded. Several of the Commish Kids who had not shown support or opposition against the idea of rebelling against Dana’s decision began nodding and voicing agreement. I felt my hair stand on end. It was exhilarating, feeling the anger mounting on the balcony. The more they talked about the situation, the angrier they became. The tension was building to a point where action could be tasted in the air.

  All of the Commish Kids had been turning the ordeal over in their minds for the whole week, and they were frightened that they could be next. That fear turned into anger very quickly. I had to force myself not to smile, but it was exciting to watch everything play out.

  “Look,” Melissa said carefully, trying to silence everyone, though the tension remained. “There might be legitimate evidence against Miranda and, if there is, then we cannot say anything against Dana’s ruling.”

  “But she’s innocent!” Dean snapped.

  “Of course you think she’s innocent. You love her,” Melissa said.

  “No, I think that because it’s true!” Dean said angrily, standing. It was getting more exciting by the minute. “Dana’s just taking people to scare us. I don’t know what we did, or which one of you motherfuckers did whatever stupid thing you did to catch his attention, but Dana cannot just take someone innocent to use as an example. He thinks that this will make us more obedient? Fuck that! I’m pissed! And I’m going to let Dana know at the meeting!”

  Several of the other Commish Kids nodded and clapped their support.

  “Anyone else?”

  “You bet I’m in,” Trevor nodded. “I’m sick of this fear-mongering shit.”

  “What are you going to do if you fail?” Melissa challenged. “Are you going to try and take out the whole Commission?”

  My heart stopped.

  “If I have to,” Dean snapped. “Look, maybe all of you are alright with just accepting what Dana’s doing, but I’m not about to lay down and take it.”

  “Then you could be next,” Matt hissed.

  “So be it,” Dean retaliated. “I’ll work from the inside, but this is not fair to us and it sure as hell is not fair to Miranda and Julie. So, for them, I’ll do what I have to.”

  A shiver of anticipation ran through me. I scanned faces to see who agreed with Dean so that I could see who would be part of our growing army.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  My insides were in knots in the elevator Saturday night. I took a few deep breaths as quietly as I could to calm down without calling my parents’ attention. Tonight was our first act as a rebellion against the Commission of the People and I was frightened that it would go horribly wrong.

  It was impossible to tell my brain to shut up about the different ways it could turn on us. I continued to think that the wrong words would sentence all of us to the back of the Commission, and as much as I wanted to believe that we could also work from the inside to take the Commission down, I had a feeling that we would be unable to overthrow the institution unless we got the general population to realize what was really happening inside the Commission of the People.

  My family went to our normal spot in the Commission room and my parents started socializing, but I was looking at the other Commish Kids. There were a lot of younger kids, more than I remembered actively noticing before. What would happen to the younger children if their older brothers and sisters started rebelling against Dana? Would they follow? Would Dana take them as revenge? Would they stay loyal to the Commission?

  Clark tapped my shoulder, causing me to whirl around with a soft gasp. He smiled apologetically.

  “Sorry.”

  “It’s fine,” I assured. “What’s up?”

  “Not much at the moment,” Clark admitted. “But…” he looked around slowly, making me nervous. “Mykail said we needed to do something before Eyna was finished?”

  My heart fell. “He’s done?”

  “No, no,” Clark said quickly. “But…something big happened. The entire security staff is worked up and came back with bruises and cuts after Eyna was pulled out of his cell. Even Mark.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I don’t know, but considering how happy Dana is, I would think it’s something we need to worry about.”

  “Aw, Eyna’s not that dangerous,” a familiar cold voice said behind Clark. We both turned to face Dana’s shaded eyes.

  “Damn it!” I snapped. “Do you have to sneak up on people?!”

  “I do nothing of the sort,” Dana huffed. “You just don’t look around when you’re talking. Now…if you have something to hide, that could be detrimental to your plans.”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know,” I growled.

  “Why are you worried about Eyna’s completion?” Dana asked, looking between the two of us.

  “Mark came back with claw marks across his face,” Clark said through his teeth. “What the hell happened back in the lab?”

  “Oh, Eyna got a little testy and broke his restraints. Had to send all of the chinks to put him back down and sedate him. There was quite the scuffle.”

  “He…broke his restraints?” Clark blinked. “Didn’t you just replace those with triple restraints?”

  “For him, yes,” Dana nodded. “The cuffs, the chains, and The Teeth, we even sedated him, but he’s gotten too powerful for that. We’ll have to up the security and the dosage.” Dana smiled widely. “It’s so exciting!”

  “Hardly,” Clark snapped. “Dana, he is now getting powerful enough to break o
ut of the cells and if he gets out to the people…I can’t even imagine the chaos.”

  “He won’t get out,” Dana shook his head, waving the question away.

  “Maybe not out of the Commission, but he can get out of his cell,” Clark repeated.

  “And the first person he’s going to go after is you,” I said, staring at Dana.

  “You think so?”

  “Of course,” I scoffed. “You’ve tortured and mutilated him, and I’m sure he hates you more than anyone else.”

  “Ah, well, so be it,” Dana shrugged. He smiled and looked at me. I stared into his sunglasses, imagining the eyes behind them.

  “That’s it? So be it? That’s all you think?”

  “Of course,” Dana nodded. “Everything is fleeting. Nothing is permanent. Eyna is my favorite of everyone in the Commission so far. Bryant Morris was killed by his favorite. It would only be fitting that I would be killed by mine.”

  “Oh, Dana, what on earth are you talking about?” my mother chuckled brokenly, stepping up to our conversation and breaking his concentration. I ground my teeth together, angry that she would interrupt. What made her intrusion worse was her coy act of flirting with Dana. It made me sick.

  “Nothing to be concerned about,” Dana assured, snaking a hand around her waist. “It has been a long time, Karen, since we have really spoken. Your husband has been so helpful with the transportation routes. I’m sorry I have been keeping him away.”

  I blinked. My father had been meeting with Dana? When?

  “No, I understand,” my mother assured as Dana’s hand dropped from her waist. I felt my stomach turn. My mother was falling under Dana’s spell. I realized all too quickly that it was too late to save her.

  “I’ll tell you what,” Dana smiled. “I’ll look at my schedule and we can all meet up. After all, I have had Little Lily here with me after school and Tommy here for work, there is no reason that you shouldn’t come visit every now and then.”

  “Oh, thank you, Dana,” my mother smiled, covering her face demurely. “Lily, your father would like to introduce you to someone.”

  “Fine,” I said shortly, happy to leave. I walked away, not bothering to hide my disgust. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to throw up or cry. Clark stayed with my mother and Dana as I found my father.