Remainder

by Stacy H. Pan

  Around six, Zareh comes to my room and tells me that dinner is ready. We walk to the kitchen and take our seats. Milo places chicken, green beans, and potatoes on the table and sits beside me.

  “Thank you, Milo. Everything looks delicious!”

  “My pleasure. Just call me Chef Milo!” he beams a wide grin.

  “What is it like living in the Labor district?” I ask. Since encountering the sick man and Felix telling me about unrest in the Labor district, I am curious for the perspective of someone who lives there.

  “Well, I can only speak from the agriculture side. It’s pretty busy, but in a relaxed sort of way. There is always something to do. We grow and distribute all of the food for all of the sectors. There’s always vegetables to be picked, trees to be watered, livestock to be fed, food to boxed and distributed. The list goes on.”

  “It sounds like a lot of work. What made you want to be a cook?”

  “I didn’t have a choice. Our jobs are selected for us by a council. Luckily for me, I love cooking. It’s very therapeutic for me, like a stress reliever. I’ve never been interested in science like Alden,” he professes.

  “Oh,” I say shocked at the fact that pure bloods are not allowed to choose their future. “So, Alden can never be a Researcher?”

  “Unfortunately not. He and Rayna have a love for science and would have made excellent researchers.”

  “Rayna?”

  “Yeah, she’s our little sister. She is thirteen years old.”

  “She’s lucky to have two older brothers looking out for her,” I say with a sense of longing. I wish I had a brother to look out for me and to be a companion. I just wish I had anyone to call my family.

  “Yeah, but she’s pretty feisty. I am sure if anyone messed with her, she could hold her own.” He laughs out loud. I smile at him and then ask him the question I really want to know the answer to.

  “What’s the sick population like in the Labor district?” I ask.

  “You’re a regular Sherlock Holmes, aren’t you?”

  “Who is Sherlock Holmes?” I ask, puzzled.

  “Never mind. Way before our time,” he laughs.

  “It’s really bad. Some of us who work with the food try to help them as much as we can, but it’s never enough. There are too many of them. At least we help the ones we can. The Researcher and Enforcer sectors look at the sick like they are insects that need to be squashed.”

  My thoughts go back to the encounter with the sick man in the streets this afternoon and Felix’s treatment towards him. It makes me sad that people are treated like they don’t matter. It seems like the sick people are disposable as much as I am and people like me. Who is safe in this society?

  “You should get plenty of rest tonight. I hear there’s a party at Red tomorrow night. Bailey always makes an appearance.” He smiles sympathetically at me and gets up from the table. I decide to take his advice and head back to my room for much needed rest.

  I wake from a deep sleep. A hologram of Bailey has appeared in my room. Her high-pitched squeal hurts my ears and pulls me out of sleep fast.

  "Wake up, 656. I want a sandwich! Go make me one!" she demands and disappears as quickly as she came.

  I can tell she's drunk again. I get out of bed and put on my robe. I look at the clock and it reads two in the morning. I stumble out of my room still groggy from sleep and try to find my way to the kitchen in the dark. I must have taken a wrong turn because I don’t recognize this hallway. About halfway down the hallway, I see a light on. Who is still up at this hour? Maybe whoever it is can tell me how to get to the kitchen from here.

  I walk to the room and I see the door is cracked open a little. Before I can knock, a young girl in red moves into my sight. I immediately recognize her as Enforcer-658. Why would she be here? She looks sad, like she wishes she was anywhere else but where she is. I start to say something to her when Killian walks up beside her. This must be Killian’s bedroom. He hands her a drink and she gulps it down quickly. Killian pulls off her shirt, so she is wearing just her pants. Her endowed breasts pop out of her red bra. He starts to kiss on her neck. Enforcer-658 looks like she is going to be sick. Not being able to stand the sight before me, I begin to back away.

  All of a sudden, I feel an arm around my waist and a hand on my mouth. I am pulled backwards into another dark room and forcefully, yet gently, pushed up against the wall. I struggle and try to scream, but I can’t break free of the strong gasp. My heart is paralyzed with fear.

  A hand is still on my mouth when I hear, "Ssshhh, be quiet."

  I instantly recognize Alec’s voice. He removes his hand from my mouth. "What are you doing here?" he demands in a loud whisper. I can feel his anger coming off of him like steam.

  "I....I....Bailey..." I stammer.

  "Well?" Alec demands impatiently. I am just as afraid now as I was earlier today in the library with Killian. My mind floods with fear and panic...will I be punished? What might that punishment be?

  "Bailey wanted a sandwich. I got lost," I spit out.

  "Don't EVER come to this part of the house again! Do you understand?" he is practically spitting out the words.

  "Yes." I whisper. He is so close that there doesn’t seem to be any space between his chest and my face. I can almost hear his heartbeat. I stand there waiting for him to move...I can still sense his deep anger, and I am still pulsing with fear. I don’t know what he will do with me.

  "Come on. I will take you to the kitchen and then back to your room." With that he released me. I hadn’t even noticed that his arm was still around my waist.

  We walk to the kitchen and I make a sandwich with him staring at me in silence. He leads me to Bailey's room. I walk in to find that she is already passed out on her bed. I put the sandwich on her dresser and leave.

  Even though I know the way from Bailey's room to mine, Alec escorts me back to my room. I guess he wants to make sure I go back to my room instead of spying on Killian. He still hasn’t spoken a word to me.

  We get to my room and before opening the door; I pause and turn to face him.

  “Why...why was he doing that…. with her? She could be severely punished,” I say still shocked by what I saw.

  "Some pure bloods rent their clones out for services. Not everyone is kind to clones," he states pointedly.

  "That's funny, coming from an Enforcer. I've seen what can be done to people like me, what you can do," I say angrily. He frowns and looks stunned, like he doesn’t know how to respond. I've never seen him hurt anyone, but he has the power to. Just because I have yet to witness him using his power, doesn’t mean he won’t if the opportunity arises. He is an Enforcer after all.

  He takes a step toward me. I freeze. In this moment, for the first time, I am intimidated by him. He is tall and strong. I am….me. I have no power and there are no laws to protect me. He can easily hurt me and no one would care. In the overall nighttime silence, I am acutely aware of how fast my heart is racing. I mentally chastise myself for being careless with my words.

  "I've never hurt a clone," he says sharply. He stares at me for longer that I can comprehend, like he is waiting to see something in me. He looks slightly disgusted with what he sees, or is it disappointment? Finally, he says, "You never have to be afraid of me. Good night, 656."

  His words have a strange and unexpected softness to them. He takes a step back, turns around and walks away. His hands are balled tightly into fists. I wonder if I made him angry. I stand there, stunned, watching him walk away. Why would he tell me that I do not have to fear him? He is an Enforcer. They have power over us because they are feared. Why would he not want that power over me?

  I toss and turn for the rest of the night thinking about Killian and Enforcer-658. What bothers me the most is that she was in a position where she didn’t have a choice. She was forced to be with Killian and from the look on her face, she was miserable about it. Then my mind wanders to a dark place. Is that going to happen to me? Am I going to be rented o
ut to people for services? The thought makes me nauseated. I will never let that happen! I will run away before I allow that to happen to me. Running away could probably mean my death, but I would try to save myself. Where could I seek refuge? Alec? He said he would never hurt me. However, that doesn’t mean that he would put his job or his life in danger to protect me. I push the thoughts from my head. If I ever think that I may be “rented” out for services, then I will cross that bridge when I come to it. There is no point in dwelling on it. I try my best to stifle my thoughts and drift in and out of sleep.

  I am aroused from sleep by screams. Am I dreaming? Am I the one who is screaming? No, someone else is screaming. I jump out of the bed and throw open my door. I run toward the screams and see other people running too. I find myself heading to the part of the house where I was last night, where Alec told me not to go ever again. Another maid is escorting a sobbing and shaking Zareh down the hall. I go to where a small crowd of people are gathered outside of Killian’s bedroom. I push myself through the people and stop cold. My eyes grow wide. I gasp and cover my mouth. I want to look away, but I am glued to what I see in front of me. Enforcer-658 is hanging from the top bedpost of Killian’s large canopy bed with a belt wrapped around her neck. Blood is dried on both of her pale wrists. Her pretty light brown eyes are open and bloodshot, all of the kindness and life drained from them. Blood has pooled on the floor under her from her slit wrists. And written in blood on the white wall beside the bed are two words: NEVER AGAIN.

  Chapter Twelve

  Alec and Enforcer-497 are in Killian’s bedroom, agape at the site before them. People begin to sob and the noise brings Alec back to reality. He turns around to see us all standing there in shock. His eyes lock with mine for a moment, and his face is sealed in an expressionless mask. I hope my face does not betray my own tumultuous thoughts. Alec turns to Enforcer-497.

  “Get the body down,” he commands. He turns back to us. “Everyone go back to work. There’s nothing else to see. You need to let the Enforcers handle the situation, and stay out of this room.” He comes up to me, grabs my arm, and starts pulling me down to the end of the hallway. His grip is too tight and causes my arm to ache.

  “I told you not to come back to this part of the house,” he says angrily as he drags me away from the bloody scene.

  “I heard screaming,” I say in protest.

  He stops abruptly in the hallway and faces me. He looks at me intently for a moment and then his look changes abruptly from anger to something I don’t recognize. I realize that I am still wearing my tank top and sleep shorts that are too short for my taste. I feel almost naked and wish I had put on my robe. The desire to cross my arms to cover myself rages through me. However, since he is still holding my arm, I can’t perform the simple protective act. He starts to say something, but stops as people pass us in the hallway, probably heading back to their daily duties, though I don’t know how they will be able to concentrate. He watches them walk down the hallway and when they are out of earshot he continues.

  “If you know what is good for you, you will stay away from this part of the house. Now, please go back to your room, put on some more appropriate clothes, and resume your day,” he pleads, this time in a nicer, calmer voice.

  I start to say something, but I stop myself. I have so many questions to ask, but I know now is not the time to ask them. I nod my head in silence and he releases my arm. I rub my aching arm and start walking down the hallway and look back in the direction of Killian’s room. Alec is still watching me leave, probably to guarantee my compliance. I turn back and head to my room.

  I run through questions in my head, and try to get the image of Enforcer-658’s lifeless body hanging from Killian’s bedpost. What is going to happen to her? What is the protocol for something like this? What is her pure blood going to say? Where was Killian? Does he know what happened? Then a dark question invades my thoughts and sends a shiver down my spine: did Killian do this to her? I try not to think like that. I don’t want to think that someone I know, someone living in this house with me is capable of committing such a terrible and bloody act. It looked like a suicide. Besides why would Killian make it look like a suicide if he killed her? Killian would not be punished for killing her, if he did. The events of this morning invoke my thoughts from my sleepless night. That will not happen to me! I will not be used and rented out for services. I would rather die. That poor girl probably thought the same thing. She made her choice and now she is dead.

  The atmosphere in the entire house is dreary and dark all day. Not many people talk and when they do, it is in whispers, and I know they are talking about the incident from this morning. I have briefly seen Bailey today. She went shopping with some of her friends and didn’t want me tagging along. I am glad she didn’t want me to go. Who can shop after something like this has happened in your own home? I decide to help Zareh with her work. She is still shaken from this morning. I have caught her, several times, staring into space, probably thinking about what she saw in Killian’s room. I wonder if she will ever be able to clean that room again. We have heard from other people in the house that the girl’s body was “taken care of.” What that actually means, I have no idea. A special team of Laborers who specialize in sanitation were called in to sanitize the room. I am sure Zareh is thankful she didn’t have to clean it up.

  Bailey returns from a day of shopping around dinnertime. She starts getting ready for the party tonight at Red. I bring her some dinner for her to eat in her room and then join the rest of the house workers in the kitchen for dinner. Zareh, Milo, Enforcer-150, and I are the only ones who show up for dinner. I guess no one else has much of an appetite. I don’t blame them as I am not sure if I have one myself. While we are eating, Enforcer-497 walks into the room with a determined look on his face. His eyes fall to Enforcer-150, who is busy eating his dinner and has not even acknowledged Enforcer-497’s presence. An anger envelopes Alec’s copy’s face and hatred fills his eyes. He punches Enforcer-150 so hard that he falls out of his chair. Enforcer-497 grabs 150’s shirt and starts punching him in the face over and over. The three of us sit frozen and stare in disbelief, not even attempting to help, for what seems like forever.

  “What did he do? What did he do to her?” screams Enforcer-497 as he punches Enforcer-150 in the face.

  Finally, Milo jumps up and pulls Enforcer-497 off of Enforcer-150.

  “What’s your problem, man?” Milo shouts. Milo stands in between them, facing Enforcer-497.

  Enforcer-497 points to Killian’s copy. “You better watch yourself.” He is red, sweaty, and visibly shaken. I never would have thought he would be fazed by death. Why would he be upset with Enforcer-150? Milo escorts him out of the kitchen. Zareh and I are still sitting at the table with our mouths hanging open in shock. I jump up and over to Enforcer-150. Extending my hand to him, I pull him up and help him sit down in a chair. Zareh leaves and comes back with gauze, wet rags, and ointment. Zareh hands him a wet rag.

  “Here, hold this to your nose to stop the bleeding,” she orders.

  We sit in silence in the kitchen and tend to Enforcer-150’s wounds. We wipe away the blood and put ointment on the open cuts.

  “We need some bandages,” says Zareh and exits the room. I am still wiping away blood when Enforcer-150 grabs my hand. I look at him, surprised. His gaze is intense as if he wants to approach an important subject.

  “Thank you,” he says with a shaky voice. “You seem like a nice girl. Nothing like Bailey. Please be careful. There are dangerous people here. Even people who you think are your friends will stab you in the back in a split second.” Before I can respond, Zareh enters the room with bandages. Enforcer-150 releases my hand and I continue wiping away blood and applying ointment in silence.

  After the wounds are bandaged, I head to Bailey’s room. I contemplate what Enforcer-150 said about dangerous people being here. I wonder if he was talking about anyone specific. My first thought would be Alec. He is an Enforcer, after
all. However, he told me I did not need to fear him. Maybe I am crazy, but I believe him. I saw his eyes filled with sincerity when he told me that. I was so distracted by my thoughts that I almost didn’t hear the sound of quiet sobbing coming from the room that I suppose would be used as a parlor. I push the door of the dark room open and see Enforcer-497 sitting on the floor, legs bent, and hugging his knees. When he sees me enter, he clumsily climbs to his feet.

  “What do you want?” he snaps with a look of embarrassment as he wipes his hand over his cheek, probably trying to wipe away the tears.

  “Are you okay?” I ask. I am surprised by his display of emotion. The few encounters I have had with Enforcer-497, he has been cold and distant. I didn’t think he cared about anyone except himself.

  “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” he responds with annoyance.

  “Oh, I don’t know. A girl is dead and you decided to attack Enforcer-150, which was uncalled for, I might add. I believe today’s events have you shaken and you are too prideful to admit it,” I spit.

  “I didn’t know her. Why would I care that she’s dead?”

  “Because I think deep down you do care and you don’t want to admit it to yourself or anyone else, for that matter. You can lie to yourself, but you can’t lie to me. I see through your act.” I wave my hands in the air to emphasize my point. “Look, I just came in here to make sure you are okay, which I guess you are now, so I will go. I don’t have time for your mood swings,” I say with equal annoyance in my voice and turn to leave. Enforcer-497 is just as exhausting and irritating as Alec. He really is a perfect copy of his original.