“Some of the Legacy Commission members remember Dana was working under Bryant Morris,” I said. “They remember before Dana was leader of the Commission.”
“And?” Clark asked, confused.
“Aren’t you at all curious about where the hell Dana came from? How he got to be the way he is? Maybe even a little about that experiment that killed Bryant Morris?”
“How do you expect to find any of that out?” Clark pressed. “I mean, if you want, we can look for the experiment’s file in Records, but I’ve looked through the documents of the Commission when Bryant Morris was in charge and, as far as I could tell, Dana was introduced to the Commission as Bryant’s assistant two years before he was killed.”
“Only two years?”
“He might have been there longer, but that’s when the other members of the Commission met him,” Clark elaborated. “I can’t find any record of a “Dana” in the experiment archives or doctors’ lists of Bryant Morris’ time, so the records were either destroyed, or Bryant was doing things to Dana that he didn’t want on file.”
“We should still try and find out,” I said strongly. “It could give us insight into weaknesses.”
“We’ll see what we can find in Records, but I don’t think Dana would leave anything incriminating in existence,” he said. “I do have something I need to tell you. Dean is a few levels beyond pissed off after Saturday.”
“I bet.”
“So, I took the initiative and told him that I wanted to help him take down Dana, and that I had received a note from someone saying that there will be a few people at the Halloween party wearing a red scarf with a blue stripe and they will be handing out the address for where to meet to discuss taking down Dana.”
“What? You got another note?”
“No,” Clark answered. “The Halloween party will be our best chance to get people to show up without putting ourselves in danger of being caught. We will be in costume, as will everyone else, and everyone can feel a little easier about approaching the plan of taking Dana down if no one can figure out who they are at first. We decide on a place to meet and then we hand out pieces of paper that tell people where and tell them it is being held under the guise of an An Angel Without Wings study session.”
“But we don’t know where we want to meet,” I reminded him.
“I know, until we can figure out who we can trust, we meet somewhere else, somewhere to make it look innocent, like a park. The thing is, we can also say that we got the note from the people at the Halloween party and then no one will know that we’re behind this. We can weed out the people who might turn against us, and then move to a real meeting location.”
“But there’s still so much to figure out,” I said. “We have to find the blueprints of the Commission, find a way to break out experiments, find some place to put them—”
“We can organize it with the resources we have at the Commission, but there is no way we can execute an escape without help, so we need to figure out who is on our side, and then we can finalize any plans when we know how many people we have. In the meantime, we need to work a little faster so that Eyna is not finished when we try this.”
I took a deep breath. It was moving faster than I wanted, but I understood we were running on a clock. The problem was that we did not know when our time was going to be up. I was worried that if we moved fast, we would make a mistake and it would come crashing down around us. However, if we worked fast, and enough luck was on our side, we could make even more of an impact.
“Today,” Clark started, “we should discuss what we want our email message to be. I found the type of system the Censor Board uses, but I still need time to figure out how we’re going to hack into it.”
I nodded.
“Starting next week, we can start sneaking into Records,” he continued. “For now, we have more than enough to keep us busy.”
“Clark,” I said quietly.
“Hm?”
“I need a red scarf with a blue stripe.”
* *** *
Dana didn’t bother us at all Wednesday, but the thought of him coming to my house Thursday night terrified me enough. I had already made the decision to stay in my room, with the door locked, until he left.
There was a buzzing that had started around school, like a swarm of bees surrounding the hallways. Nothing could be made out from the din, but something had sparked energy that engulfed the school. The dull ruckus was obvious to the Commish Kids—people were angry. The Commish Kids were furious, and news of the mysterious people expected at the Halloween party seemed to be written all over their faces as they walked to and from their classes, deep in thought.
I was on a constant adrenaline high. Around every corner could be Dana with a Sweep team sent to take us all into the Commission for treason. While I was jumping at every out-of-place sound and movement, it was also an exhilarating feeling. I was never relieved when the adrenaline wore off. As soon as I found myself not nervous, I realized I had let my guard down and the adrenaline spiked again.
At the Commission on Thursday, Clark and I worked in peace, away from Dana, discussing in very vague and coded terms how the Censor Board had their computers set up and how we could design our email message. We decided we had to send the email from the Commission of the People’s Awareness Bulletin email so that everyone was guaranteed to open it.
The design for the email was simple—just a picture of an experiment—it would be a different picture taken from Records for each email—and the words “What is the Commission of the People doing to the people of America?”
I was not nearly smart enough with computers to help Clark, so I decided that, when Monday came around, I would spend my time researching the experiments from the first set of notes while Clark worked on the email.
About three hours before Mark was going to take me home on Thursday, I started looking at the clock with dread. I didn’t want Dana in our house, and I was sure he would find a way to stay past his welcome.
But when Mark pulled up in front of our house, my parents were the ones that made me cringe. They were waiting for me and both walked up to the car as I got out.
“What’s wrong?” I asked quickly.
“Nothing,” my father assured. “Clark,” he motioned for him. Clark was startled, but also got out of the car. “I am really sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you could explain to my wife the gift that your family received from the Commission.”
“Oh…” Clark said slowly.
“Dad.”
“Lily, your mother has never seen…someone like him,” my father said, acting as if it was completely normal to gawk over another human being. “Neither have I. I’m curious.” My father turned back to Clark, who looked nervous, but could not find reason to deny my parents’ request.
“Sure.” He ducked into the car and called to Mark, motioning for him to get out. Mark turned off the car before stepping out and walking to Clark. I had already gotten used to seeing Mark without his dark glasses, so I was very embarrassed by my parents’ behavior. Mark looked between my parents and Clark, not sure what was expected of him.
“It’s really not a good idea to show you out here,” Clark said.
“Right, of course,” my mother gasped, scurrying inside as we followed. I looked at Clark, mouthing an apology as he shrugged, understanding that there was no way to avoid my parents’ curiosity.
Once we were inside, my father turned to Mark, staring at him as if trying to figure out what he looked like under the glasses.
“Paul said that they don’t understand English…”
“He understands simple words,” Clark corrected.
“Is he safe to have around?” my mother asked.
“Mom,” I groaned, rolling my eyes, “Mykail’s safe, why wouldn’t Mark be?”
“Don’t snap at me, young lady.”
“He’s very safe,” Clark assured. “If you were to pull a gun or a knife on him, though, he’s extremely dan
gerous.” He turned to Mark and motioned for him to take off his sunglasses. Mark pointed at the glasses and, when he got the approving nod, he stepped back once and shook his head, nervous.
“It’s alright,” Clark said. He turned back to my parents. “He always gets a little shy with members of the Commission that he hasn’t met yet.” He turned back to Mark and pushed him forward, once again motioning for him to remove the glasses.
Slowly, Mark took off his glasses, keeping his head bent until Clark told him that it was alright. My mother gasped and a smile came across her lips while my father studied Mark’s face carefully. Seeing their scrutiny, Mark dropped his head again, uncomfortable.
“No, get him to lift his head again,” my mother said, stepping forward to study him. I bit back the nasty comment threatening to bubble out of me. Clark tapped Mark’s arm and the experiment lifted his head, though his eyes remained focused on the ground.
“Wow, he looks so different,” my mother said, her eyes bright with wonder. “I thought they were supposed to have darker skin.”
“He stays inside mostly, so he’s pale,” Clark nodded. “Since he’s part of the security team, he always makes sure to stay out of the sunlight so he doesn’t get any darker than the others.”
“It’s incredible,” my mother grinned, reaching out to touch Mark’s face. The experiment back-pedaled, startled by her sudden move. My mother chuckled, her voice changing as if she was talking to an animal. “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I’m sorry, he’s kind of shy.” Clark tried to laugh away the awkwardness.
“What language does he speak?” my father asked, also stepping forward.
“Actually, he can’t speak anymore,” Clark said slowly. “Dana took care of that.”
“Why?” my father asked, surprised. “He could be taught English, I’m sure.”
“Well…according to Dana, Mark would always yell at him in his own language. He was worried about a plot forming behind his back, so he made it so Mark couldn’t speak.”
“So that’s what these scars are for,” my mother mused, her fingers pressing to the underside of Mark’s jaw. “That’s too bad.” She shook her head. “It would be interesting to hear him speak.”
Mark looked at me and Clark, trying to understand what was going on, but I could only glance back apologetically, which made him more nervous.
My mother, smiling like a fascinated child, backed away.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare,” she said with a broad grin, continuing to stare. Clark forced a smile.
“It’s alright.”
“You seem to like him, Clark,” my father noted. “And Lily seems to be fond of him, as well.”
“He’s a good man,” Clark said strongly. My mother barked a laugh that made my anger flare.
“Man? He’s not exactly a man any more, is he?”
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind, just something that Dana said…” she said, smiling mysteriously about her gossiping.
“Oh…” Clark said quietly. “No, I think that what Dana meant was—at least what Dana believes—that Mark is no longer human.”
“I guess you have to take care of him the same way that we take care of Mykail,” my mother mused. “Bathe him and everything.”
“No,” Clark corrected. “He’s perfectly capable of taking care of himself.”
“It’s so fascinating,” my mother said, still studying Mark. “Are there a lot of them?”
“Um…I don’t actually know,” Clark admitted.
“We should ask Dana,” my mother said. “He must be very good at protecting you,” she nodded to Clark. “With everything that’s been going on, Lily, maybe we should get one for you.”
“He’s not some guard dog, Mom,” I groaned. “Clark needs to get home soon for dinner, right?”
“Yes,” he said with a nod, relieved to be getting out of the house. “I’m sorry, but my dad will be expecting me.”
“Oh, of course,” my mother agreed. “Thank you for indulging us, Clark. We appreciate it.”
“No problem,” he smiled, tapping Mark’s hand to tell him to put his glasses back on. “I’m sorry I have to go.”
“You are welcome here any time, Clark,” my father said with a smile. “Drive safely. Can he see in the dark with those glasses?” he asked, pointing at Mark.
“They’re special lenses. He can see,” Clark assured, ushering Mark out the door and turning back to me. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay,” I waved to him. “Have a good night.”
“Thanks. You, too. Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Sandover.”
“Have a good night, Clark,” my mother called as he walked to the car, where Mark opened the door for him before getting in the driver’s seat.
As soon as the car started up, my mother closed the front door and rounded on me, her face hard and angry.
“I don’t know what has been up with you lately, but I do not like this new attitude, Lily Sandover.”
“What new attitude?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” my mother near-growled. “You do not snap back at me, young lady, and you certainly do not talk down to me, particularly just to look good in front of a boy.”
“Oh, please. Clark and I are not like that.”
“I said enough with the attitude, Lily Grace Sandover!”
“Just because I’m not acting like Dana’s good little pet and drooling over every experiment that comes out of the Commission, I have an attitude? I’m sorry for looking at these people as if they’re humans!”
“Lily, we are not drooling over every experiment Dana creates,” my father said, his voice calmer than my mother’s, cutting her off. “But we can be fascinated with an experiment, particularly one that we have never seen before.”
“You’re acting like he’s some kind of animal!” I growled. “Mark is sweet and he genuinely cares about Clark and me. He gets worried whenever he doesn’t know where Clark is. Isn’t that a human reaction?”
“Not exclusively,” my mother disagreed. “Dogs also get nervous when they do not know where their master is. Whatever changes Dana made to Mark have turned him from a human into an experiment of the Commission. He is meant to be whatever Dana made him to be, nothing more.”
“Then, by that logic, I’m not supposed to be any more than what you and the Commission let me be?” I asked, stunned. “I’m not my own person? I have no say in this?”
“It’s not like that for you,” my father disagreed.
“Why not?” I snapped. “What makes me so different from Mark and Mykail?!”
“You’re so young…” my mother murmured.
“For the love of God, stop saying that!” I groaned. “Stop using my age as a means to escape explaining something that you don’t understand yourself.”
“Mark was not allowed to be in this country,” my mother said strongly, choosing to ignore my previous statements. “That was clear from the laws set by Central. As for Mykail, Dana told us that he was a criminal and a homosexual. You know that this is—”
“Has it ever occurred to you that Dana lied?!” I bellowed.
“Don’t you dare take that tone with me!” my mother yelled back.
“How can you be so accepting of what Dana does? Weren’t you the one who wanted to get out of the Commission because you couldn’t stand what Dana did to people? Now you’re playing along with him and his games like there’s nothing wrong with what he does!”
“There is nothing wrong with what the Commission does!” my mother snapped. “You have been spoiled with the safety and security of this country, but my grandmother told me what it was like before the revolution, before the Commission cleaned up the country. This compassion for the people who were doing such intense harm to the country was a poison that undermined everyone. We don’t live in a perfect world, Lily. Humans are cruel beings, nothing will ever change that. The Commission exists to take the most
dangerous humans out of society so that the rest of us can live.”
“Wow…” I barely managed to force the word from my constricted lungs. It sounded like a sob, and it might have been with the tears forming in my eyes. “You deserve the Commission, Mom.”
I ran to my room, the tears beginning to run down my cheeks. I slammed my door and fell against it, crying into my hands. I wasn’t even entirely sure why I was crying other than due to my confusion. The entire world was spinning in the opposite direction. How could my mother say those things? This was the same woman who had raised me to respect everyone around me and to love those who were less fortunate. How could she turn off the part of her brain that told her the people in the Commission were human?
I don’t know how long I was crying, but when I realized I had stopped, I was surprised to find myself staring at the mattress of my bed, remembering the file under it that I had been too afraid to touch. I stared at the line where my mattress met my bed frame, pondering whether or not I should pull it out and read.
My thought was interrupted by the doorbell echoing through the house. I looked quickly at the clock and saw that it was already nine. Dana was there.
I rapidly locked my door, but remained sitting where I had been for the past two hours, listening carefully. I could not hear the door open, but I started to hear voices from the kitchen. I could not distinguish what they were saying, but I didn’t have to wait long until the voices were close enough to understand.
“Are you sure you don’t want something to eat or drink?”
“I’m sure, Karen. Thank you, though,” Dana said. “We can’t stay long, I’m afraid.”
“Is there anything wrong?”
“No, no, nothing wrong,” Dana said, a seductive smile in his voice. “Leader Simon is getting in contact with Altereye and his team, and I would like to be there as well.”
“That’s so exciting,” my mother giggled as she climbed the stairs. My heart sped up, realizing how close they were.
“Where is Little Lily?”
“Oh, she got a little upset when she came home today, so she’s locked herself in her room, throwing a tantrum,” my mother said, sounding annoyed, which hurt me more than I should have let it.
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