Remainder (11 page)

"Thank you, Zareh."

"You're welcome, dear.” She smiles and takes her exit.

I eat my sandwich with a feeling of gratitude to Zareh. She is like the mother figure I never had and never will have. She does not see me as different from her. She treats us all the same. Everything I have seen has taught me that kindness towards people like me is rare. I should cherish her kindness and the kindness of other pure bloods and not take it for granted. After eating my fill, I close my eyes and sleep takes over again.

The next day, Killian summons Bailey to his office, which means I have to tag along as well. I feel even better since I ate some food and slept. It’s amazing what food and sleep can do for the body. We go to Killian’s office and Bailey barges in without knocking as usual. She takes a seat in one of the two chairs in front of his desk. Alec is perched in his usual spot against the wall beside the door. I decide to occupy the wall on the other side of the door.

“Bailey, we need to talk. You are eighteen now and are ready to start your training as an Enforcer leader,” Killian begins.

“But Dad….” whines Bailey.

“No buts, Bailey. You need to get serious about your future. You are to be the Rector leader after I am gone. I am not going to be around forever. You have got to stop staying out all night and sleeping until the afternoon.”

“That’s so boring!” argues Bailey.

“It’s your duty as the future Enforcer leader. Life is not a party, Bailey. One day, the people of our community will look to you. You have to give them someone to respect.”

Bailey is slouched in her chair, pouting no doubt, and doesn’t respond.

“You will begin your training tomorrow. This is not negotiable, Bailey. It’s time to grow up.”

Bailey snaps up out of the chair and storms out of the room. I turn to leave when Killian beckons me.

“656, have a seat,” Killian demands.

Nervously, I walk over to a chair and take a seat. I stare at him. His stern face is serious, intimidating, and he makes me nervous.

“I envy you,” Killian says. I know my face doesn’t hide my bewilderment. Why would he envy me? “You are like a newborn baby. So innocent of the ways of this world. Not yet corrupted by unrealistic ideals of our human race.” I furrow my eyebrows, trying to figure out what he is talking about. “What do you think is the one thing that is detrimental to society?” he asks.

“I...I don’t know,” I respond confused.

“Freedom,” he responds.

“You think freedom is detrimental to society?” I ask, perplexed.

“Of course it is. Freedom is an illusion that people think they want. When they have freedom, have choice, they get overwhelmed and that causes them to make wrong decisions, bad decisions. Freedom is an ideal that needs to be squashed. What people really want is to be told what they want.” He stands up and turns towards the window. He pulls the curtain back so he can have a better view of the outdoors. I am able to obtain a good look at the tattoo on his wrist. It is of a black dragon shooting red flames of out its outstretched mouth. Its long tail wraps around Killian’s forearm. I am surprised I have never gotten a good look at it before, considering it is much bigger than the other tattoos I’ve seen. It is probably because whenever I am near him, I panic and try my best to get away fast. “People want to be free of choice, of responsibility. They want someone to tell them what to do and when to do it. People don’t really want freedom. They want leadership.”

He turns around and sits back in his chair on the other side of the desk and continues. “Bailey will be that leader. I am counting on you to assist her in becoming that leader. You will serve her and help her, as is your duty. If you don’t, the punishment will be severe. Don’t forget your place, your role in this society. You are very fortunate, 656. You have the luxury of not having freedom. And pretty soon, it will be a luxury afforded to everyone. Now go and help her prepare for tomorrow,” he orders.

As I walk out the door, I glance at Alec, who looks just as confused as I am. Why would Killian think that freedom is detrimental? What did he mean when he said soon people would not have freedom? Only people who have freedom, who have power, would think that freedom is destructive. I reflect on his opinions about freedom. I ponder on the idea of freedom being an illusion. Maybe freedom doesn’t really exist. Perhaps, instead, "freedom" is the disguise of systematic calculated control by the ones in charge. Do the pure bloods really have freedom the way they think they do? Or are they prisoners as much as I am? I can’t shake the feeling that a disaster is coming and Killian is going to be at the forefront.

As per Killian’s request, Bailey joins him to begin her training as the future leader of the Enforcers. Bailey is dressed in a modest grey pants suit with a pink blouse and pink flats. Her hair is tied back in a bun and she wears less makeup than her usual painted on face. She looks older than her ripe age of eighteen and professional. It is the nicest I have seen her look. I fail in comparison, as I don’t have any nice professional clothes to wear. However, I don’t believe my appearance really matters. I have never seen Enforcer-150 decked out in professional attire. We are not the people who have to impress our peers, so we can get by with wearing whatever we have in our limited wardrobe.

Enforcer-150 and I follow Killian and Bailey to a conference room down the hall from Killian’s office. Since the dwelling is so big, Killian conducts all of his business from his home, including meetings. We walk into the large conference room to find Dr. Kendall and another lady I don’t recognize already sitting at the large oval table, their prospective clones sitting behind them. The other woman is attractive with shoulder-length brown wavy hair and brown eyes. She looks to be in her thirties. Her worn clothing tells me that she is the leader of the Laborer sector. Killian takes a seat at the head of the table and Bailey sits beside him. Enforcer-150 and I take our places behind them.

“Dr. Kendall, Rhydia, my esteemed sector leaders,” Killian addresses. “You may remember my daughter Bailey. She is beginning her training as the future leader of the Enforcer sector. From now on, she will attend all meetings of the sector leaders so she will learn what will be expected of her.” He shoots Bailey a stern look to emphasize that this is to be her future and from that she can’t escape. “Now, time to get down to business. We will start with reports from every district. Dr. Kendall, what report do you have from the Researcher district?”

“We were attacked last night in the clone section of our research center,” Dr. Kendall reported. Her features distorted as if remembering the attack made her angry all over again.

“Attacked? By who?”

“We assume it was the sick. Their numbers grow daily in the Researcher sector. They are not exactly forgiving of the fact that they do not have clones.”

“Was there any damage?” asks Killian.

“Some mechanical damage was done and there were some fatalities, but they didn’t make it to the clone storage unit. The Enforcers stopped them before they could get there. We found homemade explosives on their persons. We think they were trying to blow up the clones. We scanned one of our fallen researchers. Here is what she saw." Dr. Kendall reaches into the pocket of her lab coat and pulls out a small oval-shaped silver device. It is about the length of a pea pod and the width of a quarter. She places the silver device in the center of the table and a hologram appears.

"Wait," Bailey interrupts. "What do you mean you scanned a fallen researcher and how can we see what she saw?" For once, I am glad that Bailey opened her mouth as I was confused as well.

"We have a memory scanner," explains Dr. Kendall. "We can scan a person's brain and see their memories. We can set it for a certain period in time so we are not over-flooded with insignificant memories."

"And you can use that on a dead person? How does it work if the person is dead? I thought your brain is no longer active after you die?"

"We can use it on a deceased person if we get to them in time. Although the person may be dead, their brain has not yet shut completely down. That takes time. Unless, of course, the person has brain damage. Luckily for us, our researcher was shot in the chest and not in the head." She touches the small silver device and suddenly we are back at the Avalon Research Center watching the events unfold before us.

We see the hallway as if we are the ones walking down it. It feels so real. It is scary and sad that we are able to see someone else's memories. I wonder how many secrets this woman had that she thought would die with her. People think their private memories are safe, never to be revealed unless they themselves choose to reveal them. However, they are wrong. With this device, our secrets are no longer ours, they are no longer protected. Watching the events from this poor woman's memories caused a disturbance deep inside me and a feeling that we are violating her privacy.

Judging by the lack of people, the woman was walking down an unpopulated hallway in the Research Center. She must have heard a noise, because she turned around to see about five people running towards her. They all looked ragged and unclean. Their clothes were torn and dirty. They said nothing as they approached the woman. The man in front just raised his gun and fired. We watched a crooked smile cross his lips before he faded from sight.

Dr. Kendall takes the memory holder device and puts it back in her pocket. "We have run facial recognition scans on their faces and so far we have come up with nothing. They are not in the system. It's like they don’t exist."

"That is strange," Killian responds, shocked. “I will send more Enforcers to the Researcher sector for extra security. This will not happen again,” Killian exclaims with certainty.

I tune out the rest of the meeting. A knot forms in my stomach at the thought of people, pure bloods, trying to blow up anyone, even ones they do not view as equals. Blowing up the Researcher sector is not going to get the poor their own duplicates. They will just make the situation worse and add to the death toll. As much as I abhor the whole situation I find myself in, I am needed. We are all needed. We keep the pure bloods alive. Killing us kills them. We are, in a sense, the pure bloods’ saviors. As Dr. Kendall has stated before, their salvation is within us.

After the meeting, a visit to the cleaners is in order since Bailey wants me to pick up her dresses. With the growing unrest among the sick, Killian maintains that I must have an Enforcer with me whenever I leave the grounds in case I am targeted.  Alec is off duty, so Orlando goes with me. I pick up the dresses from the cleaners and run the rest of Bailey’s errands. On my way back to the MR2 where Orlando waits for me, I see him.

I stop abruptly in the middle of the sidewalk where I see Felix talking to a girl. I have not seen him since he attacked me, which was a few days ago. He turns his head in my direction, as though he senses my presence. I dart down an alley to my left. Maybe he didn’t see me. Hopefully I can find a way to get around him by cutting through some alleys. The alley is dark and smells like rotten food and urine. I don’t see anyone, so I proceed. It is not until I go deeper into the alley that I start seeing people. Men, women, and children line the outside walls of the buildings. Babies cry and children play with trash they found in dumpsters. Cardboard boxes and tarp are strung together as makeshift houses. People stare at me, but no one tries to speak to me. As I look at the people I pass, I notice that everyone is relatively young. There are no elderly people among the poor. I am contemplating why when I hear something behind me. I turn around and see four men standing side-by-side staring at me. The way they stand is almost like a barrier keeping me in the alley. I turn around and keep walking.

“Hey you!” one of them yells. “Where are you going?”

I ignore him and keep walking.

“I’m talking to you, clone,” the same man yells.

I turn around to face them. “What do you want?” I ask with fury in my voice. He walks toward me.

“If you want to get through here, you have to pay,” he says with a creepy smile on his face. “You see, this here is our territory. If you want to go through it, you have to pay the toll,” he says, smiling again. The other men are nodding and smiling.

“I don’t have any money,” I say forcefully. He walks closer to me and I freeze. I can’t move. I am glued to the pavement. Don’t show fear. Don’t show them you are afraid, I think to myself. He gets so close that he is only a few inches away from my face, invading my personal space. Instinctively, I take a step back. The man is dirty and his breath smells like something died in his mouth. I can tell he is missing teeth and the ones he has are rotting.  He smiles at me again and it turns my stomach.

He takes his hand and runs his nasty fingers through my hair. “There are other ways a pretty thing like you can pay,” he says, grinning through his missing teeth.

I smack his hand away. “Don’t touch me!” I say, obviously angry.

He laughs. “We’ve got a feisty one, boys! I like them with a little fight in them. It’s much more rewarding when you tame them. How about giving me a hand, boys?”

I run.

I can’t run fast enough. One of the men grabs me around my waist and effortlessly pulls me down to the ground. He throws me down to the ground so that I am on my back. He sits behind me and pulls my arms above my head. I thrash my body, trying to get him to release me.

“Hold her down!” says missing teeth. Two more men grab my legs and try their best to hold me still. The missing teeth leader stands above me as he starts to undo his pants. I scream. He pulls a knife out of his pocket and falls down on top of me. The sharp blade is held to my throat as he whispers in my ear. “If you scream again, I will slit your pretty throat, but not before my men and I use you and then take all of your blood.” He kisses my face and I muffle a scream.

He stands up again and continues to unbutton his pants. “We will take turns, but I am going first,” he says with a look of longing on his face. That’s when I hear a pop and then a thud. He is back on top of me again, only this time, he is not moving.

“What the hell was that?” says the guy holding my arms. Another pop. Another thud. My arms are free. I start to thrash my body until, by some miracle, I am free. I stumble to get up. Once I am up, I run. I hear a pop. And another pop. I do not look back and keep pushing myself forward. I hear someone running behind me and I try to quicken my pace. However, the other person is faster than me. All of a sudden I feel arms wrap tightly around my waist. I scream and thrash.

“Ssshhhh. It’s okay. It’s me. It’s just me,” is whispered into my ear. I stop screaming and relax my body. I let my head fall back on a firm yet soft chest while strong arms are still wrapped around my waist. Alec.

“You’re safe now, but we have to go. Enforcers are coming. Follow me.” He grabs my hand and leads me down another alley. We come to a door on the side of a building. He pushes it open and we slip inside. It is dark and it takes a minute for our eyes to adjust.

Alec faces me. “We need to stay here for a few minutes until the Enforcers are gone. What were you thinking, going into a dark alley by yourself?” he demands. “I thought you were smarter than that.” He seems angry at me.

“I don’t need a lecture. Not now. Not after what they….what they almost did,” I snap, getting angry. “Why do you care anyway? I’m just a clone. You’re a pure blood. It doesn’t matter what happens to me. What were you even doing in the alley?” I am fuming. I feel my body getting hot and tears swelling up in my eyes. I can no longer contain the emotion I have been holding inside. I allow the damn to break free and I start sobbing. I cry for the clone who was bled at the Draining, I cry for Enforcer-658 and the short life she lived, I cry for my attack by Felix and the sick men, I cry for the life that I am living. Protectively, I wrap my arms around myself and look at the floor. I wish I was not crying. Not here. Not now. Not in front of Alec. Whenever I am around him, I want to be strong. I feel like he expects me to be strong. Crying, right now, is not strength. It is weakness. For some reason, I don’t want him to perceive me as weak.

Alec comes toward me and wraps his arms around me. Instinctively, I wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head on his chest. His embrace is warm and strong. It feels good to be touched by someone who doesn’t have hatred towards me for being who I am, what I am. As if fueled by his embrace, I stifle my sobs and my heart rate slows as he strokes my back.

“You’re not just a clone, not to me,” he says in a low voice, almost whispering. “I was in the alley because I was following you.”

I pull away just enough so that I can look up into his face. “Why were you following me?” I ask.

He puts a hand on my cheek and looks into my eyes. There is softness about him that I have never noticed before.

We are still in an embrace and he leans his head down closer to me. “Because I want to keep you safe,” he says softly. “I told you I was not going to let you get hurt again.” Alec has been true to his word. He followed me and protected me. In that moment, I want to kiss him. After all I have been through, I want to be close to him. However, I feel dirty from lying on the pavement and having that disgusting man kiss on my face. I force myself to look away.  I can’t kiss Alec. Not here in this place. Not after what just happened. I don’t even know if he likes me. He can’t. I am a clone and he is pure blood. It is against the law for anything to happen between us. He doesn’t like me. He’s just being nice to me because he feels sorry for me. That is all.

I pull away from his embrace. “Thank you,” I say quietly and look back at him. He looks almost pained that I pulled away from him. Maybe that was my imagination. Maybe I just want him to want to be close to me.

“No problem,” he says. “It is probably clear now. We should get back. I’m working the night shift tonight.”

“Yeah,” I sigh. “We should get back.”

After arriving back at the house, I learn that Bailey is at a dinner function with Killian. I am thankful she is not here as I don’t want to have to answer any questions about my disheveled appearance. I run to my room to take a shower.  I need to wash away the dirt and the smell of those disgusting men. I stand under the hot water for a long while. The water is so hot it burns and makes my skin turn red, but I don’t care. I want the hot water to cleanse me. I try not to think about what happened in the alley and decide to think about Alec instead. I remember resenting him for being an Enforcer when I first met him. I assumed he would be just like Roderick, that all Enforcers are like Roderick. In truth, Alec has helped me several times. I have to admit to myself that I have feelings for him. There is something about him that draws me to him. However, I can never have a relationship with Alec, or anyone for that matter. It is forbidden. I am to be alone for the rest of my life. My purpose is to serve Bailey and provide her with life. I will never know what it is like to be loved or have a family of my own. With that thought, tears flow freely and travel down my body with the rest of the water.