Places: The Reveal House (Places #2)

Chapter VIII: Captured

Jone wasn't going to work just as the fortune had said. He didn't even know what that was supposed to mean. He walked over to the machine and looked at it. It looked as if it were alive. It didn't look like a robot.
Jone turned the thought in his mind, and then turned around to run into a girl about his age who had a deep resemblance to him.
"Sorry," Jone said.
"No problem," the girl said.
Jone walked out of the Reveal House, having a feeling that he was being stared at by the Tellers.
He walked outside to find a boy, whose name was Lawrence, and was given a shovel. Jone laughed and Lawrence didn't even smile.
"You think it's funny, you'll be taken to the controller, the controller of the city."
"Who is this "controller" or "president" or whatever you may call him? You don't even know him, as I've yet to see him," Jone said.
A deep, robotic voice spoke from the mouth of Lawrence, and said, "you will work, and be happy to do so. A rotting mind won't do any good for this civilization."
"Oh," Jone said. "What'll happen? Your master will get me?"
Jone put the shovel down, and went back into the Reveal House where he could live in peace, away from the citizens. He was in peace, except for the stares from the Tellers.
Jone walked over to the Amazing Zandaroe, and inserted another coin. Jone waited for a ticket, but no ticket came. The robot started to speak, as it was real.
"I see that you haven't done your work, Tellers, get this boy!"
The Tellers one by one walked up to Jone and grabbed him. They threw him into a dark room.
Jone sat in that room for a moment. Then a light, coming from the window of another room shined. Inside the room was a man with a hat. It was Mr. Hatter.
"Jone, Jone, my goodness how great to see you again."
"What are you doing here? You're dead. Why did you send me here?"
"How do you think I live so long?"
Jone remained silent.
"Come on, you know. I kill the citizens who don't follow rules. They aren't 'sent to another city.'"
"Let me out of here, come on, I've got a family. A life."
"You don't have a life, not with that Machine of yours. But perhaps I can give you a life. I won't kill you, I take what I need to live. Other than that, you live as you did, maybe not as smart, or as equally as you did on Earth, but you live and that's what matters."
"No, if you take the minds of people then you take their life. How many doctors or teachers or philosophers do you have out there? You wouldn't know, you have their minds, you are their master. You're who their serving."
"Excellent, that's correct. I even had the life of your sister for a while. But she's too much like you."
"This is one of your little experiments isn't it?"
"Indeed."
"Is she here? Where is she?"
"She's out there."
"Can I meet her?"
"No, how would I know you wouldn't escape?"
"But I wouldn't."
"Jone, you're never leaving. You know, Andrew and Trenton are going through the same thing now, I've got their magic mirror. And I even traveled back and got your Earth Machine. But it's sealed away."