984 (Complex Series, #2)

Chapter Thirty-Four

I turn to Miranda, desperately wiping away my tears. I shout, not even caring that the three Nurses and Charlotte can hear, “You know. You know the way out. You know the code and the Cons have maps. I could go after her. I could…I could save her...”

Subconsciously, a reasonable part of me knows how stupid and crazy that must make me sound, but I don’t care.

All I know is that Sienna, the one person who had a good chance at staying alive in the Head’s brutal world, is going to die.

Miranda just slowly shakes her head, “Piper, you can’t…Sienna told me, it’s true, but it’s too dangerous. Besides, how could you save her against a bunch of Officials?”

Hot, unrestrained rage floods through me. Miranda has just willing sent of Sienna to her death.

What makes Miranda think that she gets to decide who dies and who doesn’t?  Sienna doesn’t deserve this.

I scream at Miranda, “How could you? How could you willingly send Sienna off to her death?”

Miranda narrows her eyes, but I think I see hints of tears in the corners of her eyes. Those tears just make me angrier.

Miranda spits out at me, “You, Piper, are so selfish. You would rather have someone else die, someone else suffer, someone else’s Rebs suffer, just so that you don’t have to.  I told you, if I didn’t send Sienna, more people would have died. The Officials aren’t to be toyed with. Whenever we make a mistake, some of the equipment they send us has deadly toxins on it, and people who come in contact with it dies. Some of our water supply is contaminated so that everyone who drinks it gets horribly sick. Are you saying you want something like that to happen here, just to put off Sienna's evident death?”

Miranda’s voice breaks but she continues anyway, “I had to Piper, I had to. Can’t you see? Do you think I wanted to just hand Sienna over to the Officials? Do you think I enjoy being nothing but a piece in the Heads’ game? Unlike you, though Piper, I know that you don’t mess with the Officials. That’s a lesson I learned a long time ago.”

Her words just add more heat to my anger. It boils inside me until it becomes too much. Without thinking I lunge towards her, my fingernails grazing her arm.

The Nurses immediately grab my arms and pin them behind my back. 

Miranda just stares at me with cold, hard eyes.

I hate her.

I continue to struggle against the Nurses’ tight grip, but they hold strong.

Miranda speaks to the Nurses, “Put her in one of the holding cells. I’ll come talk to her once she cools down a bit. Afterwards Nurses, meet me in my Office. It appears we have a lot to discuss.”

Harry whispers into my ear, “Piper, you can go gracefully or disgracefully.  Either you walk with us and make no attempts at escaping…or…you try to escape and we will have to drag you.”

The reality of what I just did comes crashing down on me. I just attacked the Leader of the Unknown.  How could I be so dumb?  Those stupid acts of anger will most likely mess up our plan even more.

I nod, without saying a word.

We walk down the hall, two Nurses to the side of me, Harry behind me. I can only go forwards to what Miranda called a ‘holding cell’. 

Is that where they put people before Examinations? Could I have an Examination now? I attacked Miranda.

Is a ‘holding cell’ where Jenna, Miranda’s insane roommate is?