The Circle

8.Glass Office

I sit on the roof for hours, just watching the sun move through the sky, the colours fade into pinks and oranges. I people watch - it's all the same. Mindless chit chat, walking to the chosen profession. I see a woman stagger slightly and when I really squint I can tell she's infected. MK-175 ruins you're nervous system, your bodily functions - your body. The brain is one of the last things to go, first the cerebrum - where intelligence and thoughts are centred. The right and left hemispheres control the opposite side of the body and within the cerebrum the areas for speech, hearing, smell, sight, memory, learning motor and sensory areas are kept. It all shuts down, one by one.

Finally the medulla which controls the heart rate, breathing, swallowing, coughing and vomiting. With the pons and the midbrain together, the medulla forms the brainstem that connects the cerebrum to the spinal chord. One of the last things the infected person will feel before their untimely death is complete and utter paralysis.

I watch as the woman, well not even a woman she's 21 maybe 22 if she caught it late, leans against the building for support. I watch as her bladder gives out and she releases all over herself. She's embarrassed but is in too much pain to care. As people avoid walking near her in fear of somehow catching the disease I struggle to continue looking as she falls to the pavement and begins to convulse. Nurses rush around the corner all intent on removing her from the public view. Here is when I look away and go back through the roof access door. It's hard to see that's my future, I think that's why everyone is scared of the infected. It's their future.

I walk to the lift and push the lowest number hoping it's the floor I got on at. It's tense as the lift makes it's way down the floors. I hope nobody pushes the button while I'm going to their floor or I'm screwed.

I spoke too soon and at floor 9 it slows down and then stops. I hide to side hoping nobody gets on, I'm wrong and a woman steps on. She doesn't look at me and faces the doors, we go down to my floor in silence until just before I get out she speaks.

"Mr Harding would like to see you Kira. Please stay on the lift and follow me to his office" she says.

"How do you know my name? Or that I'm Kira? I could be someone else" I say freaked out.

"You are not Kira #16820?" She asks impassively.

"I am"

"Then follow me" she replies before pressing button 29 and waiting patiently with her manicured to perfection nails folded in front of her. I stare up at her jet black hair combed, again to perfection and her flawless make up and ruby red lips that match her red pantsuit. She wears ridiculously high heels but walks with ease in them, I internally wince at the pain she must endure with them killers.

I try not to think why Mr Harding would want to see me and I replay all the things I've done - walking the halls at night, walking out on Isaac, constantly back chatting, asking too many questions..

The list is potentially endless. As I follow this pristine woman I prepare myself for what's to come. The lady opens two metal doors and I find myself in a office type waiting room, a cream leather sofa in the corner and a glass desk over to the right, two frosted glass doors lead to Mr Ramsey's office I presume.

"You can go straight through. He's waiting for you" she tells me.

"Thanks" I mumble and walk over to the doors.

Stepping into his office the first thing I see is a large wall length bookcase, I stare in awe at all the books and silently wonder how he managed to find them all. I continue looking around the room and see that most of his office is glass. Glass desk like outside, two glass chairs. The massive glass windows behind him letting me see the world outside.

"Ah Kira, it's nice to finally meet you properly, and not walking the halls at night."

I can't stop the blush that paints my face, or the nervous laugh that bubbles out of my mouth. "Yeah ha" I awkwardly mumble. "It's nice to finally meet you to Sir."

"Yes, yes" he waves of the formality before continuing, "I wanted to speak with you about your relationship with instructor Isaac."

I tense at the mention of 'relationship' and the reference to Isaac.

"What relationship?" I ask without conviction.

"You're instructor-recruit relationship"

"Ohh. It's not very good" I tell him honestly.

"Yes I can see that. You've walked out on him, fought with him - verbally that is, back chatted him. You don't treat him with respect Kira. I'd like to know why?" Ramsey asks.

"Um, well frankly he doesn't give us respect or treat us how we should. He expects us to be ready to fight, to take orders, but we just got given our new lives and he's taking everything away from us that makes us, us. I just feel he doesn't remember how it was to be a recruit and treats us like a instructor and that's good but sometimes we need some encouragement, he picks out what we need to work on but never praises us. Don't get me wrong though. He's an excellent instructor and an amazing sentinel."

"Right well. I like you Kira. You have passion and here passion isn't always kept through the recruit stages. So I'll speak to instructor Isaac about being less robotic. However I'd like for you visit me if you are unhappy about anything"

"Please don't say anything to Isaac. I'd rather say something if that's ok?" I ask.

He sits and contemplates my question for a while, tapping his lip. I sit silently praying he let's me say something to Isaac rather than him. I can only imagine how Isaac would feel getting told off by Mr Harding.

"Ok, I'll trust you to tell Isaac. If you break that trust, you'll never get it back so I'd like you to remember what's at stake here" Mr Harding warns.

"Yes Sir" I nod and get up from my chair.

"You better run along now. Dinners nearly ready and you've missed quite a bit of training from you and instructor Isaacs little - shall we call them miscommunications, so you'll have to catch up and do extra lessons with instructor Isaac, I hope you two can work out your differences. I think you two could potentially be great together"

Yeah you and me both Ramsey, I thought.

I walk out of the office after bidding Mr Harding a goodbye and all them pleasantries. Walking back to the lift and going down the the floors I think of how I tell Isaac what Mr Harding said without breaking his trust. I know if I do the causes will be irrevocable.

The lift doors open and I'm met with Isaac himself.

"Stay away from Harding" he demands.

"What?" I ask confused "I just-" I look back at the lift, wondering how he knew I was with Mr Harding.

"How did you know?" I ask with a brow raised.

"We don't live in the Stone Age. I have a phone" he tells me.

"Oh"

"Stay away from him Kira" he tells me again.

"Why?" I ask folding my arms over my chest.

"Because I told you so"

"That isn't good enough Isaac" I tell him.

"Fine" he growls out "do what you want. See if I care" and at that he walks away. "Extra training on Sundays at 7" I hear him shout.