The Clean Ones

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3

"Perri, you need to get out of here." Were the first words my mind truly processed. My world felt as if it were spinning in reverse. Liam was not okay. I couldn't think of a single word to describe what he was except... Absent, maybe. It was as if he wasn't there, in his body, where he should be. He should be laughing and cracking some joke about how he wouldn't be surprised that I managed to break every bottle in the entire store.

But he wasn't cracking jokes or even smiling. No, his mouth was pressed into a firm line, with his lips as still as could possibly be. I took a step closer to view them more closely; cracked, bruised, and purple, were they.

"Perri?" Subconsciously, I knew I needed to answer. Her voice sounded of great affliction. But, as I parted my lips ever so slightly, I was unable to muster the strength to force any words through my lips. Instead, I broke my gaze from Liam and turned my head towards Lilliana.

"Perri," she whispered again with her eyes fixated on mine. "You need to listen to me. Every single word I say- please, even if you won't say anything, just promise me you'll listen?"

I nodded in response.

"Over the years, there's been a lot I have kept from you. It wasn't because I wanted to, it was more that I had to. Does that make sense?"

I shook my head.

"Well, okay." She huffed. "What I'm trying to say is, that I know what's wrong with Liam, and I'm trying my best to prepare you for it. It's a concept far beyond anything you've been exposed to in your lifetime. They teach you here that life is perfect but I can guarantee that that is so far from the truth. You think you know everything but, let me tell you, you don't. I don't mean that in a crude way- I'm just being honest. There's a vast world outside of our own that hold so many things, both good and terrible, that they keep from you inside the community, and-"

"How do you know all this? What good things? Terrible things? What's going on, what's-" the words came bubbling out of my mouth so fast that I didn't have time it stop and catch myself.

"As far as you or anyone else was concerned, I work at the bakery during the day, and then I get the afternoon off. Is that not correct?"

"It is."

"Those afternoons off were spent working at the town hall. I worked alongside Mayor Johnson. I'm sorry, Perri. I know your distaste for him, and I'm so sorry I've had to keep it from you."

"What," I whispered, "did you do for him."

"I'm sorry." Tears began to flow freely down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."
"What did you do for him?" My voice grew louder with each syllable. My fists were clenched so tightly at my sides that I could feel my nails break the skin of my palms.

"I..." She stuttered and hiccuped. "He sent me on errands outside of the community. Gathering DNA samples was the bulk of the work I did."

"So that means you're partially Cleansed?" I asked. Though it was off topic slightly, it would clarify that she truly was working for the Mayor.

"Yes, I am." She said. That sealed the deal. Everyone that worked closely to the Mayor did not have to go through as strong of a Cleanse treatment as everyone else. They could keep all their memories and knowledge, while their new thoughts were the only factor that was effected. For everyone else, however, we only got to keep a select handful of memories.

I shook my head. "Why are you telling me all of this now? What does this have to do with anything?"

"For years, I pretended to be stupid and ignorant so you all wouldn't get any insight into what I did. My job broke the mold they had worked so hard to create within the community. I have knowledge of things you all aren't supposed to know about. I was sworn to secrecy, but with what happened to Liam... I can't keep that promise anymore."