My feet are cold. That is the first thing I say when Electra walks into the concrete room I'm in, strapped to a chair. I could shout a thousand insults at her, but that is what I say, as plain as day. My feet are cold.

That is followed by the insults. Everything that comes to my mind, I say. And I don't mean every insult. The other stuff too. I say how she was an idiot but I only had her as a friend, and I blurt out how if she ended up letting me go I would probably forgive her and I ramble on like this for minutes, and I end up spilling every little secret in my head. She doesn't say a word as I ramble, just stands there, me completely vulnerable, trapped and strapped to a chair.

I tell her how I'd always loved colour and how I hated the Complex because it felt like a closed box, and how I really wanted to feel the rain on my shoulders one day, and not just hear it banging against the glass dome. I told her how when I grew up I would apply to be a supplier, maybe a farmer or a fisher, one of the people that got to go outside everyday and be able to see the open sky above without the optical-illusion like appeal the dome gave it.

"I want to see the blue. And I want to see the clouds. And I want to be able to touch a tree and see a bird, not just one flying over the dome. I want to feel." I tell her.

I take a deep breath, and find that I don't need to talk anymore.

"The serum has worn off." Electra says, smiling. "Thankfully so, my head was starting to reel from all that talking."

"Wait, what do you mean, the serum?" I ask.

"Equities Renderas. Most commonly known as truth serum, it makes you babble away until you have many, many secrets off your mind. The CD always use it on every new person that comes into the compound. Saves them from spies. Just last week someone was brought in, a supposedly well-meaning friend who wanted to be free of the complex rules, but he went under the serum and spilled his guys about how he was a complex spy and had had an affair with Aril Trey about 6 or 7 years ago. Whatever that means." She shrugs, and my head reels. "You can imagine what the CD did to him." She makes the motion of someone's head being cut off.

I close my eyes, and take a deep breath, thinking of everything I'd just told-no, admitted- to her.

"What's the CD?" I ask her, opening my eyes again.

She smiles.

"Oh right, I forgot how much you don't know. CD stands for the Complex Defiance. They're mainly called CD or the silence above ground. As their name suggests, they defy the complex. That's all I can tell you though, and that's basically all I really know." She leans in to whisper in my ear. "But they're hiding something, I know it." She has a mischievous glint in her eyes, and I can't help but grin her contagious grin.

"So am I allowed to get out of this chair now?" I ask and she nods, blushing, and gets to work on the tight straps tying me down. She does the last strap and I stand up and stretch.

"Gosh, how long was I in that chair for! I'm as stiff as a board!" I exclaim.

She doesn't answer, just grins, a devilish, excited grin. "You want a grand tour?" she asks and I nod eagerly.

She grabs my hand and runs towards the door. "Let's go then!" she calls, laughing. I find myself laughing as well, as she leads me through grey concrete hallways that gradually get less dirty and dusty the farther we go.

"The whole compound is completely underground. It's quite large, come to think of it. The dormitories, the place where people visiting stay, are in the north wing, along with the cafeteria, more commonly called the gag room, because the food always makes you gag and the north wing also contains the break room, awesome place, they have heaps of vintage video games like minecraft, Sims and even a computer run version of Call of Duty. They also have an EXTREMELY old arcade game, something like pac boy or something, and then there's also a whole heap of computers with an old version of the internet on it, along with a huge collection of actual DVD's and books-wait, I'm kind of over explaining myself, so I should probably move on. Anyway visit there when you have time. The north wing is underneath, well, obviously the north side of the complex, the side that has the gate to outside the complex, and the road that delivers the trucks of food and materials from the outside suppliers. It is also the side of the complex where the manufacturing factories are so the ground can sometimes ring with the calls of hard labour and unfairness while your playing video games." She smiles jokingly and I smile back. "Ok, so that's the north wing, the south wing contains some less awesome stuff like training rooms and interrogation rooms, like the one you were just in, and that is directly underneath the Cemetery, and most people who work in the nursery or live in houses around that area on the east side of the dome go in through the entrance we took you in through."

I nod in understanding, so she continues.

"The other two wings are the east and the west wings. They have similar stuff to the south wing, along with some conference rooms and the tunnel out, although I can't tell you much on that, because I don't know what comes in and out of there. I know they're trucks and cars and stuff, but who or what's in them is a mystery. Anyway, so that is on the very edge of the west wing, right up against the edge of the complex perimeter. It is the oldest wing, it was built little after the complex was founded, in the midst of the recovery of the war. They've done refurbishments though, and they built the other wings as well, first the south wing, then the north and the newest in terms of years, the east wing, which was built approximately 10 to 20 years ago. The east wing is probably the most safe in terms of cave ins. They don't happen very often nowadays but a few years ago apparently there was a huge conference room cave in where there were two deaths. That was in west wing, and since then they've done heaps of refurbishments, so there haven't been any since then."

She smiles at me, and I go to smile back but instead I yawn. She clicks her fingers.

"Oh right, you haven't had any coffee." She states, smiling, and before I can ask her what she means, she grabs my arm, dragging me off.

We run through the hallways, and eventually we come to an intersection, with two separate directions, one going straight ahead and the other going left. Elle doesn't pause for a second, just pulls me into the left hallway and continues running.

"Where are we going?" I ask her.

She laughs. "Would you believe me if I said Narnia?"

I shake my head.

"No, because they got to Narnia through a cupboard." I state.

"And a train." She adds.

"Yeah, and a train and a painting." I finish, and she nods, laughing.

"You know, it's so cool for someone to get that reference. It's so cool for someone to know what I mean when I say Narnia." She smiles back at me as we run and I smile back.

"Well, at least you didn't say we were going to Panem. I wouldn't want to go there." I shiver.

She laughs once again. "Right you are. Say, have you finished with those books?" she asks.

I shake my head and grin at her. "Nope, I'm rereading them."

"Hey! You said you'd return them after you'd finished reading them!" she exclaims. I poke my tongue out at her.

"Well, I haven't finished reading them yet. I'm still on the first book. You never said how many times I could read them." I tell her. She frowns at me.

"Fine, but I want it back by next week." She says and I smile.

"Sure."

She nods as if this satisfies her, and looks back to where we are going.

"K, we are almost here."

We reach a door with the label above it saying 'KITCHEN AND CAFETERIA'. She grins at me and pushed open the door to reveal a large room with painted walls and bright white lights illuminating it. Even though it would have to be after midnight, the room is buzzing. People sit at tables drinking steaming liquid and eating biscuits, yes biscuits, like out of a history book. The room is filled with the sound of light conversation and laughter, and people buzz back and fourth from their tables and the wide open panel that has trays of steaming food and a drinks machine. Never in my life had I been in a place so filled with laughter.

I reach out and train a finger along the bright coloured pictures painted across the walls.

Elle stands next to me, smiling. "That was the first thing I did when I came in. They're beautiful pictures aren't they?" I nod. I am still staring at the pictures, the colour. Elle laughs and grabs my arm.

"Come on, you have time for gawking later. Let's get you some Coffee!"

She pulls me away and drags me to the wall with the food.

Pulling out a mug from below the bench, she presses a button on the wall behind the bench and a small tap slides out from a hole. She places the mug under and immediately a flow of warm brown liquid flows out and fills the mug. When it's full the tap stops automatically and Elle hands it to me with a grin.

"Drink up." She giggles. I hesitantly take it from her and look at the thick drink. It doesn't smell of anything and slips around the mug sounding like glop.

Elle gestures for me to drink it and I slowly put the mug to my lips and take a sip. The liquid slides down my throat and burns me like fire. It tastes disgusting!

I go to pull the mug away but Elle grabs my hand and forces me to keep on drinking.

I feel the mixture drain through my throat and burn at my neck, the horrid taste filling my mouth, but all the while Elle keeps making me drink. Finally I feel the last drop leave the cup and Elle lets her grip go. I slam the cup down and face the wall, coughing.

"I'm going to throw up." I tell Electra, but se just laughs and shakes her head.

"No you aren't. They made sure to put what I call the anti-chuck serum into the drink because they used to have that problem, and people need the coffee to fully digest before it starts to work. If you throw up, that process is ruined, see?" she says pointedly and I cough once more.

"Devil. Why did you make me drink that?" I ask, gagging. She shrugs.

"You were tired. The drink helps, well, wake you up. That's why they call it coffee. Like in the olden days." She explains, but I still frown at her.

"Don't make me do it again though or I'll give your books to Mother Peatier." I warn her and she rolls her eyes.

"As if you would ever have the guts to do that. You like those books as much as I do."

"Fine. But seriously, don't make me drink it again." I huff.

She grins and picks up my piggy tail, examining it as if it is the most intriguing thing she has ever seen.

"I can't promise anything." Then she tugs at the hair playfully, pulling out the elastic holding my plait together. Before I can react, she runs off laughing.

"Hey!" I call after her and start to chase her, not really mad. She giggles and twists in and out of the crowd, dodging the tables and heading towards the doors. My plait starts to unwind as I run. She pushes through and I follow her out, still running after her. I'm laughing now. I feel the air fly past, my plait now fully out and my long dusty brown hair flying behind me.

Elle finally slows and I catch up to her, panting and grinning. I feel so much more free with my hair out. Weird how big a different hair can make. Elle grins at me and throws me the hairband back, but I make no move to redo my plait. She nods at me with a smile.

"You are ready young padowan." She says to me with a fake deep voice. I raise a questioning eyebrow at her.

"It's a reference to an old movie. We should watch it some night. Of course, your gonna be busy with training and everything for a few weeks." She scrunches her face up. "But you get Friday nights off training, so we can hang then."

She smiles at me and I smile back, despite my confusion.

Then she turns and scans the corridor we are in.

"We are on the edge of South wing. Gut's office is only around the corner, actually." She says. "Gut's is the head of training. He's not so bad actually, kinda nice, but you have to have guts to be in a lesson of his. That's why he has the nickname. His actual name is Colonel Phyre, but everyone calls him guts, even when he's around."

"Fire? His name is fire?" I ask, not believing her. She shrugs.

"Well, technically that's his last name and it's spelt P-H-Y-R-E not F-I-R-E but yeah. His name is fire."

We reach a door, with a golden name tag on it, with the engraved words, 'Colonel Phyre' in large writing, and then below smaller script that reads, 'Head of Facilities of Training'.

Elle reaches up, but just as she's about to knock on the door, it swings open to reveal a tall man that towers over us with a scowl on his face. Most people are taller than Elle and I, I mean, after all, we are only 8, but when I describe this dude as towering over us, I mean towering. He could easily make a regular sized person look like a toddler. And not just because he was super tall, but his stature. He was wide and muscly, with a short crew cut and open scars all across the side of his face and his cheek.

I could swear his teeth that are held in a grimace that looks more like a growl are sharp.

"What do you kids want?" he snaps at us.

"Where's Guts?" Elle asks cocking her head, seeming unintimidated by the man. I inwardly sigh that this wasn't Phyre. I didn't want this dude to be training me. Unfortunately, that wasn't exactly correct.

"Refer to him as Phyre, not guts." The man growls at Elle. She rolls her eyes.

"Fine then, where is Colonel Phyre?" She asks sarcastically.

"Colonel Phyre is no longer a Colonel." The man says. "I am Colonel Howell, the recently appointed head of the Facilities of Training."

Elle scoffs. "Yeah right, as if they would demote Phyre." She says.

"They didn't demote him, and before you ask, they didn't promote him either."

"Wha-" Elle starts, but she is interrupted as Howell looks down at her with pity in his eyes.

"Colonel Phyre is dead."

-*-*-

My neck hurts. No actually, it doesn't hurt, it aches. As if someone has driven a screwdriver into my shoulder.

I go to sit up but my shoulder throbs.

"Easy does it Maedana. Easy does it." A soothing voice says, and I open my eyes to see something that makes my eyes widen. Aril Trey, head of the Complex, sits beside my bed, a warm smile on her face.

Panic chases through my body. What was Aril doing here?

"How are you feeling?" she asks.

"Fine." I manage to say.

"Why so nervous? I won't hurt you. We're friends aren't we?"

"Well you haven't killed me, so that's a start." I say sarcastically, and she laughs softly.

"Right you are. I haven't killed you, although I should have." She says, not sparing a single shred of sincerity.

"Why didn't you then?" I ask her, slowly sitting up.

"I don't want to kill you. I want you to live. I want you to help me." She smiles at me.

I scoff. "I've been helping you for 5 years. No need to kidnap and indorse me just to ask me again."

"No, you've been helping the Complex for the last 5 years. I'm asking you to help me."

I raise an eyebrow at this. "What can I do to help you?"

She smiles at me warmly, but through the warmth I sense her cold, hard core.

"I need you to do something for me. It isn't much, but if you don't do it, well, there will be consequences of course."

I swallow the lump in my throat. "I don't care if you kill me. It doesn't matter."

She laughs, a sound that sends chills down my back, even though she laughs lightly.

"Why Maedana, I'm not going to kill you. As I told you earlier, we're friends, are we not?"

"Yes." I say through my teeth.

"Well, I'm fairly sure friends don't kill one another. And that goes both ways, may I mention." She adds, giving me a stern look. "Anyway, I wouldn't kill you Mae. When I say consequences, I mean something different."

The tone of her voice makes my heart beat faster.

"I hear you've taken a certain interest in Calix Theon." She states, smiling coldly at me. I keep my expression even.

"Calix Theon? Never heard of him." I say to her.

"A strange name, isn't it?" She says, ignoring me. "Not many blacks in the Complex keep the name given to them at birth. In fact, I hear Calix kept it for a certain reason. Someone he wanted to find him. You heard anything about this?" She asks me, glancing at my through her cold eyes. I shake my head. She looks at me curiously.

"No? Interesting." She nods as if this intrigues her.

"What do you need me for?" I ask her, my voice even.

"Ah, right. I need you to be a spy?" She says. It isn't a question.

"What?" I stutter, even though I heard her perfectly.

She looks me in the eye. "A spy. I don't need you right now, but I wanted to know you were on board."

"On board with what?" I ask quietly.

She smiles at me wanly. "My dear, you are soon to be an honorary Complex secret agent. I can't tell you any more than that, but honey, I'm telling you this now so that you know exactly where your place is." She drops the seductiveness in her voice and the words go straight to my heart. It stops beating and my breath is caught in my throat.

What can I say?

I couldn't just go along with her plan. I couldn't just be her servant.

But then again, wasn't I already her servant? I was a black. All of us were just her servants anyway.

Rebellion would earn a bullet to the brain, no doubt.

I know my answer. There was never really another answer.

"I know exactly where my place is." I whisper, clenching and unclenching my fists.

Her smile returns and she pats me on the arm. "I know you do Jemima."

My heart flips.

Jemima. Gemma. Gem.

They all seem a distant dream nowadays. As if I was never Jemima, never Gemma, never the girl who wore white and could openly show their shoulder without being given dirty looks.

Gemma was long gone.

All that was left was this crazy, sick, repulsive mess that is known to most by a letter.

F

I know Aril pulls the name just to remind me, her final card being played, as if we are playing cards and she plays an Ace.

But the joker was still in the game. There was still a winning card. I just didn't currently hold it. But I knew exactly what I had to do.

"It's Mae." I correct her, and she looks surprised, thrown off by the fact I'm not whispering in fear or annoyance. I keep my voice light though, knowing it would confuse her. "I'm Maedana the F."

She purses her lips at me and gets up, walking towards the door. I can see she is annoyed, but she doesn't say a word.

"Well, we'll meet again Maedana the F." She says just before she exits the door. She turns back to me and smiles.

"You can be sure of that."

Then the door closes and I am left alone.