11 Convalescence
Having been electrically shocked to see if my heart could withstand punishment, I teetered on my feet before my instructor, quivering in pain. My muscles depleted, I collapsed to my knees at Helena's feet and began wiping away my tears, soiled and embarrassed.
My instructor stepped around me, turning to Julia. "Sorry about the mess."
Upset with what just unfolded before her, Julia's face had reddened. "Why didn't we do the selection process in bunkroom like normal?"
"I thought that these four Avoxes wouldn't be a problem." Helena extended her hand towards the door. "Julia, would you care for some coffee?"
"Sure, but I have to leave in an hour."
"They'll be ready." The instructor paused to glare me before stepping away, making sure that I heard Julia's time limit to clean and prepare.
As soon as the two women left, Sam rushed to my side as I quietly sobbed. Sam gestured to the gangly man to finish scrubbing the blood from the carpet as she aided me with my own mess.
There was nothing that could be done about my clothes, but thankfully, we did not have far to travel to reach the showers. With stain remover and rags, we cleaned where I had fallen, leaving both patches of carpet spot free. Gathering the cleaning supplies, we prepared to leave.
Sam circled around Helena's desk when something behind the desk caught her eye, stopping her in her tracks.
I went to her side and found what had grabbed Sam's attention. The bottom drawer of the desk was partially open, and what we discovered was a box of green vials.
When the gangly man approached and recognized the vials, he vigorously shook his head and left the office.
Sam grabbed my arm as I stared longingly at vials. A drop of morphling could set me free from my pain, my imprisonment, something that I could never do so otherwise. The desperate look in Sam's eyes told me that she wanted the same, needing an escape from our life sentence.
I lifted my hand with one finger raised.
Sam nodded, reached in for a random vial that hopefully would go unnoticed, and slid it into her pocket.
Stepping back, I looked at her tunic and found that I could easily see the green vial through the thin fabric. I pointed it out to her, so Sam stuffed a cleaning rag into the front of the pocket obscuring the color.
We returned the cleaning supplies to the storeroom and rushed to the bunkroom. After I quickly showered, I found Sam by the stack of towels. As I dressed and dried my hair, I watched her dig through the assorted stacks and pull out three small washcloths.
Sam set the three small washcloths on the counter and began wrapping the green vial in one of the cloths. She wrapped the two empty cloths together into a matching tubular shape of similar thickness. She placed a rolled up bundle into each lower front pocket of her tunic, giving her shirt a balanced look. I made a quick inspection and found that the green color did not show through.
The young man returned to the bunkroom with his nose bandaged. He had gauze inserted up into each nostril with a strip of white medical tape to hold proper alignment. He changed his bloody tunic, and replaced his bed sheets as trained.
With nothing else to do, we sat on our beds and waited.
Helena entered, and we stood up with heads bowed. Our instructor moved to the middle of the room for inspection, smiling at her findings. "Exceptional. You four are truly unique. I might even miss you. Julia is on her way here to collect you now." The instructor pointed her punishing prod at the gangly man. "Your handler from the power company will collect you this afternoon."
The gangly man raised his hand, making me nervous with what he knew.
Helena acknowledged him. "Avox, do you have an observation?"
The gangly man nodded. He took two fingers and circled them around his eyes.
"You've lost your glasses?
The man nodded.
Throwing underhand, Helena tossed her punishing prod in a high arc towards the gangly man who easily caught it with one hand. The instructor produced a sly smile as she held out her hand for the return of the prod. "It looks like you'll get by."
The gangly man walked over to Helena and returned the prod handle first, his face full of disappointment.
Julia entered our bunkroom followed by three Peacekeepers. The tall woman passed a set of paperwork to the instructor. "Are we ready, Helena?"
"We are."
"Good." Julia passed a small computer to a Peacekeeper. "Tag them."
The Peacekeeper approached us and held the small computer to our identification chips embedded in our forearms. When the man tagged me, I saw Julia's name flash on the screen below the word Avox. I glanced at my new handler, quickly diverting my eyes down.
Julia took back her computer. "You've all been tagged identifying you to be under my charge. If you run and they catch you, whatever is left of you will be returned to me, if you are still breathing. Avoxes, do you understand?"
We nodded.
"Prepare them for transport."
The lead Peacekeeper ordered us to stand with our arms out to our sides and legs spread for contraband inspection. Ignoring my own pat down, my heart raced as a different Peacekeeper patted down Sam.
"What's this?" Sam's Peacekeeper dug into her front lower pocket and removed one of the rolled up wash towels. It unrolled revealing the second cloth inside. "Why do you have this?"
Sam pointed to her nose and sniffled.
The man sneered and shoved the cloths back into her pocket, progressing to patting down her legs.
The Peacekeepers next fixed our hands behind our backs with plastic ties. As the black hoods slipped over our heads, I forced a smile for our lost friend, watching the gangly man give us a friendly wave goodbye.
We stumbled through the corridors to an elevator. The ride upward felt as if the car had climbed from the center of the earth. Exiting the elevator, we walked along more winding corridors until the sound of a sliding door led us to the familiar smell of an underground parking garage.
Julia spoke to the guards. "Please remove the restraints. We have them from here."
My guard cut away my plastic tie. "Hoods stay on until you have driven away from the building."
"Yes, of course." Julia began talking to someone else in a gentler tone. "Come, help them in."
Amiable hands guided me forward and then gently pushed my head down as I entered a vehicle. I could tell that this was a large car with comfortable leather seats. I slid in until I touched the other side of the vehicle. A body slid into me as the vehicle filled with people.
Julia's voice called out. "Driver, to the Training Center."
The engine started and the vehicle moved forward, and upward, twisting in circles. Eventually, the vehicle leveled and traveled straight.
"Avoxes, take off your hoods."
I reached up and pulled off my hood. Across from me sat Julia surrounded by a pair of Avoxes unknown to me. Once I distinguished that we rode in a limousine, I directed my eyes downward.
"I expect all of you to look at me when we are alone. Go ahead."
First glancing at Sam, and we raised our heads together and began looking about.
"It's much easier to give orders when my Avoxes look at me. When in public and during functions, I expect optimal Avox behavior. Do you understand?"
We nodded.
Julia gestured to the girl across from me. "This is Female Two, and on my other side, this is Male Six.
The two Avoxes nodded to us and smiled freely.
"You will be named after your assigned floors, for which you will be responsible. Each floor has one male and one female Avox to maintain it." Julia looked at me. "Red, you will be Female Twelve. You, Female Seven, and you, Male Five."
Immediately, I wondered if my assignment to the 12th floor was intentional. The Hunger Games were a horrific spectacle that I avoided, but I knew enough that the tributes of each district stayed on the corresponding floor to their district number in the Training Center. Does she know that I was captured in District 12? I thought.
"Give them something to drink." Julia dug into her pocket and removed a medicine bottle as one of Avoxes fetched canned drinks from the tiny fridge. She eyed the three of us. "Does your mouth still feel excruciating?"
We nodded.
The Seneschal distributed one pill to each of us. "The pain will lessen eventually over the months...years, but these should help you cope for the short term. I am strictly forbidden from giving them to you, so you had better make sure that no one finds out. You help me, and I help you. That is how it works in our little family."
The female Avox across from me appeared content. Her eyes were big and colored a magnificent brown. She acknowledged my stare and nodded as if to say that Julia's words were true.
I placed the pill in my mouth and washed it down, as did my two partners.
The ride was quiet and peaceful. The calmness of the two Avoxes made me feel at ease. As I stared out the window of the limousine, I began to feel lucky, fortunate to have the Seneschal as my handler. I prayed that the gangly man was as fortunate with his new handler.
The limousine pulled into the underground parking of the Training Center. We exited and approached a set of elevators.
"I have business to attend. These two Avoxes will take you to the Avox quarters and show you around. For the next couple of days, I will consider you three to be on convalescence. Rest and gather your strength. We have a large conference coming up, and I need you to assist other Avoxes." Julia removed the bottle of medicine from her pocket and produced three pills. She handed them to Female Two. "Only give these to them after they have eaten lunch."
The female Avox nodded.
"We will meet again at dinner." The Seneschal entered an elevator and ascended.
Our male guide pressed the down button, and an elevator door opened. We descended one level underground, but as we exited, I began to feel the effects of the pill taken in the limousine. My tongue pain had lessened, but I was beginning to feel dizzy. We walked down a long hallway passing various storage and maintenance rooms. At the end of the corridor, we entered the Avox quarters.
The room was large, containing tall cubicles often seen in large offices, but these cubicles contained beds instead of desks. One of the Avoxes pointed out that each cubicle had a label. The first one by the door read M1 followed by F1. As we passed the cubicles, we could see the interiors decorated with various pictures and mementos.
We stopped at F7, which would be Sam's new home. They showed us the young man's cubicle, followed by mine. I entered mine and sat on the bed. The bed felt soft and of good quality. I pulled back the covers to feel the smooth cotton sheets. I even had a nightstand with a small lamp. We next toured the large adjoining shower area and restroom that we would all share.
The Avoxes signaled us to follow, and we returned to the corridor. Within a few steps, we entered a stairwell and travelled up three flights of stairs. We exited and found ourselves in a large kitchen. Various Avoxes we busy at work preparing a meal.
A portly man in a chef's hat noticed us and approached. "Hello there. I see we have new friends."
As one of our guides nodded, we bowed our heads.
"Lift your heads children. I want to be your friend, not your master. In my kitchen, you hold your heads up high."
Lifting my face, I saw the chef smiling at me.
"My name is Garum and this is my kitchen." He turned to address the Avoxes busy at work. "Brothers and sisters, meet the new members of your family.
All the Avoxes turned to look at us, sharing smiles and waves. Many of them were using their hands to communicate in short gestures, but it did not look like the hand signing that I had seen deaf people use.
The Chef handed us each a large apple. "Here, I'm sure you are starving. Have you had lunch?"
We shook our heads.
The portly chef clasped his hands together. "We have some soup and fresh bread left over from lunch. Take a seat at the prep counter." With the help of the kitchen Avoxes, Garum brought us lunch. "The Training Center only has a couple visitors right now so we are mostly preparing food for the Peacekeepers and ourselves."
Sampling the food, I found it to be of the highest quality. I glanced at the chef who continued to smile at all of us. I wanted to tell the man how delicious his food was, but all I could do was give a simple thumbs up. The female Avox who was guiding us gave each of us one of Julia's white pills. It was perfect timing since my mouth began to throb. I quickly emptied my bowl and felt spoiled when Garum refill it.
Garum addressed our escorts. "Why don't you show them one of the tribute floors. Dinner will be ready at six in the servants' cafeteria."
After we filled our stomachs, our two guides escorted us back to the service elevator where they proceeded to take us up to the 12th floor.
The service elevator opened to a service room with a small, fully stocked kitchen. Our escorting Avoxes showed us the cleaning supplies cabinet followed by the clean laundry storage. When we entered the guest area, I was stunned. The floor was luxurious, better than any hotel I had visited. The bathrooms were immaculate with the finest amenities.
Feeling the effects of the second pill, I yawned from the lightheadedness and exhaustion. Sam and the young man looked to be experiencing the same tiredness. When I began to stagger through the main room, our guides gestured us back to the service area into the elevator.
Using their hands to communicate, they made the sleep gesture, and we responded with a nod. They returned us to the Avox quarters and made certain that we found our assigned cubicles, dimming the lights as they left us to nap.
Medicated with a full stomach, I fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.
...
The lights to the Avox quarters had brightened as a gentle hand awoke me. The Avox girl with the brown eyes gestured that it was time for dinner. She collected all three of us and brought us into a side room filled with Avox tunic uniforms hung along two long walls. The uniforms were of a much nicer construction compared to the general Avox tunics we currently wore.
I discovered that I fitted into a medium with Sam fitting into a small. Our young male friend found the large to be comfortable.
The Avox guide pointed out where the dirty laundry went and that we could take any clean uniform from the racks since the clothing was not assigned. She next took us to a closet that contained various boxes of shoes. These were assigned to us and would be kept under our beds while sleeping, resting, or showering.
At least, I think this is what she was trying to communicate in what was the most difficult game of charades. I was learning some of the gestures, but I knew it would take time for me to be able to understand her hand movements.
When we entered the Avox cafeteria, approximately two dozen Avoxes, Garum the chef, and the Seneschal occupied the room. Guided to the front, the three of us stood at the head of the foremost table, and Julia asked everyone else to sit.
The Seneschal inspected Sam's front, running her finger along the neckline. "Good, your tattoo doesn't show. Please, the three of you form a line." In a silent room of Avoxes, Julia addressed the room easily in a normal tone. "Everyone, this is Female Twelve, Female Seven, and Male Five. Let us formally welcome our two new sisters and one brother to our family."
Everyone applauded while others gave us cordial waves. The group appeared relaxed and happy. After all that I had gone through, their warm welcome caused my eyes to well.
Julia invited us to sit next to her for dinner. The Seneschal sat at the head of the table, Sam and I sat to one side with our young male friend sitting opposite of us.
Dinner was delicious. We enjoyed roast beef, mash potatoes, and mixed vegetables. There was even a cake brought out to each table.
Before I received my slice of cake, the Seneschal pulled out her medicine bottle, which grabbed our attention. She passed one pill to each of us. I immediately swallowed mine as the searing pain had been increasing.
Enjoying my slice of cake, I again began to study the odd tiny gestures that all the Avoxes were making. Watching intently, I could not make out any of it. I turned to Julia who was smiling, sipping her wine.
She set down her glass. "They are picking your Avox gesture names. You do not choose your name, the collective does. If I'm not mistaken, they have come up with your names during dinner."
I turned my head to see everyone looking at us.
"What have you chosen for your new male friend?"
A female Avox pointed at her nose with two fingers.
"Good." Julia turned to the young man. That gesture is your Avox name.
Our male friend pointed at his broken nose with one finger.
"No. Use two fingers. One finger is sitting at the other table." The Seneschal pointed to him, and a man in his late twenties stood up and pointed to his naturally large nose with one finger.
"And for Female Seven?"
A male Avox made a wave action with a flattened hand.
Julia chuckled. "Snake. They noticed your tattoo while you were wearing your loose, tattered tunic. And for Female Twelve?"
A female Avox pointed a finger behind her ear and spun the finger in small tight circles.
Are they calling me a crazy? I thought. I turned to the Seneschal.
"Your hair. She's simulating curling your long red hair around a finger."
A secret code, a secret language, the Avoxes had found a way to be discrete when they needed to communicate, avoiding the written word and possibly death.
...
I stripped down to my Avox underwear and crawled into bed. I heard the soft sound of running water come from speakers in the ceiling, white noise to mask the sounds made by others as they slept. I pulled the covers tight around my neck.
The pain pill from the Seneschal helped with the worst of the pain. The medicine even aided in sleep, but I did not fall asleep as quickly as I did during my nap. Even with a full stomach, a warm bed, and some relief from the pain, I could not sleep as the hours slowly passed.
Staring at the ceiling, this was the first time since that fateful night when my father woke me that I was free from crippling fear. My life sentence to serve as an Avox would never be overturned, but I had fortunately ended up in a decent place with good people.
The absence of fear had its own consequence; thoughts of my family rushed back to me. As my eyes welled, I tried to control my breathing. The freedom from the terrorizing fear meant that it was time to mourn.
Against my will, I wailed aloud. The sounds of my sobbing must have easily spread across the Avox quarters, for Sam came to my cubicle and crawled into my bed. We mourned together until the exhaustion from crying eventually allowed us to fall asleep.