They Are Monsters (Deathless Trilogy, #2)

Chapter Eleven: History According to Cooper

The ceiling in Cooper's classroom is covered in white embossed tiles, split only by Cooper's track, and gold designs encircle the room. Tall windows let southern light illuminate the shimmering chips in the paint, blocked only by blood red curtains, the same color as the carpet. We all face away from the ballroom entrance, and toward an even grander golden doorway, behind which must be Cooper's bedroom.

As girls mingle around their desks, Celia comes up beside me and Nina. "Hi Isla," she says.

"Oh, hey," I say, "how are you? How was Mitchell's room last night?" I ask, and Nina nudges me.

Celia shrugs, smiling lightly, and says, "I stayed in the Comforter's quarters last night. It was a late switch." She bites her glossed lip. "How was your night? I'm glad you and Daniel can be together now."

"As it should be," I say, a little more seriously than I should. This time Nina smacks my arm. She looks at me with wide anticipatory eyes, so I turn back to Celia. "Thank you. I really appreciate you being so nice about switching."

I wish I sounded more sincere about it, but Celia doesn't seem to notice. She smiles. "That's what friends are for."

"I met you yesterday," I say.

She shrugs. "I never had a true friend until Daniel, and he said you and I could be friends too."

What's this girl's game? I wonder. "You really just want to be my friend?"

She smiles and nods. "That's why I helped you. I want to be more than what I have been. I want to make a difference... like you."

Cooper enters with a cacophony of gears, and the room silences. He stands in front of the doorway and raises his mechanical arms, signaling all the girls to stand. Celia walks to a desk near Nina and I, and I watch everyone, mimicking what the rest of the girls do. I don't want to stick out.

"Begin," he commands us.

"I pledge my allegiance," everyone starts in unison, their hands over their hearts, "to the goals of Roberts and Cooper, and to the rebuilding of our world. I vow to sacrifice my life and my mind to the efforts of our people, and to the advancement of our species."

Panning the room, I see the lingering smiles on Comforter's faces. Smiles of acceptance and belonging. They don't even realize what they're saying. Yes, they're part of a group, but they are part of a group that only hopes to use them, not value them. Though I'm not sure anymore if the Deathless was ever much better.

Cooper lowers his arms, and everyone sits back in their chairs.

"Good morning," he says.

"Good morning," the girls repeat.

"Yesterday we covered the history of terrorists to our cause." A quiet rumbling of yes's and mhm's rolls through the room. "I believe that today, we must discuss why it is so important for these terrorists not to conquer us."

This is for me, I think. So I know who is in charge here.

He steps forward, his reinforced legs stomping as he moves. "What is the goal of Roberts and Cooper?"

Hands shoot into the air. Nina and I are seated in desks toward the back of the room, and from our perspective, it seems like we may be the only Comforter's who don't live and breathe this place. The girls last night were right: We can't trust most of the people in this room. I have to shake the thought from my mind, and remind myself that there is a group of us who meets in the drain, before my confidence implodes.

"Yes, Tanya?" Cooper says, pointing to a black haired stick figure in the front.

She stands, and wipes her palms against her red dress, either to dry off her sweat or to flatten the fit even closer to her hips. "Thank you, Mr. Cooper. The goal of Roberts and Cooper is to create a world in which the human species can thrive. Would you like me to go through the steps of action?"