“One more thing…” Two poked his head around the bathroom door. “The photos.” He held them up. “You left them in your pocket last night. I rescued them this morning in case Fwent through your things, but after what happened last time, I think you should find a safer hiding place for them.”
“I have one.” He showed Two the hiding place behind the bathroom mirror.
“Oh! Ingenious. Well, that should work.” Two handed him the pictures, and he tucked them away, out of sight. “You okay?” Two leaned against the sink, looking at him searchingly.
“I’m fine. Thank you for last night, and for the bedding and for not asking about the people in the photos.”
“That’s your business, Alex,” Two said quietly. “You don’t owe me an explanation, but if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here.”
They all skipped breakfast to help Alex carry the mattress to the laundry workroom. B was happy for them to use the facility to clean it, and they manhandled it into one of the big sinks and began scrubbing at it. F had done a good job of pissing all over it, leaving it thoroughly stained.
“This reminds me of growing up,” Four said, and they all turned to look at him because he so rarely spoke. “I was raised in a government work camp, and the mattresses there stank to high heaven. God knows how many had slept on them over the years.”
“What were the work camps like?” Alex asked.
Four shrugged. “We had a roof over our heads and just enough food to eat. My parents worked hard; we weren’t allowed to live as a family, but we saw each other for an hour every night. I lived with my mother and sister in a dorm until I was ten, and then went to live with my father in the men’s dorm. I’m glad he was there with me.” He grimaced. “My parents told me that I had to study hard to get out of the camps – they didn’t want the same life for me that they’d endured – so I did,” Four said quietly.“I studied every night by candlelight after they’d turned off the main lights.” It was clearly a habit that had persisted.
Alex thought of him reading the course manual every night after class, poring over it and writing copious notes. Clearly, Four had taken his parents’ words to heart. It made the aloof man seem more human. Four looked surprised at having said so much; he put his head down and returned to scrubbing the mattress.
“Diligence, application, hard work – it’s the only way,” Three murmured approvingly. “I came from a family of indentured servants and a work ethic was instilled in us at a young age. We worked for a nice family in a big house. My parents and I shared a room; it was plainly furnished but perfectly adequate for our needs. My parents raised me to always work hard and mind my P’s and Q’s, so I could be of service to others. They insisted I do chores for the family we lived with from when I was five years old, so I could learn. It’s stood me in good stead.” He puffed out his chest righteously.
“Where did you grow up, Five?” Alex asked. The gauche young lad seemed pleased to be included in the conversation.
“In a cube on a massive box estate. It was a dump, but at least it was dry. There were seven of us – all with different dads. Mum shagged around to feed us.” Five shrugged. “Us kids shared a couple of mattresses on the floor. We used to run around the estate in packs causing trouble, which was fun.” He grinned. “But when each of us turned sixteen, Mum said we had to fend for ourselves and turned us out on the street. I worked in a factory for a bit and bunked up with friends, and signed up to become an indie as soon as I was eighteen just to get away from it.”
Alex saw Two looking at him. “I’d imagine your childhood was a little different, One,” Two said softly.
“Yes.” Alex felt suddenly ashamed of the comfort of his early years. “I probably came from the kind of family you worked for, Three, and to be honest, I resented sharing the house with so many indies. I wanted my family and my home to myself.” Three blinked, looking taken aback, and Alex hurried to explain. “I was selfish. I didn’t understand what it was like for you. I saw very little of the real world. I suppose my parents protected me from it.”
“Belvedere must be something of a shock for you, then,” Four said.
“Not really,” Alex murmured. “I was sent to a succession of increasingly strict boarding schools, so I’m used to sharing chilly dorms and being woken up at dawn to do mindless exercise.” He grinned.
“That sounds almost as bad as the work camps,” Four said. “But I guess I had my family.”
“Well, I had my big brother,” Alex said. “He looked out for me until he left. My mother was raised in a work camp.” He glanced at Four. “She never talked about it.” He wished he’d asked more now, but she’d always glossed over anything difficult or sad – she’d wanted everyone to be happy, positive, and upbeat at all times.
“Shit, F’s piss smells bad,” Five exclaimed as he scrubbed the mattress. “I hate that bastard. He’s just like the overseer in the indie dorm where I work.”
“And like the bullies at school,” Alex said.
“You should keep quiet and not do anything to antagonise him,” Three told them sternly. “Neither Four nor I have had any trouble with him. He’s just doing his job.”
“I can’t keep quiet,” Alex seethed. “I never could around bullies. I know it makes things worse, but I can’t help myself. I just kick off.”
Two raised an eyebrow. “Maybe, when you’ve been a servant for longer, you’ll learn how to…”
“Suffer in dignified silence, like you?” Alex snapped. “I don’t think I want to learn that!”
“I was going to say master your feelings to make life easier for yourself,” Two murmured mildly.
“Where did you grow up, Two?” Five asked.
“In the Quarterlands,” Two replied. Everyone paused for a moment to glance at him. He looked at their stunned faces and smiled. “Nothing more needs to be said.”
They finished with the mattress and set it out to air. Then they went straight to their first class, which was polishing shoes. It made a change from the relentless ironing, and Alex found, much to his surprise, that he enjoyed it.
“A good task well done,” Three said approvingly, glancing at Alex’s work when they broke for lunch.
