Free The Declaration by Gemma Malley Page B

Anna watched silently as she and Charlotte were taken away and the corridor quickly emptied.
    ‘Go and brush your teeth, and then I want lights out,’ she said, on autopilot, as she walked back into her dormitory, trying to work out why she felt so uncomfortable, trying to work out why she hadn’t been able to punish Tania. ‘Surpluses need good teeth,’ she continued, echoing the words she’d heard Mrs Pincent say so many times. ‘No one’s going to pay for dental treatment for a Surplus.’
    Then, slowly, she walked over and checked on Sheila, who was sitting on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest.
    ‘Go and brush your teeth, Surplus Sheila,’ Anna said flatly. Then she looked around at the onlookers. ‘No more games until I say so. Does everyone understand? We are all Surplus here, and maybe we need to remember that for a few weeks.’
    The Surpluses shrugged and nodded and filed out to the bathrooms to brush their teeth. Anna followed, and soon found Sheila standing next to her at the basin.
    ‘You know, Anna, I’m not a Surplus,’ Sheila whispered almost silently, wincing at the pain of moving her cheeks. ‘And one day they’ll realise and I’ll be free. And when I am, I’m going to have Surplus Tania as my housekeeper and I’m going to punish her every day. And I’ll have you as my housekeeper too, Anna, but I won’t punish you at all. Unless you deserve it, that is.’
    And with her eyes fixed straight ahead, Sheila picked up her toothbrush and began to clean her teeth.

Chapter Eight
    The next day, Tania and Charlotte arrived back from Solitary in time for morning training. Neither acknowledged their fellow Surpluses. Telltale red weals were evident on their cheeks and hands, and Anna suspected that more were hidden by their overalls. Under their eyes they both bore the signs of a sleepless night – dark shadows and drooping eyelids.
    Anna, who was feeling tired herself, not to mention hungry from a lack of breakfast, also couldn’t help noticing that Peter was missing from the class. Not that she cared. In many ways, she was relieved – he had made her angry with his taunts about her parents, angrier than she’d realised. She wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that he, too, had spent the night in Solitary for some misdemeanour. In fact, she’d half expected him to arrive with Charlotte and Tania.
    But he didn’t turn up. There was no knock at the door; no last minute interruptions.
    Once everyone had noted Tania and Charlotte’s appearance, the story of last night’s games having spread swiftly around the class, the Surpluses soon started whispering about Peter’s absence instead, nudging each other and looking meaningfully at the empty desk next to Anna where Peter usually sat. She, though, was far too proud to get involved in their gossiping. Instead, she stared ahead purposefully, trying to ignore her rumbling stomach and listening intently to Mrs Dawson explain how Surpluses had to master Invisibility – the ability to be on hand constantly and yet never have their presence felt. In truth, she decided, it was probably a good thing Peter wasn’t there. Mrs Dawson had a firm expression on her face, and Peter never failed to perform badly in this class, never left without some punishment or other being imposed on him.
    Where Mrs Pincent was small in height and stature, Mrs Dawson was large – about a hundred and eighty-eight centimetres and with rolls of flesh that wobbled as she moved. Her hair, although pinned up in a chignon like Mrs Pincent’s, somehow managed to break free regularly, meaning that she constantly had to sweep it back off her face.
    Anna liked Mrs Dawson and was determined to do well in her class. Decorum was very important for Surpluses. Mrs Pincent said that Legals considered Decorum one of the most attractive skills in a Surplus, male or female.
    ‘It should be as if you don’t exist at all,’ Mrs Dawson said, her voice firm. ‘You should blend into