#interview part 1

"I am a grey, Mr Langdon; and Ms Venable runs this Outpost so she oversees everything that happens." I explained, lightly tugging the tight collar of my horrid dress uniform away from my neck.

"Yes, however you are the eyes and ears. You see and hear everything about everyone; even Ms Venable, no?" He asked me rhetorically, leaning forward from his previous slouched position.

"I wouldn't go as far as to say that Mr Langdon." I disagreed respectfully, shifting my eyes momentarily to the floor before meeting his gaze again. When I did, I saw that he had a hint of a smile on his face.

"Come." Was all he said, standing and beckoning me with his hand in the direction of his desk. Without hesitation, I stood and followed. It didn't take an idiot to figure who was really in charge here, and it sure as hell isn't Venable.

I took a seat in the chair in front of his desk and he sat in the one opposite me.

"Tell me about them; the purples and Ms Venable." He demanded softly, leaning forward and placing his elbows on the desk.

"What would you like to know?" I relented knowing there was no scenario where I could get out of this.

"Ms Venable, her rules here are...quite constricting, wouldn't you agree?" He started.

"I suppose."

"You don't think they're limiting in any way?" At that point it clicked. Langdon was obviously trying to get me to spout off about Venable so I'd get in trouble and then be executed. After all I was only a grey, and it would mean one less mouth to feed. Well, two can play at that game Mr Langdon.

"I think they do what they need to in order to keep everyone inside the Outpost alive, whether some people find them constricting is a matter of opinion." I said half-truthfully. If he thought he was going to outsmart me just so I would be killed he can think again.

"You're lying." He stated confidently, but showed no sign of anger.

"The Devil you know." I responded with a tilt to my head; Michael just chuckled.

"I like you. You're not like any of the others."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr Langdon." I cut his flirting session dead. To be honest, I just wanted to get back to my duties; and that's something I never thought I'd be saying.

"Why would I need to flatter you, Miss Dubois?"

"Because I know what your little game is Mr Langdon, and I will not be played with just so you can have me executed."

"Why would I want to have the only interesting person here executed?"

"You're in cahoots with Ms Venable and you won't trick me into mouthing off about her or her rules just so you can rat me out and get me shot in the head." I exploded, I was so sick of people thinking I was dumb just because I was a grey. Michael was silent for a while. The only movement he showed was removing his elbows from the desk, but he kept eye contact with me.

"Let's make one thing perfectly clear; I am not, nor will I ever be, Ms Venable's lap dog to be controlled. I am in a position of authority above her and I'm disappointed you would believe otherwise, I thought you were the smart one."

Now I knew I'd fucked up. I don't what came over me to just lay into him but whatever confidence that was, it had surely disappeared now. Releasing a sigh, I knew what I needed to do.

"I apologise Mr Langdon."

"Accepted but not quite forgiven. You may leave now Miss Dubois, I shall come and find you at a later date." He dismissed me.

Walking back to the library where I was before, I was on the verge of crying. Now I definitely wasn't getting out of here, and that was certain. The worst part?It was my own doing. If I hadn't opened my stupid mouth I wouldn't be in this position.

Nevertheless, I picked up my cleaning equipment and packed it away. Luckily tonight I could have an early night because I wasn't on kitchen duty, so I headed straight upstairs and dove into my room; practically ripping the horrid dress off and catapulting my shoes across the room.

Usually I had trouble sleeping on the concrete bed that had one pillow and a small blanket, but after today’s fiasco I had no doubt that I'd be out like a light once my head touched the pillow. Thankfully on this occasion, I was right.

~~~~

The next morning I was completely and utterly frazzled. My nerves were on edge from my interview the day before, I had an early morning shift that I was accidentally late starting so Venable decided she would slap me and demanded I take on 3 hours of extra cleaning after my shift had ended as punishment.

I was five hours into my shift which was twelve hours long and I quickly went to bathroom. Looking in the small, cracked mirror that was hung above my sink, I saw how the slap I got from Venable earlier had split both my top and bottom lip. I sighed and grabbed some toilet paper from the roll on the side and wet it under the tap, bringing it to my lip to hopefully clean away some of the dried blood that I couldn't wipe away earlier.

Part of me wondered if it was Langdon's doing, if he eventually decided to rat me out to Venable about my behaviour and me being late was the perfect excuse for her to start doling out her punishments. Although the more I thought about it Langdon was very clear in the fact that he wasn't 'Ms Venable's lap dog' so I assumed if he had such a problem he would have either already killed me or come to find me about it himself.

Realising I'd been in the bathroom for a while, I quietly snuck out and back into the corridor with the other greys, hoping to blend in for the rest of the day the best I could with a busted lip.

Thankfully, the rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I mainly stayed hidden from view if I could or escaped to just do some cleaning or restocking. Since I started at 6am, I was getting a bit lethargic to say the least and I still had another 3 hours on top of my shift to work.

At 6pm, I served the purples their dinner and went back into the kitchen to hopefully get half a cube for myself, which were our normal rations as greys, but I was stopped by Ms Mead along the way. She demanded that I start on my extra 3 hours right away and that there was no time for food.

"What am I meant to be doing that's taking up three hours Ms Mead?" I asked curiously. Unfortunately a horrible smile made its way onto her face before she answered.

"Follow me and bring your cleaning trolley."

She led me through the hallways and back into the library where she first called me for my interview.

"Ms Venable has asked for you to clean each and every book so there isn't a speck of dust on them. Only once you have cleaned every book will you be allowed to sleep." Ms Mead announced almost gleefully.

"But that's going to take so much longer than three hours!" I exclaimed with my mouth agape.

"You will do as requested or be executed." The smile was now gone from Mead's face.

"But my punishment was only for-" I was interrupted by a harsh slap from Mead; this time across the upper part of my face, no doubt splitting open my eyebrow.

"You shall do as requested or be executed, I don't care which."

And with that, Mead left me locked in the library with a bleeding eyebrow, swollen bloody lip and a tray of cleaning products.

~~~~

It was 8:30pm. In theory, I only had half an hour left but I was only halfway through the books. Deciding I'd completely had enough of this place and my punishment, I half-assed cleaning the rest of the books; chucked all my stuff back onto the trolley and left the library.

By the time I'd locked my trolley away and made it back upstairs, it was 10pm; an hour after curfew. I felt completely exhausted as I dragged my feet up to my cell of a room and I felt my eyes falling shut as I walked.

"Miss Dubois, what are you doing up? Curfew is at 9 o'clock unless I'm misinformed?" Came the voice of Langdon from behind me. I chose not to be snarky or sarcastic to his comment, despite the slight teasing tone his sentence had.

"I was asked to work after my shift. I've only just finished and I'm going to bed, you can ask Ms Mead or Venable if you'd like to check." I told him, turning my head slightly over my shoulder to look at him as I continued the walk to my room.

Hearing silence follow my statement, I merely assumed Langdon had departed back to his own room; however I was mistaken when opening my door to have him push it back shut.

When I looked up to his face I expected to see a teasing smile or even just a hint of humour; yet I was met with a stone cold expression and furrowed eyebrows, causing me to lean back slightly from the coldness coming off of his face.

"What happened?" He asked sharply, somehow stopping me from moving further away and keeping his hand on my bedroom door so I couldn't run inside.

"What?" I questioned airily, for some reason I couldn't think of anything but the man in front of me. For a moment I thought he may become angry with me, but again his face showed no signs.

"Your face."

"I woke up late," I confessed, "I didn't get to my early morning shift on time."

"Venable?"

I nodded my head. "She split my lip. Ms Mead split my eyebrow."

"For what reasons?" He continued his interrogation but I was growing more and more tired so I cut the conversation short.

"If you don't mind Mr Langdon I'm extremely tired and I have another early morning shift tomorrow, I'd like to go to bed now please." I asked him but with no room in my voice for disagreement as I stood forward and reached for my door handle again.

His expression didn't change as he removed his hand from holding my door shut. He stood statue still and watched me slowly turn the handle to my room; his light blue eyes boring into my own as I continued looking at him while entering my room. I did an awkward side shuffle into my barely open door, holding it close so I could shut it quickly once Langdon had gone.

"Do you require something Mr Langdon?" I asked when he didn't leave to his own room. For some reason once I started speaking it jolted him out of his cold daze and his usual teasing smirk was back playing on his lips, but I could see in his eyes a fire was still burning; for what reason I didn't know.

"I wish to continue your interview."

"But Mr Langdon-"

"Yes dear?" He cut me off.

"We are going to get in trouble." I stated tilting my head to the side.

"Nonsense, as long as you're with me nothing will happen. I promise." The way he looked into my eyes made me think his words had a double meaning, but I just brushed it off as being tired.

"I need to change." I told him, going to turn around and walk into my room.

"You look perfectly presentable." He argued.

"I have dried blood down my dress."

"And it makes you smell delectable." He told me shamelessly, following me through the door and in my room when I went inside to change. I decided to ignore his strange blood comment.

"What is this?" He exclaimed as soon as he closed the door behind him and turned to look at the small space I occupied inside.

"I'm sorry?" I asked him mid-change, thrown off by the attitude in his voice. I was using the wardrobe door as a cover for my body while I changed.

"This isn't a room!" Langdon lost his cool, calm and collected demeanor for a moment before trying to regain it again.

"Well I was meant to tidy it earlier but I didn't get a break to do so, I didn't think it looked that bad." I whispered at the end, admittedly it wasn't the cleanest state the room could've been in but it certainly wasn't a dump.

"Come." Langdon beckoned me with his hand once I was done changing into an identical grey dress, but clean this time.

"Do I have to?" I resorted to whining.

"I will not ask a third time." He warned me, raising his eyebrows slightly and holding his hand out to where I was stood.

I sighed, "Very well."