by J L Park
“Sam.”
He looked up, startled, a flash of guilt he couldn’t quite hide sparkling in his eyes. “Reed.”
“Sam, stop blaming yourself. You couldn’t have known. I don’t blame you.” He stared at me. "There is nothing to feel guilty about. Please don’t do that to yourself. Though, it’s becoming a habit with us!"
He nodded, swallowing. I smiled letting him know it was a joke, and walked away with Paige, climbing into a small transport vehicle to get to Arator.
We were to patrol a concert, keeping an eye out for trouble and stopping it quickly. There were already a few of us there. The first few hours went well, very few issues, a relaxed crowd. I even spied Maria and Jessica in the crowd, Jessica looking relaxed and happy, which made me happy. We were rounding up the last few stragglers, sending them into the bars or home after the concert, and coming together as a group, when I met up with Paige again. Heading to the bar where we were supposed to meet the others to catch a transport home, I finally felt like I was coming back to normal. I couldn’t help what had happened, and I’d wallowed enough for the last few days. I was actually glad Maddox had made me work tonight and smiling to myself. We stood around outside, chatting, waiting on one last group of Ferox staff to head back with. My back to the road, I was listening to Paige and Storm Williams chatting when I heard the group we were waiting for, shouting and laughing behind me. Paige looked up to see who they were and caught the look on my face. I knew those voices. Knew them very well. My face felt like it had drained of all colour and judging by the look on Paige’s face it was obvious. I swallowed and forced myself to turn around to face them. I didn’t want to confront them, just see who the hell they were.
“Fuck,” I muttered. All of them were Ferox. I had hoped to turn around and find Arator behind me. I stared at them all, trying to take in their faces, who they were. The way they held themselves, they had been Ferox a while, were overly self-assured, used to getting their own way. That I could tell in the way they walked. Young enough they wouldn’t be looking to settle down yet, or be forced to. One I recognised as a Pius transfer from a few years ago, I’d gone to school with his younger sister. I caught snippets of their conversation, shuddering involuntarily as I listened to them bragging about their conquests. One of them caught my eye, a startled look briefly crossing his face as he recognised me, mouthing “Fuck” as he muttered under his breath. I felt Paige walk up behind me, a gentle hand on my back.
“Reed.”
I nodded, that I’d heard. I wasn’t backing down now even if they all recognised me. I would not let them win.
“Reed… all of them?”
I shrugged, I wasn’t sure, I hadn’t been able to see them, but frowned as she swore again under her breath, “That cocky one in the middle? Maddox’s son.” I took my eyes off them for a second to shoot her a look, “No, I’m not joking.”
“Fuck.” I continued to watch them as they approached the rest of the group, locking eyes with Maddox’s son who recognised me and just grinned. Cocky, he walked by as close as he could manage, grabbing my arse on his way past, winking. Without a thought, I spun around, fist cocked and punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground.
“WHOA! What the fuck, Taylor?” Samson yelled from behind me as I stood over him, glaring, the bloodied smirk on his face annoying me.
“Don’t you EVER fucking touch me again,” I growled, “Or your nose isn’t the only thing that will be broken.”
Paige was trying to tug me backwards, but this time I wasn’t going to listen.
“You know who the fuck I am, bitch?” he grunted, holding his face as he tried to stand up. I nodded,
“Yeah, one of the fuckers who raped me over the past week.” I snarled, no longer caring whether or not I was supposed to mention it, “Oh, and apparently a Cohen, not that I give a shit.” His friends too stunned judging by their shocked faces to move, aside from helping him up, “And you fucking lot… just as fucking bad as this coward, you were all fucking there.”
I heard Samson sigh behind me, his hand coming down on my shoulder, as he murmured in my ear.
“Taylor. You know the Law.”
I nodded, putting my hands behind my back, waiting for him to place the cuffs on me,
“I’m sorry.” He muttered as he attached them with difficulty over the cast.
“Just don’t make me sit anywhere near them,” I grunted, as I let him lead me away.
He led me to the cells, in the basement under the dormitory. Samson was gentle as he undid the cuffs and encouraged me into the cell. I turned to him as he shut the gate. His face furrowed in sadness and regret, he recited my rights, something he’d forgotten earlier.
I nodded, “I accept the Law, Samson. Thank you for your kindness.”
He nodded and, lowering his head, walked away to report to Maddox.
Sitting on the bed in the cell, I had time to reflect on what I had done, and even though I was no longer so angry with the younger Cohen and his friends, I still had no regrets for what I had done.
“God, I’m so not a GreyBrook woman,” I muttered, knowing I was in a heap of trouble - punching a fellow member of Ferox, a male, in particular, not to mention accusing several Ferox members of sexual assault, and speaking of it in public, in a different section. I would be lucky if I was just expelled, given it was also a Cohen I had accused. I lay back, my only regret was that I would leave Paige here to deal with it all if I was expelled, or punished with death. I had almost dozed off when the outer door to the cells slammed open. A red-faced, almost smoke breathing Maddox striding towards my cell. I rolled off the bed and stood to attention.
“What the FUCK, Taylor?” I did not answer him, not sure which thing he meant. “Accusing my son of rape? In public? Do you have a fucking death wish, kid?” I shook my head, but remained silent. “Do you not understand the Law? Where you fucking stand in the eyes of GreyBrook? Not to mentioning laying a fucking hand on my child.” I looked at him, a quizzical look on my face. “What?! Speak up, Member. That's an order.”
“Sir, I punched your son ‘cause he grabbed my arse without consent. I don’t care who he is, or who I am in the scheme of GreyBrook, you do not fucking touch me without permission.” Pausing, I considered my next words, “Not when you’ve just spent the last week torturing me in a fucking dark room with your friends, thinking it’s perfectly acceptable to force yourselves on me because I’m a fucking female in GreyBrook. You make that fucking mistake again, and I’ll break your nose… like I did for your son.” He was scowling, smoke practically rising from his ears. “Yes, I understand my place in GreyBrook, but there’s no fucking way I will sit back and just accept it without a fight.”
“After all, I’ve tried to do for you, you were a Taken Non-Sel, lower than scum. I took you in, let you have a trial in Ferox. Tried to show you that if you worked hard, kept quiet about your relationship with Paige, and were with others that had been Taken, that you can fit in. But… you’ve fucked that. Pulling this fucking stunt in Arator. Accusing Blaze, and his friends there, and again here, as though you do not understand the Law.” He paused, pulling himself straighter, “Even accepting you were Taken before coming to Ferox, the Law states that there no crime committed against you if the one making the claim is a female. It is not for a female to deny what is rightfully the male’s to take, whether she gives consent or not. Should she deny the male, then it is his duty, should he wish it, to take what he has been denied. If she is to speak of it in a negative or accusatory fashion, she is to be punished to the fullest extent allowed by the Law. If a married male wishes to have a female in a sexual manner, he needs not to ask permission to take what is rightfully his, unless she is rightfully another males. Then he must ask the permission of that male.” He stopped, the recital of the words of the Law nothing new to me. “You will be presented for punishment tomorrow morning.” He walked away, his hands clenching and unclenching at his side, slamming the door behind him.
Th
e next morning, a guard I didn’t recognise came to collect me from the cells, handcuffing me and leading me to the great hall where Paige and I had been punished earlier in my time in Ferox. He pushed into the centre, my hands uncuffed. Maddox’s voice boomed over the loud speakers, announcing who I was, why I was here. The crowd booed as he read out my charges, cheering when Maddox advised that they would decide my punishment that day. The lights so bright I couldn’t see anyone in the crowd, so I stopped looking, stood with my head held high, not letting the threat of punishment make me feel ashamed.
“What do you have to say, Reed Taylor, before your punishment being decided?” he asked from beside me, glaring at me.
“That I have nothing to hide. That the accusations I made against Blaze Cohen and his friends are a hundred percent accurate, and I would make them again in a heartbeat. I WILL NOT remain silent and allow women to be treated this way. Along with a certain Walker Barlow of Pius before my transfer to Ferox, I don’t care whose son Blaze is, he’s a fucking rapist.”
Maddox snatched the microphone off me, shoving me forward himself, guards stripping me of my jacket, and shoving me into a wall, holding me there. I heard the whip being dragged as he wound his arm. "Remove her shirt."
I let them take it off. The scars on my back would serve to remind everyone he’d done this before, that Walker had done this before, and now I was being punished for being female. He laid into my back at a furious pace, having me seeing stars, but I kept staring forward, until he tired.
“Taylor. Do you wish to rethink your statements?”
I reached for the microphone again. “No,” I answered, defiant.
“Member Raeburn. Here, now!” he shouted.
I frowned, what the hell did she have to do with anything? A few moments later, Paige walked up beside him.
“You will make her reconsider. Whip her.”
She shook her head, holding the whip limp in her hand as I watched Maddox’s face changing colour in his rage. He may have had a soft spot for Paige, but no longer.
“No. I will not whip her to help you prove a point,” she answered out loud.
“You will, or you will face the same punishment.”
She handed him back the whip. “Go ahead. I will NOT whip Reed for being assaulted by your son and his friends.”
He shoved her forward, to stand against the wall with me. His anger almost palpable in the air. I glanced sideways, blood starting to dry on my back.
She smiled, mouthing “You will not fight this alone, I promised you.”
As her jacket and shirt were removed. Maddox had rested enough as he lay into both of us this time. Paige’s eyelids fluttered at one point, her knees buckling. I moved to stop her from falling as she blinked, and righted herself, a shocked look on her face. She’d had a flashback in the middle of the whipping. He struck her again as I watched her bite her lip and pull herself further upright. By the time he tired, we were both bloodied and exhausted.
“Do either of you wish to rethink your statements?”
“No,” we both answered in unison, to shocked gasps from the crowd, and a small cheer from one of the corners that sounded an awful lot like Ti and co. He ordered us clothed and thrown back into the cells, too tired to continue.
Later on, he ranted at us for sometime and advised that Barrett Marshall would now need to be contacted to deal with us as they could not expel us without his authority. After he had left, Ti visited with a small bag from home for each of us.
“Paige… I got that… thing you asked for.” She glanced at me, “It’s in Reed’s bag.” Paige smiled, winking at me.
“Thanks, Ti. Thank you for everything.”
“Yeah, thanks Ti. For everything. And for being there the other day, I… needed a friend, I’m glad it was you.”
Ti looked at us both with tears in her eyes. “Fuck. Why? Why are you fighting him? You’ll be expelled, or… disappeared,” she muttered.
“Because, Ti, I can’t live like that. I refuse to be blamed for what happened. I refuse to let it happen to another female in Ferox, hell in GreyBrook. Sure, Maddox and Ferox seemed different to the others, but when it comes down to it - he’ll always go back to the letter of the Law - which states that little fucker of a son of his has every right to do what he did to me to anyone else.”
“But… that's GreyBrook, Reed.”
“It doesn’t have to be.” I muttered, looking at Paige, “Being expelled might be the best thing to happen to us, actually.”
Ti looked at both of us like we were mad. “What?” She peered at me through the bars, “Reed…. what the hell are you planning?”
I smiled despite the pain in my back, “The mother of all changes, if it all works out.”
She rocked back on her heels, nibbling on her lower lip, thinking. She looked up, a different expression on her face, the stroppy young lady she was inside peeking out ever so slightly further than usual.
“Count me in, if it works out.” She smiled, “You two are fucking nuts, but I love ya both, so… count me in.”
Not deemed important enough for Barrett to hurry to Ferox, we spent several days locked in the cells, with few visitors. A meal once a day, brought in by a guard who did not speak. Spending the time, reading or talking together, removing the cast from my arm with some difficulty, figuring out what we would do if we got expelled. I didn’t want to remind Paige that the maximum punishment for what we had done was death, and that card could still very much be on the table. I had read and re-read the Black Book that Ti had hidden in my bag for Paige, taking one hell of a risk for us both. I hoped it would be worth it. After a few days, I woke feeling strange, as though I was burning up, thoughts that made little sense. Paige visibly shaken by the way I looked rushed over to feel my head.
“Jesus, Reed. You’re burning up,” she exclaimed, pushing me roughly onto my stomach, ripping up the back of my shirt, ignoring my protests, “Oh… That's not good.”
“What's not good?” I muttered, annoyed she’d not warned me what she was doing.
She leaned forward, stroking my head. “Love, your back is infected. It’s red and angry and… oozy.”
I curled my lip in disgust, with all the energy I could manage. “That's… gross.”
Knowing we’d be brought a meal at some point that day, Paige set about trying to deal with the infection with what we had until we could get help from the Healers. Gathering cool water from the sink in the corner, near the small steel toilet, she soaked a t-shirt and washed my back, helping to cool me off, clearing my head slightly. I dozed on and off, unable to stomach eating anything we had left over from the previous day. A couple of times I woke to Paige stroking my head.
“You were crying, love,” she’d murmured, as I vaguely remembered a nightmare before she woke me.
At some point, the guard arrived with a meal and was made aware that I was unwell, coming back with Maddox and a Pius Healer working in Ferox. An antibiotic injection in my butt cheek hurt like a bastard, but would apparently make me feel better quickly. Something soothing was added to my wounds on my back, and they were covered in a dry dressing. I watched the Pius Healer left, Maddox moving out of their way but remaining inside the cell. Saying nothing, watching Paige eat a small amount of the meal, giving me a few mouthfuls. Between blinks he had moved closer to Paige, the cell door closed behind him, as she was washing up in the sink. I lifted my head slightly to watch him.
Walking up behind her, he stroked her hair back behind her ear gently, causing her to stiffen slightly. His hand rested on her hip as he leaned forward to whisper something in her ear, squeezing her waist when she shook her head, a smile on his face, trying to get her to turn around. I could see her hand gripping the sink with white knuckles as she resisted him.
“Maddox … Reed,” she muttered, causing him to glance away as though she was telling to check if I was awake, as though they had a secret between them. I shut my eyes quickly, trying to keep the confusion of my face as I tried
to figure out if that was true, or whether she was trying to get him to look away.
“She’s asleep. Come on, I know you want to.” He muttered, louder now, “Don’t let her stop you. You know you’ve always wanted to.”
I opened my eyes a crack. He’d gotten her to turn around, pressing her back against the sink now.
“Maddox, I’m gay. I’ve never wanted to.”
“Rubbish. I’ve seen the way you’ve looked at me over the years. You’ll be expelled tomorrow, it’ll be your last chance to have this.” He leaned forward trying to kiss her, as she put her hand in the way, pushing against him.
“I don’t want it, Maddox. I’ve never wanted it, and I never will.”
I watched as his face change just slightly, he leaned into her, forcing his mouth over hers, as she squirmed underneath him, his left hand fumbling with her jeans, shoving his hand down the front of them when he couldn’t get the button undone. I rolled over as I could, still feeling bizarre but I needed to do something. She pushed him back away from her by slapping his face. This didn’t deter him though, as he used his bigger body mass and brute strength to pick her up, hand still in her trousers, and dump her on her bed, breaking the button open, fumbling with his own now. I bit back a grunt as I sat up. His hand was over her mouth now, as I stood, trembling with the effort, looking for something I could hit him with. My eyes lit on the dinner tray, made of stainless steel, as he lowered himself over her fighting form. She had glanced my way at one point and looked away, trying not to give away I was moving. Taking several quiet steps, I pulled the tray out from under the dinner plates and strode with purpose, albeit shaky, across to him, bringing it down with as much force as I could muster, repeatedly, before he managed to get himself upright.
“What the fuck?” he roared, holding the back of his head to stop the bleeding I had caused.
