by Nik Davies
Chapter 12
Law 15
Kill or Be Killed
Quinn spent another restless night trying to erase the last few weeks from her mind, but she failed miserably. She itched to get back home, night after night pacing the castle like a caged animal. She thought about Akeem constantly. Thoughts of him tormented her, worried her, and made her feel like a worthless coward. She should have never left him behind. They should have stayed together, no matter what. This thought tortured her days and tormented her nights; it chased away her appetite and caused tears to spring to her eyes. She should have stayed with him, risked her life for him, but she didn’t. She should have escaped the castle and found him by now too, but she couldn’t even get out of the castle. God, she was pathetic. No matter how she searched, she had yet to find an exit unguarded or a window not barred. She was trapped, held prisoner. Pox refused to let her venture outside of the castle walls, so she brooded in silent protest. She refused to work or even bathe, and enjoyed the fact that girls cut wide circles around her when she did venture from her room. On most occasions, she even declined food. Her appetite disappeared the day she left Akeem behind. She had always been a thin girl, but her bones were now far more prominent. If she didn’t get out of this place soon she would starve to death or worse, she would slip into madness and become a killer like everyone else in this godforsaken place.
Quinn repeatedly ignored Pox’s demands to train with the other girls of Castle Haven. Each time she snubbed the obnoxious blonde, Pox minimized her freedom in the castle. Over the past few weeks she’d gone from having endless access to every floor of the castle to only having access to the top three floors. She hadn’t been down to the great hall in two weeks and had never seen the kitchens. She would have forgotten what the sky looked like if not for the roof and the balcony leading off her bedroom that overlooked the gardens.
If she didn’t start cooperating soon, she’d eventually find armed girls outside of her door refusing to let her go any farther than the bathroom down the hall. It was a dangerous game she was playing and she knew it, but it wasn’t in her nature to give in. Although she suspected that the leader of the Angels would eventually grow weary of her stubbornness, she was not afraid. She wanted them to come for her so that she could show them firsthand what a skilled fighter really looked like. Pox and her Angels would be in for a big surprise when they realized Quinn Rivera was no easy target!
Although she was only fifteen, she held a black belt in aikido, numerous championship trophies in Muay Thai—a form of Indochinese kickboxing—and was the only girl on the boys wrestling team at school. Her therapist has advised her parents to enroll her in activities that would help release her pent-up aggression. She shook her head at the thought. The idiots didn’t realize that those activities did nothing but provide her with more elaborate and efficient ways to hurt people stupid enough to tick her off. Sadly Pox had no interest in fighting her; she just wanted to use Quinn as another tool in her never-ending desire to rid Fifteen of the male species. Killing seemed to be the only thing the fanatical girl cared about, and at this moment, she too had the desire to kill. She wanted to rip Pox’s head off and use it as a soccer ball.
She chose solitude and isolation to curb her growing anger and viciously rebuked any offers of kindness. She had chased away Jara weeks ago. After a long and lonely month, she had only one friend—although calling Piper a friend was a bit of a stretch. She happened to be the only girl undaunted by Quinn’s constant moodiness. Quinn’s rebukes and insults slid off the girl like water off a wetsuit. When Quinn realized that she couldn’t chase the girl away, she resigned herself to deal with her in quiet indifference. After a while, she felt something close to appreciation for the girl, especially since she was granted unlimited access to Piper’s rooftop. It was solitary and peaceful and if not for the rooftop donjon, Quinn would probably never leave her room. In fact, without Piper’s constant insistence, she probably would never eat either. She often took the fruit and vegetables the girl offered just to shut her up. She grew almost comfortable in Piper’s presence and even liked her when she was quiet, which wasn’t very often. The Greek girl could talk nonstop for hours at a time. Quinn nodded when she thought she should and grunted agreement every now and then, but she rarely paid much attention to her. Instead she gazed across the river at a column of smoke that rose from the center of the forest. She knew Akeem was out there somewhere. He had to be. She endured the girls’ endless chatter and constant complaints about Pox because the complaints came with access to the rooftop and the small hope that she would one day get a glimpse of him in the distance.
From the rooftop, Quinn discovered that Castle Haven was a perfect circle with fifteen round towers attached to its curved exterior. She had also discovered that the castle had always been there. It was there before the corn, before the river, and even before the first Angel arrived in Fifteen, but no one seemed to know who built it. She couldn’t help being impressed by its design and often wished that her little sister could see it. She was grinning at the thought of Aly when someone entered her room. She turned to find Nishi sneering at her. Quinn bolted upright, scanning the room for something to defend herself.
Nishi smirked as if pleased by Quinn’s uneasiness. “Relax, I’m just here to talk. Besides, I can’t kill you; it’s against the Laws of Fifteen. It’s law number nine; I hate that stupid law,” Nishi said under her breath. She took in Quinn’s appearance, and her smile broadened. “You look terrible; trouble sleeping? How’s the leg?” Nishi asked sweetly while simultaneously looking as though she wanted to gnaw Quinn’s leg off and bury it in a hole somewhere.
“Get to the point, Nishi,” Quinn quipped as she sprawled across the bed, trying to appear uncaring.
“I was told you’ve been hanging out with Piper.”
“Yeah, so?”
Nishi picked up Quinn’s cell phone and examined it curiously. “What do you talk about?” Quinn hesitated. Besides pipes, levers, and water flow, Piper sometimes spoke of a group of girls in the castle that were tired of war. They wanted to leave the castle and escape Pox and her cutthroat followers. They were fed up with following the ridiculous Laws of Fifteen and wanted to spend their energy finding a way out. At least that’s what she thought their discussions were about. She really needed to pay more attention to the girl.
Quinn knew she was in a tight spot. Maybe she should tell Nishi everything. This wasn’t her fight anyway. Her only loyalty was to Akeem and Aly. She owed these girls nothing. They could kill each other off for all she cared, she just wanted out of here. She looked at Nishi and sighed. She couldn’t do it. Whatever was going on in this hellhole, she wouldn’t feed anyone to the sharks.
“We mostly talk about water filtration systems, castle plumbing, and sand fleas. Those little suckers are a nuisance,” Quinn said condescendingly.
Nishi pulled a knife from her waistband. “Are you sure about that?” She began cleaning her fingernails with the sharpened tip. Although Quinn’s heart quickened, she remained stretched across the bed, ankles crossed and hands behind her head as if Nishi held a flower instead of an eight-inch dagger.
“You can’t kill me; law number nine, remember?” Quinn mocked, but her breath caught in her throat when the dagger sunk into the bed less than an inch from her ear.
“I can’t kill you, but I could do some serious damage,” Nishi growled. Quinn merely chuckled; she held her ground, showing Nishi a calm and cool exterior that did not reflect her quivering insides. She knew better than to back down from a bully. Quinn pulled the dagger from the bed and examined it appreciatively. She never held a knife like it before, and it felt surprisingly good in her hand. Could she use it? Could she actually plunge it into some innocent boy’s heart and watch him die? How long would it take before she was just like Nishi?
“All I want is to find Akeem and get out of here. I’ve got no problems with you or anyone else.”
“Has anyone told you about our Tree of
Laws?” Nishi asked innocently.
“You’re talking about that tree in the cornfield, right?”
“Yes, that one. The last law was carved into that tree about eighty years before I came here. They were put there by kids that are long dead now. Some of the laws are riddles, others are stupid ramblings, some are more warning than law, but there are a few that are strictly obeyed. If you think things are bad now, try breaking one of those laws.”
“I don’t plan on breaking any laws. I just want to find Akeem and go home,” Quinn said, rolling her eyes.
“You really should pay attention to what’s going on around here before you end up dead,” Nishi hissed.
Quinn tightened her grip on Nishi’s dagger. “Is that a threat?”
“Just friendly advice,” Nishi said, smiling like she knew a deadly secret. “You should read those laws sometime. They’re written on a scroll here in the castle library. One of my favorites is Angels Shall Not Suffer Dogs to Live. It’s law twenty-six.”
“I have no idea what that means,” Quinn snapped.
“It means that if a girl sees a boy, she must kill him, or die trying.”
Quinn sat up and glared at Nishi. “Are you saying that if I see him, I’ll have to kill him? That’s stupid; I could never hurt Akeem,” Quinn said more forcefully than she intended.
Nishi raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me he’s your boyfriend. Eck, you’re worse than I thought,” Nishi said with disgust.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Quinn said too quickly. She turned her face away so that Nishi wouldn’t see the color blooming in her cheeks. “He’s most definitely not my boyfriend. It’s just that my sister would never forgive me if I killed him; he’s like a brother to us.”
“Killing your brother is not so difficult, trust me,” Nishi said with a crooked smile. Quinn looked at her appalled.
“I won’t hurt him, he’s my friend,” Quinn stated adamantly.
“It is against the Laws of Fifteen to befriend a Dog. We must kill Dogs because they will kill us. Boys Shall Not Suffer Girls to Live is cardinal law number twenty-five.” Nishi pouted her lips and batted her eyes in mock sadness.
“What’s a cardinal law?” Quinn asked, trying not to seem too concerned.
“Oh, it’s one of the whoppers—the big scary laws that make everyone go nutty if one is broken. It doesn’t happen very often, but it can be fun when it does.” Nishi grinned up at the ceiling in revelry.
“Who’s gonna make me follow these stupid laws? There are no cops here,” Quinn stated confidently.
Nishi snorted and shook her head. “The only time Dogs and Angels work side by side is when a cardinal law is broken. Trust me when I say, you don’t want to see that.”
“You people are insane,” Quinn said, making Nishi smile broadly.
“Look around, sweetie. There are probably three hundred kids here, and every one of us is fifteen years old. We’ve been ripped away from family, friends, and civilization. There is no escape, and no one is coming to save us. The only rules are those on the Tree of Laws, and we have to kill to survive. Of course, we’re all insane.” Nishi giggled psychotically before continuing. “We are crazy, but we are smart. Remember this well, Quinn: if you break a cardinal law, there will be no safe place for you.”
Quinn was horrified as she tried to make sense of it all. “Are you saying that if I see a boy or speak to one without trying to kill him…”
“You’ll be dead before dawn,” Nishi finished, and then giggled chillingly. “Sadly I won’t get to see you break that law because your pup, Akeem, is already dead.” Quinn’s head whipped around, and she stared at the girl in disbelief. Nishi laughed uproariously. “Oh, the look on your face is priceless! I’m so glad I got to tell you.” Nishi grinned happily before finally leaving. Quinn seethed with fury. It was a lie, an evil lie from a vicious girl. Akeem couldn’t be dead, not when he was the only person that could hold her together. Akeem had given her reason to live, reason to get up every day. She needed him to help her find her way home. She needed him to help protect Aly from her parents. She needed him. He had to be alive.
She bolted from the bed, threw the door open, and ran. She raced up the staircase, knocking girls out of the way in her haste. She climbed until there were no more stairs and crashed through the door at the top of the castle. She took a quick glance behind her and stared at the column of smoke in the distance.
“Akeem,” she muttered, choking back the tears that threatened to come. She rushed into the small building that stretched skyward at the center of the rooftop. “Piper!” she hollered.
“Quinn?” Piper looked up from a book she was reading.
“Is he dead?” Quinn asked between gasps for air. The girl stood up and turned away without answering. “You know about every death that happens here,” Quinn demanded.
“It’s my job.”
“Tell me!” Quinn shouted. “Is he dead?”
“Yes,” Piper whispered with her eyes downcast. Quinn twitched as if slapped. Unable to move, barely breathing, she stood frozen. Tears did not come. All feeling was gone; she was numb, empty. Her mind searched for a way to make Piper take back the words that just changed her life forever. Piper stared at her feet, unable to meet Quinn’s anguished gaze. “It’s better this way. You could never see him anyway; you could never be friends with him, ever again. Not here, not in Fifteen, and there is no escape for us. It’s better that he’s gone from this place.” Piper said sadly. Numbly Quinn turned. She staggered to the door and disappeared without another word. Piper pounded her fists on the table as Pox stepped from the shadows.
“Well done, Piper,” Pox purred. “Now that she thinks her pet is dead, I can begin molding her into the killer I know she can be. I need someone else as good as Nishi to watch my back and that one has fire. Now I just have one question of you, Piper. Do you remember Amber?” Piper nodded. “Do you remember what happened to her when she couldn’t keep a secret?”
“You…you cut out her tongue and wore it on a cord around your neck for a week.”
“Don’t let that happen to you.”
