by Shade Owens
Everyone was watching her intently, trying to understand what she was getting at. Would a swing of a fist cost us our lives? I wouldn’t have expected that on Northern territory—not by how violent and merciless they’d already proven themselves to be.
“The rule goes as follows,” she continued as if reading notes off a piece of paper. “If a fight breaks out, all participants must enter a death match until one survivor remains. Should these participants refuse to battle to the death, it is the duty of surrounding women to terminate all parties involved.”
“A death match?” Hammer blurted out. “With who? And terminate? What the hell are you talking about?”
Alice Number Two brushed the tips of her fingers against Hammer’s cheek, and a cryptic smile formed on her galaxy face.
“It’s simple, really,” she said, using her own words this time around. “If your friend here”—she poked Coin in the chest—“takes a swing at me, we fight to the death. And if we refuse to fight, which I most definitely wouldn’t…” Her smile turned into a grin and she patted Hammer on her cheek. “We both die.”
CHAPTER 11
I didn’t know what to think of them. They looked like slaves, but on the other hand, some of them stared at us with savage eyes as if prepared to rip the skin off our faces with their bare hands.
“Try not to make eye contact,” Coin said, dipping a long pepper into a bucket of warm water.
I scoffed. “Kind of hard when they’re all staring at us like zoo animals.”
Johnson, Hammer, Tegan, and Arenas were sitting in the dirt with piles of long-rooted vegetables at their feet. They’d been told to tear off the roots and clean the vegetables while Coin and I cleaned off any remaining dirt.
There was another group of women working in the food section, but it was apparent they wanted nothing to do with us. They sat at the opposite end of the cultivation station, grunting and growling as they tore food out of the ground, cut through raw bloody meat, and skinned animals I couldn’t even identify.
As we’d had in the Village, there was a cage with turkeys and wild birds inside of a wooden shelter with bamboo fencing. It wasn’t very big—maybe the size of a small bedroom closet—but only big enough for the birds to breathe and hop over each other’s heads.
“So, this is what we survived for?” Coin tore a leaf off an ugly ginger-looking plant. “Slavery?”
Hammer splashed a long pepper into water, then pulled it out and shook it off. “Better than death.”
“Is it?” Arenas asked. “This is worse than the life I grew up in. Worse than gangs. Worse than havin’ your mom come home with a new guy every night. Worse than your own hermano tryin’ to sell you heroin. Worse than—”
“We get it,” Johnson cut her off. She glanced up toward the group of women who were chopping up slices of bloody meat. “None of us are happy about it. So, shut up and keep your head down unless you wanna end up like Franklin.”
“Or like Trim,” Coin mumbled.
“You shut your face!” Hammer shouted, pointing a wet finger at Coin.
“Guys!” I hissed as dozens of eyes rolled toward us. “You heard Alice—”
“Number Two,” Arenas slipped in.
“Unless you want to be forced to fight to the death,” I continued, “keep your mouths shut.”
“You ain’t got no say in this,” Coin said, her dark eyes narrowing on me. “You’re the reason Trim’s dead.”
I clenched my fists and stared at her, my eyes widening to the point of discomfort. Why was she suddenly defending Trim? Taking her side? She barely knew her. She didn’t need to remind me of what had happened. I already felt responsible. I already believed Trim had given her life for mine. What was she trying to prove?
“Whose side are you even on?” I asked, narrowing my eyes into a hateful glare.
“Trim would have a plan,” Coin went on. “She’d find a way outta here. Yeah, maybe I didn’t know her all that well, but Trim was the leader of the Hunters. Everyone knew that. And now, what? We’re supposed to be relyin’ on you? For what? Girl, you ain’t cut out for this. You’re unpredictable and emotional is what you is. And if you’d had half the balls Trim did, you’da stepped up when the Northers asked us who our leader was.”
I couldn’t believe it. Why was Coin turning on me? She’d been by my side for weeks. Where was this coming from? I bit down, my jaw clicking, and breathed in slowly through flared nostrils. I was enraged and hurt by her betrayal, but I had to think with my head, not my emotions, before reacting.
I contemplated keeping my mouth shut to avoid escalating the issue, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t sit there and let her bash me in front of everyone—not after what Trim had done. Not after she’d sacrificed herself to save me.
As I stared at her, biting down on my tongue, I considered stripping her of her ego—pointing out all of her flaws until she felt like nothing more than a molecule invisible to the human eye—but that wouldn’t resolve the situation.
So instead, I swallowed my pride and did what I thought any reputable leader would have done; I reassured her.
“I get that you’re not yourself right now,” I said, “but turning on me isn’t going to bring Trim back. I didn’t know she was going to step forward. If I’d known, I’d have stepped up first. I froze. I’m human, like you. I get scared, same as you. I got scared, okay?” Her eyes softened, and she sat quietly, taking in every word. “I’m not perfect. I didn’t ask to be looked at as a leader. Because I’m not a leader, and I never have been. But all I can do is try my best. We’re all trying our best in this hellhole. You think I want this? You don’t think I’ve thought about dying every single day?” I pause, eyeing everyone in our circle. “I can’t possibly be the only one who’s thought about suicide.”
A few nodded but they broke eye contact.
“So please,” I continue, returning my attention to Coin, “give me a break. I’m going to figure this out. We’re going to figure this out. But we have to be on the same team. It’s us against them. Don’t forget that.”
Everyone stared at me, a heavy silence weighing down amid the cacophony of the Northern city—metal clanging against metal; muscles and ligaments being torn off carcasses; women bickering back and forth; elephants stomping through the crowds, and monkeys screaming at the tops of their lungs.
I looked back and noticed a small brown-and-white monkey sitting atop an old woman’s shoulder. He pointed straight ahead, his mouth wide open with sharp canine teeth revealed, then hopped on her head, climbed back down onto her shoulder, and dropped to the ground.
Was that thing a pet? What a bizarre place.
“I’m sorry,” Coin said, breaking the silence.
I turned back to her and caught her guilty gaze but didn’t say anything.
“Ain’t myself,” she said.
Hammer patted Coin on the back. “No one is. That’s what they wanted.”
“Let’s stick together,” I said. My eyes slowly found their way back toward Smith’s cabin, where she stuck a blade over a hot flame, pulled it out, and beat down on it with another piece of metal. “And find out where the hell this metal is coming from.”
CHAPTER 12
“Get in the back of da line if ya know what’s good for ya,” the woman growled, her exaggerated overbite making her look like a witch you’d read about in fairy tales.
She limped forward, keeping pace with the lineup. There were at least a hundred of them—women wearing dirty, bloodstained rags—forming a crooked line, waiting to be fed. Every time we tried to step inside the line, we encountered ferocious eyes and bared teeth.
“Get to the back!”
“Worthless scum!”
“Let’s go,” I said, walking down the line.
Something unexpectedly caught my foot, and I was thrown forward and flat in the dirt. I jumped back to my feet, wiped the dirt from my lips, and swung around with clenched fists.
A woman wearing a bonnet hat and a necklace made
of rocks opened her big, toothless mouth and let out a laugh that sounded like an explosion. She stuck a finger straight out at me, placed a hand on her stomach, and kept on laughing. Everyone around her joined in like a bunch of dumb hyenas.
As much as I’d have loved to tackle her to the ground and bash her face in, I knew it wasn’t worth it. I’d seen enough death over the last twenty-four hours, and I didn’t want more blood on my hands. And honestly, I didn’t have the energy to fight.
I turned away and continued down the crowd of hungry women. When we finally reached the end, Hammer punched a fist into her palm. “Should’ve decked her.”
You’re unpredictable and emotional, I recalled.
Even though Coin’s words had manifested out of anger, exhaustion, and starvation, there had been truth in them. Every time someone upset me, my first thought was to attack. Who was I becoming? What was I becoming? An animal like everyone else on this godforsaken island.
I shook my head. “We don’t know how these women are. Just because Alice Number Two said fighting leads to a one-on-one death match, doesn’t mean it’s true. They might’ve all jumped us. We should hang low for a while and keep our eyes open. Get to learn the ropes first.”
“What happened to her?” someone asked.
I turned around.
A woman with a scabby hairless head and an unhealthily round, almost swollen face stared past us and at Tegan, who was scratching her head and squishing herself up against Hammer.
“Orphans got her?” the woman asked.
What was she talking about? Who were these Orphans?
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
The woman shook her head and smiled, revealing two front teeth. “I’m assuming you ’aven’t heard of the story, then?”
“What story?” Coin cut in, crossing her bony arms over her flattened chest.
The woman shook her head again, and this time, her eyes darted in every direction. “The dangerous ones. They’re orphans… All of them. They came here a long time ago.”
“Get to the point,” Coin said.
“Murk never told us the full story,” someone said.
I recognized that voice.
From behind the scabby-headed woman came a figure—a hooded woman bowing her head to mask her face from the sunlight.
“You,” I said.
She’d been the one to bring us bread. She didn’t look up. Why had she spoken of Murk? She was obviously one of us. Why was she hiding?
She stepped forward, her face dark and hidden beneath her hood.
“What’re you talking about?” I asked. “Who are you?”
The woman slowly raised a hand—a pink, bubbly-skinned claw that looked like raw flesh—and pulled the hood off her head.
I couldn’t believe it.
Half of her head was completely unrecognizable—a mess of red, brown, and translucent bubbles for a face and melted skin with patches of black hair for a scalp—but the other half—porcelain skin, eyes as dark as coal, and thin flat lips that made her look like she was always in a bad mood—I recognized perfectly well.
It was Sumi—our old Village cook.
CHAPTER 13
“Who else was with you?”
“How did you get out?”
“Sumi, say something!”
“Guys, back off!” I shouted, and Hammer and Coin took a step back with their hands up by their faces.
Sumi pulled the hood back over her head and averted her gaze, obviously embarrassed by her scars.
“It’s only me,” she said, her voice barely audible amid the chaotic sound of women yapping away in the lineup.
We all took a small step closer, and the woman with scabbed skin waved a hand in the air as if to say, Carry on, and walked away, keeping her place in line. The last thing I was thinking about was food. I needed to hear what Sumi had to say. I needed answers. I’d miss mealtime if I had to.
“They caught me and Sara”—she looked at Coin as if this name meant something—“a few hours after we made it out. It was Trim… She brought us out. Is she okay? Have you seen her? What about the Hunters? A few of them were helping us get out of the burning Village, but I don’t know… I just…” She shook her head, and her hood danced from side to side. “It was too chaotic. There was so much screaming. So much smoke. I couldn’t tell who was who, so I ran.”
I swallowed hard, my throat swelling.
Why was I even here? If anyone deserved to be living and breathing right now, it was Trim.
“Some of the Hunters are okay,” I said. “But Trim didn’t make it.”
She raised her head, her dark eye staring at me from underneath red bubbly skin, and I looked away. I couldn’t own up to what had happened.
“They grabbed me, and they found Sara on the ground before the fire spread.” She turned away and pulled the hood down even farther to shield her face. “She had an arrow in her back… The infection spread before she even made it here.”
“I’m sorry,” Coin said.
I didn’t know who Sara was, but it was apparent that Coin knew her and Sumi cared deeply for her.
“It’s okay,” Sumi said. “I’m glad she isn’t here.”
“Why didn’t they kill us?” Arenas asked, brushing a delicate hand through her black hair. “Doesn’t make sense to me. Why us? What do they want?”
Sumi shook her head. “I haven’t figured that out yet. It’s a big game. I think they’re keeping us, the healthy ones, for work.”
Johnson scoffed. “By torturing us?”
“By breaking you,” Sumi said.
“Look,” I cut in, “what can you tell us about them? About the Northers? The more we know, the easier it’ll be to get the hell out of here.”
Sumi let out a forced laugh. “Still as stubborn as when I first met you.”
“I wasn’t stubborn,” I said sharply. “You were a bully.”
She let out a long sigh and raised her head, one eye catching mine. “You’re right… I’m sorry. I resented you for being new… for being a Hunter.”
“I know,” I said. “Fisher told me. She explained everything.”
“Fisher?” Sumi asked. “Is she—”
“Guys,” Johnson cut in. “I hate to break this family reunion, but we have more important things to talk about right now.”
“Girl’s right.” Hammer crossed her arms over her chest, the skin of her triceps flattening against her sides. I couldn’t believe how much weight she’d lost. “Where’s the metal coming from? And what’re they doing with Franklin?”
“Franklin?” Sumi asked. “That tall girl with tattoos?”
Hammer nodded.
“I remember her,” Sumi went on. “She used to ask for—”
“The Northers have her,” Coin cut in. “Or whoever the hell they are. Man, I don’t know what’s goin’ on anymore. Ain’t they all Northers? Who are these women?” she swung around on her heels, her eyes darting from side to side.
Sumi slouched. “I don’t know what they’re doing with Franklin. She isn’t the first to be taken away. A few of our people have disappeared, and they haven’t come back.”
“That’s great,” Arenas said, waving her arms from side to side. “Just great.”
Sumi ignored her. “And these women are all Northers, technically. I think I’ve figured it out, though.”
Dozens of women gathered in the empty space in front of us, moving us farther back in the line, but I didn’t care.
“I think they’re divided by class,” Sumi said. “Peasants, I guess… And royalty, or military. I don’t know how else to describe it. We don’t have any rights here. We do what we’re told and when we’re told by the Originals or the Orphans. It’s a long story. We cook for them… make clothes for them. Forge weapons for them. And the Peasants, meaning us, come from everywhere. Some of them are fresh drops and the Orphans catch them. They’re not all bad. The Northers, I mean. It’s the Originals and the Orphans who are the most dangerous, asid
e from a few Peasants who try to control the city. Most of these Northers are slaves.”
“Who are these Originals? Or Orphans?” I asked. This wasn’t the first time I’d heard the term. “And where’s the metal coming from?”
“Whoa,” Hammer said, sticking out a flat hand in front of her face. “You’re confusing me. Too many terms being thrown around. We’ve always known the Northers as being bad… Evil, even. So, let’s keep it that way. When we say Norther, from now on, we’re talkin’ about the crazy ones.” She twirled a finger in the air. “These women aren’t Northers. They were captured.”
Coin shrugged. “Yeah. That makes sense to me.”
“Originals, Orphans,” Hammer went on… “They’re Northers. Plain and simple.”
Sumi barely moved. “Okay, fine.”
“Keep going,” I said. I wanted to hear more.
“We could talk about this for hours,” Sumi said and paused, her hooded head swiftly turning from side to side. “But it’s better if I show you.”
CHAPTER 14
You sure it’s safe for us to be leavin’ the city?” Coin asked, slipping through a wall of banana leaves.
Sumi didn’t turn around. “We have to be quick about it, that’s all. There are Northers positioned around the territory, sealing us inside. It’s not like we can run away. As long as you’re not on duty, it’s fine.”
After supper, which had been nothing more than a piece of bread, two nuts, and a handful of fruit, Alice Number Two had relieved us of our posts. She’d said something along the lines of, “Go make friends,” which was a patronizing way of telling us to get lost. She hadn’t even bothered to tell us where we were to sleep, and when Johnson brought it up, Alice scoffed and turned away as if the idea of a bed was a luxury we’d never experience again in this lifetime.