You put yourselves and your families in danger. Our rules are not a joke, something you can blithely disregard. Did you think for one second that I wouldn’t find out? I
always
know where you are. I carry the Community in the same way that you are carrying these beams. If I can’t falter, then neither can you. Now walk!” He gives her a shove and water spills out of both buckets.
Marie cries out again and stumbles forward. Pioneer wheels around, comes to each of us in turn. “You will follow each and every rule that I set down from now on. Without question. Step out of line again and this punishment will seem like a light scolding compared with what comes next. I will not have troublemakers in the Community.”
“We honestly didn’t mean to cause a problem,” Brian says.
Pioneer stops beside him. “Neither did Adam and Eve, but their god still kicked them out of Eden, didn’t he? The Brethren demand more from you—and so do I.”
I’ve never seen Pioneer so worked up and angry. It scares me. Is he threatening to kick us out of the Community if we mess up again?
Where would we go?
Pioneer continues to walk beside us for the remainder of our laps. He talks on and on about the Brethren’s plan for us, our duty to them, but I can’t concentrate. I hurt too much. We do three laps more before he finally lets us stop. When the beam comes off my shoulders, I struggle not to throw up. I try to put my fingers on the sticky, wet skin just beneath my hair, but the slightest touch makes mewant to pass out. I look at Will’s neck instead. It’s bloody and raw—so are Brian’s and Marie’s.
Mr. Kincaid enters the corral with an armful of towels and medical supplies. He places them on the top of the fence post next to Pioneer, but before he can come over and examine us, Pioneer waves him away. Without a word, Pioneer motions me forward and then begins kd t Pi gently tending to my neck. He makes little clucking noises as he works.
“I hate this. More than you do. I love you all so much. It kills me when I have to help you learn such a lesson.” He smooths my hair and kisses the top of my head. “But you’ll never learn, will you, Little Owl, if the lesson isn’t memorable?”
I swallow hard. I can’t say anything. Right now I’m pretty sure that I hate him and what he’s done to us. If I open my mouth, I’m not sure that I won’t tell him so.
“Be a good girl now, Little Owl. Please don’t make me do this to you again.” He’s obviously sensed my rage, because he’s looking at me intently now.
After a moment, he puts a hand on the center of my back and rubs it in a slow circle the way my mom sometimes does when I’m sick; then he moves on to Marie. Marie hasn’t stopped crying yet. I watch Pioneer whisper in her ear and kiss the top of her head like he did with me. Her eyes meet mine, but there’s no anger in them, just pain mixed with relief. Does she think our punishment was just?
We spend the rest of the day on work duty, first at the stables and then in the kitchen. Bandages cover our neck wounds, but everyone stares at them. Many of the adults shoot disapproving looks our way. I can almost hear them chastising us.
Will keeps his head down as we pass everyone, his hand wound tightly around mine. Marie covers her face with her hands. I don’t hide. I stare right back. We’ve already been punished. We’ve
bled
. What more do they want?
We’re excused from dinner with the rest of the Community that night. We have to eat our dinners alone in our rooms. I can’t stomach the food, even though it’s my favorite stew. My body hurts everywhere. I ease my way onto my bed and stare out the window at the sky. The stars are clear and bright above the trees, twinkling portals. Are the Brethren up there watching me now? When they finally travel here after we’ve survived the end, will they say I’m worthy to be with them or leave me here alone, a survivor of humanity but an outcast of its
always
know where you are. I carry the Community in the same way that you are carrying these beams. If I can’t falter, then neither can you. Now walk!” He gives her a shove and water spills out of both buckets.
Marie cries out again and stumbles forward. Pioneer wheels around, comes to each of us in turn. “You will follow each and every rule that I set down from now on. Without question. Step out of line again and this punishment will seem like a light scolding compared with what comes next. I will not have troublemakers in the Community.”
“We honestly didn’t mean to cause a problem,” Brian says.
Pioneer stops beside him. “Neither did Adam and Eve, but their god still kicked them out of Eden, didn’t he? The Brethren demand more from you—and so do I.”
I’ve never seen Pioneer so worked up and angry. It scares me. Is he threatening to kick us out of the Community if we mess up again?
Where would we go?
Pioneer continues to walk beside us for the remainder of our laps. He talks on and on about the Brethren’s plan for us, our duty to them, but I can’t concentrate. I hurt too much. We do three laps more before he finally lets us stop. When the beam comes off my shoulders, I struggle not to throw up. I try to put my fingers on the sticky, wet skin just beneath my hair, but the slightest touch makes mewant to pass out. I look at Will’s neck instead. It’s bloody and raw—so are Brian’s and Marie’s.
Mr. Kincaid enters the corral with an armful of towels and medical supplies. He places them on the top of the fence post next to Pioneer, but before he can come over and examine us, Pioneer waves him away. Without a word, Pioneer motions me forward and then begins kd t Pi gently tending to my neck. He makes little clucking noises as he works.
“I hate this. More than you do. I love you all so much. It kills me when I have to help you learn such a lesson.” He smooths my hair and kisses the top of my head. “But you’ll never learn, will you, Little Owl, if the lesson isn’t memorable?”
I swallow hard. I can’t say anything. Right now I’m pretty sure that I hate him and what he’s done to us. If I open my mouth, I’m not sure that I won’t tell him so.
“Be a good girl now, Little Owl. Please don’t make me do this to you again.” He’s obviously sensed my rage, because he’s looking at me intently now.
After a moment, he puts a hand on the center of my back and rubs it in a slow circle the way my mom sometimes does when I’m sick; then he moves on to Marie. Marie hasn’t stopped crying yet. I watch Pioneer whisper in her ear and kiss the top of her head like he did with me. Her eyes meet mine, but there’s no anger in them, just pain mixed with relief. Does she think our punishment was just?
We spend the rest of the day on work duty, first at the stables and then in the kitchen. Bandages cover our neck wounds, but everyone stares at them. Many of the adults shoot disapproving looks our way. I can almost hear them chastising us.
Will keeps his head down as we pass everyone, his hand wound tightly around mine. Marie covers her face with her hands. I don’t hide. I stare right back. We’ve already been punished. We’ve
bled
. What more do they want?
We’re excused from dinner with the rest of the Community that night. We have to eat our dinners alone in our rooms. I can’t stomach the food, even though it’s my favorite stew. My body hurts everywhere. I ease my way onto my bed and stare out the window at the sky. The stars are clear and bright above the trees, twinkling portals. Are the Brethren up there watching me now? When they finally travel here after we’ve survived the end, will they say I’m worthy to be with them or leave me here alone, a survivor of humanity but an outcast of its
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