Read City of Cruelty and Copper (Temperance Era) for Free Online

I had three sisters, seven aunts, two uncles and about fifty cousins. Not all of them were permitted access to the black box, but my mom and sisters, whichever aunts Rab wasn’t fighting with, and one of my two uncles. The other one never left the house.
    “I’ll come down before it’s over to say hello.”
    Rab turned and nodded. He was just as unreadable as he always was, his brown eyes cast to the floor. “Aunt Caroline is dying. Make sure you say something to her.”
    I took a step towards the door. Someone was always dying in Temperance. We didn’t mourn them the way other cultures did, we used them for fuel. During famines we used them for food. Then we developed greenhouses and harvested the genes of cattle from the old world. We raised livestock and grew vegetables on the West Side. “I won’t be long,” I lied again, taking another step towards the door. Rab nodded and turned back to the Arena. His attention was on the hoses they were using to soak the ground in kerosene. I had seen this stunt before, ten years ago. I stopped at the doorjamb.
    “What’s the theme this year?” I tried sounding nonchalant.
    Rab only turned a fraction. “Scullery Massacre. You can pick up a smoke bomb apple at the front gate if you want.”
    “So they’re dressing her up as a chef?” My throat burned with indignation. Every year they tried to make Fable’s death seem like a glamorous event. Dress her up in costumes, make her perform impossible feats. Some of the themes were easier to stomach than others.
    “No, a bar wench.”
    I didn’t want to hear more. “I’ll see you later.” I slipped away from the room and clicked on my flashlight, following the darkened tunnels until I reached the front gates. Isaac was leaning against the railing watching people as they entered. I wondered if any of his friends from the East side had shown up. He saw me approach as I clicked off my flashlight.
    “He really let you do it?”
    I shrugged. “I have to be back before it’s over.”
    Isaac shook his head. “He doesn’t really think we’re going to sit in the stands does he?”
    I looked back at the Arena, the sandy floor being populated with things from an old world kitchen. Counters, oven, utensils, dining table, chairs. Vertigo washed through me and for a moment it was hard to stand up straight. I let my eyes drift over the barrel of smoke bomb apples. “He doesn’t have to believe me.”
    Isaac raised an eyebrow like it was a challenge. He had known me for a year and he knew how hard it was for me to break the rules. This wasn’t me throwing caution to the wind, this was serious. I had explained it to him over and over how important it was for the founding families to be unanimous in their convictions. As a family, the Ketterlings stood for the rehabilitation of Earth, restoring what was once a fantastic place to live according to our link to the past and central archetype to our culture: Fable. The other families each stood for something as well, most notably the Crays. They supported the pursuit for immortality and were the protectors of the Fountain of Youth. “You sure Jonathan won’t mind?” He said it with a mocking edge to his tone and I slapped him on the upper forearm.
    “That crush was really stupid.” I walked away from the gates of the Arena. We were the only ones not inside, the rest of the city seeming like a ghost town in the wake of the festival. I didn’t know where I was going, but we had the whole day. That’s how long they spent trying to kill Fable. Every summer it was the same. Temperance Day began around high noon and didn’t end until the fireworks at sunset.
    Isaac stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked slowly beside me, taking care to match my pace. “I keep telling you that the boys on the East side are more fun than the Central brats you keep trying to fit in with.”
    I laughed. It was nice to be out in the open air, not stuck inside the dismal Arena all day. I lifted my