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The older boys returned. One had his arms wrapped around a big bucket that steamed into his face. It looked heavy. The other boy carried a long spoon. They walked around the table and filled the bowls, then disappeared back through the doors, which shut behind them.
More boys appeared through the gate Mara had come through, all in black. Two looked younger than him and were really skinny. The other five were about his age. Two of them looked exactly the same, every single thing, same hair, eyes, nose, and mouth. Twins. He’d never seen any before. In the Spring, there were two girls that called themselves twins, even though they had different mothers and looked nothing like each other. Ever since then, Mara had wondered if it was possible for two people to look exactly the same.
All the boys lined up along the wall. None of them leant against it. Mara took a deep breath and put his foot down. The pain was worse than ever. Stupid bucket.
The Shadow who’d followed the boys through the gate banged two pieces of wood together. The clacks made Mara jump. All the boys made for the table to sit in front of a bowl. Mara followed, but there were no bowls left. He sat on the bench opposite the twins. Close up, one of them had a thick scar under one eye.
Everyone remained still until the Shadow hit the wood together again, and they ate fast. Mara’s mouth watered. Maybe they’ll bring mine out in a minute. They probably didn’t know I was here. The stuff in the bowls looked lumpy and brown. He couldn’t tell what it was. Maybe the same stuff I had when I was tied up?
He felt stupid for being the only one not dressed in black. It was bad enough being the new boy without being the odd one out.
Two clacks came, and all the boys – finished eating or not – hurried back to the wall. Mara followed, stomach gurgling. The big doors opened, and several older boys quickly removed the bowls, table, and benches.
A Shadow stepped into the table’s place. “Five, six, and twelve remain. The rest of you proceed into the next yard.” Another different voice. There must be a lot of Shadows. It pointed at another metal gate, and the boys rushed through. Mara went to move with them, then remembered his door number and stayed put. He was glad he got to stay. The last thing he wanted to do was walk anywhere.
The big doors opened again, and this time three Shadows came through, two of them carrying a large wooden chair, which they placed down for the other to sit on.
“Forward,” the Shadow in the middle of the yard said.
The twins went to the Shadow and stood with their hands behind their backs. Mara cursed under his breath, then hobbled behind them.
The Shadow pointed at Mara while looking at five and six. “This boy wishes to kill your brother.”
Both twins snapped their heads around to stare at Mara. The Shadow joined the others by the chair.
I didn’t say anything. “I don’t,” Mara said. He backed off with his hands out in front of him. “I don’t even know you.”
The twins parted as they approached. The one with the scar leant forward and breathed heavily, while the other stayed upright, fists clenched. Mara had seen the look in their eyes many times – there was nothing he could say to stop them, and he’d be beaten if he didn’t run. But this wasn’t the Spring. There was nowhere to hide.
“I only just got here,” Mara said, “I’ve never seen you before.”
“Begin,” a Shadow said.
The boy
with the scar ran forward and drove a shoulder into Mara’s ribs. They hit the floor. Mara had the breath forced out of him, and he was held tight. A kick from the other twin missed as Mara tried to wriggle free from the grip. The second kick hit Mara’s bony shoulder, and the boy yelped and hopped around.
Mara nearly had an arm free, then screamed as he felt teeth sink into his wrist. The squeezing stopped, and Mara sucked in a desperate breath, but the scarred twin had only let go to get on top and now hammered at Mara with wild punches.
Mara reached up, pulled on the boy’s neck, and gave a bite of his own. Warm, salty blood from the boy’s cheek leaked into Mara’s mouth. The boy wailed and scratched at Mara’s face while punches came from the standing twin. Mara released his bite and pushed the twin on top of him toward his brother.
Mara scrambled to his feet and backed away. The Shadows stood still, while the one in the chair tapped a foot on its crossed leg. Just like the one he’d spoken to when he was tied up. Why don’t they stop this? I never said anything. Mara spat a red glob of spit on the floor.
Blood dripped from the scarred boy’s chin as he slowly advanced toward Mara. The second twin circled around to his side. As Mara’s back hit the wall, the scarred boy ran forward. Sand puffed up and hung in the air with each footstep.
The Slow had finally come, and Mara had time to think. He thought of Hicket charging at Arnolo. Then, just as Arnolo had done, Mara stepped aside. The boy crashed into the wall, hands out to stop him.
Mara didn’t have Thomas’s giant elbow to finish the job, so he turned and pushed hard on the back of the scarred twin’s head, smashing his face into the wall. Mara grabbed hair, pulled the head back, and smashed it into the wall again. He’d done it three times before the punches from his brother came again. Mara let go, dodged the next punch, and headed for the middle of the yard.
A punch came with each step the twin took, while his brother fell sideways to lie in the sand. One down, one to go. A line of snot dangled from the chin of the attacker. It swung, twisted, and extended. All Mara could think about for a second was that he didn’t want it on him. A punch grazed the end of his nose and brought his attention back to the attacker.
The look in his eyes wasn’t one Mara had seen before, but he knew exactly what it meant. If he catches me, he’ll kill me.
Peter’s voice sounded in Mara’s head. A kick in the balls will stop any man. And that’s what Mara did. The deadly look in the boy’s eyes disappeared as he dropped to his knees, hands between his legs.
Mara stepped forward, held the boy by the ears, and kneed him in the face. Mara felt teeth go into his knee, then watched the boy’s nose go flat when he did it again. The boy fell sideways when he let go, just as his brother had done by the wall. Identical faces, both now covered in blood.
The warmth inside Mara had returned.
