Chapter One

The Laws of The Evil One.

1 No male or female shall be out of their assigned home after 5:30 pm.

2 Once declared single no male or female shall have a relationship of any kind.

3 Only two children per assigned house. Any other children must go to the Evil One.

4 No male or female shall learn to read or write.

5 No one shall ever question the Evil One.

The disobeying of these laws is punishable by death.

I'm listening to my teacher Cornelius. He is sixteen, so we are his first family he ever taught. He has blonde hair, green eyes, and has glasses. Some girls find him attractive, but I find him annoying.

" Lexi! You are not paying attention!" Cornelius snapped at me.

My mother scowls at me bitterly with her green eyes. I hate it when she scowls at me, but I guess I would be bitter too if my daughter was almost fifteen and never had a boyfriend. That means one more year to find a husband, or I'm single for life.

"Who's The Evil One?" my baby sister Lizzie asks. Lizzie looks alot like me with her blonde hair and blue eyes. The only main difference is that her hair is really long that it goes down to her waist. While my hair only touches my shoulders. She just turned six so this is her first lesson with Cornelius.

"Well The Evil One controls The Nation. She sets her wickedness aside to govern our nation." Cornelius tells her in his as a matter of fact tone.

" Sets get wickedness aside? She murders hundreds of people a year!" I yelled furiously.

" Why does she murder people" Lizzie asked innocently.

I decide to answer the question.

" You know the laws you just heard," she nodded slightly, " If you don't follow them she murders you."

" Let me get on with my lesson" Cornelius snapped.

" Let's go over the laws one by one because Lizzie's new"

" The first law "

" No male or female shall be out if their assigned homes after 5:30 pm"

"Well I expect you know that Lizzie. That's why it's necessary to have a watch. And if one of our fine soldiers find you disobeying the law, they send you to The Evil One"

Lizzie looks as if she's about to cry.

" The second law."

" Once declared single no male or female shall have a relationship of any kind."

" I wouldn't expect you to know this law Lizzie. If a female is in a relationship on her 16th birthday they get married. However, if she's single on her 16th birthday she is single for life."

" Things are a bit different for a male. A male would get married on his girlfriend's 16th birthday, but he must be between the ages of 15-20. So on his 21st birthday he is declared single."

" So Lexi has only over one year to find a husband? That's not enough time!" Lizzie shouted.

" Well maybe if Lexi didn't have a big mouth she wouldn't have a problem!" said Cornelius.

I can tell that once he said it he regretted it. I could feel tears falling on my face. I would have ran out of the room by now, but the doors were locked until the end of the lesson.

" Well maybe if you weren't incredibly boring you would have found a wife already" I shouted surprisingly pleased with my comeback.

" How old are you Cornelius?" Lizzie asked.

" Sixteen" Cornelius answered sounding confused.

" Then I have a plan! You and Lexi could get married and not be a single!" Lizzie said a little too pleased.

My jaw dropped. How could she ever think that me and Cornelius could ever be married?

I swear I saw Cornelius smile, but as quickly as it came, it went away. Then Cornelius changed the subject immediately.

" The third law"

" Only two children per assigned house. Any others must be sent to the Evil One"

" So let's say your mother had a third child she would have to give it away to The Evil One"

" Well for your information, my mother already had a third child! Little Rebecca had to be sent away!" I said and I could feel tears falling on my face again.

" Does the Evil One kills the baby?" Lizzie asked nervously.

" Only if the mother resists" my mother said with a depressed look on her face.

" What happens if the mother doesn't resist?" Lizzie asked.

" No one knows" I replied .

" Fourth law"

" No male or female shall learn to read and write"

" What's that?" Lizzie asked curiously.

" A way to communicate to each other by pen and paper" Cornelius said.

" The fifth and final law"

" Never question the Evil One."

"Never try anything that goes against the Evil One" Cornelius told us sternly.

" Wow I really hate the laws" I said angrily.

" Well they are our way to life so you must follow them." Cornelius warned.

" Oh, no really! I thought that we could do what we please and actually have something called freedom!" I said sarcastically.

He gave me a cold stare. Then the minute he unlocked the door, I ran through it to meet Bethany at our hill.