Page 19 of Deviant

“Not disappointed. Just exhausted from having to watch so many good people being ripped away from their homes and families when there is no reason for it. If they just paid attention to the rules, then maybe they’d find a loophole too and not get sucked into the madness.”

“Loophole?” I parrot, holding onto the word with all my might for fear it will disappear.

Joe’s lips curve to the side, realizing he inadvertently let his mouth run away with him in front of the one person who actually takes him seriously.

“What do you mean by ‘loophole,’ Joe?” I ask more sternly, determined not to let him dismiss the remark as just another one of his drunken, incoherent comments.

We both know he’s not drunk tonight. He’s very fucking lucid. Perhaps the most lucid one in this godforsaken place.

“Answer me, Joe,” I repeat, staring him dead in the eye.

“For fuck’s sake,” he mumbles under his breath in exasperation before giving me his full attention. “You’re a smart girl, Rowen. You figure it out.”

“No, no,” I shake my head at him, trying to continue with our conversation before he brushes it off. “What did you mean by finding a loophole? Tell me,” I demand a little louder.

Joe’s eyes widen, displeased, as he stares behind me, making sure no one at the station can hear what we are talking about.

“You said if we paid attention to the rules, then innocent people wouldn’t have to march to their deaths. But the only rule I know of is that anyone between the ages of eighteen and twenty-eight might be called as a sacrifice toThe Scourge.So what rules areyoutalking about?” I insist, but then I’m momentarily stunned silent when Joe decides to laugh at me. “Do you think this is funny?”

“Fuck no. It’s the most tragic thing I’ve heard.”

“What is?”

“That you think a ten-year gap is the only requirement for the Harvest Dozen.”

“Isn’t it?” I counter in confusion.

“Nope,” he pops the ‘p’ in the end before shimmying in closer to me like he’s about to finally confess a secret. “There areotherrules in play.”

“What other rules?” I whisper back, admittedly invested in what he’s about to confide in me.

My hackles rise when he raises his finger, ready to list them all, confirming there is more than just one rule.

“You got the ages right, but there is more to it.”

“Like what?” I repeat, my throat completely parched all of a sudden.

“Come on, girlie. I already told you one.”

“No, you didn…” but the rest of my sentence dies on the tip of my tongue when I realize Joehas,in fact, already given me a clue. “No alcoholics,” I finish softly instead.

When he double-taps the tip of his nose, I know I’m right.

“And that means no junkies, either. They don’t want anyone with any kind of substance abuse impediment. Probably because it’s a pain in the ass to have to deal with addicts detoxing for thebig event,” he concludes with a hint of distaste, using air quotes while pronouncing ‘big event.’

My brows pinch together as I take in his detailed suspicions and quickly try to make my own assessment.

He could be right.

In my limited lifetime, I can’t recall anyone who had some form of substance use disorder ever being chosen, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened in the past. I’d have to look into it to verify if his information is on the mark or just a conspiracy theory.

“Don’t believe me, then go to town hall and search the records yourself. And while you’re at it, if you go back and check everyone who has ever been selected for the Harvest Dozen, you’ll see they were all in peak condition, too. I’m talking about a squeaky-clean bill of health. Maybe the best shape they have ever been up to that point. So no sicko’s either,” Joe says, raising another finger, making it now a total of three requirements when I’ve officially heard of only one.

“Okay, what else?” I ask, diving headfirst into this rabbit hole he’s taking me under.

He stares at me for a while and utters, “No parents. It’s an unspoken rule that you’re immediately disqualified from selection if you have a child,” making it the fourth requirement.

“You’re wrong,” I snap, hating that he would suggest such a thing.

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