Rule 11

I’m Seth. I lived with the men of my family. My sisters live in the house with the women. My dad was a builder, like I was learning to be. This year he retires and goes to the city to be with Mom. She was a cook, like my sisters are, but once she and Dad are reunited, all their kids will build and cook for them. That’s how it was supposed to be. I’m not sure how many sisters I have. I only really knew Kara, who is eleven now, like me. I was the youngest boy in the house, but my younger brother was born this year in the city. When he turns ten, he’ll know The Ten Rules like you and I do.

Our families taught us to say the rules every year on our birthdays. They played a game and said lines like on a TV show so we would speak them ourselves. My first words at one, like everyone’s, were, “I love you.” On my second birthday I said, “Sharing is good.” “We’re all friends,” was my third birthday. “Every day is a gift,” was four. “We all grow together,” was five. “We give life to each other,” was six. “We don’t cheat each other,” at seven. “If you need me, I’ll help you,” at eight. “Honesty makes everything better,” was nine. Last year I said the tenth rule, but something bad happened.

On my tenth birthday, I woke up in my bunk. My older brother Tom was asleep above me. My oldest brother Mike was in his room across the hall. Dad was in his room past the kitchen and the living room at the far end of the hall. I stood up and walked down the hall to the bathroom by the front door. As I walked, the toilet filled with enough liquid to flush my waste away. The house knew how much I’d eaten the night before. It lit my path with pictures of my footsteps. I knew it was a big day. I felt happy and played with the steps, dancing around them, watching the house catch up to my path. The doorway filled in when I sat on the toilet. By then I was old enough to know it was a light trick, and that there were no real doors in the house except the front one. For fun I wadded up a piece of toilet paper, spat in it, and threw it through the door’s image into the hall. The floor flashed red when it landed.

“Save paper, Son,” said my Dad’s voice from the ceiling.

I knew it was the house, and that he was asleep still, but I whispered to the ceiling, “It’s my birthday, Dad.”

“I know. It’s a big day for everyone. Just finish your business and pick up the mess,” said his voice. I did. I picked up the paper in the hall and saw Mike’s foot prints draw onto the floor. I stood against the wall and saluted, hearing him yawn from his room. A moment later he stepped out. His path erased when he saw me and stopped. I had surprised him. He laughed and his steps redrew as he started down the hall again. “At ease soldier,” he said when he passed me. I marched back into my room.

Tom was up. He was facing the screen-wall in his bunk. I couldn’t see what he was watching because his wall wouldn’t let me unless he shared it. I went past our desks by the door and flopped onto my bed again. My wall lit up for me and wished me a happy birthday with boats and a banner.

“Tom! You know what day it is?” I asked.

He didn’t respond at first. “No.”

I knew he knew. He would have seen it on his screen. “It’s my birthday dumb-dumb.”

“Good job,” he said. He sounded mad again. He’d been like that since I was little. I couldn’t remember him being happy with me since I was about four. Dad and Mike told me a long time ago to just be good and not worry about him. They said he would be ok, and that no matter what, he loved me.

“What are you watching?” I asked.

“Nothing,” he said.

I started to play my rocket building game. “Please?” I asked. “I’m playing Rockets. Do you want to play too?” He didn’t say anything that time. “I’ll share my screen with you.”

“I don’t want to,” he said.

I started to get upset. “Will you share your screen with me?”

“No.”

I stopped paying attention and my rocket crashed. “Tom, you’re not being nice,” I said. He didn’t say anything. “What are you watching?” I tried again.

“I told you. Nothing,” he said.

I didn’t believe him, and was about to step out of bed when I noticed Mike’s foot path lit inside our room before I heard the toilet flush down the hall. “You’re not being nice Tom.” He didn’t say anything again. I heard Mike coming. “You’re gonna get in trouble,” I tried to warn him.

“Hey,” said Mike. He looked mad. “What are you watching Tom?”

He didn't speak.

“You’re breaking 2, man. Why don’t you be honest?” It was quiet again. Mike looked at me then back up. “Look bro, you’re breaking 7 with Seth and I’m here to help before you break 10 on his birthday. Why don’t you just 2 up and share your screen?”

It was quiet for a moment. “What do you want?” Tom asked. He sounded calm, like he didn’t understand.

Mike groaned. “Seth, I’m sorry it’s going like this, but will you please tell your brother how little we want?” I was confused but got out of bed and stood next to Mike. I looked up. Tom was still facing his wall. He was breathing deep and slow, nodding his head a little. I remember thinking he wasn’t watching anything at all, that his screen was off and he was being honest, but we couldn’t tell. Only Dad could see all our screens.

“WHAT… do you WANT?!” Tom yelled.

The ceiling flashed red. “Boys, I’m going to come in there,” the house warned. Mike looked at me. It was my turn to speak.

“We don’t want anything,” I said. Bells rang from my screen. A marching band walked across it with a banner that said, “Congratulations!” and fireworks exploded with 10s. I raised my hands up and smiled at Mike. I remember he looked proud and was going to pat my back when the ceiling flashed red suddenly. There was a loud bang from Tom’s bunk and Mike’s face shot up. I looked and saw that Tom was banging his head against the wall.

“Thomas, you’re in trouble,” the house said. I saw our father’s path light up into the room. Tom did it again, harder than before. The ceiling went red and didn’t stop flashing. I was scared. Hands lit up on the ladder to the bunk as Mike hurried to it. Tom hit his head a third time as Mike was climbing.

“NO!” yelled the house as Mike reached the top. Tom was so quick, I didn’t realize he had turned and pushed Mike off until he had fallen back and hit his head on the floor. I jumped into my bed as Tom came down feet first. My parade had changed to a picture of our dad repeating, “Don’t worry son. I’m coming. You’re safe.” Tom was on top of Mike, beating his face, grabbing his throat, pounding his head against the floor as hard as he could.

My dad’s footsteps blinked red and white on the floor. “What the hell is going on?!” I heard him yell from down the hall. Tom turned to me, holding Mike down with his left hand, and dug into his pajama pants pocket with his right hand. He took out a silver heart-locket and threw it underhand to me. I caught it and he started choking Mike with both hands.

“Seth, take that and run as far into the woods as you can,” he said, “When you’re alone, open it and follow the directions! You’re ok! I love you so much! I’m sorry this is scary, I’m so sorry but I love you. They’re not our family. You’re not my family!” he screamed, crushing Mike as Dad stepped into the room.

He was in his bathrobe holding a kitchen knife. “Tommy! What the hell are you…”

“Open the house door Dad! Now!” his thumb was on Mike’s eye, his knee on his chest and his other hand holding Mike’s arm down.

“Son…”

“SHUT UP!” Tom yelled. Mike yelled in pain as Tom dug his thumb into his eye.

“Stop!” Dad ordered.

“OPEN the FUCKING door or I’ll kill him!”

“DaaaDOWWW!” Mike yelled.

“NOW!” Tom ordered.

My Dad looked at me. It was the last time I’d see him. I didn’t think of it then, but I know he saw my screen behind me with his picture telling me I’d be safe. I saw him glance up to Tom’s wall and look horrified. I still don’t know what he saw, or if anything was there.

“OPEN IT!”

My Dad dropped the knife and raised his hands. “House, open the front door!”

The ceiling flashed yellow and red. “Are you sure you want to do this?” asked a woman’s voice.

“Yes! Open the door!” he said stepping back into the hall. As the front door opened, the morning light lit his left side.

“Go Seth! Go!”

I couldn’t move.

“Please Seth, God, GO! RUN RIGHT NOW!” Tom pressed his thumb deep into Mike’s eye socket and he screamed. I didn’t know what else to do, so I stepped out of my bunk and ran past our father. “I love you! Oh God Seth GO!” he screamed as I ran. I remember my father crying out and Mike wailing in a high voice as I got through the door, which was flashing red and white.

“Help! We need your help!” my father’s voice echoed through the culdesac as the house screamed out to the neighbors. The other men in the neighborhood were waking up and some were starting to run to our house as I passed. I got to the main road, then the fork of the men’s branch, turned right, passed the guarded women’s branch, and raced through the empty park into the woods. I ran down the path, over the bridge, past the river and went off the trail. I didn’t stop running until I was inside the old redwood my brothers and I used to play in. I cried a very long time before I opened the locket.

I don’t know you, if you’re a boy or a girl, if you’re ten or older, but if you think that your family is wrong, there are others who do too. Hopefully you didn’t see as much violence as I did, but you got the locket from someone who loves you very much and wants freedom for you. You’ve followed the directions inside it and found this letter. Wether you decide to go back and stay with your family or not is your choice now. Wether you trust me or not is your choice too. There are no rules where I am. There are no lies or tricks, just your own choices. If you want to continue, leave the locket here and someone will come for you. If you’re not ready, keep it until you are and then return here again, but only if you can do so safely. If you report this, whoever gave the locket to you will be hurt and you will not be contacted again. You might be rewarded for this by your family, but how good will that be for you, and for how long? How good is something you keep but don’t love?