The Murder Complex Read online

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

  ..................................................................

  Advance Reader’s e-proof

  courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers

  This is an advance reader’s e-proof made from digital files of the uncorrected proofs. Readers are reminded that changes may be made prior to publication, including to the type, design, layout, or content, that are not reflected in this e-proof, and that this e-pub may not reflect the final edition. Any material to be quoted or excerpted in a review should be checked against the final published edition. Dates, prices, and manufacturing details are subject to change or cancellation without notice.

  THESE ARE UNCORRECTED ADVANCE PROOFS. Please check any quotations or attributions against the bound copy of this book. We urge this for the sake of editorial accuracy as well as for your legal protection and ours.

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

  ..................................................................

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

  ..................................................................

  DEDICATION

  dedication TK

  CONTENTS

  Cover

  Disclaimer

  Title

  Dedication

  Chapter 1: Meadow

  Chapter 2: Zephyr

  Chapter 3: Meadow

  Chapter 4: Zephyr

  Chapter 5: Medow

  Chapter 6: Zephyr

  Chapter 7: Meadow

  Chapter 8: Zephyr

  Chapter 9: Meadow

  Chapter 10: Zephyr

  Chapter 11: Meadow

  Chapter 12: Zephyr

  Chapter 13: Meadow

  Chapter 14: Zephyr

  Chapter 15: Meadow

  Chapter 18: Zephyr

  Chapter 19: Meadow

  Chapter 20: Zephyr

  Chapter 21: Meadow

  Chapter 21: Zephyr

  Chapter 23: Meadow

  Chapter 24: Zephyr

  Chapter 25: Meadow

  Chapter 26: Zephyr

  Chapter 27: Meadow

  Chapter 28: Zephyr

  Chapter 29: Meadow

  Chapter 30: Zephyr

  Chapter 31: Meadow

  Chapter 32: Zephyr

  Chapter 33: Meadow

  Chapter 34: Zephyr

  Chapter 35: Meadow

  Chapter 36: Zephyr

  Chapter 37: Meadow

  Chapter 38: Zephyr

  Chapter 39: Meadow

  Chapter 40: Zephyr

  Chapter 41: Meadow

  Chapter 42: Zephyr

  Chapter 43: Meadow

  Chapter 44: Zephyr

  Chapter 45: Meadow

  Chapter 46: Zephyr

  Chapter 47: Meadow

  Chapter 48: Zephyr

  Chapter 49: Meadow

  Chapter 50: Zephyr

  Chapter 51: Meadow

  Chapter 52: Zephyr

  Chapter 53: Meadow

  Chapter 54: Zephyr

  Chapter 55: Meadow

  Chapter 56: Zephyr

  Chapter 57: Meadow

  Chapter 58: Zephyr

  Chapter 59: Meadow

  Chapter 60: Zephyr

  Chapter 61: Meadow

  Chapter 62: Zephyr

  Chapter 63: Meadow

  Chapter 64: Zephyr

  Chapter 65: Meadow

  Chapter 66: Zephyr

  Chapter 67: Meadow

  Chapter 68: Zephyr

  Chapter 69: Meadow

  Chapter 70: Zephyr

  Chapter 71: Meadow

  Chapter 72: Zephyr

  Chapter 73: Meadow

  Chapter 74: Zephyr

  Chapter 75: Meadow

  Chapter 76: Zephyr

  Chapter 77: Meadow

  Chapter 78: Zephyr

  Chapter 79: Meadow

  Chapter 80: Zephyr

  Chapter 81: Meadow

  Chapter 84: Zephyr

  Chapter 85: Meadow

  Chapter 86: Zephyr

  Chapter 87: Meadow

  Chapter 88: Zephyr

  Chapter 89: Meadow

  Chapter 90: Zephyr

  Chapter 91: Meadow

  Chapter 94: Zephyr

  Chapter 95: Meadow

  About the Author

  Credits

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

  ..................................................................

  Welcome to the Murder Complex.

  You cannot see us. You cannot feel us.

  But we are here.

  And we control your every move

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

  ..................................................................

  CHAPTER 1

  MEADOW

  It is the key to survival, the key to life. My father’s old dagger.

  “Peri!” I call out over the waves to my little sister. An old can bobs up and down in the water, mesmerizing me for a moment. Beyond the Shallows, the sea is packed with boats. Some of them are still afloat, with their masts stretching like arms to the sky. Others are half-submerged, shipwrecked and covered with moss.

  Among the boats are other things. Old tires, half of a rusted car, plastic. A body lies facedown in the waves, her hair spread out to the sides like seaweed.

  Behind me, in the city, the Night Siren wails. It starts low, then whoops higher and back down again. Everyone on the beach hurries into the shadows, knowing all too well what happens when the sun goes down.

  It isn’t safe anymore. I call out to Peri again. “It’s time to go!”

  She holds up a tiny hand and gives me the signal: two grubby little fingers held high above her head.

  Two minutes. It is always two more minutes with her.

  The sun is sinking, a massive orange ball melting into the sea. It sets fire to the sky, and everything is dancing in colors. Reds, oranges, yellows. It reminds me of blood, it reminds me of my mother.

  Peri comes running up to me, kicking a spray of sand behind her. “I found a periwinkle!” she squeaks, sounding like a startled seagull. “Like me!”

  “Yeah? Let’s see it.” I cast a glance over my shoulder, at the few people who still litter the beach, before kneeling down to her level. Peri’s big gray eyes, the color of sea foam, widen as she places the tiny shell in my outstretched palm. It’s twisty and fat, with a sharp point at the top. A hermit crab peeks out at me warily from inside, claw poised for the attack. The crab has barely enough meat for anyone to eat, but I’m still tempted to shove it into my pocket. But somehow the Initiative would find out. As sure as the tide comes and goes, the Initiative will always discover our secrets.

  “It’s a good one,” I say, smiling down at her. “But we can’t keep it.”

  The thick black numbers tattooed onto her forehead crease in frustration. 72050. Peri’s Catalogue Number, just one number different from mine. Our barcodes show the Initiative where we are, who we are, every moment of our lives. As Peri grows, it will grow, and it will never fade or wrinkle because of the healing nanites we all have in our blood.

  “Tell you what.” I point the tip of my dagger toward the shell. “We’ll mark it. That way, next time you find it, you’ll remember.” I etch a small heart into the side of the shell. It’s crooked, and hardly legible. I drop the crab on the sand, let the waves take it away. Peri smiles triumphantly. She’s a miniature version of me. Silv
er hair that hangs in loose curls to her waist. Like our mother’s.

  “Okay, time to go.” She grabs my hand and tows me along the sand, humming the tune to an old lullaby under her breath. Soft, so no one but the two of us can hear it. Peri knows the value of silence in the Shallows.

  At the far end of the beach, a jetty of large rocks juts out into the ocean. Waves crash on the rocks, and we get soaked, but it doesn’t matter. The heat of the summer clings to me like fog.

  Peri goes first, clambering on hands and feet up the jetty and over to the other side. I climb down after her and my breath catches in my throat.

  Pirates.

  They’ll do anything for extra Creds. The Initiative pays them to guard the shore and take care of minor problems, as well as find and report the citizens who break the four Commandments of the Shallows.

  Commandment One: Honor the Initiative.

  Commandment Two: Thou shalt not attempt to cross the Perimeter.

  Commandment Three: Honor the Silent Hour.

  Commandment Four: Thou shalt not harbor useful items from the days Before.

  “Pay up,” one of the Pirates says. He stands from his spot by a blazing campfire. They are cooking fish.

  We could never afford an entire fish. Whatever we gather is sent to the Rations Department, and mixed and pureed with other nutrient-rich foods for distribution.

  “We don’t want any trouble tonight,” I say. I press Peri closer to my side. “We just want to get to our boat.”

  The Pirate laughs, and the two men with him join in. They are all covered in tattoos. One of them has an Initiative tattoo—an open, unblinking eye—on his neck, just below his chin. “You want to go to sea, little girl, you gotta pay.”

  My hand finds the dagger on my thigh. There’s only three of them. If I were alone, I could end this at once. But Peri tugs on my shirt, and I see the fear in her eyes. I cannot risk her safety. Not now, when the Dark Time is so close. And I have nothing to give the Pirates, nothing to buy us passage.

  But Peri does.

  She wears a pair of too-large tennis shoes, and the laces are still intact. Something like that is precious, and it kills me that I will be the one to take them from her.

  “I’ll give you the laces,” I tell the Pirates, pointing at Peri’s feet. “Then you’ll let us go.”

  The largest man lets out a whistle. His breath is rotten. “I’m feeling generous tonight, little girl. Next time, you better come prepared. Understood?”

  I nod my head. “Next time you might not get away with your life.”

  He thinks it’s a joke.

  I stoop to untie the laces. Peri frowns, but does not cry.

  She’s strong, my little sister.

  The Pirates snatch the laces and go back to their fish, laughing. Peri and I pass safely and run down the beach. We yank the palm fronds and seaweed from our boat. It is a tiny dinghy, large enough for only two people. I quickly untie the line, push the boat into the waves, and we leave the shore behind.

  “Meadow? Will we eat tonight?” Peri asks me as I row, weaving through the maze of waste and litter. The wind blows her hair back from her face, and I notice how her cheekbones stick out, how her eyes are slightly sunken. She’s losing more weight.

  “Yes.” I nod, looking away. The way she’s studying me, as if I am the only thing in the world worth loving, makes my heart fill with guilt. If she only knew what I do to make sure she can eat. To make sure that all of us survive.

  Two miles from shore, I stop and stare out at the black sea, feeling my shoulders burn from the effort of rowing. The dinghy bumps up against our houseboat. It is quiet here, a still night, the waves lapping the boat, the same way they always have. When my mother was murdered, I thought the world would end with her. But it goes on.

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

  ..................................................................

  CHAPTER 2

  ZEPHYR

  A number is a stupid thing to fear.

  57809. Each time I see that one I shiver.

  45860. I spin away, face flushed, fingers trembling.

  23412. Guilt. Hatred. Anguish. I want to turn around and bang my head against a brick wall until it bleeds, until I black out and leave the world behind.

  Wards shouldn’t have feelings. Especially the boys. We should be tough, able to fend for ourselves. At least, that’s what the Initiative tells us.

  It’s stupid to fear a number.

  But I do.

  I do.

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

  ..................................................................

  CHAPTER 3

  MEADOW

  Every night, I stay awake for as long as I can to keep my nightmares at bay. I stand on the deck. The sea is blacker than the sky, and even though I can barely see the waves rising and falling in the moonlight, I feel the motion beneath my feet. A gentle lull that makes me feel safe. The other boats around us slosh and groan at their moorings.

  In the distance, I can see the lights of the Perimeter—the massive black wall that surrounds the Shallows.

  My father tells me there was a war that tore the country apart, and everyone left alive got the Plague. It turns your insides to mush. You die in an instant, and everyone close enough to see it happen dies, too.

  Every so often, the top edge of the Perimeter blinks blue, then purple, and back again. The Pulse. The lights send a message to the Pin that is implanted in our arms, at birth. When it gets the message, the Pin releases nanites. They eat away at the impurities in our bodies, fixing our cells, like sand fleas cleaning the sand. Because of it, we are all healthy. Because of the Pulse, death by an illness or disease is no longer something to fear. The Plague cannot harm us here. Commandment Two is for our safety.

  And that is the only reason why we stay.

  I start to turn, ready to head back inside. Peri will be having her own nightmares by now. But before I do, something stops me.

  I think I hear footsteps.

  “Peri?”

  Something hits me, hard, and the air is knocked from my lungs. I tumble overboard, crashing into the black sea.

  Someone has me. We are sinking to the bottom of the ocean, fast, the moonlight overhead slowly fading.

  I can’t breathe, I can’t think. I am going to drown.

  Count to three. Relax your mind. Now survive. My father’s words ring clearly in my head, and I obey.

  My fist connects with human flesh, and I hear a low groan through the water. I reach back and grab the handle of my dagger, open my eyes, and thrust it toward my attacker. The blade connects, just as I feel three hard squeezes on my arm. The signal in my family, when we are ready to give up. I recoil, pulling the dagger away. I’m going to pay for this one.

  I kick to the surface and suck in the cool summer air as my brother surfaces beside me.

  “What the hell, Meadow?!” Koi rages, both of us sputtering salt water. “Dad!” he screams, and our father’s face appears over the railing. He tosses the rope ladder down to us, and we swim toward it in the moonlight.

  “Damn it!” Koi groans as he hobbles up the ladder and flops onto the deck like a dying fish. He lies on his back and gulps in air. Silver tendrils of hair frame his scarred face. “How many times have I told you? Leave . . . the dagger . . . ” Groan. “On the boat . . . ” Groan. “When we’re sparring!”

  I pull myself up the ladder and squat down beside my brother. He gives me the one-fingered salute and I wince at the small pool of blood gathering on the deck beneath his thigh. Blood doesn’t bother me, most of the time. The nanites repair our wounds at a rapid rate. They leave scars behind, signs of our strength. But seeing my brother’s blood makes my head spin. The thought of me being the one to end Koi’s life makes me want to retch.

  “You snuck up on me!” I whine. But despite the blood, I can’t help b
ut smile. Koi’s wins tally three for every one of mine. “Here, let me help. . . . ”

  “No, I’m fine,” Koi growls. The wound is already closing. “It isn’t even that bad.” He grimaces and swats my hand away. His scars are like hundreds of tiny teeth marks up and down his arms. Mine aren’t as bad—only a few nicks here and there—but I wish I had more. Scars are trophies in the Shallows. They show we know how to cheat death.

  “Nice work, Meadow.” My father grins up at me. He turns the crank on a big, rusted wheel positioned on the bow of the boat. Down aft is a housing unit that holds a coil of barbed wire. Chains connected to the wheel release a thick strand of barbed wire from the housing unit. The wire snakes around the railing of our boat, its points sharp as knives. No one can ever be too safe. “You’re getting better. I think you’re ready.”

  “Really?” I try not to let my voice squeak with excitement. Tomorrow is my birthday. Sixteen years old, and it cannot come fast enough. It is June, the sixth month of the year, when two special trains will run through the Shallows—the Red and the Blue Train. If I make it on, I will have my placement test, and if everything goes well, finally, a real paying job. That will mean more food and water rations for my family.

  “Yes, really.” My father motions for us to join him inside. We saunter in after him, and he lights a candle once we close the doors and shutters. I think I smell lilies, my mother’s favorite flower. But the scented candles are long gone.

  Across the room, I can see Peri sprawled on her mattress, arms and legs spread wide as if she’s just collapsed after a long, exhausting run.

  “Are you nervous?” Koi pulls up an old wooden chair and swings it around so he’s sitting on it backward, arms spread casually across the rounded top.

  “No,” I lie, because I don’t want Koi to think I’m weak. “Tell me how to get on the train.”

  He chuckles under his breath. “I’ve already told you, Meadow. A thousand times. Just keep your head down. Don’t draw attention to yourself. You’ll be fine.”