1 Chapter 1: Nikolai

12 years prior

"There is a place in the lower city where all of the rule breakers go to get corrected, what is it called?" The teacher quizzed as she paced up and down the rows of students.

"The Playhouse."

"And why is it necessary?"

"To enforce the rules."

Stopping at someones desk she asked, "What are the rules? Jason, if you would."

Suddenly in the spotlight he sat up straight, cleared his throat and answered, "Rule one: Curfew is at nine. Rule two: follow the laws. Rule three: Always carry your identification card. Rule four: Know where you stand...." he recited the Rules we had all memorized by the time we came into second grade. I laid my head on my desk as I listened to him drone on about the rules when I suddenly heard a loud crack.

"Nikolai, while you may have a higher social standing than some of us, you still need to pay attention in class. These are the Rules that we must abide by to survive. Can you tell us what will happen to those who break the rules?"

"They get sent to the Playhouse to be punished."

"Why?"

"So they understand that they are not perfect or just, they are simply wrong." This is the way it's always been the powerful control the weak with fear and oppression so they can live in a more 'peaceful' world. But they're all wrong. The lower city in hell because nobody will look at the problems they encounter because the are the lesser.