“Well, I just want you to know how proud I am of you, honey.”
Luna gave her mother a questioning stare.
“Okay, okay. But I want you two to know that my decision has nothing to do with wanting to leave you.”
“Mom?” Luna asked. “Where are you going?”
“The house is paid for, Luna. I’m leaving it to you. You know how I feel—”
“Mom? Are you sick or something? What’s going on?” Luna’s brain whirled.
Her mother had just been to the doctors, but she hadn’t mentioned a terminal disease. Of course, she wouldn’t. That was how her mother was.
“No, honey. It’s nothing like that,” Linda answered. “Oh, this is so hard.”
“Mom, please just tell me. You’re scaring me.”
“It’s nothing to fear, honey. Blake and I have decided that I should move to San Diego. We want to try and work on a relationship. Maybe even . . .”
Luna stared at her mother. The idea of her mother and father getting together so late in life had not crossed her mind. But it was obvious that they were head over heels in love with each other. Whenever they were in the same room together, the tension was so thick you could cut it.
“Mom, that’s great. Are you guys going to get married?”
“Well, I don’t know. But we want to see how things go. I know this is strange for you and all, but you are an adult now, and I’m sure you can handle things on your own.”
“Why don’t you go now? I mean not today but start planning. I’m getting my GED soon, and Jonathan got a job, so we—”
“No. It can wait. We want to take it slow. For now, I will be spending time there on the weekends. Getting to know him again and the kids as well. We don’t want to rush it,” she said, then turned to Jonathan. “You understand that while I'm gone, I am entrusting my daughter to you. I trust the two of you will act appropriately in my absence.”
Luna covered her mouth as Jonathan’s face reddened.
“Yes, ma’am. Perfect gentleman. You have my word.”
“Luna?” Her mother turned to her.
“Yes, ma’am.” Luna put her hand up in a scout’s honor.
Linda stared at her for a moment before she spoke. “Luna, I know things have been stressful between us in the past, but I am really counting on you to—”
“I get it, Mom. I do. I know I was a pain in the butt, but I have grown up since then.”
Her mother raised a brow.
“No, really. You don’t know what being locked up in a crazy cult will do to a person. I have learned a lot, and I realize that I took you for granted. I really do.”
“Hey,” Jonathan said, offended. “Why must you call them crazy?”
“Come on, you have to admit, they were a little off their—”
“Luna,” her mother cautioned. “Just because they are not like us, does not make them crazy.”
Jonathan made a face, and she laughed. “If you say so.”
“Your way of life seems crazy to me. All of these ―” He waved his hands in the air. “Things. I have never seen so many comforts.”
They had entertained the topic on numerous occasions. Each believing their own way was right. Neither willing to concede.
“So, the house will be placed in your name.” Her mother changed the topic back. “If everything goes well with Blake and me —”
“I’m sure everything will go fine. You and Blake have been pining over each other for years.”
Her mother gave her a look.
“Well. At least I know you have. You never even dated another guy. Now I know the reason.”
Her mother rolled her eyes. “Can the two of you run to the store for me? I have a list.”
Luna and Jonathan had gotten their driver’s license shortly after they’d recovered from their injuries. Luna thought she’d be nervous getting back behind the wheel, but she hadn’t been. They often fought over who would get to drive her mother’s car. Sometimes they could be so childish. But they didn’t have to hide it. That, or the fact that they cared for each other.
Luna grabbed the keys, the list on the counter with two twenties attached, and followed Jonathan out to the car. As soon as she got into the driver’s seat, her pulse quickened. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
“You drive.” She scrambled from the car.
“What’s wrong?” Jonathan exited the passenger seat and came around.
“I don’t know. I just have this feeling.” She glanced around.
Luna had encountered the same feeling before. It was a cold unexplainable feeling. “Someone is watching us.”
Jonathan took the keys and slipped into the driver’s seat. “Are you sure?”
Luna nodded. Glancing around the area, she saw nothing out of place. She walked around the car and slipped into the passenger seat.
Jonathan pulled out of the driveway, and Luna stared at her surroundings. No one seemed to be there, but something was not right. She felt it.
Chapter 8 ― Daniel
The curiosity was killing him. It was late, and Daniel had been itching to get back to that corridor that held the secret door. It was all he could do to not keep walking down that hall to be sure the mark he’d made earlier in the day was still there.
He’d been so antsy the entire evening that he hadn’t even sat down to watch even one episode of the action movie marathon he’d waited all week to see.
His mother had come by a half an hour before and wished him a good night. His father would not come by his room. The man kept late hours, besides, that was not the way. Mothers were nurturers, fathers were not. Plain and simple. The only time his father had ever come to his bedroom was to reprimand him. So, it was a good thing when his father did not show up.
Daniel peeked out into the hallway to be sure no one was around. At night, the workers went to their own homes outside the community so there would be no one there to see him.
He’d always wondered why his father did not hire people from within the community, but he never asked. One day he would know all. But for now, he was just happy to be alone to check out that secret door.
With no one around, Daniel crept out into the hallway and down to the spot he’d stood only hours before. He looked for the small mark he’d made and found it right away. He pushed on it, but nothing happened. He stared at the wall in confusion.
How had he opened it the first time? He felt the wall for a seam of some kind but the hallway light was too dark to see by.
Frustrated, Daniel leaned against the wall.
Click.
When he glanced over, there it was. The secret door stuck out only a fraction from the wall. This time, without wasting another minute, he opened it and slipped inside. He fully expected to be transported into another world, but if that had happened, he couldn’t tell. He could see nothing but darkness.
“Eve!”
Daniel flinched at the sound of his father’s voice. It was as if he was right there with him in the wall. He swung around but saw no one.
“Eve! Where are you?”
He searched with his hands in the darkness. No sooner had he found the wall did he touch a switch. He flipped it up and a dim light illuminated the area.
“I am here,” the gentle voice of his mother answered.
Daniel glanced down the narrow passage. Was he inside the wall of his house? It did not look like as he imagined. There was plenty of room, and the walls were finished on the inside just as they were in the rest of the house. He followed the corridor to search for where his father’s voice was coming from.
Only a little further down, he found the source. A vent at the bottom of the wall. Daniel bent down to look through it. It led right into the office. His father sat in his chair behind his desk. His mother stood, her back to the wall in which Daniel watched.
“I have a visitor coming through the back entrance. Keep a watch out and open the gate when he arrives.”
Young Daniel shook hi
s head and kept moving. He didn’t want to hear any more of what his father was planning. Instead, he headed down the narrow pathway to do some more exploring. Once he’d made it through a maze of twists and turns, it ended at a set of stairs.
He stood at the end of the passage and stared down into the darkness. It was so completely dark that he could not see past the fifth stair.
Where does it go? What is down there?
Not ready to brave the unknown, Daniel headed back in the direction he’d come from.
Sitting on the ground next to the vent inside the wall, Daniel looked into his father’s office. A man stood, facing his father, who once again was seated at his desk. From behind, the man looked tall and bulky. His brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail that hung down his back just past his shoulders. But what was most disturbing, was the man’s voice. It was deep and dark. Almost sinister sounding.
“What is it you want me to do?” the man asked.
“I want you to find the three runaways and get rid of them,” the High Prophet said.
“How old?”
“They are of different ages. Rachel is thirteen, Jonathan eighteen and the other girl, Luna, is either seventeen or eighteen. I am not sure.”
His father reached down into his desk and pulled something out. When he raised it to the man, it was clearly a large yellow envelope.
“What is this?” the man asked.
“There are pictures of each of them. They are not close-ups, as our people do not believe in photography, but they will suffice.”
Daniel shook his head. He’d been taught that photographs were forbidden to the community and yet his father had people who took pictures from afar? Daniel had seen the files in his father’s cabinet. They contained thousands of photos. Each separated by family and stored in his father’s office. Daniel just couldn’t figure out why his father had taken them. What use did he have for them? Now he knew.
“And how do you suggest I get rid of them?”
“I have no preference.” The chair squeaked as his father leaned back and crossed his arms.
“Look, man. I don’t know who you think you hired, but I do not kill kids.”
“You have accepted the money, have you not?”
“Yes, but you did not tell me they were children.”
“It should make no matter to you. You accepted the job, and now you desire to back out?” The High Prophet sat up in his chair and eyed the man. “Does your word mean nothing?”
“Look. I can find them for you, bring them to you, and you can do whatever you like with them. That’s the best I can do.”
Daniel leaned in to see what his father would do. He was used to getting his way. Surprisingly, his father smiled, leaned over the desk, placed his hand out to the man and said, “You have a deal.”
When the man turned around to leave, his black eyes stared through the vent and into Daniel’s. He grinned down at him and walked away. Daniel leaned against the back wall, his heart pounded in his chest. The man had seen him.
How did he do that?
Daniel sat for several minutes before he stood. Ideas and thoughts ran rampant through his brain, but as he stared down the hall, only one question bothered him. He turned to the end of the passageway. What is down there?
You watch too many movies.
His parents never paid attention to what he watched. In fact, they never paid much attention to him at all. He had tutors who came in to teach him, a maid who cleaned up after him, and a cook who made his meals.
Daniel stood and headed back to the edge of the stairs. The solid darkness gave him the creeps. Was there a switch at the bottom? Or was it just complete darkness all the way through? He took a step back.
DANIEL SAT LISTENING to his father's rants, yet his mind did nothing but wonder what was down those stairs. He’d ventured back a couple of times but each time, as he got right up to the edge of the stairs, he chickened out. But this time, courage came over him. He would do it. He would see what was down those stairs.
Daniel stood and crept closer to the darkness slowly, step by step, until he reached the edge of the stairs. He took a deep breath and lowered his foot to the first step. He lifted his hands to the wall on each side of him to brace himself. After another step, Daniel looked back toward where he’d come from.
You can do it. Don’t be afraid.
He took another step. Then another. Soon he was shrouded in complete darkness. His hands searched the walls for a switch. He had to be close to the bottom since he could no longer see the top of the stairs. A dim light protruded from above, but that was the only sign that he hadn’t slipped into another dimension.
Finally, the stairs stopped, leading to a flat surface. He slid his feet along the ground, not sure what he might run into. Something brushed across the top of his head and he swatted at it and ducked. Staying low, he listened for any flying creatures like bats. All he heard was a slight tinkling sound as if something was tapping against thin glass. Cautiously, Daniel reached up in the darkness and found the offender. It was a pull cord.
He pulled on it and light illuminated the area. Daniel stared into the room. What he saw spread goosebumps all over his body.
Chapter 9 ― Rachel
“I do not believe I am in need of any more counseling, Shelly. It is a waste of time, and your hard-earned money,” Rachel said on the way to another counseling session with the infamous Dr. Paine. A name that Lenny thought quite funny.
Shelly chuckled. “Good try, but it doesn’t cost me a single dime for your counseling. It’s part of your state insurance. Besides, you have been through a lot, Rachel. Doesn’t it feel good to talk about it with someone?”
No, it does not. Rachel leaned her head on the window and watched the passing traffic. She didn’t want to hurt Shelly’s feelings, but talking to a complete stranger about things the English either could not comprehend or mocked was not what Rachel would exactly call healing.
“Just try it a couple more times. If you don’t feel like it’s helping you, then you can stop.”
“How many?”
“How many wha— Oh. Well, how about we finish off the month.”
We?
It was true. Shelly had been through a situation that few people could say they had endured. She had been married to a serial rapist slash murderer and had been completely unaware of it at the time. So, in a sense, she did understand what it felt like for people to not understand. But still, it wasn’t the same. Rachel was not used to confiding in others. In her community, women were not to be heard. They did not voice their sorrows nor their opinions. Their burdens were theirs alone to bear.
“Here we are.” Shelly pulled into the familiar parking lot. “I have some running around to do, I’ll be back in an hour.”
“All right,” Rachel said as she opened the passenger’s door and grabbed for the sides of the vehicle to pull her overgrown body out without pulling a muscle. The baby kicked in irritation. She rubbed her tummy. Being short, the baby seemed to enjoy kicking her ribs or sitting on her bladder.
“Don’t you go trying to ditch on her,” Shelly said.
“Ditch?” Rachel poked her head back into the car.
“You know. Skip out on seeing her.”
“Where would I go?”
Shelly laughed. “Never mind. Have a good time. I’ll be back here in exactly one hour.”
Rachel nodded and closed the car door. She watched Shelly drive off before entering the clinic. As she walked up to the window to check in, she thought about Shelly’s words. She’d never have thought to “ditch” the doctor, but now that she mentioned it, it wasn’t such a bad idea.
“Hi, do you have an appointment today?” the friendly middle-aged lady at the window asked.
Too late. “Yes. Rachel Pence.”
The woman checked her computer screen. “There you are.” She looked up with a smile. “Have a seat, Rachel. Dr. Paine will be with you shortly.”
Rachel smiled, nodded, an
d headed to a seat next to another girl about her age.
“What you in for?” the girl asked. She wore all black, and her hair was spiked high on her head. Her lips were painted black to match her outfit, as well as the thick dark line that was drawn with precision around her eyelids and curved up into her temples.
Rachel realized she was staring at the girl and turned to face forward. “Bad dreams,” she answered.
“Oh, yeah?” the girl said. “Brutal.”
Rachel nodded. She didn’t ask the girl what she was “in for.” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
The door opened, and the same bouncy girl peeked her head out. “Victoria?” she called.
“I’m up.” The girl bounced out from her seat and headed to the waiting door. “See ya around, dream girl.”
Rachel offered a hesitant wave.
Jenn gave Rachel a questioning look, and she shrugged. That seemed to be her answer to everything. Jenn shrugged back as Victoria followed her through the door. Within minutes Jenn was back for her.
“Rachel,” she called. “Come on back.”
Rachel sighed and got up to follow Jenn to the office of Dr. Charlotte Paine. Or Char, as the woman had informed her in their last session. Rachel had no intent on calling the woman by Char or any other name.
“That girl is a bit spooky, huh?” Jenn said as Rachel followed behind.
“Yes. Quite.”
“Well, here we are again,” Jenn said as they stood before the familiar door.
“Thank you,” Rachel answered although she wasn’t sure exactly what she was thanking the girl for. Escorting her to a door that she already knew how to get to?
Just like the last time, Jenn peeked her head in the door to announce their arrival.
“Come on in, Rachel,” the woman on the other side sang.
Jenn smiled and left Rachel in the doorway. Rachel hesitantly walked into the office and sat down in the seat across from the desk.
“How are you doing today?” Dr. Paine asked.
“I am well.” The lie seemed to roll right off her tongue as if it were the truth. She was not well. Not even close. The closer she got to her due date, the worse her nightmares became.
The Forsaken (The Chosen Series Book 2) Page 5