“I know now that what Brynna said happened actually did happen. With Michael, I mean. I wish I could say that I feel badly for her but I don't. I can't. I'm sure I would feel terrible if she hadn't been responsible for Lucien's death. That was my son, Violet.”
My heart jumped with the same startled, momentary terror that follows being spooked by someone jumping out from behind a wall and shouting in your face. His voice had broken and he had tears in his eyes.
“He was my youngest child. He looked just like me. You can't imagine the love I had for him. He was so young and he had those huge eyes. You remember them. They always lit up the moment I came through the door. God, I loved that little boy so much...”
He covered his face with one hand as tears ran down his cheeks. A part of me began to sympathize.
No, my mind shouted in a fury that shocked me just as much as his tears did, He doesn't deserve your pity. He is an evil man. Whatever pain he feels is karma.
Was Lucien's death karma for the evil deeds committed by both him and my mother? I couldn't bear the thought of my little brother paying the price for their sins.
“And she took him from me. She was so profoundly selfish, Violet. You've seen how she is. I've had a lot of time to think about what happened to our family while we were on Earth. I've come to the conclusion that Brynna is lying to all of us and herself when she says that she drifted off. I think that she let him drown because she was angry at your mother and me for letting Michael do what he did. She made us pay a price for our ignorance. That is unforgivable, sweetheart.”
“Yes, it would be, if it were true.”
“She deserves that disgusting man she's with now. He's a traitor. He's a liar. He's a killer.”
“James is a good man.” I spat at him, voicing the fury I felt down to my bones. “He is good to her, which I'm sure makes you hate him. Let me ask you something, Dad.”
“Go ahead. Anything, honey.” He looked up at me.
“Why is Maura so beaten up?”
We stared at each other for a good long while. I tried to detect any emotions that flickered across his face but none were present. There was only a thoughtless ambivalence that I knew preceded an apathetic explanation that would involve at least one reference to the God they worshiped so blindly.
“Maura refused to repent for a very long time. She deserved what they did to her. But she's alright now, Violet. I took care of her myself after it was all said and done. What you need to understand is that Mary and Rich do what they have to do. They make us see the Light by whatever means necessary. They do use force, especially when people are stubborn, like Maura was. But she knows now all the things she did were wrong. She's a better person for it.”
“Will they use force on me so that I'll see the Light?” I asked sarcastically, but I was deeply afraid of being forced to endure such agonizing torture. I couldn't bring to mind readily any significant misdeeds I had committed in my short life but I knew they would find something to punish me for.
“Of course not!” He assured me firmly. “You're only sixteen.”
“I'm seventeen.” I corrected him quickly.
“That's right. Either way, you haven't done anything that requires repentance. Us older folks, though, have done plenty. But every last one of us has paid for what we did. And the Good Lord has graced us with a victory we couldn't possibly imagine.”
“You were never religious before. You said religion was for cowards. Do you remember that?”
“'Before' is the key word there, sweetheart. Everything is different here. Everything has changed. Now come on, I have a surprise for you.”
I didn't want to leave the cell I had been placed in. Learning the ways of the Bachums was crucial to discovering how best to beat them but I couldn't stand the thought of pretending to be on their side. I was a product of living under Don's tutelage; all I wanted was to see them die. They were a threat to our existence. They were the only things standing between us and a peaceful life on Pangea.
But I allowed my father to steer me out into a torch-lit corridor. He walked ahead of me up a set of stairs fashioned from logs. With one strong thrust, he pushed open a trap door above our heads, unleashing a blinding stream of light that sent me stumbling back.
“Whoa...” He grasped my arms to keep me from tumbling backwards down the steps. “Sorry. I should have warned you about that.”
He had to practically carry me out into the sunlight. I was unable to open my eyes until they had properly adjusted. When I finally saw what was around me, I was as stunned by the beauty of it as I always was when witnessing Pangea's natural wonders.
The village had been built into the stone walls of the surrounding mountains. The houses were beautifully constructed from wood and leaves, stretching as far as I could see. We were at the very top of the mountain; I felt almost level with the sun. It was warmer than I would have expected; the snow beneath our feet was beginning to dissolve before my eyes. The blue sky was even more brilliant from the top of the world than it was from the ground below. If I hadn't been in enemy territory, I might have cried at such a beautiful sight.
“So, this is the famous Violet Olivier.”
I whipped around to see an elegantly dressed woman studying me with hazel eyes so menacing I believed that she might have been capable of killing me with one glance. The jack-o-lantern grin on her face didn't help to dissolve the illusion. Her age bordered around fifty but her skin bore no trace of aging. Even without any makeup on, she was still gorgeous. I noted the cross displayed on her prominent chest. Little deliberation was necessary to determine her identity.
“So, you're the famous Mary Bachum.”
“Introductions clearly aren't in order.” Her arms were around me before I could even mentally prepare for close proximity to such a snake-like creature. To avoid being stoned to death, I patted her back but did not squeeze her with both of my own arms.
“I am so glad that they managed to get you and your sister away from those people.” Her claw- like fingernails were digging into my cheek as she grasped my chin. “I can't imagine how scared you must have been, living with those mutated freaks.”
She insulted them so casually, I almost laughed.
“Where is my sister?” I asked, trying to keep my voice level. I couldn't afford to be perceived as overly confrontational. I was outnumbered laughably so a fight was out of the question.
“She's with your mother, of course.”
“Maura isn't my mother.”
“Mary, I was just about to tell Violet about who we've arranged for her.”
“Oh, yes!” Mary clapped her hands together once gleefully. “He is a very smart boy, your boyfriend. It took no prodding for him to realize that this is where he is supposed to be. I can see that you're smart in the same way.”
“What?” I asked, furrowing my brows, “Who are you...”
“Violet!” A voice said behind me in thrilled relief.
Good thing I wasn't like Brynna who firmly believed she would melt at the slightest physical contact. I was rolling my eyes skyward at having to endure another awkward embrace. But just as the irritation reached its peak, his smell overtook me and I was squeezing him so tightly, I was sure that he couldn't breathe.
“Nick...” I fought the tears of relief that rushed into my eyes.
“Are you alright?” He asked me softly so that Mary and my dad, who were listening closely, couldn't hear.
“I'm fine. Are you?”
“I'm perfect. Isn't this great? We're finally away from those freaks! We're safe up here. We're going to win the war.”
His eyes betrayed his lies only to me.
“Yes.” I replied, following his lead, “It's great, isn't it? Maura and Dad are here, and you know how I've missed them.”
“I love you.” He told me randomly.
“Wha...”
His mouth on mine cut off my dumbfounded reaction to such an emotionally heavy statement. We were dancing in a charade tha
t I didn't understand. I kissed him back to keep up with him. Clearly, Nick had a plan that I was meant to follow.
“I love you, too.” I smiled despite my vast confusion.
“That is very sweet.” Mary was grasping her heart, grinning gigantically.
“He's a good man, Vi, just like Mary said. He knows where his loyalty belongs. Plus, he's proof that you’re normal and thank God for that! Compare him to that freak your sister is dating.”
“Shh...” Mary whispered, grasping his arm, “We are not going to speak of those awful people. God wouldn't want their names to cross our lips.”
“You're right.” My dad smiled at her, “Well, Vi, I know it's sudden and you're probably going to be a little surprised, but Mary and Rich have a couple of rules that you have to follow. One of them is that everyone, except for those under the age of fifteen, has to be married.”
A little surprised was the understatement of the thousands of years that the Earth and Pangea had existed. I grasped Nick's hand tightly in my own, my eyes wide. His face wore a similar expression of horrified disbelief.
“Why?” He asked.
“Because if you love someone, you get married, of course!” Mary replied with another bright grin. She put her arms around both of us and walked us along. “It's a huge step but it's the right step. Here, we live by a strict moral code, one that has been outlined for us by God. Following His laws has led us to victory. While that awful man, Abba, believes that people can govern themselves, we believe that people must live by the laws of God. Alcohol and the drugs that grow in the ground here are forbidden. People must uphold the traditional values of marriage; one man, one woman. That's how it's written, after all.”
“What else are we not allowed to do?”
“Oh, sweetheart, don't make it sound so restrictive! We do require all of the people we're feeding and housing to attend church services in that building.” She pointed to the large wooden structure in the dead center of the village's square, “That's our church. We have services three times a day.”
That seemed a bit excessive...
“We did take some cues from your people, though. The people we had in your camp reported that you all grow your own food. They taught us how to do it, so we can thank them for that.”
“Only that.” My father added with a scowl.
“Yes. Only for that. Your sister will attend classes everyday. We have several teachers in our group who will teach her the ways of the Lord. Of course, she'll also learn math.”
Wow. How progressive of them to teach Math.
“The men work while the women take care of the house. So Nick, you'll be helping to harvest the crops. Violet, you'll make sure that he has a nice dinner waiting for him when he comes home.”
“When are we getting married, exactly?” I tried to sound as though I was looking forward to the forced union.
“Three days.” Mary replied, “Just a simple service. Now, gentlemen, I'd like to talk to Violet alone. Nick, if you'd like to go to the Temple, Rich will fill you in on all you need to know about your duties.”
“Alright. Violet, I'll see you at dinner.” My dad told me. Nick kissed me again and very discreetly indicated both of my eyes. After that quick gesture, he widened his own. Message received: Keep your eyes open.
An awkward silence perched malevolently between Mary and me. At least, it was awkward for me. That deceptive smile remained plastered on her face at all times. Her soft hands grasped my own as she sat us both down on a stone bench.
“I know it seems like a lot to handle. I know it seems a little over the top. We had some people suggest that we had taken away their basic freedoms. That's not the case, Violet. We have these rules because human beings need to have rules. We are human beings, despite what Don and his band of brutes would have you believe.”
“What are the consequences for breaking the rules?”
Her smile widened and that wicked gleam in her eyes intensified. This was a woman who enjoyed seeing people punished brutally. How that fit into the Godly creed, I didn't know.
“They are severe. The rules have shaped our lives, down to the very foundation. We wouldn't be here if Rich hadn't put them into effect. Men work to ensure that we have enough food to eat. Women cook, clean and sew, amongst other things. The roles are of equal importance.”
“Do you mandate how many children we have to pop out, too?” I asked before biting my tongue. The sarcasm was inherent, as I'm sure you've realized. Her smile faltered when she realized that I was being facetious. I scrambled to cover the misstep.
“That's what Don told us. He said that you make people have lots of babies even if they don't want to. He said that you make people...” I lowered my voice to a dramatically timid whisper. “You make people have relations whenever you say they have to.”
She closed her eyes, her smile vanished completely. I wondered if it had ever existed, given how quickly it was erased from her face. Her hands tightened around mine.
“What an awful thing for him to tell you! You poor child...”
“I've never done that before and I'm afraid to.”
“Of course you've never done that before! Your father raised you well. Though, he did permit Maura to infect you with her cynicism and her, if I may be frank, less-than-moral ways when it comes to men. Violet, no one will ever tell you when you have to do that. You'll only do that with Nick when you're ready to and only after you're married. That man spreads his vicious lies because he knows that what he is doing is wrong. A part of him knows that he deserves to be struck down for what he has allowed people to do in that festering, sinful place he called a home. That wasn't a home, Violet. That wasn't a family. You don't have to live in fear of men soliciting that from you. We all value marriage here so don't worry about that for a second. You don't have to worry about being tempted with drugs or alcohol, either, because like I said, we don't allow either here. We just live our lives in peace, in the light of God. It's the best way to live, I promise.”
There was a warmth to her voice that hadn't been present before. I almost believed her. I know that she believed herself. She and Rich both believed exactly what my father did; they were acting with the needs of others in mind. They were promoting the greater good. I wished that I could believe the promises she was making. Besides the unequal gender roles and the brutality that they evoked when punishing those that broke their rules, the place seemed to be alright. Living under Don's lack of rules had bred some sticky situations that were whispered about while we worked. His belief that we were not fit to judge even when one of our own committed a cruel act had allowed men and women to harm one another without fear of consequences. Here, at least, I didn't have to worry about being stolen from or assaulted.
But I wasn't staying. Nick and I would be escaping long before they could force us to get married. We would take Penny and run as far from that deceptively perfect place as we could. I would not be taken in by her promises. I could see that while she insisted the laws were for our benefit, they were simply the way that she and her husband controlled others. Those other people were scared survivors of the cataclysmic event that had taken our Earth. They would follow anyone who promised them safety. The laws they lived under were comforting to them because to adhere to the restrictions meant shutting off their brains and towing the line without hesitation. It must have been nice, to have no reason to think.
“Violet!”
Her girlish squeal of excitement jolted me out of my reverie. I pulled my hands from Mary's grasp and turned just in time to catch her when she jumped towards me. Penny's small arms wrapped around my neck and her lips pressed to my cheek.
“I missed you, Vi!” She exclaimed with both of her tiny hands on my face.
“I missed you too, Penn. Are you alright?”
“Maura and I went for a walk and she showed me where this gigantic eagle lives. It has these really big eggs and it saw us and flew away!”
I had to love her excitement and how she had
no idea that we were in danger. I wanted to preserve her innocence by allowing her to believe that we were safe.
“When are Brynna, James, Eli, Allie, and Quinn getting here? Maura said they would be here soon. I want to show them the eagle!”
“Uh...” I looked back at Mary to find her scowling at Maura darkly. “They'll be here soon.”
I should have rectified Maura's mistake by saying that the rest of our family would never meet us there. That's what Mary wanted me to say. Her eyes screamed but one command: Tell that little girl that her family is dead. But I couldn't break her little heart. I couldn't even pretend that Brynna, Elijah and James were gone. My avoidance of saying such a terrible thing was for both Penny’s benefit and my own. I just couldn’t bear the thought of it.
“Go on, sweetheart. We'll meet you there.” Mary told us with the grin a fox would wear upon finally sneaking its way into a rabbit hole molded on her thin lips. I heard her whispering furiously to Maura but I blocked out her words.
“Maura says her face will be better soon. She says it doesn't hurt anymore. Don is so mean! Why did he do that to Maura, Vi?”
“I don't know.” I replied vaguely. All of the lies that were being told by so many different people were beginning to jumble together. While I wanted to keep Penny as deep in the dark as I could in regards to the precarious situation we were in, I was finding it difficult to keep everyone's tall tales separated. I would have a hard time recalling the details at will, which made protecting Penny even more challenging.
“Come on. I know you must be starving.”
“I am! And Maura said that they have lizard berry pie!”
“Lizard berry pie!” I exclaimed, mirroring her excitement.
“Yeah!”
“Well, let's go, then.”
For the duration of our walk to the Temple, Maura stayed several steps behind us, her head down. I knew she was on the verge of tears and my heart broke for her. I was done pretending that her suffering didn't impact me. What she had done didn't matter anymore. Every glance, every movement of her body betrayed her great fear of those people she was being forced to cohabitate with. My eyes scanned those walking past me and my heart dropped even further into my stomach. The men sauntered like kings while the women kept their heads down like lowly servants. At least in Don's camp, everyone greeted each other warmly and happily. People smiled even while they were ramming a knife in your back or reaching behind you to snatch your belongings right off of your person. But in the Bachum camp, the men traveled in packs while the women avoided even a glance at once another.
The Shattered Genesis (Eternity) Page 75