My chest ached for little Rosie, and too mature Dakota, and Darlene who would never really meet your eyes.
Mrs. Fisk nodded brusquely. “That’s good of you to say. I can think of no better compliment to give my daughter.”
Rosie gave me a small grin before looking back down at her bowl of porridge. I noted how Mrs. Fisk never touched her daughter. Never gave her any form of physical affection. I remembered how Rosie had held my hand in the forest, never letting go and I felt incredibly sorry for her.
“Rosie seems quite fond of you. Perhaps you’d like to join us for a meal some time,” Mr. Fisk suggested.
I was a bit confused. Everyone ate together. Didn’t I share a meal with them every day?
“We’d be happy to make room for you at our table,” Mrs. Fisk offered, though her eyes were frosty. I wasn’t getting a lot of warm fuzzies from her. How did she end up with such a sweet kid?
“Uh, sure,” I replied.
“Bastian can sit next to me,” Rosie spoke up.
“He that keepeth his mouth, keepeth his life, Rosie,” Mr. Fisk rebuked.
Huh?
Rosie didn’t seem to understand him either, but she didn’t say another word.
It seemed I needed to read my Bible a bit more. It felt as though I needed a string of verses to keep in my arsenal around these people.
“Thank you for the offer. Perhaps another time. My brother is waiting for me.” I tried to catch Rosie’s eye to give her a smile, but she kept her chin tucked into her chest, her shoulders drooped. It was a far cry from the exuberant girl who had played in the woods. It made me hate her parents.
I said goodbye and made my way back to the table where David was sitting with Pastor Carter and Daphne Bishop, Sara’s mother.
“Remember what is written in the holy book—But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all the liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”Pastor Carter pressed a finger to his lips as if in contemplation. David and Ms. Bishop hung on his every word. I wanted to roll my eyes. “Those days are upon us, family. And we will watch their demise from our mountain top and know we are saved.”
“Amen,” Daphne murmured, nodding.
“Amen,” David parroted, his voice brittle but eager.
I sat down beside my brother, wishing more than anything we were home. That I was sitting in my parents’ bright kitchen eating Mom’s famous peach cobbler.
But no matter how many times I pinched myself, it seemed I was still here.
“I was reading Revelations last night and this passage really spoke to me;Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more,” Daphne said loudly. Too loudly given the silence of the room. But I got the impression that Sara’s mother spoke for others to listen. Whether she said the words directly to them or not. She liked to put on a show. “This is the new heaven. The new earth. This is the meadow for the chosen.” She clasped her hands to her chest, her eyes wide.
She looked deranged. Even though she was obviously an attractive woman, her demeanor disturbed me. She fidgeted restlessly as though she couldn’t sit still, constantly picking at the skin around her nails until they bled. Her long blonde hair, the same pretty color as Sara’s, was full of knots. There was no way to brush it. I wondered what she’d look like with a shaved head.
She rocked in her seat. Back and forth. Back and forth. Her lips moving even when she wasn’t speaking. No one seemed to think her behavior out of the ordinary. In fact, they listened to her. Almost as avidly as they listened to Pastor Carter.
And the two of them together were uncomfortable to watch.
Daphne touched Pastor Carter frequently. Rubbing her fingers along his arm. She sat as close as possible to him without actually being in his lap. She caressed his face, her unsettled gaze adoring, as though he were her God.
And he loved it. I could tell.
Watching them, it was obvious there was something between them. I’d bet money the dirty Pastor was boinking Sara’s mom. Which was even more skeevy, given the way I had seen him stare at Sara.
I pushed my bowl of porridge away, having lost my appetite.
“God led you to that passage, Daphne. He wanted to show you that what we are doing here is good in his eyes.” Pastor Carter bowed his head. Everyone in the room did the same. Like puppets on a string, they mimicked the man’s actions.
I bowed my head too because I knew if I didn’t, someone would see. And it was important I play along. For now. Even if doing so was like tearing my fingernails off, one at a time.
“Thank you, Lord, for showing our sister Daphne the truth of your word. For blessing us with your love. For gifting us this place as our home. We live only to serve you. We die to serve you. And when the time comes for our Awakening, we will go with love in our hearts. For you have shown us that our way is blessed.”
