I nodded once.
It wasn’t.
But I was still here.
* * *
I wasn’t sure exactly how long the lady attorney had questioned me. It felt like forever. She asked about all sorts of things—the Inner Circle, the bodies, of course, though I had to tell her that I hadn’t known about them. I felt stupid that I hadn’t. I didn’t understand how I could have missed something like that.
She asked about money and food and our school. She asked about the chores and living arrangements.
So many things.
It took so long that the judge called a recess for the day, which I was both thankful for and unhappy about. I was grateful for a break, but I had also hoped to finish it all in one day.
Today, I had this super solid squeeze cube. It took a lot of pressure, and I liked it because I could squeeze it as hard as I wanted to.
My outfit was similar to the one I wore the day before in the way the fabrics were soft and gentle on my skin. I was glad Daddy had bought me several options.
Yesterday’s was a silky, loose emerald-green long-sleeve blouse and stretchy black dress pants. Today I had on khaki dress pants that were a little roomy. My top was this pretty, boxy cream sweater with beads that looked like pearls. I liked them because I could fidget with them a little without them popping off.
My cube didn’t fit in my pants pocket like the worry stone had yesterday, but I didn’t have as many people staring at it as I thought I would.
I felt prepared—definitely a bit scared—but prepared.
Father’s defense attorney, a balding man in a fancy suit, made frequent eye contact with me from across the floor. When it was finally time for him to begin, I was more than a little uncomfortable.
The man stood confidently, as if he wanted the room to feel how much control he believed he had.
He buttoned his jacket, adjusted his cuffs, and offered me a thin smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Good afternoon,Mr. Ransom—the younger,” he said.
“Good afternoon,” I replied.
He stepped closer to the lectern. “You understand that my role here is to ask you questions, correct?” The look on his face reminded me of Father when he was repeating instructions because I hadn’t understood them the first time around. I really didn’t like it.
“Yes,” I answered, trying to keep my voice as calm and polite as possible.
“And you understand that I may ask things you don’t like.”
I squeezed the cube once—hard. The resistance grounded me.
“Yes, sir. I understand.”
He nodded, satisfied. “Good. Let’s begin with something simple. You testified yesterday that you were raised in what you’ve called a secluded religious community. Is that accurate?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And despite living there for your entire life—nineteen years—you claim you never noticed any criminal activity beyond what you personally experienced?”
“No, sir, I did not.”
“Despite being the second-highest ranking member of the community?”
I frowned. “I didn’t hold any power. I was just a figurehead, sir.”
He seemed to ignore my answer, moving on to the next question with hardly a pause between. “You testified that the Covenant educated its children internally. Is that right?”
