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I stare at the embers and my stomach sinks. He’s held this in for a long time. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted you to have more time, before it turned you dark too, so I carried the burden for both of us for as long as I could.”

Damn…how could I be mad at him for that?

“What’s the fourth rule? You said there were four.”

His jaw flexes. “You know what it is, Tommy. Don’t make me say it.”

“Screw that, man. You need to say it.”

He brings the bottle of Whiskey to his lips and takes a long pull. “We each need to make a sacrifice to Him. That is the most important rule non-negotiable in the eyes of the dark god we now serve. He demands the blood of the one we love. From my vantage point, there is a sexy new girl that has caught both our attention, who would fit that role perfectly.”

DIDI

“Idon’t like this, Diana,” Mama says, frowning as she watches me get ready for work on Saturday. “First you leave me every day for school, and now this. You’re abandoning me.”

I pull the red-and-white-striped shirt on and button it up. It fits tightly around my breasts, which seem bigger despite my malnourishment. I hope Mama doesn’t notice, but she does…and she scowls.

“I’m not abandoning you, Mama. I’m getting us food. I’m trying to take care of you.” I need to get out of this house; this place is unbearable. I’m starting to not stand her, either. Plus, I broke a jar of pickles at my shift yesterday and Mrs. Holly says I need to pay it off, but I already work for free…

She puffed smoke into my face just like Mama does when she’s mad at me. “I ain’t no charity, girl.”

Mrs. Holly reminds me of Mama. Single, scorned and spiteful, with a deep line in her forehead causing her to look like she permanently scowls.

She smells like Mama, and is mean like Mama, too. Her teeth are yellow from her menthols.

Life isn’t kind to bitter women. They lose their spark, and all that’s left is hate. They dwell in it. I refuse to become like that. I simply can’t.

Mama hasn’t left the house since she won at bingo. Said people are out to get her in town, and it’s because of me. Says people are asking about me at Church.

This is when she spirals the most.

Her eyes narrow, focusing on my chest as I leave one button undone, and begin to brush my hair.

“Why are you dressed like a slut?”

“Mama…”

She snarls and folds her arms. “Well, you are.”

I frown but don’t respond, and glance down at my outfit. It’s a striped shirt. My skin is covered. Sluts don’t wear clothes like this.

Although I’m not sure what kind of clothes sluts wear because I’ve never seen one. It’s just a word to me that Mama throws out like I’m supposed to understand what that means. Cindy wears skimpy clothes, although I think Cindy looks nice in her outfits. I’d die to look like her one day.

I walk over and rest my hand on hers, hoping to keep her calm. “Mama, it’s a uniform for work. This is how I can feed myself, so you don’t have to feed me anymore. You can spend the money you get on rent, so we don’t get kicked out.” Mama only has so much leftover money after rent is paid from her welfare check. If she’s not going to bingo, she has nothing.

And since she’s not going out right now…

She shakes her head, and I swear, in the short time we’ve been here, she’s aged ten years. She’s getting crazier with every day she spends alone in this house.

All she does is pray.

She believes a demon resides within these walls… She believes that the demon is me.

She pulls her hand away and gives the sign of the cross as if cleansing herself from my evil. She’s done this recently, I’ve noticed, every time she makes any physical contact with me. As if touching me will damn her.

She folds her arms and leans against the door of my tiny bedroom. “God will take care of you, Diana, if you let him. You’re slipping farther away from him. He can fix you…I can’t fix you anymore.”