Sins of Mine - Mary E. Twomey Page 0,13

Me breaking free wasn’t part of some master plan of his to discredit the Sins of the Father bill. My father should be telling you all that he’s sorry he was too cowardly to take responsibility for the wrong he’s done. Repenting is the only true catalyst for change. Otherwise, we prattle on in different outfits, pretending things are different, when we are still the same snakes we’ve always been.”

I turn to the people, aiming my speech directly at the cameras. “I forgive my father for his selfishness. I forgive him for visiting me twice in the half a year I was locked up. I forgive him for pretending this revolution was his idea.”

His face is red as I look over at him, but I don’t care. “I forgive you for your sins that rained down on my head, Daddy. I always have.”

I’ve left him completely stunned, which is a difficult thing to accomplish. The great Conan Valentine is always fifteen steps ahead, so catching him by surprise is a feat not many live to brag about. And I have video footage to prove it.

I steady my voice as I focus my words on the crowd. “Everyone in my camp forgives you all for your silence. We forgive you for accepting that the horrible things in this world aren’t worth the fight it takes to change them. We forgive you for turning your backs on us. We will not carry around resentment or hatred, because we are done being imprisoned. And as for all of you: guilt is a useless emotion. Take any self-loathing and turn it into helpfulness.” I collect myself and nod once. “Contractors and clothing. I’ll be back in a week to ask for more aid from you all. Thank you for helping us rebuild. We’re just getting started.”

A Solid Foundation

Arlanna

I can barely remember my life before Prigham’s. Every morning when I wake up, I live in a constant state of either gratitude or planning. The entire day is spent in constant motion, which keeps me from feeling like my to-do list might crush me under its ever-expanding weight.

“If we can pull in a few more bodies, we can get this foundation poured by the time the last of the sunset goes away.”

I can tell this is not what the contractor wants to hear, but he swallows his smart retort and directs the makeshift crew how best to get the job going quicker without sacrificing quality.

Barry is one of my most solid volunteers. He runs a construction company, and offered to drive his equipment over, operate it all for us, if only we could supply the grunt work and the raw materials. It’s a fantastic deal, because hiring him outright would absolutely crush our forward momentum. I only have so many pairs of stilettos to sell to fund this place.

There are loads of ex-cons with smoothing rakes (I forget the fancy name they have), and one even has his hi-lo license, which isn’t completely applicable to a cement-pouring machine, but Barry doesn’t mind investing in our learning curve, and we don’t mind the manual labor.

My work gloves are heavy with wet concrete, but they get the job done as I stir the cement as best I can so nothing dries prematurely. The cement mixing truck had to be returned to Barry’s lot an hour ago, so it’s just me and my stick.

Until it’s Malrick and my stick. “I got this. I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen you sit down all day.”

It’s hard not to sneer at Malrick, but I manage composure. Sure, he made my life at Prigham’s miserable, but I’m not about to stoop to that level, just because the odds have turned in my favor.

I will not let Prigham’s change me into something I was never meant to become. I am too beautiful to be bitter. I’m too purpose-driven to be haunted by the flaws of the past.

“Thank you,” I manage, while Everly Ann yips at Malrick for being too near me. Good dog. “It needs constant stirring until Barry’s ready to use it.”

“On it, Captain.” Malrick salutes me with actual sincerity, and stirs exactly how Barry taught us.

Half a smile finds my face every time the campers call me that. The nickname started last week, and I’ve taken a liking to it. If I get to be their captain, then I’m not going to take for granted that I have a fantastic crew. They’re the hardest working people I’ve ever met, so I bounce