his chair crackle. “I was sorta half-asleep,” he attempted.
“Yes, I thought perhaps you had been. That’s why I think you may have misunderstood what you saw.” Father sat back and crossed his leg with his right ankle resting on the knee of his left leg, making himself comfortable yet looking in complete control. “You know, Justin, I must constantly test all my followers. Just one among us who shows weakness could destroy us all.”
Justin nodded, pretending to understand this bullshit.
“It’s not something I enjoy, and sometimes my tests probably look odd to those who don’t fully understand. But no one can be exempt. No one, not even sweet, dear Alice.” He folded his hands together as if trying to decide whether or not to proceed. “There are things you don’t know about Alice. Things no one else knows.”
Justin had to admit he didn’t know much about Alice’s past. She never talked about it or mentioned her family, even though she was always trying to get him to talk about his. It had taken days of probing to finally get her to tell him she was twenty years old, three years older than he was. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t even know where she had grown up.
“Alice was a very troubled girl when she came here. Her parents had thrown her out of the house. She had nowhere else to go. I took a special interest in her, because I knew there was such good inside her, wanting to come out. But there were things she has done in her past, things that…well, all I will tell you, Justin, is that she has been used to receiving anything she wanted in exchange for sexual favors.”
Justin felt a knot twisting in his stomach. Father’s eyes were searching his, making sure Justin understood what he was saying.
“I know it’s hard to believe.” Father seemed satisfied with what he saw and sat back, shaking his head as if he, too, still couldn’t believe it. “Looking at her now and seeing what progress she’s made, yes, it is so hard to believe what a slut she was.”
Justin caught himself from grimacing at the word. He blinked and swallowed hard. His mouth had gone dry and suddenly the room had grown much too hot. He remembered that tight pink sweater Alice had worn Saturday and how inappropriate he thought it was. Then he remembered her shaking her head no the entire time Father had his hand in her crotch. But there had also been such a pained look on her face, almost a sort of fear in her eyes. Had he imagined all that? Or had she simply been afraid of failing Father’s test? Jesus!
“So now you understand the manner of testing I must use with Alice. It’s so important to make certain that she has grown beyond that lifestyle, that she isn’t continuing to lead other members into temptation. That she recognizes she has so much more to offer. That’s also why I put her in charge of recruiting, so that she can experience successes from using her other talents and not just her body.”
Justin didn’t know what to say. Father was watching him, waiting, but what the hell kind of response did he expect?
“You must never speak of this, Justin. It must never leave this room. Do you understand?”
“Sure. No, I won’t tell anyone.”
“Not even Alice. It would devastate her to realize that anyone knows. Can I trust you, Justin?”
“Yeah, sure. I mean…yes, you can trust me.”
“Good.” He smiled, and Justin couldn’t remember Father ever smiling at him. It actually felt pretty good. “I knew you could be trusted. You’re a good man, just like your brother, Eric.” He sat forward, suddenly serious. “I knew you were special, Justin, when you survived my test.”
Justin stared at him, looking for signs that the man knew he hadn’t really survived but had spent the time with some campers. But Father was serious, his eyes warm and friendly.
“You must never repeat this, Justin, not even to your brother, but I knew from the day you stepped onto the compound that God had sent you.”
“Sent me?”
“Yes. You’re not like the rest. You see things, know things. You’re not easily fooled.”
Maybe the man honestly could read minds. Justin swallowed and nodded.
“You were sent by God to play an integral part in this mission, Justin. God sent you to me as a favor. You are a blessing.”
Justin wasn’t sure what to say. He couldn’t help feeling…Hell, he