eyes spring open. I gasp, shooting up from a laying position. An engine roars as we sway. We’re on a boat. No!
“You’re awake. Good,” my father says coolly.
“I’m not going back! No! Stop!” I yell.
“I’ll give you another dose,” my father warns, his tone is deadly.
I get up, looking all around, seeing the house fade into the sunset.
No. No.
My soul dies a little more every second we spend moving farther away from Colt. He couldn’t be the man who killed Clara. Surely, I’d feel it.
I’d been so lost before meeting him. He awakened me, then broke me into a thousand pieces.
How could Colt be innocent? The video shows him mishandling her, being cruel. She died that night, her body found on their property. There’s just too much evidence to be able to believe it wasn’t him, yet my soul tells me it’s not possible.
A distraught sob catches in my throat.
“It’s okay. When we get back, you can repent,” my father sneers. His fist clutches a handful of my hair, tugging my head back, making me wince in pain. “Look at this trash on your face. Did they make you their slut just like they did your sister?” It’s just a flavored gloss on my lips.
“You knew about Clara and them?” I whimper.
“Of course I did. Their father made sure of that. What a vile creature he is. It’s no wonder his wife left him to be reborn with us.”
“Where is Judith?” I ask, curious to understand what happened to her.
“Judith broke our laws,” he scorns, releasing me with a shove. I knock into Eli, who’s looking out at the ocean rather than at me. “She abandoned us to seek medical attention. Her belief wasn’t strong enough. This is why I stopped recruiting. Only pure bred believers are blessed with his light.”
Eli doesn’t even blink, the good little servant not stopping the rough handling my father likes to dish out.
“Why come for me? Am I not to follow Judith’s fate? I broke your precious laws.”
A backhanded slap catches me off guard, causing a trail of fire over my cheekbone. My teeth cut into the gum, copper liquid popping over my tongue. Bastard.
Colt’s word for his father is perfect for mine too. They’re both bastards.
“We have rules for a reason, Mona. To keep our people pure from the unclean, the toxic poison of the outside world. They are not to be mocked or broken. You are my daughter and naïve. You will face punishment, then you will marry and atone.”
“And if I don’t want to marry? What then, Father?”
“Eli is a good man, willing to overlook your lapse in judgment. You should think yourself lucky, and you’ll do as you’re told.”
“Eli?” I call, anger lacing my voice. “Eli? Are you going to say anything?”
He turns to me, an emptiness in his eyes. “You were always supposed to be my wife, Mona. You’ll see.”
“No, I won’t.” I cry, looking to the water. Could I survive it if I threw myself over?
“Don’t even think about it,” my father scolds, once again covering my mouth. I try to fight it, but it’s too strong. The toxins fill my lungs and steal the light from my eyes.
I wake in my room, my head feeling like my skull cracked open and all the insides tipped out. My vision doubles, blurring everything in sight. I notice the matchbox still on my bed and shove it in my pocket. Checking my neck, I sigh in relief. Clara’s necklace is still there.
I stand, gathering my equilibrium.
I try the door, but it’s locked.
“Mother?” I try calling, but empty silence stretches out before me.
I check the window. Nails still penetrate the wood, sealing it shut.
“Father?” I cry.
Will Colt just accept I left and not even look for me?
I look around for something I can use to break the glass. Pulling a drawer free from the dresser, I throw it at the pane of glass, the bounce nearly hitting me in the face. Crap. I try again, angling the corner and giving it more strength. The drawer breaks through, the glass falling like sharp confetti.
Wasting no time, I climb through. A sting pierces my thigh as glass cuts my skin.
I make it ten feet before Eli crashes into me, knocking me to the ground and the air from my lungs.
“I can’t let you leave again.”
I rub at my chest, trying to gain control of my breathing. “Eli, I can’t marry you.”
“I know. Your father knows. He’s preparing a cleansing.”
“What?”
“Do you even care what