Authors: Stacy Claflin
She yanked her arm away. "I'm just under a lot of stress. I'd think you'd understand that."
"Don't give me that. If you don't want to tell me what's bothering you, just say so."
"Fine. I don't want to talk about it." She crossed her arms and stared at him.
"At least you're finally admitting it. Let's go smoke. I really need one after today."
A strange look came over her face. "I'm going to skip that today."
"Really? Why?"
"Because. Got a problem with that?" Her eyes were shining. Was she about to cry?
Alex felt bad, but at the same time it irritated him that he didn't know what was going on. What was she keeping from him?
"I've been thinking about cutting back, Alex. Let's just keep walking."
They walked through the neighborhood, not saying anything. Alex tried to think of what he would have done to make her so mad.
Irritation continued to build in his chest until he couldn't take it any longer. "If you have something you don't want to tell me, that's fine. Just don't take it out on me. If I did do something to you, just tell me. I deserve that much."
Sounding bitter, she laughed. "It's not like that. Look, I have some things I need to figure out. Once I've got my thoughts organized, I'll let you know."
"Does it have anything to do with me?"
"You're not going to give up, are you?"
"Nope."
"Maybe I should just go back home."
"Maybe you should." He stared at her.
"Alex, please don't do this."
"Don't do what, exactly?"
"This."
"Congratulations. We're having our first fight. Call me when you're ready to make up." He spun around and headed back home, more frustrated than before. He would have been better off not even going to her house. Ever since Macy disappeared, they had stuck together, telling each other everything. Why was she pulling away now?
He walked fast, muttering to himself, not knowing if Zoey was following him or not. Part of him wanted her to be so they could talk about whatever was eating her, but part of him also hoped she had turned around and went home the other way. He didn't need her to take her crap out on him. He had the rest of the world for that.
Hopefully, whatever was going on with Zoey was temporary. But what if Macy's disappearance was too much for her now? Could she be ready to move on with her life? What if she wanted to get rid of every reminder of her best friend, including him? He stopped and leaned against a tree.
Zoey wouldn't want that, would she?
A minute later Zoey walked in front of him and stopped. "I didn't think you'd ever stop." She sounded out of breath.
Alex narrowed his eyes. "Are you going to break up with me? If so, just tell me."
"What?" She looked genuinely shocked. That was a good sign.
He frowned, not showing her his relief. "You heard me."
"Break up with you? Why would I do that?"
"How would I know? You won't tell me what's going on."
"So you jump right to me dumping you?" Her lips formed a straight line.
"No. It took forty minutes of walking and thinking to come to that. Best I can figure—since you won't tell me anything—is you don't want to hurt anymore, so you're moving on with your life. Getting rid of all the Mercers from your life."
"Why would I do that?"
"So you don't have to deal with the pain of Macy being gone. I'm just a reminder of her."
She looked at him like he was crazy.
"It sounded better in my head." He looked away.
"Oh, Alex." She wrapped her arms around him. "The last thing I want is you out of my life. I don't know what I'd do without you. Besides, I know Macy's coming back. Sure, it's been like a month, but she'll be back. If she doesn't, she knows I'll beat the crap out of her."
Alex breathed in the sweet smell of her silky, jet-black hair. It smelled fruity. "I'm glad to hear that. The part about not dumping me."
"You'd have to try a lot harder than that to get rid of me."
Dinner
Macy moved the curtain a little and peeked outside. It was starting to get dark already, but that wasn't surprising, given that it was December. But what did surprise her was how many people were outside, wearing only their white garb. Did they wear any layers underneath?
At first, it appeared that no one was paying attention to their house, but as she looked closer, she noticed eyes turning their way, scanning the home. Were they as curious about her and Chester as she was about them? No one was staring hard enough to see her curtain barely moved out of the way.
She could hear Chester calling her from the other end of the house. Macy found him in the kitchen.
He looked her way, still wearing the head piece. "The ceremony will be soon, Heather. We should eat something."
Macy was glad they would remove the headpieces soon. It was challenging only looking through a slit. "Where's the fridge?"
"There's no electricity here, remember. See that? It's an icebox, and it holds the same purpose."
"How are we going to cook anything?" she asked.
"On the wood stove, of course. It looks like your mom made us some stew. Can you grab a pot from over there?"
She nodded and went to a metal rack that held pots and pans. She picked one that looked about the right size and then turned to Chester. He closed the icebox and held a ceramic bowl in his hand.
"Set that on top of the icebox and I'll pour in enough for us to eat. We shouldn't waste any, because I don't know yet what to do with leftover food. Clearly there's no garbage disposal around here."
Macy almost said something about not wanting to wear a "W" for wasteful, but thought better of it. He was in a good mood and she didn't want to do anything to disrupt that. She held the pot still while he poured the stew. Even though she had the fabric over her face, she could smell the meat.
As if reading her thoughts, Chester said, "I know it's not vegan, but at least it's organic. They don't use any kind of chemicals or hormones inside the community walls. Everything is exactly as nature intended."
Macy didn't care about the meat. She'd eaten enough since Chester took her that she wasn't a vegan anymore. Maybe someday, if she ever got away from him, she could be one again.
He pulled the bowl away and put the top back on. "Would you put that on the stove, and then come back to find a wooden spoon? I'm going to see what else we can eat."
She nodded, almost unsure how to respond to him being so nice. Why wasn't he barking orders? His politeness was unnerving, but the last thing she was going to do was to question it. She carried the pot to the wood stove. She hadn't realized how much room it had on top, but it had plenty of room for cooking meals.
Macy went back to the kitchen and explored the drawers until she found a wooden spoon. She went back to the living room and stirred the stew, which was already starting to bubble. Her mouth watered; whatever spices had been used smelled delicious.
When it was warm enough, she brought it back to the kitchen where the table was set for two. A fruit salad and a loaf of unsliced bread sat in the middle of the table. Chester's back was to her at the counter.
He turned around. "That was fast."
She sat down and then he joined her. Once her plate was full, she realized a problem. "How are we supposed to eat with these things covering our heads? We're not supposed to take them off, right?"
"We'll have to lift them. Just be careful not to get anything on it."
"Okay." She pulled it out and then up, but it covered her eyes. She was able to see down, but just barely enough to see her plate. "Can we just take them off to eat? It would be a lot easier, plus we wouldn't get them dirty."
"No. We have to follow the rules, Heather. Just be careful." He sounded the tiniest bit irritated.
"Okay. I was just asking." Macy held onto the covering with her left hand while feeding herself with the right. It took some maneuvering, but she managed.
When her plate was empty, she still wanted more, but she didn't want to deal with eating any more while holding the fabric. "What do we do with the dishes?"
"Wash them in the sink, of course."
"But there's no electricity."
"It's pumped in from a well outside. It's not warm, but it's clean. It's a lot better than the chemical-filled crap in the city."
"Don't you mean the
world
?" Macy covered her mouth, afraid he'd get mad at her for making fun of the community.
He laughed. "You're right. It's not like what they have out in the world. I think you've been paying more attention than me. We ought to hurry. The ceremony will start soon."
Macy took that as her cue to get up. Her mouth watered for more stew, but she ignored her hunger. She had to use both arms to pump the water into the sink. Chester had been right. The water looked clearer than she was used to.
She put her hand in and jumped back. It was ice cold—it was even worse than the shower she had taken earlier.
Chester laughed again. "We can warm it in a few of the pots. I'll help you in a minute, Heather."
Macy filled a pot with water, put it on the stove, and then went back for another. Before long, the water was the right temperature and she had a sink full of warm water. She mixed in some soap. It was had the same horrible smell that she had been forced to use in the shower earlier.
She heard Chester put something in the icebox and then he stood next to her, drying off the dishes she had just washed. He chatted about the house, telling her that they would warm their baths the same way, and then he explained the clothes would be washed in some kind of a basin.
He continued to talk until they had the kitchen clean. "Let's sit in front of the fire, shall we?"
"Okay." Macy followed him to the couch as he carried an oil lamp. It did an okay job of lighting up the rooms, but it didn't compare to a light bulb.
Chester sat down and Macy sat at the other end of the couch, as far away from him as she could get. He scooted closer until he was right next to her. Then he put an arm around her. "Aren't you excited about becoming a family again, Heather? We're going to have a mom, dad, and child. It's a beautiful thing. Who knows? We may even have more children. In fact, we probably will. I can't imagine they allow birth control here." He laughed again.
Macy squirmed. She didn't want to talk about birth control or him making babies with his new wife. Time to change the subject. "What's her name?"
"You'll call her Mom, but her name is Rebekah."
"Is that her real name?"
"It's her new name. Like us, she came from the world, but she ascended into her role in the community. That's why she's now allowed to get married."
"Even though you haven't ascended?"
"Correct. Jonah received a vision about me rising in the ranks quickly. I'm going to be the fastest person to become a prophet. I'll need to prove myself, but then our family will be one of the revered ones."
"How did you find the community if they never leave?"
There was a knock on the door.
Chester gave her a hug and then opened the door. A freezing cold gust blew in. Macy hadn't realized how well the little stove had warmed the house up.
Jonah and Eve stepped inside. Jonah looked at Macy. "Are you ready for your unveiling, Heather?"
"Yes," said Macy, since she had been spoken to directly.
"Good. Once we've completed that ceremony, we'll have the wedding. Then you get to come home as a family. This is a truly blessed day."
Eve walked over and took her hand, helping her off the couch. "Everyone is so excited to meet you two. Jonah has had so many visions and messages about your dad. I'm sure you already know what an amazing man he is, worthy of the reverence to be bestowed upon him."
All eyes were on her, so she nodded.
Eve let go of her hand and then took Jonah's.
Jonah raised his other hand. "Let us go. The time has arrived."
Ceremony
Macy took in the large room. She'd never seen so many people dressed in all white before. A hushed whisper ran through the room as people turned to look at them. There wasn't much to see. Their heads were still covered. They probably looked creepy—at least Macy thought so. Everyone else looked at them, appearing to be in awe.
They had another thing coming if they expected Chester to be a great prophet. He would only be able to keep his facade for so long before his true colors showed.
Jonah raised a hand and the crowd moved aside, creating a path. Jonah and Eve walked down first, hand in hand. Chester took Macy's hand and they followed. Macy was aware of all the eyes on her.
Once they reached the front of the room, Jonah let go of Eve's hand and raised both of his hands. All at once, everyone in the crowd sat on the floor. Jonah motioned for Chester and Macy to move to the left. Abraham, Isaac, and some lady stood at their right. Was that one of their wives, or was it Rebekah?