The Family
Authors: Marissa Kennerson
The Family
By Marissa Kennerson
For Greg and Shepard, my boys, my heart
For Mom and Dad
Table of Contents
Book One
Family Tree
1
The ceremony would begin in less than an hour. Neither girl had a watch nor could see a clock, but they both had an innate sense of time, as did all members of the Family. There was only one clock on the compound. Its face sat impassive and oversized on a small tower in the center of the white, clapboard cottages that served as their living quarters. But they had other ways of knowing the time: the way the sun shone hot and bright at the height of morning or how the air became moist and the mosquitoes started to buzz shortly before dinner was called. The church bells from Turrialba, the city that hemmed the compound in at the foot of the mountain, chimed faintly on the hour until darkness took hold each night.
“Almost done.” Twig took a few steps back and looked over her work. She had laced Rose’s strawberry-blond hair with
Lluvia de oro
, buttercup yellow orchids that looked like candlelight flickering through Rose’s long, thick locks.
Lluvia de oro
. Rain of gold. The Family was segregated from the rest of society, but some bits of Costa Rican culture had managed to seep in. The twisting yellow orchid would glow in Rose’s hair in the moonlight.
Perfect for a wedding night
, Twig thought. Then she felt herself blush. What did she really know about what happened on a wedding night?
She knew a little from their lessons about procreation, but not much else. She imagined Thomas would be kind to Rose. Would her husband, whomever they picked for her, be kind?
“What are you thinking about?” Rose suddenly asked. “You seem far away.”
“I’m sorry. I was. I was thinking about marriage.” Twig was embarrassed that she had been thinking about sex and didn’t want to say so out loud.
Adam’s voice droned on through the intercom in the living room. Confess your sins daily to a sister or brother. Do not try to hide the evil that is inherent in every one of us. I will cleanse you of sin, but you must admit the truth of your nature before I can do that…
“Okay, turn toward me.” Twig gently steered Rose’s shoulders toward her. “Perfect,” she said.
Rose smiled weakly.
“You’re nervous,” Twig ventured.
Even though she and Rose had shared a single bedroom with their mothers for as long as she could remember, they had rarely spent time alone together. There was a slight awkwardness between them.
“I’m okay,” Rose replied, letting out a big breath. “Thomas is amazing. I got so lucky. They could have paired me with Doc!” Both of the girls erupted in nervous giggles, relieving some of the tension.
Doc was a psychiatrist in his fifties, but he served as the Family’s medical doctor. As far back as Twig could remember, if she had a fever or a sore throat or a bee sting, Doc had taken care of it. When she was a child, she had suffered from constant headaches. She had vague memories of lying in Doc’s office with ice packs on her head. Those were lonely memories she didn’t care to recall. As she got older, her headaches had faded.
Doc was also Adam’s right-hand man. He was nice enough, but now that Rose mentioned it, Twig had never thought of Doc as someone’s husband. He was older than most members of the Family by quite a bit, and while he was nice enough, he always seemed a bit removed. If Twig had to give him a color, it would be gray. A cold blue-gray. Twig loved to give people colors. There was something visceral about them, something pre-speech. Sometimes a person’s color came to her when Twig first met them. Sometimes she had known a person for years and still couldn’t assign them a color.
She turned her attention back to Rose. “Come on. Let’s get you to the mirror, and then I think we’d better get going.”
Rose paused. “It is okay because it is a special occasion, right?”
“Yes,” Twig reassured her. “You aren’t straying. A bride is allowed to look in the mirror on her wedding day.”
Twig led Rose gently by the hand out of the bedroom and into the living area of their cottage. Adam’s voice became louder as they entered the room. The space was not large, but it was bright, and the big stone tiles that made up the floor helped to keep the cottage cool. The south wall had two bay windows that faced the compound and the rainforest that spread out behind it. A dining room table made of blond Cocobolo wood rested against the far wall next to an open kitchen. The rest of the room was sparsely decorated with two handmade wooden armchairs polished to a shine and a white, slipcovered love seat. The only mirror in the cottage was hung high on a wall next to a large framed photograph of Adam. The glass on the frame and the mirror gleamed. Twig had dusted them herself that morning. You never knew when Adam might send someone to make sure the cottage and his photograph were dust-free. It was best to keep the place spotless at all times. An unclean cottage or a dusty photograph meant a verbal lashing in front of the Family.
Twig dragged a chair from the kitchen and helped Rose stand on it in order to see herself. The young bride wore the same white eyelet dress that every woman in the Family wore, but Twig had gotten permission to alter it into a modest strapless gown for the wedding. She had woven the ribbons usually used for their hair into a wide sash that she now tied around Rose’s small waist. Twig taught knitting and sewing classes to the younger brothers and sisters. When it came to anything clothing- or fabric-related, the Family deferred to Twig.
Rose wobbled in front of the mirror, turning this way and that. Twig was glad she couldn’t see her shoes. There was nothing to be done about the shoes. Everyone in the Family wore the same heavy, dark brown hiking boots. They were comfortable, practical, and ugly.
Twig smiled, watching Rose admire herself in the mirror. Despite her small pangs of envy, she was happy for Rose. She could also see why Adam discouraged vanity—it could get out of control. But it was lovely to see Rose smile like this. Rose’s color was definitely pink. Not a cloying pink, but a soft, creamy pink.
“You’re a genius, Twig.”
2
Adam was late. By almost an hour, but no one dared utter a word of complaint. The ceremony would not begin until he arrived.
It was hot. The sun beat down upon them. Twig had wrapped a scarf around Rose’s freckled shoulders. She didn’t want them to get burned. Rose had dangerously fair skin for the climate they lived in. Twig hoped Adam would come soon. Thomas stood on the stage with Doc, waiting patiently, while Twig and the other bridesmaids waited at the foot of the aisle with Rose. The Family sat in white, hard-backed chairs, fanning themselves. Throats were parched, but no one moved to hand out water.
“All rise.”
Adam had arrived. The crowd seemed to lift up in one movement.
“Hello!” Adam seemed to glide down the aisle, despite the subtle limp that hampered his right leg ever so slightly. Twig felt a tinge of compassion whenever she noticed Father’s limp, although he told them to never feel sorry for him. It was something he was born with and had helped him become the person he was.
Adam’s arms were outstretched as if offering the whole community a huge hug. He gave the wedding party a backward glance, flashing his famous smile. Twig felt chills run down the back of her neck and arms. Every single one of the girls blushed in spite of themselves. Adam clapped his hands together with a boom.
“What a morning! Glorious!” he beamed. Despite being hot and thirsty, everyone smiled and nodded their heads. Adam made them feel alive with just his presence.
“Is everyone ready for prayer?” Adam boomed.
“Yes!” the Family shouted in return.
“Let’s do this. I believe we have a wedding here today, right?” Everyone laughed. Adam raised his hands over his congregation. The Family raised their hands up in the air, each wanting to snatch a piece of Adam’s grace, his essence.
“No country,” he began. The Family took up his words. Eyes shut tight, they recited the words together. “No state.” They began to sway. “No self.” Their voices rose steadily, the excitement and energy building. “We are a collective, and we live for one promise…”
“And what promise is that?” Adam shouted. His white teeth gleamed. He seemed to glow, power surging from his outstretched fingertips.
“Connection, prosperity, and joy! A life with purpose, a life with meaning!” the Family retorted.
“That’s right. My Family. My loves.” He looked upon the group tenderly, as if he wanted to scoop each one of them up and embrace them. “I love all of you so much.” Twig felt herself take a deep breath.
Doc took his place next to Adam. Adam stepped back, his gaze of affection replaced by a look of modesty as Doc began to speak. “And who can bring you these gifts of connection? Of prosperity and joy? Lead you on the path toward this life? This life on another plane? This life rich with meaning?” Doc offered the questions to the crowd. “Who can save you from the pain and sickness of the outside world? Who is the father you never had but always wanted?” The passion in Doc’s voice began to rise. “Who has sacrificed everything for you? Who is the Father that will never leave you?”
This last question was especially poignant for Twig. Without Adam, she would not have a father. She was overcome with feelings of gratitude. Her own father had left when her mother was pregnant.
“Adam!” The crowd was almost frenzied with excitement, and as they began to chant, the ground seemed to vibrate with the thunder of their voices. “Praise him! Praise Adam!” The Family, one hundred and eighty-six people, swayed together in a paroxysm of worship.
“Get these people some water!” Adam shouted when they had finished.
Twig was parched, but she felt elated. A familiar mix of excitement and almost-nausea; an electric high that came with a weighted gravity, subtle but obscene. Twig could never reconcile these feelings. It was just how Adam made you feel.
A handful of brothers and sisters began walking around, filling the water canteens that hung from everyone’s belts. Twig drank gratefully.
The wedding ceremony was short and presided over by Adam. The Family erupted in applause as Thomas took Rose in his arms and kissed her for the first time. Twig laughed and clapped and then felt that small pang of jealousy again. Watching Rose and Thomas kiss sparked not only her desire to be married, but some elusive longing, as well. She could see the passion and excitement between Rose and Thomas, and she wanted that for herself. It scared her, but she wanted to experience those feelings. Twig sighed inwardly. Rose really did get lucky. Marriages were arranged within the Family, and Twig had seen many first kisses fall flat. But this kiss was just how Twig imagined she’d want her first kiss to be, too. Loving. Playful.
Adam nodded his head toward the young couple in approval. His wife, Tina, her long oval face framed with a severe black bob and a fringe of long bangs, sat smiling next to him. Their daughter, Kamela, stood with Twig beside the bride. When the kiss ended, Adam cleared his throat and stood. He patted Thomas heartily on the shoulder and put his arm on the small of Rose’s back. Adam waved his hands toward the crowd to signal quiet. A hush rolled over the group immediately. He wasn’t a large man, but his presence was larger than life. He was magnetic.
“We couldn’t be happier for you two,” his smooth voice boomed. “You two are adorable. Aren’t these two adorable?” The crowd laughed and burst into applause again. Rose beamed, and Thomas turned red with embarrassment. “Let me be clear: we expect some new Family members soon!”