Teresa Mummert - Pretty Little Things

When the service ended, Colin pulled me to my feet, and my knees shook, threatening to give out from under me. He looped his arm around my waist and guided me toward the door.

We left the overcrowded building and made our way slowly across the meadow, the hot Mississippi sun blaring down on us and causing my stomach to turn from the sudden influx of heat.

“I need to see her, Colin,” I said now with more authority in my tone.

“You’ll never get inside Taylor’s house, and if you do, you might not come back out.” His voice was laced with worry, and it jarred me coming from someone who seemed to fear nothing.

“I’ll try to check on her for you, but I have to figure out a way to gain back some of Taylor’s trust first.”

“Why doesn’t he trust you?” I stopped walking and turned to face him.

“Because of you.”

“Can I have a moment with you, Colin?” Taylor called from behind us, and I jumped, gasping audibly.

Colin looked to me before heading back toward Taylor. “I’ll catch up with you at the dining hall,” he called over his shoulder, and I waved as I continued toward the old barn.

I groaned, turning my face into my pillow as I tried to escape the memories, but I had drunk way too much last night and was unable to wake myself.

“The time has come, son.”

I tried to hide my sneer as he called me son.

“I need more time,” I replied, knowing he was losing faith in me and was growing restless with my hesitation. We walked toward Morgan Hall, our own cafeteria, which was nothing more than an old barn that had been fixed up to include a kitchen. Picnic tables lined the inside of the building, and nearly every seat was filled. Our church had grown exponentially over the last few weeks as members from other factions had traveled here to witness what Taylor was calling the Living Testament.

“I had another vision last night.”

I furrowed my brow. He stopped, smirking as he placed a hand on either shoulder. “Tonight is the night.” He laughed with joy, and my heart fell into my stomach. I thought I would have a few more weeks to figure out a way to get us out of this mess.

I looked across the room, and there was Annie sitting at the end of a table, looking down at her food. “She’s not ready. She needs her mother. She’s sick with worry and hasn’t eaten in two days.”

“She needs guidance, discipline. If she is not doing something she should, you make her.”

“Yes, sir.” I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat. I glanced back over at Annie, who looked up, hopeful that I could somehow save her from the man beside me who was playing God.

“Tonight.” He patted my shoulder, and my feet moved underneath me, but my mind had checked out. I had seen, participated in what went on behind closed doors in this place. I couldn’t subject Annie to that. She trusted me, and I knew how unworthy I was of that trust, but I was all she had. I knew her mother was probably dead the first day she stepped foot inside that house and didn’t come out. What did that mean for me and Annie if we didn’t help carry out his self-fulfilling prophecies? What would happen to her if I refused and someone else took my place? She wasn’t safe with or without me.

“You mind if I join you?” I asked, and she smiled weakly. I nudged her leg so she would scoot over and make room.

“There’s a special service tomorrow.” I ran my damp palms over my khaki pant legs, hating that I my usual confidence had wavered. Her eyes danced over the strangers who sat in front of us.

“I’m sure…it will be great.”

I forced a smile as she dipped her spoon into her soup. “Do you want to go over the lesson tonight?” I asked as I looked over my shoulder to Taylor, who was smiling proudly.

“Sure. I’d like that. I need all the help I can get.”

“I know.”

I rolled over, my arms banding around her waist as I jolted from my sleep. I blinked a few times before looking down at Annie sleeping beside me. I let go of her and rolled onto my back, rubbing my hands over my face.

Annie groaned and rolled toward me, throwing her leg over mine as she snuggled against my side.

“Annie,” I whispered, brushing her hair back from her angelic face. “Annie.”

“Hmm,” she mumbled and snuggled deeper. Her body stiffened, and she slowly looked up at me before pulling away to the other side of the bed.

“You asshole! What the hell is wrong with you?” She clutched the blanket to her chest even though she was still wearing her dress. I sat up as she looked at my bare chest. I groaned, throwing off the sheet to reveal I was wearing a pair of black pajama pants.

“I just slept in here to make sure you didn’t wake up and freak out.”

“Freak out? Why would I freak out? Not like you drugged me and locked me in your bedroom.”

“Quit being so fucking dramatic. You were going to run away. I stopped you.” I padded toward my bathroom and turned on the sink, splashing cold water on my face.

“Run away? I’m eighteen years old. I can do whatever the fuck I want.”

I glared over at her, and her mouth snapped shut. “I said I was sorry.”

“No you didn’t.” She stood up, her fists clenched at her sides.

“It was implied.” I rolled my eyes and began to brush my teeth.

“I want answers, or I’m gone. You can’t stop me.”

I looked over at her again and shook my head. We both knew I could stop her if I wanted to. She glanced over at my bedroom door as if daring me to chase after her. I stretched my neck before spitting into the sink and rinsing out my mouth. I stretched my arm across my body, grabbing it with the other to loosen my tight muscles.

“What are you doing?”

“I could use a jog. You go ahead and do what you gotta do.” I laughed as she glared back at me.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Deadly serious.”

“I’m not playing around.”

“That’s good, little one, because this isn’t a fucking game.” My tone was forceful, and her shoulders slumped as I spoke.

“I’ll take my chances. I’m not going to stop seeing Jake,” she replied defiantly.

I looked up at the ceiling, trying not to let my anger get the best of me. She had every right to be pissed off, every right to fucking hate me. I deserved it. I was the reason this was all happening to her, but it was better than the alternative.

“That’s enough.” I hung my head as I gripped the edges of the sink so tightly my knuckles turned bone white.

“This is my life, and I won’t live in fear of them…or you,” she said as she walked closer in her rumpled dress and bare feet.

“Then you won’t live very long at all, will you?” When my eyes met vibrant emerald, I had to swallow back the lump in my throat.

“So be it.”

“Then I’ll take you away from here myself. We’ll give up everything. We’ll start over again.” I clenched my teeth, hating that this was going to be the only way to keep her safe.

“What about Amanda?”

“What about her?” I couldn’t look away, sadness gripping my heart in my chest and suffocating the life from me.

I turned my back to her and reached inside my shower stall, turning the water to ice cold.

My head throbbed from the alcohol I had drunk last night. With a groan, I descended the stairs and glanced around at the quiet mansion. The lights were off and the curtains drawn, sparing me from the painful sun.

My white dress was wrinkled, and my freshly dyed blond hair was a knotted mess. I struggled unsuccessfully to run my fingers through it as I staggered toward the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Amanda was loading the dishwasher, and she shook her head as she looked me over. “You could use a shower.”

“You could use a home,” I shot back as I pulled open the fridge and grabbed a bottle of Evian from the top shelf. I looked over her pleated white skirt and matching fitted white polo. She looked like she’d stepped out of a magazine ad for tennis. I was already on edge and pissed off from Colin. I didn’t want to deal with anyone else.

“Please don’t start with me today, Annie. I am in no mood.” I could tell from her clipped tone that she and Colin must have fought last night. “Where is Prince Charming? He said he’d be ready by the time I got here.”

“Not my day to watch him. You have plans?”

“The usual. Why don’t you go freshen up, and then we can go grocery shopping.” She smiled mischievously as she placed a coffee mug into the washer. She turned to wink at me, and I rolled my eyes, knowing Colin was never going to let me go after the talk we had this morning.

“I’m not feeling so well. I think I’ll go shower and take a nap.” I glanced over at her as she continued to do the chores and smiled to myself. If she was half as close to Colin as she thought she was, she wouldn’t be doing the manual labor.

I hurried upstairs, careful not to jostle my stomach. My bedroom had been repainted only two weeks ago at Connor’s insistence; he thought I needed something more mature. The smell of the deep chocolate paint still lingered in the air, and I held my breath as I made my way to my bathroom to escape the fumes. I grabbed my cell phone and texted Jacob to come meet me in an hour at my house. I was dying to see him, and I wasn’t going to let Colin dictate my life.

Leaving my clothes in a pile on the floor, I stepped inside the shower and let the hot water wash away the ache from my muscles. I scrubbed my body quickly. I was anxious to get something to eat and help settle my upset stomach. I stepped out into the steamy bathroom and grabbed my chocolate-colored towel hanging on the hook next to the shower stall and wrapped it loosely around my body. Wiping my hand over the fogged mirror, I gasped as a face appeared behind my reflection.

Colin’s arm went around my waist, and he gripped my hip, preventing me from inhaling as the other hand came over my mouth. I struggled against his grasp as he held me tightly against his body.

“Shh, don’t make a sound.” I froze as I stared at his reflection. His face was half masked by my wet hair, the blond a stark contrast to his brown. “Listen,” he whispered into my ear, and a shiver ran down my spine. I could hear Amanda talking to a man just at the bottom of the steps. She didn’t seem to be in any distress, but the idea of a man being in this house after Colin’s sudden worry triggered an alarm inside me. My pulse raced as I gazed into his tormented blue eyes in the mirror. He slowly began to pull his hand away, and I nodded, letting him know I wouldn’t make a sound, but he didn’t release his hold around my stomach as his other hand fell to my damp shoulder.

“Who is it?” I whispered, turning my head slightly toward his, my eyes landing on his lips before traveling up his face. My mind struggled to process what was happening as I fought against the thumping inside my head from my night of drinking. “Oh no.” My mouth fell open. I listened to the muffled voice below as Colin’s face hardened. Jacob had shown up early.

“That asshole from last night?” he asked between clenched teeth.

“He’s harmless.” I knew I had messed up. His arm fell from my waist as he reached between us and pulled a black gun from under his suit jacket. He pulled back the slide on top, and it sprang back into place. I spun around and pressed my back into the sink as I looked it over in shock. “What the hell?” He shrugged off his deep gray suit jacket, which was now damp from my body, and rolled his neck from side to side.

“Compared to whom, Annie?” His arm extended as he held the gun out to me on its side for me to take. My fingers wrapped around the cold metal. I didn’t miss his look of disappointment as he spoke. “If you’re basing his threat level off of me, your scale is fucking skewed. You should know better by now.”

“You’re being irrational.”

“Promise me you will use this if necessary.”

“Starting now?” I jabbed, and he fought against a smirk.

“Sometimes we think we know someone, but we don’t really know them at all.” He swallowed hard as he tossed his jacket onto my pile of dirty clothes. Over his shirt he wore a black holster that looped over his shoulders where the gun had been concealed against his ribs. “Help me.” He turned his back to me, and I reluctantly reached up his nearly six-foot frame and pulled the straps from his shoulders, removing the holster from his back. When he turned to face me again, he pressed his lips to my forehead, and I let my eyes fall closed, knowing that trusting him was my only choice. His hand slid into my hair, and the pad of his thumb trailed lightly over my cheekbone.