As my grip tightened on my smoke, I snapped the fucking thing and threw the ruined stick to the ground. “Li, you ain’t in that place now. You do what the fuck you want.”

Her attention fell to her feet. “You complimented my food. You… you said thank you to me for preparing your meal.”

“Christ, Lilah…”

Her hand covered mine on the grass, and our gazes clashed, feeling the fucking electricity that always hummed between us. “You made me feel like an equal, tonight, Ky. Like I was a woman of worth.”

“Lilah…” I said, exasperated. “What did those fuckers do to you? How the fuck did they make you a Cursed? ‘Cause all this self-deprecating shit is hard to take.”

Lilah stared at the grass and said, “I had a family once… years ago…”

My eyebrow rose. “You did?”

She nodded but never said no more. “Then tell me,” I pushed, and Lilah’s worried gaze met mine.

Slumping her shoulders, her voice barely audible, she said, “It all happened when I was six…”

Chapter Nine

Eighteen Years Ago

Commune of The Order

Undisclosed Location

Lilah

“Child. Go play with Micah in the back room. I have business to discuss with Brother Luke.”

I nodded my head, dutifully obeying my father, and skipped down the hallway, twirling my long blue skirt as I did so. It was hot outside, but as a child, I had to wear the long blue dress of pure, modest women. I loved my dress. It made me feel pretty.

Humming a graceful melody to myself, I became distracted. Just as I was about to pass the washroom on my left, the door opened. I immediately stopped humming, immediately stopped twirling my skirt, and lowered my head in dutiful obedience.

I heard familiar footsteps thud slowly on the wooden floor and, keeping my eyes downcast, witnessed scuffed black boots halt in front of me. A panicked breath slipped through my lips and my hands began to shake. I could feel my heart beating wildly in my throat, and I bit down on my tongue. Prophet David preached that girls were not to act gleefully; they had to show restraint from sinful behavior, to display a discipline from all pleasure, at all times. I knew immediately I had failed the prophet with my dancing, humming, and enjoyment of the day. But worse, I had been caught.

Noticing a raised hand from the corner of my eye, I braced for the inevitable strike; they occurred frequently. But the blow did not come. Instead, the hand gently slipped off my obligatory white headdress, freed my blond locks, and ran its fingers through my long hair, caressing me. Then a rough thumb ran over my lips.

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Rapunzel,” the deep voice resonated in a singsong melody as the hand repeatedly stroked my hair, my face, over and over and over. “Such beauty in one so young.” The deep voice was strained, sounding almost… painful?

Of course, I instantly recognized the voice of Brother Luke. He was one of the elders of The Order. One of Prophet David’s most trusted disciples. He led the commune in which we resided.

Lately, my father had started to work with Brother Luke, what seemed to me to be a great deal. My father was a writer, an artist, the most amazing of storytellers, and now my father was helping Prophet David write down his direct revelations from the Lord, for all of Prophet David’s people to read and follow. Together, my father and Prophet David were creating a book dedicated to The Order’s holy cause, our very own bible, one that contained the final, the undistorted, and the infallible word of God.

It was a true honor to record the Lord’s revealed and most holy words. My father had insisted that because this great honor had been bestowed upon him, all his sons and daughters must be a living example to the other families in the commune. We were to be the perfect followers of Prophet David. Therefore, we must never ever submit to impure or sinful ways.

I strived every day to be the daughter my father could be proud of.

Brother Luke’s fingers left my hair and, suddenly, he crouched before me. Those same fingers drifted slowly down my cheek and stopped under my chin. My eyes, for but a moment, drifted toward his eyes, which blazed with something I could not really decipher. I immediately cast my gaze downward. Brother Luke had beheld me as my brother, Peter, looked upon a chocolate treat.

“Raise your pretty blue eyes, my little Rapunzel.”

Brother Luke always called me his “little Rapunzel.” I had no idea who or what a Rapunzel was, but every time he said it, it did seem to excite him. His voice would lower in tone and his chest would always pant. Brother Luke made me feel very, very uneasy. My stomach always swirled when he was around, but I supposed it was because he was such a special man. It was the Lord identifying him to me as his apostle.

“Do as I say, my little Rapunzel. Lift that head so I can gaze upon your beautiful face, those sparkling eyes.”

I could not be sure if this might be a test, so I kept my head down, demonstrating my lowliness as a girl toward this elder of The Order.

Brother Luke leaned forward, and I could feel his hot breath swoosh up my hair. Holding my breath, I slowly raised my head. Brother Luke’s long beard tickled my cheek when he smiled. He smiled so big at me, so big that I could see all his teeth. Then he sighed.

“Ah, there she is. The young beauty with long golden hair.” His head tilted to the side. “Tell me, child, how old are you now?”

“S-six, sir. I am six.”

His brown eyes flared; his tongue peeked out and licked along his lips. “You are almost at the magical age, my child. The magical age where we all get to share in your beauty. The day the Lord will call you into his embrace, the warm embrace of his eternal love. That most glorious of days.”

My eyebrows arrowed down with question. “Magical day, sir? I do not know of this,” I whispered.

Brother Luke smiled at me; he planted his hands on the tops of my arms, his thumbs running up and down my chest. I did not like this feeling and I flinched with every stroke, squeezing my eyes shut in response.

Brother Luke placed his lips at my ear. “Yes, child. The day you fully give yourself to the Lord. Prophet David will reveal the exact day to us soon, through the revelation of the Lord, but it will not be long now… and I do hope I am the brother to introduce you into the celestial love of God. It is something I think of often… You are so very beautiful.”

“Brother Luke!”

Snapping my eyes open, I whipped my head around to look behind me. There was my father at the end of the hallway, an angry look upon his face.