I smile, unsure what that percentage has to do with anything. About a hundred yards away over near the garage, the group member who drove the bus into town so the girls could find the new recruits unloads the other important cargo he had to get while he was away from the farm. With each brown paper bag he takes out of the back of the bus, he sets it down carefully on the dirt before grabbing the next one.
“Did Nadine tell you about the stuff she found that’s going to work even better than the stuff we’ve been using in the food?
I shake my head. I’m the last person she’d tell anything to. Whenever she wasn’t gushing about how much we all can’t wait to help them reach their full potential and be the people they’ve always been meant to be, she was glaring at me as I stood in the back of the room as Micah ordered.
He doesn’t elaborate about what the bus driver brought back and turns to walk back into his quarters. “Bring the virgin when she’s done being fed.”
“Yes, Micah,” I say and bow as he closes his door.
8
Lara
The other womenMelody and Delilah convinced to join The Golden Light sit down next to me in a large building full of long wooden tables and benches on each side. The setting reminds me of summer camp Rina and I attended every year growing up. When a little girl who looks no more than six or seven with short but wild curly blond hair sets a silver pitcher and a stack of red plastic cups in the center of the table, it definitely makes me think of those weeks I spent at Camp Tioga.
I smile at her to silently say thank you for the drink because the heat of the day has made my mouth parched. She smiles back but then a look of pure terror comes over her, and she hurries away. Looking around for what could have frightened the poor child, I see the woman named Nadine who just gave us our introduction to the group staring in her direction, her dark eyes narrowed as if in anger.
Quickly, I look away, sensing her expression is only a hint at her temper. I don’t need to make any waves while I’m here. I want to try to fly under the radar while I’m looking for Rina, so the last thing I need to do is draw attention to myself by noticing something I don’t think I was supposed to.
With a hint of rage still showing in her eyes, she says in a sickeningly sweet voice, “Ladies, please eat and drink as much as you’d like. I know the bus ride was long, and in this heat, I’m sure it wasn’t the most comfortable hour and a half you’ve ever spent. There’s more than enough to eat and drink, and I see little Kinley coming right now with a tray of cookies her mother made this morning. Enjoy!”
I look around to see a different young girl who looks slightly older than the other one but with the same unruly curly hair. Kinley’s is longer than the other girl’s and even blonder. She’s dwarfed by a huge platter she struggles to carry, but Nadine doesn’t move an inch to offer any assistance.
As she attempts to walk as fast as possible to deliver her mother’s cookies, I watch in horror as she trips over her little feet, and the platter with all its goodies flies out of her hands and lands on the floor, scattering the cookies all over the place. I hurry over to her expecting her to break into tears, but she simply looks petrified and stares up at Nadine in utter terror.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do it,” she says in a tiny, trembling voice.
Worried Nadine might scold her or worse, I turn to look at the woman and stare her down. This child did nothing wrong. I will not let her be punished.
For a second, it’s like the whole world is frozen in place. No one moves, including Nadine, but I see in her eyes she’s furious even though her smile hasn’t faded at all. I’ve read that homicidal maniacs act like that with expressions that don’t match their eyes. I don’t know if she’s dangerous, but I can see quite clearly she’s fighting with everything she has inside her to pretend she isn’t angry.
Then, as if someone starts the world again, she says in that same sickeningly sweet voice, “It’s okay, Kinley. Here, let me make sure you’re okay.”
I know I should move and let her get close to the little girl, but the terror in the child’s eyes makes me stay put next to her as the woman crouches down to inspect her knees. They’re a little red but not scraped, thankfully, and Nadine gives her a kiss on the cheek to make her feel better.
“A-OK. Run along now and go to your mother, okay? Tell her we need more cookies.”
Kinley nods and then jumps up before running away. As I stand to rejoin the group, Nadine smiles at me, but it’s the kind of grin that a crocodile gives someone right before devouring them.
“She’ll be fine.”
“I was worried she may have hurt herself. Perhaps she should have some help with the next tray. I’d be happy to walk with her. Just tell me where to find her and her mother,” I say as sweetly as I can, hoping she can’t tell how much I disapprove of her right now.
“Thank you, Lara. She’ll be fine.”
Again with the fine. God, I hope her mother helps her this next time because if poor little Kinley drops another tray of cookies, I have a feeling Nadine isn’t going to be able to hide how furious she’ll be over another mistake.
As I sit down next to the other women, the girl comes walking into the dining hall all alone once again with a plate of cookies. This time the tray’s a little smaller, so she has no problem delivering her treats to our table. She smiles up at Nadine, but even as she gets a kind look from her, I swear I see terror in her eyes.
“Please, enjoy these cookies and some lemonade. It’s been very hot today, so we don’t want anyone to become dehydrated or get sick. I’m going to thank Kinley’s mother for her wonderful baking, but I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
She walks away behind the little girl, and we all reach for a cookie from the pile on the blue platter. Each one is shaped like a star, and I have to say I’m a little surprised they aren’t in the shape of that sun with beams coming out I’ve seen on nearly everything associated with this group so far. Then again, maybe that would be too hard to make into cookies. I’m sure the star shape is meant to symbolize something, like we’re all capable of being superstars in the world.
My first bite of Kinley’s mother’s cookies surprises me with how delicious they are. Buttery and light, they’re instantly addictive. Everyone around me gobbles them up, and I can’t deny how tasty they are. Even though I didn’t think I was hungry, I take a second and then a third one.
After a couple minutes, one woman stands up from the bench and grabs the silver pitcher in the center of the table. Tall with wide shoulders that seem big for a female, she looks around at all of us and asks, “Would anyone like some?”
We all nod and reach for a red cup, and she pours for each of us. Lifting her cup in the air, she smiles. “To having all we ever wanted in life!”
