“Shh. Go back to sleep. You are safe. I got you.” He plays with my pigtails. “I’ll take a nap with you.”
I smile as he plays with my hair, and his body warms me up. I let the sleepiness in my head take over. My last thought before I fall deeper isI love my big brother.
5
Eden
Age 11
“Samuel!” I shout down the hallway as he runs to me, then grabs me around the waist and lifts me off the floor.
He spins me around before kissing me on the cheek. “God, I missed my little Eden.” He pushes my hair out of my face.
“You were gone forever.” I pout at him, and my feet return to the floor as I cross my arms.
“You know the cleansing ceremonies take a long time.”
“Do you have to go to those thingies?” I scrunch my nose.
“If I want to, one day, be the Divine’s Vessel, like my father, I do. I have to be ready, and thatmeans attending it all.” His hands run through my hair. “That includes every cleansing ceremony.”
I heard him say this before, but I don’t knowwhyit took so long. All I know is he is the only one I get to spend time with in this big house, and when he leaves for hours, it makes me feel sick in my stomach.
He is going to follow in Mr. Donovan’s footsteps, so that means going to the meetings, ceremonies, and everything else the Vessel has to do.
We have been together all the time this last year. I want to go everywhere my big brother goes. I am glad our schools are right next to each other. Samuel is sixteen, so that means he drops me off and picks me up. Having him around is like having my best friend around all the time. I have friends at school, but this is different. They don’t treat me like he does. They look at me like I am an outsider.
Even though Mr. Donovan told the whole town that, from the second day I moved in, they have to treat me like part of the family, girls and boys at my school don’t listen when we are alone.
I can see the way they look at me like I am a charity case to the Donovans. I hear the giggles on the playground and hallways, but I usually push it aside. It doesn’t matter that the leader of this town is telling them to treat me with kindness. They know I am notreallya Donovan. The whispers I hear say it all. Talks of “a non-Chosen One infecting the family.” But the minute I am back with my big brother, everything just feels right.
“Eden...” Samuel tickles my sides. “Don’t be like that.” He grabs me, tickling me more intensely, and I fall before he falls on top of me. He pins my arms with his knees and keeps tickling.
“Stop! Samuel! No!” I shrieked through forced laughter.
He listens right away but stays in place. “You know if I could take you with me, I would.”
“I know.” I huff.
I know, but it doesn’t help the loneliness I feel when he is gone. As much as I love being a Donovan now, it is lonely. Mr. Donovan is always busy with town stuff and the church, as their leader and Chosen One. It is his duty to look over the people here. Mrs. Donovan is either with him and smiling, or she is busy with other things in her room. She isn’t a very close new mother like I hoped, but I try not to dwell on that too much. I still have Samuel, and he has me.
I look at Samuel and wonder if he was lonely here in this big house before I came along. He was here fifteen whole years without a sibling. My heart aches for him when I think about that.
“What? Did I hurt you?” His eyes look at my face.
“No. I am just glad you are home.” My eyes sting with tears.
Samuel leans forward and presses his soft lips against my forehead. “Me too, Eden.” He stays there and keeps looking at me. Then he jumps to his feet and pulls me with him. “Let’s get a snack and watch a movie in my room, huh? Will that make it up to you?”
“Are there gummy bears involved in this?” I say, smiling.
“Well, that means we need to go on a snack run...” He brushes my palm with his fingers and holds it tight when he pulls me down the hallway. “So, a snack run, we shall go on!”
I laugh as we run down the staircase.
“Samuel.”
A sharp voice echoes in the entryway and makes us stop.
