Just taking a quick peek wouldn’t be bad, right?
So I took the octagonal-shaped glass knob in my hands and cracked the door open just enough for me to slip inside. I felt around the wall for the light switch, but just then, the door suddenly slammed shut behind me.
I jumped and screamed just as the tall lamp in the corner was switched on, blinding me for a second. With my heart beating fast, I squinted at the apparition a few yards in front of me—it looked like a guy who belonged in the early eighteen-hundreds, wearing a blue waistcoat with a cream-colored vest and a pair of brown trousers; the kind of clothes that Samuel Williams was depicted to wear in the church paintings.
I froze as terror swept over me.
Was I looking at the ghost of Samuel Williams right now? Had I just walked into a special visitation?
Was this a special meeting where I would be rebuked for not following through with the ceremony and breaking my promise to obey all of God’s commandments?
But then the man took a step closer, and my eyes adjusted at the same time he smiled. And I realized I was looking at Xander.
46
HUNTER
As the elevatorclimbed to the top floor, taking me to my parents’ penthouse, I fished my phone out of my pocket to openThe Confidant’s email app.
I searched for the email address Scarlett had used previously, [email protected], and saw an unopened email with the wordsI can’t talk to anyone else about thisin the subject line.
I tapped on my screen to open it, my eyes quickly scanning over what she’d said.
Dear Confidant,
This email might be a little weird, but I don’t really have anyone else I can talk to about it. But since you always have such great advice, I figured I might as well try.
So I’m in a pretty strict religion. I love it and it’s my whole life, but I just found out about a revelation that is making me struggle a little. It’s just kind of surprising and different from any of the revelations I’ve learned about at church before.
It’s hard to explain, but basically, my dad told me last week that there was a revelation many years ago about the girl—or woman, I guess—who would be the mother of the High Priest in the second coming of Jehovah and Samuel Williams—the Chosen One. (If you don’t know what the High Priest in my church is, he is basically like what the Pope is in the Catholic church. But since my church is the one true church, I guess he’s a bit higher than that because he’s actually the High Priest of the entire world and not just the church…)
Anyway, I basically found out that I am supposed to marry this other guy from my congregation, and we are supposed to perform some ceremony that will make me get pregnant with this future High Priest. (I know just writing that sounds crazy, right?)
I know the guy I’m supposed to perform the ceremony with, and he seems nice enough, but it’s just so sudden and a little weird, and I’m really confused at what I should do. Especially since I am already in love with someone else.
Do you have any advice? Or a way that I can figure this out fast? (I only have another week!)
I’ve tried praying about it, but I’m not getting the right answers.
I’m planning to meet up with the guy tomorrow so maybe that will help give me more clarity on where to go from here, but I just don’t want to make the wrong choice and possibly mess up my future and disappoint God.
Thank you,
Your confused friend.
P.S. Please don’t post this on your website since I’m pretty sure my best friend will figure out that it’s me and he won’t understand.
I was shaking when I finished reading the email.
What in the actual heck is going on?Was Mr. Caldwell actually fine with basically sacrificing his daughter and her future for some stupid made-up revelation? Because what kind of crazy pills was he taking?
And what was the High Priest taking, too?
This was, like, early-church-and-Samuel Williams-level crazy.
“Are you coming in?” Bash’s voice called from the kitchen, and I realized that the elevator door was open.
“Yeah…” I said, looking back down at my phone, completely dumbfounded.
