Seven months later

 

“Here, try this,” I say to Cain as I throw a peanut M&M at him.

“Hey, you trying to kill me with that thing?”

“Whatever. Come help.” I take the nearly finished M&M packet into the kitchen. “Can we help?” I ask Christine.

“Yes please. I need the salad to be chopped, and someone to make the rice.”

“Butthead, get in here,” I call to Cain.

“Butthead? Really? That’s the best you’ve got?”

“You want a different insult, then it’s on,” I tease. “Snot face.”

“Weirdo,” he counters.

“Loser.”

“Freak.”

“Toe fungus,” I say but can’t help smiling.

“You two, stop it,” Christine says with a laugh.

Cain lowers his eyes in embarrassment. I don’t though. “Toe fungus,” I say again under my breath.

“Hey.” Christine points a finger at me, warning me. But her own smile is enough to tell me, she knows we’re just kidding. “You, you’re on salad duty, and you, make the rice.” She points to Cain, then me.

As we help Christine with the cooking, there’s a seriousness underlying today. It’s something I don’t want to confront yet, but reality is, it’s now upon us.

After dinner, Cain and I clean the kitchen, and head out to the back yard, where there’s a huge deck with deck chairs.

“You okay?” Cain asks as he sits beside me on one of the deck chairs.

Shrugging, I take a deep breath and stare out into the garden. “He sent me a letter.”

Cain turns his head to look at me. “Who?”

“Steven.”

“When?”

“I received it last Monday.”

Silence engulfs us. Cain’s thinking about it, as am I. But I know I did the right thing. “What did it say?” His tone is steady, though I can imagine the anger bubbling away inside him.

“I don’t know. I stared at it for days. It was the only topic of conversation between Elise and myself for a week. But I decided to destroy it.”

“Why?” he asks, his voice heavy.

“They took all our power while we were in there. And I decided, I wouldn’t allow him to take any more of it. So, I burned it. I stood out here, under the light of the full moon, and put a match to it. As it burned, I felt free. He has no right to talk to me, or beg for forgiveness or whatever else may have been in that letter. It’s my choice if I forgive him. And I choose to forget him. He’s my biological father who wanted me for his wife. The only rules in God’s Haven, were rules to suit them. But out here, they have no control over me. I’ve taken my power back.”

“And you burned the letter.”

“I burned it and felt nothing but freedom. It forced me to think about Kim too. I know she’s a victim in all this, and maybe one day I’ll find the strength to go see her. But for now, all I want is for her to get the help she needs. She was brainwashed like the rest of us. Maybe at her trial, they won’t find her guilty and she can get help.”

Cain chuckles. “You’ve always been the strongest person I’ve known, Luna.”

“We all have to embrace our strengths, and push past our weaknesses. God’s Haven was in my past, but I refuse to carry it into my future.”

“Good. You’re an inspiration. To me, and Addison and Abigail. Everyone who meets you.” He stops talking, and takes a deep, long breath. “Are you okay about the trial?”

“I’m nervous.”

“I’m testifying too, but we have to look past the trial.”

“Michael did say, they made a strong case at the preliminary hearing, and if the judge didn’t dismiss the case, then there’s a good chance Steven will be convicted and going to prison.” I look up at the darkening sky, remembering how Cain and I would stare up at the stars while we were inside God’s Haven. “Do you miss it? Being inside?”

He lets out a loud breath and breathes out a pained sigh. “I’m learning not to. I know what happened in there wasn’t healthy, or normal, but at the same time, I can’t help but think about what it would be like if we didn’t know it was wrong.”

“I’d be pregnant by one of them.” I say them with venom.

“I’m thankful we only have Addison as a sibling. I know that sounds horrible. And it’s not meant to. But I don’t think I’d handle it well if we found out we’re all blood-related.”

I look inside, and see Addison sitting at the dinner table, reading. “I’m thankful for Zhang and Christine. If they didn’t offer to be our foster parents, we might have been separated.”

“Abigail’s lucky to have them as parents,” Cain says.

“We’re the lucky ones, Cain. We made it out of there alive. And even though we’re not anywhere near being well-adjusted, it just makes me want to work harder to be normal.”

Cain reaches out for my hand. “It makes sense, you know.”

“What does?”

“The feelings I had for you. I’ve loved you since I can remember, that love is deeper than anything I had ever felt. And now we know we’re brother and sister, it explained why I loved you as much as I did.” He clears his throat. “As much as I do,” he corrects.

“When are you going to see the others?” I ask referring to the children who were rescued.

“I’m going tomorrow. Most are doing well. Why don’t you come with me?”

“Elise is coming to see me. I’m having some issues with the trial about to start.”

“There are the other trials too. All the sponsors.” Cain stands and starts pacing. “I don’t understand people and their need for… for…” He throws his arms up, frustrated at himself for not being able to find the right word.

“Voyeurism?” I say.

“Yes, what pleasure did they get watching us inside the wall?”

“I think it’s more about the pleasure they got from when the Elders tortured Abigail and Steven killed her. They could watch, without the guilt of actually being there. As far as I’m concerned, they’re just as bad as him.”

“I wish William hadn’t taken his own life.”

“He would have had to answer for his actions. We’ll never know if what he preached to us is what’s waiting for him.”

“What do you mean?” Cain sits opposite me again.

“He preached about the devil, and the torture he’d inflict on us. I hope the devil is real, and was waiting for William when he killed himself.”

“He got off too easily,” Cain says.

“I agree, he did. For the damage he did to everyone, all the lies, all the minds he broke, all the lives he wasted, he deserved more than an easy death.” I take a deep breath. Having Cain here makes everything so much better. “I’m glad Steven is facing his own personal hell. He deserves whatever they give him. Michael said, he’s going for a life sentence.” I look up at the sky again, seeing the beautiful sunset colors spread across, nature’s artwork. “If I’m being honest, I want him to die a slow, painful death in prison.”

“I just want him to die,” Cain admits.

“Did that hurt? Admitting something like that?”

“Not one little bit,” he says with absolute confidence. “Everyone needs to know what they did. To you, to all of us.”

“I’m not sure I can. What they did, it’s not something I want to keep reliving.”

“I tell you what, Luna. The moment these court cases are over, I’m going to speak up. Because it’s our responsibility to tell the world, exactly what they did.”

“I honestly don’t think I can do that. Don’t get me wrong, I want them all to go to prison, every last one of them. But as far as the media, and standing in front of a nation to tell them, I don’t think I have that in me.”

“Don’t worry. If you can’t do it, I certainly can. For everyone who lost their lives at the hands of those monsters. People need to see and know what it’s really like inside a place like that.” Cain’s found a passion for speaking the truth. I’m more reserved. “People like them can’t hide behind their money, or their credentials. They have to be held accountable. Some of the sponsors were high-profile people. Why should I keep that a secret? I refuse to, Luna. I refuse to hide their identity.”

Zhang opens the back door, and calls, “Hey, you two, hurry up, we’re about to sing happy birthday to Addison.”

“It’s kind of weird, actually having a birthday now. You’ve turned seventeen, I’m eighteen in two weeks and Addison’s twelve. We never had those things before. And a birthday cake…weird,” Cain laughs. “But I must admit, I’m looking forward to presents.” He cheekily smiles at me.

“You know what, Cain?”

“What?”

“I think we’re going to be okay.”

“Why do you say that?”

Standing, I grab hold of his hand and help him up. “Because this is truly what family is.”