Page 5 of Twisted Truths

No one knows.

I’m safe.

Repeating my mantra, I stay in the reverent position as Guardian Solomon’s voice reverberates through the brightly lit chapel, each word like a weight pressing down on my chest. The congregation kneels in perfect silence, all of them hanging on his every word. I keep my gaze locked on the cold, stone floor.

No one knows.

I’m safe.

My secret gnaws at me, twisting inside me and knotting my stomach, but I bury it deep. The elders think they have full control of all of us, but they don’t. Not anymore.

Guardian Solomon’s voice his smooth and hypnotic as hespeaks of purity and sacrifice. Since I’m no longer under his spell, I allow my mind to drift. It’s only been forty-eight hours. I remain patient, knowing she’s coming back for me. She promised.

No one knows.

I’m safe.

For now.

I press my palms into my lap, feeling the tremor, the fear, the guilt. On the third Tuesday of every month, I sit through Guardian Solomon’s homily and keep my head down. It’s been three years, and I’ve managed to stay off their radar. Even Seraphina seems to have forgotten I’m here.

My luck will run out soon. I feel it in my bones.

Next week, on the twenty-third of August, is my twenty-first birthday.

It’s the age of enlightenment, meaning I’ll be eligible for the next Awakening.

She told me what comes next, even though it’s against the rules. She warned me.

Be careful, avoid their attention, and trust no one. Once they set you in their sights, your life becomes theirs.

But not for her. Not anymore. She left.

She’ll be back for me when it’s safe.

I am safe.

I have to believe it.

The walls of the chapel feel like they’re closing in. The heat from the lit sconces along the wall burns my skin. Sweat drips down my brow, but I don’t dare move to brush it away. The slightest movement will bring unwanted attention, and I need to remain invisible. If I’m going to survive, I mustn’t draw notice.

Guardian Solomon’s tone becomes more upbeat as he chants, “We are the Circle. We are the flame.”

Werespond in unison. “From the flame, we are reborn. Circle of fire, circle of light. We stand as one, through the darkest of nights.”

The air is sucked from the room as Aziah Solomon joins his father at the altar. We wait with bated breath, knowing the announcement of the next Awakening is still to come.

All females are to remain pure until their twenty-first birthday. That’s when we’re eligible for the Chosen ceremony, where we may be married off to one of Guardian Solomon’s four sons—Gabriel, Aziah, Isaac, and Judah—when they become of age to take a wife. They expect the Chosen to fall pregnant with the next generation of the Circle within a year. If they do not fall pregnant in that time, they’re sent for Purification. Then they’ll be remarried to another man from the congregation, or they can choose to become an ascendent, tasked with overseeing and guiding the next group of girls close to the age of Awakening.

Judah and Isaac are the most preferred of the brothers. At seventeen and nineteen, they’re the kindest of the brothers, although that’s probably because they’re not of age yet. They are often seen lending a helping hand with everyday chores. Though they’re beneath their status, they do it with joy and laughter.

Aziah is the quietest of the four and often wanders the property in solitude. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the twenty-one-year-old smile in the three years I have been here.

Gabriel is the one to watch out for. The eldest of the brothers at twenty-four, he has a wicked temper. Rumour says he’s rough behind closed doors, but his Chosen never confirmed or denied it. She refused to speak of what went on in the privacy of their home.

Now that she has left the Circle, he will take another Chosen.

Bile rises in the back of my throat. I will be eligible next month. Ihaveto stay out of his way.