Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Panic crawled all through me. “You want to leave town? Are you crazy?”
“We have to leave them. All of them. The community, the church, the family.”
“And what are we going to do exactly?”
She swallowed heavily. “What normal people do! Get a job, work, and live life on our terms.”
“Lyric what is wrong?”
I wanted to shake her. We didn’t have much time before BJ realized she wasn’t home and I was expected back at my parents’ home to make dinner. As the oldest child still living in their home, I had responsibilities. If I slipped up there would be consequences. While my father was mostly mild mannered compared to other men around us, he absolutely believed in spare the rod, spoiled the child. He would dish out a punishment if I got caught because I didn’t ask permission. A little thing like that was a world of trouble for us.
“There is a gathering coming. Your name is up.”
Dread instantly filled my gut. I knew it would come, but I had hoped Lyric’s wedding would tide them over for a bit.
Who had been chosen for me? Are they going to make me marry BJ? While our particular religion doesn’t have the best reputation, the elders were purposeful in their pairings. A man could have three wives only, and no more than a five year age difference between a husband and any of his wives. My grandmother said they did that to avoid attention from the government after some big organization down south was torn apart over child brides.
While the rules could be a bit much at times, I considered us lucky that our leaders protected young girls and made sure we were married to men that were close to being peers. Arranged marriages were awkward no matter how anyone went about it, but at least not being with a man old enough to be my grandfather would be so bad.
“In seven days, you will be married. That can’t happen to you. We only have a few days to get things together and get on the road out of here, Mel. The pairing will be announced any day now.”
My stomach twisted inside. I nodded. “How do you know I’m next? Is it BJ? I don’t want to share a husband with you, Lyric.” The thoughts ran rampant through my head. I loved my cousin and the thought of sharing a man repulsed me.
She shook her head, but then nodded. “I don’t know who yet. And I’m not sure that they won’t give you to BJ. I don’t know much actually. Just BJ smiled after we came back and he got the call for a gathering. I asked. All I got was you’re up. He said he was hopeful he could have us both. He didn’t elaborate.”
I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t ready to be married. Maybe I was in denial. In our culture this was my natural next step. Why then did it twist me up inside in the worst ways?
“I can’t do this, Lyric. I’m not you. The only experience I had with a boy was Logan and you know how badly that went. I’m not ready. How do I do this? You have managed and it turned out okay, right?”
She shook her head and dropped her gaze from mine as if shame had washed over her. “Mel, I’m living a nightmare. He’s not kind. He’s sick in the head.” The tears began to stream down her face. “I once thought I could find a good life with real love. I was actually excited to be called as his bride. BJ seemed genuine when we were young. He never let things go too far.”
I remembered all the times he took her out and never did more than give her a kiss. Other people would make out and girl’s would get bad reputations, but BJ never allowed things to progress where anyone could look sideways at Lyric.
“What happened, Lyric?”
She shook her head like she was fighting to shake off a bad memory. “He wasn’t slow. He wasn’t gentle. And he demanded things,” she started shaking her head back and forth. “Awful, painful things. And that isn’t the half of it. He will kill me if I don’t walk his line. I’m sure of it. Mel, it’s me or him, I know that to my gut. If he has a chance, he’ll kill me or I’m gonna snap and slit his throat. This is not how love, life, or eternity should be. I can’t begin to tell you the things he did to me.”
“Shhh,” I comforted giving her hand a squeeze. “I can use my imagination.”
I really didn’t quite know what she was saying, but I did have some ideas. My virginity was still intact at nineteen, as was expected of all women in our religion. Although, I hadn’t had sex, it didn’t mean I couldn’t come to my own conclusions about what happened to my cousin.