“I’m going to go upstairs to make sure everything is alright,” Nevaeh said, looking very seriously at both of us. “If you need anything, Lia will get it for you.”

“Thank you,” Harlow smiled at her.

“You are a very lovely girl.” Nevaeh touched her cheek gently. “You will fit in perfectly here.”

With that, she smiled and headed up the stairs. I pretended that I didn’t notice how she hadn’t said anything about me fitting in.

Lia brought clothes over to us, smiling like we were fancy new toys. I didn’t feel entirely comfortable showering with Harlow, since I still possessed some modesty, but I preferred it to waiting in the room with the other girls.

They all smiled too widely at us, except for Vega, a girl with black hair in the back. I thought I saw something else in her expression. I actually would’ve liked to talk to her, but she was in the far corner. Besides that, even if she had anything to say, she wouldn’t be able to say it around everyone else.

The water never really got warm and the pressure was almost non-existent, but it had to be the greatest shower I ever had. After spending a few minutes simply relishing the fact that we were getting clean, Harlow prattled on about how amazing this place was.

Electricity, showers, and clean clothes managed to block out the fact that Korech and company were obviously a cult, but I couldn’t point it out because the bathroom didn’t have a door. Everyone got to listen and watch us shower.

I left my hair down for the first time in months, the dark waves resting on my back. The nightgowns may have looked like bags, but they were soft cotton and comfortable. As much as this place freaked me out, I felt a little tempted to hang out here for a day or two.

Then I saw Lia smiling at me like one of the kids from Village of the Damned, and I thought of my little brother, scared and alone somewhere far away. I knew I could not stay here for long.

Lia had made up two empty beds for us right by hers. She sat on her bed with two other girls, waiting for us while we showered. Shiloh, a girl with freckles, couldn’t be much older than Harlow. The other girl had long, long black hair, a wicked smile, and I think her name was Ruth.

“Are you two sisters?” Lia asked before we even had a chance to sit down.

“No, I was an only child.” Harlow sat on the bed closer to them, which I was grateful for. She ran her fingers threw her hair, untangling it. “Now I’m an orphan.”

“But you’re not alone,” I reminded her and climbed into my bed. It wasn’t as comfortable as a real bed, but it was better than a cot or the ground.

“That’s a really pretty necklace,” Shiloh nodded to the gold cross around Harlow’s neck.

I wondered if that’s why they thought she would fit here. Or if it was just because she looked so eager and hopeful. Or maybe it was because she really was beautiful, and that was all Korech was looking for.

“Thanks.” Harlow touched her cross. “My mother gave it to me.”

“Your mother brought you to us,” Ruth said confidently.

I groaned inwardly. If they started convincing her that this was her destiny and what her beloved dead parents wanted, there would be no way I’d convince her to leave.

“You really think so?” Harlow asked.

“We know,” Ruth nodded.

“Korech is a prophet for God, and God has a plan for everybody,” Shiloh agreed solemnly. “Korech is helping lead us back to Him and keeping us safe.”

I must’ve groaned audibly that time because they all looked at me.

“What about you?” Lia asked. “What brought you here?”

“My little brother is missing, and I have to find him,” I said.

Nobody said anything for a minute, probably thinking what I’d be thinking if I were anybody else. There are no “missing” people anymore. Once they’re gone, they’re dead or zombies.

“God will watch out for him,” Vega said from the far corner of the room. Everyone turned to look at her, surprised she spoke.

Nevaeh opened the door to the stairs, informed us all we could talk in the morning, and turned out the lights. She never did come back downstairs, and I assumed that she shared a bed with Korech. I wondered if she was his wife, or if she was just a mistress. Or if they were all mistresses.

Shiloh and Ruth went back to their beds, and I curled up deeper under the sheets. I needed a shower and a good’s night rest. These people had only been kind to me so far, so I decided to just go with it.

In the morning, I would try to talk Harlow into leaving. But then again, if I didn’t, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. I’m not sure what Korech’s deal was yet, but he had managed to keep all these people alive, and that was far more than anyone else. That had to count for something.

– 8 –

Harlow was up before I was, but then again, everyone was up before I was. Lia waited in the basement for me, saying that they thought I needed my rest after my travels, while all the other girls had gone upstairs for breakfast.

Lia encouraged me to wear their clothes, but I slipped back into my jeans and t-shirt. It felt safer somehow.

When I went upstairs, I found Harlow in the kitchen, mixing something in a bowl. She wore one of their ill-fitting garments, a pale yellow dress, and her hair had been pulled back in an intricate braid, matching several of the other girls’ styles.

Harlow laughed and smiled brightly at me with flour on her nose, and I realized sourly that she thrived in this environment.

Really, I should’ve known. She had done wonderfully in the quarantine. Harlow had been the girl that everyone liked. I kept to myself a lot, and that’s that probably what drew me to Vega. In the kitchen, several girls ran about to cook or do things, but Vega was nowhere in sight.

Nevaeh forced me to eat some kind of weird tasting toast. I was about to ask where the boys were when Lazlo rushed in from the dining room. His skin had gone pale, and his wide smile managed to look relieved and terrified. Like me, he stuck with his street clothes, and he had a hand shoved in his back pocket.

“Did you sleep okay?” Lazlo asked and ran a hand through his hair. His eyes darted around the room, trying to keep sight of all the girls flitting about, and he stepped closer to me.

“Yeah. Slept great,” I gulped down the toast without really chewing. It tasted sour and flat, and I didn’t even want to know how they made it. “How about you?”