Chapter 14
Before he even arrived home, Q got the call he’d been dreading.
He didn’t want to leave Flora at home alone, but he had to go.
There weren’t any other options. He had to leave with his team.
At least, that was the plan. Them leaving.
It might fall apart before he got back to base.
That didn’t usually happen, but he’d seen it at least once before.
He pulled up out front of his house and wished he had explained his job better to her so she wouldn’t be taken by surprise by what he had to say.
The walk to his door felt longer than usual.
When he pushed open the door, Flora jerked up from beside the couch and slammed her head into the side table.
“Ouch.”
“Oh no, are you okay?” He rushed over and knelt beside her, noting the water filling her eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“No, I should have been paying better attention to what was going on.”
He grabbed her elbow to help her up. “Let me help you.”
They rose together, and Flora stumbled and slammed into his chest. He put his arm around her to steady her just as she looked up. Their lips were close, and she was very tempting. He closed the distance, pressing his lips against hers.
Flora froze, and he thought he’d made a huge mistake and tried to pull back, but she grabbed his arms, holding him close. “Don’t.” The word came out as a whisper from her. “Don’t pull away. Please.”
He bent his knees, so he was at eye level with her. “I want to kiss you, but you froze, and I don’t want to make you do anything you don’t want to.”
She shook her head. “It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just that I’ve never…”
It took him just a few seconds to understand what she meant. “So you’ve never kissed anyone?”
She shook her head. “No, never.”
“I should have thought of that. I’m sorry. I don’t want to invade your space or force myself on you.”
“I want you—I mean, I want to kiss you, but I don’t know what I’m doing. I feel so lost.”
He took her hand and led her to the couch. “I’m sorry. This is bad timing, but I have to leave town for a while.”
“Am I going with you?”
He shook his head and saw the hurt blossom in her eyes. “I’m sorry, but it’s work-related, and I don’t have a choice. I know that means you’ll be here alone for a while, but I know Ellis and the rest of the women will come over to keep you company and make sure you have food.”
“Oh.”
Her lips turned down in a frown, and he wanted to make her feel better. “Hey, it won’t be too long. Maybe a few weeks or a month.”
“How will I pay for things?”
“I’ll send Ellis some money and make sure she knows to request more if you need it. You’ll be taken care of.”
“I need a job.”
Her words made him smile. “One thing at a time. Get used to living here, and then we can talk about getting you a job. We still have to get your documentation, and that might take some time.”
She blew out a breath, her frustration clear on her face. “Everything seems to take time. I just don’t want to sit around all day.”
He kissed her cheek. “I know, and I’m sorry I have to take off. It’s bad timing, but I can’t help it.”
“It’s okay. I don’t mean to complain. I just wish everything was easier.”
“I know. And it’s not going to be easier while I’m gone. I’m sorry.”
She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I survived my escape, I can survive this. Besides, this is much easier than escaping a cult.” Her lips spread into a smile, and he cupped her cheeks and then leaned in, brushing his lips gently over hers.
“I need to head back to base. I don’t have much time. I’ll see you when I get back.”
Flora nodded, feeling sad that he was leaving, but she didn’t want him to know.
He’d been so nice, and she shouldn’t complain.
She had a good place to live, and Q was nicer than any man she’d ever met in the community.
She could deal with anything as long as she never had to go back to the community.
He left as quickly as he’d come in. She stood at the window, watching him drive away.
Sadness took over, and tears flowed. She wiped them away, wondering why she was so emotional now.
The community didn’t like cryers, and she’d been punished many times for having any emotions until she’d learned to control them.
Now she found herself crying, and there was no one around to tell her to stop.
After washing her face, she moved to the kitchen, wondering what she should eat for dinner. There was beef to make burgers, but it was still frozen, and it would be too much for her. She didn’t want a sandwich, but was it really worth it to cook only for herself?
Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket, seeing she had a text from Clove asking if she wanted to come over for dinner.
The question brought a smile to her face.
She texted back immediately that she would love to come to dinner.
Then sent another text asking if she needed to bring anything.
Clove said no, just herself. Luckily Clove just lived down the street.
After brushing her teeth, Flora put on her shoes, which still felt like a total luxury, and headed out. She locked up like Q had shown her and started her short walk to Clove’s place.
When she got there, she found that Andie and Talia were already there. Vera and Ellis were on their way over.
“It’s so nice that you included me.”
Andie gave her a quick hug. “Of course, we wouldn’t think of having a group dinner without you. You’re part of the pack.”
Flora couldn’t help but smile. It felt amazing to have friends. “In the community I wasn’t allowed to have friends.”
“How did that work?” Clove asked.
The front door opened, and Vera and Ellis came in. They all said hello before Clove turned to her and asked her again how they kept her from having friends.
Flora shrugged. “There is so much to it. Like shrugging. In the community, I was never allowed to shrug, even if it felt like the right answer.”
Vera’s nose scrunched. “Wait, how did they keep you from shrugging?”
“Beatings and burials. They used pain and violence to control us.”
Vera held up a hand. “I still have a hard time believing they actually buried people in the ground.”
Flora wasn’t sure if Vera thought she was lying or what. “I really was buried a few times before the one when I ran. But those were only for the night, not three days.”
Vera put her hand on Flora’s arm. “I believe you. I just can’t believe anyone was that evil to come up with that as a punishment. It’s wrong.”
Talia shook her head. “There is no way I could have ever survived being buried.”
Flora shrugged again. “It was scary. I only had a tube for breathing. I panicked the first time and almost lost consciousness. I was able to calm down and not die. That time, it was only one night, and they uncovered me the next day.”
Clove set a cheese and cracker plate on the table, and she grabbed a cracker. The other women started munching on the snack while Clove put a casserole dish into the oven.
“Do you need any help?” Flora asked.
“No, thank you. The casserole is in the oven, and we’re good. Anyone want any wine?”
Flora couldn’t stifle the gasp. “You all drink wine?
“Yes. And other things. Not all the time, but one glass of wine isn’t going to mean much.”
There was clomping on the stairs, and Flora turned to see a child. She wasn’t expecting a child to come down the stairs. Her mouth opened as she stared at the girl.
“Oh, I didn’t mention I have a kid. This is Neo. She turned six recently and is in school.”
Flora spoke without thinking. “I never went to school.”
Neo cocked her head to the side as she stared at Flora. “Why didn’t you go to school?”
She turned to Clove, wondering how much to say to a child about her reality. Clove met her gaze and nodded.
“This is Flora, and she grew up in a cult.”
Neo’s mouth fell open. “I was reading about a cult last week. They were in South America. Did your cult make you drink Kool-Aid?”
Flora shook her head. “What is Kool-Aid?”
“It’s a sugary drink you make from a powder. It contains red dye, so Mom won’t let me drink it,” Neo said.
“Oh. I have no idea what you’re talking about. The cult I was in put a lot of rules and restrictions on us.”
Neo nodded like she knew exactly what Flora was talking about. “They usually do.” Neo turned to Clove. “Can I get my food and go upstairs? I’m still reading and don’t want to stop, but I’m hungry.”
“Sure, honey. Just make sure to bring your dishes down. We don’t want any bugs coming in.”
Neo visibly shivered. “Yes, I know.”
Flora watched the exchange with wonder. She would have never been allowed to speak to her mother that way. Not that Neo was being rude or anything, but she would have had to stand quietly along the wall until her mother acknowledged her.
Neo went upstairs, and Talia moved closer, then bumped her hip. “You look disturbed.”
She shook her head. “No. It’s fascinating seeing you all interact. I didn’t expect—no, not the right word. It’s just so different from what I grew up with.”
Clove grabbed the wine bottle from the refrigerator. “So they didn’t send you to school, but you know how to read and write?”
“Yes. Women had to know how to read and write because we collected recipes and wrote instructions. That was our primary function. Keeping the community running smoothly. Anything that interfered with the smooth operation of our community was punishable.”
Andie snorted. “Just saying, I would have been burned at the stake if I grew up in a situation like that.”
Flora shook her head. “I don’t understand that reference.”
Clove chuckled. “The Salem witch trials. A bunch of women were burned by the town leaders because they didn’t like them. People would accuse women of being witches because that woman made them angry. That’s the simple explanation.”
Flora was glad her community didn’t burn women. She would certainly have died if they had. “Wow. I think that would be worse than being buried.”
Talia nodded. “They also did things like water testing.”
“What does that mean?” Flora asked.
“If you sank, then you were innocent, but if you floated, you were guilty of being a witch. They killed the witches.”
“So either way, you’re dead.”
“Yes.”
“Gosh, that’s awful. When was that?”
“A few hundred years ago.”
Flora took the wine glass offered, but she felt guilty about even holding it. “I’ve never had any alcohol.”
“A lot of people don’t drink,” Ellis said.
“I also have never kissed anyone until today.”
“What?” they all spoke at once, asking questions and laughing.
She glanced up, not realizing her declaration would cause such a stir.
“You kissed Q? How was that?” Vera asked.
“I’m not sure how to answer. I’ve never kissed anyone. And then it happened, and I froze, but he kissed me again before he left.”
“Wow, that’s awesome,” Vera said.
All the women started talking over each other again, and she had a hard time figuring out what they were saying. Clove finally held up her hand, and everyone quieted.
“Sorry, you seem overwhelmed,” Ellis said.
Clove squeezed her arm. “We’re used to all of us talking over each other when we’re excited.”
Flora laughed and shook her head. “It’s okay. I’ve just never experienced anything like this. There is so much I’ve never experienced or knew. I want to know more, but the books Q has are a little boring. I keep falling asleep.”
They all laughed then Clove spoke. “You know what, I had to curate a list of videos appropriate for Neo. I can help you get on a computer and watch some videos that will explain things to you.”
“Where does she need to start?” Andie asked.
“Well, when I met Q, I thought there were only five million people in the world. I believed that most humans had died from some plague and that the rest of the humans were ruled by demons, so I know nothing.”
Clove squeezed her arm. “We’ve got you covered. We’ll help you figure stuff out.”
“I also need to get documentation. I don’t know what that means, but apparently, I need a birth certificate and some other things.”
Ellis lifted her hand and waved it. “Oh, I have some free days. I can drive you around.”
“Okay. That sounds good.”
Clove met her gaze and smiled. “Like I said, we’ve got you covered.”
Flora nodded, feeling weird having to ask for help but hopeful that they could really help her. She lifted the glass of wine and sniffed, surprised by the scent. She took a sip and almost gagged.
“Oh my goodness, that is awful,” Flora said between coughs.
They all chuckled and some of them nodded. “It’s an acquired taste, which means some people find it awful,” Ellis said.
Clove took the glass from her. “Yes, it’s not required you drink. How about some juice instead?”
“I don’t think I’ve had juice, either.”
“Well, you’re in luck because Neo still likes some juices.”
Clove poured some juice into a glass that was made from three fruits she’d never heard of.
It tasted much better than the wine. None of the women were making fun of her for drinking juice.
Social pressure in the community where she’d grown up was huge, but these women didn’t seem to exert any pressure. They accepted her as she was.
She hoped other people would accept her. If she learned a skill and got a job, would the people she worked with make fun of her? There was so much she still needed to learn.