Chapter Three
Belle
“B elle, wake up.” My mama kissed my forehead and my eyes fluttered open. Her dark eyes peered down at me and my heart suddenly raced.
“Papa?” I wasn’t ready for him to take his greatest journey yet.
She slowly shook her head. “Not yet, but soon. My dear, Koty is saying goodbye to your papa. I need you to do the same then go with him. He is taking you to safety with your papas consent.”
She stood from my bed, and I sat up. “To safety?”
“You are about to become Jeremy’s forced bride. As soon as your papas newest journey begins, Jeremy plans to have you removed from our home and I’ve already been matched to a new husband up north. Your brothers have agreed to his demands. Please, Bellamy, it’s time to go. You’ll be safe to travel tonight. Koty has a plan, just listen to what he says. I’ve packed a bag for you, and your papa has money for you that he has trusted to Koty. You must travel to Utah, it’ll be safer there for you. I will meet you there as soon as it’s safe.”
“Koty can’t leave his responsibilities.” I said as my mother attempted to dress me. I meant the responsibility of being a husband.
“He will send for Maggie when he is ready.” Mama said.
“When?” I worried for Maggie.
“Your brother will explain. I have a bag for you already packed. Say goodbye to your papa, this will be the last time you will see him.”
I was throwing my hair up quickly. “Jeremy and the elders, they will come for us. They will use violence, mama.”
“This is why you must hurry.” Mama pushed me back to sit and put my shoes on for me.
“Papa’s prophecy. What if I’m not here when my true husband comes for me?”
She worked quickly to tie my shoes. “If it is to be, our almighty father will find you and he will send his soldier. He will wear your mark, just as your papa predicted. You will know when he has come for you, and he will ease your fears. He will be a soldier of God, you know this, Belle.”
I was whisked quickly from my bedroom and almost stumbled down the creaky old stairs before making it to the bottom. Walking into my papas room, I found him praying with Koty. I waited as I watched my brother on his knees, holding papas hand as he prayed. When Koty turned toward me, his eyes were red and full of tears, but my papa struggled to breathe. Papa tried reaching for me, so I ran to him and fell to the floor with my papas hand in mine. I prayed and I cried, then my papa struggled to say the words I needed to hear. “Obey Koty, let him lead you to safety. Our almighty soldier will come for you when it’s time. He will find you, so be safe, but never forget the path carved for you. You will know him by the mark he bears, the hand of God.”
“Oh, papa.” I cried.
“Belle, we have to go.” I saw Koty standing in the doorway with a packed bag.
I turned to papa as he spoke. “Jeremy is the dark one, he has found his way into our beloved community. You must run and not allow him to lead you into temptation. Go north, the elders in Utah will help you, but if that’s not possible, have faith in your brother.”
I was crying as Koty grabbed my arm and pulled me away from papa. I cried for papa, I knew he heard my cries, and I was not ready to let go. Mama ran behind us with bags of food she prepared to take with us. Koty threw me into his truck and mama piled the bags on me, then kissed my hand before she shut the door. I was still crying, not being able to say a proper goodbye to mama, papa, or any of my other mothers and siblings.
“You’re going to be fine, Belle. Trust me, you do not want to be here when hellfire reigns down on everyone.” Koty spoke as he threw the truck in reverse. “Jeremy is negligent, not careful like papa. Bad things are going to happen, and you do not want to be married to a false prophet.” He threw the truck into drive, and we took off. “Nobody will suspect us leaving, they all believe I am heading out to fetch supplies for papa, he’s leaving us very soon.”
“It’s the middle of the night, Koty.” I cried.
“It’s nine o’clock, Belle, not the middle of the night. I have so much to teach you.”
I sniffled. “How long will it take to get us to Utah?”
Koty glanced at me then back to the road. “We’re not stepping foot in Utah. I’m also not sending for Maggie. I will send for our mothers when we are ready, but you will soon learn that I am not responsible for that little girl. I’ve never touched her and she’s not legally my wife.”
I wiped away my tears with my sleeves. “What? Of course you are married to Maggie.”
Koty glanced at me again. “You better get ready, because your mind is about to be blown.”
“What does that mean?” I was scared as I saw familiar landmarks fly by us, Koty was driving fast, like he couldn’t get us away fast enough.
“Our father is not a prophet, the marriages are not real, and Jeremy is using our community for unlawful things. You are not meant to marry God’s soldier, and there’s this thing called DNA. You’re unusual for our family, but some things skip generations. Papas grandmother had your hair and your height. You are not an angel sent from God, you just inherited the genes of a forgotten ancestor. You can have faith and be a good person, while not believing the lies you’ve been fed. I have been working on our escape for two years now. I know it’s hard to understand, to throw all the beliefs aside, but I need you to trust me. The men in our family and in our faith are not good men. I was forced to marry Maggie because two years ago I still feared the consequences of not complying. If they go to jail for child molestation then let it happen. I couldn’t do it, the thought made me sick. She’s practically a baby, Belle. You have to understand why I couldn’t touch her. I cannot be a husband to a child.”
My heart raced. “You lied to papa. You’re leading me to sin.” I always thought I would be happy to leave, but now that it was happening, I was scared. What if papa was right and I burned in hell for an eternity?
“I’m taking you to a normal life, Belle. I believe in God, but I do not believe in false prophets. Our papa truly believed he was a prophet because it’s what was taught to him by his elders, but there are a lot of things wrong. Little girls being married off to old men, to men who already have several wives. You don’t know the real world, Belle. You might have an education, but a community college campus has not prepared you. I know you’ve seen it, you’ve had conversations with people. It’s not normal for a man of ninety five years to have children as young as us. To have wives as young as our mothers. It happens, but it’s rare.”
I was scared and couldn’t control my tears. “Why did you take me? You’ve stolen me from papa and my mama.”
“Because you’re the only one I can save, Belle! You’re my little sister, the rest are committed to the faith and soon Jeremy. He does not have good intentions.”
“Where are you taking me?” I again wiped my tears with my sleeves.
“I’m taking you somewhere safe, that’s all you need to know.”
My brother, my best friend. He betrayed papa, and he was taking me into a life of what could have been sin. He was right, I knew nothing of the outside world. I felt like prey that was being fed to a world of sharks. Not only was I afraid of the outside world, a shunning was bad enough, but Jeremy was a dangerous man. I could sense it when he was near.
“I’m taking you somewhere safe, I promise. Jeremy is not a good man. He shares his bed with women that are not of our faith. Sometimes it’s more than one at a time. He doesn’t marry them first. I’ve followed him and I’ve seen it for myself. If he gets his hands on you, he will force you to marry him. If you refuse, he will not make life easy on you. Something you don’t know, Belle. Papa is very wealthy. It may not show by the lifestyle he lives, but he has left it all to your husband. He truly believes you are meant to marry the early image of God’s greatest soldier.”
I shook my head. “No, papa keeps no wealth. He lives modestly just as he has preached. He uses every dime to convert sinners and save their souls.”
“Papa has invested wisely, not just with his own wealth but our ancestors. Whoever you marry will become a very wealthy man, this is why Jeremy wants you as a legal wife. If anything happens and we become separated, please promise me you will not marry him. Not in the eyes of God and especially not by law. Promise me, Belle.”
Why would I have made that promise to someone who stole me from mama and Papa? I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. He was possibly leading me to a life of sin. Despite the fact I always wanted to be free, I wasn’t prepared. I feared my own mind and the things I always wanted, because they were sinful. What if I couldn’t control my desires like I did for so long back home? “We’re supposed to be going to Utah. Take me to Utah and I’ll make that promise.” I needed more time.
“I need you to trust me, Belle! Have I ever steered you wrong? Please Belle, just do it for me. Don’t ever marry Jeremy.”
“You’re driving too fast. You’re scaring me, Koty. You’re telling me lies and not taking me to Utah like papa said.” I was shaking, it was the fear of what he just told me. I didn’t know about the world he spoke of, I couldn’t survive without my family and the people I trusted. I wanted freedom but I also wanted to keep my mama near.
He glanced at me, and I notice there was a blinding light from the rear-view mirror. “Dammit, Belle! Do you promise?” He was becoming nervous as he squinted from the blinding light.
I gasped, the use of foul language threw me off balance. The fear of what was behind me and what was ahead of me was overpowering.
“I love you, Belle. You’re my sister and everything I am doing is for you.” He cried.
“What about your wife?” I screamed at him as he pressed on the gas and peered into the rear view mirror again.
“I can’t take her with us, Belle. It’s not that easy, she’s a minor. I am not legally married to her, and I can’t save her! I don’t know how to make you understand! If Jeremy gets caught doing the things he does, the feds are going to raid that compound! She’s a faithful girl and wouldn’t understand. The last thing we need is the law coming for us!”
“Compound?” I was so confused.
“It’s a cult, Belle! Papa is the leader of a cult and it’s not just illegal for men to touch girls that young, it’s disgusting! It’s sex with children and forcing them to give birth to children when they’re still children themselves!”
“Our papa and brothers don’t know better, Koty!”
“Promise me, Belle. Promise me that you will never marry him!” Koty turned the wheel and slid off to a country road.
“Koty, please slow down!” The other trucks were trying to drive up beside us.
“Promise me, Belle!” Koty screamed.
“Fine, I promise!” I cried out just before one truck slammed into us on Koty’s side. Our truck swerved but Koty gained control of it then slammed on the gas and tried to outrun them.
“Is that Jeremy?” I cried out.
“If this truck stops, you run, Belle. Run fast and go for help. Tell anyone that wants to help that you need to call the number on the card I have for you. Take the envelope out of the dash and don’t lose it. It's the money papa gave me to help you and the business card of people that can help us.”
I did as my brother demanded and folded the envelope then stuck it into my pocket. Koty scared me, but only one man scared me more and that was Jeremy.
“Who are the people I have to call?” I couldn’t run for the help of someone that wanted to hurt me or lead me to sin.
“The woman that tried to help Melinda gave me that card. She escaped a cult as a teenager and has been helping others ever since. She’s a friend, please trust her, Belle.”
He was trying to out run the trucks, and doing a fine job at it. “Is that Jeremy?” I asked again.
“It’s people he has sent. He is working with bad men, ones that he has made bad promises to, and they will hurt you.” He warned me as he kept glancing into the rear view mirror. “Hold on tight.” He warned me again, just before he took another sharp turn, and the truck almost flipped. I was screaming and begging him to slow down. “Change of plans.” He said, then glanced into the mirror again before he lifted the console lid and pulled out a gun.
“That’s a gun!” I screamed again.
“And nobody will be expecting it.” He said.
“Who are you?” He was not the brother I knew.
“A protective big brother!” He was becoming even more erratic. “Get down on the floor!” He ordered.
I did as he said and began praying as I squeezed my eyes shut.