“Bring her to me,” I say.
An elder steps forward, and Natalie says, “No.”
The elder ignores her, and he grabs her arm, pulling her along through the crowd. “Stop,” she says, shoving the guy away. “I am not going to marry anyone.”
“The patriarch pointed at you as his choice. You should be honored,” the elder tells her.
He’s right. If only she knew what a privilege this really is. She’ll get to change the world, bend the rules as she sees fit. Even as a woman, a patriarch’s wife has more power than any of the people here. But she’ll find out soon enough.
“Are you sure you made the right decision?” Patrick leans in and whispers in my ear.
I nod. This is the only choice I could ever make. It was already set in stone the moment I found her, and there’s no going back now. But he doesn’t need to know that. None of them do.
The elder drags her toward the front, where the other girls stood just before her to accept their blessing, and she jerks free from his grip. “You’re making a mistake,” she growls at me.
My fellow patriarchs narrow their eyes at me as though they question my choice. If this is to go according to plan, I need her to shut up and do exactly as she’s told.
“Take off her robes,” I command.
“What?” she mutters, her eyes widening.
Before she can say another word, an elder rips off her white dress and reveals her naked body to the crowd. It’s painful to have to share her, painful to see the horrified look in her eyes.
I made her go through this all on purpose. It was the only way.
She won’t understand now, but she’ll learn all about it someday, and maybe then she won’t hate me as much as she does now.
She stares me down with a rage I’ve never seen before.
I flick my fingers. Two elders grab her hands and force her to release her own body and show herself to me … to us … to our community.
Nothing is secret here. Everything is laid bare for all to see.
But what I see makes my eyes widen and my lips part.
A scar … situated right on her belly.
Natalie
“A scar?” he mutters.
He didn’t notice before because we were underwater, and he was too preoccupied with fucking me. But I know he can see it now.
I scowl at him. “I told you I’m not for sale.”
“Keep your lips sealed, girl,” the elder barks at me.
“No,” Noah says, confusion marring his face as he holds up his hand. “Let her speak.”
“You’re despicable,” I say, and I spit on the floor in front of him. “Why would you do this?”
“You made a choice, Natalie,” he answers.
That’s not a response. That’s a cop-out. I’m done playing this game. Let’s see what the rest of the people here think of this.
“Don’t you people only marry virgins?” I turn my head toward the crowd. “Well, I wasn’t a virgin to begin with!”
The people gasp in shock. It’s not as scary as I imagined it being.
“Enough,” Noah says, glaring at me as if I’ve just murdered someone.
Does he not care? I thought it was important for the women here not to fuck anyone but their spouse. And here I am, not even a virgin to begin with.
Just like everybody else now, he knows … and he doesn’t even care.
He flicks his fingers at someone to the right. “Bring the red robe.”
The elder on the sidelines comes forward and throws a red robe over my shoulders, pushing me to my knees on the floor.
Noah glances at his fellow patriarchs as though to ask their approval. Then he steps off the stage and holds his hand over my head. “God blesses this union.”
“Fuck you,” I hiss under the cape.
He smiles at me, leaning over to press a kiss to my forehead. “Soon, I will … my wife.”
When he steps away, my eyes widen, and I immediately turn around to gaze at April, whose terror-stricken face makes my heart stop.
Before I know it, two elders grab me and escort me toward the door to the side. The patriarchs follow while the crowd behind us bursts out into chants. I have no choice but to keep walking, pushed ahead by the elders behind me, who watch my back. Every other step, I glance over my shoulder until I finally see them exit the building. Emmy, Holly, April … will I ever see them again?
I’m already so far away that I can barely make out their faces, but I know it’s them, because they stop to look at me. Tears well up in my eyes. I never got to tell April that everything will be fine. That I’ll get her out of here, no matter the cost. That she shouldn’t listen to Emmy or Holly because even though they mean well, they don’t know any better. That maybe in a different life … we could’ve been friends.