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Ice ran through my veins as every painful memory resurfaced. John was here and the two loves of my life were with me, near him. My hands shook as I balled them into my lap to regain my composure. There was nothing he could do to my family.
After all this time, and endless hours of trying, we hadn’t been able to find any proof to expose what The Society had done or potentially was still doing. Until I knew for sure, I would keep searching for answers. If someone had escaped, like me, they never went public with anything. I grabbed Aiden’s arm before he cranked the car. This was our chance.
As Aiden looked at me, I motioned to John as he kept walking in the same gate his father had all those years ago. I’d never forget a detail of the Keeper. He was the person that still haunted my dreams from time to time.
So many memories came to the surface—my life before, my mom, and Matthew. They would all be a part of me forever. There wasn’t a day that passed by that I didn’t think of all the loss, the hurt, the sadness The Society had caused. But through them, I’d found life.
“Is that the son?” Aiden’s voice sounded disbelieving and he gripped the steering wheel, knuckles turning white.
“Yes.” A chill ran through my body. The resemblance was uncanny.
Quickly, I glanced to the backseat. Annalyn was fast asleep. My attention returned back to John as he approached a woman who looked sad as she watched a kid playing in the sand. I imagined this scene was similar to what it had been all those years ago . . . with my mom.
John sat and talked to her.
Think about your options, Kenzie. Save this woman. Save her from the same fate.
Urgency raced through me. I wanted to run to the woman and scream, but remained seated, waiting for my time.
“We have to warn her after he leaves, Aiden.”
Aiden put his hand on my leg. “We will. As soon as he leaves, we’ll warn her, sweetheart.”A sense of déjà vu came over me as I watched the scene unfold—remembering parts of the letter I’d committed to memory and burned all those years ago that Mom had written.
My world was lost. I had no family, no way to support us, no hope left for survival. One day, we were at a park in a nearby town. The Keeper approached me and called himself Jacob. I’m sure I looked lost and lonely.
Thirty minutes passed. Nervously, I kept glancing back to Annalyn. Her eyelashes laid against her rosy red cheeks. I was blessed to have been given a second chance at life. Thinking of Annalyn growing up in the harsh conditions of The Society broke my heart. No one deserved a life like that.
Finally, John stood and shook the woman’s hand. She still had a look of apprehension on her face, but she had warmed to him or the idea he presented. John turned and walked back toward the tree line. His confident stride had my stomach churning. My heart ferociously beat in my chest as I waited for him to be completely out of sight. This was it. The chance to right a wrong that was about to be done to these people.
After a few minutes, I went to grab the door handle and Aiden touched my leg. “I can go, Kenzie.”
His soothing voice gave me strength. “No, this is something I need to do.”
He motioned with his head for me to continue on. Taking a deep breath, I headed to the woman on the bench. Her shoulders were slumped, and from here, looked like she was crying. Not six feet away, her daughter played in the sand. The little girl was no more than three years of age and was an exact replica of her mother, dark hair and eyes. She was full of life, innocent, and not tainted by life’s cruel ways. Not tainted by The Society.
When I came within a few feet of the woman, I announced myself. “Hello. Is this seat taken?”
“No, no. Please sit.” Hastily, she wiped the tears from her eyes.
Taking the seat, I watched the little girl play. Please let me have the right words to save this woman from making the same decision as my mom. The woman had sorrow coming off her in waves. In this instance, I had an insight of maybe why my mom had chosen The Society when she thought she’d lost everything . . . but me. It helped heal the wounds of not understanding my mom’s decision as I saw the scene unfold.
Getting my thoughts in
order, I watched the little girl fill up a bucket with sand. When she dumped it, she’d squeal in delight. I wanted this little girl to have a different life than the one I had.
Keeping my eye on the tree line, there was no movement. There was none, but I still readied myself in case John came back into view. Bouncing my foot, I tried to calm myself. This was a big moment and there was a lot on the line.
My hands had a small tremor as I readied myself. I cleared my throat. “You’re going to think I’m crazy. I know that man probably offered you a life of no stress and being able to be with your daughter in a peaceful community.” She gasped, but remained silent. “I’m also going to guess that you suffered a loss as of late that has you feeling as if your world is falling apart. You’re probably thinking that there’s no way for you to survive and what this man offered you seems like paradise. He probably also offered for you to come see for yourself before you make your decision. It’s not what it seems.”
Glancing over, the woman looked at me with wide eyes, not able to talk. My lips trembled, thinking about my mom’s murder. Even after all these years, it was hard. A lone tear fell from my eye.
“I’m supposed to meet him here tomorrow at noon.” Her voice was resigned.
Taking a steadying breath, I kept going. “Don’t go. I promise that you’re strong enough to give your daughter a good life here.”
She nodded. “How do you know all this?”
Meeting her eye to eye, I poured out my heart. “Because, I was the daughter of a mother who was faced with the same decision. She chose to go. I barely escaped their grasp before it was too late.”
