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The sound of a bell came from behind me just as something brushed against my legs. I twisted around to find a black goat. At least, I think it was a goat. It bumped my legs again, this time using the top of its head and releasing what I could only describe as a bleat.
“He wants you to pet him,” Bella explained. “His name’s Philip.”
I knelt and stroked Philip’s head. He bleated again and nearly knocked me down as he moved closer. He reminded me of the hounds the Cardinal kept, only friendly. Much cuter, too. The same amulet the acolytes wore had been fashioned around his leather collar.
“How did you end up with the A.R.C? You’re not anything like I would expect one of their girls to be.”
“I’m not one of their girls. I wasn’t born there. Quite a few of us aren’t. They separated me and my brother from our father when I was eleven.”
“And your mom?”
I swallowed, stroking the silky end of Philip’s ear. I never spoke about my family. No one ever asked. “She died the day she had me. My father said it was a complicated birth. He took care of me and my brother on his own until the day we found A.R.C.”
“That’s rough.”
I hummed my agreement. Rough was an understatement. They destroyed my life. I purposely left out all the grittier details because I hated thinking about it. Dad hadn’t always raised me and Amo on his own. There were three other people, one I considered a mother.
All of them were dead now. They died weeks before we finally stumbled upon A.R.C. What a mistake that had been.
“Did he leave you there?” Bella asked, her curiosity blatantly obvious.
“They didn’t give him a choice.”
“Then he’s still out—”
“No,” I said, harsher than I intended to. “He’s gone,” I added in a softer tone.
I could still hear the gun going off after he was dragged back through the woods. He’d fought so hard to save us.
“Is he food?” I asked, needing to change the subject.
If she was offended by my tone from moments ago, it didn’t show.
“We don’t name our food,” she laughed. “Though I’d eat him if I had to. He’s my pet.”
Male voices reached me, steadily growing closer. A loud burst of laughter drowning out their words.
“One sec,” Bella said, brushing past me. She disappeared around the corner, leaving me alone.
These people genuinely didn’t think I would escape. Underestimating me had never gone well for anyone. If—when—I decided I wanted out, I’d find my way out.
I looped my fingers through the chain-link fencing and stared at all the land spread out behind the compound.
Philip lingered nearby, pulling at some weeds on the other side of the fence. I blocked out the smell of baking bodies and shut my eyes
, concentrating harder on feeling the slight breeze.
My mind was racing with all the possibilities of what could happen to me.
With a sigh, I unbound my fingers and stepped away from the fence. Bella hadn’t come back yet, but I was tired of standing in one place. It was too damned hot for this.
Even my cage had shade.
I started walking towards the shed-like building, bypassing the dais, crosses, and a decent sized patio.
When I realized I’d have to get closer to the ravine and the acolytes to investigate what the structure was, I changed my mind. Corpses didn’t bother me. Dead people couldn’t do me any harm. The living ones often did. That smell, on the other hand, was sickening.
I turned the corner and bumped right into Luce’s chest. I’d thought he was on the total opposite of the compound.
