Page 36 of Veil of Silence

“I want to see my family.”

“I know.” The man’s attention shifted briefly to the boy. “I know where both of you came from. I know what the people there did—and didn’t—give you.”

A chill moved across the boy’s skin. He didn’t like the way the man said that. As if knowing things about them gave him the right to decide where they belonged.

Christian’s fingers tightened around the loose thread. “Then you know my family wants me back.”

“Wanting something isn’t the same as knowing what’s best.”

Christian stared at the man defiantly. “Why did you take us?”

Something shifted in the man’s expression. His smile didn’t disappear, but it no longer looked friendly. “You weren’t taken. You were chosen. There’s a difference.”

“For what?” the boy asked. “What were we chosen for?”

The man studied him before rising. “You’ll understand when the time is right. And the right time isn’t something for you to decide. You just need to be obedient in the meantime. One day, it will all make sense.”

With those words, he stepped into the hallway. The door closed behind him, and the lock clicked.

For a long moment, neither boy moved. Then Christian whispered, “He’s lying.”

“About what?”

“All of it.”

Christian almost sounded certain, but he’d twisted the loose thread around one knuckle so tightly the tip had turned white.

The boy pulled his knees closer to his chest. “What’s your family like?”

Christian’s fingers stilled. For the first time all day, something besides fear crossed his face. “They sing.”

The boy squinted. “Like on the radio?”

“Better.”

“Everybody thinks their family is better.”

“No.” A tiny smile appeared. “They’re really good.”

The boy waited for him to say more.

“I have three sisters. Nora’s the oldest. She always tells everybody what to do, but she’s nice about it most of the time. Wren talks when nobody else knows what to say. Marlowe’s loud.”

“Loud bad?”

“Loud good.” Christian’s smile grew. “She laughs at everything, even stuff that’s not funny.”

“And they sing together?”

“All the time. Churches mostly. Sometimes fairs. Sometimes we go really far away.”

“Do you sing?”

Christian looked offended. “No. I’m not a sister.”

A laugh almost slipped out of the boy. “What do you do?”

“I’m gonna play guitar when I’m older.”