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“They live here now.”
“Maybe they’ll move away.”
“Some might. But others will probably stay. The Sanctuary is a calm, safe place. It can be difficult to leave.”
“They’re crazy,” she whimpers, gripping my wrists and tugging me away. “We all were, but you’re not anymore. You shouldn’t be around them.”
Celine’s fear scares me. I don’t want to feel bad. I also have no emotional connection toward the other women like I do with my sister. I could stay away from them and live my life.
But Celine needs to face her past or she won’t want to leave my house. She’ll be too afraid to date Thorn or go to cooking classes or ride the horses at the ranch. Unable to face the people who remind her of her past, she’ll sacrifice her second chance.
“We should go inside and sit down. What is said in there won’t destroy us. Then, we’ll walk back home and eat a cookie.”
Tears fill Celine’s eyes. “You wanted a cookie when you were little and I told you no. When you cried, I hit you. You were scared of me.”
Celine’s words startle me. Since I met her, I’ve imagined us standing together against all the evil stuff like Apex and his brother did.
“Whatever you did is okay now,” I say despite how I’m confused about our relationship. “The Sanctuary offers everyone a second chance.”
Wiping her eyes, Celine doesn’t really believe me. Most people feel that way when they get here. Or they’re like Eliza, who was so scared to blow her second chance, she barely wanted to do anything at all.
We enter a quiet HQ and walk toward the back meeting room. The other women are already sitting in the chair circle. I realize I can’t remember their real names. Whenever Celine points them out to me during meals, she calls them by their “role” like Baby Doll or School Girl.
The shrink-in-training named Donatella waves us inside. The Sanctuary’s regular therapist, Sharona, sits off to the side as if supervising. I also notice Dire and Rave hanging out near the other door. They’re on their phones, and I realize they’re security for this group therapy session.
“How is everyone settling into life here at the Sanctuary?” Donatella asks.
When the women only shrug and lower their gazes, she follows up with, “What have you found to be the most difficult element of living here?”
“We’ve left God’s grace,” says Alice in Wonderland. “We’ve embraced sin.”
“We’re going to burn,” whimpers Baby Doll before falling to her knees and clasping her hands together. “We didn’t hold steady against temptation.”
“It’s your fault!” cries Princess as she stands and points at me.
I stare at them like they’re crazy. A part of me wants to stand up for myself, but I can’t remember any of their real names. I’m not even sure I’m keeping their “characters” straight in my head.
“Let’s all remain seated,” Donatelle insists and tries to regain control of the group.
“You embraced evil and ran,” Princess accuses me. “You were sinful, and you tempted us into sin, too.”
“We’re going to burn!” Alice in Wonderland shouts and falls to her knees next to Baby Doll.
“We’ve sinned,” Cowgirl mumbles and joins the others on the ground.
Harley Quinn stands next to Princess and cries, “You did this!”
When the two women move toward me, I stand up and step away. Celine immediately acts as my shield.
“Don’t hurt her. It was my idea. I did this. I’m the bad one. Giselle doesn’t even remember what I made her do.”
With impending violence in the air, I tug Celine away from them. I’ve noticed how School Girl has joined Princess and Harley Quinn. They’re going to attack us. Celine doesn’t let me drag her away.
“I did this,” Celine tells me and scratches her face. “I’m the beast. I didn’t protect you. I’m a monster.”
Once Rave and Dire get in the middle of the circle to create peace, Princess, School Girl, and Harley Quinn immediately submit under the threat of stronger people. They drop to the ground, mimicking the other women’s bowing and chanting.
“Your fathers perverted the faith!” Donatella announces in a booming voice. “They were the ones listening to sin. They twisted the truth to keep you all caged.”
