wickedness.”
He shakes his head. “It’s fucking fiction about fairies and shit!”
“I know that now. Serena told me it wasn’t evil. But Elder Berman-”
“Do you want to see the movie?” Adam interrupts.
Shaking my head, I frown. “It’s not a movie. It’s a book.”
“No, they made it into a movie. It just came out last weekend. It’s the same as the book, but instead of reading it, you watch it happen on a big TV screen. I’ll take you if you want to go.”
I lift my can to my lips to buy myself time to think. A movie? They never mentioned movies in Shiloh. Only the dangers of television. And since I’ve already read the book, it wouldn’t matter anyway, would it? I wouldn’t be exposing myself to any more evil than what I’ve already done. If it were evil to begin with.
“Okay,” I say finally. “When do we do this?”
He smiles, exposing a shallow dimple in his left cheek and his eyes light up. “I’ll take you Wednesday night, okay?”
I nod. “Okay.”
“It’s a date,” he says.
Beth brings a stack of books to my room when I get home from my paper route. They’re all about science and history, like she promised.
“Thank you,” I say, flipping through the glossy pages of a book called Earth Science .
“You let me know if you want any other subjects.” She leans against the doorway. “Once you get started on those, you may come across something you want to know more about.”
I nod. “Okay.”
“If you need anything , don’t hesitate to ask.”
For a moment, I consider asking for the rest of the books about Avryn and Hayze. But looking at the stack on my bed, I decide I should probably finish these first.
I talk to Adam every day leading up to Wednesday. If I don’t see him during my paper route, we message each other on the phone. Sometimes both.
He’s nothing like the sinner boys we were warned about in Shiloh. Adam is kind and funny and polite and he treats me with respect. That’s more than I can say for most of the boys I grew up with. When they weren’t ignoring me the way men are supposed to ignore women, they were making fun of my hair and freckles right alongside Naomi and her friends.
I’m nervous as I slip into my chair at dinner on Tuesday night. I haven’t mentioned these visits and phone conversations to Beth or Holly. But if I want to go to the movie tomorrow with Adam, I’m going to have to ask permission from Beth.
My throat is tight and my hand trembles as I reach for my glass of water.
Never in my life would I dream of asking Mother for permission to do something like this. Beth is not Mother, I remind myself. And what I’m asking isn’t unheard of out here.
“Alaina?”
I look up at Beth and then at Holly, unsure of which one of them said my name. “Sorry. I was…” Not listening . How incredibly rude of me!
“It’s okay,” Beth says. “Holly was just asking if you wanted to go with her to Teen Night at the church tomorrow.”
“They’re having pizza,” Holly adds. “And some kind of water balloon thing.” She shrugs.
“Tomorrow?” I glance between her and Beth again. “I, um…” My throat tightens again.
Just say it! Beth is not Mother. Beth is not Mother!
“I can’t,” I blurt. “I was invited somewhere. With someone.” I might throw up.
Holly’s eyes narrow to slits. “Where, with who?”
My heart pounds in my chest. My skin prickles uncomfortably. “To a movie. With Adam,” I whisper.
Holly’s jaw drops. “Oh my God! She has a date !”
My shoulders draw up to my ears and I stare at my plate of uneaten chicken, waiting for Beth to tell me no.
When no one speaks for several long moments, I peek up. Beth is staring at me, a barely concealed smile on her lips.
“That’s so unfair,” Holly finally says.
“Why is that unfair?” Beth asks.
Sighing, Holly says, “Be cause ! It’s Adam! He hasn’t actually dated anyone since Brittany.” She stabs her chicken with her fork.
He shakes his head. “It’s fucking fiction about fairies and shit!”
“I know that now. Serena told me it wasn’t evil. But Elder Berman-”
“Do you want to see the movie?” Adam interrupts.
Shaking my head, I frown. “It’s not a movie. It’s a book.”
“No, they made it into a movie. It just came out last weekend. It’s the same as the book, but instead of reading it, you watch it happen on a big TV screen. I’ll take you if you want to go.”
I lift my can to my lips to buy myself time to think. A movie? They never mentioned movies in Shiloh. Only the dangers of television. And since I’ve already read the book, it wouldn’t matter anyway, would it? I wouldn’t be exposing myself to any more evil than what I’ve already done. If it were evil to begin with.
“Okay,” I say finally. “When do we do this?”
He smiles, exposing a shallow dimple in his left cheek and his eyes light up. “I’ll take you Wednesday night, okay?”
I nod. “Okay.”
“It’s a date,” he says.
Beth brings a stack of books to my room when I get home from my paper route. They’re all about science and history, like she promised.
“Thank you,” I say, flipping through the glossy pages of a book called Earth Science .
“You let me know if you want any other subjects.” She leans against the doorway. “Once you get started on those, you may come across something you want to know more about.”
I nod. “Okay.”
“If you need anything , don’t hesitate to ask.”
For a moment, I consider asking for the rest of the books about Avryn and Hayze. But looking at the stack on my bed, I decide I should probably finish these first.
I talk to Adam every day leading up to Wednesday. If I don’t see him during my paper route, we message each other on the phone. Sometimes both.
He’s nothing like the sinner boys we were warned about in Shiloh. Adam is kind and funny and polite and he treats me with respect. That’s more than I can say for most of the boys I grew up with. When they weren’t ignoring me the way men are supposed to ignore women, they were making fun of my hair and freckles right alongside Naomi and her friends.
I’m nervous as I slip into my chair at dinner on Tuesday night. I haven’t mentioned these visits and phone conversations to Beth or Holly. But if I want to go to the movie tomorrow with Adam, I’m going to have to ask permission from Beth.
My throat is tight and my hand trembles as I reach for my glass of water.
Never in my life would I dream of asking Mother for permission to do something like this. Beth is not Mother, I remind myself. And what I’m asking isn’t unheard of out here.
“Alaina?”
I look up at Beth and then at Holly, unsure of which one of them said my name. “Sorry. I was…” Not listening . How incredibly rude of me!
“It’s okay,” Beth says. “Holly was just asking if you wanted to go with her to Teen Night at the church tomorrow.”
“They’re having pizza,” Holly adds. “And some kind of water balloon thing.” She shrugs.
“Tomorrow?” I glance between her and Beth again. “I, um…” My throat tightens again.
Just say it! Beth is not Mother. Beth is not Mother!
“I can’t,” I blurt. “I was invited somewhere. With someone.” I might throw up.
Holly’s eyes narrow to slits. “Where, with who?”
My heart pounds in my chest. My skin prickles uncomfortably. “To a movie. With Adam,” I whisper.
Holly’s jaw drops. “Oh my God! She has a date !”
My shoulders draw up to my ears and I stare at my plate of uneaten chicken, waiting for Beth to tell me no.
When no one speaks for several long moments, I peek up. Beth is staring at me, a barely concealed smile on her lips.
“That’s so unfair,” Holly finally says.
“Why is that unfair?” Beth asks.
Sighing, Holly says, “Be cause ! It’s Adam! He hasn’t actually dated anyone since Brittany.” She stabs her chicken with her fork.
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