Through the Veil by Lacey Thorn

Chapter One
     
    What the fuck had her mom gotten her into? That was
all Reggie could think as she ran deeper into the woods of the national park.
She’d been worried when her mom’s letter had arrived, begging her to come,
saying it was important. Her mother’s phone was disconnected and a new address
was listed. So being the daughter she was, Reggie had dropped everything and
left.
    For the longest time it had been just the two of them and
Reggie still suffered from guilt issues at having left home a year ago at
twenty. But she had finally made herself believe that she deserved a life of
her own. So she’d packed up and moved for all the good it had done her. She was
just like her mother. She worked from home as a medical transcriptionist and
did most of her shopping by mail. She’d barely gone out in the year she’d been
on her own and had no friends.
    So there was no one to miss her now. She should have
run when she pulled up to a gate guarded by two men with guns. Especially when
they recognized her on sight and greeted her by name. But they’d told her that
her mother would be so excited that she was finally here, they had laughed and
smiled and tricked the hell out of her. She had left the car with her bags at
the gate, and taking only her purse, had followed one of the men to find her
mother.
    Her mom had looked gorgeous. She had positively glowed,
looking years younger. She’d been wearing a formfitting dress that seemed to be
the style for every woman who Reggie saw. Her mom wasn’t sick, wasn’t in
trouble, actually seemed better than she’d ever been. When they’d finally found
a private place to sit and talk, Reggie had felt the hairs on the back of her
neck rise. From everything her mother was saying there was no doubt that this
was some kind of cult.
    Her mother had asked Reggie to freshen up, offered her one
of the dresses that Reggie had politely refused, preferring to keep her jeans,
t-shirt and running shoes. Then they had gone back to where the others were so
that Reggie could meet some of her mother’s new friends. And with each new
woman Reggie had felt her anxiety increase. The women were content to be
subservient and Reggie didn’t think it was just the cooking, cleaning and
child-rearing that they were expected to do.
    Reggie had been taking everything in when a sudden silence
fell over everyone and she watched as they all had bowed their heads. Glancing
around, her gaze landed on a man dressed in loose-fitting, white linen-style
pants and an unbuttoned white shirt. His eyes took her in from head to toe and
when he met her gaze he didn’t seem too happy but quickly tried to hide his
displeasure.
    “Daffy, you did not offer your lovely daughter the time to
freshen up before leading her to meet everyone?” He phrased it as if it were a
question but Reggie could hear the reprimand in his voice.
    “Mom offered,” Reggie said. “But I preferred to stay as I am
since I’ll be heading to the hotel soon.” She hadn’t planned any such thing but
it seemed important to keep that information to herself. Something just didn’t
feel right here.
    “But of course you will stay here with your mother,” he
said. “Isn’t that so, Daffy?”
    “Yes, yes.” Her mother grabbed her hand and squeezed.
“Regina, you must stay here with us, with me.” The tone of her mother’s voice made
her even more uneasy.
    “Well, it is settled then,” the man said. “I will see you
later at the evening meal.”
    Reggie had feigned fatigue and her mother had taken her back
to where she slept. It was in a big building that reminded Reggie of a
dormitory. There was one big communal bathroom that everyone used. Her mother
explained that a lot of the women shared a room but her mom had one to herself
so that Reggie could stay with her as long as she wanted.
    “Mom, why don’t we go out for dinner?” Reggie asked. “Just
the two of us, like old times.”
    “Oh, we can’t do that,” Daphne said, shaking