Sasha knew it was unfair and definitely unchristian to feel this way, but Mae LOOKED like someone who lived to tell other people what to do. She had the pinched features, squinting eyes, and high-pitched voice of a born snitch. Mae kept her hair tied up in a bun so tight and short it looked military. She never smiled and never seemed to relax. And there was something about the frenzied way she’d pray, alone, quietly in the corner throughout the day that made Sasha leery.

She hated that she’d noticed those things. She knew God didn’t want her focusing on what other people were doing wrong. And besides, she told herself, what are you really angry about? That she’s TOO serious about her faith? Isn’t that why you left home?

“Gluttony is a sin too, you know,” Mae said.

Sasha realized with a start that Mae had addressed her. She had been eating her orange and, absent-minded and tired after a long day of labor, she hadn’t realized how messy she’d been about peeling it. Her hands and sleeves were covered with the sticky juice. She looked around at the table and noticed that the other girls had been much more careful with their desserts.

“Sorry,” Sasha started, “I wasn’t thinking…”

Mae rolled her eyes and started to say something else, but Helen cut her off.

“It’s quite alright, dear. None of us is perfect,” she cast a reproachful eye at Mae, “…and we all lose ourselves in thought sometimes. Especially in the wake of great change. The Lord understands.”

She looked out to the rest of the table with a gaze that seemed to take in each of the girls collectively, and individually. Then she spoke.

“We are all here because we recognize the primacy of God’s word on earth. But we are no more perfect, and no more beloved by our Lord, than the enemies we face. Never forget that girls. Our foes are as dear to him as we are. They must be purged when they seek to interfere with God’s will, but we should feel sorrow for such losses. And we should never, ever,” her eyes went to Mae again, “let our fortune in hearing God’s word bleed us of compassion or lead us to arrogance.”

Sasha’s heart swelled at this. She’d never admired a woman more. Helen had a way of imparting wisdom without judgement, of shining a light on the truth without seeming like it was her truth alone. Helen wasn’t a preacher, but Sasha had never heard anyone speak the word of God with more conviction.