“With…child?” Sasha felt guilty for the horror in her voice. Of course she wanted children. She just didn’t want them now. Or particularly soon.

Alexander nodded, “We must be fruitful and multiply so the Heavenly Kingdom can remain and expand.” His smile was so warm, so kind. “I know you’ve read more of Pastor Mike’s writing than I have, Sasha. You’re a very smart girl. But God made you to bring forth more children. You wouldn’t want to delay your purpose, would you?”

Maybe a little, she thought.

“No…” she lied.

“Good,” he smiled again. “And don’t worry. You won’t have to do it alone. Malia already has a child, and Adelaide’s two months pregnant. They’ll help you, too.”

The world stopped. At least it did for Sasha. She could tell people were still moving around her, but Sasha’s reality had shrunk to the pounding sound of her heart and a twisting in her gut.

“A– Adelaide? And Malia?”

Alexander gritted his teeth. There was something almost practiced in the way he said what came next.

“Adelaide and Malia are my wives. As you will be.”

“Wh–? Alexander, you didn’t say anything about other wives. You never mentioned them at all. Why are… How can you be telling me all this now?”

His smile turned sad. Or at least it gave the illusion of sadness. Sasha was still too shocked for anger. She felt like a hole had just been knocked in her heart. She knew she should be angry. But she also felt like there must be something missing. Something she didn’t understand yet. Alexander was a sweet boy, he wouldn’t do this to her.

“Look,” he said, “I’m sorry. This is never easy. You understand how important the Heavenly Kingdom is, Sasha. Nothing in the world could matter more. And the Kingdom will not survive without people like you. One of my jobs here is to push young women like you to take the terrible risk of coming here.”

“And so you lied?” she croaked, barely able to believe what was happening. “You bore false witness, Alexander. I–”

“I did not lie.” His voice hardened and so did his eyes. “I did not tell you about every aspect of my life here. But I did not lie.” He sighed, took a sip from his coffee, and continued.

“I’m part of a special unit within the Kingdom, formed on the order of the Pastor himself. He calls us Jacobians. It is our job to seed the next generation of Martyrs. We take personal responsibility for the Kingdom’s expansion. Finding you and bringing you here was one part of my work in this great cause. If I’d told you every detail about life here, every single thing, you wouldn’t have come. And your soul would have stayed in jeopardy.”

He took another deep, arrogant sip of his coffee.