“Sasha,” the older woman said, “I have some bad news–”

“I saw them,” Sasha said. “Is that what’s going to happen to all of us? Is this place just a holding area until we get married off?”

“This place is your home,” Helen said in a voice that was almost pleading. “It’s here, and I’m here, to shepherd you to the next phase in your life. Don’t you believe I want the best for you?”

“I do,” Sasha said. Her voice softened. “But Anne didn’t want this. She told me so. Didn’t she deserve time to grieve?”

“She did,” Helen said, “but the Lord demands sacrifices from all of us. Sometimes more sacrifices than seem fair. Anne is in a dark place now but the Lord will send his light to guide her.”

Helen seemed to straighten up as she spoke. Sasha saw resolve settle into the older woman’s flint-gray eyes.

“So may it be,” she said. “May the peace of the Lord be with you.”

Sasha started to walk off. She didn’t trust herself to stay and talk. She was sure more of her anger would bleed out into the conversation. And she wasn’t sure what Helen would do if she got the impression that Sasha’s loyalty had started to waver.

“Sasha, dear,” she said, and Sasha looked back. “You forgot your dinner. It’s in a bag on the table.”

Sasha took it and ate in silence, as fast as decorum would allow. Then she cleaned up for bed and headed back into the dormitories. As soon as she saw the light glinting off of Susannah’s open eyes, she knew the other girl was awake. Sasha knelt down at her bed and the two shared a long look. Susannah held out her hand and Sasha took it.

“What happened?” she asked.

“They let us out early and dropped us off downtown,” Susannah’s eyes were wet with tears. “Anne and I had a coffee and we visited the market. It was…nice, normal almost. We headed for the House of Miriam once it started to get dark and,” she gulped, “they were just there. Waiting with Miss Helen.”

Susannah swallowed loudly and her eyes grew watery, but she didn’t cry. Sasha was proud of her friend.

“That was them, wasn’t it?” Susannah asked. “Those men were the Sons of Jacob.”

Sasha just nodded.

“How long until they take me too?”

Chapter 16

Manny.