the henbane trials - faith seed

CHAPTER 1

IT HAS BEEN FOUR MONTHS AND SEVENTEEN DAYS since Lucy Holly first started showing up in the newspapers.

I hated seeing her face like that. I hated seeing her lips curled in a smile and her eyes so wide and full of hope and dreams.

I sometimes wonder if Lucy had been dreaming of going missing. And I sometimes wonder if I too, could go missing by dreaming and hoping as much as Lucy probably did.

"Rachel, did you say grace?"

I look up to my mother. Her wide honey-coloured eyes set on mine.

I stare at her, trying to burn holes into her eyes, which will eventually burn into her soul.

Beside her was her preacher boyfriend named Joseph Seed or something. I really couldn't care less on who my mom associated with.

After finding out the news that Lucy Holly disappeared, I brought a darkness into the house. Mom was brave enough to face it, but dad couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to look me in the face, and that caused problems for him and mom.

Eventually they split up. The family dinners were always tense anyways.

I don't get why mom brought this preacher in our house. We both know too well that she wasn't religious. Her boyfriend moving in was such a change for us, he makes us say grace at every meal and makes us say prayers before we sleep.

To be honest, I wasn't adjusting too well.

"I don't want to," I mumble, slumping into my seat. "I just want to eat."

My mom glares at me, her honey eyes burning a fire in my face. She was winning.

"Rache," My mother says in that voice she uses to scold me. "Say our grace."

I stare at her harder, not budging or showing any sign I was going to retreat. I needed to win.

When my mom is about to give out, her boyfriend places a hand on her shoulder and her attention is switched from me to him.

I smile.

I won.

"Don't worry, Mary," he says. "I'll say grace today." His voice is smooth like cream, but I want to hate his guts. I desperately want to hate the sound of his voice, but I can't.

My mother's name isn't even Mary, her name is Nicole, which sounds nothing like his new nickname for her.

I watch as my mother's face twists into one of a person who is a puppy. Puppy-love eyes.

It makes me sick.

Her boyfriend grabs my mother's hand and places a kiss onto her knuckle. He pulls away and extends his hand to me, his palm facing upwards.

"We must complete the circle, Rachel. Keep the blessing between the three of us."

I turn my head towards my mother and look at her with a raised eyebrow. She looks as if I cursed out her boyfriend, because in a way I did. In my head.

"Of course, Noah." I say. "We would want to keep it between us."

"Rache," My mom starts.

"Because everyone in this goddamned world doesn't deserve a blessing. Only us." I clench my fists to keep it from shaking. A wave of frustration fills my cheeks with warmth.

"Rachel!"

My head snaps towards my mother, my nostrils flaring. This made me so mad. He made me so mad.

"Living room. Me, you."

I stand from the table, the sound of the silver clacking on the glass rings throughout the tense room.

"Rachel, what's up with you?" My mother asks harshly when we get to the livingroom, leaving the Jesus reincarnation in the kitchen with the expensive silver.

"I told you once, I'll tell you again: we aren't religious. You aren't religious." I say. "You told me specifically that you; didn't believe in a greater good than the human beings and science."

"People change, Rachel." My mother whispers harshly.

"But not you." I shake my head. "You're mom. You're familiar. And plus, this 'Mary' thing creeps me out, is that his fetish?"

"Watch your language, Rachel!" My mother hisses. "Joseph is a good man. He makes me happy, why can't you see that?"

"A good man?" It sounds like a joke coming from my mother's mouth. He's not a good man for coming into our life and putting us in his religion.

The only thing that didn't sound like a joke was her mentioning that she's happier with him, because truth be told, I haven't seen my mother this happy since dad left.

"Calm down, Rache," My mom says. "You're doing the thinking too hard thing."

I stare at her, feeling nothing.

My mother pulls me into her arms, my head rested above her breasts. She rubs my head and I feel the same as I did when Lucy disappeared.

"I know he makes you happy mom." I say. "He doesn't make me happy at all."

"Just give it time, baby."

I pull away from her grip and fix my crumpled shirt.

"I don't want to."

Time isn't possible.

My time is dedicated to thinking and crying about Lucy Holly, not being BFF's with my mother's hookup. I don't care how soothing his voice sounds, or how happy my mom gets when he's over.

Joseph Seed can't bring back Lucy Holly.