Page 10 of Sanctuary

It was such a different world than the life Misty had grown up in. She wanted to have the courage Paige had, and still, she couldn’t commit to running away.

Misty’s days at the school were spent in bible study, prayer, reflection, punishment, and working. Each day she had an audience with Mrs. Turney. She wished it was Mrs. Sanders, but Paige told her the women divided the girls and the lucky ones got Sanders.

“What have you learned since coming here?” Mrs. Turney asked.

Misty stood in front of her desk, where there was no chair, and answered questions that would be sent back to her parents so they knew the changes the school was making in her behavior.

“I’ve learned to be on time, and to speak softly, Mrs. Turney,” Misty replied. Paige had given her things to say, which made it easy.

“That’s good,” she nodded her head. “Have you changed your mind about the concession the Lord has asked of you?”

The concession was marrying an old man, and Misty had never heard the Lord ask. She’d been commanded by her father.

“No, Mrs. Turney,” she replied.

“Place your hands flat on my desk,” Mrs. Turney said.

Having no idea what was coming, Misty did as she was told. Mrs. Turney brought the cane down on her fingers. It hurt so badly, Misty cried out and clasped her hands in front of her.

“I did not tell you to lift your hands and will add an extra swat because you did.”

Misty received eleven strikes, and she couldn’t stop her tears the entire time it happened.

A sadistic light shone in Mrs. Turney’s eyes by the time she finished. “When the Lord commands a young woman to do his bidding, he knows that sometimes that woman must be guided with the rod. I am that rod. Think about what you have been commanded to do and learn your place.”

Misty’s fingers were bruised and sore when she went to the kitchen that night after dinner. She muttered about Mrs. Turney being the actual devil and Paige gave a sad smile.

“We’ll put ice on your hands, and I’ll do all the cleanup tonight,” Paige said after Misty told her what happened and showed her the damage caused by the cane.

The ice made it bearable, and Paige made everything better. Having a friend changed Misty’s life.

She also learned that interviews with Mrs. Turney always ended in punishment. The following day, she received ten additional swats on her already sore fingers and two hours of wall time because she fell asleep in bible study.

“After we escape, Mrs. Turney will trip over her own feet and break her wrinkled face. We’ll laugh when we hear about it,” Paige said.

Misty didn’t ask how they would hear about it if they were gone because Paige’s words were starting to slide beneath her defenses, and leaving the home was becoming more of a possibility.

Chapter Eight

Savage Sanctuary Island, Simon

Simon had a radio in the hut that stayed on a weather station year-round. Florida was known for its rapidly changing weather. For animal safety, Simon needed time to prepare. This tropical storm had turned into a hurricane, and parts of the Florida coast were on evacuation notice. It wasn’t just that the hurricanes were deadly; they brought tornadoes that destroyed everything in their path. The weather could be bad for days with power outages and lack of clean water. There was also a chance that the boat marina would be damaged and getting help to the island could take days. Handling storms had become second nature to Simon. It created a lot of work but there were also benefits and that’s what he enjoyed.

Simon filled the water tanks that could last for a month if things got really bad. They also received a delivery of meat which filled two of three empty freezers. The food would sustain the cats through the storm and a few days beyond. Jerry made deals with people in the area for goats, pigs, and other livestock that became ill or were too old for anything but slaughter. The animals were delivered whole, and Simon chopped them into appropriate sizes. It wasn’t his favorite work, but he hadn’t known the animals that died, and his cats had to eat. It took him two hours after the morning feeding to get the contents in the freezers and then he had to double-check the cages.

Jerry was throwing a never-ending fit over the hurricane, which was something he did with every large storm since Simon began working on the island. Escaped animals gave Jerry nightmares.

Indra paced his cage when Simon walked by. Storms excited the tiger. He could feel the change in the air just like Simon.

“Don’t worry, boy,” he told him. “During the storm, you get to hang out with me in the hut while the other cats play.” He scratched his head through the bars.

“Simon, could you give me a hand?” Roberto called over the radio. “I’m at the panther enclosure.”

If he’d said pens, Simon would have run over because that could mean an emergency, but since none of the panthers were in the enclosure, he walked his normal slow gait the few hundred yards it took to get to Roberto.

“Hey amigo,” Roberto called when he saw him. “I’m having trouble getting to the camera in the corner.” He pointed to the ladder he’d brought with him. “I should have grabbed the longer one.” Roberto was a short wiry man who could adjust an engine and the next moment figure out why the computer in the front office wasn’t working.

“I can do that,” Simon said with a large grin. He liked it when his height gave him an advantage others didn’t have because that meant he could help them solve a tall problem. Simon propped up the ladder. It groaned beneath his weight as he climbed to the top, reached for the camera, gave it a slight twist to release it from its mount, and carried it back down.

---