Page 2 of Body and Soul

“Dani, listen to me. What Ezekiel is doing to you... it’s not right. It’s not love. He’s supposed to protect you, not... not this.”

I couldn’t say the words out loud, couldn’t voice the horrifying truth: that our own flesh and blood had stolen her innocence and twisted her mind. The air grew thick, suffocating, as her gaze dropped to the table, pain etched into her features.

Dani’s face crumpled, tears spilling down her cheeks. “No, you’re wrong. He loves me. He takes care of me. You don’t understand… Our love is ordained by God.”

I stared at her, stunned. The thought made me want to laugh, scream, or both at once. Ezekiel’s twisted relationship with my sister was anything but holy. It was a mockery of everything sacred.

Drawing in a shuddering breath, I fought to keep my composure. Losing my temper wouldn’t help. Dani needed me to be strong, to be the voice of reason in this madness. I had to break through the walls she’d built.

“Dani, please,” I urged, my voice barely above a whisper. “You have to see how wrong this is. Ezekiel is manipulating you, twisting your mind. What he’s doing... it’s not love. It’s abuse.”

She flinched as if I’d struck her, pain and anger flashing in her eyes, the conflict within her warring against the loyalty that felt like a chain. “You don’t know anything. Ezekiel is a good man. He’s given me everything.”

“Everything except your freedom,” I countered, the words hanging between us like a heavy weight.

“He’s given me a child,” she announced, her voice trembling with a mixture of pride and fear.

Ice coursed through my veins. “What?”

Dani's hand drifted to her stomach, an unconscious protective gesture. “I’m pregnant. Ezekiel’s child grows inside me. A new prophet to lead our people to salvation.”

I stared at her, unblinking, emotions crashing over me: horror, revulsion, searing rage. My hands clenched into fists beneath the table, nails biting into my palms as I struggled to find words that might reach her.

“Dani...” I started, but the words stuck in my throat. What could I say to make her understand?

“Shepherd, please. Try to understand. This is a blessing, a gift from God. Ezekiel and I… our love is pure. This child is proof of that.”

I shook my head slowly, struggling to reconcile her conviction with the sickening reality. How could she not see how twisted this was? How deep Ezekiel’s claws had sunk into her psyche? The world around me faded as the weight of her words pressed down, suffocating.

“Dani,” I said, forcing myself to stay calm. “This isn’t love. It’s manipulation. Ezekiel is using you, controlling you. What he’s doing... it’s rape.”

She recoiled as if I’d slapped her, color draining from her face, confusion morphing into a defensive anger. “No. No, you’re wrong. I consented. I love him.”

I could only stare at her, heart breaking as she continued to defend the indefensible. But even through my despair, a flicker of determination ignited in my chest. I wouldn’t give up on her. I couldn’t.

“I won’t let you stay there, Dani. I promise you that,” I said firmly, my voice steadier than I felt. “I’ll fight for you. We can break this cycle together. You don’t have to live in a cage.”

Her eyes filled with confusion, conflict swirling in the depths of her gaze. For a moment, just a heartbeat, I saw a flicker of the girl she used to be—a hint of hope, of possibility, hidden beneath layers of fear and indoctrination.

But then the cold shadow of reality swept over her, and she turned away, the walls closing back in.

“I can't, Shepherd. My place is with Ezekiel, with the Children of the Light. This is my path, the one God has chosen for me.” She stood, the movement resolute, and the watchdogs moved forward. “I have to go. I shouldn't have come here. It was a mistake.”

Panic clawed at my throat as I pushed to my feet, sending my chair skittering back. “I’m not giving up on you, Dani.”

She paused, her eyes meeting mine for a fleeting moment. For a second, she seemed sad again, vulnerable and desperate, a flicker of the sister I once knew. “Goodbye, Shepherd.”

And then she was gone, flanked by her stone-faced guardians as she hurried out of the diner and into the waiting car. I stood there, watching through the grimy window as the taillights faded into the night, my heart a heavy stone in my chest. Eventually, even their glow disappeared into the darkness, leaving me alone again.

July

Music pulsed in mytemples like a second heartbeat, but the colors had dulled. Pink, purple, and blue strobe lights flickered like distant stars, merging into a neon puddle. I tipped my head back and stared up at the warehouse-style ceiling where each flash was a lightning strike, the wrath of an angry God. It was no substitute for the high I was coming down from, but it was better than the numbness seeping back into every pore.

A burst of giggles shattered the quiet, the chair across from me screeching across the floor. I shifted my gaze from the ceiling, my annoyance sparking as Cherry carelessly dropped into the seat opposite me. The colors leaked from her bright red pigtails, bleeding into the world around her. A second later, her boyfriend, Ketchup, planted his ass on the tabletop.

I frowned and pulled a hard candy out of my pocket, unwrapping it and shoving it in my mouth. The candy clacked against my teeth as I rolled it around on my tongue, the artificial cinnamon flavor a live firework in my mouth. I rolled it on my tongue, focusing on the sensation, letting myself feel something while I still could. It was a poor substitute for the chemical bliss that had been coursing through my veins mere minutes ago, but it would have to do.

“What’s wrong, Eli?” Cherry asked, shoving one of her thigh-high boots at Ketchup. He took it without question, fixing the buckles that’d come undone. “You need another drink?”

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