Page 72 of Wrath

Jayne makes notes, nodding as she writes. “Where is your father now?” asks Carl.

I shrug. “I think he left.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he knew his time was up.”

Jayne leans closer, her eyes narrowing. “What do you mean by that?”

My heart slams faster in my chest. “I set the warriors free. I told the forefathers that we were going to leave.”

“The forefathers being Cornelius Perez, Adrian Garcia, Silas Morales, and your father?”

“Yes.”

“They were keeping you at Paragon Village against your will?” she asks.

“Yes.”

“How?”

I shift uncomfortably. “The gates were locked and there were guards.”

She nods. “Okay, tell us about your life at Paragon Village.”

I place my drink on the table and take a breath. “The real version or the one we were sold? Because recently, I’ve learned a lot, like that the warriors were stolen and made to fight and take part in ceremonies.”

“Ceremonies?” Carl asks, exchanging another curious look with his colleague.

“Yes. The second daughters from the forefathers were taken to the church and laid out for the warriors.”

They exchange a more concerned look. “What did the warriors do?”

“Get them pregnant.”

Jayne inhales sharply, scribbling notes. “And you saw this?”

I nod. “All the families did. We had to sit in the church and watch. My sister was one of them. She’s pregnant.”

“Right. And did that happen to you?” she asks gently.

I frown. “Not in a ceremony,” I admit. The first daughters are born from warriors, therefore, we’re treated as slaves for the family. But because I wouldn’t conform, my father got sick of me and took me into the caves, where the warriors . . .” I sigh. “But they aren’t bad people,” I rush to add. “The warriors didn’t know any different. They’re given drugs and made to watch things.”

The door opens and a woman enters. She’s got kind eyes, and she immediately makes me feel at ease. “Sorry I’m late. I’m Anita, and I’ll be your social worker.” She sees my confusion and takes a seat. “I’ll be taking care of you while you find your feet.”

I’m exhausted. I spent hours going over everything with the police, and when we were finished, Anita took me to get some food while we waited for Summer to finish her interview.

We stop outside a large hotel, and Anita twists in her driver’s seat to look at us huddled together in the back. “Try not to worry. You’ll be safe here until we can find something more permanent.”

She takes us to our room, handing us each a key. “I’ll be back in the morning. The police haven’t finished interviewing you both.”

“Where will Ares and the others be?” I ask.

“All on this floor,” she says. “The hotel isn’t used by anyone at the moment, and so there are a lot of people from your village here. But you shouldn’t venture outside until I’ve shown you around the area.”

“But I can see Ares?” I ask eagerly. Since he went off in the field, I haven’t seen him at all.

She looks hesitant. “He’s been rather quiet.”

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