Page 141 of The Change
“He was God’s first try at humans, remember? And from the outside, he was magnificent. Tall and sexy, with glistening skin and firm buttocks and—”
“Okay, Mama,” Faith laughed.
“What I’m saying is, Adam was fine. But there was something wrong with him—the thing that had convinced God to try again. He’d just come off making the animals when he went to work on Adam, and he forgot to change one little thing. Like the animals, Adam was driven by bodily needs. When Adam wanted to rut, all the reason God gave him went right out the window. With animals, sex is natural. What made Adam so dangerous was his desire to dominate.”
Faith stared at her mother in horror.
“I know, I know,” her mother said. “You don’t want to hear this. Believe me, Eve didn’t either! But she listened, because she knew the snake was trying to help, and she asked it if there was anything she could do. ‘Eat from the tree of knowledge,’ it advised her. ‘If you’re ever going to make it out of Eden in one piece, you’re gonna need to use your head.’”
“So she ate the apple and God kicked her and Adam out of Eden.”
“Nope.” Her mother’s hoop earrings swayed as she shook her head. “When Eve ate the apple, she realized there was a whole world beyond Eden. The snake told her she could spend her life in a garden taking care of some man’s insatiable needs—or she could see what else was out there. So she put on some clothes and went out to explore. What would you do if you were wearing her shoes?”
Faith didn’t even need a moment to ponder the question. “Listen to the snake,” she said.
“Good.” Her mother was serious now. “Because from now on, it’s going to talk to you. It’s the voice in your head that whispers to you when you’re in danger. Promise me that you’ll always listen.”
“I promise,” Faith said.
“You’re gonna meet lots of men in your life, and most of them will be harmless. Some will even be good. But stay far away from those who seem driven by their desires. Don’t be one of the womenwho think they can feed those men. Those that do meet one of two fates. They either end up getting eaten—or they turn into monsters.”
Faith’s beloved mother died the following year, and the fourteen-year-old went to the other side of the island to live with her aunt. This was the side that the tourists flocked to, and there were twice as many men to look out for. Over the next three years, the snake kept Faith safe. It always knew which ones were bad news. Sometimes its warnings surprised her, but she always listened. When it told her to stay away from the friendly middle-aged man who ran the charity, she’d kept her distance.
Then one afternoon, a woman came to the restaurant where Faith worked and sat down at a table looking out over the Caribbean. She was delicate and pretty, but her voice was strong and her smile wide. Over the course of the meal Faith served her, they chatted about Faith’s hopes and dreams. She was impressed that Faith worked all day and studied all night.
“Why don’t you come back with me to the States?” she said. “I know an empty apartment you can have in Brooklyn, and I’ve got connections at all the best schools.”
This time, the serpent stayed silent.
The Monster
Claude rounded the corner and stopped. Someone had beat her to the swimming pool. A naked girl lounged on a float with her eyes closed, one arm tucked under her head, her other hand lazily dipped in the water. For a moment, Claude marveled at the girl’s beauty. In New York, such physical perfection could be a bonanza for a decade or more. Here in south Florida, a young woman’s expiration date arrived sooner. Everything ripened and rotted much faster down south.
“Hello?” Claude called out. She and Leonard had flown in less than an hour ago. One of the workers clearly hadn’t gotten the news. She didn’t mind, but she thought Leonard might. The staff at his New York townhouse was trained to remain unseen.
The girl lurched upright at the sound of Claude’s voice, and the float almost capsized. When her eyes landed on Claude, she slid off into the water and held the float against her breasts.
“Sorry!” Claude did her best not to laugh. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I thought you’d like to know that the owner is coming. I don’t want you to get into trouble.”
The braces on the girl’s teeth glinted. She was younger than Claude had first thought. Fifteen. Maybe sixteen. Just old enough for a work permit. This was probably her very first job. “Are you his wife?” the girl asked.
Claude had to laugh. “No,” she said. “I’m here to help renovate the property.” She and Leonard had discussed marriage, but everything felt wonderful just as it was. She didn’t want to mess with themagic. Claude walked down to the edge of the pool and held out the towel she’d brought with her. “Who are you?”
The girl hesitated, then she swam to the edge of the water and accepted the towel. “I’m Clio,” she said.
“What do you do here?” Claude asked.
“What?” Clio’s eyes went wide for a moment. “Oh no, I don’t work here. I live in town.”
Claude stopped smiling. Town was ten miles away. “Does your mom know you’re out here?”
“She dropped me off,” Clio replied.
“How did you get on the property? Who let you in?”
“Leonard gave me the pass code the last time he was here,” Clio said.
“Leonard,” Claude repeated.
