“Rachel, who’s at the door?” A woman’s voice called out from the darkness behind Rachel.
“Just a friend, Mom.” Rachel turned back to Nika. “Come on in, and remember, my mother is bat-shit cray-cray.”
Nika entered a polished wood-floored hallway and immediately sensed the lack of warmth. It felt colder than outside. “Is your heater on?”
Rachel shook her head. “We haven’t used it since Mom decided we should only use our woodstove. She hasn’t ordered the cord of wood we need for the winter yet. She says I should be out collecting twigs to make sure we can always get a fire going in the woodstove. It’s all her nutso-survivalist crap.” She lowered her voice to a whisper as she motioned for Nika to follow her into the kitchen.
“Hello.” A tall, skinny woman sat at a round table in a nook in the far corner, her eyes huge and bug-like behind rimless glasses.
“Hi. I’m Nika.” She gave Rachel’s mother the typical teen mini wave.
“I’m Belinda Boyle. I’m sure Rachel’s complained to you about me.” Dry skin that flaked on her nose and around her lips stretched across what Nika thought had once been a pretty face. Beautiful, even. The flatness in her eyes and stilted manner in which she spoke was unnerving. No question, this was a woman who’d lost touch with herself and maybe even reality. Nika had seen it with compulsive shoplifters, gamblers, drug addicts and alcoholics. Rachel might be right—her mother might very well be addicted to the sick liturgy of Leonard Wise and his cult.
“Drop it, Mother.”
“Don’t speak to me with such disrespect, Rachel.”
Nika knew a teen would be uncomfortable in such a situation so she tried to look pained when in reality she was eager to find out what was causing the friction between the two. And it wouldn’t be so awful if Belinda Boyle came a little unhinged and revealed some of the cult tactics.
“We’re baking cookies, Mom. Would you like to join us? We’re going to talk about boys.”
“Very funny.” Still, Rachel got her way as Mrs. Boyle stood and gathered the books and notebook in front of her. “I’m going up to my room to continue my studies. Dinner will be at six.” With that, the spindly woman was gone, her back stiff as she exited the room.
Nika waited until she heard footsteps above them. “Wow, is she always that formal?”
Rachel huffed. “‘Formal’ isn’t the word I’d use. ‘Zombified’ is more like it.”
“Is it since your dad and she divorced?”
“I didn’t say they divorced, although they’re headed there. Dad left for Pittsburgh last summer and hasn’t been back. He invites me to dinner when he’s in town on business, wants to spend time together.”
“But?”
Rachel waved her hands. “Whatever’s he’s doing with work in Pittsburgh is more important than checking in on me. Except when it’s convenient for him.” Rachel shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. I’m used to being on my own since my brothers and sisters are so much older and have families of their own.”
“But he left you here knowing that your mother was losing it?”
Nika watched as pride warred with bare need in Rachel’s expression.
In that moment Nika knew she’d do whatever she could to make Rachel’s life easier.
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