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My ht the haze, scatteredlove to Styx… thenthe roo straight at my sisters

“Rider! Where is Rider? Did he bring me back? Is he here in the commune?”

Maddie and Lilah looked to one another in surprise Lilah took hold ofsense”

I gripped her fingers tightly “Rider… he…” I sed back bile as I re Gabriel and the elders Brother Cain, long time no see!

No! Impossible!

“Mae,” Maddie whispered “You are frightening me, sister Who is Rider? Where have you been all this time?”

I shook my head and blurted, “Brother Cain! Rider is Brother Cain” I could tell by their sudden stillness that he was here, here right now

“Mae Brother Cain brought you here, with the elders, earlier this afternoon The co a dinner for him as we speak Everyone is so joyful He returned you to Prophet David Brother Cain is our savior We were banned fro We have been shunned and kept in isolation since you left”

Maddie took esture surprised me Maddie was never affectionate; she was always alone, preferring her own company to that of others She was never that close to Bella and me

Obviously soed

Her bright-green eyes would not leave ht sinceblack hair was liht her hand to le tear rolled slowly down her cheek

“I have missed you, sister,” I hushed out quietly

“You left me,” she said almost inaudibly

My heart plummeted I had left her alone She had just lost Bella and then I abandoned her too She was only twenty-one, the most timid of us all And I, her only family, had abandoned my Maddie here, in commune, with Brother Moses, the cruelest of all the elders

“I am so sorry So sorry…” I pulled Maddie to ain I promise I was so selfish”

“Can you prolanced to the side at Lilah She was kneeling, watching us with huge blue eyes With Maddie refusing to untie herself froed to inch closer to Lilah and she embraced the both of us

I restated my promise to Lilah and Maddie “I will never leave either of you, ever again You have my word”

“Oh, Mae, it was so bad when you left The people thought God was punishing us They were frantic And the elders…” Lilah paused, and I felt Maddie stiffen and whimper into my hair I stroked her head and rocked her inMaddie with sympathetic eyes

“What about the elders?” I asked through gritted teeth