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Selena bit back a sharp laugh "Do not worry about me, Lucy I am sure I shall be fine I am simply tired My head aches"

Another lie, she thought sadly And it came so easily

The brethren and sistersthe dining rooh separate side-by-side doors The men sat at tables on the east side of the room; women at tables on the west

Lucy led Selena to a table Across the roolanced quickly from side to side, then mouthed Are you well?

She had no answer for him He looked so concerned that she wanted simply to nod, but the action wouldn't come

A bell rang, and the Believers all dropped to their knees,prayers

Selena was just realizing that she should kneel when everyone stood up again Lucy grabbed her around the waist and guided her to her seat The stark wooden plank table groaned beneath the weight of the food Boiled potatoes, fried sausage with onions and turnips, wheat bread with freshly turned butter and raspberry

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jam, stewed applesauce that smelled of cinnamon, and pitchers of creamy milk

The family ate in silence, the only words spoken an occasional, whispered "thank you" as food was passed from one hand to another Selena tried not to think of the hter and the teasing and the camaraderie Of food that had sometimes been thrown to make a point, or the silly little prayers they'd offered to a fun-loving God Over the gullet, past the tongue, look out stomach, here it comes

She would have smiled at the memory if it didn't hurt

so much

Selena had barely laden her plate with food when the bell rang again All around her, forks clanged on the china as the plates were pushed to the center of the table The men stood all at once, then dropped to their knees for silent prayers

And then they were gone

Selena took a last bite of tasteless, greasy sausage and pushed her plate away from her She didn't bother to kneel and offer a silent prayer to a God whom she didn't understand, but no one seemed to notice Lucy took her by the hand and led her back down the woh the women's door and across the yard