Lacey Thorn
It's your world...unlaced
It's your world...unlaced
Through The Veil by Lacey Thorn
An Excerpt From: THROUGH THE VEIL
Copyright © LACEY THORN, 2010
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.
Chapter One
What the fuck had her mom gotten her into? That was all Reggie could think as she
ran deeper into the woods of the national park. She’d been worried when her mom’
s letter had arrived begging her to come, saying it was important. Her mother’s
phone was disconnected and a new address was listed. So being the daughter she
was, Reggie had dropped everything and left.
For the longest time it had been just the two of them and Reggie still suffered from
guilt issues at having left home a year ago at twenty. But she had finally made
herself believe that she deserved a life of her own. So she’d packed up and moved
for all the good it had done her. She was just like her mother. She worked from
home as a medical transcriptionist and did most of her shopping by mail. She’d
barely gone out in the year she’d been on her own and had no friends.
So there was no one to miss her now. She should have run when she pulled up to
a gate guarded by two men with guns. Especially when they recognized her on
sight and greeted her by name. But they’d told her that her mother would be so
excited that she was finally here, they had laughed and smiled and tricked the hell
out of her. She had left the car with her bags at the gate, and taking only her purse,
had followed one of the men to find her mother.
Her mom had looked gorgeous. She had positively glowed, looking years younger.
She’d been wearing a form-fitting dress that seemed to be the style for every
woman that Reggie saw. Her mom wasn’t sick, wasn’t in trouble, actually seemed
better than she’d ever been. When they’d finally found a private place to sit and
talk, Reggie had felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. From everything her
mother was saying there was no doubt that this was some kind of cult.
Her mother had asked Reggie to freshen up, offered her one of the dresses that
Reggie had politely refused, preferring to keep her jeans, t-shirt and running
shoes. Then they had gone back to where the others were so that Reggie could
meet some of her mother’s new friends. And with each new woman Reggie had
felt her anxiety increase. The women were content to be subservient and Reggie
didn’t think it was just the cooking, cleaning and child rearing that they were
expected to do.
Reggie had been taking everything in when a sudden silence fell over everyone
and she watched as they all had bowed their heads. Glancing around, her gaze
landed on a man dressed in loose–fitting, white linen-style pants and an
unbuttoned white shirt. His eyes took her in from head to toe and when he met her
gaze he didn’t seem too happy but quickly tried to hide his displeasure.
“Daffy, you did not offer your lovely daughter the time to freshen up before leading
her to meet everyone?” He phrased it as if it were a question but Reggie could
hear the reprimand in his voice.
“Mom offered,” Reggie said. “But I preferred to stay as I am since I’ll be heading to
the hotel soon.” She hadn’t planned any such thing but it seemed important to
keep that information to herself. Something just didn’t feel right here.
“But of course you will stay here with your mother,” he said. “Isn’t that so, Daffy?”
“Yes, yes.” Her mother grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Regina you must stay
here with us, with me.” The tone of her mother’s voice made her even more
uneasy.
“Well it is settled then,” the man said. “I will see you later at the evening meal.”
Reggie had feigned fatigue and her mother had taken her back to where she slept.
It was in a big building that reminded Reggie of a dormitory. There was one big
communal bathroom that everyone used. Her mother explained that a lot of the
women shared a room but her mom had one to herself so that Reggie could stay
with her as long as she wanted.
“Mom, why don’t we go out for dinner?” Reggie asked. “Just the two of us, like old
times.”
“Oh, we can’t do that,” Daphne said shaking her head frantically back and forth.
“Why can’t we do that?” Reggie asked. “Aren’t you allowed to leave, Mom?”
“Dinner is a big event, Regina,” her mom said. “We’ll be dining with Brother
Michael tonight. That is a big honor and not to be denied.”
“I didn’t come here for him, Mom,” Reggie shook her head. “I came to see you, to
make sure you were okay. I was afraid that something was wrong, that you were
sick.”
“Oh, Regina,” her mom gushed. “I’ve never been so happy. My life is so perfect
here. Brother Michael takes care of all of us. I’ve only a few specific duties to see
to and everything else is taken care of for me.”
“What do you do, Mom?” Reggie asked.
“I take care of helping with the morning meal,” her mother said excitedly. “It is the
most important one of the day. Then I go with two other women and clean the
worship center. When we are done there it is time to help with the lunch
preparations so that some of the younger women can take the refreshments out to
the men. Then I have the afternoon to read or sew before starting on the evening
meal.”
Her mom loved to read, sew and cook. She had been meant to be a housewife
which is what she had been before her husband, Reggie’s dad, left them. Her mom
had never really seemed to recover. But looking at her now was like going back in
time to the younger, more vibrant woman her mother had once been.
“That sounds wonderful,” Reggie said. “But if you are so happy then why the letter
to me?”
Her mom looked away refusing to meet Reggie’s eyes and a chill went down her
spine. She definitely felt like something wasn’t right now.
“I just wanted to see you, Regina,” her mom insisted still looking anywhere but at
Reggie.
“Mom, you haven’t called me Regina since I was six,” Reggie said. “Why are you
calling me it now?”
“Brother Michael says that Regina is a beautiful and fitting name,” Daphne said.
“And yet he calls you Daffy?” Reggie asked with a laugh. Daffy made her think of
the cartoon duck.
“Brother Michael said the name fits me perfectly,” her mom said with a smile and a
dreamy look.
“Mom, you’re not sleeping with this guy are you?” Reggie asked and her mom
finally met her gaze an appalled look in her eyes.
“Of course not,” her mom gasped. “Don’t speak of such things out loud, Regina. I
am not worthy of one such as Brother Michael.”
That didn’t make Reggie feel any better. The women here were all subservient in
manner and it hadn’t escaped Reggie’s notice that when her mom had offered her
a dress to wear she’d been told to just throw “all” her clothes in a pile in the corner
of the room. The longer Reggie was here the more creeped out she got.
“Here,” her mother said handing her a glass of what looked like tea. “You look hot
and tired Regina. Drink this. I just love the tea here. It is perfectly brewed.”
Reggie took a sip and it was perfect. Not too sweet and no trace of the bitterness
that sometimes came with tea. She really was thirsty so she drank it all down.
“Mom, I’m glad that you are happy,” Reggie said and she meant it. Perhaps this
was the life that her mother needed. She would have to stop at the police station in
town and find out what she could about this group. And then she would work on
getting her mother out of here. Maybe she would have to get word to her mother
that she was sick or something. That thought made her feel guilty. Her mother was
a grown woman and Reggie had never seen her look happier.
“I am happy,” her mom gushed. “The only thing that could make me happier is if
you were to join me here.”
Reggie shook her head. “I can’t, Mom. I have a job, friends, and they’ll be
expecting me to check in soon.”
“No, you don’t,” her mom said with a laugh. “Brother Michael checked. You work
from home and have no visitors.”
Reggie blinked. She was getting really tired and was fighting to keep her eyes
open. “How would Brother Michael know that?”
“He checked on you,” her mom said. “When he saw your picture he told me that
you were the one that he’d been waiting for.”
“Waiting for?” Reggie asked. That didn’t sound good to her.
“You’re the one,” her mother stated with awe. “You’ll be the one to give birth to
Brother Michael’s son.”
Reggie was shaking her head now in denial as well as an attempt to clear her
vision up. “I’m not having his child,” she vowed.
“You will, Regina,” her mother told her. “It is God’s will.”
Two things clicked in Reggie’s mind at once. First was that her mother was lost to
her. They had never been that close, probably because Reggie had always felt like
more the parent than the child. She would never be able to persuade her mother to
leave here. The second thing was that her mother had drugged her drink, or at the
very least given her a drink that was drugged.
“Mom, what have you done,” Reggie asked fighting to stay awake with all she had.
Copyright © LACEY THORN, 2010
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.
Chapter One
What the fuck had her mom gotten her into? That was all Reggie could think as she
ran deeper into the woods of the national park. She’d been worried when her mom’
s letter had arrived begging her to come, saying it was important. Her mother’s
phone was disconnected and a new address was listed. So being the daughter she
was, Reggie had dropped everything and left.
For the longest time it had been just the two of them and Reggie still suffered from
guilt issues at having left home a year ago at twenty. But she had finally made
herself believe that she deserved a life of her own. So she’d packed up and moved
for all the good it had done her. She was just like her mother. She worked from
home as a medical transcriptionist and did most of her shopping by mail. She’d
barely gone out in the year she’d been on her own and had no friends.
So there was no one to miss her now. She should have run when she pulled up to
a gate guarded by two men with guns. Especially when they recognized her on
sight and greeted her by name. But they’d told her that her mother would be so
excited that she was finally here, they had laughed and smiled and tricked the hell
out of her. She had left the car with her bags at the gate, and taking only her purse,
had followed one of the men to find her mother.
Her mom had looked gorgeous. She had positively glowed, looking years younger.
She’d been wearing a form-fitting dress that seemed to be the style for every
woman that Reggie saw. Her mom wasn’t sick, wasn’t in trouble, actually seemed
better than she’d ever been. When they’d finally found a private place to sit and
talk, Reggie had felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. From everything her
mother was saying there was no doubt that this was some kind of cult.
Her mother had asked Reggie to freshen up, offered her one of the dresses that
Reggie had politely refused, preferring to keep her jeans, t-shirt and running
shoes. Then they had gone back to where the others were so that Reggie could
meet some of her mother’s new friends. And with each new woman Reggie had
felt her anxiety increase. The women were content to be subservient and Reggie
didn’t think it was just the cooking, cleaning and child rearing that they were
expected to do.
Reggie had been taking everything in when a sudden silence fell over everyone
and she watched as they all had bowed their heads. Glancing around, her gaze
landed on a man dressed in loose–fitting, white linen-style pants and an
unbuttoned white shirt. His eyes took her in from head to toe and when he met her
gaze he didn’t seem too happy but quickly tried to hide his displeasure.
“Daffy, you did not offer your lovely daughter the time to freshen up before leading
her to meet everyone?” He phrased it as if it were a question but Reggie could
hear the reprimand in his voice.
“Mom offered,” Reggie said. “But I preferred to stay as I am since I’ll be heading to
the hotel soon.” She hadn’t planned any such thing but it seemed important to
keep that information to herself. Something just didn’t feel right here.
“But of course you will stay here with your mother,” he said. “Isn’t that so, Daffy?”
“Yes, yes.” Her mother grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Regina you must stay
here with us, with me.” The tone of her mother’s voice made her even more
uneasy.
“Well it is settled then,” the man said. “I will see you later at the evening meal.”
Reggie had feigned fatigue and her mother had taken her back to where she slept.
It was in a big building that reminded Reggie of a dormitory. There was one big
communal bathroom that everyone used. Her mother explained that a lot of the
women shared a room but her mom had one to herself so that Reggie could stay
with her as long as she wanted.
“Mom, why don’t we go out for dinner?” Reggie asked. “Just the two of us, like old
times.”
“Oh, we can’t do that,” Daphne said shaking her head frantically back and forth.
“Why can’t we do that?” Reggie asked. “Aren’t you allowed to leave, Mom?”
“Dinner is a big event, Regina,” her mom said. “We’ll be dining with Brother
Michael tonight. That is a big honor and not to be denied.”
“I didn’t come here for him, Mom,” Reggie shook her head. “I came to see you, to
make sure you were okay. I was afraid that something was wrong, that you were
sick.”
“Oh, Regina,” her mom gushed. “I’ve never been so happy. My life is so perfect
here. Brother Michael takes care of all of us. I’ve only a few specific duties to see
to and everything else is taken care of for me.”
“What do you do, Mom?” Reggie asked.
“I take care of helping with the morning meal,” her mother said excitedly. “It is the
most important one of the day. Then I go with two other women and clean the
worship center. When we are done there it is time to help with the lunch
preparations so that some of the younger women can take the refreshments out to
the men. Then I have the afternoon to read or sew before starting on the evening
meal.”
Her mom loved to read, sew and cook. She had been meant to be a housewife
which is what she had been before her husband, Reggie’s dad, left them. Her mom
had never really seemed to recover. But looking at her now was like going back in
time to the younger, more vibrant woman her mother had once been.
“That sounds wonderful,” Reggie said. “But if you are so happy then why the letter
to me?”
Her mom looked away refusing to meet Reggie’s eyes and a chill went down her
spine. She definitely felt like something wasn’t right now.
“I just wanted to see you, Regina,” her mom insisted still looking anywhere but at
Reggie.
“Mom, you haven’t called me Regina since I was six,” Reggie said. “Why are you
calling me it now?”
“Brother Michael says that Regina is a beautiful and fitting name,” Daphne said.
“And yet he calls you Daffy?” Reggie asked with a laugh. Daffy made her think of
the cartoon duck.
“Brother Michael said the name fits me perfectly,” her mom said with a smile and a
dreamy look.
“Mom, you’re not sleeping with this guy are you?” Reggie asked and her mom
finally met her gaze an appalled look in her eyes.
“Of course not,” her mom gasped. “Don’t speak of such things out loud, Regina. I
am not worthy of one such as Brother Michael.”
That didn’t make Reggie feel any better. The women here were all subservient in
manner and it hadn’t escaped Reggie’s notice that when her mom had offered her
a dress to wear she’d been told to just throw “all” her clothes in a pile in the corner
of the room. The longer Reggie was here the more creeped out she got.
“Here,” her mother said handing her a glass of what looked like tea. “You look hot
and tired Regina. Drink this. I just love the tea here. It is perfectly brewed.”
Reggie took a sip and it was perfect. Not too sweet and no trace of the bitterness
that sometimes came with tea. She really was thirsty so she drank it all down.
“Mom, I’m glad that you are happy,” Reggie said and she meant it. Perhaps this
was the life that her mother needed. She would have to stop at the police station in
town and find out what she could about this group. And then she would work on
getting her mother out of here. Maybe she would have to get word to her mother
that she was sick or something. That thought made her feel guilty. Her mother was
a grown woman and Reggie had never seen her look happier.
“I am happy,” her mom gushed. “The only thing that could make me happier is if
you were to join me here.”
Reggie shook her head. “I can’t, Mom. I have a job, friends, and they’ll be
expecting me to check in soon.”
“No, you don’t,” her mom said with a laugh. “Brother Michael checked. You work
from home and have no visitors.”
Reggie blinked. She was getting really tired and was fighting to keep her eyes
open. “How would Brother Michael know that?”
“He checked on you,” her mom said. “When he saw your picture he told me that
you were the one that he’d been waiting for.”
“Waiting for?” Reggie asked. That didn’t sound good to her.
“You’re the one,” her mother stated with awe. “You’ll be the one to give birth to
Brother Michael’s son.”
Reggie was shaking her head now in denial as well as an attempt to clear her
vision up. “I’m not having his child,” she vowed.
“You will, Regina,” her mother told her. “It is God’s will.”
Two things clicked in Reggie’s mind at once. First was that her mother was lost to
her. They had never been that close, probably because Reggie had always felt like
more the parent than the child. She would never be able to persuade her mother to
leave here. The second thing was that her mother had drugged her drink, or at the
very least given her a drink that was drugged.
“Mom, what have you done,” Reggie asked fighting to stay awake with all she had.