Page 78 of Gideon
“Naomi?” Gideon turned to me, as did every eye in the room. Great. Just great. I took another gulp of the burning alcohol, regretting it immediately as I sputtered and covered my mouth.
“Hurts so good, doesn’t it?” Malachi chuckled from his corner perch.
“I’m not sure where to begin,” I said quietly, squeezing Gideon’s hand.
“Wherever feels right. This is your story to tell, not mine,” he reassured me. I felt the full weight of his support and was touched by the way he refused to tell my story for me. I had been spoken for far too many times. Women in Zion were rarely allowed a voice.
“Gideon has told me of the plan. You all have to leave this place,” I began with a deep, heavy sigh. “He told me of how it all came to pass and how it has changed recently.” I spared a glance at Talia, whose eyes were filled with a sorrow that echoed in my own soul.
“I was adopted by my parents here in Zion at age eight. I was told that my birth parents were drug addicts who died when I was a child, but that isn’t true.” The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop as I spoke. “I was kidnapped by the Elders of Zion when I was playing at my school playground during the summertime.”
“Wait, you remember being taken?” Levi exclaimed in a whisper.
“I do. I remember all of it. Or, at least most of it,” I admitted.
“Please, continue,” Levi urged.
“I was searching in the trees behind the school for a frisbee and a man caught me from behind, placing his hand around my mouth. I don’t remember exactly what happened right after that. I know that I woke up in a van, bound with a cloth wrapped around my head, in my mouth, effectively gagging me. The other children and I —”
“Wait, there were others in the van with you?” Ollie questioned.
“There were. Four or five young girls. One was barely a toddler,” I said disgustedly, feeling the sick rise in my belly at the memory. I clutched Gideon’s hand so tightly I was sure I might break it.
“Jesus fuck,” Malachi groaned, slouching over in his chair.
“I remember we drove for over a day. We slept in the van. When I was taken, it was late afternoon. When we arrived here, it was mid-morning. I had never seen mountains before. That was my first thought when they took us out of the van,” I continued, looking down at my lap. I was using every ounce of courage I had just to speak the words. Looking at these people as I did so would just have been too much to handle.
“That’s a ballsy move,” Ollie commented seriously. “Moving children in the daytime?”
“It is. Really ballsy,” Levi agreed.
“They took us to a cabin. That’s where they held us for… well, I’m not sure how to word it. Processing, I guess,” I half chuckled humorlessly.
“How many children were at the cabin?” Levi asked. My eyes glanced up at him, noting the serious and intense gazes from every person in the room.
“At any given time? I don’t know. During my stay, it changed. Sometimes there were only three or four of us. At others, there were closer to fifteen or more.” Gideon sighed beside me. I spared him a glance, and he offered me a supportive smile, though it was a small one. This was difficult for both of us.
“Most of the girls were only kept at the cabin for a few days, maybe a week. I wasn’t so lucky,” I explained.
“How long were you there?” Ollie asked quietly.
“Around two months. I wasn’t like the other girls,” I shrugged.
“Why were you there so much longer?” Talia asked quietly beside me. I turned to look at her and saw her eyes filled with unshed tears.
“Gideon told me a bit of your story,” I spoke softly. She gave me a watery smile, taking my other hand in hers.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered as a few of those tears broke free and streaked down her face.
“We should not be sorry. They should,” I spoke passionately through my own burning tears. I did not want to cry. Not now. Not until I got my story out. Then I could cry.
Turning back towards the others, I continued. “I was older than the other girls who were at the cabin during my time there. I remembered my life, my home, my parents. It took longer to break me,” I spoke with almost no emotion, pushing every feeling, every tear, down as deep as I could, just to get the story out.
“Break you? My God…” Zeke muttered. His face had gone pale as he looked between me and his wife.
“They brainwashed us, working through mental, emotional, and, when needed, physical tactics. For me, it was difficult. I didn’twantto forget my family or where I had come from. It took me far too long to realize that by playing their game, I would escape the abuse faster. When I did, I became compliant quickly,” I admitted.
“You’re a fighter, Naomi,” Levi spoke, impassioned. “And you survived.” I finally looked around at the Temple men who filled the room. Gideon had been right. Not one of them was judging me or looking down on me. The fear that had held me like a fist loosened for the first time that night. They weren’t going to call their father and turn me in. Each of them held the same look; equal parts deep despair and utter rage.
