Disclaimer:
This was loosely based on a COTC fan fiction by Mandy at the 15 Years Of Terror
site. I only own Rebecca, Rachael, and all other characters I made up, though I
would love to 'own' Josiah, hehe.
I
ran into the cornfield, tears running down my face. I wanted to block out all
the horrible things he had said to me, but they just kept coming back, as if to
taunt me. You'll never be worth anything, pathetic little bitch…It's no
wonder your mother died while giving birth to you, you killed her… This
only made me cry harder as I ran through the tall stalks, unsure of where I was
going. Papa always got like this when he was drunk, and he would always
apologize for everything afterward, but I was tiring of his apologies. I didn't
care whether he meant it or not, it still hurt just the same, and a simple
apology would never mend the rips and tears in my heart.
I stopped
for a moment to catch my breath, still sobbing. Tired of running, I sat down,
the stalks shielding my face from the unforgiving sun. I took a deep breath,
trying to calm down. I didn't want to go back, not ever. I had often considered
running away from this place, from my drunken father, from everything. But I
wouldn't know how to go about doing it, and I certainly couldn't leave my twin
sister Rachael behind.
As
I sat pondering my current situation, I heard breathing behind me. I shuddered,
hoping to God it wasn't my father. He sometimes would try to find me after I'd
run off, just to do more damage. I closed my eyes, waiting for whoever it was
to just go away, but they didn't. Instead, I heard their voice in my ear, "Are
you alright?"
I
turned to see a boy my age sitting next to me. He had the blackest eyes I'd
ever seen, like pools of ink. Eyes that looked as though they could see through
to your soul. His hair was nearly as dark as his eyes. His face was expressive,
and at the moment, looked concerned. I was immediately intrigued by him.
I
quickly wiped away the tears and forced a smile on my face, which probably
didn't look very genuine, "Yes, I'm fine…"
He
peered at me, pausing a moment, then shook his head, "No…there has to be
something wrong. Otherwise, you wouldn't be crying."
I
sighed, knowing I couldn't hide the truth. Amazingly, I felt as though I could
trust him, despite not even knowing his name. "I had a fight with my father,
that's all…I just wanted to get away from everything."
He
nodded, still peering at me. It made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Not knowing
what else to do, I introduced myself. "I'm Rebecca Gracey…"
A
slight smile appeared on his face, "I'm Josiah…"
I
smiled back at him and I was sure it looked far more genuine than the first.
"So…you know what I'm doing out here, but what are you doing out here?"
"I
wanted to get away from everything myself…you see, I'm here with a group of
traveling preachers. They've nicknamed me 'Josiah the Amazing Boy Preacher'."
I
couldn't help chuckling a little, "You don't look much like a preacher…a little
young for one too."
He
smiled good naturedly, "Yeah…but then, things aren't always what they appear to
be."
I
nodded, surprised. I had always been a firm believer in that statement, "Yes…so
true."
Josiah
was about to say something when we heard some distant yelling. "Rebecca! Where
the hell are you at, girl?!"
I
gasped, recognizing the voice immediately: Papa's. The stalks rustled as he
walked into the cornfield to look for me. I grabbed Josiah's arm, "Come on,
it's my father, we have to hide!"
Josiah
and I ran through the corn, still hearing Papa chasing after us. We suddenly
realized how close he was to us. So close, we could hear the liquor sloshing
around in the bottle he carried with him. I was so tired from running before, I
wanted to stop, but I knew I would rather die than be caught by Papa again, so
I kept running. Before long, we had reached the end of the field, and still
Papa was chasing us. An idea came into my head as I saw our savior up ahead:
the church. "Come on, we can go in the church!"
Josiah
looked at me for a second, confused, but ran with me in the direction of the
church. When we were inside, I sighed with relief, then began laughing. Josiah
still stared at me, "I don't understand…how are we safe here?"
I
smiled, "Papa despises church. He lets me and my sister Rachael go, but he
won't set foot around one, much less inside one."
And
sure enough, we heard muttered curses, getting quieter and quieter as he
shambled off.
I
frowned suddenly, thinking of having to go back there and facing him, even if
he was sober. I was glad that for once the church was empty. "I can't go back
there…"
Josiah
thought for a few moments before speaking, "You could stay in the old barn for
the night…it's just back behind the church."
I
nodded, feeling a bit relieved. I smiled gratefully at Josiah, "Thank
you…believe me, facing him in the morning is a lot easier than facing him at
night."
Josiah
smiled, "I can imagine…"
"So
until then, what should we do?"
We
spent the whole time talking in the church, pretty much telling each other our
life stories.
I
raised an eyebrow, "So your mother abandoned you?"
Josiah
nodded, "Yes…the traveling preachers were the ones who took me in."
I
hesitated a moment, then asked, "Do you like them?"
Josiah
shook his head, "No, not really. But I'm still in debt to them."
"Oh…"
I murmured softly.
He
glanced up at the clock, "I have to go, they'll be expecting me for dinner…but
first, I'll show you where you can sleep tonight."
He
took me to the barn and showed me to a small chamber where no animals had set
foot. "Are you sure you'll be comfortable here? I can get you some blankets or
something…"
I
shook my head, "No, the hay will do just fine." I walked in and laid down.
Josiah
nodded, "Okay. I'll be sure to wake you up early so you can be back in time to
get ready for church."
"Alright.
Goodnight…and thank you. You don't know how much this means to me."
Josiah
smiled, "You're welcome. Goodnight…"
And
then he was gone. I lay back in the warm hay, smiling as I drifted off to
sleep. I had found a friend.
To
be continued…
