Anika just stared at the girl.
"He Who Walks Behind the Rows spoke to me in a dream and told me you were going to Hemingford. However, He needs you in Gatlin so I sent Cain and Britannia to work out a plan to retrieve you and the child."
"What's so special about me?"
The young girl smiled again, "Many things."
Anika sighed. A straight answer would be nice, she thought. "And how do you know all of this?"
"I am the messenger of He Who Walks Behind the Rows. He told me all about you in a dream. You will be staying in my house for the time being." Mara cleared her throat. "If you try to escape He will know and He will tell me. I'm sure you wouldn't like to face the punishment either. If you refuse to cooperate with me then you will end up staying in the basement of the house next door." Her tone was firm and serious.
Anika nodded.
"Follow me, I'll show you your room and provide you with some new clothes to wear."
Mara opened the door of the room and motioned for Anika to follow. Anika stared at the ground as she walked, concentrating on her shoes tapping against the wooden floor.
"This is your room," Mara said as she held open the door.
The room was small. The only furniture was a bed, covered with a pastel quilt, and a dresser with chipped white paint. There were no windows and the walls were a faded shade of beige.
It reminded her vaguely of a cross between a prison and a mental ward.
"Er, will I ever be able to leave this place?"
Mara smiled and said, "It depends," as she walked over to the dresser and opened a drawer. She pulled out a dress and set it down on the bed.
"Put this on and come to the kitchen when you're done. It won't be hard to find, it's just right down the hall."
Anika nodded. Mara turned and left the room, gently shutting the door behind her. Anika turned to look at the dress on the bed. It was a shade of light blue, with lace on the collar and the edges. There was a pair of brown boots sitting next to the bed. Anika dressed quickly and headed towards the kitchen, not quite sure of where she was going.
Cain was sitting at the table. He turned to look at her as soon as she entered the room. Mara sat next to him, she was glancing at the two with a hint of amusement on her face.
"Does he live here also?" Anika asked, trying to sound polite.
"Yes, Cain and I are joined. You would consider the concept something like marriage." Anika found this odd considering that Mara looked so young. "We don't have much time to talk right now. We need to go to the meeting." Both Cain and Mara stood up and started walking to the door.
"Just follow me," Cain said.
"Okay," Anika said as she began to follow, quickening her pace to catch up to his fast walking. Mara walked behind her. Cain led the two of them through rows and rows of corn until they reached a small clearing. A few of the children had already arrived and were sitting on the dark soil looking anxious.
As soon as everyone arrived at the clearing Mara began to speak.
"The will of He Who Walks Behind the Rows has been done."
A boy of around 17 stepped forward, carrying a child in his arms. The child was Samuel, wrapped in a white blanket. "This is the child that we have been told of. This is the child of Gabriel, Himself disguised in human flesh, and the girl of the prophesy. We must raise him here in Gatlin and train him to be strong enough to lead another generation of the Children into His favor." The boy took a step back and Mara once again began to speak.
"This is Susannah Boardman…." She raised her arm in the direction of Anika.
Boardman? Anika thought, where have I heard that name before?
"…Daughter of Malachai and Ruth Boardman. She was born in this town many years ago but has been separated from us until now…."
It hit her. She knew exactly where she had heard the name before.