Abigail had spent the morning with her bandmates, the four of them lounging around on one of the picnic tables in the food court area of the festival, each with a beer in hand as they took the time to observe the locals, watching as the people of all ages made their way past them, some stumbling while intoxicated.
"Only lunchtime, and some are already fucked." Luis snickered, taking another sip of his beer. Abigail shook her head as she sat next to him, nudging his shoulder with her own.
"Small towns," Michael commented. He stood off to the side, stoic as usual. "There's a reason why there's a stereotype for them." Timothy looked over at him, a scowl on his face, which the larger man ignored. While the smaller blonde man was living in the city now, Hope County would always be his home, and he was a country boy at heart, something Michael didn't understand as a city boy having been born in California. "Stop glaring, Tim." Michael sighed, not looking at his friend.
Both Abigail and Luis paused in their drinking, watching the two men hesitantly. That morning, before they left the hotel, the best friends had a discussion with Michael in regards to Timothy's actions in the last week since arriving for their little vacation. They had known the man for the better half of a decade at this rate and were greatly surprised by his behaviour. Timothy had always been a lax fellow, someone who never let anything get to him, but since returning to his childhood home, he'd been showing signs of aggression and snapping at the smallest of things. It has had the band on edge and wanting to return home to Los Angeles as soon as possible, believing that Timothy would return to his normal self once they left Hope County. Still, one thing Abigail didn't know about Timothy that Michael and Luis did know was that this odd behaviour wasn't entirely new, as the blonde man had been aggressive to any man that sought their singer's attention, such as John Seed.
"Timmo…" Abigail sighed, gaining her friend's gaze. "Can you fucking not, mate?"
Timothy rolled his jaw, his face relaxing when he looked at the woman. "Sorry…it's just…this is my home…" He mumbled.
"Doesn't excuse you being a right cunt." Abigail hissed, the tone holding bite. Both Luis and Michael eyed the woman, slightly shocked by her small outburst. The four went back to drinking in silence as the air around them was tense, but Luis being Luis, couldn't help but open his mouth.
"Abigail said a bad word." He sang a slight snicker to his tone, causing everyone to laugh regrettably.
"Oh, fuck you, Luis." Abigail chuckled, nudging into him harder than before.
"She did it again!" Luis bellowed, sending her a look of mock shock. "And she just assaulted me!" She shoved him for that last comment, knocking him off the table and onto the ground. While many could view her actions as abrasive, to her friends, it was only comical, especially as Luis was laughing harder from his spot on the ground, not caring that his ass was now covered in dirt. Their group did get some odd looks from a few passing locals, but they didn't care. This had been the first time since arriving that things felt normal again like there was no short fuse from either of them. "Michael! She's being mean to me!"
Michael shrugged, smirking as he stared down at the Latino man. "Suffer."
"Rude. All of you." Luis spoke, placing his beer on the table and hoisted himself back up next to Abigail, the two friends sharing a smile, knowing that there were no hard feelings. "So…is there anything else we could be doing today? Or…?" He picked up his beer and shook it in front of his face lightly before taking a sip. "We've already partaken in some carnival games, and I won a stuffed bear. Abigail checked out the competitions for the farm animals. Us boys entered the testicle-eating contest, and Michael hurled—"
"Thank you for that reminder…" Michael interjected.
"You're welcome." Luis smiled at him.
Abigail chuckled, shaking her head at Luis' antics. "There's a drinking contest on Saturday I'm planning to enter."
"Ohhhhhh!" Luis beamed, moving his gaze to her. "You're gonna give the hicks a run with your Australian drinking skills?"
"Oi oi oi." She chuckled, downing the last of her beer as her friends laughed.
"Now that's a stereotype," Timothy commented, smiling up at the blonde woman, any anger he felt having left his body as he gazed at her from her left. Abigail shot him a mischievous look before proceeding to belch, causing all three men to shake their heads in dramatic disgust as she laughed louder, standing up from the bench, Luis making a remark about her burping being 'unladylike'. "Since when has our girl ever been ladylike to begin with?" Timothy rolled his eyes.
"I shall never be ladylike!" Abigail announced, looking down at the two young men who were still sitting before her.
"Nor have you ever been," Luis interjected. "I've lived with you long enough to know that. It's like living with a man. A man with tits." Abigail's mouth dropped in mock offence, looking at Michael and Timothy in a need to confirm what she'd heard from her friend. As the other two men were laughing, Abigail looked back to Luis.
"You little cunt." She scoffed, taking a step towards him with a large smile.
Luis finished off his beer and placed it on the table before standing up. "Oh? You think I'm a little c now?" He challenged. The men knew what he was planning to say, and even Abigail warned him against it. Luis licked his lips, leaning forward. "Nikki Webster…is overrated." The words left his mouth in a whisper, but he bolted as the Australian woman launched at him.
"Puerto Rico has declared war on Australia," Michael muttered, shaking his head. "Again." In the many years the band had been together, Luis had discovered that the best way to annoy Abigail was to insult a childhood idol, someone well-loved by the Australian community.
"You fucking wanker!" She bolted after him, weaving through the crowds of people. The sounds of Timothy and Michael laughing in the distance behind her encouraged the chaotic duo. "No one insults the great Nikki Webster!"
"One hit wonder!" Luis yelled back over his shoulder, trying to focus on where he was going and not hitting anyone, but Abigail was quick on his tail. Never challenge someone who does cardio.
"She had four albums!" She yelled back. As she was getting closer to him, Luis spotted Faith up ahead, standing with a number of Eden's Gate faithful. He called out to her, gaining the younger woman's attention just as he closed in, holding onto her upper arm as he spun her in front of him, pointing towards Abigail, the Australian stopping. "You're using Faith as a shield?"
"Many use faith as a shield." He spoke, delighted in his pun, but Abigail rolled her eyes at it.
The Eden's Gate members went to move forward to protect their Herald, but Faith raised a hand to halt them. "It's alright, they're friends." She spoke to them, turning her attention to Abigail. "What did Luis do now?" She was smiling brightly as she continued to shield Luis from Abigail, yet she knew there was no ill intent between them from the smiles on their faces and the laughter in their voices.
"I mocked her childhood idol." Luis leaned over Faith's shoulder, whispering in the young woman's ear.
"Luis!" Faith gasped, turning to look at him, a cheeky smile on her face. "Naughty!" The young blonde laughed as Abigail moved past Faith to get to Luis, but the man ran around his new friend, the two roommates using the Herald like a maypole. The Eden's Gates members watched on, unsure of how to act despite Faith's merriment at the situation. "Abi! Abi!" Faith cried out cheekily, grabbing onto her fellow blonde and holding the woman's hands to get her to stand still. "Leave the silly boy alone! And spend some time with me!"
"Hey!" Luis spoke, feigning hurt at Faith's words, but she only giggled. Sighing dramatically, Luis stepped around her, coming to stand beside Abigail and tossing an arm over her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I love you." The man sang, leaning his head towards her.
Abigail leaned her head towards his, mimicking his gesture. "And I love you…" She sighed in defeat, her eyes locked with Faith as the younger woman continued to giggle as she watched the two interact. "What are you up to today, mate?"
Faith shrugged as she swung their conjoined hands. "Just partaking in the sights of the festival." She looked to her faithful beside her, many still wary of the two outsiders being overly friendly with their Herald, even when they noticed the silver cross hanging around the older blonde's neck. Luis and Abigail were not members of Eden's Gate and had not walked the path that had made them worthy in the eyes of The Father, Joseph Seed. Faith noticed the wariness of the faithful, her face turning serious. Letting go of Abigail's hands, Faith moved to stand before the flock. "They are friends of mine, Jacob, John and The Father." It was at that statement the faithful swallowed, bowing their heads in understanding. The group moved on without a word, leaving Faith alone with Luis and Abigail.
"Uh…what was that about…?" Luis asked, eyeing the back of Faith's head.
The young blonde spun, her cheery smile back in place as she faced her friends. "Nothing. The flocks just cautious of outsiders. Eden's Gate has received a lot of hate from the locals." She spoke woefully, a bittersweet smile appearing on her face. Her parents hadn't approved when she'd joined Edens Gate three years prior with her friend, Tracey Lader, as had many locals who had her as the perfect daughter of Hope County, lost to the madness of a cult, but there were those who found peace and purpose within the embrace of The Father. Found a home and family, just as she had.
"Religious folk…" Abigail sighed. "Never change…" the statement caused Faith to raise a brow at the woman, confused as the Australian herself was religious.
"Never change?" Faith asked, head angling to the side as she looked at the fellow blonde in childlike curiosity. The question made Luis snort, which earned a short glare from Abigail.
Looking from her roommate to Faith, Abigail began to explain herself. "Learned it growing up with my Nan. If you don't fit into the box of the church's and congregation's expectations, you are an outsider, an infidel amongst their false perfection." A frown was marring her pretty face, making the woman look somewhat angry. "Why can't someone just believe in God and others be happy with that, why must we pigeonhole faith."
Faith frowned with her, understanding it. As a member of Eden's Gate, there is no alcohol, drugs, or premarital sex or sex of any kind unless it was to procreate, as they were deemed sins of Greed, Gluttony and Lust. And someone like Luis would also be frowned upon due to being homosexual. "I agree." Faith admitted, surprising herself. While she knew that doing so would cause Joseph and John to be disappointed in her, she couldn't help but agree. Faith should be accepted as is, not with limitations attached.
"Ugh!" Luis groaned dramatically. "Must we discuss such depressing things?" His cheerless laments making the women laugh and shake their heads at his antics. "Let's go do something fun!"
"And what do you suggest, mate?" Abigail raised a brow at him.
His mouth opened and closed like a fish, unable to come to a decision. Luis looked at Faith. "You're the local; what would you suggest?"
Faith hummed, her hands behind her back as she gently swayed, adding her own dramatic flare to her actions, making her two new friends smile. "I could show you two my Conservatory. I grow some of the most beautiful flowers there." She waited for the roommates to speak, the friends looking at one another as they shared a silent conversation in glances and raised eyebrows.
"Yeah." Luis and Abigail spoke at the same time, facing the young blonde woman, watching as a large smile broke out over Faith's face. Clapping her hands together, she reached forward, taking each of their hands in her own and guiding them off the fairgrounds. Faith had taken them to a black jeep, where an Eden's Gate faithful was standing in wait. She had instructed him to drive herself and her friends to her Conservatory, which he agreed to with no questions but just sending the two individuals an eyeing look. The three friends squeezed into the backseat of the jeep, listening as Faith talked about her Conservatory over the faint sounds of the Eden's Gate choir on the radio. The drive to the Conservatory felt short for the passengers as they talked, arriving at a large property where a small stone mansion was built, with three garden patches and two greenhouses. The sight and structure of the home alluded to the fact that the house was over a hundred years old.
"Whoa," Luis commented, brows raised as he took in the property with astonishment. "This is fancy-dancy." Faith giggled, ignoring the looks of the faithful who peered at them from the fields where they tended to flower bushes.
"Has this place been in your family for long?" Abigail asked, walking down the stone path further into the property, her blue eyes constantly gracing over everything in sight.
Faith nodded, moving into step beside her fellow blonde. "Yes. It belonged to my great-grandfather, who built it. He passed it to his son, then to my father. Now it belongs to me." She was frowning as she spoke, her mind running back to her childhood where she felt trapped, unable to get out of the control of both her parents, who sought to rule over her like she was a doll for them to play with.
Abigail moved closer to one of the garden patches, smiling briefly at an Eden's Gate member as they were caring for a bush whose flowers were beginning to bloom. The flowers were white in colour and looked similar to a Datura flower but draped down rather than up, and the petals were more rounded. "Faith, what are these? They look like Datura flowers."
Smiling, Faith joined Abigail's side. The young woman reached out, a finger tracing the underside of the petals gracefully and with the utmost care. "Good eye. They are Bliss flowers. Something I have spent two years working on, and they are still not right."
"Years?" Abigail asked her, gazing at the young woman in shock. "This is something impressive on its own. Why does it need to be perfect?" The Australian was beyond impressed with Faith, as engineering a new plant species was an incredible feat, something Abigail never thought anyone was capable of in just two years. "What isn't right with them?"
"The smell." Faith frowned.
Abigail's brows furrowed. "The smell?" She reached forward, lifting a flower upwards and bringing the bloom closer to her face as she sniffed the flower. It was almost sickly sweet, but she couldn't place the scent. As she pulled away, a feeling overwhelmed Abigail's senses, making her feel as if she was floating. She rushed to stand, and Faith, seeing the fellow blonde stumbling, reached out, grabbing her to stand still.
"Abi?" Faith questioned the woman in a hushed tone. "How do you feel?"
Abigail giggled even though she hadn't meant to. "Good…" She sighed, leaning into her friend's touch. "It smelled…too sweet…" The corner of Faith's mouth twitched as she tried not to smile as she listened to the Australian, noticing how the woman's accent had become thicker. Glancing around, Faith noticed that Luis had vanished from sight, having moved off to check out the rest of the Conservatory.
"Let's get you to sit down." Faith spoke, guiding the blonde away from the budding garden towards a bench inside one of the greenhouses, which was set up more like a makeshift lab where Faith had been working to perfect the Bliss flower. Sitting down, Abigail continued to giggle as Faith moved around the room, and a faithful came in with a glass of water.
"Sister Faith?" The faithful looked hesitantly at the herald, waiting for her to face them. Faith looked up from a journal she'd been writing in, her face serious. "I brought a glass of water for…"
"Abigail." Faith spoke.
The faithful nodded. "For Abigail. I pray it might help her." He outstretched the glass to the herald. Faith smiled, thanking the man as she took the glass from him. Moving past him, the faithful watched as Faith keeled before the Australian woman, bringing the glass to her lips and helping her drink. Abigail was continuously giggling as she took small sips of the water, her pupils dilated as she glanced around the greenhouse.
"Here." Faith offered the glass back to the faithful, who didn't hesitate to take it off the herald's hands as her gaze was still locked on her friend. "Abi…can you look at me?" She waited for the blonde to face her, Abigail's blue eyes roaming all over Faith's face. Faith licked her lips, eager to ask a question. "We need privacy." She spoke over her shoulder, watching the faithful exit. Once she was sure she was alone with Abigail, she turned back to her, their eyes meeting. "Tell me…how do you feel about Jacob?"
Abigail smiled, her face becoming red as she thought about the eldest Seed sibling. "I wanna climb the bloke like a fucking tree." The statement made Faith's eyebrows shoot up. While the younger woman had been expecting an admittance of feelings from how Abigail blushed, she hadn't expected the Australian to be so blunt in her intentions towards Jacob in her Bliss-fueled haze. "He could leave my bloody buggered." As the final statement left her mouth, Abigail slipped to the side, collapsing onto the bench as exhaustion from the Bliss flower finally overwhelmed her. Faith remained kneeling before the blonde woman, her mouth opening and closing like a fish as she processed what the woman had said, especially the parts Faith guessed to be Australian slang.
"Abigail!" Luis' voice rang out as the man came running into the greenhouse, skidding to a stop beside Faith as he observed his roommate in her unconscious state. "What happened to her?" He barked, speaking to Faith as he glanced over his friend, trying to determine what had put her in such a state.
With her mouth in a thin line, Faith spoke. "She was curious about my work here and accidentally smelled the wrong test tube. Nothing serious, the smell just knocked her out." She lied through her teeth, knowing that trying to explain to Luis that Abigail had smelled a flower that had been engineered to make the person hallucinate and prone to suggestion wasn't a smart option. And when she woke, she would have no memory of what happened.
"Ay bendito…" He muttered, shaking his head. "Maybe don't leave that stuff out…?" Luis suggested, looking at the young woman beside him, who was smiling weakly at him, expressing her guilt over the situation. He sighed. "Is there somewhere comfortable we can put her?"
"Yes." Faith nodded, moving to stand. Luis stood, reaching down to pick up his friend, cradling her in his arms. Luis followed behind Faith as she led him into the house, which had been set up with more scattered lab equipment. The herald continued to lead him upstairs and into a private bedroom, where he could place Abigail safely down on the double bed's surface.
Stepping away from his friend, Luis looked to face Faith. "Any idea on how long she'll be out?"
Faith paused in thought, unsure of how to answer. The young woman had a general idea of how long it would take based on previous testing of the effects of the Bliss flowers on some of Eden's Gate's faithful, as those who had been under the effects tended to awake within thirty minutes to three hours. "Shouldn't be long." Luis' brows creased as he gave her a pointed look, unsure whether to believe the woman. Releasing a sigh, he nodded, agreeing to wait as she led him out of the room into the upstairs lab set-up, the two of them sitting on a worn-out couch that had been shoved up against a wall beneath a window that overlooked the gardens and greenhouses. Luis sighed, rubbing his hands over his face, too concerned about his friend to think about anything else. Leaning forward, Faith placed a hand on the man's back and gently rubbed in soothing circle motions, trying to calm him down, as there was nothing more the pair could do other than talk to pass the time.
Her head felt heavy when Abigail awoke like she hadn't slept at all. Looking around, she found herself in a bedroom void of any decorations or ways to identify who it belonged to, and the sheets below her were scratchy against the exposed skin on her arms and legs. Slowly swinging her legs over the side of the bed as she sat up, Abigail rubbed a hand down her face, trying to remember how she ended up where she was, but her mind was coming up blank. All she could remember was kneeling beside Faith in the garden and discussing flowers. Taking a deep breath, Abigail stood on shaky legs, reaching out to stabilise herself on the bedside table. After a few moments, she moved steadily to the closed bedroom door, opening it to lean the majority of her weight on the door frame.
"Abi!" Faith jumped to her feet, racing to the woman's side as Luis also called out to her, only he fell off the couch as the man twisted to face her. "Are you alright? Should I get you some water?"
She moaned, shaking her head in response to the young blonde's questions. "No…what happened?"
Luis snorted at his friend as he picked himself up from the floor. "You smelled one of Faith's test tubes and knocked yourself out." Abigail looked at him, eyes wide as she thought about what he had said. Both of them were looking at her in a mixture of concern and amazement. She couldn't remember doing what Luis said she had; she couldn't remember smelling anything. "Don't worry," Luis sighed, reaching out to guide her off the door frame and to the couch. "Faith said that the stuff isn't dangerous but would would leave you feeling like shit. Also, you may not remember things." Abigail looked at them, mouth agape.
"Sorry," Faith mumbled, sitting down next to her. She reached out, taking her friend's hands in her own, thumb tracing over the Australian's skin. "I should have warned you, but you were so fascinated about how I engineer plant species."
"It's fine, mate," Abigail muttered, shifting her hands to caress Faith's hands back. Faith smiled at her, thankful that her friend had no ill feelings toward her. All three of them turned their heads as a faithful could be heard running up the stairs; his steps made a thunderous sound against the old wood. The man was panting as he faced them, clutching a radio tightly in his hands.
"Sister Faith," He addressed the herald, the woman standing, face serious as she gave him her full attention. "There is a problem at the fairgrounds. Brother John has been attacked, and a fight has broken out between the locals and the faithful." As they listened to the news, Abigail stood shakily, Luis naturally reached out to help the woman without having to turn his gaze to her.
"Is the man alright?" Luis asked, his arm snaking around his roommate's waist to keep her upright against him, an action that caused the faithful before them to glare at the pair as it was deemed indecent for an unmarried couple to be touching either other in such a way.
"Answer the question." Faith snapped, stepping closer to the faithful.
The man swallowed, his locking back onto the herald before him. "Apologies, Sister Faith." He bowed his head. "Brother John is well, but he is refusing to leave to seek medical aid." Faith sighed as she closed her eyes, part of her knowing that John was at the heart of whatever had caused the fight to break out. The youngest Seed male had the tendency to anger everyone he encountered, almost as if he got off on it, a way to replace the high he once felt when indulging himself in alcohol, drugs and sex.
"Prepare the jeep." Faith ordered the faithful, who quickly descended back down the stairs, more than willing to obey what the herald had said. Turning around to face her two friends, Faith had a smile on her face. While fake, it was enough to reassure the pair with a sense of confidence over the situation. "Shall we see to my brother's stupidity?" Luis snorted again. He trailed behind Faith, continuously supporting Abigail as they made their way down the stairs, out of the house and towards the awaiting jeep, ensuring that she sat in the middle of the backseat between Faith and Luis so that they could both keep an eye on her as she recovered back to full strength, as the driver sped through the Henbane back to the festival grounds, picking up dust at the back of the vehicle.
As soon as the jeep came to a halting stop, not even bothering to park in the correct spot, the driver practically launched himself from the jeep, racing into the fairgrounds to find the youngest male herald. Faith waited outside the jeep, looking at Luis as he helped Abigail out of the vehicle. Working together, the two of them supported Abigail as they made their way further into the main festival grounds, following the sounds of yelling until they found a large crowd gathered, causing them to weave themselves through the crowd.
"Zangano…" Luis cursed when he spotted Timothy, the blonde man's lip bleeding, swearing loudly at John and Jacob Seed, the local police standing between the Seed brothers and Timothy and another man dressed like a trucker. "Hold her," Luis muttered to Faith, passing Abigail's weight to the smaller woman, who took on the burden willingly as Luis moved over to the clearly, his gaze focused on Timothy. "Timothy, what are you doing?"
Timothy's aggressive expression didn't change as he turned his focus to his friend as Luis came stomping towards him. "Helping my friend here—" his eyes moved back to John, who was staring at them smugly beside his brother Jacob. "—as that dickhead tried flirting with Nick's wife!"
"All I did was offer Kim a compliment." John scoffed, a bruise forming on his right eye.
Timothy's jaw clenched as he stepped closer, one of the deputies moving to block him. "Compliment?! You fucking—!"
"Enough!" The Hope County sheriff yelled, silencing both John Seed and Timothy Scott. "I don't care who started it, but I am finishing it!" He turned to John and Jacob. "Now this matter is over, I want you two and your followers to leave…" He then looked at Timothy and the other man, Nick. "And you two gone too!" John opened his mouth to retort but was cut off when his brother grabbed the collar of his coat, pulling him away. Michael, who had been watching from the crowd, stepped forward, grabbing the back of Timothy and Nick's shirts as he used his experience working as a bouncer to hoist both men up and away.
Luis just shook his head, looking behind him at the two blonde women as the crowd dispersed around them. "Fucking hell…" He muttered, moving back over to them, noticing the scornful looks Faith was receiving. "Sorry, sweetheart, shouldn't have said the H word."
"It's alright." She smiled weakly at him, her eyes on her brothers and the members of Eden's Gate as they began to make their way out of the fairgrounds. Abigail was able to ease out of her arms, the Australian woman stalking after the two Seed brothers. "where is so going…?"
"That's an Australian on a warpath," Luis muttered, eyes wide while watching his friend go. "We may wanna go stop her…" Faith looked at him, her eyes just as wide as his. Before she could even question what he meant, Luis grimaced. "An angry female Australian isn't a good thing. She's going to hurt someone." Faith moved as soon as he finished speaking, zipping off at such a speed that Luis had to do a double-take before going after the tiny woman. The pair caught up to Abigail just as she was approaching the two Seed brothers, both men facing her as she called out for John, the youngest Seed reacting to her by spreading his arms wide as if expecting her to run into his arms and coo over his injuries. Only he unexpectedly yelled out as Abigail's fist connected with his nose, making him wrench back as both his hands came up to cradle the appendage. Everyone's eyes widened, including Jacob, who had been standing beside his brother with his arms crossed.
"You bloody galah!" Abigail cursed out, screaming over John as the man was doubling over, trying to hold back the blood that was pooling in his cupped hands. "Why don't ya just piss off with that bloody ego of yours mate!" Luis made a noise of panic, his hands launching forward to grab onto his best friend's shoulders and pulling her back, trying to keep her away from John so that the woman didn't throw another punch. Faith had also moved, coming to her injured brother's side. "Let go ya wanker!"
"No!" Luis gritted out, pulling her further away. "Sorry! She's really protective of her friends! Think mother bear!"
Jacob clenched his jaw. he was already annoyed at John for knowingly patronising Nick Rye about the man's wife, Kim, but also for knowingly patronising Timothy about Abigail. "Faith, get him in the jeep." The large man barked, his eyes closed as he tried to calm his anger. The female Seed quickly obeyed, shuffling John into a waiting jeep as many of the faithful looked on, witnessing their herald being struck a second time for that. As soon as the door to the jeep closed behind Faith, Jacob's eyes opened, the former soldier facing the onlookers. "All of you. Get. Out. Of. Here." Like scared little lambs, the faithful bolted, fleeing into their vehicles and driving off back to the church. Jacob's gaze finally landed on Abigail, the woman still being held back by her Puerto Rican friend. Abigail was breathing heavily as she fought against Luis, trying to convince the man to let her go, but he was adamant not to. "Release her." Jacob barked, stepping towards them.
"Uh…" Luis gaped, his eyes wide in fear. His hand instinctively let go of Abigail's shoulders as he found himself unable to move under Jacob Seed's imposing gaze.
Abigail stepped up to Jacob, meeting his eyes head-on despite the fact that he stood a head taller than her. "Don't scare my Luis."
The corner of Jacob's lips twitched as he tried not to smirk, finding the fact that someone near half his size would be bold enough to challenge him. "Don't punch my brother. He's my responsibility." The woman scoffed loudly at his statement, retorting that he should have handled the matter from the beginning. "I will handle it." Jacob breathed, his arms crossing over his chest. Abigail simply scoffed again, turning her back on him as she made her way back to the festival, planning to hunt down Michael and Timothy, with Luis trailing behind the woman closely like a wounded dog. "Abigail!" Jacob barked out her name again, making the Australian pause but not turn around. "Be ready at seven a.m." He didn't have to wait for her to respond, knowing that she would have agreed regardless. Jacob moved into the passenger seat of the jeep, not bothering to glance behind him to the backseat where Faith was tending to John's nose. "You're an idiot." Faith bit her bottom lip, trying to hold back the snort at Jacob's comment.
"I know it now…" John mumbled, pushing Faith away. "I know Abigail's sin. Wrath."
John was sitting in the front pew of the Eden's Gate church, his eye and nose discoloured from his earlier injuries as Joseph was sitting opposite him on the back platform. They hadn't spoken for hours, only a tense silence between them. John knew he was in trouble for his actions today at the festival, that he had acted out and let his emotions and sins control him. Joseph had made him repent and pray. But when Faith entered towards the end of their prayers, Joseph looked up from where his head had been bowed. He smiled, welcoming his little sister, yet the gentleness didn't reach his eyes.
"Sister Faith." He greeted her, not moving or standing as she neared the two men.
"Father. Brother John." She greeted her brothers, a small smile on her face to be pleasant. Faith had been hesitant to interrupt them, but she had been eager to inform Joseph of her news about the Bliss flower experiment. "I have good news." She swallowed, feeling her stomach bubble with nervousness as Joseph continued to stare at her in that unblinking way he always did, waiting for the young woman to continue speaking. "The latest batch of Bliss flowers has been successful."
"You tested it?" John asked, his brows tensing as he stared at her. "Joseph didn't give permission to do so yet—"
"John," Joseph spoke calming, silencing his younger brother.
"It wasn't planned." She admitted shamefully, glancing down at her feet as her fingers danced within her clasped hands. "I took Abigail and Luis to my Conservatory. Before I could stop her, Abigail smelled one of the flowers from my latest batch."
"What?!" John barked, rising to his feet. He was angry at the fact that the foolish herald had allowed the Australian woman to come under the effects of the Bliss flowers when the plants were still in the experimental stage. "Do you have any idea what you could have done to her?!"
"John…" Joseph spoke again, his tone warning the man to hold his tongue.
Faith turned to meet John's stare dead on. "Yes!" The young woman snapped, causing John to jerk back away from her, not expecting her outburst. "She is my friend! I care for her more than you ever shall, as my care for her doesn't extend to getting between her legs!" She was breathing heavily, her words having made John's jaw tense. Joseph still hadn't moved from his position on the platform, merely watching his two younger siblings toss ill words back and forth.
Joseph sighed, reaching under his glasses to pinch at the bridge of his nose. "Enough." He spoke once. It was all that was needed. The single word making the two siblings turn away from one another. "Continue, Faith."
She nodded, sparing a sideward glance to John. "Abigail's eyes dilated, and with the way she was swaying and all giddy with giggles, she must have felt like she was floating. She also became prone to suggestion, with no memory of what occurred right before she smelled the flower and after. When she awoke, she was unsteady on her feet and sluggish." Joseph listened to her explanation, nodding his head and humming. He was impressed with Faith's improvements to the Bliss flower, making it more potent in its effects on the user and how it would aid Eden's Gate in the long term. "Are you pleased?" She asked him, the small smile returning to her lips.
Joseph stood, raising both hands to cup either side of Faith's face, bringing her in close so their foreheads met, her eyes closing as she felt comfort from his actions. "Yes." He whispered, the sound sending a glorious shiver down Faith's spine. John watched them, his hands clenching at his side as he observed his brother's praise the young blonde. When Joseph pulled away from Faith, taking in her childlike blue eyes, he smiled down at her, that same smile where the warmth and joy didn't reach his eyes. "We can begin refining the Bliss and bringing the lost into our embrace."
"Yes, Father." Faith nodded, ready to obey his command.