Madison collapsed onto the bed, yanking herself free from Faith's grasp with more violence than necessary. Faith rocked on her heels, hovering like a storm cloud. Madison could feel the weight of judgment pressing down, compressing the air between them. "Why is it so difficult for you to remember?" Faith's voice carried the artificial sweetness of devotion, the cadence of someone who believes they're speaking a divine truth. "Keep all the doors open, even if it's just a crack." Madison rolled her eyes. "Seriously? All this drama over that?" She tasted the defiance on her tongue, even savored it. "That's... that's crazy." Faith's posture stiffened, her shoulders squaring. "Are you sleeping with that boy?" The question hung between them like something physical, something with teeth. "Eavesdropping." Madison's voice flattened. "Not cool, Faith, not cool at all." She examined her fingernails with performative nonchalance, but her heart hammered against her ribs. "Well, I overheard—" Faith began. "I'm not sleeping with any boys," Madison cut in, too quickly. The partial truth made her feel both clever and sick. Faith's lips thinned to a bloodless line. "Then why was he talking about how nasty you are?" Madison couldn't help but snicker, the sound escaping before she could trap it behind her teeth. The inappropriateness of her reaction seemed to hover in the room alongside Faith's judgment. "The Lord told me to pick up the phone," Faith said, her voice taking on that dreamy quality that made Madison's skin crawl, "so I could intervene." "Yup." Madison dragged out the word. "God knocked on your door, told you I was on the phone, and instructed you to listen in." The sarcasm was thick enough to choke on. Faith's eyes narrowed, her nostrils flaring slightly with each breath. "Your father may not have had rules, but things are different here. You're too young to be dating. And I won't allow it under my roof." "But I—!" Madison started, leaning forward. "Don't 'but' me," Faith interrupted, her voice hardening. "Go on now, get ready for school... And I don't want to hear another word about this boy nonsense." Madison slumped back. "No boys. Got it." The words were empty vessels, carrying nothing of promise. Faith turned to leave but stopped abruptly, as if yanked back by an invisible hand. Madison tracked her movements as Faith strode to the desk with sudden purpose. The woman's fingers closed around the framed photograph—the only one Madison had brought, the only one that mattered. Faith snapped the frame in half with a crack that echoed in Madison's chest. The broken pieces tumbled onto the comforter. Faith looked from the shattered frame to Madison, holding her gaze for one terrible, suspended moment before exiting. True to her word—her commandment—she left the bedroom door slightly open. The sound of Faith's footsteps faded down the hallway. Madison waited, counting her heartbeats, then slid off the bed and retrieved her cell phone from its hiding place underneath. She darted into the bathroom, clutching the phone against her chest like something wounded.
Hot water rushed from the faucet, quickly fogging the mirror with phantom breath. Madison perched on the closed toilet lid, her fingers dancing across the phone screen as she opened a social messenger app. Her reflection dissolved in the clouding mirror, becoming a smudge, a suggestion.
A notification appeared—her profile picture alongside the message:
OMG, I’m so sorry.
Madison's gaze flicked nervously between her cell phone and the partially open bedroom door. A thin stripe of light spilled through the gap, accusing in its presence, as Faith loomed just outside of it.
Another message popped up, this one accompanied by the image of a petite teen with surfer charm:
yeah heard it all
Madison's throat tightened. She replied:
You did!?
Her fingers found a scab on her leg and began to pick absentmindedly, the slight pain a counterpoint to her anxiety.
The surfer boy's picture appeared again with another message:
shes strait up nutz i gotta hear ur voice you gotta call me NOW!
Madison hesitated before typing:
Okay, but I have to keep it on the DL.
The phone vibrated in her hand, startling her. She answered it, keeping her voice low. "I'm texting for a reason."
"Yeah, and I'm callin' for a reason..." Erik's voice carried through the receiver, honey-warm and familiar. "That voice."
Madison pressed her lips together to suppress a smile. "I knew using the landline was a mistake. I couldn't risk being caught on this phone."
"And here we are," Erik said, the grin audible in his voice.
"Brat." Madison leaned against the cold porcelain tank. "Seriously, she's so extra. I should start an online channel. Show people how crazy she is."
"That's a great idea!" Erik's enthusiasm bubbled through the phone. After a pause, he continued, "Sooo, when am I comin' to swoop ya up? I can make my way dow—"
"Ouch!" Madison flinched. She'd picked too hard at the scab, and now blood welled from the wound, a bright crimson bubble against her pale skin.
"Everything okay?" Erik asked.
Madison pressed toilet paper against the bleeding spot. "It depends on your definition of okay. I'm shook. She literally ripped the phone out of my hand, and it smashed against the—"
She froze mid-sentence. The bathroom fell silent, save for the rushing water and her shallow breathing.
Madison crept to the door and peered through the crack.
Outside in the hallway, Faith's shadow interrupted the strip of light beneath the bedroom door, a dark stain spreading across the floor.
"Mad?" Erik's voice sounded tiny from the phone clutched in her sweating palm.
Madison held her breath.
"Hello?!" Erik called, his voice rising with concern.
Faith's shadow shifted, then moved away. The light returned, unmarred, beneath the door.
"Girl, ya Houdini on me again?" Erik asked.
Madison returned to the toilet and sat down heavily, exhaling. "I'm here. Faith was lingering! Damn, I can't wait to get out of this place."
"Run away already," Erik said, his tone casual, as if suggesting she try a new ice cream flavor. "I'll come get ya."
Something sharp and desperate unfurled in Madison's chest. "I wish there was a way."
"I can make that wish come true." Erik's voice dropped lower, conspiratorial. "I'll send ya another package. This time, somethin' ya can sell. Use the money to run far away, and I'll come join ya."
Madison hesitated, remembering. "Your last plan failed. We'll see about making another attempt."
"You're the one who screwed it up," Erik shot back, the honey in his voice crystallizing.
The house creaked, a sound like old bones shifting. Madison stiffened. "I gotta go. If she catches me on the phone, I'm done for."
"Fine," Erik conceded. "I'll catch ya later."
"You know you will," Madison said, the corners of her mouth lifting despite herself.
"You're desired," he murmured.
Madison's skin prickled with heat that had nothing to do with the steam filling the bathroom. "Yeah, I know."
"Kisses... down there," Erik said, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"Bye!" Madison ended the call with fumbling fingers.
She wiped the condensation from the mirror with her palm, leaving streaks like claw marks across the glass. Her reflection stared back, fractured by the remaining droplets of moisture. For a moment, she couldn't recognize the girl looking back at her—this stranger with shadows under her eyes and secrets behind her teeth.