Into the Light (The Light, #1)(67)

Using my phone, I snapped pictures as they made their way out of the vehicle and around to a back entrance. Three of them were wearing blue jeans as before, but one was in a suit. I gasped. That was the man I’d seen earlier today on the website, Gabriel Clark.

What do they call him? Father Gabriel?

I was about to stop photographing when the men opened the door and a stream of women came out. Each one appeared to bow her head as she passed the men. They were headed toward the school.

Shit! Fuck!

I wanted to run back in that direction, but could I? The men had seen me running, and they were still in the parking lot. I watched from a distance as one of the women opened the gate and the rest entered. Then, after the gate was secure, they all disappeared into the alcove.

I knew it!!!





CHAPTER 21


Sara


Father Gabriel’s strong recorded voice echoed throughout the living quarters. I walked the length of the room and tried to concentrate on his lesson. While his teachings were instructional and some of his stories made me smile, listening while sitting on the sofa wasn’t working for me. Despite my best efforts, my eyes kept closing, and I was pretty sure I’d even fallen asleep more than once. It wasn’t that Father Gabriel’s lessons were boring or that I wasn’t curious to learn more about what we believed, it was that Jacob had needed to wake earlier than normal this morning, which meant I had too. Though Jacob still didn’t think I was healed enough for all my wifely duties, despite my current lack of vision I was able to make him coffee and breakfast each morning.

He and Brother Micah left before five o’clock this morning to retrieve Father Gabriel from the Eastern Light. Jacob had taken him to the Western Light less than a week ago. I didn’t know how Father Gabriel got from the Western to the Eastern Light, where those places were, or even how far apart they were from one another. Though I was curious, I didn’t ask. I knew that if I talked about these things to Elizabeth or Raquel they’d tell me that if I needed to know, Jacob would tell me. They’d also tell me that I should be happy with whatever information my husband gave, and I was. After all, if he hadn’t told me where he was going and when he’d be back, I wouldn’t have known when to be ready to greet him.

During this first week of banishment, he’d done other things to help me. One was finding me a clock without a covering over the hands. With it I could tell time by myself, which was especially helpful while he was away. Every step toward more independence helped me feel stronger and more like the person I believed I had been before I lost my memories.

Although Jacob told me when to expect him, his arrival was contingent on Father Gabriel. Wherever the Eastern Light was, I figured it was far away, because even though he and Brother Micah left early, they weren’t scheduled to return until after six in the evening. I suspected that their goal was to have Father Gabriel back to the Northern Light in time for tonight’s service.

Even if Father Gabriel made it back in time, Jacob and I still weren’t allowed to attend. Not only had we missed last Sunday’s, we’d be missing one more week. We’d almost completed our first week of banishment.

During our time away I’d learned more about asking and questioning. When I asked how The Light had service with Father Gabriel gone, Jacob explained that Father Gabriel could conduct service from anywhere. His image was projected on a big screen in the temple, and with the technology he could even see all the followers. Since I couldn’t remember any of what he described, I was becoming increasingly anxious to see it with my own eyes. I’d had contact only with Jacob since we’d arrived at the pole barn. Though Brother Micah worked in the hangar, he never entered the living quarters. I hadn’t even heard his voice; most of the time I knew he was there only because of the noises coming from the other end of the building. However, noises didn’t necessarily indicate his presence; according to Jacob, other men came to load and unload supplies as well as help maintain the planes. He mentioned them as a reminder that I wasn’t allowed to leave the living quarters. With our banishment, I was allowed to speak only to Jacob and the Commissioners or their wives.

I didn’t care about the Commission; mostly I missed Raquel and Elizabeth. Since I’d woken from the accident, my world had seemed very small. The longer we were separated, the more I realized the important role my friends played.

The other day, after everyone left the hangar, Jacob took me out and gave me a tour. I couldn’t see the planes, but I could experience them. First he took me inside the smaller plane. It had two seats for pilots, a large open area for cargo, and even multiple jump seats for extra or unexpected passengers. Because we were so far away from everything, with so many people, I understood why he needed to transport a lot of supplies; what I didn’t understand was how or why he had unexpected passengers, but I didn’t ask. Even though there were two pilots’ seats, apparently the smaller plane could be flown solo. I figured it was the one Brother Micah used while Jacob was with me.

As soon as Jacob opened the cabin of the second jet, I knew it was different. If he flew in it often, the luxurious interior undoubtedly added to his signature scent. The furnishings in the passenger cabin were covered in the softest leather I recalled ever feeling. Walking up and down the aisle, I ran my fingers over the multiple chairs and the sleek interior. Unlike the smaller plane, this jet required two pilots. Jacob laughed when I sat in one of the cushy chairs and told him I was ready for him to take me someplace, now or later. Since the jet held ten people and usually flew only Brother Micah, Jacob, and Father Gabriel, I’d been serious. If Father Gabriel had been restricted to the smaller plane while I was in the clinic, I understood why he wanted Jacob back to work.