Diana Racine 02 - Goddess of the Moon

womb with a streak of independence and defiance not acceptable to the group. She fought everything from the time she learned to speak. No one, not even Silas, could tame her mind . Gifted with an intelligence far exceeding those around her, she met every persuasion with a cogent and logical antithesis. Religion in general sapped the individual of reason, she said, and offering oneself to Satan to rationalize sexual pleasure was the height of perversion. No matter what indoctrination techniques they used, Anat resisted. She even drew some of the younger ones to her side, but she was quickly plucked from their presence. When she was no longer controllable, she was separated ―a euphemism at the compound for luxuriously imprisoned, but only if you were a Compton, Crane, or from one of the main families. Other less important members in the group’s tentacle-expanding assemblage received a month at camp . Just the threat of ostracism and the tactics used to bring one back into the fold sque lched any potential uprisings.
    Maia breathed a sigh of relief. Anat was too smart not to play along, as long as it served her purpose. She understood control because she’d been taught by the best.
    Wearing shorts and a tank top, Anat swung her long legs off the chaise and placed the child in a playpen. The little girl picked up a book and opened it, pointing at the pictures and cooing words that were almost intelligible, never once with a whine on her lips. Anat patted her daughter’s hair, then walked slowly toward Maia and threw her arms around her.
    Maia kissed her and whispered in her ear, “How are you?”
    Anat glanced at Seth and whispered back, “Bored, except for Chloe. Even though they forced the pregnancy, I can’t imagine life without her. S he’s my beacon of light.”
    Maia stood back and studied her half - sister, ran her fingers through Anat’s long sable hair. “You’re beautiful,” she said, then walked out to the balcony and crouched in front of the toddler, who lifted big blue eyes and grinned wide enough to show the few teeth poking through he r gums. “She’s a beauty, Anat.”
    “Smart, too.” Anat turned to Seth. “Can we have some time alone, please ? I haven’t seen Maia in a while, and I’d like to speak to her without you looking over our shoulders and listening to everything we say.”
    Seth shook his head. “You know I can’t.”
    “Please, Seth,” Maia said. “Don’t be the obedient soldier for once.”
    “Maia, I ― ”
    She locked gazes with Seth . “Please.”
    He bit his bottom lip. “Okay. F or a while.”
    He left. Maia heard the key turn in the lock.
    “Come onto the balcony,” Anat whispered in Maia’s ear and tugged her outside, closing the sliding glass door behind her . “The re might be hidden microphones , but I haven’t found them . S till , you can’t be too careful. No camera, though. I’ve checked thoroughly. T he y hide cameras in the compound so they don’t intimidate the children . They’re afraid a Big Brother attitude might spawn another me.” Anat grinned and walked to the balcony railing. She pointed to the vast forest. “ A long-range camera could be aimed at the balcony.” She waved , taunting the possibility. They settled into two chairs. “I play their game as best I can, Maia , and g ive them as much trouble as I can too.”
    “Even if there is a mike, there’s no one for you to talk to.”
    Anat shrugged. “People visit. They need an okay from the boss, and they can only stay an hour, but they visit. Sometimes we write notes, like when I want something I’m not supposed to have.”
    “Like what?”
    “Later. There are those here who help me when I ask . I don’t do it often, because I don’t want to get anyone in trouble. They let me keep Chloe because I swore I’d jump off the balcony if they didn’t. Silas would never allow that. Nor would Selene, even though she doesn’t understand how she produced such a genetic malfunction. Of course, I’d never jump because I’d be leaving my child to be raised like we were. That’s unacceptable.”
    The large balcony jutted out twelve feet over a steep canyon of jagged rocks and white water rapids. A panorama of lush verdant hills and trees surrounded the compound. If there was a way down, Anat w ould have found it .
    “What do you do all day?” Maia asked.
    “Read, study, exercise, listen to music. I paint and write short stories too. I keep busy, and sometimes I don’t