The Forsaken (The Chosen Series Book 2)

the man she’d seen come by months earlier.
She’d had to run home during the noon meal break and she wasn’t supposed to be there, but she’d left out of the house that morning without her noon meal. Since her home was close to the work building, Sister Rhoda had allowed her to go back for it so long as she made it quick.
She grabbed her meal from the counter and was just about to head back out the back door when there was a knock at the front. That was a bit strange. The people of her community did not make it a habit to knock on a door in the middle of the day. They all knew each other, and it was standard to walk into another’s home without warning, day or night. There was no need for such formalities among The Chosen.
With piqued curiosity, Abigail turned back and watched quietly as Mama Sarah ambled to the door and opened it wide to reveal a handsome, clean-shaven man. He wore dark brown pants with a tan button-down shirt tucked neatly inside. His short, trimmed hair was mostly covered by the brimmed hat that matched the rest of his outfit perfectly. The hard set of his eyes gave her the impression he was someone you wouldn't want to test. That and the gun holstered boldly in the belt on his hip.
“Mornin’ ma’am,” he’d said in a deep voice. “I’ve got a registered letter here for a Mr. Nehemiah Pence.” He motioned to the yellow envelope tucked under his arm.
There was a patch of some sort on his left sleeve, but Abigail couldn’t see it very well. She drew closer and squinted.
“He is not here. He is in the barn.” Mama Sarah had answered with a bit of a tremble in her voice. “Out back.”
The man turned before Abigail could get a better look at the yellow star. That was all she could see before Mama Sarah sent the stranger away.
He tipped his hat politely and headed off in the direction of the barn. Abigail slipped out the back door and followed quietly, being sure to not be seen. As he entered the barn, she rushed along the side and found a hollowed-out knot in the side of the old barn. She peeked through and could see the back of her father as the man approached.
“Nehemiah Pence?” the man asked as he came closer to her father.
Her father stood and stared at the stranger for a moment before he nodded.
“Sign here,” the man had said holding out a board with a paper clipped to it.
“What is this about?” her father asked.
“Certified letter, sir,” the man said as his hand moved down to his gun. “Please sign here.”
Abigail watched her father take the offered pen and scribble something on the clipboard the man held out. Then the man handed him something and left. She waited and watched to see what her father would do. For a moment, he just stared down at the yellow envelope. But then he opened it. He pulled out a handful of papers and looked them over. For a moment, he fell silent. He blinked, and a tear rolled down his face. In all her life, Abigail had never seen her father cry.
Swiping a hand over his face, he sat down on a hay bale. He shuffled through the papers once more and then spoke two words just loud enough for Abigail to hear. “She’s alive.”
The look of relief on her father’s face was enough to give Abigail hope. She’d never seen the envelope or the contents again, and she’d not heard another word about the strange man who came to visit, but in her heart, she knew what her father had been saying. Rachel was alive. But she couldn’t tell anyone what she’d seen, not even Tabitha
Abigail had a sinking feeling, she was already going to be in big trouble, so, despite the fear of provoking her father’s wrath even more, she spoke. “Father?” She rushed to walk beside him, but his stride was much too long for her to keep pace.
He looked back at her but did not speak.
“Father. I have to know.”
“Abigail.” Her father stopped. Worry and fear penetrated his deep dark eyes. She hadn’t been the first to break his heart.
“Is she alive, Father? Please say she is. It is the only hope I have.” Somehow, he understood her plight. If they were going to flesh her out, she needed to have hope she might survive.
He nodded. “She is alive.”
“Father, I am so sorry.”
Her father stared into her eyes for an instant before he spoke the three words she never in her life had heard him say. “You must lie.”
“Father?”
“Abigail, I cannot lose another daughter. Guilt weighs heavily on my heart already. God forgive me for saying this, but I do not want to lose you, too.”
How her father knew she was involved she did not know nor did she question. The mere fact that he had expressed his pain for Rachel proved his love for her. And now he was asking Abigail to lie. Not just any lie, but one to keep her from being fleshed-out like her sister. One to keep her safe.
Abigail nodded. She was not good at deception, but she would do her best if it meant staying alive. She did not ask any more about her sister. Knowing she was alive was enough for her.
“If you are found out, there will be nothing I can do for you,” her father said, and without another word, he turned and continued to walk toward the house.
Elder Aaron stood on the porch, peering down at them as they approached. Her father showed no emotion as he walked onto the porch and gave the elder a curt nod.
Abigail.” Elder Aaron's lips turned down and creases set between his narrowed eyes.
Abigail nodded with a swallow. “Elder Aaron.”
“Let us go inside where it is a bit cooler.”
Abigail swallowed, glanced at her father, and followed the