Found and Lost by Amanda G. Stevens Page A

“Our teacher isn’t here tonight. He broke his ankle and still isn’t getting around very well, but we’re praying for him.”
    Because of course, they prayed to God. Maybe even to the same God that Violet prayed to, just … differently.
    Janelle invited everyone to sit in a circle on the floor, and Violet braced herself for a creepy chant, or a tirade against the government, or whispered plans to bomb a daycare center. But the group continued their small talk: the latest blockbuster movie, Tigers’ box scores, Phil and Felice’s new neighbors and their yappy dog. Apparently, no teacher meant no lesson.
    Maybe a sliver of her wanted an extremist lesson. Knowledge of their beliefs would help her steer clear, maybe even help her know when to report someone else and when to shrug off their spiritual ideas as misguided but harmless. Austin would protest that, but he couldn’t guarantee she’d never be in a similar situation again.
    Just send the text.
    She would. In a minute.
    Her patience paid off about ten minutes later, when Janelle dug into her purse and brought out a leather-bound book with gold-edged pages. Smaller than the one hiding on top of Clay’s bookshelf, and burgundy.
    Clay gave a small gasp. “Janelle …”
    â€œI thought we could read from it tonight, take turns, you know? I was going to write out verses on some paper, like Abe does, but I decided to bring all the verses.”
    â€œBut we never …” Clay’s voice faded into a sigh. Phil and Felice gazed at the book with some mix of fear and reverence.
    Send the text. Violet’s fingers curled around the faux leather handle of her purse, and its fraying edge dug into her palm. If they caught her, what would they do to her?
    â€œLet’s pass it around and read some of our favorite verses.” Janelle flipped through the book as if she knew the exact page number she sought.
    â€œOh, awesome.” Felice actually clapped her hands.
    Violet slid her hand into an inner pocket and tugged out her phone. From inside her purse, with a glance downward, she started a new text message. Brought up the number Austin had given her.
    Next to her, Khloe pulled her own phone from her pocket. Surely she wasn’t texting her current activity to anyone. No, the intermittent movement of her thumbs didn’t look like a text. Violet slanted her gaze at the phone. Pinball.
    Did Khloe think Violet was doing the same thing? Demonstrating boredom and disrespect for these people? Khloe, this is serious stuff.
    From Khloe’s other side, Natalia’s hand darted to the phone and snatched it away. She reached up behind her and set it on an empty shelf, in full view of the whole group. Then she did the same with Khloe’s pink clutch purse.
    Khloe’s mouth rounded in protest, then snapped shut.
    â€œâ€˜Thomas said to him,’” Janelle was reading, “‘“Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”’”
    Oh, Violet knew this. Rick had read it a few weeks ago. “Jesus said to him, ‘Within you are the way, and the truth, and the life. Within you is access to the Father.’”
    Janelle’s words didn’t match Rick’s voice in her head. “‘Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”’”
    Of course, this Bible was different. But it didn’t sound … well, it didn’t sound the way she’d expected.
    Whatever. Details didn’t matter. Not here, not tonight. Violet’s mission mattered.
    5682 Apple Lane. J’s Little Country Store.
    She pressed a final key. Message sent.

8
    Forcing them to come might have harmed his cause. Beside Clay, Natalia maintained an interested pose, sitting with her typical model posture and meeting everyone’s eyes in turn. But her arm made the barest contact with his, and its