Vines of Deceit

Part 5

Layla walked behind Ivy through the yard on the path. Long grass licked at her ankles. Layla looked up at the black barn they were walking up to confused. Ivy opened the door and flipped on the light inside and lit up the space showing a room full of equipment.

"Do you like, chop up bodies in here? Layla asked looking at all the brutal architecture of the equipment.

"No, there's a separate barn for that. We just keep the meat back there" Ivy said pointing out a room on the other side of the barn. Ivy saw the look on the other girl's face but turned to head upstairs arm full of bedding. Ivy set the pile down and slid one row of boxes over so she could enter her fortress.

Ivy starts to make the bed for Layla. Laying the two extra comforters next to the bed for herself to lie on, on the floor. The kitten's cries came from the corner of the room. Ivy reached over the bed to get to the extension cord. Plugging in the light before standing and going over to the kittens. Ivy picked up the loudest one of the bunch. Heading to the top of the stairs she help it up like it was a lion cub and this was the lion king. Letting the cries perk Demi's interest as she steps closer to the stairs. "Grab that fat girl. She's got babies to feed" Ivy said to Layla pointing out the brown and white cat staring up at her spawn. Layla walked back around the equipment and reached down to grab the cat. "She's going to squirm when faced with the consequence of her actions"

"So why the wall of boxes?" Layla asks.

"To keep the lady of the night in. She had a litter a while ago but I didnt notice. All the babies are wild now. You can't get too close to them and the coyotes have been around picking them off one by one." Ivy stepped aside to let Layla in and pointed to the container "through her in the pit". "Oh! look at them!" Layla placed the squirming cat into the container. Using her hands to stop Demi's escape until the kittens had descended onto her body. Demi looked at Layla like a traitor. "What are their names?"

Ivy took a second before answering her. She watched as Layla stroked the kitten's bellies so softly with the delight in her eyes. "Whatever you want them to be" Ivy answers.

It had been two days and Layla felt like she was starting to get the idea. Every morning Ivy's radio went off stupid early. Not time for school early, like I live and breathe for the cult.

Layla would wake up once the sun rose and shined through the window. The heat from the day made her sweat out her clothes. Layla would check on the kittens and let Demi out with her. She would walk to the trailer behind the house and get something to eat and read magazines. Taking that time to charge her phone and laptop. They were always dead from watching movies and videos as late as she could keep Ivy and herself up at night.

This day she went into the bathroom and saw the bin that was sitting on the shelf as Deloris had said. There were bottles of shampoo, face wash, loofa, and all kinds of things. When Layla left the trailer she saw Ivy walking into the house and following after her.

"Hey Ivy where did you go?" Layla called out at the entrance of the house.

"Oh, I'm right here! in the study!"

"Whatcha doin'? Ohhh who is that?" Layla asked looking at a picture lower down on Ivy's feed. Three boys were standing in the shot smiling and pushing each other. Ivy tried to use her frizzed-out curls to hide her blushing face. Layla used a finger and brushed the curtain of curls away. "Would this have to do with the guy you were talking to at checkout the other day?" Layla tipped Ivy's head up to keep her looking up at her. "Tell me".

"Uh.. no, no, it was uh. It was his brother that was there"

"Who's brother? Which one of them is it?

"Oh, no! His brother isn't in this shot"