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PREVIOUSLY ON SACRIFICE ═══════════════
The night was rough for Jeanie and Maria. After checking the girl over for injuries and only finding a few bruises, they attempted to get some rest. However, only about thirty minutes of shut eye were achievable at a time. Luther told Maria that it was likely Jeanie would suffer from night terrors, but God, she didn't expect it to be this bad.
The girl stirred, causing Luther to freeze in his movements. Jeanie's hazel eyes blinked open and stared up at the man. Her eyes danced from left to right before she locked her eyes with Luther's.
"Where is Mom?" her voice was raw, and she winced. She seemed panicked, jerking her head left and right.
Maria immediately jumped up from her seat, placing a hand on Jeanie's buzzed head. "I'm here, baby."
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"Ma?" Jeanie spoke, tilting her head back to look at Maria.
Dragging Maria from her gaze, she pressed a kiss against the girl's head, the spikes scratching her, and quickly changed the subject. "We never celebrated your birthday. It's almost Spring, right Lu? January is long past."
Luther, from the front seat, hummed in confirmation. "Yep! What are you? Fifteen? Sixteen?"
Maria cut her eyes at him through the rearview mirror. "She's thirteen." The man just chuckled.
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"Are we going home now, Ma?" Jeanie quietly asked. Too quiet. She seemed different, not that Maria could blame her. But it cut at the woman's heart how quiet and out of character Jeanie was being.
Yet, she smiled down at Jeanie and kissed her head again, then ran her hand over the girl's short blonde buzz. "Yea... and we'll celebrate, and then we're gonna see Jesse, and Ty, and Izzy, and... and Robin." Maria's eyebrows furrowed, then she leaned up in her seat to be closer to Luther. "Hey... Robin is okay, right?"
Luther took his eyes off the road ahead to look at the blonde. "Uh... well," but before he could say, the ground shook violently, jerking everyone in the truck.
Maria pulled herself up steady, "What the fuck was that?"
Another ground-shaking boom, shook them in the truck, this one more violent. The tires skirted across gravel and slung the vehicle sideways.
