Complete Collapse

8

Lucille's POV:

I woke up the following morning feeling very secure in the plan we had formed off the back of my idea. Phoenix wasn't as pleased with it, and that much was just as clear upon opening my eyes and seeing her perched in her corner with a solid death glare in my direction. With Benjamin hanging around in the hay loft there wasn't really an opportunity for me to discuss the matter further with her before the plan took its full form. Let alone without making Benjamin suspicious that something was amiss. I shot her back a warning glare and tilted my head up towards the direction that Benjamin was fiddling with a rope in as an indication that she needed to stop acting so strange because surely he would pick up if there was some kind of tension between the two of us out of nowhere. Jeremiah walked in a moment later with a tray full of breakfast for the two of us, and yet again two glasses of orange juice. Each plate held a small portion of scrambled eggs, some bacon, and half of an orange on it. Once the plates were handed to us Phoenix and I instantly switched off some of the food, me giving her the bacon, and her giving me the majority of her eggs in exchange. Jeremiah quirked an eyebrow at the exchange but said nothing before he walked back out in perfect silence. I watched from the corner of my eye as Benjamin stilled observing Jeremiah's quick and silent departure. I grimaced behind the cover of my hair at how terrible Jeremiah and Phoenix were at acting natural. There hadn't been a moment where the pair of them could interact that they didn't talk the others ear off, and yet today, radio silence. If Benjamin suspected anything was amiss the plan would never work. 

"How is your throat feeling Phoe? I know you were having trouble talking last night." I asked loud enough that I knew Benjamin could overhear the conversation. I watched as a confused expression took over my sister's face before her eyes drifted up to Benjamin who had his gaze fixed on us. Realization dawned on her instantly.

"Not the best," She started in a raspy voice, wincing a bit as she spoke. "Did you want the rest of my juice? It's stinging my throat." I smiled at her performance before nodding gently.

"Yeah, no problem. I could probably use it more than you right now anyway." I said and reached a hand out to grab her glass. I saw Benjamin resume his activities from the corner of my eye and was satisfied with the alibi I had established for our sibling's strange behavior this morning. We ate in silence from that point on so as to keep the lie believable that she wasn't really able to talk much. By the time the humid heat of the morning rolled in the men were mostly packed up to do some maintenance work around the farm, just as Jeremiah said they would be that day. I watched them disappear from the hay loft and listened to their voices grow more distant from the barn with each passing second. It was up to Jeremiah now to save my sister and I, and I hoped to his God he was able to pull it off properly. 

The day seemed to drag on and on, the sun getting much higher and then gradually lower, and still there was no sign of the two men. I had spent hours teaching my sister exactly what I would need from her as an assistant once they returned and yet it was only now occurring to me that perhaps we were triple-crossed by Jeremiah and he wasn't planning on helping us at all. My nerves felt like they were on fire now as I silently went over why I had believed he could be trustworthy, looking through all his actions for any sign that he had been playing both of us from the start. Back at our camp he had held a knife to my sister's throat and looked like he enjoyed it. I had figured he was just following orders, but now I wasn't so sure. I had identified him as the weak link of the pair and allowed my sister to act as an agent to manipulate him into helping us, perhaps they had done the same thing with my sister and sent him in to do the same. He gained intel from her, he had first-hand knowledge of our plans. I had been stupid yet again. I knew better than to trust people. I knew better than to trust someone who wanted us dead. I felt the blood drain from my face as all of these thoughts crashed into me and my sister seemed to take notice of that.