Constant

Chapter 22

"Isn't it pretty?" Mom held up the Gucci-bag she had brought back from Baltimore. I gawked.

"How could you afford that?" I asked in disbelief. We barely had food on the table, and here she was with a thousand dollar purse?

"It was a gift from Lumenoil," she replied. "They're thrilled with me. I recruited three new people."

"You could sell that and repay some of the debt then," I suggested. She scowled.

"Honey, you don't sell a gift," she said sternly. "That's impolite."

"I'd rather be impolite than homeless," I replied.

"Don't worry, honey, I made enough to last the month now," she said, pulling out an envelope from her beautiful new purse. She smiled. "And this is for you."

I opened it, pulling out two hundred dollars. I stared at it.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Lumenoil wanted to pay you for the fantastic job you did," she said. "They also thought you had learned your lesson."

"My lesson?" I echoed. "I thought I worked there to repay what I broke."

"That's how it was supposed to be, but I think Douglas made them change their mind, and I hear you're also off the hook," she said.

"Douglas gave you this?" I asked. "Why?"

"Haven't you figured that out yet, honey? He likes you, and he has strings he can pull to make that even more obvious."

I nibbled on my lip as I looked at the bills. Could I accept it? Did I want Douglas' dirty money? Was he trying to buy me? I put the bills back in the envelope, deciding to put them away in my room, pretending they didn't exist until I knew what to do.

"How deep are you in Lumenoil?" I asked. "I mean, what do you know about the company?"

"I know Joseph Keller found the company in the 70s. He found essential oils to be effective in different ways and started creating his own and then they grew from there."

"What do you know about Joseph Keller?" I asked.

"He's Katherine Keller's father. He died in the 80s."

"Do you know anything more about his beliefs?" I didn't know if I wanted to mention the Light. In case she didn't know, I didn't want her to go asking about it at the community, and accidentally get roped in.

"Beliefs?" she echoed. "As in religious beliefs? Why would I know anything about that? What are you on about, Maya?" she asked.

I sighed. "Nothing, I was just... I don't know," I replied, shrugging. Talking about Lumenoil and the Light was like walking on a minefield. I could get blown away at any moment. Mom continued admiring her purse, and I left the room to hide the money. Why did Douglas pay me? Was this a way for him to make me dependent on him? If this meant he really liked me, then he sure had a strange way of showing it. I wasn't for sale—not even with for a scholarship.

I'd had no one like me before, but I wasn't stupid. He didn't behave like someone who had a crush—he behaved like someone who couldn't take no for an answer and was used to people kissing his feet. I didn't enjoy the idea of being bought, so I tucked the envelope under my mattress. That money would not see the light of day again.

Taking a big bite of the apple, I watched Ben. He was looking at me from across the cafeteria while his friends sat with me. I didn't know what to make of his change of attitude toward me. He wanted to be friends. Had that really been his objective all along? Considering how badly he had treated me, all the attitude he had shown, could I really trust him? Our interactions started with him being pissed at me for selling Lumenoil—what changed? My mind was also filled with theories on Douglas' objective. I knew he didn't give me the money to be nice. There had to be a catch. My mind reeled from me having no friends to people throwing themselves at me.

"Maya, you there?" Bethany waved in front of my eyes. I shook myself back to reality.

"Yeah, sorry," I said. "You were saying?"

"We're going out Friday, you coming?" she asked. "Joyce and I usually hang out in the park, and Ty here can fix some drinks."

"I don't drink," I replied.

"Like ever?" Joyce asked. "Isn't that a buzz kill?"

"Bad experiences." That wasn't a lie.

Ty nodded. "I hear ya," he said. "One bad bender and you swear of drinking for good."

"I swear off drinking every time, but it still gets me," Joyce said, throwing her hair over her shoulder. "Anyway, you can come. Having a sober friend will be interesting." I smiled softly. A friend. Joyce, of all people, referred to me as a friend. I guess hell had frozen over now. My eyes found Ben again, and he was watching me like a hawk. It didn't unsettle me, which surprised me.

My arm itched, reminding me of my cuts. They had healed somewhat, but with the healing came the itching. My mind went into thinking mode again. How much did Mom really know? Was it possible that she knew nothing about the Light and what the Kellers were up to? No. If she knew, she would have run away with me by now.

I had to believe that.

Mom sat in front of the computer when I got home, talking in her Lumenoil-voice.

"... and you will unlock your full potential by setting clear goals, cultivating positive habits and consistently pushing beyond your comfort zone. Reach out to at least ten people this week, and you'll see that greatness will attract." Mom smiled widely, her voice full of conviction. She'd make a great motivational speaker in the real world—too bad she wasted her potential in Lumenoil.

I made a sandwich while Mom ended her meeting. She was all giddy when she walked into the kitchen.

"I'm doing progress," she said. "I'm actually making money now. This seems to work out... I didn't think it would, but it is. We might even upgrade from this lousy house."

"Don't get your hopes up," I said, watching as her face fell, and I quickly added, "I just mean that we don't need to move. We're fine here."

"We'll see. Also, don't forget to do your homework," she said, smiling again, before she danced out of the room, humming some cheerful tunes. It took me a moment before I realized she made a comment about school.