He Led Me To Life

Chapter 15:

Just like every day since I told them about my faith, my family practically ignores me entirely. I struggle with intense loneliness as I go about my day. Even my little brother seems to forget the fact that I exist. I feel worse than ever, and only the thought of my escape at six helps me from breaking down and crying. It seems like five hours couldn't go slower.

Even though it feels like every hour is actually five, I eventually get to five-thirty, and I grab the clothes that I picked out right after getting home. I kind of needed to take a shower, but there wasn't really time, so I decided to wear a beanie. Thankfully, it went well with the maroon long-sleeved shirt and knee-length black skirt I picked out.

A quick glance at the clock tells me I'm running out of time, so I quickly applied just the basics of makeup before slipping on some shoes and heading down to wait for Peter and his mom. I decided it would be safer to wait out in the driveway, in case my mom or dad sees me and demands to ask where I'm going. I don't think I can handle another confrontation, even if it's nothing more than cold words and an indifferent attitude.

It's pretty chilly out, but the shirt I'm wearing seems to be thick enough to keep out the worst of the chill, so I decide against grabbing a jacket. The less risk of running into my parents, the better.

A relatively short time passes before a minivan drives up. It's a beige car, and I'm pretty sure only a mom would be comfortable owning it, so I know it must be Peter and his mom.

Sure enough, the window rolls down to reveal Peter in the passenger seat of the car.

"Hop in!" he calls to me. For what feels like the first time in years, I feel like someone actually wants to look at me. Even spending a few hours in my own home made me feel awful. I smiled at him, trying to hide the conflict inside of me.

I walk over and open the door, hopping inside and closing it before buckling up.

"You must be Sadie." A warm voice welcomed me from the front seat. I turned to get my first good look at Peter's mom. She looked identical to Peter, so much so that it was scary. The same light brown eyes, the same golden hair, and the same tall build. Her hair, which looked as if it might have gone down to about her mid-back, was pulled into a loose braid.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you," I replied, smiling.

"My name's Rebecca, and as you might have guessed, I'm Peter's mom." She smiled again, looking at me through the rear-view mirror, then she fixed her eyes on the road again.

Even though she can't see me, I find myself simply nodding in response. I feel drained and exhausted as if I could just sleep for the rest of the year.

The drive is pretty uneventful. Buildings passed by the windows in a blur, and I didn't really take anything in except that it was a part of town that I'd never really been in before, but other than that I didn't really take the time to look at anything. I suddenly felt really fatigued, and I wanted nothing more than to curl up and take a nap, but I resisted the urge to fall asleep. I assured myself that I would feel much better once we got to the youth group.

After a while, the car finally stopped, and I jerked my head up, not realizing I'd been dozing off. We were in the parking lot of a large, well-lit white building. A church.

I felt strange, going inside. All my life, I felt as if churches were the houses of uptight rude people that thought they were better than everyone else. I felt like it would be cold and hostile, with thousands of rules and regulations that, if I broke even a minor one, I would be somehow condemned, but as I stepped over the threshold of the wide double doors, I felt a sense of welcoming peace. I felt like, for the first time in a while, I was coming home.

The lights cast a cheery glow over everything, and soft, melodious music was drifting softly through one of the hallways that branched off the main little entryway. I let out a breath. That was another thing I had wrong about Christians. This church didn't seem uptight at all.

"Where to now?" I asked Peter, only realizing after I asked that he'd never been there either. He wouldn't know any better than her.

He shrugged, smiling a bit. "I think we should follow the music. If no one's there, then we'll just wander around until we find them."

I nod, feeling a bit foolish for asking such a dumb question. "Lead the way." I shift my hair to cover my reddening face as Peter took the lead, heading through the hallway from which the music seemed to become the loudest.

After a short walk, we head through a doorway and into a wide room that looked like it might have been a cafeteria. Unused folding chairs were stacked up in rows along one wall, and tables likewise against the other. The middle of the floor held a small group of people, talking and laughing, and a couple even dancing along to the mellow music that filled the background.

It looks like we're early, but even if no one else shows up, I know this is going to be fun. It feels like one big family, all gathering for a nice night of hanging out and talking. Maybe this is my family. They certainly feel more like family than my biological one, and I haven't even met any of them yet. I mean, we all share the same Father, so I suppose they're all my brothers and sisters.

The only thing that could make the night any better, would be spotting Samuel in the crowd, but even after scanning every face, I couldn't see the familiar smile or his twinkling green eyes.

I pushed the thought away. I would find out what happened to him eventually, but for now, I just had to have fun.