Arranged

Winter Wonderland Camp

"Am I doing this right?" Chandler snickered as she kept tightening the bolt with the wrench. She was with me in the garage working on my car, I got a few weeks ago. I was off of work today and I wanted to spend the morning with Chandler. She's an early riser and instead of going for a run this morning I suggested that we have breakfast and I'd show her how to change some things under the car hood. So far, she's doing well and has only cussed three times.
 

And before I could tell her to keep going a knock the wall made me turn around. It was Lesley standing in her favorite jean skirt and sandals. It's just after Christmas in case you forgot. Chandler and I haven't spoken to our parents since the big dinner. And they haven’t allowed us to speak with any of the other kids, because apparently, we are a "bad influence."
 
Only Lydia and Lesley come over because Lydia is eighteen and she's a legal adult. Lesley sneaks away and comes over, I keep telling her not to but who am I to tell my sister she can’t escape the cult for two minutes.
 
"Um I was wondering if I could borrow a flashlight, all of ours at home are broken." She said hesitantly, as she played with her finger. I pointed to the metal shelf near her and she turned to it. After two seconds of looking she found it and took it down from the shelf.
 
"It might need more batteries; we've never used it so it could be gone." I told her as Chandler wiped grease off of her face. "You okay?" I asked her.
 
Lesley has always been the responsible person and always stayed out of trouble but right now she has the same look on her face when Chandler got yelled at by her mom. So, I knew she was going through something right now.
 
"Yeah, don’t worry." She said laughing it off. "Um mom and dad are sending me to a Winter Wonderland Camp, for a few weeks before school starts back."
 
"Not to be rude, but aren't you a little too old for a winter wonderland camp?" Chandler asked while she continued with the wrench and then she dropped it again, but instead of picking it up she just kicked it.
 
"Oh, don't worry it’s probably just some mission trip, but like close by." She shrugged it off. But something about her character right now was really making me uneasy. Plus, she came all the way over here, five miles away from home, to get a flashlight.
 
She walked over to me and hugged me tightly, "You’re the best brother ever. Keep doing what you’re doing, kay." She nodded. "Sorry, I have to pass on the medi-pedis tomorrow." She said waving to Chandler, as she walked out of the garage.
 
I think both Chandler and I just stood there in shock, over Lesley's behavior. But then my phone pinged and it was a message. I took it out of my back pocket and saw that it was Riley.
 
Hurry before they comeback.
 
So, remember when Chandler and I were on our honeymoon and we said we'd take down the Community before finally escaping. Well we couldn’t just do it alone, so I kinda dragged my best friend into it. One because her dad has all the keys to the building, and she works in the nursery. So, she knows the ins and outs better than anyone.
 
"That was Riley." I informed Chandler while she was trying get the wrench from under the car that she kicked. She looked up at me and nodded.
 
We talked about this, it's not really dangerous or anything. But we don’t know what they would do if they found me looking around their things. They could kick me out of community, they could take real legal action, or demote my father and then my father will take that out on me.
 
And worse, if I get kicked out of community, they will put Chandler with a new man (or boy really) and she will never be safe in another house. 
 
Or all four options.
 
 
"Okay. Well um I'll be getting the directions from my old room." She told me as she picked up the wrench and then threw it back in the tool box.
 
The number Chandler had for her sister's phone was disconnected, so her only real hope of finding her sister again is getting the address of her new place. Which there isn’t even an address just a map with a circle in Atlanta, Georgia.
 
So, when we finally get out of here we'll be heading for Atlanta, Georgia. A place to stay nope, a job lined up, haha you'd think. We just know we'll be moving to Atlanta. If we could take our sibling we would, but no minors to make their "own adult decisions" and Lydia won’t want to leave to make sure the kids are safe.
 
Another mind control they like to play, families do not want to leave each other and they stay stuck here. You can’t leave and comeback, your gone and you stay gone.
 
"Alright well, I'll call you if I find something." I told her as I pulled her closer and hugged her. I felt her arms slither around my waist, she laid her head on my shoulder and coconut scented conditioner filled my nose making me smile. She gently pushed me away and nodded towards the car, I quickly kissed her cheek and ran to the car...
 
All the kids that Riley was watching right now was at dinner with the other nursey teachers, while she snuck away. We walked down a long hallway with black and white photos of different family’s decades and generations ago. Community was founded by some cousin of Joseph Smith. Joseph was Mormon and his Cousin Ezekiel Smith was not and hated the idea of polygamy. They had the same ideas of purity and what not. Have as many kids as possible and keep your wives in line. Blah blah blah, were raised by a mixture of Christianity and Mormonism. Things make sense and other stuff contradict each other and are stupid.
 
"What the hell are you even looking for?" She asked as she unlocked the door to an office. We walked in and turned the lights on. And they're were filing cabinets by the hundreds (or twenty) side by side. Just completely filled with files just waiting for me to give to a cop.
 
"I don't know Riles, okay." I shrugged. "Just anything that would make them look bad. I don't know like locking a teen girl in a closet because she screamed at her father. After he didn't defend his daughter after she told him her cousin touched her inappropriately." I told her. She looked down at her shoes and nodded.
 
"You said you wouldn’t bring that up again." She told me as she looked back up crossing her arms across her chest. I felt bad for bring that back up, but that's something I need to put someone away like her cousin and father.
 
"Riley." I said getting her attention and put both of my hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “I am sorry and I love you, you are my best friend. You and other girls, and some boys, need to know that what these men are doing are wrong and need to be put away."
 
"But they got the help they needed." She told me. After finding out what happened to Riley her mother told the police, like a real parent, and police got involved. And her cousin Marvin Damien, spent three months in jail then was sent to a camp to make him better. So, they did nothing and he went back home to his wife and kids, while Riley repented and prayed to make herself pure again.
 
"I need anything along those lines or insurance fraud." I told trying to change the hard subject.
 
"Okay." She nodded. "All of the filing cabinets to the left are all things money and everything to the right are everyone's marriages since 1850. Not sure how these are going to help you, but um the ones in back are all police reports."