Read Online Over by Stacy Claflin - Free Book Online Page B

being in the house. Rebekah was the one who had changed. She had been so kind to Macy before, but now the resentment was all over her face.
    "Why don't you start with making breakfast?" Chester asked, his voice cheery. "Then you can take your mom hers in bed."
    Macy went to the kitchen. In her real family, breakfast meant either cold cereal or something frozen stuck in the microwave, but living as Chester Woodran's fake daughter, it meant a huge production.
    Macy would have to make waffles or pancakes from scratch and then make some kind of complicated egg dish—scrambled, which was easy, was not allowed. The whole thing would make a huge mess, taking her more than an hour to cook and then clean everything. Although she was glad to have electricity again. Living in the world, they weren't stuck with the community's insane rules.
    The shower sounded as Macy gathered the ingredients. At least she would be left alone for a little bit. Even when Chester wasn't being a jerk, he talked nonstop. He never had anything interesting to say, but he had no shortage of things to rattle on about. Macy knew his thoughts on politics, farming, the news, how people treated him, what life had been like as a child, and a plethora of other topics.
    She was sure he loved the sound of his voice so much he had to force others to listen to it also. It might not be so annoying if he wasn't so insistent his opinions were right and anyone who disagreed was wrong.
    By the time Chester came into the kitchen again, Macy had everything on the table.
    "That smells delicious, Heather. Why don't you grab a tray and take a plate in for your mom?"
    Macy's chest tightened. She knew once she got into the bedroom, Rebekah's hate would be felt from across a room.
    "Did you hear me?" Chester asked.
    "Yes." Macy turned around and went through a couple cabinets until she found the tray he was talking about. She put a plate and silverware on and then filled everything.
    She turned around and faced Chester, hoping he would take it into the room instead.
    "What are you looking at me for? Take it in to your mom. Be sure to tell her you hope she feels better."
    "Okay." Macy did her best to ignore the knots twisting in her stomach. She squeezed the tray and made her way back to Chester and Rebekah's room, dragging her feet. If he said anything about her speed, she would blame it on her leg. He couldn't say anything about that since he was the one who had injured her.
    Macy steadied the tray and held her breath, bracing herself. She would go in and out as fast as possible. Maybe Rebekah would even be asleep or at least pretend to be asleep to avoid Macy.
    Unfortunately, Rebekah was sitting up with the light on. She was reading what appeared to be a book from the community. Not that she had read anything else that Macy had ever seen.
    Rebekah looked up from the large book and shot Macy a disgusted look.
    "I've got some breakfast for you." Macy tried to smile, but it didn't quite work.
    "Just set it on your dad's side. It won't fit over my belly any more."
    Macy nodded, not making eye contact. She walked around to the other side of the bed and pushed the tray closer to her. "I hope you feel better."
    "Sure you do."
    The words stung. Macy looked at her. "You know, it wasn't my intention to get you kicked out of there. I'm sorry."
    "It doesn't matter."
    "Yes, it does," Macy said. "We used to get along and—"
    "What I meant was that it won't get me back in there. Our entire family has been permanently banned. Jonah, Eve, and the other prophets made that abundantly clear."
    "That's not the end of the world. The—"
    "Please just go. You're stressing me out."
    Macy shook her head and left the room. Why couldn't Rebekah see that the community was a cult? They would probably end up having some mass suicide at some point. She had read in school about that happening to other groups like that.
    She went back to the kitchen to find Chester eating. "Is your mom resting?"
    "Yes."
    "Good.