The Call of the Beachwick

Chapter 9: The Slap Heard Around the Room

Kesi stared at the back of the door for a long time. At some point, she lifted her hand to gingerly touch the spot that was starting to numb across her cheek. Its bite stung when it made contact with her sweaty fingers. Reflexively, she drew it away, just to carefully guide her hand back again. For a brief moment she played this game of back and forth much like the younglings who would kick the ball in the yard, until she finally felt comfortable with the feeling of leaving her hand to rest upon her face. When it finally found its place, the realization of what had just happened hit her with a sharp jolt.

Eliza had slapped her.

Not once, not twice, but Eliza had slapped her three times with enough force to send tears down her face. Blinking away the tears, she felt an emotional storm of confusion, betrayal, and a profound sense of vulnerability. In the moment she might have been too confused to see what was going on, but now that she was forced to grapple with the weight of the truth that was settling in her chest. Her friend had done the unthinkable. She had crossed the line Kesi feared might not be crossable.

Eliza had slapped her.

Kesi replayed what happened over and over in her head, desperately trying to connect the dots. In her determination, she found herself going back to the beginning. It all started over a completion ago when she had first began working at the orphanage. Initially, Eliza had approached her to discuss the goddess. At first, it seemed innocent enough – stories of a benevolent deity, tales of familial bonds, and the promise of love. Eliza painted a picture of a protective goddess who cared deeply for those enveloped in her love.

However, as the days turned into weeks, Kesi noticed a subtle shift. Eliza's conversations evolved from the lighthearted anecdotes to more complex concepts that resonated with her own beliefs and ideas of how the world worked. Iniquity and love became the focal points of their discussions, intertwined with the supposed teachings of the goddess. The once-charming narratives now carried an underlying tone that stirred a sense of unease within Kesi. Eventually, she found herself navigating a web of unsettling ideologies. More to the point, she found herself starting to believe. That's when Eliza started to push things further.

One by one, Eliza's friends started to join in the discussions. Mostly it was Orion, but a few others both male and female gradually grew as time went on. As she met them, she found they too shared the same ideology of the goddess that Eliza shared. When they spoke of their time in the goddess' presence, it was done with such love and compassion Kesi could see the evidence of their conviction all over their faces; none so much as it was in Eliza. Eliza lived and breathed the love of the goddess almost as much as she, quite literally, lived and breathed the love she had for her friends. More than anything this made Kesi question her own thoughts on the subject as self-doubt stirred within her. But still...

Eliza has slapped her.

Despite the strange behavior of Eliza's friends, they were nothing but kind to her. One day when it was just a few of them hanging out in the yard after work, Kesi mentioned the scouts from Lightmount were coming to see her. At the time, Orion was the only one who knew what that meant. When he asked why, she showed them the steam powered clock she made to their amazement. 

To her own amazement, the group gushed in revelry. Instead of the normal demands she got when talking about her gift, they gave her a gift instead. The gave her the nickname KesiTech. Sure, they teased her. Often there were sexual innuendos and comments about her missing the jungle through the trees, but they treated each other with the same gentle ribbing. It took her awhile to figure out the purpose of their teasing. When she did, she realized they weren't singling her out, but instead inviting her in. They wanted her to be part of their group and the more they treated her that way, the more she felt like she wanted to be a part of them. Still...