"LET NO man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man." Natsuko glanced up at her husband, bible in her grasp. "But every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own concupiscence and is enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
"Natsuko."
"Hmm?" The girl questioned, softly flipping the book over and gently placing it back into the cabinet.
"I must leave for work," Christopher mumbled, reaching out for his pouch in the table. For a moment, he stops and looks at the girl, eyes were drawn together in confusion. "You ought to rest some. And keep your affairs hidden. I've got a word that Mad Thomas' lurks in the night."
Natsuko smiled at him knowingly, walking over towards the kitchen to grab him food. The girl placed the bread, wrapped it around some cloth, and handed it to him. "Keep your affairs hidden as well. We wouldn't want him catching us both— would we?"
Christopher returned the smile, placing the wrapped bread into his pouch. "I'll see you in a few sunrises."
Natsuko grabbed a basket full of wine that was covered with a white cloth, and followed him into the door of their house, waving him goodbye. Her eyes scan over each person in the settlement, grinning when she sees Lizzie walk past her house.
"Lizzie!" she greeted, walking over towards her best friend. The girl grinned, peeking about to check if anyone could see them, before opening pulling the cloth over, revealing the wine.
Lizzie looked confused, showing the remains of her own basket. "I've got wine as well."
"This not just any wine, Lizzie." Natsuko grinned, covering it with the cloth once again. "Christopher acquired it in one of his trips outside of the settlement. It is not like anything we had tasted before."
Lizzie grinned, leaning over so she could whisper into her ear. "I suppose you and Isaac had a lot of running at the ring during this 'trip', yes?"
The girl playfully hit her friend, placing a finger to her mouth. It was funny, but if Lizzie wasn't careful enough, they would be in deep trouble.
But she was thankful— Lizzie, Sarah, Abigail, and Hannah had accidentally found out about their affair, but none of them seemed to find it wrong. Natsuko was especially surprised with Hannah, especially since she was the pastor's daughter. Nonetheless, they were good at keeping secrets.
"I still can't believe your husband lets you jumble with Isaac." Lizzy giggled, grabbing her arm. The two of them always did this: whenever morning came and the sun rose, they would walk around the union and watch as everyone did their jobs.
He jumbles with boys too, Natsuko thought, but instead shut her mouth as she walked beside Lizzy. The two of them had their arms linked together, walking through the dirt path.
Suddenly, they both spot a mop of curly hair, and they instantly grin at each other, walking past the girl— waiting for the phrase that had to be spoken.
"Sarah," Lizzie greeted.
Sarah Fier nodded at her two friends, a smirk forming on her face. "A full moon rises before nightfall."
"Good night to enjoy the fruits of the land," Natsuko replied, not missing a single beat.
As Sarah continued to walk away, Natsuko and Lizzie walked past a familiar boy. The girl initially planned to pretend to take no notice of him, but Lizzie had suddenly stopped, pulling her over towards the boy. "Isaac." Lizzie smiled at him.
"Lizzie," Isaac looked up at the sound of her voice, knowing full well that Natsuko was with her. They were always stuck together. A smile fell on his lips as he dropped the shovel down, "Natsuko."
"Isaac." she greeted politely, looking around her for a moment to check if anyone was looking at them before winking at the boy. "A full moon rises before nightfall."
"Good night to enjoy the fruits of the land." he winked back, knowing how dangerous this was. He also knew that Christopher also wasn't home for a couple of days, which excited him even more for the full moon tonight.
"I'll see you when the sun falls." Natsuko grinned, continuing to walk with Lizzie. The two of them walked past the fields, past Pastor Miller, and eventually, the two of them grew tired and were now sitting down back at Natsuko's house.
"I ought to get married too, for a house like this one." Lizzie joked, looking at the interior of the house Christopher had owned, which Natsuko had moved in a few months ago. Although Lizzie visited frequently, she couldn't help but be amazed every time. Natsuko lived in the biggest house in the union.
"That's what you get for marrying into the Armstrong family," Natsuko told her, handing her a cup of freshly brewed tea. Besides Christopher's family, she was only the person who knew why he married late. "Chris tells me that he has a younger brother that resides amidst the Union. If that perks your interest?"
"Give him my name, then." Lizzie took a sip of the herbal tea. "Tell him I'm the ravishing woman who lives three houses away from you."
Natsuko giggled softly before another thought came up in her mind. "Shall we meet later? To get berries from the widow?"
"Yes," she paused, grinning at the girl. "Hannah Miller ought to join as well."
Natsuko nodded. There was just something so exciting about her life at the moment: the rush whenever she would lay with Isaac, the knowledge that the pastor's daughter knew her secret... she should be terrified, as she could be hanged- but in some sick way, she wasn't afraid.
"I need to tend to my mother. But thank you for the tea, truly." Lizzie dusted her dress. "I'll meet you tonight, just past the woods."
......
Natsuko ogled herself in the mirror, as if she was Mad Thomas staring at Abigail Berman. The girl tightened her corset just so she'd be a bit more comfortable, but decided to not wear too much layers.
Just so it wouldn't be such a hassle to remove.
The girl looks out her window, waiting for the light to come— until Lizzie sends it, which meant they were ready.
Eventually, she found herself in the situation where she was in right now. Her arm was interlinked with Lizzie's (like she always did, it had become a habit now) while Hannah and Sarah trailed behind the two.
Lizzie held a lantern with her free hand, whilst Natsuko shrugged the scarf into her shoulders, feeling the cold wind.
"The berries make you see the world beyond our own. Just one bite." Lizzie explained, walking past the woods. Natsuko had never tried the berries before as she used to live with her mother, but now, she lived alone (well, practically) and she could finally try it.
"What does an old lady need with that?" Sarah wondered, smiling a bit when she notices that Lizzie and Natsuko look like twins from the back.
"She's not just an old lady. The widows one thousand years old. She drinks the blood of virgins to keep her youth."
Sarah laughed softly. "Well, you two are safe then."
Natsuko looked back playfully.
"She sacrificed her husband to become the Devil's bride. That's how she gained eternal life." Lizzie finished the story. In all honesty, Natsuko never believed in the tales that scattered in the union, but it was entertaining to see that everyone had their own stories to tell.
"Well, I heard she kept the company of the natives, and that she even fell in love with one. That's why she was exiled. She learned their medicine too. Solomon told me. He took his wife to her after they lost their child, but it was too late."
Natsuko turned around, a smile dancing on her lips. "I have no time for tales, but Lizzie's tale sounds way more exiting. Look at us, stealing from the Devil's bride."
"Trading." Lizzie reminded her.
"Are you sure this is the right way? How do you know where we're going?" Lizzie stopped walking and turned around towards Hannah and Sarah. Natsuko, who had her arm intertwined with the girl, did the same.
"Well, I've been there before." Lizzie shrugged. "Remember when Abigail had her ring of fire?"
At the mention of that, the teenagers started chucking, remembering the incident very clearly. It had been extremely entertaining to them, but for Abbi, not that much.
"She was scratching like a dog during fathers sermon." Hannah recalled, chuckling softly. "Mother told me she'd lain with a demon. The Devils gift."
Sarah scoffed. "More like Mad Thomas's gift."
The two turned around again, and Sarah couldn't help but be a little entertained at how they moved together. "Well, whoever she lay with, Abbi made me go to the widow with her."
"And the widow fixed her with witchcraft?"
"Yes, witchcraft. And some foul-smelling paste made for whores like Abbi Berman."
"What about you, Nat?" Hannah questioned, quickly changing the subject. She'd prefer it if they didn't go around calling Abbi a whore. "Have you ever been there before?"
"I won't need to," Natsuko replied, turning around just slightly. "Chris is a doctor, remember? Why need witchcraft when you have medicine?"
"Why need Isaac when you have Chris?"
Chris doesn't like girls. "Chris is an old man. I'm young— I have my own needs to be satisfied, Sarah." The girl hopped on a rock. "Besides, it's a platonic marriage. I don't love him, he doesn't love me. That's exactly how it's meant to be."
Sarah laughed softly, grabbing Hannah's hand as they climbed another pair of rocks. The walk to the window's home was quiet, as they were beginning to grow a bit tired, and when they had arrived, it was already dark.
Once they were there, Lizzie and Natsuko grinned at each other once again, while the rest of their companions looked more concerned than excited.
"Are we sure about this?" Sarah questioned quietly.
No one answered her. Lizzie and Natsuko had already waked up to the door, while Hannah pulled a very reluctant Sarah along.
"Widow Mary?" Lizzie questioned quietly, leading the other three girls into the home. Natsuko found it a bit creepy, especially since her mother always told her to read the bible each morning.
The girl stayed in the center, wanting to stay as far as she could from the dead animals. Instead, she stood, whilst Lizzie walked over to another part of the widow's house. "She's not here. Find the berries."
Natsuko walked after her friend, entering another room. It was darker and warmer, but the fact that there were no decaying bodies or anything related to witchcraft wasn't there was good enough for her.
After a few seconds of searching, there was this sudden sound of someone talking coming from the other side of the curtain.
"I found the berries!"
"Shh," Natsuko mumbled, inching towards the curtain. Lizzie frowned, wrapping the berries up in a cloth as she followed after the two girls who were growing close and closer to the curtains that separated the two rooms.
Hannah opened the curtain in an instant, only to be met with the view of Widow Mary holding Sarah against the wall with a knife in her hand. "Sarah?"
Lizzie and Natsuko moved closer, trying to see if everything was okay. Suddenly, it was like something snapped in Widow Mary, because she started screaming. Loudly. "Get out! Get out! You get out!"
Get out they did.
....
Natsuko never expected for the berries to take effect almost immediately.
The girl leaned agains Isaac's chest, other hand containing the wine she'd stolen from Christopher's stash. She was right— it was unlike anything they had ever tasted before, and she and Isaac were so close to finishing a bottle.
"I feel so light..." the girl mumbled, not caring if she was going to this event as a married woman. The other kids were too drunk to comprehend anything. "I feel as if I'm a bird, flying through the blue sky."
"Beautiful bird," Isaac, who was just as drunk as her, whispered. He is reverent, tracing every single detail of her neck and jaw with his soft lips. No one was looking at them as they stood in the corner of the site, and he ought to take advantage of it. "Beautiful, beautiful bird."
"Come on..." Natsuko groaned, suddenly standing up. "We're missing the fun. Let's go!"
Natsuko had grabbed him, pushing him next to the fire where most kids stood. The actions almost sent them both into a tumble, which made Isaac narrow his eyes playfully.
Holding onto his hand, Natsuko used the free one to finish the remains of the wine bottle, before tossing it into the grass.
Isaac gave her a look, but she only giggled softly. "It can never be too much to drink, my darling."
The two of them started dancing, twirling around, laughing at nothing in particular. The light from the fire made Isaac look more ravishing than he already was, and all Natsuko wanted to do was grab him and made him hers.
Suddenly, a loud gasp echoed, causing Natsuko to halt to a stop. Isaac grabbed her, snaking his hand up to her waist, as the two of them looked around, trying to find out where the commotion was coming from.
"What's going on?"
"Sarah punched Caleb."
Natsuko smiled at whoever told her, watching in amusement as Sarah continued to insult the boy.
"There's your kiss. And if you're still so eager," she looked down at his boner, "I'm sure there's a mule tied up who will overlook your flaws in the dark."
Natsuko had burst out into laughter just as everyone else did, watching as Caleb left the scene quietly, trying to avoid the laughing teenagers.
Once the laughter died down, Natsuko grabbed onto Isaac, black eyes glossy as ever, grinning at him. "Do you want to take a trip in the woods?"
Isaac chuckles when he sees the girl untying her own corset from the back, her eagerness amusing to him.
"Come on," he smiled, taking her hand.
Hopefully, no one else would be doing the same thing tonight.
authors note
literally the hardest thing abt writing this act is the dialogue