Redemption Read Online Free PDF Page B

back.
    I faced forward. Thoughts raced through my head as I worked to keep up with Mr. Grayson’s abrupt change in conversation.
    “Okay, I guess,” I answered. Harold snorted.
    “They’re too hard on you,” he said knowingly.
    I continued to look at Amber. This conversation was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.Harold put a hand on my shoulder.
    “Our mistakes don’t define us, Dayton. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. Our mistakes make us stronger, wiser. If we didn’t make mistakes, we’d be open to much more temptation. Hard lessons learned are harder battles fought."
     I swallowed the tears that tried to rise. It had been a difficult year for me. What did the old man know? Was there talk outside the Abbey? My imagination perked up, lifting to attention, and I saw newspapers flipping toward my face from across the room. Headlines flashed neon.
     
    Blackstone Abbey: Estranged Niece Arrested. Blackens Name; Local Order Responsible for Rebellious Orphan . . .
     
    The images made me nauseated, and I shifted. The imaginary headlines ripped and vanished. I had no desire to read them. My heart thudded as I looked at the old man from the corner of my eye. His face was understanding and compassionate. There was no censure there.
    “Thank you, Mr. Grayson,” I replied unsteadily, turning to give him a brief smile.
    He winked at me before sitting back in the pew.  Amber kept playing, the song weaving its soul-searing magic as the congregation began to filter into the church. Chatter and music weaved in and out of the room as people visited, and I snuck away from the pew to the stairs at the back of the sanctuary. No one stopped me to talk. I wasn’t known for mingling. The stairs led up to the balcony, and I walked up them slowly, my thoughts on Mr. Grayson and Monroe. The night and morning had been a strange one.
    “You should be sitting on the main floor,” a voice said from behind me and I jumped.
    Aunt Kyra. I should have heeded her comment and responded in turn, but I kept climbing. A wall of imaginary flames seemed to sear my back. If anyone could be a dragon, it’d be my Aunt Kyra.
    “I feel closer to God in the balcony,” I replied dryly as I climbed the last three steps and took a seat on the front pew.
    “Do you?”
     I nodded.  The organ still played, and Aunt Kyra looked over the balcony at Amber.
    “Why don’t you try to fit in at the Abbey, Dayton?” 
    I looked up at her, my eyes meeting hers before we both looked away. We both knew what she was asking. It wasn’t about getting along with her or the Order. She wanted me to feel a desire for service. I had none.
    “You’re old enough now to be considering a place in the Order,” Aunt Kyra said.
    I didn’t so much as blink. She knew my thoughts on the matter.
    “I don’t want the same thing as the Sisters. I have aspirations outside the Abbey.”
    My answer was blunt. Aunt Kyra sat down beside me. I looked over at her, startled. This was new.
    “Sometimes destiny doesn’t give us a choice on what we do with our lives, Dayton."
     I sat still a moment. What was she getting at? I didn’t want to be a part of the Order. Was she telling me I didn’t have a choice? As the only Abbey in a state dominated by Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians, I knew my aunt struggled with the low number of initiates called to service. What I never understood is why we didn't have a bigger congregation or a larger number of Sisters. There was a Catholic church in almost every county. As the only Abbey, I always wondered why she wasn't swamped with women who would otherwise have to leave the state. I certainly didn't feel the calling.
    “Destiny has nothing on free will,” I finally said.
    She put her hand on my shoulder, and I froze. I waited for a feeling of warmth to overcome me. It was finally here, a show of affection after seven years of living under the same roof. Seven years of no hugs, no tenderness, no emotion had culminated into