The Edge of the Light Read Online Free PDF Page B

Mom that. And, Andy, put away the crayons if you got hopes of keeping ’em. Shove ’em in your pocket or something.”
    â€œBut I wanted to show you—” he began.
    She cut him off with, “If you want to keep ’em, you do what I say. Else Mom sees and someone’s gonna get a swat on the butt.”
    â€œâ€™Kay,” Andy said, and the crayons went into his pocket.
    The congregation began piling out of the church. Jenn was glad that Mr. Sawyer wasn’t the type of preacher who had to greet every single person at the door as they left. Along with her mom, he’d have had something to say about Jenn’s ducking out. For she’d caught his expression as she’d made her way down the row of chairs to the aisle, and he hadn’t looked like someone who thought she was on her way to the nearest toilet.
    â€œLet’s go,” were Kate McDaniels’s first words. Her tone told Jenn that she wasn’t going to believe any excuse Jenn came up with. “Get in the car,” she said to the boys. “Back seat, please. Jenn and I need to have words in the front.”
    Jenn plodded behind her mother’s slim back to the island taxi. Kate acknowledged the greetings of her fellow congregants and pressed her hand to her chest to receive their awed respect. She
was
truly humble, and Jenn admired this in her mom. With other people, she never made a big deal about the level of her relationship with God. It was only with Jenn that she became fire, brimstone, and determination.
    They drove up the highway. Kate said nothing till they made the left turn at Deer Lake Road, which would take them in the direction of Possession Point. She said patiently, “Jennifer, this has to stop. You’re not an adult yet, free to make your own decisions. You’re going to have to get with the program as I define it.”
    Jenn looked out the window. They were cruising past farmland that the rain had made into a succession of ponds. “What about Dad?” she protested. “He doesn’t go to church.”
    â€œYour father is an adult,” Kate said. “His relationship with God is in his own hands.
Your
relationship with God is not.”
    â€œI don’t want—”
    â€œDon’t say you don’t want a relationship with God. You can’t allow that thought in your head. It’s a simple thing for the devil to possess someone your age, and this is how is all begins. Stubborn refusal first and then derision.”
    â€œWhy don’t you ever listen to me?” Jenn fumed.
    â€œBecause your words don’t come from
you
. They come fromthe temptations of the outer world and it’s the inner world that matters. That’s the world sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”
    â€œMom, I got no intention of
ever
babbling a bunch of dumb words in front of a crowd of people,” Jenn said. “If that’s what the Holy Spirit has to offer, then no thank you. I really mean it.”
    Kate’s hand was swift. It didn’t hit her. It grasped her by the back of the neck, though, and her grip was so firm that Jenn shouted, “Ow!” although more dramatically than was completely necessary.
    Kate held on, never taking her eyes off the road. She said, “Do
not
speak of tongues in that way. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
    â€œDo
you
?” Jenn demanded. “Mom, you’re hurting me!”
    â€œHow much hurt do you think you’ll feel if you go to hell?” Kate countered.
    â€œSo if I learn how to moan and shout
oohba gooba ully watsie yango doobie doo
, I go to heaven? Do you really believe that?”
    â€œWhat I believe is that the condition of your soul is my responsibility until you leave my house and are out on your own. So you
will
obey me on Sunday and every other day of the week.”
    Kate released her grip. Jenn rubbed her neck. She said, “You don’t get me at all, do