Hailstone (15 page)

Magda leaned forward. She had a horrible, sick feeling in her stomach. Her left eye throbbed. “Are you saying she raped you?”

Adam winced. “I don’t even remember. I don’t even know how she got me home. I never even saw her before. But all I can think of is she put something in my drink, and then looked in my wallet to get my address. It’s just all so beyond wrong. It took me hours to get rid of her, and the only way she’d go is if I promised her she could come back today. She said she just wanted to talk, but not while I was upset. I figured I could be out of here before she arrived and go get a restraining order, but by that time it was really late and now I’ve overslept. God, she could be here any minute. Hey, how about I get dressed, we’ll sneak out the back and all go to Pantheon?”

“How about you get dressed because I can’t stand that shade of pink you’re wearing? Then we’ll talk.” Kat got up and paced the room, something Magda had never seen her do before.

“Fine, but I have a shirt this shade and I’m going
to wear it.” Adam shuffled back into his room.

As soon as his door was closed Kat put her hands on the back of the sof
a on either side of Magda’s shoulders. “Is she one of them?”

Magda looked at her
fingers. Her nails were ragged. “It’s not the way Preacher works,” she said. “But I don’t know. If he’s really sanctioned drugging people at the outreach centres, maybe he would send someone out to target Adam like that. He’s just twisted enough to think some random girl could make a gay man straight.”

“I think we need to see her,” Kat said.

“See who?” Adam returned, wearing a pair of too-tight black jeans, a leopard print shirt and a hot pink necktie. He grinned when Kat rolled her eyes at him.

“Your girlfriend,” Kat said. “I want to meet her.”

“Will you scare her off for me?” Adam sounded plaintive.

“I will.” Magda got out of her seat and returned the coffee cups to the bar. She tilted her head at the two of them when they looked
skeptical. “Trust me, I know the type.”

“Fine, I’ll leave her to you two, but can I leave please? She scares me.”

“No,” Kat said. “You need to get her up here.”

The doorbell chimed through the room. The three looked at each other.

Adam rolled his eyes. “Fine. Make yourselves at home. I’ll just go put my head in the lion’s mouth for you.” He stomped down the stairs.

Magda and Kat sat on the couch together. Magda watched Kat. The tic behind her left eye fascinated her. If she could just focus on that tiny movement, and the way Kat’s eyelashes curled out at the end, then maybe she could ignore the persistent throb in her own head and the horrible sick feeling in her stomach that Preacher had gone completely insane.

She wondered if this was what they’d done to Jonah Sand.

Voices floated up the stairs. Two sets of footsteps hurried closer.
Adam burst back into the room like a slightly desperate leopard kitten. “God I need a drink,” he said.

“Gosh Adam,” said the woman behind him. “I’ve got some really interesting things to tell you about the damage alcohol does to your body and even your soul.”

Magda dropped her head in her hands. “Oh, fuck,” she said, but she raised her head quickly, because she didn’t want to miss Amanda’s face when she walked in the room.

“Can’t wait sweetie,” Adam said. “Oh I hope you don’t mind, I’ve got a couple of girlfriends here. A pair of the loveliest little lesbians you ever saw. Amanda, meet Mags and Kat.”

“I’m not a lesbian,” Kat snapped.

Magda grinned.

Amanda stopped dead in the doorway. “Oh my God,” she said.

Adam leaned around to look at her. “Which one? Mags, does she think you’re God?”

Amanda took a faltering step into the room. “Magdalene what are you doing here?”

Magda shrugged. “Smoking and drinking. You?”

“Not smoking and drinking,” Amanda said through her teeth.

“Do you know this girl?” Kat looked Amanda up and down and looked distinctly unimpressed.

Magda was a little surprised. Amanda had abandoned the Congregation uniform for a short skirt, stilettos and a low cut top. “Preacher hired her to try and cure me of my hell-bound ways,” she said. “I got her drunk, took photos and blackmailed her into going away.”

Adam burst out laughing. “That was her? God I feel better already!”

“You
kissed
me!” Amanda’s face flamed bright red. “I spent
days
praying for guidance, until I saw you on the news pointing a gun at Preacher. God took my hand and led me back to Preacher and I confessed everything!”

“You kissed her?” Kat sounded put out.

“I needed blackmail material,” Magda said. She patted Kat’s hand. “You I kissed because I like you.”

“Oh.” Kat grinned.

“You really are lesbians?” Amanda’s voice rose and broke on the last word. “I can see God has led me to this place. Preacher gave me the task of leading Adam to God. Show him what it’s like to lie with a woman, he said, and God will forgive you. God has seen fit to reward my success with a greater challenge.” She turned to Adam and pressed her hands together as if in prayer. “Thank you, thank you for arranging this, and giving me the opportunity to be the salvation of Preacher’s daughter. God will help lead you all away from your abhorrent ways.”

“You’re fucking twisted,” Kat said.

Amanda blinked at her. “Please don’t curse.”

“Jesus Christ,” Adam said. “I really need a drink now. Who’s with me?”

Magda put her hand up. So, to her surprise, did Kat. Adam poured three shots of vodka.

“Stop!” Amanda squeaked. “What are you doing? We have such an opportunity here!”

Adam downed his shot. Magda followed suit. Kat sipped at hers and made a face.

Amanda’s hands trembled. “I forgot how difficult you could be Magdalene,” she said. She dug in her bag and came out with a bright pink phone. “I’m going to have to call your father. He did say to alert him if anyone saw you, and I think I need guidance in this situation.”

Magda moved quickly over to where Amanda stood. She removed the phone from her hand, walked over to the window and ditched it as far as she could. It smashed on the driveway.

Amanda uttered an outraged squeal. “Magdalene!”

Magda went back to her. The throb behind her left eye had gone from being simple stress to building anger. She pushed Amanda in the chest.

The girl stumbled backward and put her hands against the wall for balance.
“Preacher’s right. You’ve got Satan in you.”

“Preacher’s a religious nutcase. You’re not much better. Now I’m going to ask you some questions, and if you don’t tell me the truth, I’m going to show you exactly how much of Satan I’ve got in me!” Magda pinned her to the wall with both hands and tried to ignore the feeling she’d crossed the line. Adam and Kat gaped.

“You can’t hide from God,” Amanda said in a trembling voice. “He’ll lead Preacher back to you.”

“Shut the fuck up. Tell me why Preacher wanted you to do this to Adam.”

“He wanted Adam to have the opportunity to turn to God,” Amanda said. Her lower lip trembled. “He wants everybody to have that opportunity. Especially you.”

Magda closed her eyes and thought of happy things, like vodka and Amanda converting to Rastafarianism. “What did you give him?” she said through her teeth.

“I gave him the greatest gift a woman can give a man,” Amanda said. “I gave him my body. I’ll even give him my hand in marriage to make our union sacred. That’s how committed I am to Adam’s soul.”

Magda saw Adam drink from the bottle out of the corner of her eye. She kicked Amanda in the shin.

The woman yelped. “Ow! What did you do that for?”
“You drugged him,” Magda said. “What did you use?”

“I would never!”

“You fucking drugged him!”

Amanda pouted. “I did not. Preacher gave me holy water. He said
anybody who drinks it falls under the power of God and is open to being saved by committed Christians. He said I should put it in his drink while he wasn’t looking, so I did. I didn’t know he was going to pass out like that.”

“You believed that pack of lies?”

“Preacher doesn’t lie.”

Magda let Amanda go. She wiped her hands on her pants as though she could get rid of the feel of he
r. “You’re all fucking insane. You’ve been brainwashed, Amanda.”

“No I haven’t.” Amanda straightened her clothes and looked at the three of them. She watched Adam take another swig from the bottle and light a cigarette. “Adam, tell them to leave your house. I can see Magdalene is a bad influence on you.”

“Look sweetie, I think you’re just going to have to accept that I’m gay, she’s gay and we’d all much rather go to hell where it’s warm than spend one second with you and Preacher in heaven,” Adam said. “You’re like my worst nightmare. What are you even still doing here?”

Amanda burst into tears. “But we made love!”

Adam threw the empty vodka bottle against the wall. The smashing glass echoed through the room. Kat instinctively covered her head. Magda winced.

“Whatever you did, you did without my consent!” Adam yelled. “That’s rape, you twisted little bitch! Get the fuck out of my house before I call the police and have you
removed!”

Amanda cried even harder. “How can you say such things? You were pretending when you said all those nice things yesterday!”

“I was trying to get you out of my face!”

“You’re evil!” Amanda yelled at him. “Preacher was right, it was you who corrupted his daughter!” She took a deep breath and lowered her voice. “I’m going to go and pray for both of you. And you, whoever you are,” she added, with a glance at Kat. “I forgive you all for everything, and so will God, when you finally turn to His light.” She shouldered her bag and walked out.

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!” Adam yelled.

They waited in silence until the front door slammed. Then a car started and disappeared down the street.

The three breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Adam looked a little shamefaced at the broken glass. He fetched a broom from beside the fridge. “Sorry,” he said. The broom shook in his hands.

“You sit down. You’ve nothing to be sorry for.” Kat took the broom from him and swept up the glass. “Christ, I can see why you’re so messed up, Mags. She’s enough to drive anyone to drink. Are they all like that in the Congregation?

“Not completely,” Magda said. “But she’s one of the ones who went through my ex’s little bible bashing clinic. I’d hate to think that’s how they all come out the other side.”

“Bible bashing clinic?” Adam poured water into two glasses and handed one to Magda. “It’s a bit early in the day to be drunk, sweetie. Let’s just dilute it a bit.”

“We went into one of Preacher’s Outreach Centres yesterday,” Kat said when she rejoined them. “They’re putting drugs in holy water, same as that bitch did to you, and then brainwashing them. Oh, and did I mention my office got trashed?
They’ve started a war, Adam, and the three of us have made ourselves prime targets.”

“Holy shit.” Adam rubbed at his temple. “Should we tell the police?”

Magda shook her head. “Preacher actively encourages the young men in the Congregation to go to the Academy,” she said. “That’s why there’s such a high percentage of Congregation people in the force. Kat’s got one friend on there, but I don’t think we can really trust them as a group.”

“I agree,” Kat said. “I went straight down there last time Magda got yanked into a car
. I told them everything and they wouldn’t lift a finger. So we’re on our own. Oh, except for several hundred upset citizens who read my news page about it all and organised a street protest.” She grinned and completely failed to look modest.

Adam perked up. “Protest? I love protests!”

“You’re not going,” Kat said. “You’re too much of a target for their thugs. I want you to hide.”

“Thugs shmugs. What are they going to do? Let’s get out of here.”

“That one I agree with,” Magda said. “Since Amanda’s probably run straight to Preacher to tell him where we are.”

*

They went back to Kat’s house first to fetch
cameras and check on the news feed. The comments number had quadrupled, but neither Magda nor Kat stopped to read them. Magda couldn’t sit still long enough. She suspected Kat couldn’t either, so it wasn’t long before the three of them piled back into Kat’s car and drove into the centre of Hailstone.

This protest wasn’t confined to the Square; they parked at the edge of the city and walked in through thickening crowds. Magda had never seen this many people on the street at once in Hailstone, not even during the last two protests. She ducked her head a few times when she recognised a face from the Congregation, but for the most part it was everybody else out to protest.

“This’ll be in the history books one day,” Kat said. “They’ll call it the alcohol wars.”

“How about the week Gaylstone took off its pants and did a pole dance at church?” Adam suggested.