The two children lay in the grass. As Samantha watched in shock, John kissed Helena on the lips like Remy and Vienna in the books. After the kiss, they lay in the sun, holding hands and looking up at the sky. "I love you," Helena said. "But what if someone finds out?"

"No one's going to find out. We've been careful." As if in response, the bushes to their left rustled. Helena and John sat up at the same time a hand clamped over Samantha's face. She tried to elbow the attacker, but he yanked her down to the ground and stuffed a rag into her mouth. Like in her nightmares, she found her arms and legs bound.

"I warned you," Pryde growled into her ear.

The bushes all around the lovers came to life. Pryde's dogs appeared from every direction, snarling and advancing slowly on the couple. They closed within six inches of Helena and John, cutting off any hope of escape. With nowhere else to go, Helena fell sobbing into John's arms.

Pryde shoved the underbrush aside and snapped his fingers. At his signal, the dogs backed away, only their snouts visible in the bushes. Pryde grabbed the clothes off the rock and tossed them to Helena and John. "Get dressed. You're going to see the reverend."

"No, please, we're sorry. We didn't mean to do anything wrong. Please, let us go. We won't do it again!" Helena pleaded. Pryde said nothing. He waited for them to dress and then bound their hands and jammed gags into their mouths as he'd done to Samantha. He pushed them forward through the bushes and onto the path, where Helena's eyes met Samantha's.

"You're coming with me too," Pryde said. He untied the bonds on her legs, but kept her hands tied. He jerked Samantha to her feet by one of her braids, the rag muffling her scream. With the dogs forming a circle around them, they started towards Eternity.

Miss Brigham met them at the fork in the road and flew to Samantha's side. "What is the meaning of this? Unhand her, you brute!" Miss Brigham said. She started to untie Samantha's hands until one of the dogs snapped at her. Pryde threw Miss Brigham to the ground as though she weighed nothing.

"Don't interfere. They're mine now."

"Reverend Crane will hear about this, you can be sure of that," Miss Brigham said, but her voice sounded shaken and weak. She followed them silently into town, at one point risking a reassuring pat on Samantha's shoulder. "It will be all right."

Samantha glanced at the dogs surrounding them and then at Pryde before looking down at the ground. She couldn't believe Miss Brigham's kind words. They were doomed.




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