Close Your Eyes by Rachel Abbott

Author:Rachel Abbott [Abbott, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Dot Publishing Ltd
Published: 2021-02-10T16:00:00+00:00

42

LAKESIDE

After Aram took over our house, our money – in fact, every aspect of our lives – I was strangely content. As I passed through my early-teenage years, I didn’t miss what I’d never had, and I had no concept of the joy, excitement and pain that other girls of my age were experiencing. We were a community, and it was our duty to get along with each other. The only exception was on those days or nights when one person was selected by Aram to be publicly lambasted for their failings. There was never a trace of empathy in anyone’s eyes then, just relief.

For a long time I believed Aram had been right to demand what he called equality but which I now recognise as something else entirely. After the changes to the financial ownership of the property, more people came to stay, and many of them remained with us for years. We all knew what our roles were, and as long as we understood the rules and behaved accordingly, life was sweet. I still wasn’t permitted to leave the grounds. But nor was anyone else.

We all recognised that Aram’s word was law, and there could be no hint of argument, not even any discussion that suggested a trace of dissent. The slightest suspicion on his part that any member of the group was straying from his teaching brought about a public session of humiliation, so we all strived to please him.

He continued to teach me, and I continued to swell with pride at his praise and tear myself to shreds with remorse when he rebuked me for some minor misdemeanour. The best times for me were the maths lessons, and it wasn’t long before Aram understood that I had an aptitude for numbers and logic, so he decided to put me to work. I was soon responsible for the household accounts and for ensuring that any private purchases Aram wanted to make were paid for. He was the only one allowed access to the Internet, and boxes arrived from all over the world for him.

We didn’t welcome guests unless they were expressly invited by Aram. Those who came were required to break all ties with family and friends and agree to have no further contact with anyone outside the community, and I realised quickly that new members of the group always came with money. It was some time before I found out about the agreements they signed in order to secure their future as part of Aram’s world. Ownership of anything was to be abhorred, of course, so they were required to hand over control of their property to Aram on entry. In return they were promised that a weight would be lifted from them, their souls set free. Every penny committed went into an account, although not the trust account into which my parents had put all their money to pay for our daily lives. It was a separate account in Aram’s name only.

I never dared to question it.

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