Appetite for Innocence

by Lucinda Berry

I quickly decided there couldn’t be a God because no God who was supposed to love me and had the power to intervene in my life would do nothing to save me. I didn’t have to be scared of going to hell because of my unbelief. I was already there. I lived in it every day.

“She would’ve died even if you stayed. The only difference is that you would’ve died with her.”

I used to think it was what made me special and set me apart from the other girls. He’d stolen them, but he’d paid for me. Now, I’m not so sure.

“He liked to torture me when he was high. His favorite game was to hold cigarettes next to my skin and see how long I could last. I got really good at it.”

“You can start by admitting he’s the one who hurt you.”

Paige’s parents had a nice service for her. It was closed casket. There were so many people, they couldn’t all fit inside the church. Her real dad showed up and she would’ve liked that.

I have to be here for another three years, but three years really isn’t that long. It will be over before I know it and I’ll be free—totally free. The first thing I’m going to do is find Jocelyn.