A Glimpse of Blind Faith (Preview)

I adored my father, and the very last thing I would ever want to do was disappoint him. I was a straight-A kid, wore my skirts a decent length, taught Sunday School to the nursery kids, and said my prayers each night. I wasn't the perfect daughter, of course, but compared other girls my age, I was a saint. I heard a bored yawn and glanced to the beautiful blonde sitting to my right. Rosalie, one of my best friends, was rolling her eyes as my father continued condemning today's youth.

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Her boyfriend, Emmett McCarty, seemed totally unaffected by my dad's sermon as I watched his hand slowly creep up her exposed thigh. Suddenly, my father's fist pounded the podium, and I stifled a giggle as Emmett quickly jerked his hand away and stuffed it in his pocket. I glanced at the rest of the teens lining our pew, and Mike Newton had the nerve to wink at me. I narrowed my eyes at him, and his face paled before quickly looking back toward my father. For reasons completely unfathomable to me, Mike showed up on my doorstep last week. Just walked right up to it, knocked on the door, and asked my father if he could take me to the movies.

My father didn't give me the chance to say no which I totally would have before slamming the door in Mike's face. Mike's request had suddenly alerted my dad to the fact that I was indeed a teenage girl, and that night began the first of our many "spiritual" meetings concerning the opposite sex. I was completely horrified, but his message was loud and clear. My dad could have saved his sermons because sex was the truly the very last thing on my mind. There wasn't a guy at Forks High School that I was even remotely interested in. My friends, on the other hand, were some of the biggest fornicators my father's favorite word in town, and I lived vicariously through them.

Finally, the organist began playing a song, and Alice handed me a hymnal, prompting me to quickly flip through the pages. They were usually joined at the hip, and despite the fact that church could be torture, Jazz never missed an opportunity to be with Alice. He's sitting in the back row with his cousin, Edward. He just moved here from Chicago.

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I sighed and handed her the hymnal before climbing out of the pew. At least once a month, my father requested that I sing in church. I really didn't mind because I loved to sing, and I especially loved to sing praise music. Reverend Swan was traditional in his biblical teachings, but he was more than willing to compromise when it came to music. To cater to both the older and younger members, our services always had a mix of traditional hymns and contemporary worship music. Cope, the piano player, smiled brightly at me as I took the microphone out of the stand and switched it on.

My father introduced me, which was ridiculous considering a majority of the people in this room had known me since the day I was born, but he felt it was important to introduce me to any visitors we might have. I hated being the center of attention, and performing always made me a little nervous, but as I looked down into the smiling faces of my church family, I felt nothing but serenity. That tranquility was shattered when I saw him. He was the only unfamiliar face in the sanctuary, and he was sitting right next to Jasper.

He had wild bronze hair and the most handsome face I'd ever seen. Jazz waved at me, and I blinked rapidly as Mrs. Cope replayed the opening bars of "Breathe" — something I was having a little trouble doing now that I'd gotten a glimpse of Jasper's cousin. My father quietly cleared his throat, and I forced myself to focus on anything besides the beautiful boy sitting in the back row as I began to sing. I closed my eyes, letting the melodic tone of her sweet voice wash over me. I tried to imagine the face of a girl with a voice like that. No, definitely a brunette, and her hair was probably long and beautiful.

The past hour of the reverend's sermon had nearly put me to sleep, but I had to admit he was good. By the time he was finished, I was feeling guilty for my own lustful teenage desires. At times, being my friend came with its own set of disadvantages, and I wasn't sure I was ready for the possible rejection.

Actually, now that I think about it, you two have a lot in common. She's religious, but she's also one of the most opened-minded people I've ever met. She doesn't judge, and she's nice to absolutely everybody. I was just about to ask why when the reverend asked us to bow our heads. After a quick prayer, he wished us a good week, and I could hear the shuffling of feet as the parishioners made their way down the aisle.

A Glimpse of Blind Faith by Amy Brinkley (2015, Paperback)

Jasper grabbed my elbow as he led me away from the pew and toward the exit. Suddenly, he stopped, and I heard him introduce me to Reverend Swan. I didn't think I should mention that I enjoyed his daughter's singing a lot more than his preaching. He shook my hand firmly.

I felt the warmth of the sun on my face, and I couldn't help but smile. I want to introduce you to my girl. And to Emmett and Rosalie…and to Bella, of course. I felt Jasper move closer to me. Alice and Bella are best friends, and you're starting school tomorrow, so it's inevitable. You'd think after all this time that I would have lost the anxiety that comes with meeting new people, but I knew that even a brief encounter was sometimes enough to convince the other person that they couldn't deal with my limitations in life.

I was nervous enough about moving to a new town and starting a new school midway through my senior year, but now Jasper was dragging me to church and introducing me to his best friends. What if they didn't accept me? What if they couldn't? Jasper and his hot cousin were walking our way, and I was pretty sure I was having a panic attack. Listen, before they make their way over here, there's probably something you should know about Edward. He's completely gorgeous with his chiseled jaw and his—". Jazz says he's pretty shy, actually, which is kind of understandable considering he's—".

She never had the chance to finish because, suddenly, Jasper and Edward were standing right in front of us. Jasper immediately leaned down to kiss Alice on the cheek while I found myself face-to-face with his handsome cousin. His smile melted my heart and he had the deepest, greenest eyes I'd ever seen. Unfortunately, he wasn't looking at me. He seemed to be looking over my shoulder, and I couldn't hide my agitation as I quickly looked behind me to see what — or who — had caught his attention. I glanced back at him, and he extended his hand toward me.

I searched his eyes — those wide emerald eyes that pierced my soul — and that's when I understood.

A Glimpse of Blind Faith by Amy Brinkley (, Paperback) | eBay

His eyes weren't focused on someone else. Startled, I glanced at Jasper who was smiling softly in my direction. He nodded, and I wasn't sure if he was nodding in confirmation or nodding in an attempt to encourage me. Anxiously, I took a deep breath and raised my hand to meet his. Instant warmth flooded my veins as he laced his fingers with mine — as if holding hands was the most natural thing in the world to be doing with someone you'd met only seconds before. We lowered our hands, but they remained joined as Alice and Jasper made plans for the afternoon.

I was pretty sure I heard our names mentioned, but I couldn't be sure. The only thing I could focus on was the feel of his hand in mine and how his fingers were gently brushing across my knuckles. Sadly, the spell was broken when Emmett and Rosalie joined us. Rose's perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched in surprise when she saw our joined hands.

I wanted to slap her, but that would have required the use of my hand, and I just couldn't bring myself to let go. Jasper made the introductions, and it was quickly decided that we'd all go to Alice's house for lunch. I nodded, but then I remembered that my nodding wasn't helpful at all. Of course, the pianist chose that moment to walk by us, and she narrowed her eyes at Emmett before dragging her husband to their car.

I will go sweet talk the preacher. We'll meet you there in about half an hour. If anyone could sweet talk my father, it was Alice. My father liked to say that she was "a spirited little thing," but I knew that was just a nice of saying that she was little and loud. Despite her boundless energy, my father adored her. My face flushed, and for a second, I was thankful that Edward couldn't see it.

With a regretful sigh, I loosened my fingers from his grasp. He sighed, too, and I couldn't help but smile. He wants you so badly…". Thankfully, the place was nearly empty. My father was still there talking to the choir director. Do you want the roof to cave in?

He was just preaching about lustful teenage thoughts! Wasn't that the craziest thing? Like your hand was just molded to his the instant you touched! He'll know something's up! Why don't I take my two favorite girls out to lunch? Nothing fancy, just a few friends and some pizza. I thought it'd give him the chance to meet some people before his first day in a new school. You know how it can be to be the new kid in town.

We want to make Edward feel welcome. My dad smiled at both of us. Just don't be out too late, Bella. You have school tomorrow. Not that Alice's parents weren't great, but it would be nice if it was just the six of us. My parents are in Seattle for the weekend. They might be home by midnight. I felt a momentary rush of guilt as I realized that we'd just lied to my father, but I also knew that we really were just a few friends getting together for pizza. It wasn't as if Emmett was going to bring a keg. Alice smiled brightly as she re-applied her lip gloss.

There's a very handsome guy waiting for you back at my house. I wanted to ask her a million questions about Edward, but the one that most interested me was the one that seemed the most personal. I couldn't imagine it. What would it be like to live in eternal darkness? How did he get from place to place? And that's when I understood…. She didn't elaborate and I didn't ask.

I understood that some stories weren't meant to be shared. If Edward wanted me to know, he'd tell me himself. I continued pacing what I assumed to be the living room.

I was grateful that Alice seemed to be a neat freak. I was pacing pretty erratically and I'd yet to run into anything. I had come to terms with my blindness a long time ago, but still…there were times when I'd try to imagine something that I'd never seen during the first twelve years of my life before losing my sight. It was difficult to visualize something of which you had no prior knowledge. My ears perked as I suddenly heard the sound of a vehicle tire crunching on the graveled driveway.

A few minutes later, I heard Bella's voice as she made her way into the house. My hands began to tremble as I struggled to control my breathing. How was it possible that a girl I'd met for five minutes could make me this nuts? You have nothing to worry about. Suddenly, the aroma of fresh strawberries assaulted my senses and I felt someone sit down beside of me.

This was a complete set-up. Interestingly enough, I didn't mind at all. I'm never sure if he really believes Alice's lies or if he just chooses not to question her. My father would never have agreed to this if he'd known that Alice's parents were out of town. I've never given him a reason not to trust me, and now he's subjecting me to sex talks and preaching to me and my friends from the pulpit…" Her tender voice trailed off in embarrassment.

I don't mean to disrespect my father. He's really a good man. It's so completely embarrassing. Jasper had said that Bella was shy, but it didn't seem that way.

She was talking animatedly, and I was hanging onto every word. She told me about Forks High School and some of the teachers there. I mentioned that I already had my schedule, and I was excited to learn that we had Biology together. As time went on, our conversation drifted into more personal topics, and I learned that her mother had died when Bella was just five.

I missed that woman so much. She'd taken care of me for the past five years. My mom's name was Elizabeth, and she was the oldest of the three Masen daughters. Aunt Esme is the middle child, and Aunt Carmen is the baby. Just then, Jasper came back into the living room to let us know that Rose and Emmett had arrived with the pizza. Honestly, I would have preferred to starve if it meant that we could continue our conversation, but I knew that would be impolite.

With a sigh, I rose to my feet, and suddenly, I felt her soft hand slip into mine. I nodded gratefully, but as she led me into the kitchen, I knew deep in my soul that it was too late. The month that followed was the happiest and most confusing of my life. Having already lost an earlier child to a "plague" as all epidemics are called, Trafford tries to find a way to get Caitlin Happymeal vaccinated.

Trafford's wife, Chantorria, is a devout Temple member and is against the idea. Trafford ignores her wishes and secretly vaccinates Caitlin against measles, mumps and tetanus. Vaccination is banned under the " Wembley Laws" as interference in "God's will" and as a result, half of all children born die of preventable diseases such as measles , mumps , rubella and tetanus.

When a measles epidemic comes to London, thousands of children die, including all the children in the Trafford's apartment building, but Caitlin Happymeal survives. Chantorria is aware of the fact that Caitlin Happymeal has been vaccinated, but rather than accepting this cause and effect, she sees Caitlin Happymeal's survival as God's will.

The Sewells become stars in their parish and Chantorria becomes the centre of attention, which she relishes. She gradually becomes convinced that she is one of God's chosen few and begins an affair with Confessor Bailey. He has been " Goog'ing " her and discovers that the videos that she "tubes" are not of her and her blog entries have been lifted wholesale from other people's blogs.

This fascinates Trafford as he sees a kindred spirit in her: Trafford introduces Sandra Dee to the books that Cassius has lent him from the Humanist group's library. The relationship between the pair develops. The Sewells' world is then shattered by the death of Caitlin Happymeal due to a cholera epidemic, a disease against which she was not vaccinated. Chantorria becomes angry, telling Trafford that Caitlin's death is a punishment from God for his heresy in having her vaccinated at all.

They are rejected by their community and arrested by the Temple and are tortured into implicating others. Chantorria accepts the torture as her "just punishment". As Trafford finally breaks and implicates Cassius, the Inquisitor tells him that they already knew everything, the torture was simply to test his endurance. In his cell, Trafford is visited by Sandra Dee, who turns out to be an undercover police officer, and the reason that the Temple knows all about the Humanists.

She tries to recruit Trafford. He refuses and he and Chantorria are taken to the stake to be burned as heretics. When being tied to the stake, Trafford notices a girl waving an Ev Love "evolve" backwards banner, showing that she received the e-mail. He goes to his death in hope of a better world, reasoning that a society which promotes ignorance over knowledge and values mediocrity will inevitably die out and "evolve" into one that values knowledge and excellence.