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“The lawsuit won’t hold water.”
    For a moment, it almost seemed like he was actually standing up for her. “Then why do they persecute us?” she asked.
    â€œ Us ? Have you been involved in the circle?”
    Anne-Marie looked down. “Not yet. My faith isn’t strong enough yet.”
    His answer was impatient: “It’s got nothing to do with persecution, it’s prosecution , a simple First Amendment legal action. It goes on all over the country. But even your question itself is reason enough for you to think long and hard about the type of religious group you’ve gotten yourself into. Groups that talk about persecution want to be martyrs and victims. That’s not healthy.”
    â€œWe’ve been through all this. I don’t want to go through it again.”
    â€œNeither do I,” her father assured her. “Anyway, this topic wouldn’t work for biology.”
    â€œI know.” But she felt the need to defend herself and her faith. “If loving the Lord and wanting to serve Him isn’t healthy, then I don’t know what would be.”
    â€œI don’t want to argue with you, Anne-Marie. I just wish you’d spend as much time on your research papers as you do printing out Bible passages.”
    â€œYou’ve been looking at my Bible.”
    â€œI’ve seen it. I didn’t have time to count the turned-down pages. But I did count these twelve Bible verses you’ve printed out and pinned to your walls. Perhaps I should be grateful that your computer skills are improving.”
    â€œAll I really know is how to use the word processing program and the printer. If you’ve been looking through my Bible, though, you’re invading my privacy. This room and computer area are mine now.”
    Her father ignored the mild protest. “But I’ve also seen your grades in English and biology,” he said. “This religious phase you’re going through is just another distraction as far as I can tell, which is the last thing you need.”
    Anne-Marie bristled at the term religious phase , but merely said, “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I’ll probably say something I’ll regret.” I have to forgive , she reminded herself. I have to learn forgiveness .

April 11
    The sheep have to be kept apart from the goats .
    Anne-Marie heard her mother calling her from the bottom of the stairs, but it wasn’t until the third time that she actually woke up. She rolled on her side, burying her head beneath her pillow. Her dream had been about Brother Jackson and his sermon. It had been vivid enough to recall one of his admonitions again: Keep company with the sheep, those who can help you find paths of righteousness. Avoid the goats; they are the tempters who set the snares .
    Anne-Marie remembered the man as well as the words. She couldn’t forget Brother Jackson’s smile or the strength of his body. The dream had such a haloed effect she buried her head deeper beneath the pillow to try to preserve it.
    It only took a few moments, though, before she was wide awake and headed for the bathroom. Lathering in the shower, she asked herself, Can I always tell the difference between the sheep and goats? How do you do that ? She thought again of his face, but the tingling was nothing more than the hot water rinsing down her limbs. She wondered if there was a way to turn showers into daily purification rites, like baptism.
    Anne-Marie used her white scrunchie to anchor her long blond hair in a ponytail. It wasn’t glamorous, but she’d decided it wasn’t important anymore to spend the time and money on her hair. She had tons of makeup in her collection, but it too seemed like overkill, now that she was secure in the Lord. She decided to use only a little mascara and just a touch of lipstick.
    She stepped on the scale to discover that she had lost six pounds during the past two weeks. The lost