Sinister Ego : Dangerous Minds

15. Worship

The annoying blonde kid, Casey, had seemed to have gotten over me refusing to shake his hand, and had resumed his stupid little conversation with his stupid little cult friends. Me and Rin didn't say a single word the entire time we sat at the table, doing nothing. Casey and his friends kept trying to talk to us, every few minutes trying to start a conversation, but the attempts were awkward and cringeworthy.

"Turn that frown upside down, mate!" He exclaimed, shooting me and Rin a thumbs up. I just rolled my eyes at him, and Rin stared down at his untouched food. Couldn't this guy take a hint? Wasn't it obvious we didn't want to talk? I wondered what could possibly be wrong with him, with all these people, to be able to feel so safe and at home at a place so full of dread.

"Oh, you'll open up soon enough," he smiled at me. "Aren't you going to eat? This is the only meal until dinner."

I let out a frustrated sigh. I had tried to hold it in, but he was pushing me to the limit. And he didn't seem to feel like stopping anytime soon. "Will you stop talking to me? Please? I am not going to 'open up', this place is pure evil. You're probably just brainwashed by some cult shit. Just leave me alone."

Once again, his smile fell. His eyes went wide for a second, then he clenched them shut. His lips began to tremble as a tear formed.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Look what you did! You made him cry!" One of his friends accused, glaring at me.

"You hurt his feelings!" Another chimed in.

I just widened my eyes, temped to laugh. They were acting like five-year-olds. This scene was simply...pitiful. Yet when I opened my mouth to chuckle, I found myself unable to do so. Just like the conversations and laughter, something about his little display didn't feel right. Not because it was coming from an eighteen year old, but something else. Something cryptic and eerie.

Casey continued sobbing, rubbing his eyes with his white sleeves. He was about to say something to me when a familiar low bellow filled the room, and people began to get up from their seats, abandoning their plates and following the guards out of the room.

"You're a jerk," he said to me before he and his friends got up and followed the others, smirking like it was the greatest insult ever thought up. I just watched as he walked away.

Rin slowly rose from his seat. "Fuck is wrong with these people?"

All I could do was shrug.

****

They didn't lead us back to our cells.

Though I would have preferred that. I would have preferred to just be left alone with nothing but my thoughts and Rin, the only other person in this place who seemed to be even remotely normal. I wanted to be away from these brainwashed cult members. They just made me even more afraid for what the future had in store for Ricky Alexander.

Instead, they took us to a room even larger than the cafeteria. Unsurprisingly, the walls were blood red and lined with the language, with that powdery substance on the floor, just like in the hall. In the very center of the room, there was what appeared to be a small stage, where father sat in a throne-like chair. Just below the stage, a cult member banged a huge, anciently designed drum, forcing a deep bass sound to swallow the room. Members of the cult lifted their hands up and happily shouted cries of joy as father rambled on in a language Ricky couldn't understand, but had no doubt of what it was.

Pretty soon, members were surrounding the stage, Rin and I as far from it as possible. We occasionally exchanged confused glances, wondering what the hell was happening. I was sort of getting used to that, pondering what was going on.

The shouting and hand waving went on for about five minutes before father calmed them down with a single clap of his hand. It was like they were dogs, and he was their master. He made a simple command, and they blindly obeyed, no matter what.

"We are called to worship," Father shouted in perfect English, looking expectantly at the crowd.

"We are called to give thanks to our creator and our father," the audience responded in almost a mechanical voice.

"We are called to worship," he repeated.

"We are called to offer peace and gratitude for the one who saved us."

The drum player began a madly fast, intricate beat as father began preaching in that cursed language again. Two more member came forward, one with a large wooden stringed instrument, and the other with a rather small brass instrument that I didn't recognize. They began playing a violent, complicated melody to the beat as father continued to preach.

But who were they preaching to, Ricky wondered? Who was this mad instrumental offered to, who was this eloquent speech meant for?

They stopped once again.

"I would like to shout out to our two newest members, Ricky Alexander and Rin Tamaki. We welcome you with open arms, my sons."

"Welcome Ricky and Rin."

I felt a warmness wash over me as Father and the members said my name, as father pointed in our direction and then turned to look at me with that same wide smile Casey had in the cafeteria. The whole thing reminded me of an Alcoholic's Anonymous meeting. A sick, torturous, horrifying Alcoholic's Anonymous meeting. I just wanted out, I just wanted to run away from here. Or at least get their attention off of me.

"I expect you," Father continued, "to treat them just as you would treat any of your peers. I expect to to answer any questions they may have and fill them in on everything they need to know about who we are and what we stand for."

"Yes, Father."

Father smiled. "Good. Now, return to your cells until it is time for dinner. Also, the Calling of Undesirables will take place within the week, so be sure you're on your best behavior."

They began filing out.

****

I lay down on the floor of the cell while Rin occupied the single cot. Dinner had been a bland affair, just as lunch had been. Now here we were, locked up with nothing but our minds, nothing but our worries.

My thoughts turned to Rory. I wondered if he's freaking out right now. I wondered if they're going to search for me. I wondered if my mom even knows I'm missing.

"I don't belong here, man," Rin whispered. I don't know if it was to me or to himself. "I don't want to be here."

I sighed. "No one does."

No one wants to be here.

But is that true? I thought back to Casey, back to the energetic, hyper worship service.

I'm not sure it is.

Honestly, it seemed largely false.

Honestly, it seemed like Rin and I where the only ones that didn't.