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An unexpected wave of warmth washed over her. Of course he did yoga.
She noticed the methodical distribution of food and the way members were served in a certain order, which didn’t seem to be according to age or gender. It seemed to go by the color of their robes, with light blue robes having their pick of food, followed by the green robes. By the time the trays reached the brown robes at the end of the table, there wasn’t much left but dull oatmeal and the worst pieces of fruit. She also noticed a pattern of exchange among the commune members. If someone accepted a bowl, they would give something in return, like a piece of fruit. This was not a simple act of gratitude. It felt ritualistic, almost... transactional.
A gentle chime filled the air, silencing the communal chatter. All heads turned towards a raised platform at the far end of the lawn. There stood Hopeful in his white robe, his long hair cascading down his back, strong hands resting calmly on a wooden pulpit. His eyes gleamed with a charisma that was difficult to ignore. An anticipatory hush fell over the commune as he began to speak.
“Good morning, my Embraced. We gather here to celebrate the dawn of another day—a day filled with promise, unity, and enlightenment. As the sun greets us anew, let us be reminded of our purpose here: to love and to be loved, to seek harmony within ourselves and among one another. Let us break our fast together, not just in body but in spirit.”
His words washed over the crowd with the gentle power of a lullaby. Ellie found herself reluctantly captivated by his presence. He had a way of commanding attention that was both magnetic and unsettling. His gaze swept across the crowd until his eyes locked on Ellie.
Her heart stuttered as Hopeful stared at her for what felt like an eternity. Cal’s hand tightened around hers.
Hopeful finally shifted his gaze away, and she exhaled a relieved breath.
“We encourage sharing our thoughts, joys, and fears amongst ourselves,” Hopeful continued softly. “Open your hearts to each other. Let the bonds of trust and unity strengthen us.”
Her breath hitched at his words. She glanced at Cal, who was scrutinizing Hopeful with narrowed eyes. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, but she could tell he was equally unsettled.
Serenity stepped onto the raised platform, her robe swaying gently in the morning breeze. Her eyes shone with a mixture of pride and anticipation as she glanced over the crowd. Ellie noticed that when she looked at Hopeful, her gaze was full of reverence.
“Thank you,” Serenity began, her soft voice carrying across the lawn. “Today I want to share a joy that’s warmed my heart.”
As she spoke about the joy of being a part of the commune, Cal leaned in closer to Ellie. “How long do you think this sharing session is going to last?”
Ellie shrugged lightly. She had no idea.
The breakfast continued in silence as people went up to the podium and shared their joys. Then Hopeful returned and preached some more about love, unity, and collective consciousness, interspersed with cryptic analogies that didn’t make sense to Ellie’s mind, but the members absorbed it all like gospel.
After breakfast, they were shuffled from one workshop to another, each more bizarre than the last. They learned about the healing properties of crystals, the commune’s interpretation of astral projection, and what Ellie could only describe as an attempt at mind reading. She didn’t see what any of this had to do with healing a failing relationship, but the other couples seemed to be enthralled by it all. Of course, Marla and Jeff were already indoctrinated by all of the visits—their robes were green— but now Tyler and Nico had drunk the Kool-Aid, eyes gleaming with the zeal of the converted.
As they sat cross-legged on a woven mat during an “aura harmonizing” session, the leader of the workshop—an old woman named Starlight with piercing blue eyes—began to softly chant a mantra. The other couples joined in, their voices building to fill the tent.
This was crazy. They had to know this was all crazy, right?
She slid a glance toward Cal. He looked just as bemused and raised his brows in a silent, “Can you believe this shit?”
“Are we in an episode of ‘The Twilight Zone’?” she whispered.
He snorted, clamping his hand over his mouth to suppress his laughter. Starlight scolded them and they both dipped their heads in mock contrition until she stopped glaring at them and returned to chanting.
Cal leaned in, his lips close to her ear. “Wanna make a break for it?”
They managed to sneak out of the tent while everyone was deep in meditative chanting. Once they were safely outside, they burst into laughter.
“Oh my God,” Ellie gasped, swiping at the tears streaming from her eyes. “Did you see Marla’s face during that crystal healing workshop? She looked like she was having an orgasm.”
Cal cracked up all over again and doubled over, propping his hands on his thighs. “And that astral projection lecture? Jeff looked like he was about to ascend to a higher plane of existence right then and there.”
“It’s all so... ridiculous. They don’t actually believe this stuff, do they?”
“Seems like.” He straightened and sucked in a breath. “But, so far, this is all harmless New Age self-help crap. These people are weird, but I haven’t seen any overt signs of danger.”
“Are we wrong about this place?” She thought back to Hopeful’s gaze on her during breakfast and shivered, rubbing at the goosebumps suddenly covering her arms.
No, they weren’t wrong. Every instinct she had screamed that something was off about the commune. The rituals, the strange workshops, the weird hierarchy of robe colors—all of it was too orchestrated and too manipulative to be dismissed as benign self-help practices.
Plus, the girl had wanted to leave. Was she just a teenager rebelling against her unconventional upbringing? Or was there something more sinister at play here? And where was she now?
“Cal, we need to find out what happens when people decide they want to leave.”
