Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Pain shoots through me. No, I refuse to get emotional. I shut it down, the way I always do, and we keep on, Alexei guiding me off the trail, deeper into the woods. We come to a clearing where the cemetery for the old Methodist church is. I’ve been here during the daytime before, just to check it out with friends.
Alexei checks his phone, then slides it back in his pocket as we navigate through the trees to the old church on the other side.
“Keep quiet when we get close to the church,” he says. “You’ll see why.” He stops and takes my arm, spinning me back to him. “What you’re about to see stays between the two of us, okay?” When I hesitate, he adds, “Matteo, I’m trusting you’ll be discreet. I don’t want you to share this with anyone, especially not the people you’re about to see.”
“That I can agree to.”
I would never turn him in to the guys doing this to him, but if he needs help, I’m not sure I can agree not to share this with cult counselors or other mental-health professionals.
He releases my arm, and we continue through the cemetery.
I assume someone’s in the church now—maybe this is where the Alpha Alpha Mus meet for their little sex cult.
When we near the back of the building, he approaches the wall in a spot where there’s a narrow, boarded-up window at the base. He urges me to get onto my knees with him, and after I do, I notice a sliver of light breaking through the board near his knee. He points to another crack of light on the other side of the board before getting on his stomach and peering through. I follow his lead, doing the same on the other side.
The boards on the outside of the window don’t cover it fully, and there’s another board on the inside, but it has a few chips and cracks that expose what I’m guessing is the cellar, where an orange glow illuminates familiar faces.
But it’s not the Alpha Alpha Mu guys.
Surrounded by blackboards and old desks, our roommates, Brad and Luke, are seated on the cement floor. Brad’s arms are wrapped around Luke from behind as he tugs him close. They’re sitting in the middle of a symbol—takes me a second to realize it’s a pentagram. Seth and Cody stand beside them, chatting.
Are these guys a part of this sex cult Alexei’s in? No, not Brad and Luke!
But now it makes more sense why Alexei didn’t want me talking to Brad about what we were doing.
As the guys speak to each other, I can’t make out the words, only muffled sounds.
It’s weird that they chose the cellar of the old church to hang out.
They keep chatting before Seth and Cody sit on the floor, on the opposite side of the pentagram from Brad and Luke. They cross their legs and rest their hands on their knees, like they’re about to meditate. Luke and Brad stay in their seated positions, but Brad tightens his hold on Luke. It’s strange, for sure.
I turn my attention to Alexei. With a nod, he encourages me to continue watching.
Tension twists up in my gut. How do I reason with him? I have to come up with a better strategy than I did in the library.
As the guys sit in silence, Brad nuzzles his face against Luke’s neck, kissing softly, and Luke rolls his head back. It makes me think of those pages Alexei copied. Jesus, how many students at St. Lawrence are into this crap? But if these guys get together and meditate…I don’t know what Alexei thinks that’s going to prove.
It’s freezing on the ground, and I have to reposition with my hands under my chin to get a little more comfortable.
A minute goes by.
Then a few more.
Brad is really going at Luke’s neck, which has me thinking this isn’t something we should be watching, when I notice something happening with the necklace around Luke’s neck.
It’s moving—no, floating up. Slowly but steadily. No, that can’t be right.
I blink a few times. I guess I haven’t slept that well the past few nights, so between that and what Alexei and I have been talking about, my mind’s playing tricks on me. But my blinks don’t make the illusion go away, and something feels different all of a sudden. I can’t put my finger on it, but as I assess the room, I realize there’s space under Seth and Cody… Empty space. Like they’re hovering an inch or two above the ground.
Again, I try to fix my eyes, but it doesn’t change what I’m seeing. This time when I turn to Alexei, he’s watching me. He nods, and my gaze returns to the guys.
This must be a trick. But if it’s not… No, that’s impossible!