***Chapter 3***
Howie
I knocked on AJ’s door expectantly. I can’t wait until the five os us can share this as a group, I thought.
“Who is it?” AJ’s voice called out.
“Howie,” I answered back brightly.
There was a short pause, then the door opened to reveal Brian and AJ, looking pale and shaken.
“What’s wrong?” I asked immediately.
Brian blushed slightly, covering his white face. “Oh -- n-nothing. We were just talking.”
I looked between the two of them and rested one hand on either of their shoulders. “Guys, you know I’m here if you need to talk.”
AJ jerked away from me as if he’d been burned.
I sighed and sat down on the bed. “Look. I know you think I’ve been acting a little weird lately. And you’re probably right. But I really want to share with you what’s going on.”
“We know what’s going on,” AJ jumped in. Brian shot him a startled look.
I was puzzled. “What do you mean?” Have they already talked to one of the others? I wondered. This is my appointed task . . .
“We were just doing a little reading about your group,” Brian said nervously gesturing towards the blank computer screen.
I smiled. They’d probably just made my job easier. “Good. Then you already know what our mission is.”
“To united the world through prayer.” AJ recited.
I beamed. “Exactly. And you wouldn’t believe the good it will --”
“We’re not really interested,” AJ cut me off.
I blinked. “What? But you --”
“Sorry, Howie,” Brian said softly, refusing to meet my eyes.
“But I’m sure once you guys learn about our organization --”
“We have learned about it,” AJ said sharply.
I was puzzled. “Then you should be anxious to join . . .”
AJ stood face to face with me. “No, Howie. We didn’t read propaganda. We read about what they’re really doing to you. They’re manipulating you.”
I laughed. “AJ, I chose to join, and they improved my life. If they’re manipulating me, they’re certainly not doing any harm.”
“Howie, we’re serious,” Brian said, finally meeting my gaze. “We’re worried about you and the others.”
I could not comprehend this turn of events. Why didn’t they want to join?
“Howie,” AJ said more calmly, “can you describe to us how you met these people?”
“I . . . I couldn’t find the church I was looking for and ended up at their Gathering Place instead.” My memory drifted back pleasantly to that night. It was like a warm blanket closing over my mind. “They said they’d been waiting for me, that I was very important to them. They brought the Catholics in their organization to talk to me. They explained how Prayer has enhanced and enriched their faith, not taken it over. They said they needed my help and taught me how to listen for God’s true voice . . .” I opened my eyes to gauge their reactions.
My two friends, instead of looking pleased and impressed, looked shocked and even . . . disgusted. Brian was completely white again.
“What?” I asked, my voice suddenly very loud in the silent room. “Why are you looking at me like that? That was the best experience of my life!”
When had I started shouting?
“You just don’t understand!” I continued at the same volume. “You’re not listening!” My heart began to pound. Why were they scaring me so badly? I wanted safety . . . I wanted the control back.
I began praying softly, letting the familiar words return my calm. My tongue slid into another language, and I meditated more deeply --
“Howie! Stop it!” AJ was shaking my shoulders violently.
“Let GO!”
I wrenched away from him, leaving him and Brian still stunned. “You two don’t understand anything! You’re -- you’re -- UNWORTHY!”
I ran.
~~~
Nick
I tried to stop myself from shaking. I’d never seen Howie so scared before. What the hell is going on?
“Calm down,” Kevin told me, pacing back and forth. “The leaders will know what to do.”
Howie had come in fifteen minutes ago. He was mumbling to himself and shivering. He said Brian and AJ were messing everything up. He said he felt shaken and needed to talk to the leaders. I felt more than a little shaken myself; Howie had been my pillar of stability. What could AJ and Brian have said that would scare him so badly?
“Maybe we should find out what they said to him,” Kevin suggested.
“No!” I cried, a little louder than I intended. “No . . . no. If they said something really bad, it could affect us, too. You know we’re not strong enough yet to resist temptation.” I nearly jumped out of my seat as the phone rang.
Kevin leaned over and picked it up. “Hello?” He listened for a minute. “But . . . are you sure about this?” I gulped. Kevin looked more uneasy. Then he suddenly relaxed. “Oh, okay. That sounds great . . . yeah, yeah, we’ll be ready . . . I understand. See you soon.”
“What’s going on?” I asked anxiously.
“The leaders want us to attend a retreat,” Kevin answered, his voice calm as it always was. “It will make us stronger. Then we’ll understand how to respond to Brian and AJ. They want to help us.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. They would take care of everything. Then I thought of something else.
“Does this mean that . . . Brian and AJ are against us?”
“If they refuse to believe in the power of Prayer . . . yes.”
~~~
Brian
After Howie had stormed out, I sat down to do some praying of my own. AJ went back to researching on the net.
We both wished we’d handled the conversation better. But Howie was just . . .
God, what’s happening?
I felt a pair of arms wrap securely around me.
“Brian, calm down.”
When had I started shivering? I tried to relax into AJ’s hug.
“I d-don’t know what’s wrong with me,” I said. Great. Since when did I start stuttering? “We’re prob-bably just overeacting to this whole thing. It’s probably nothing.”
“Then why are you shaking?”
Damn his logic.
“I d-don’t know.”
“This is serious, Brian. They’re getting into some serious shit. And we’ve gotta do something about it.”
“Nick,” I said, suddenly getting an idea.
AJ pulled away. “What?”
“Nick’s the answer,” I said, getting up as my words started to flow faster. “Nick’s the weakest link. He was shaky that night before we went on stage until he talked to Howie!”
AJ’s eyes lit up with understanding. “So, if we can just pry him away from Howie . . .”
We looked at each other, then bolted for the door in unison. We thundered down the hall and skidded to a stop in front of Nick’s door. I took a deep breath to calm myself and knocked. “Nick! We need to talk to you!”
Randy, Kevin’s personal body guard, stepped out of the elevator and started down the hall towards us. “Hey, guys! They’ve already left!” he called.
I swear my heart dropped into my shoes.
“Left?” AJ asked, his voice a little higher than normal. “Where?”
“Didn’t they tell you?” Randy asked as he walked up to us. “They left on some kind of retreat. Said they’d catch up with you guys in Vegas.”
I put my hand against the door to keep my balance. “Y-You didn’t go with them?”
“No, they said the place was private and security wouldn’t be a concern. They also promised to call if there are any problems. So, I guess I get a couple days off then, huh?” He smiled and clapped AJ on the shoulder as he continued his way down the hall.
I looked over at AJ. His face was completely white.
“We’re too late,” he whispered.
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “We’ll just talk to them when they get back. We’re not getting let these people stop us.”
“N-No . . . you don’t understand . . . it’s a retreat. They’ll . . . they’ll be completely brainwashed by the time they get back.”
~~~