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Jane leans forward, hand covering mine. “What did Wray want from you, Imogene?”

I look to my mother, and she nods. We knew I’d have to tell the truth. Reveal to the world what kind of person he really is.

“I was flattered by his attention,” I admit. “And I was asked to join a special group of women. To join we had to tell our deepest secrets.” Collateral. “And we were marked—branded—with a symbol. One we thought represented Serendee.”

“But it didn’t represent Serendee, correct?”

“No. We were branded with Anex’s initals.” Tears burn in my eyes at the memory. The pain and humiliation. The utter mind control he had over me. “Anex wanted me to be one of his wives and the months leading up to my escape were spent either in isolation, being groomed, or being manipulated by him.”

“Did you say wives? Plural?”

I nod.

She lets that sink in, then adds, “You understand that people will say that you could’ve left at any moment. You’re eighteen. Your mother had left the group years before. But you stayed and willingly participated in these activities. People will say this isn’t a cult, that he’s just a con man who convinced the weak people in the community to believe in what he’s selling.”

“I would tell those people that I was born and raised in Serendee and that I was taught that even though there are times the community hurts, we believed it was less than the world outside. That our family and friends, that our rules and our leader, would keep us safe on our path to Enlightenment.”

“Why are you here, Imogene? Why tell a story so many will find hard to believe?”

“Because it’s time for Anex to practice what he preaches. He’s always telling us obstacles are just another test we have to endure. That only the weak and fallen fall victim to outside interference.” I straighten my spine. “I believethisis his test. One he needs to be present for. He taught us to believe in our convictions, in the truth of our community. If he has nothing to hide, and he did nothing wrong, then why is he on the run?”

Jane nods, her expression pleased with my response. She waves Camille to come over and my mom crosses the small space and sits on the couch next to me.

“Is it true you two have been estranged from one another for years?”

“Yes, since she was twelve,” Camille says. “Leaving her was the hardest thing I ever had to do.”

“Then why did you? Most parents wouldn’t leave their children in that situation.”

“I refused to go,” I tell Jane. “She tried to get me and I refused. Serendee was my home.”

Jane looks back at Camille. “Do you regret it?”

A tremor runs through my mother, and I reach for her hand. “Every day, but I also know how scared I was at the time and I did what I thought I had to. That I don’t regret.”

“Scared of Timothy Wray? You thought he was going to hurt you?”

“His first wife was my best friend. We all started Serendee together. Timothy changed over time, he started gaining power and control over the residents. He wanted an open marriage and his wife, my best friend, Beatrice, refused.” She looks at me. “She was dead two months later and he wanted me to take her place. There was no way that was happening, but it became clear; fall in line, become his wife, let him continue his tyranny or my fate would be the same as Beatrice’s.”

My stomach rolls with queasiness. Back then I never would have believed Anex was capable of such things. Even a few months ago when Rex told me his suspicions, but now I know better.

“You think he hurt his wife?” Jane leans in slightly, eager for an answer.

My mother doesn’t let her down. “I know he did. He took away my best friend, he stole my daughter’s innocence, and he’s ruined hundreds of lives.”

“Wow, that’s quite an accusation.” Jane’s expression softens and she looks between us. “What’s it like having your daughter back?”

“I never gave up hope that one day we’d be reunited, but I also wasn’t sure if it would happen.” Mom looks at me and smiles. “It feels like a miracle.”

“And now?” Jane asks, looking at me.

“Now it feels like we have a second chance,” I say, holding back tears. Camille and I have a long way to go, but the fact that she’s here, doing this my way, is a huge step. “One of the tactics Anex uses to control people is to separate families. He managed to get my mom away from me, but that’s another one of his cycles of abuse we’re ending.”

I say this more to the camera than to Jane. I’m talking to him.

“Everyone in Serendee now has the opportunity for a second chance, but we won’t experience true freedom until Timothy Wray and his associates are brought to justice. He needs to understand what it’s like to feel the walls closing in, to have your choices taken away from you, to become isolated and removed from your loved ones.” I squeeze my mother’s hand. “But until then we will keep living—surviving—because that’s who we are. Ironically, he’s the one that taught us to be that way and ultimately, we will be his downfall.”

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