Page 109 of Serpent In White

He chuckles, and it makes me smile, though I cover it up. “It’s interesting meeting an Outsider. You’re so different from everyone I know.”

“Outsider?” My eyes dart to his while we trek, side by side.

“Yea. I’m part of a community,” he explains. “That’s the family I was telling you about before. We’re our own society, and this is our land. The mountain, the lake, this whole part of the forest.”

He’s throwing a lot at me right now, and it’s hard to process it all. My head is spinning through everything he just said.

“So, kind of like a commune?” I ask, confused by this whole notion. I’ve heard of things like this on TV and in movies, but I never really knew they actually existed.

“I guess.” He shrugs. “We’re a big family, and we believe in the same things.”

I’m not even sure what to say, so I just stay quiet while we walk. Only ten more minutes and Abdiel stops us, dropping his large backpack on the ground.

“This will do. You wanna grab some wood for the fire?”

I nod and do as he asks, gathering up wood, from twigs for kindling to larger pieces to burn, piling them all up in one spot while Abdiel assembles his tent. The sun is setting, and it’s getting dark fast. But he manages to get it up just in time.

I have to cover my mouth so I don’t look crazy as I giggle at my little internal joke.I’m such a fool, I swear to God.

Abdiel then digs a groove into the dirt, arranging the wood for the fire. He lights it in less than a minute, with nothing but a match and his pure skills.

I’m surprised. I have no damn clue how to start a fire, or set up a tent, and this kid did both in a matter of minutes. I suppose it makes sense, if he lives out in the woods. He probably does stuff like this all the time.

He’s pulling food out of his backpack while I ask, “Do you live in a tent? Or do you guys have, like, houses in your commune?”

He grins over his shoulder while tossing the rest of his things inside his tent. “I live in a trailer. We all do, except for Darian. He has a house. A massive cabin. Like, mansion-sized.”

“Wow.” I take a seat on my backpack, beside the growing fire. “Sounds fancy. What makes Darian so special?”

Abdiel steps over and drops to his knees, fiddling with some metal items. “He’s our leader.”

Leader? Like a cult??

I’m really hoping that’s not what he means, but I can’t help gawking at him while a million and five questions bounce around inside my brain. “Yourleader…?”

“Yes.”

“As in like… what? What does he do?” I’m so curious I’m practically inching into the fire to get closer to him, as if that will get me answers faster.

“He started The Principality. With his brother, Drake, when they were just kids, younger than us. They’ve formed this entire community, brought us all together and taught us to praise Mother, and to sacrifice for the great transformation.”

I’m certain my eyes are bugging out of my skull.

I’m mesmerized. I’ve never known anyone who’s been in a cult before. I have to admit, it’s always been a macabre interest of mine. I’ve watched dozens of documentaries on everything from The Children of God, to NXIVM, to L. Ron freaking Hubbard.

This is totally fascinating, and I’ve already forgotten about all my own problems. This kid and his crazy life are a great distraction for me. I guess I should be thankful for that.

“You’ve said that twice now,” I inquire while he sets a thin grate over the fire, then opens a jar and pours something into a small pan. “What is thegreat transformation?”

“It’s life. Existence, for the entire universe, not just for us,” he answers, like it’s the most basic thing in the world. He places the pan on the grate, stirring what’s inside it with a wooden spoon. I’m not sure what it is, but it smells delicious already. “Think about it. Transformation is change, right? Well, that’s what we all do. That’s what the world does. It changes. Head Priest teaches us to think about our lives as a piece of the puzzle. We’re all connected, even after we die. It keeps going, here… and in other places.”

I blink several times before I can even respond. “I feel like a just smoked a huge joint.”

He laughs out loud. “That’s good. I think.”

“No, it is. I’ve never… thought of it that way. Life like a transformation.” He nods, and I’m quiet again… considering everything he’s said. “Who’sMother?”

“Mother Earth.” He smiles. “God is in the earth, in the elements, in all of us. So we call It Mother.”