3. The outcast

I lose all my friends

The dinner with the Sullivans was a disaster. It was one big advertisement for the Prophet and his so-called Angels. They Sullivans knew that mom wanted a spiritual life and reminded her that she named me Angel. I was afraid mom would join them right there and then. This did not happen. In fact, something worse happened. We were to spend a week without our cellphones, Netflix, or TV. This was cruel and must be against every child right there is.

I had no choice to do it. My cellphone was locked away in a desk and I felt as if I was in the dark ages again. It was like I was missing an arm or a leg. I really wanted to cry which made mom frustrated. She tried to explain that we have become so dependent on modern gadgets and things, that it was sad to see how we could not survive without them.

What did mom know? My cellphone was the contact I had to the world. I could be in contact with my friends at any time. I could go on the net anytime or see a film. My cellphone was my best friend when I was bored. Living without one was torture. Mom tried her best by saying we could do things together, like cook and bake, and even do the garden, but this did not make a difference. I felt like I was always missing something.

Even my friends at school began to tease me. They noticed that I no longer had a cellphone and did not believe that it was only for a week They thought I was becoming a religious fanatic. Everyone heard of the Sullivans and everyone considered them as weird Jesus loving fanatics. Now everyone at school assumed that I was now one. At first, I was teased and then after a few days, I was ignored. This was very difficult as until now I was liked at school and had friends. I was popular.

When I told mom how her experiment of a simple life was ruining my life, she just told me this was a chance to evaluate my life. Did I really have friends that suddenly ignored me when I had no cellphone? She started to talk that a simple life was easier as I would know who my real friends were. Then she started quoting from the prophet and his ideas of friendship. I stormed off and hid in my room.

Later Mom and Dad came in and asked me what the problem was. I told them that everything changed. We were a happy family and since the Sullivans moved in, we changed. The only thing we talked about now was the Sullivans and their prophet. I looked at mom and asked did she not care that Dad and I were not interested in the Cult and the Sullivans. We were tired of all the religious talk and wanted things back to normal.

“How do you think I feel?” Mom asked. “ I was also happy for my life and thought that I had everything that I wished for. Then this family moved and they prioritized life differently. It made me question my life. I read the books and heard what the Prophet wrote and suddenly I was confused. What good is our life when it's based on how we look and not who we really are. How good is our life when there is no spirituality? I would join the cult as I feel like it is the best place for me. However, I am not joining them as you are my family and I can see the Prophet has not convinced you yet.”

Mom pleaded with is that we would accept that she found a new spirituality and we do not judge her or the Sullivans. This made me think that we should support mom more. If she was happy with this new religion, then we should be happy for her. It's not like she was forcing us to agree with the Sullivans or their religion.

Dad understood mom as well and it explained why our family seemed so obsessed with the Sullivans. He loved mom a lot and he did not care what she believed in. Dad went as far as to start to read the books that Mom got from the Sullivans. It was his way of showing mom some respect and trying to understand her.

The good thing was that mom gave me my cellphone back. This was great news. However, I found out the phone didn't help. My old friends were now convinced that I was secretly a member of the religious cult across the road. They ignored me at school and some even blessed themselves when they saw me.

For the first time in my life, I felt lonely. I had no one to speak with and no one to hang around with. I was an outcast at the school and after a while, it was a relief just to go home. I would stay in my bedroom and read some books or look at youtube. I was afraid that I was going to get depression. When I spoke with granny about it, she told me that loneliness was one of the worse things a human can experience. She agreed with mom and dad that said it shows that my old friends were not really friends. Real friends do not ignore or make a person an outcast!

Ellie was there for me. She started visiting me and hanging around. At first, she did not say a lot. Then she started opening up more. She was proud of being in the cult and she really had a strong faith in God. However, she became interesting when I could see who she was below the surface. She told me once that she did not like that the cult was so dominant. She questioned if the prophet was always right. She disagreed especially when he said that women should listen to men and men were superior. After Ellie admitted this, we became closer friends.

I liked the fact that Ellie was more open and I could see who she really was. As all my friends totally ignored me, I started visiting Ellie a lot more. I think I was changing. I was no longer judging her or thinking that she was weird. I think that this was because people who I thought were my friends showed me their true colors. It was far more simple with Ellie. I did not have to impress her with music or fashion. I could see that she was friends because she liked hanging around with me.

The same could be said for her parents. Sure they were Angels of the Prophet and their life was built around this. However, I could see that they were happy and were a close family. They were not stressed and yet they seemed to be always busy. They followed the prophet's rules and this made them happy. The prophet had a lot of rules, but they were made so people helped each other and they all felt wanted. I found out that their religion was a community. It was like one big family.

Unlike I was before, I was starting to understand why the religion was so appealing. Maybe I left my guard down and became more and more interested because of the way I was shunned at school. Maybe it was because I could see that mom was happier and I also wanted to be happier. 

Even Dad was changing. He read all the books about the prophet and his teachings as he could. Dad did not want to join them, but he did think that our Church could learn something from them and likewise. Mom was happier that both Dad and I were not so critical about The Sullivans.

Things became very bad when we went to our Church for service again. We should have suspected when the priest told us all not to let modern religions let us stray. We should keep strong to our faith and our Church. We should pray for those that were being brainwashed and so forth. We should pray but not support. I looked at mom and dad and they were looking down and afraid to show their face. I heard others look at us and whisper as they stared at us.

When we got home, Dad was not in a good mood. He did not like how the priest spoke and how everyone ignored us after service and avoided us as if we had some disease. I told him that the same was happening at school. Everyone thought we were in the prophet's cult. Mom tried to calm down. Things would get better.

“Treat others like you want to be treated,” Dad shouted, “This is what the Bible says. Where are the compassion and friendship at our Church? I tell you firmly that we are not going there. We will go the prayers that the Sullivans invited us to. I read everything about what the prophet said, and he is against all forms of bullying and hatred.”

I went over to Ellies later that day. I told her what was said at Church and everyone ignored us. This made Ellie sigh and told me that people were afraid of her religion. She told me that she liked how everyone at Paradise lived as one big family. No one was poor and no one was rich. No one was hungry and no one was ignored. I just listened as she advertised for it once more.

“I think you are not very happy,” Ellie said. “You based your life on being popular and having so many things. You had friends and neither you or they were really yourself. At your school, you get teased and bullied if you are different. You forgot God. You forgot that humans are different. Let me ask you this... If your family joined our religion, would you not be happier?”

I was on the verge of crying and went home. I told mom about what Ellie said. Mom gave me a hug and told me that Dad and she were discussing the same. Did we not belong in the cult? We would be much happier there.

Nothing improved that week. We were now treated like outcasts and sinners. We went to the Sullivans prayer meeting. They called it a ritual. It was totally a strange experience. We sang some lively songs and even danced! We praised God at the top of our voice and rose our hands and waved them around. The Sullivans were smiling and mom had tears in her eyes. She admitted that she never felt so close to God.

After, we sat outside and looked at the stars. It's amazing how beautiful everything was when we had time to look at it.

Just as things were silent, Mr. Sullivan looked at us and said, “I think you all need to decide what future you have. I hope you will put your future in the hands of God and the Prophet. I feel so blessed that I can invite you all to our religion!”

This was it! It was the Sullivans wanting us to join their cult!

To be continued