Chapter 7
R.I.P: Drake Parker
Part Two
…sometime later
Drake opened up his eyes to find himself not alone in his new simple bed.
There was a blurry blonde female stroking his hair.
"Hello, there," she kissed him on the lips, "I'm Butterfly. What's your name?"
"Dr-ake." He was really thirsty and could feel the need to pee, but didn't have the energy to get
up.
"You look like a Firefly to me. Fireflies are temporary. My name is Butterfly. Do you mind if I call
you Firefly?"
She already introduced herself or was he dreaming that fact?
"N-no."
Cameron knocked on the door. It couldn't be locked, not yet. He clicked a device he had in his
pocket and Butterfly slowly, but obediently walked away.
"Cam-….don't—feel—well…"
"You've been getting very sick lately, Drake. While you were in the pawn shop, I stopped in the
pharmacy and got you some liquid cold medicine."
The concept of time and place started to be blurred together and/or lost completely.
Cameron never left his side except when Drake was at his former house gathering all of his sinful
musical equipment. The liquid cold medicine was all pharmaceutically engineered by Cameron. It
was only the bottle came from Walgreen's.
"Drink this, son, you'll feel better."
"Tha—re-st."
Cameron put his palm on his head, "And now the first process of the ceremony can begin."
Panther was ordered to carry the boy downstairs into the rebirthing circle in the living room. The
rocks around them resembled the terra cotta chunks that you'd see on a sundial.
Every shade, blind, and curtain was drawn in the whole house as he was stripped naked by
Cameron.
There was a single pillow, but no blankets.
Cameron did the father-son-holy ghost motion over Drake's body.
Standing next to Cameron was Hydrangea who was holding a tray like a surgeon's assistant.
There were no words as Cameron put an electric charged cap on Drake's head that was plugged
into a small machine the size of a tape dispenser. Next came the temporary 12-hour lip binding
agent when combined with the black sleeping mask the illusion it created was fantastic in his mind.
He took two more half-filled syringes and injected them in each of his upper arms. These would
have to be done on the hour until phase one of the ceremony was over. Lastly, the Walkman
headphones were placed over the electric cap. Cameron kneeled down and put his hand on
Drake's forehead.
"Before us lies the former Drake Parker, may he rest in peace for his sinning ways. BUT he will
be reborn again as MY SON and your brother, Firefly. This 12-hour process is necessary for
eternal salvation. Let this child be saved, for he did not know he sinned."
Cameron pressed simultaneously pressed play on both the CD player (which was on an endless
loop) and the electrical charging machine.
The words were simple.
In Cameron DePalma's cold vocabulary were the phrases, "Lord Cameron is love. Lord
Cameron is light." "Your name is Firefly."—the Firefly part was spoken in a girly giggle courtesy
of Butterfly.
Cameron raised his hands in the air when he noticed Drake's body shake from the mild to
moderate shocks.
"YES! The boy is being saved! REJOICE! PLEASE JOIN YOUR HANDS TOGETHER AND
LET THE SIN KNOW IT IS NOT WELCOME HERE!"
Cameron stood at Drake's feet and the rest of the lost souls joined hands, each squeeze
representing how much they loved their new brother.
"Now, my children, you must go to your Bibles and pray. Firefly has not been reborn yet. We
must be patient. You will read your Bibles and fast tonight. I will stand over your brother, MY
SON, to make sure nothing bad happens to him. Go to your Bibles and pray."
"Yes, Lord Cameron." They all said in unison as they walked in a single file down to the
basement.
The jerking movements made Cameron smile.
"YES! THE SIN IS LEAVING YOUR BODY! AUDREY AND WALTER WILL NOT WIN!
I TOLD YOU THAT! MY SON IS BEING SAVED! I AM LOVE! I AM LIGHT!"
12-hours Later:
The only time Cameron left the rebirthing circle was when he had to use the bathroom (he wished
there was a way to chemically make the urge to stop. He was Jesus Christ), hand out the
"vitamins" to the rest of his flock, and to get himself a glass of wine. Other than that he spent all
night chanting to Drake's shaking body and injecting him on the hour.
He knew Drake's eyes were fluttering through the black sleeping mask and he tried in vein to
open up his lips, which was about the time the endless loop of the CD stopped.
Cameron talked into the intercom that was on the wall to tell his parishioners
to rejoin him around the rebirthing circle. He walked inside when they were all present and turned
off the charging machine. He ordered Jaguar to remove the cap and machine, Panther the
Walkman, and for Butterfly and Hydrangea to gather the white box that was on the kitchen table.
The poor young boy was still shaking as Cameron took a rosary chain with a crucifix out of his
trouser pocket.
"t—th-irs—ty."
"Hydrangea, put the box inside the circle."
"Yes, Lord Cameron."
"Everyone join hands. THIS IS THE MOMENT WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!" Cameron
put the crucifix on Drake's forehead with his one hand, while he rested his left palm on his
forehead, "YOU WILL HAVE ETERNAL SALVATION! DO you want eternal salvation?"
"y-e-s."
"State your name to your BROTHERS and SISTERS."
"f-f-f-irefly."
"Who is your God?"
"l—l-o-r-r-d ca-m-m-e-r-r-on is l-lo-vv-e. l-l-o-r-r-d ca-m-m-e-r-r-on
is l-lig-ht."
"I Lord Cameron, now pronounce, DRAKE PARKER, DEAD and FIREFLY REBORN.
Hydrangea, give me the blanket."
"Yes, Lord Cameron." Cameron wrapped him into the light blue blanket. The same blanket he
used on Panther and Jaguar.
"Butterfly, give me the bottle."
"Yes, Lord Cameron."
With the reborn Firefly on his knees he proceeded to feed him the simple electrolyte fluid solution
that you buy in the pharmacy from a baby bottle. Drake was so thirsty he finished his drink in two
minutes.
"m—or-e j-j-uic-e."
Cameron stood up holding his new son with a proud, satisfied, and evil smile on his face.
"Now the last phase of the rebirthing cycle can begin. Let us walk upstairs to the bathtub to
baptize your brother." Cameron carried him up the stairs.
He instructed Jaguar to turn on the hot water faucet as he unwrapped the shivering young man
from his warm blanket. "Please join your hands together as we baptize the last of the remaining sin
out of your brother Firefly's body."
The water was barely tolerable to the skin as Cameron put his hand on Firefly's forehead making
sure to temporarily imbed the crucifix pattern on his forehead, "I died for your sins, my child, the
pain you feel is letting you know how much I love you." He dunked his body two more times
before it was all over and then he was wrapped once more in the blanket. "While we are here, the
rest of you can take a communal shower. Hydrangea and Butterfly will make dinner afterwards."
"Yes, Lord Cameron." They all said together.
Cameron filled up a small white plastic tumbler with tap water as he gave Firefly his first official
cup of "vitamins" before he tucked him into his bed.
"You had a quite a day. Tomorrow will only get better, SON."
"i—l-o-v-e-y-y-ou, l-o-r-rd cam-ero-n." He fell asleep due to the extreme exhaustion and the
non-stop course of being chemically altered.
Cameron put his palm on Firefly's forehead, "You have now been saved."
The whole process was recorded in both audio and video formats to give the authorities
something to look at when they exposed the goings on at Nine Shady Grove Road.
Cameron was most satisfied.
It was a long journey, but their family was finally complete.
It was only just the beginning.
Now the rest of the mission could be put into action.
Cameron's heart skipped a beat with a tremendous ecstasy when he was finally able to lock the
door to Firefly's room shut behind him.