Chapter 10
Adrianne West
Part One
…next day
The San-Diego Union Tribune went unread and was already outside in the green plastic recycle bin
while Josh sat at the kitchen table multitasking between trying to do the required psychology reading
and worrying about the whereabouts of his brother. Mindy said she'd be over in a few minutes, but
at the moment, Josh just wanted to be left alone.
He knew that both Audrey and Walter hated going back to work after they used up all of her time-
off. Mindy had phoned Audrey this morning to remind that she and Walter were entitled to the
Family Leave Act which a job was required to let you take 12 weeks off unpaid for any family or
emergency.
Megan came home through the back way from oboe practice; she didn't know whether she should
talk to Josh or just grab an apple juice and sneak upstairs?
People at school were starting to ask questions about her older brother's whereabouts. Somehow it
got out that he was in a cult and some cruel kids in her class used it as something to tease her about.
What the Hell? They were such morons. How could they pick on her because of that? Most kids
lacked empathy, but that was ridiculous to Megan Parker.
"Hi, Megs. Don't try to sneak away."
"I wasn't sneaking."
He wasn't going to pick a fight over something petty.
"Okay, then."
She watched him take out his orange highlighter marker to go over a few paragraphs in his textbook.
Life was supposed to go on?
Was everyone around her kidding her?
This was hitting Megan hard, but no one seemed to notice in the kind of deep soulful meaningful way
that you want others to notice.
Before Josh and Walter came along it was her and Drake. Yeah, they had the usual sister and
brother antics. He took her took her favorite doll out of her room and hid it in the dryer and she
poured a bucket of lukewarm oatmeal over his head. She did love him. She loved Josh too, but and
she didn't care if seemed mean or not, she appreciated Drake more.
There was a knock on the door to interrupt her from her thoughts. She opened it slightly and saw a
middle aged woman on the other side. Her hair was dark honey blonde and she had green eyes.
Megan noticed that she was slightly trembling.
"Hello?" she asked
"Does Audrey Nichols live here?"
"Who wants to know?"
"I have some information about," she didn't know if she should say anything to the little girl, "I have
some information that---"
"You must know Cameron?"
"Yes," She knew there was no need to sugar coat anything with the young pre-teen in front of her,
"May I come in?"
"I suppose so. Your name is?"
"Adrianne West."
"Mom isn't home at the moment, but I can call her and let her know that you're here. You can sit
down on the sofa."
"Hello, I'm Josh Nichols." Enter the young man with the solid handshake.
"I'm Adrianne West. I'm here to see your mother."
Megan went in the kitchen to use the phone. Let Josh handle this woman who treated her like she
didn't count.
"Would you like a cup of coffee or something else to drink?"
Josh offered.
His Grammy did teach him how to be polite.
"No, thank you," she wished she didn't quit smoking years ago, she really could use one, "I'm sorry
to hear about your brother."
Josh sat in the chair next to the sofa, "How did you find out?"
"No offense, but I'd rather wait to talk to your mother."
"Okay," he wasn't going to push, "let me know if you'll need anything. I'll be in the kitchen doing
my homework."
"Thank you." She picked up a magazine off the coffee table that she had no interest in reading.
Josh thought the poor woman looked tired, but she didn't want to reveal any information to "the
kids" then he figured it was best to finish his homework in the room.
Megan did stay in the kitchen to wait for Audrey to come home, who's to say she wouldn't steal
something?
"It's okay," Audrey said to Megan when she came home fifteen minutes later, "You can go
upstairs."
"Okay."
She could feel the walls closing in. Maybe, it was her imagination, she wasn't sure. She'd go upstairs
and make a C + effort on her homework.
Audrey came in carrying a small tray with two tea cups on it. It was the polite thing to do.
"Hello. You're Adrianne West?"
"Yes," she accepted the steaming cup of tea, even though she really wasn't thirsty, "I'm sorry to
meet you under these circumstances, Mrs. Nichols."
"Please call me Audrey."
"Audrey, you're probably wondering how I found you. My cousin Albert works at your firm and
told me about the questions you've been asking."
"Do you know Cameron DePalma?"
Her hands seemed to be shaking and her eyes teared up over all that was lost, "Yes. He was my
husband." She put the tea cup down back on the tray.
"Oh my," Audrey handed her a box of tissues, "I'm sorry."
"He was a wonderful man before he turned. I don't doubt that he turned your son and whomever
else—but no one talks about the group a leader being a victim of someone else's brainwashing as
well."
Was Audrey supposed to feel something positive for Cameron DePalma? That was not about to
happen.
"Do you know his whereabouts?"
"No. The last time I ever saw him was when we divorced. I want it on the record that he never hit
me or verbally abused me. I don't count his fake religious taunts as anything because that was not
the man I married. I do have something for you though. Maybe, it'll help." She opened up her small
designer purse. It was a blue Gucci with interlocking G's from 1984. It was the last time she spent
any money on anything that was considered a luxury item.
Adrianne handed Audrey a small green spiral bound address book.
"I haven't kept in touch with any of these people, but if anyone knows where Cameron is, it would
be someone on this list. Although, I'd be very careful about calling Tom Culver, he's the one, who
introduced extreme religion to my ex-husband."
She was ready to cry all over again having to say the word
"ex-husband."
"Thank you," Audrey really didn't want to say anything sympathetic about that man, but she didn't
want to be rude, "Maybe, someday he'll get the help he needs?"
From the confines of a prison cell was what she really wanted to say.
"I hope so. I really need to get back to the east coast, but I had to see you in person. If you need
anything, I wrote my address and phone number on the inside."
"Thank you, Adrianne." She escorted her out the front door.
"I hope you find your son before it's too late."
Too late? Audrey needed to close the door quickly so she too could have another good cry over the
fact that she felt like she was the worst mother on Earth.
How could people think that he wasn't aware of anything. He was the All Knowing. Cameron was
in his room finishing up another microcassette.
"So, no one noticed, the saving of Mrs. Carter—it was done for the children. That is what we do. A
sinner gets sacrificed so millions of precious children can be saved. And NOW this happens. I made
the floods, I am responsible for the glorious steel towers falling, and I will NOT be mocked."
Cameron stopped the tape recording. He put the machine in the end table drawer and locked it.
The house was quiet as he walked out of his room and continued down the stairs.
Firefly and Butterfly were sitting on the living room sofa and reading the Biblical passages that
Cameron assigned. He went over to them and put his hands on their heads.
"Rise up, my children. Go downstairs in the basement and wait for your brothers and sister to
return."
"Yes, Lord Cameron."
In five minutes Cameron found himself down in the basement greeted by the van being parked in the
attached garage next to the Infiniti.
"Panther, Jaguar, and Hydrangea join Firefly and Butterfly and read your Bibles until I come get
you."
"Yes, Lord Cameron."
He opened the back doors. The figure was starting to stir.
"W—he-re am I?" She sat up in the van and rubbed her eyes.
Then she noticed the man standing in front of her.
"C-Cameron?"
She was in the parking garage of the modestly priced hotel ready to go back to the airport when she
was mugged by three zoned out, but strong older kids who knew how to disable the security
camera.
"It is Lord Cameron and I will NOT be mocked."
"It's me Adrianne!" Like the screaming in his face, would make him revert back to Cornell
University in the mid 70's when he was normal and brought her yellow roses because he said she
was "beautiful".
She was standing face-to-face with her ex-husband. Maybe, this all happened for a reason. Maybe
she could be the one who saved him and brought him back to reality?
"You are a sinner and sin I will not tolerate."
He put his hand on her shoulder and she never felt the injection that pierced her below the neck.
Cameron picked her up before she could fall to the ground and carried her upstairs.
He brought her into the study that he used as a small reading room when he didn't feel like going
upstairs to his room. Cameron placed his former wife on the black leather sofa and locked Adrianne
inside.
He went back to the basement to find his children reading their Bibles in the prayer room. It was a
small room that was formerly a pantry. There was a small alter with a gold cross with ruby points on
the edges on top of the red velvet cloth. The pews were wooden bleachers. He stood in front of
them for what seemed like an hour, but it was just five minutes. They didn't look up, they didn't
waiver, they just waited for his commands.
"Rise up, my children. Sin is in this very house. It always returns home. What if, we let sin attempt to
fight back to see who would win? That is tomorrow's task. There will be no supper tonight as you
must fast to gain knowledge. Each of you come to me for the blessing and roll up your right sleeves."
"Yes, Lord Cameron."
Their minds and what was in this holy syringe would make them all agree on what to do.
"I love and worship you, Lord Cameron." They all said when they were done, walking in a single
file, upstairs and into their rooms in which Cameron would lock in a few minutes.
If no one really noticed Mrs. Carter and her small paragraph on page two then he was going to
make damn well sure that San Diego would notice this and then tomorrow—the world.
Author's Note: To Be Continued...