Chapter 51: Victoria Schormann

Ashford: Tuesday, October 7th

‘Seth set up the community in 1960. He gave us somewhere to belong, to escape from the path of sin.’

Amber had appointed herself as Victoria’s best friend and had barely left her side for the last week. Victoria suspected it was Seth’s doing, that he’d decided she needed watching. And she resented it. She tried to block out the whine of the woman’s voice by watching the faces of the six other girls and the only man in the group. But then Amber spoke louder and Victoria, startled, looked back at her. Her face was an unattractive scarlet and her eyes were wild. ‘I was wicked … evil … once; Seth redeemed me.’

The girl sitting next to Victoria in the circle made a scoffing sound. ‘Huh.’

A chill silence settled instantly over the group.

When the girl spoke her voice was harsh. ‘You … we … I was taken in by him. It’s like we’ve been hypnotised to follow his …’ she gave emphasis to her next words, ‘so-called teachings. We’ve all given up our lives, rejected our families because of him.’

Victoria’s heart gave a few rapid beats. She realised that she hadn’t kept her promise to her parents; she hadn’t written to them since she’d left. When she looked up, the man opposite and one or two of the girls were watching her. Had she let her thoughts show? She forced the settled expression back onto her face: the wide-open eyes, the slight smile. She saw the man relax and he smiled back before turning his attention to the girl next to her.

‘Melody—’

‘My name’s Christine—’

‘Melody,’ he interrupted her, ‘I think you need to go and lie down. It is obvious you are distraught today … not thinking what you are saying … what you truly believe. You know we have welcomed you with open arms … open hearts.’

‘So long as I gave up everything.’ She threw the words out. ‘I was … persuaded … to sell everything I had. It wasn’t a lot but I gave all my money to Seth—’

‘So he could share it with the group. We have all shared in the largesse from our former lives.’ The man, Om – Victoria had been trying to remember his name ever since he first spoke – wasn’t someone who often came to the meetings of the younger members, but he’d joined them today. Now she knew why.

‘You need to silence the questions.’

Victoria heard the warning from Amber but it was as though Christine – Melody, Victoria corrected herself – hadn’t heard.

‘You think the outside world is meaningless. But that’s all rubbish. Admit it.’ Melody spread her hands out in front of her.

Victoria closed her eyes, focussed on the darkness of her eyelids. She breathed in through her nose. Held the air inside her – a trick she’d picked up from Richard.

‘What do you think, Summer?’

Let the breath out slowly through open lips.

‘Summer!’

With a start Victoria heard the plea in Melody’s voice. Keep me out of it, she thought, please keep me out of this.

‘Summer?’ Now it was Amber speaking.

Victoria heard the impatience. ‘I … I’m not sure what you mean.’ She’d learned quickly not to question anything. She was trying to not listen to the quiet voice that challenged Seth. Cut off from the world, with no newspapers or anything, his beliefs, and those of his group, were all she had. She had to believe what he’d said to her: that she was special to him and she had to be patient, wait, before he announced it to the others. There was no going back now. He’d convinced her that her family, her other family in Wales, would have rejected her now, as she’d rejected them. She’d hurt them too much.

‘He keeps control of us by giving us the rewards he thinks we should value.’ It was as though Melody couldn’t stop. ‘Like he makes us all strive for and rely on one another’s friendship, affection. It’s almost like having to depend on everyone else just to survive.’

Now, no one was looking at her. They were exchanging shocked gazes, tight-lipped, narrow-eyed.

‘I’m sick of it.’ Melody moved as though to stand.

Victoria rested a hand on her, gave a small shake of her head. She felt chilled, frightened for the girl.

‘I want out.’

No one spoke.

‘Shut up.’ Chrystal broke the moment.

‘The longer we stay here,’ Melody insisted, ‘the harder it will be to leave.’

‘You can’t leave.’ Chrystal’s voice was calm.

‘You’re all in on it, the entire lot of you … all taken in by Seth. Or the Master, as he likes to be called,’ Melody shouted. ‘Well, I’m not. And I’m leaving … I’m—’

Before she could finish Chrystal stood, walked over to her and hit her. The woman’s face was white, except for two bright red blotches on her cheeks. ‘Don’t ever speak about our Master in that way.’ She hit Melody again as she said her next two words. ‘Ever again.’

It all happened so quickly. Victoria was stunned. She’d seen girls fight in school a couple of times but she’d never seen anything like this. She saw one or two of the others look at one another, but most of them kept their heads lowered. She didn’t know what to do. But when Melody ran from the room, Victoria started to get up, intending to go after her.

‘Stay where you are, Summer.’ Chrystal’s voice was calm. There was no doubt it was an order.

Even though the anger bubbled inside her, Victoria sank back to the floor. It was minutes before she felt the pain of her fingernails digging into her palm. And saw the tiny crescents of blood on the skin.