Miriam [Nova]: Thank you, yes! I think that would be wonderful. I didn’t see anything listed on the website for California events?
Shivan [firstblessed]: Not all of the events are listed on the website schedule. And not all are open to the public. This one is a private, exclusive event. But we have some open seats.
Miriam [Nova]: Oh, wow, that is so exciting! I would love to attend if at all possible :)
Miriam was excited, but not for the reason that she had portrayed to Shivan. She waited to see what Shivan would suggest.
There was a delay before the next message arrived. Miriam began to think she had sounded too enthusiastic. But just then, the message popped up.
Shivan [firstblessed]: Great, I will send you some details. There is a financial and spiritual commitment when one changes their life to the 2F way. But, money is not the point. It’s about living your life the right way, the way that gives you true happiness and success. In the end, isn’t that what life is truly really about?
Miriam almost laughed at how absurd the message was. But she played along.
Miriam [Nova]: Yes, you are right. Thank you for sending me the details about this retreat. I’m really looking forward to it!
Shivan [firstblessed]: We’re glad to have you.
Miriam leaned back in her chair. She was going to the 2F seminar, perhaps the same one that Daniel had attended. Now she was going to find out what had happened to Daniel, and why he was killed.
Chapter 6
Miriam walked out of Insomnia Coffee and down the block. It was almost noon and the day had warmed up. She felt the warm sunshine on her face and smiled absentmindedly. Her thoughts went back to Daniel and memories of times they had spent together came flooding into her consciousness, threatening to throw her emotions off kilter again.
As she walked, she began to have a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. There was someone following her. She didn’t look behind her, but she could sense that someone was there. She increased her pace. But this time, anger overcame fear, and she wanted to know who this person was. Why was he following her? What did he want?
She walked briskly to the end of the block and then abruptly turned the corner. Immediately, she pushed her back against the wall of the building and stood there, waiting. Within seconds, Coffeeshop Bodyguard came around the corner, looking a little rushed.
“You!” Miriam almost screamed at him. He stopped mid-step, surprised at the confrontation, and stared at her.
“Why have you been following me? Who are you?” she cried, terrified and angry at the same time, the emotions mixing and churning inside her.
He hesitated for a moment, then he said, “You are in danger, Miriam. You must be careful.”
Miriam stared wide-eyed at him.
“Who are you?” she asked incredulously. “How do you know my name?”
“You cannot be safe as long as you keep wandering about in the open like this,” he said.
“Why have you been following me?” Miriam pressed. She was still feeling angry. “Tell me!”
He looked around, scanning the area. He was frowning.
“I’m not the bad guy here,” he said, his voice softening. “You want to know what happened to Daniel? His death was not an accident. He had found something big, something he couldn’t ignore.”
“What do you know? What had Daniel found?” Miriam gasped. Her anger had evaporated and was replaced by a desperate longing to know the truth.
“I have to go,” he abruptly turned and walked away.
“Wait!” Miriam cried, “You can’t just leave! Tell me what you know!”
But he didn’t turn around. He kept walking and then turned a corner and disappeared. She ran after him, but he had vanished.
"Who are you?" she whispered into the air.
Miriam looked out the window at the small puffy white clouds hanging in the otherwise clear blue sky. Her flight had almost reached California. The pilot was making the last announcement before the final approach, thanking the passengers for choosing the airline and instructing the flight crew to prepare for landing.
It was sunny and bright outside. A clear 77 degrees, the pilot had announced. Miriam imagined that Daniel must have also taken a similar trip. Perhaps he had looked out at the same view.
The airplane banked softly and the wing tipped up. Miriam looked at her watch. The flight was on time. Shivan had promised to meet her at the airport. She felt a sense of nervousness and anxiety wash over her entire body. What was she stepping into? Maybe she should have contacted Special Agent Felicity Dawn and asked for help. Or at least told her where she was going. Or at least told Lisa Chen. Or someone. She felt a slight pang of regret mixed with mild panic.
The airplane was descending fast now, and the trees and buildings on the ground were becoming clearer, more well defined. She could make out the vehicles on the roads below. In a matter of minutes, they would be on the ground.
The landing was smooth. One of the flight attendants came on the in-flight intercom system as the plane taxied slowly along the runway towards the arrival gate.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to San Jose,” she said, her voice sounding a little high-pitched and nasal above the whine and hum of the engines. “Local time is two forty four pm, and the temperature is a warm seventy eight degrees. Your luggage will be on baggage carousel six. We hope you have enjoyed your flight. We certainly have enjoyed having you on board with us. On behalf of our crew, Captain Anders, and everyone at JetNow, we thank you for your business. We do realize you have a choice in air travel and we appreciate having you on board with us today. Have a wonderful day!”
The plane stopped at Gate C6 and the doors were promptly opened. Miriam stood up, stepped into the aisle, and pulled her bag out of the overhead compartment. Then she stood and waited behind the long row of passengers standing in the aisle, waiting to de-plane.
Her phone chimed. She had a message. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the notification.
[firstblessed] We are here in the baggage claim area, looking forward to seeing you. Carousel 6.
Suddenly everything felt very real. Miriam felt a strong sense of reluctance. But the line of passengers had already started moving. She couldn’t turn around and go back now. The plane had landed. They were on the ground. With a growing feeling of dread, she followed the other passengers out of the plane and into the airport terminal.
Baggage carousel 6 was crowded with passengers, some milling about, others meeting friends and family, and most standing around the conveyor belt waiting to pick up their luggage. It was noisy and busy. The atmosphere gave Miriam a small sense of relief. At least she could scream for help if she needed.
A large blue sign hung from the ceiling with an oversized number 6 printed in white on top of it. Standing directly underneath the sign was a tall, slim blonde woman with long, wavy hair and light blue eyes. She was dressed neatly in a gray business suit and white blouse, and had the air and look of someone who carried the weight of authority. She was surrounded by two young adults, one man and one woman, who seemed to look like college students. It almost appeared as if they were wearing a uniform of sorts. The man had a close-cropped haircut. The woman had her hair tied back in a ponytail, shoulder-length. They both wore white t-shirts and blue jeans. One of them was holding up a sign that read “NOVA”.
Miriam noticed them as she walked towards the conveyor belt. At first she didn’t look in their direction. A part of her mind was screaming at her that it still wasn’t too late. She could just ignore them and walk out of the terminal, and she would be safe. She could take a taxi to a hotel. The exit was so close, it was barely twenty paces away. The automatic sliding door was opening for passengers as they walked through with their luggage. She could call Special Agent Dawn. She could even go to the local police. She was still free.
In the midst of her mental turmoil, she picked up her large brown bag and stood for a moment with uncertainty. She looked down at the carpet, at h
er shoes. All the details were so crisp and clear. Her shoelaces. The fibers in the carpet. And her feelings, which came into focus like a lens being adjusted. All the grief and sorrow of losing Daniel had not left her. That feeling of loss sent her hurtling directly back into the pain and anguish, causing her fresh feelings of grief. And then she realized how angry she still was.
She clenched her jaw and looked up at Shivan and her little welcome committee. In that moment, they were the only people on the planet that she wanted to be with.
She waved at them eagerly and then walked to them, holding her large brown bag in front of her. The students came running to help her with her luggage. Shivan laid her cool blue eyes on her, looked at her from head to toe as if to assess her, and then smiled. That cold, calculating smile sent a chill down Miriam’s spine.
“Hi,” said Shivan, her voice musical and dripping with sensuality. “Welcome! We welcome you, 2F welcomes you.”
“Uh, thanks,” Miriam replied, nodding. “It’s nice to actually meet you.”
“It is indeed,” Shivan turned and the group started walking slowly towards the exit. “I don’t normally come out to the airport for pick-up’s anymore, but I made an exception this time.”
“Oh? How come?”
“I could tell from our chat that you are special.”
Miriam nodded without saying anything, but she wondered what Shivan meant by “special”.
It was bright and sunny outside. The man ran ahead of them with Miriam’s luggage in hand, across the street and into the parking lot.
“He’ll bring the van around,” Shivan said, indicating that they should wait in the shade of the terminal building.
“How was your flight?” Shivan asked mechanically. She seemed to be distracted, or perhaps she didn’t care and was just making small talk.
“Oh it was great,” Miriam answered, eyeing her carefully. She was watching Shivan’s movements and gestures, her facial expressions, everything. She wanted to know as much about this person as she could. She wondered if Daniel had stood out here as well, waiting for a ride to the secretive 2F private event that would ultimately lead to his death. She shivered.
Shivan seemed to notice her discomfort.
“Don’t be nervous,” she cooed in her seductive, silky voice. “It will be alright, I promise.”
Those were calculated, practiced words. Miriam’s conscious mind knew that, even as she smiled back to Shivan as a child smiles when in the comforting arms of her mother. Miriam felt her muscles relaxing and felt herself softening as she returned Shivan’s steady gaze.
Then, abruptly, Miriam broke eye contact and forced herself to stare at the traffic, focusing on each vehicle as it drove by. Silent alarm bells were going off in her mind. What had just happened?
Shivan’s male assistant pulled up in a black Honda Odyssey. The van doors slid open. They climbed in, with Shivan in the front passenger seat, and Miriam with the female assistant in the middle row.
“It won’t be long now,” Shivan said, turning in her seat to face Miriam. “The freedom you seek is close at hand.”
Miriam forced a smile, but she was feeling very disturbed. She had only heard this type of language in horror movies. Right before something terrible was about to happen.
The ride was mostly quiet. Miriam didn’t try to make any small talk. Her mind kept wandering to the phone in her purse. She still had a lifeline. She could reach in and call Lisa, tell her where she was, what was happening. But then she looked at everyone in the van, and that idea vanished like a fragile bubble being popped.
Why was she feeling this way, she wondered. It wasn’t like she was a hostage or anything. Still, she had a foreboding that she might lose her phone soon, and with it, the ability to contact the outside world.
“Do you have any friends who know about your trip?” Shivan suddenly asked, without warning. As if reading her mind.
Miriam felt her heart thundering in her chest. Shivan was not looking at her. She had her sunglasses on and was staring directly ahead at the road. Miriam couldn’t read anything in her wooden facial expression. She swallowed and attempted to sound as casual as possible.
“Just the usual, you know,” she said nonchalantly, “I talked with my girlfriends about it, how it’s something I’ve been exploring. And, of course, they’re happy for me. You know?”
There was a long silence. Miriam silently began to panic. Had she sounded too obvious? Did they know she was lying? Had they already figured out who she was? Very slowly, she put her hand into her purse and wrapped her fingers around her phone. She held her breath, waiting for a response.
“Leah recommended you very highly,” Shivan finally replied. Her voice sounded softer again, more human.
“Yes, she is lovely,” Miriam said, letting out a small sigh of relief, “she is very eager to attend an event. As soon as she can afford it.”
Shivan seemed to smile.
“Everything happens at the right time, in the right way, to the right person.”
Miriam nodded. “It sure does,” she said, releasing her phone and pulling her hand out of her purse.
Nothing was said for the remainder of the trip. They drove out of the city and down the winding highway through the country, passing farms and vineyards along the way. Eventually, they took an exit and the highway became a two-lane road, which then gradually narrowed and became a dirt road.
They slowed, and then took a turn into a gated driveway. Shivan tapped a few buttons on an app on her smartphone, and the tall black iron gates slowly swung open.
“We are here,” Shivan announced, as the van slowly rolled past the gates and into the 2F compound.
Miriam felt tense, the muscles in her shoulders tightening. She found herself gritting her teeth. She felt like she was entering into the gaping jaws of a silent predator.
But it was too late to turn back now. She didn’t know it, but as they entered the 2F property, the signal on her phone was cut off.
Chapter 7
It didn’t take long for the members of the 2F group to welcome Miriam into their fold. Almost as soon as she had arrived at the 2F compound, they had treated her as one of their own, showering her with compliments and overt gestures of praise. Miriam was not used to it. It felt like it was almost too much. She felt like she was being applauded for every little thing she did. She would pick up a pencil, and everyone would be amazed at her skill and dexterity. It felt odd, and superficial. But after a few days of this unrelenting adoration, she slowly started to adjust to it. Little by little, it started becoming the new normal for her. It began to feel a little less strange. Miriam noticed that it wasn’t just her, the 2F group treated each other in much the same way.
They had given her a room in one of the main buildings on the compound. It resembled her dormitory room from college, with the exception that there was a round speaker embedded in the ceiling of the room, and none of the doors had locks on them. When she inquired about the locks, they told her that this was an open and inviting community, and it was perfectly safe for her and for everyone. Not a single crime had been recorded amongst the 2F believers.
Miriam pretended to accept their explanation, but she made sure to prop up a chair against the door handle at night before she went to sleep. For the first few nights, at least.
She carried her phone with her to all the sessions, even though they didn’t allow photography or recording of any kind. Still, she kept her phone in her jeans pocket, hidden away in case she might need it. There was still no signal, so there was no way to communicate with the outside world. But at least she had the ability to take pictures and videos if she needed to. Although, with all the scrutiny that she was always under, taking a photograph would prove to be a very difficult endeavor.
It was explained to her that during the retreat, there would be no contact with the outside world. This was done to enable the participants to fully focus and participate in the learning sessions. It was required, she was told, to en
able the important breakthroughs that were such an important part of the process. At the end of retreat, everyone would be able to contact their friends and families and check their voicemail and emails. But until then, they would be effectively isolated on the 2F compound.
Shivan was a constant presence. She was at every training session and “guided meditation”. Silently watching, observing, and taking mental notes. Miriam could feel Shivan watching her intently. It was extremely unnerving. But she said nothing, and continued to play the part of the eager initiate, desperately hoping that Shivan wouldn’t somehow figure out her real reason for being here.
The days consisted of practice sessions spread out across several hours with various different teachers. There was a new form of yoga, called “Pama Yoga”, which consisted of poses and moves that were entirely foreign to Miriam. There were multiple sessions “of the mind”, where everyone sat cross-legged on the floor and either chanted various mantra’s or practiced the specific form of the meditation that was prescribed by 2F. Everything, it seemed, was geared toward cultivating a deep reverence and longing for the leader of the movement. There were occasional references to the “mind cleanse”, but whenever Miriam inquired about it, she received silence in reply to her query.
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