One by one, the others mustered up the resolve to commit to the challenge before them. First Naomi, then Charlie, and then JP. Eddie was last.
“I’m 100 percent with all you guys,” Eddie said. “I just—” He was interrupted by a low rumbling. He looked down to his belly, the source of the noise, and gave it a couple pats. “I just think my stomach has some thoughts of his own. There isn’t any chance we could grab some food before we get started?”
All of the others agreed. It had been a long time since any of them had eaten even so much as a snack.
“There’s gotta be a town with a little shop or something somewhere down the road that we can go to,” JP said.
Malika grinned. “There is something that is much better and much closer.”
“It can’t be a McDonald’s,” Eddie said. “My nose can usually pick up any fries within a five-mile radius.”
Malika led the group out of the church. “There,” she said as she gestured to vast wilderness before them.
Charlie scratched his head and then looked to the others, who were equally perplexed. “Uh, you realize you’re just pointing to the woods, right?”
“Yes, I do.”
“And how’s that better?”
“Anything you can take from the land is infinitely better than that which you can buy from a store,” Malika said.
“Seriously?” Naomi said.
“Yeah,” JP said. “We really gotta pick our food?”
“Pick, hunt, forage, whatever you must do,” Malika said. “Few things boost your belief of self more than the knowledge that you can provide with your own two hands.”
“I definitely agree with you,” Eddie said. “But I think the reason everyone else might be struggling to digest your sage-like advice is because you look like a third-grader. I just think that maybe if you were, I don’t know, thirties-ish and super sexy, it would probably help them see the bigger picture.”
Naomi rolled her eyes. “Come on,” she said as she yanked Eddie by his shirt collar and started for the woods.
“Just think about it,” Eddie shouted to Malika as he was dragged away.
◆ ◆ ◆
Twigs snapped and dried pine needles crackled with every step as the orphans trekked through the mountainous terrain. They didn’t hear the sounds they made or even the birds chirping in the trees. All of their attention was concentrated on the grumbling in their own stomachs and their mutual annoyance of having to search for their own food.
“I can’t believe there could be an attack any second and we’re roaming the freaking forest,” JP complained.
“Does anyone even know what the heck we’re looking for?” Naomi said.
“I’m looking for a Doritos tree,” Eddie said, dead serious. “Preferably Cool Ranch, but I’ll settle for Nacho Cheesier.”
Charlie and the others couldn’t tell if he was kidding or not. “You know chips don’t grow on trees, right?” Charlie said.
“Of course,” Eddie said. “I’m just trying to be optimistic. Didn’t Malika say something about believing in stuff? Well, I choose to believe that Doritos and bear claw pastries naturally occur in the wild.”
“Good luck with that,” Naomi said.
“I was actually a Cub Scout back in the day,” Antony said. “We never left the city, but we learned a little about surviving in the wild, how to find edible wild plants and whatnot.”
“Perfect,” JP said. “How about you Webelos go look for berries and nuts, and Naomi and I will go find some meat.”
“Webelos, like we blow,” Eddie said. “Good one.”
JP smirked.
“You guys don’t think we should stick together?” Charlie said. “What if we get lost?”
“The church is just at the top of that hill,” JP said. “If you can get lost, we’ve got bigger problems than finding food. Besides, we’ll be more efficient if we split up.”
“He’s right,” Antony said.
“Okay,” Charlie reluctantly agreed. He watched Naomi and JP as they started down the slope, focusing on Naomi as they continued on their descent.
Antony scanned the forest. “We need to find a spot that gets good light and is close to a water source. That’s gonna be our best bet.” He turned his gaze to the sky, traced the sun’s path, and then headed in the opposite direction of JP and Naomi.
Eddie followed Antony.
After a moment, Charlie tagged along, too.
“Now that it’s just us guys,” Eddie said, “can we talk about how hot Malika is?”
Antony shot Eddie a disturbed sidelong glance.
“I meant the older her,” Eddie quickly corrected himself. “Not the younger her, obviously. You’re messed up for even going there.” Eddie nodded to Charlie. “What do you think?”
“I agree,” Charlie said. “She’s really pretty.”
“Really pretty?” Eddie said, taken aback. It wasn’t half the enthusiasm he had been expecting. “On a ten-point scale, she’s a twenty. Status update: You guys are certifiably crazy.”
“Dislike,” Antony said.
“You can’t dislike stuff. That wasn’t the deal. And it’s not even an option online.” Eddie turned back to Charlie. “And your vote doesn’t count, anyway. You’re obviously biased.”
“What are talking about?” Charlie said.
“Don’t act like you don’t have a thing for Naomi.”
Charlie had never been called out for liking anyone before. His throat cinched, and his heart fluttered from the accusation. Did he have feelings for her? Of course he did. But Charlie’s instincts quickly took over and told him to deny it. “What? No, I don’t.”
“Sure you don’t. And the Pope’s a Protestant.” Eddie shook his head. “It’s cool. She’s pretty, in that angry, tough girl that probably likes to punch guys kind of way.”
“I, uh, don’t know what you’re talking about,” Charlie stammered.
“That she likes to punch guys, or that you like her?”
“Both.”
“Dude, I just saw you watch her leave,” Eddie said. “Not to mention the way you totally froze up earlier in the van. Plus, you’re way too defensive right now. It’s a dead giveaway.”
Charlie said nothing. He didn’t have a comeback.
“I’ll take your silence as an admission of guilt,” Eddie said. “All right, Antony, you get to break the tie. What do you think? Malika, and by that I mean older Malika, or Naomi?”
“I think we need to focus our attention on finding food,” Antony said.
“I can multitask,” Eddie joked. He waited for a response that never came. “Fine. I’ll count that as a non-vote. And I’m not gonna bother asking JP ‘cause it seems like he has a thing for Naomi, too. Which I guess breaks the tie. Naomi wins.” Eddie considered the results and shrugged. “But hey, that actually works better for me, less competition. I doubt I could compete with JP, anyway.” He patted Charlie on the shoulder. “But good luck with that, buddy.”
“Thanks,” Charlie said.
Eddie grinned. “Look at that, he admits it!” He playfully shook Charlie by his shoulders.
Charlie smiled. It was the first time he had ever admitted to liking anyone, either directly or indirectly. His thoughts drifted to Naomi. A rush of warmth started in his chest and expanded outward. But Charlie’s sense of elation was quickly dashed, replaced by an aching tightness in his stomach, as he considered the questions that arose from this admission. Did Naomi know? What did she think? Was he really competing with JP? If so, did he even stand a chance?
“Enough messing around,” Antony said, getting the others back on track. “Let’s focus on finding food.”
The three continued deep into the woods, traversing over a mile before they found what they were searching for: a large clearing in the trees. In the clearing, were vine
s upon vines of wild grapes and bushes filled with all sorts of ripe berries. They plucked what they could as fast as they could, with much of their early pickings conveniently finding their way into their open mouths. Once they had harvested all that their arms could carry, they began their hike back to the church.
◆ ◆ ◆
Charlie and the guys were the first to return. Antony had the idea of removing the van’s bench seats so they would have somewhere to lounge. They situated the seats around a small fire pit that they built.
JP and Naomi arrived not long after the guys had finished setting up. With them, they carried fifteen squirrels. JP had used rocks and his cannon of an arm to hunt the little critters.
They all pitched in to prep the squirrels, which they roasted over the open fire with skewers. When they were fully cooked, no one wanted to take the first bite.
JP jokingly volunteered Malika, who informed the group that angels did not require human food for sustenance.
“Screw it,” Eddie said. “I’m too hungry, and I can’t eat any more fruit.” He bit the bullet and took the first taste.
The others waited for his reaction.
Eddie finished chewing the meat and considered it for a second. “Status update,” he said. “Does everything taste like chicken, or does chicken just taste like everything?” He turned to Antony.
“Does it really taste like chicken, or are you just saying that?” Antony said.
“It did to me. Not kfc, but regular grilled chicken.”
“Then like.” Antony flashed two thumbs up, and then grabbed a skewer and took a bite. “You’re right. It’s not bad.”
After the others got past their psychological hang-ups, they, too, found the meat to be more than tolerable. Chewy, but tolerable. All in all, it made for a more than satisfactory meal, and they made quick work of the skewers.
“How do you feel?” Malika asked the orphans as they wrapped up their squirrel brunch.
“Full,” Charlie said, finishing his last morsel of meat.
All of the other orphans agreed.
“You might not notice any difference just yet,” Malika said, “but in time, you will all feel a stronger sense of self-reliance. And that is not the only benefit you will receive. Much of the food you purchase in stores is highly processed and inflammatory. It prevents your body from absorbing any of the nutrients you ingest, which negatively impacts your physical energy and mental clarity. Cleaning your diet will help clean your body and mind, and allow both to operate more efficiently.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Eddie said. “My body is already a well-oiled machine.” He flexed his arms like a bodybuilder and then gave each of his biceps a kiss.
Naomi pointed to the sweat accumulating on Eddie’s forehead. “I’d go with a greasy machine over well-oiled.”
“Same difference.”
“We shall see soon enough,” Malika said. “Each of you is about to change in ways that you could never imagine. And it starts right now, with your first lesson.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Malika retrieved one of the discarded skewers that was lying on the ground and stuck the tip into the fire. Once it caught, she removed the skewer and blew on the lit end. The tiny ember pulsed and expanded spherically, the hue shifting from a reddish-orange to a bright yellow. She continued to blow on the bright bulb. With each subsequent breath, the flame grew in magnitude, while the glow progressed up the thermal spectrum. After the last exhalation, the incandescent orb had reached the size of a softball and was as blue as the blaze from a butane torch. Malika swirled her newly formed fire wand with a quick flick of the wrist.
The orphans watched in awe as a matching flame sparked up from the ground like burners on an old gas stove. The flames were no more than a couple inches high and encircled their little camp. The ring of fire seemed to come at the expense of their campfire, which went completely dark.
Malika whipped both of her arms high above her head as if she were conducting an orchestra. The previously restrained circle of flames shot upwards, arching above the orphans and creating a radiant cobalt dome.
“We’re gonna get cooked alive!” JP shouted as he dove from his seat.
The other orphans, reacting equally to the enclosing inferno and to JP’s screams, tucked their heads in between their legs and covered the backs of their heads with their hands.
“Do not worry,” Malika said. “The flames are harmless.”
The orphans tentatively let down their guards and lifted their heads from their laps.
Still skeptical, Charlie carefully raised his hand toward the flickering wall of flame that enclosed them. Any lingering fears of a fiery death that he still held immediately vanished. “They’re not hot at all,” Charlie said. If anything, it was the most neutral temperature he had ever experienced. “I don’t even feel anything.”
“That is the point,” Malika said. “Because of the many years of conditioning that each of you has been subjected to, you are all too easily distracted. The chamber I have created eliminates any potential interference from the outside world. Within this sacred space, there is no sound, no sight, no smell, no touch, and no taste.”
“Apparently, there are no warnings, either,” JP grumbled as he picked himself up off of the ground. “You could have told us it was coming first.”
“Your displeasure is duly noted,” Malika said.
JP dusted off his clothes and then retook his seat.
“Eventually,” Malika said, “you will be able to block out any distractions on your own when it is called for. But for now, this will help you focus for your first lesson, which is the foundation of your development. Much as you cannot walk before you crawl, if you are to truly believe in yourself, you must first learn to love yourself.”
“I already got that one down,” Eddie said. “If anything, I might love myself too much. If you know what I mean.” He made a gesture like he was shaking dice; however, he was referring to shaking something much more inappropriate.
“Pretty sure she didn’t mean that,” Naomi said. “But thanks for the visual, you perv.”
Malika continued, undeterred by Eddie’s joking. “But in order to cultivate an unconditional love of yourself, you must first get to know your divine self.”
“What’s our divine self?” Charlie asked.
“It is all of your intrinsic desires, unencumbered by any learned judgments,” Malika said. “It is your truest self, your spirit. The stronger the connection between mind and spirit, the stronger you are. In complete harmony, the Beasts will be unable to overpower you. But all it takes is the slightest crack in your armor, your belief of self, and you will be susceptible.”
“So, how do we achieve this harmony?” Antony said.
“Awareness. You must bring awareness to all of the doubt that is stored deep inside of you. This acknowledgement, combined with the understanding that you have created these thoughts, empowers you to release them by consciously letting them go,” Malika said. “In the absence of negativity, positivity will prosper.”
JP was skeptical. “That’s it?” he said.
Malika nodded. “Yes, but to even become aware of the self-doubt that you harbor, first you must have a conversation with yourself and afford your divine self the opportunity to speak. You must ask yourself to reveal the biggest block, or impediment, to loving all that you are.”
“So I just ask myself what my biggest block is,” Eddie said, “and my divine self will be like, ‘Hey, Eddie, this is what’s wrong with you, you big weirdo.’ Sounds easy enough.”
“Do not underestimate the difficulty of this task,” Malika said. “Identifying the problem is often the most difficult part of finding a solution. Rarely will your mind be so honest. It has been conditioned to conceal its true thoughts and conform to society’s constructs. Most likely, you wil
l need to ask yourself more than once. You may have to ask yourself one thousand times, and receive one thousand different answers, before you attain the correct one. But until you uncover your biggest block and let it go, you will not be able to truly let the rest of your pent-up negativity go and free your divine self from society’s shackles.”
The orphans didn’t respond.
Malika could tell by the looks on their faces that they had already begun trying to have the conversations with themselves. “I will give you as much time as you need,” she said. “I encourage you to close your eyes to help eliminate any potential visual distractions from within the chamber.”
The orphans obliged, closing their eyes.
Malika continued, “And keep in mind that your block can manifest itself in a multitude of ways. It may appear as anger, fear, or just about any other negative emotion. All you need to do is relax, center your thoughts, and let your divine self speak.”
The orphans sat in silence.
Ten minutes passed. Then twenty.
After thirty minutes, Antony opened his eyes. Malika greeted him with a smile. He gave his own half-smile back.
One by one, the other orphans followed, all of them greeted with the same smile from Malika. Charlie was the last to open his eyes. Once he did, Malika retook the floor.
“While awareness begins the process of letting go of your mental block,” Malika said, “sharing that block and really admitting it to others is integral to accelerating its expulsion. With that in mind, who would like to share first? Antony, you were the first to open your eyes.”
“I still need to think about it more,” Antony said.
“That is fine,” Malika said. “Anyone else?”
A couple seconds passed without a volunteer. Then, finally, Naomi stepped up. “I guess I can,” she said. “But mine is stupid.”
“All negative thoughts are, especially if you give them power over you.”
“Yeah, I don’t disagree,” Naomi said. “I’d have to say my biggest block has always been my body.”
“That’s crazy,” Charlie blurted out. Naomi narrowed her eyes at him. “I meant that in a good way,” he said, trying to recover. “You have a great—”
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