Enlightened Ones

By Lacey Reah

Taken aback by the generous and caring "Enlightened Ones," Maggi is convinced to leave her dysfunctional home for what will now be her true family. Led by their enigmatic leader, John Cronus, the Enlightened Ones believe they are building towards a beautiful utopia; one they feel will be the dawning of a new way of life.
The past lives of all involved begin to unravel as they give up all their worldly possessions to build paradise on a remote island. Have the Enlightened Ones taken the road less traveled, or have they sealed their fate with a madman?
Enlightened Ones are required to feel a great sense of trust, love, and freedom, but what happens when the rules change? What will they do when they realize paradise isn't ready? How will they handle it when their sense of trust is questioned? In a society where betrayal is not an option, what will they stoop to in order to escape, and who will take the blame when their plans mistakenly lead to one of the greatest tragedies of their time?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lacey Reah
• Release date: Apr 29, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301230297

Lacey Reah

Lacey Reah has worked as a teacher, a fitness and yoga guru, a healer, an actress and a writer. She has traveled the globe, living in major cities such as Manilla, Sydney, Los Angeles and New York; working odd- ended jobs such as retail sales and being a paid psychic. Wherever she went, she has taken the opportunity to track every key point of her life and document it. So much has happened in her life and with heavy bouts of sleep paralysis that it is difficult to discern the reality from the fantasy. She is on a lifetime search for truth.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

Everyone is familiar with the story of the Enlightened Ones, but no one could possibly know what really happened. People muse over many conspiracy theories: some complicated, and others straightforward. Some say that the government tried to put them down because they were becoming too powerful and successful. Others say the church itself was part of a government experiment. Some say the Enlightened Ones were a terrorist organization; others say that they were a peaceful society that just wanted to be left alone.

The truth is there is no single answer. You may not think this kind of thing could happen to you, but you will see how easy it is to be pulled into something like this. These people were real, full of passion, heroism, bitter disappointment, and love. They weren’t just statistics on the page of a newspaper.

You may be wondering how I know anything about what happened in that church, or on that island. How can I know secrets that only the ghosts can know? I was alive once, and I was a woman full of love, but life can be short and death can often take us by surprise. I chose to stay on and watch the stories unfold. I felt a calling toward these people, a pull I can’t explain. I can only say that I care deeply for them. Let me tell you about them now: the genius Cliff, the righteous Kim, the warrior Wendy, confused Jude, good-hearted JC, and (of course) vulnerable Maggi. There were many more members whose stories run deeper than you could possibly know, unless you were a ghost.

Part I, Initiation

Maggi’s Best Friend

I finally sit down after a long day’s work. I finally find peace, and you drop my beer bottle! Do you know how much these cost? Scott snapped, the devil coming out of him. Maggi stood over the broken glass, the foamy liquid spreading over the wooden floor. She glared at her father defiantly. Don’t look at me like that. You know I hate it when you look at me like that. Just don’t look at me, he seethed.

"I should be your peaceful thought after a long day’s work, not that damn bottle, Maggi replied, also seething. Maggi was ready for whatever Scott had to dish out. He had picked the wrong day to start this with her. What would Mother think if she saw you like this? You’re just a pathetic drunk, whining over a bottle of beer," she sneered. Yes, she had finally said it, and rightfully so. She had heard him use her mother’s name against her over and over since the day she died. Two could play at that game.

It was Maggi’s birthday and Scott was too drunk to remember. Her father felt too sorry for himself to realize that turning eighteen was a very significant time for Maggi; and even though she always accepted his inability to show that he cared, she still resented him forgetting her special day. She knew what would come next: a sock in the jaw for talking back. Instead of taking her punishment, Maggi ran to the other side of the room just as Scott started to stand up. He launched at her, barely missing a strand of her long, black hair.

She had never run from him before. She had taken his beatings since she was a toddler. She had always been taught that the consequences would be far worse if she ran. But this time she didn’t care. She was too old to be spanked, and too old to be treated this way. Scott knocked over a lamp as he swooped toward her, cursing and screaming at the top of his lungs. She ran out of the apartment and down the stairs, screaming, I’m eighteen. You can’t hit me anymore! She didn’t stop running until she reached the end of the block. When she turned around, she realized that Scott hadn’t followed her. He hadn’t even tried. He never left the tenement and, for some reason, she knew he wouldn’t.

She walked cautiously down the empty sidewalk. She passed by more apartment complexes as cars zoomed by her. Some of them honked, but she paid them no mind. Every time she passed a streetlamp, she dreaded its overt, glaring light. What did she have to be ashamed of? She had taken care of Scott all this time since her mother died, always living up to the responsibilities he expected from her. Why did she have to put up with his attitude, his temper, and his peevishness while she was not allowed the same luxuries?

Still, she felt her mother’s shame on her. She always believed that her mother was a guardian angel who watched over all she did. Her mother used to tell her stories of angels as a child. They watched her from birth, always knowing when she was good or when she was bad. But surely, her mother would understand this. She had to do it. She couldn’t really know if her mother understood, but in her mind she begged her to.

After walking past the series of apartments for twenty minutes, she came to the Brinkstein Mall. It was a mall that never seemed to do too well. The stores opened and closed as quickly as people moved in and out. She walked through the empty parking lots and found a pay phone next to the Sears outlet store. She put a quarter in and called her best friend, JC.

Of course, JC was more than just her best friend. He was also her first. He was the first boy to ever kiss her, and the first boy to ever tell her that he loved her. He was the first boy to ever break her heart, and the first male best friend she ever had. He was also the first friend she ever had who realized he was gay. It was a secret they shared together, which made Maggi cherish their friendship even more. He knew about her lingering domestic difficulties, and she knew of his attraction to other men. They were both late bloomers. Maggi had been sheltered by her father’s dominion over her for so long that she hardly had a social life. She barely knew how to act around so called normal and happy people. JC hadn’t accepted his attraction to the same gender until after he started dating Maggi. He was also hiding this secret from his family, who would never accept the real him. The two of them were isolated in their own special way.

Maggi stood on the street corner waiting for JC. Occasionally, a car would pass and honk its horn. No one walked in LA, let alone the San Fernando Valley. She leaned on the pay phone booth, thinking about turning eighteen. Her dad had said he would let her start dating at that age. Of course, when she had been with JC, she had to sneak around a bit. She still felt like a child. She didn’t do as well in school as she should have. All of her friends were accepted into college and would be moving away. JC would be leaving in one month to go to UC Berkeley, and he couldn’t wait to escape and leave her with the rest of the losers. There he would probably meet a boy, someone whom he would actually be sexually attracted to, and their special friendship would pale in comparison.

The thought of JC leaving her started to overtake the feeling of triumph Maggi felt from telling her father off and dodging his blows. When JC drove up to rescue her, he had to ask what was wrong.

Nothing, she replied. Just dodged some hits from my dad.

Seriously? JC exclaimed. He was obviously in a much better mood than she was. You go, girl! By the way, he pulled out a small box, happy birthday.

Maggi jumped into the passenger seat, the look of desolation leaving her face immediately. Should I open it? she asked eagerly.

Do whatever you want to do with it; it’s yours. JC laughed. Maggi opened the purple wrapper to find a small jewelry box inside. She opened the box to find a gold chain with a purple stone latched to it. Engraved on the stone was the word ‘Friendship.’

My favorite color. I love it! Maggi squealed and gave JC a big hug.

So where should we go? JC asked.

I don’t know.

C’mon, it’s your birthday.

Just get me away from here.

With that, JC started driving through the empty, valley streets. So, I guess your father is pretty pissed. Are you scared?

Actually no. He looked so ridiculous. He almost tripped over a lamp when he went after me, and I think he hurt his toe or something. He looked pretty awkward and old. He used to be so intimidating and scary.

He’s a dick, Maggi. I always said he was. I don’t care if he’s your dad. I’m glad you finally started sticking up for yourself.

It occurred to Maggi that if it weren’t for JC, she may not have done what she did that night. He gave her a different perspective on matters. She was raised to respect the fourth commandment: ‘honor thy mother and father.’ Her father had his tantrums when her mother was still alive, and her mother always smoothed things over with such grace. She never let Maggi resent her father’s behavior, but told her she had to respect him and try to understand him. Her mother never threw tantrums, never became drunk, and never raised a finger to her. Maggi spent her whole life trying to emulate that kind of peace. Perhaps that was the reason she never fought back.

I’ve been trying to be more like my mother. She never talked back, and always taught me that if I did, I was asking for violence. She was so spiritual. She could calm the wildest beast. She used to take us to church on Sundays, and she knew everyone there. I want to be like that. I’ve never felt at home since she passed.

JC didn’t know what to say, so he kept his eyes focused on the road ahead. My dad took me to church after my mom died, Maggi continued. Just me and him. He told me to pray. Pray that we don’t lose the house, that he’d find another job. So I prayed, and he prayed, and we went every Sunday, and we would stay after and pray. When we lost the house, Dad never took me back there again.

He really thought that praying would solve all his problems? JC asked

No, but my mom did, and that was more important to him then. His last hope was in that church.

JC didn’t say anything for a moment. He just stared at the road and sighed. Then he asked, Do you miss it?

Sometimes I go there, when there isn’t any Mass, and I see these people in perfect peace kneeling in the pews. I can’t remember when I’ve felt that kind of peace. It’s so still and sacred. I like it when there isn’t any Mass. It reminds me of my mother. She used to tell me that when there’s nothing left to believe in, to believe in God. Maggi looked up at the night sky as she said this, wishing for the kind of strength her mother had. Perhaps if she believed in God with the same kind of faith, then she could emulate her.

JC said nothing, so she turned to him and wondered what he was thinking. His eyes were more fixed on the road than usual. There was more going on in that head of his than he would admit, she thought. She still liked to look at him, even though she knew he probably didn’t feel the same way. She watched how he bit his lip as he slowed, approaching a stop sign. She had kissed his soft lips before, back when they were confused and thought they’d like it. A pair of lips could never be more wrong. Now he was wishing he could kiss her friend David. How funny her life seemed as she shared a moment with her gay best friend, who used to think he loved her. He was still hers, she thought. He was all she had, but he was leaving.

JC pulled up his car to a local park. C’mon, let’s go and play, he said, nudging his blond head toward the jungle gym. Maggi quickly put her friendship necklace on and jumped out of the car. Race you to the swings! she said, before sprinting out ahead of him. She still had some adrenalin to burn after running away from her dad. JC followed behind her in a slow jog. She was almost swinging all the way around the pole when he reached her. The girl who wished she could fly, he called to her as she kicked herself up to the stars. She knew there was some truth to what he said. She desperately wanted to fly away from her life. She just never found the strength to figure out how.

When Maggi settled down, she talked about how she didn’t know what to do with her life, and JC advised her to see a counselor at the local community college she would be attending. He told her about a new connection his dad had on the computer called the Internet where JC could meet and chat with other gay men without having to leave the house. It was 1995 and the Internet was spreading like a disease. JC didn’t have to feel alone anymore. Maggi didn’t have the Internet. She didn’t even own a computer.

As the hours passed, Maggi realized that her dad would be furious when she returned home. He was always supposed to know where she was, and she was not allowed to stay out too late.

My dad is probably combing the streets looking for me, Maggi said, a sense of nervousness rising in her.

Who cares? He’s a dick, remember? Maggi, you have to start fighting for your right to party. You’re in the prime of your life.

JC was right, but she had no idea what to do with the prime of her life. She certainly didn’t want to spend it partying, and the only boy she wanted to be with was gay. Self-pity started to fill her, which meant that the adrenalin rush had subsided.

Does this mean it’s time for me to take you home? he asked.

Yeah, I guess, she replied, not because she wanted to go home, or because she was afraid of what her father would do. She just didn’t see how she would be any good to JC. He would leave her eventually, and he wouldn’t have to rescue her pitiful self anymore.

Alright. I’ll take you home then.

Thanks.

You’re welcome.

The two friends said their good-byes when they reached the curb outside Maggi’s apartment. JC waited inside the car until he saw that she was safely inside her home. Maggi hesitated before opening the security gate. A few hours before she had felt triumphant, fleeing from her place of slavery. Now she found herself back where she was before, having to face the home she had always known. She had no game plan prepared for the next confrontation. She only hoped her dad was fast asleep, dreaming that nothing had ever happened. Who was she kidding? She looked back at JC, who shrugged. He was willing to hang out with her if she wasn’t ready to go home, but the choice was up to her. She took a deep breath, turned to JC, waved good-bye, and entered the building.

Maggi Receives Expert Advice

As she approached room two, she fumbled for her keys. Her dad was obsessed with security, perhaps as a result of losing his wife. Maggi had four separate keys to open four separate locks. Three of those locks were installed by her father himself. Maggi unlocked the door. She opened it only to find that the chain was hooked up. Usually her father didn’t chain the door when he knew she was out. Was he locking her out, or taking extra precautions? Perhaps he just wanted to be at the door when she entered. Maggi heard footsteps. Then she heard the sound of the chain coming off. The door opened, and there was her father.

Scott was not a tall man, but he looked tall. He stood only five foot seven, but he always stood up straight and alert. His body was solid and hard, with stiff forearms that looked proportionally large for his size. The fact that he was balding didn’t make him look any less intimidating. Where are they? he asked coldly.

Who?

The cops.

The cops? Maggi didn’t understand the question. Had there been a shooting, or a burglary? Is that why the chain was put on the door even though Scott knew she was out?

Isn’t that where you were going; to see the cops? explained Scott. Isn’t that why you were screaming to the entire world that I hit you? Maggi didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry. Never in her life could she imagine calling the police on her dad, but if this was what he was thinking, so be it. Perhaps he wouldn’t hit her again for fear of the police. But it still saddened her that the man didn’t understand her point. It was as if his fear of the outside world interfered with his need to understand Maggi.

Maggi decided to play upon her father’s fear anyway. It was all she had, and all she was in the mood for that night. She brushed by Scott, who was hesitant to do anything but remain standing where he was. He then checked both sides of the door for intruders before shutting it, never forgetting to use all five locks.

You listen here, he said, his voice trembling as he tried to keep from yelling. I am your father; I have a right to hit you. I have a right to teach you a lesson when you get out of line.

Maggi could see that Scott was over his rage. Now he was confused and upset as he tried desperately to hang onto his authority. Well, why don’t you just put a dog leash on me, Maggi replied. If you have the right to hit me, then don’t worry about the cops. They won’t take you away unless you’re actually breaking the law.

Scott started to clench his fists. Maggi had spoken to him in a way that would usually garner her a fat lip, but Scott held back, allowing her to speed by him and lock herself in her room. She knew he wouldn’t follow her, and he didn’t. There was no banging at her door, no demands to open it, just dead silence—a silence Maggi had witnessed many times; a silence beyond silence, like the world was suspended in time and she was the only one still conscious of it. And if her small room was the only thing left in the universe that was still spinning, she didn’t care if it went on like that forever.

Maggi lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering if her father would ever let her step out of line. At eighteen, she should be allowed to explore the world, to make her own mistakes. Yet there was her father, always looking over her shoulder, demanding to know where she was, and dissuading her from going too far.

Why don’t you just stay home? he’d say. I don’t see enough of you. Even when she’d tell him that she was going off to find a job, Scott would say, You don’t need a job. Concentrate on school. Stay home and study, or, How can you get a job if you can’t even keep this place clean? It needs to be dusted; first things first. But as Maggi stared at the paint peeling off the ceiling, she knew that she needed to find a job. She didn’t know how much longer Scott could keep his. He always complained of back pain. He would spend all day working as a mechanic, only to come home, complaining that he couldn’t do anything else but lie on his easy chair and watch TV. Her father was in denial, because he wanted to feel like he was always able to look after her, instead of it being the other way around.

JC was right. She had to take control of the situation, so she did that night. Maggi wasn’t afraid of her father’s fists anymore, and the less she was afraid of him, the less he could control her. She was thankful to JC for being such a great friend, the only one in the world who she could confide in. Through him, she was able to see another point of view and act accordingly.

Maggi felt warm inside as she thought of JC, the one person who helped her see the light of the world while Scott was always trying to hide her from it. Then she remembered that things may never be the same between them. In a sense she was glad that JC had a reason to confide in her, instead of the other way around. She told herself that she would always listen to him, and if no one else in the valley knew he was gay, at least he could be himself around her, as he always would. But memories started to flood her mind, and she found herself floating in the twilight of nostalgia.

She recalled the first time he had touched her hand. It was the touch of first love, like she had never been touched before. She remembered the way it tingled, the jumping of her heart, the shy uncertainty of whether or not she was doing it right; as if hand touching required any expertise at all. Then she remembered the electric touch of her first kiss, the moment before it happened, when she realized that she was going to be kissed for the first time, the sheer excitement of knowing that a moment would come and pass and nothing would ever be the same again after that.

She had experienced both these moments with JC. She had never known so much intimacy. She knew now that they would never touch lips again. Every time she became lost in those blue eyes, she would remember that she was once his, and it hurt so much to realize this that she fell asleep with tears pouring out of her eyes.

The pungent smell of eggs and garlic woke Maggi from her slumber. When she saw her father hunched over the kitchen table with breakfast, she rubbed her eyes. He smiled at her with the awkward, goofy smile of a waiter on his first day. I made you breakfast, he said. Her father never made her breakfast unless it was purchased doughnuts. She noticed that the dishes she left in the sink were clean, and that the floor was polished. Maggi never cared how clean the place was, but her dad always nagged her to have the dishes done every night. He never did the dishes for her.

Then she realized what this was all about. Scott had no idea how to say ‘I’m sorry,’ so this was his way of calling a truce. Well, apology accepted, she thought as she sat down to try the garlic-laced scrambled eggs. Though Maggi almost

Reviews for Enlightened Ones

[katyas_26 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Please note: I edited this New Adult novel for the author. I do not receive remuneration based upon sales.Genre: Literary fictionTrigger Warnings: domestic violence, authority figures taking sexual advantage of those under their authority, brainwashing, cultsReading Level: New AdultMy Thoughts: This was a very difficult book to read, and that's a compliment. The reason I say that is because this stirred up strong emotional reactions while I was editing it, and for me, a writer that can create strong, visceral reactions is a good writer. It will not be an easy book for anyone to read, because it deals with heavy issues, but it's a very worthwhile one. Go check it out.Synopsis: When Maggi turns eighteen and realizes that she has nothing to show for it, she looks for meaning by joining a church of people called “Enlightened Ones,” led by the enigmatic John Cronus. As she is pulled deeper into this organization, the stories of its people are unveiled, revealing how they all joined the church seeking their own form of fulfillment. The followers give up all their worldly possessions to start a commune on a distant island paradise. Will they find the utopia they seek, or will they be pulled into a menace that is even darker than the lives they left behind?

[readingover50 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I find the subject of cults fascinating. Why do some people join them, and why do these people go against their own instinct for self preservation? I appreciate that the author attempts to get into the head of these people, especially Maggi, and show how one can be seduced by a cult. Even after leaving the group, the cult still has a strong hold on its former members.

I wasn't real happy about the ending of the book. I don't feel Maggi had grown enough from her experiences, although she was making progress. I liked her friend JC, and how he stuck by Maggi. Overall, this was an interesting read.