The ritual with the Sullivans was way different from the services we went to. I could see that they really prayed with their heart and soul. It was strange singing at the top of our voice and then suddenly dancing. They played a message from the Prophet. He was talking that his followers were one big family. We should look at each other's strong sides and not dwell on their weaknesses. Bullying and intolerance could not be tolerated In any family. As Angels, we must take care of and protect each other.

Ellie was in a good mood after their ritual. She gave me a hug and said it was good that my name was Angel. I told her that I could finally understand why she wanted to follow the prophet. The ritual was very special and I felt closer to God. This made Ellie smile more!

I did not expect her Dad to invite us to join the cult. I expected Dad to say a polite no thank you. However, he asked what does joining the cult mean. How would it change our lives?

Mr Sullivan said we would have a new life. It was like being reborn. We would hand over all our possessions to the prophet's Church. Then we would be sent to Paradise where we would get our own house. We will also be assigned jobs and we would be part of one big family.

Dad said it's a big step to give our house and everything away. He asked about our savings and the college fund for me. The answer was that everything would be handed to the prophet. We no longer had to worry about money. Paradise will give us food and clothes and would give me an education. We would be equal to other people and most importantly closer to the prophet and God, and happier!

Dad said that we would have to think about it. To be honest we did not have a lot of time to discuss it. A few days after the ritual, Dad was told as his work that he was being laid off. He was in a bad mood when he heard this. He could not understand why he was being fired when his firm was employing new people. The only solution he could think of was that his employers heard that we were friends with people from a cult and it was dangerous for them to employ him. This made dad mad as he yelled it was discrimination and ignorance. He started telling mom that the Sullivans were not dangerous or public enemies.

Things really came to a boil when the priest came. He noticed that we were not at church for a while. Mom invited him in for some tea. Nothing was really said until he saw one of the prophet's books on the table.

“So it is true,” he said, “Your family is being brainwashed and most likely being recruited into this religious cult. They will promise things will be better. They will promise happiness and eternal heaven. However, you will lose your souls to them. You will be damned. This cult is nothing but a tool of the devil. My advice is to come back to church and repent!”

Dad had enough. Everyone was judging our family. Dad pushed the priest out of the house. He shouted that the priest is no longer welcome here. As the priest was walking out in shock, Dad told the priest that he was not considering joining the cult. However, after hearing what the priest had to say, he was now strongly considering joining the cult

The priest went and I could see dad smoking and mom slumped in a chair. They seemed to be in shock that a priest was kicked out of the house. Mom was the first to say something. She thought that everyone would know about it tomorrow. Then there was silence and mom told us it was nice to be invited to join the cult. She admitted that she really felt like a bad person for kicking the priest out. Mom reminded everyone that she did not want to join the cult as we were not interested in it.

Dad suggested we forget all about God and religion and cults and have a good time. So we went to the cinema. I usually would be so excited about this, as it was Disney's new film. I could not help to think about how confusing my life was becoming. We were being shunned and ignored by old friends and our neighbours. Mum was totally into the new prophet and even Dad was reading what the prophet had to say. We were even invited to join the cult. This were a lot of things happening, and no one asked me what I wanted!

I didn't see much of the movie.

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I was at Ellie's house and we talked about my family and if they were joining the cult or not. I shrugged my shoulders and said that they were talking about it. I honestly did not know what they were deciding. No one ever asked me what I wanted to do.

“We are only children,” Ellie explained, “God and the prophet tell us that he had big plans for each of us. However, that is when we grow up. Until then we are to be obedient and trust in our parents that they make the right choices for us. Let's say that your parents decide that you should be part of our religion and move to Paradise. That could not be the worse thing in the world. You will have friends and your parents would be happy. You are just afraid of something unknown. I am sure when it all happens, you will be so happy. Just trust in God and in the prophet.”

I felt better after speaking with Ellie. I thought that she had a point. What did I have left here in my world? I had no friends and my family was considered strange fanatics. Maybe this was a sign from God to join the cult. At least my parents would be happy and I would not be ignored.

When I went home, both Mom and Dad were in a great mood. Dad told us that we would celebrate in style. They decided that we would join the cult and live in paradise. I smiled and assured them that I was happy about her decision.

I ran back over to Ellie's house and told her that we would be joining the prophet's family. We would be cult members! Ellie was so happy as she gave me a welcome hug. I told her that we could be best friends when we all moved to Paradise. Ellie stopped smiling and told me that she was not going back to Paradise. Her parents were known as “the fishers.” This meant their job was to live in the big normal world and tell people about the prophet and paradise. I gave Ellie a hug and understood why she appeared to be so lonely at times.

Nothing much happened for a few weeks. The Elders at Paradise was getting a house ready for us there and discussing what our responsibilities would be. Mom and Dad were now reading everything that the prophet wrote, so this meant that all we ever spoke about was the prophet.

I thought it was a bit sad when two men from Paradise came and Dad had to sign papers that gave the prophet everything we owned. This was money and the house! Even my bike was signed over to the prophet. We were told that when a car came and collected us, we were to take nothing to Paradise, not even a suitcase. We were to leave everything behind. This even meant our cellphones and clothes!

Another thing we were told is that we would have no contact with anyone that was not a member of the cult. The reason was that we were not “fishers”. I did not understand this and thought it was very sad. I know granny tried to visit us and ring us, but mom and Dad simply ignored her. I felt so sorry for Granny.

The day came when we were to move to Paradise. We were given clothes that we would wear there. Dad wore a suit so he looked the same as he always did. Mom wore a blouse and a long skirt that went to her ankles. I wore a cotton dress that also went to my feet and had long arms. It was a brown dress and was something I normally would never wear. To make things weirder, my hair was put in pigtails.

The drive was long as we drove for most of the day. Not much was said in the car except that mom seemed very excited. I just noticed we seemed to be driving to places that had no people. In the end, there were hardly any towns on our trip. The driver must have read my thoughts as he said Paradise was built in a very remote area where there was no contact with the outside world.

We finally arrived at Paradise, which seemed like a cosy town. The houses were small but had nice gardens. We were not given a chance to rest but taken to a small stream. It looked like the whole town was there. They were dressed the same way as we were.

Mom was the first that got baptized. She was told to walk into the stream where a man asked her if she was an angel of God and if she would be obedient to the prophet. Mom smiled as she shouted yes and then she was baptized as she was held under the water. The townspeople were delighted and started praising the prophet and God. Some were even singing. Dad was next to be baptized.

Then it was my turn. I walked into the water and really wanted to run out again because it was so cold. The man asked was my name really Angel and I nodded. I was asked if I would be obedient and be an angel for Paradise. I nodded again which made the man a bit frustrated. He wanted me to shout it so heaven could hear me. As soon as this happened, I was lowered until I was under the water. I was afraid and I was cold. I did not take a deep breath before this happened. When I tried to raise myself, he held me under the water. Despite how much I struggled, he held me there. In the end, he helped me stand up again. I was coughing and I was cold.

I ran to my mom after such an ordeal and could not help but started crying. Mom could not see that this was because of how cold I was and that I thought that I would drown.

“You have tears of joy and happiness,” she proclaimed, “Praise Jesus and the prophet. You are now a child of Paradise and the Prophet.”

In other words, I was now a member of a cult.

The end.. for now