“I’m glad you’re with me. I was a little nervous to come alone.” Janet said as they walked out of the doughnut shop.

“It’s no problem. But isn’t this like a party or something? Why’re we walking?” Vanessa asked, frowning.

“Well, I heard it was kinda like a party, but it’s more of a meetup than anything else. At least, that’s how Patrick described it.” Janet said, tugging on her jacket nervously.

“Huh, that’s…probably just an excuse to hit on us, now that I think about it.” Vanessa said. “I guess if we get there and it’s lame we’ll leave.”

“Yeah. I hear these gatherings are really popular, though.”

“For real? I suppose it couldn’t hurt to check it out, but if I get creep vibes we’re out, got it?” Vanessa said.

“Oh yeah, completely.” Janet agreed, and they followed directions on her phone to a rundown ex-clothing store. “It says we’re supposed to go round the back and knock on the door to the basement.” she said uncertainly.

“Oh boy. Off to a great start.” They circled around and knocked on the door three times. After a moment, Patrick opened up and brightened at the girls.

“Janet! You came, finally. That’s great, that’s great. And…I know I know you, I’m just blanking on the name…sorry.” he said, turning pink.

“Vanessa. We came to check this thing out, see what’s up. Gotta say though, a little weirded out it’s in the basement of this place.”

“Ah, yeah. We’re actually not supposed to be here. Be vewy vewy quiet, we’re having a mweeting in here, aha-ha-ha-ha-ha.” Come on in, we’ve got a little time before we’re starting. We’re just waiting for the stragglers now.” He went back down. Vanessa glanced at Janet, and they descended.

The basement was long and low, illuminated by hundreds of candles along the walls. There were blankets, mattresses, and lawn chairs strewn about, half occupied. There were around two dozen people there, all laughing, talking, hanging out, just doing whatever. There didn’t seem to be anyone over twenty. But what gave Vanessa pause was how many people were openly taking Taboo. There was a water cooler in the corner, and people were downing the pills left and right. She shivered as she saw a long haired guy wave his hand, and a flame on a candle started twisting into new shapes. Dragons, goblins, elves, unicorns, all appeared in the tiny fire, but it had to be her imagination.

“No, that’s not happening, no, no, no…” she devolved into unheard muttering, and they guy tilted his head quizzically, unsure why the fire wasn’t moving anymore.

“Something wrong?” Patrick asked.

“Oh, no. J-Just something I thought I saw. Brain playing tricks on me.” she said quickly, and he smiled.

“Hey, take it easy. We don’t bite. In fact, you can leave whenever you want.”

“Huh? Really?” Janet said.

“Yeah, no questions asked. This is a gathering of like-minded individuals, and if you don’t feel the same way as the rest of us, no big.” he shrugged. “All we ask is that you leave peacefully and go out and find something that you can get behind. We’re a non-judgmental, no pressure, all-inclusive group. Here you go, I gotta make the final rounds. See you in a bit!” He waved as he showed them to an old mattress, worn thin but clean. They sat down nervously.

“Well I feel a bit better after hearing that. I just hope they’ll follow through if we get outta here.” Vanessa said.

“Ah, don’t be such a pessimist. We’re here, let’s try to have fun. We can still just hang out and never come back if we want. Patrick said he wasn’t gonna give these things the time of day at first, but now he’s helping run one. I think we should stick around for a bit.” Janet said.

“Well, okay.” Vanessa said, mollified. “Just a bit.”

Five minutes later, everyone had arrived and it was time to begin. Down the stairs came an older teen, maybe eighteen or nineteen, wearing a loose, dark hoodie covering half his face. He looked like a monk of old, an ascetic dedicating his life for some higher purpose. He reached the far wall, in a spot where everyone could see. Vanessa shifted uncomfortably when she realized every eye was eagerly focused on him.

“Welcome, everybody. It’s good to see you all.” he said, turning around the room. His hood was still down. “And I can see we have some guests tonight, hopefully some new recruits if everything goes well. Please stand up and introduce yourselves, if you feel up to it. If not, that’s good too. I’ll go first. Hi, I’m Nigel, Nigel Thompson. I run these little get-togethers of ours, where we’re free to express ourselves in a nice, easy way, and maybe learn something about both ourselves and each other. Thanks.” he said, pulling up the hood. Vanessa gasped; he wasn’t GQ model of the year, but he had the bluest, intensest eyes she had ever seen. They practically glowed. She noticed movement to her left.

“Uh, hi, I’m Janet, and I came with my friend Vanessa here, we heard good stuff about these meetings, so…yeah. Say hi, Vanessa.” she said, kicking her gently. Vanessa blanched.

“It’s alright.” Nigel said, holding up a hand. “If she wishes to introduce herself, she is free to do so. If she does not, she is also free to do so. There’s no real right or wrong here. We’re all about peace, love, and acceptance.”

“And the good drugs!” someone called out, to laughter and applause. Nigel grinned.

“Yes, yes. While it’s true that society has always told us drugs were bad, don’t do them, you’ll ruin your life, we must examine that through a generational lens. Many of our parents did or still smoke weed, and I know for a fact that more than one hits the bottle regularly.” Vanessa saw nodding. “They want us to avoid their mistakes, so they see themselves in us, merely swapping one substance for another. But I ask of you…is that so wrong? Are those that came before really worse off with their addictions? Are they not, on the whole, functioning members of society? And do our bodies not break down, our day goes wrong, tension builds up and we find ourselves, like them, in need of something to help us relax? Everyone need a little help to make it through the day sometimes.” Vanessa found herself nodding, unable to disagree.

“But brothers and sisters, they decry us for doing the same thing, having the same needs as them. And when I look upon the generation before us, I cannot help but agree. We should not make the same mistakes as our parents, our grandparents and older siblings. After all, what have they left for us? What kind of world have they given us? The land and sea are now poisoned, the economy is both morally and physically bankrupt, and to top it off they say it’s our fault, that we kill businesses and institutions because we’re ‘lazy’ and ungrateful!’ To all of those gathered here, I ask you: why the hell should we be grateful!? As retirement age looms we are expected to bear the burden of supporting the last generation, while we cannot afford homes for ourselves. We slave at minimum-wage dumps all day and night, no time to rest, and they wonder why we are disinterested in frivolous pursuits. WE must care for the next generation and the previous, all the while breaking our backs as we age. Retirement is a dream, my friends. An ephemeral soap bubble, a fanciful illusion that we may never touch. We must scrimp and save and work and labor for half of what was given to our parents, while expected to produce twice as much. We are being stolen from.”

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Angry murmurs greeted this proclamation, and Vanessa couldn’t help scowling as well. It felt too right. Nigel allowed the muttering to continue for a minute more before resuming.

“Yes, we are being stolen from. Our time, our labor, our money, our futures, taken sure as a thief. They say we are free, they say we need education, they say to go to college to get more money. But the effort of doing so leaves us in lifelong debt, all the while adding more laws, starting more wars over the pettiest of reasons. You know what I say? I say we’re screwed. If the people of our generation continue in this cycle, the wheel will break on our heads.

“But! However! All is not lost! For we have an opportunity that no one of the previous generation has ever had. Taboo.” He held aloft a container of the red pills. “This will be our salvation! This will lead us to new heights of humanity. This is our chance to reject the cycle. You’ve all seen it, felt it. I know. I have too. This so-called drug is the gateway to true freedom. It allows us to see new opportunities, to experience new things and open our minds. This fills the mind with new possibilities and knowledge, able to grant us our hearts’ desire. Able to give us a future. Now, I know that those who are new may not believe me, or may not wish to admit it. Therefore;” he said, swallowing a pill. “I will leave you with no doubt.” Nigel crossed his legs, held out his hands, and began muttering. He slowly began to rise into the air in his seated position. The crowd oohed and ahhed, but Vanessa gripped the mattress for dear life.

“No, no, no, no, no…”she whimpered, terrified. Why? Why, why, why did this crap have to keep happening to her? Nigel saw her face and floated over to them. She scrabbled backwards in a panic.

“Sister, why do you back away?” he asked. Her back hit the wall, spilling candles.

“B-Because you’re freaking floating! That’s not right! F-First that guy, th-then…” she dissolved into frightened muttering. Nigel smiled down at her.

“Dear sister, why are you afraid of this? The Taboo allows us to break the destiny laid upon our backs. I know you have felt it yourself. Why do you shy away from what you can do? Why must you run from merely another part of yourself?”

“Because I don’t wanna be a freak!” Vanessa shouted. “I wanna be normal! Not filled with monsters and zombies and yetis and blizzards in summer!” She sat there, trembling and in tears. Nigel smiled sadly and shook his head.

“Goodness, dear sister. You do need help. I’m sorry for your suffering, and I’m glad you came. I know that it can be scary, engaging your power and bending the world to your whim. But the problem is also the solution. I believe I know why you are so frightened. It’s the rug being cut out from underneath you, the world you once knew and took for granted becoming a different one, with strange new rules that you don’t, feel like you can’t, understand. Am I wrong?” he asked placidly in a soothing tone. Her heart rate began to slow down.

“Um…maybe? I guess? I don’t know…” she stammered, no longer looking to bolt but still tense and on edge. Nigel nodded sagely.

“I am right. You see, what you do not realize yourself is that you are frightened by the loss of control. You are used to the world that came before. You do not know how to operate in this new reality, and that’s scary. However, that is foolish. I can give you the answer now: you are the one in control. You are the one who decides what happens next. All you need is a guiding hand to show you.” Nigel stretched out his hand, all eyes upon them but she could only see him. “Will you tell me your name?”

“V-Vanessa.”

“Vanessa, please join me. I will show you that there’s nothing to fear.”

Shaking like a leaf, she slowly took his hand. He smiled.

“Everyone, let’s hear it for Vanessa.” Nigel said, hauling her up to the cheers and applause of everyone else. She blushed. They went to the center wall. “Now, the Taboo is a sacred instrument, but it reveals what was already inside to begin with. You have taken some, yes?” She nodded dumbly. “Excellent. My eyes have been opened as much as yours. You merely don’t realize it yet. B’kulnaish-amnamn.” He waved his hands, and the candles flared brighter. “Yrd rolo lypot ak’vanag-Gosten’so!” Vanessa suddenly found herself sitting on a dark red couch.

“Eep!” she squeaked, curling up in a ball.

“Don’t be afraid, Vanessa. This is what I can do. But you can do this as well. Though every ability is different, the Taboo gives us all clarity and power. Reach down, deep into your mind. Show us what you can do.”

“Um…okay?” she said in a small voice. She closed her eyes. ‘Okay, okay, you can do this. I don’t know what he expects out of me, but maybe I can do something. Ahh, this’s crazy. I don’t have any magic powers. This’s nuts. I’m going nuts, that’s the only explanation.’ she thought to herself, muttering. After a minute of trying to pull her “magical powers” out, she sighed and gave up. She opened her eyes, anxiously looking around to see nothing had changed. Nothing in the air, nothing on the floor, nothing amidst the gathered crowd. “Um…yeah. Sorry, I-I just don’t think I’ve got what it takes. Y-You go do you.” Nigel held up a hand, smiling.

“I begin to see the problem. Vanessa, the only one blocking your path is you. As of now, you only see what you expect to see. And your power reflects this fact. Until you open your mind, that is all you will ever see. But tell me Vanessa” he said, waving his hand. “What color was the couch?”

“Uh, red?” She looked down, seeing the red couch. There was snickering in the crowd, much to her perplexion.

“Vanessa, if I told you the couch was green, would you believe me?” Nigel asked innocently.

“Um, it’s red though.” There was laughter from the audience. “What?”

“And if I told you there was a poster behind you about a sale, would you believe me?”

“Huh?” She turned and looked. There was a red sign proclaiming 30% off. “Yeah?”

“Could you fetch it for me, please?” he asked. With a raised eyebrow, she slowly got up and tried to take it down.

“Huh? What?” The poster came off the wall easily enough. But there was nothing in her fingers. She stared at the paper in her hand, having no other sensory input other than sight and sound. “Yikes!” She dropped it and it fell like a rock. “But-but-but…”

“And there you have it.” Nigel said reassuringly, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I had turned the couch green. Because you wished it away from you, the paper didn’t fall like paper does. Because there is no paper. You expected it, you wanted it, even subconsciously, therefore it was. Unfortunately, it is not actually there, a figment, a bending of light and noise. The Taboo has blessed you with the gift of illusion, to make something appear as it is not. A most formidable spell, properly utilized. Forgive me for putting you on the spot, Vanessa. But you had to see who you truly are. Although,” his lips twitched into a grin, “considering what you can do, that is a mite difficult.”

“No, no, this is crazy, I-I can’t, no, I…but, that’s not how the world works, you can’t just…” Vanessa stammered, pointing a shaking finger at the offending ad.

“True. I cannot.” Nigel said, standing on the ground and taking her hand gently. “But you can. I am afraid, Miss Vanessa, you have been misinformed about how the nature of reality. All those who have not the blessing of Taboo, the forbidden fruit of Eden that allows us to understand the true framework of the universe. We are the chosen. We are special. You are special.” He tilted her head up, eyes brimming with tears. She sniffled.

“I…I’m special? N-Not…weird?”

“Yes, my dear. This is a wonderful opportunity for you. Do not let your previous beliefs blind you. This is a good thing. You, me, all of us are above the everyday rabble. We, through Taboo, have been granted a vision, one that the world will never accept. It is up to us to help others see, become the missionaries of knowledge in the dark land of ignorance. I ask, will you join us? Will you help spread the light? We are all here for you. Can you be here for everyone else?”

Vanessa shivered, his words touching something deep inside her. She gulped, breathing deeply. Though everyone was staring at her, she could only gaze into Nigel’s eyes, the intense blue burning her worries away. Maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t have to freak. Maybe she had found people who understood all this crazy stuff. And they were offering to help.

“O-okay.” she said, her eyes never leaving his.

“Fantastic! Wonderful!” Nigel exclaimed as the crowd clapped and cheered, chanting her name. “Welcome, Sister Vanessa!”

“Welcome, Sister Vanessa!” the crowd chorused.

“Aw, jeez…” She scratched her head in embarrassment, blushing. Nigel held his hands up for silence.

“I know you all have questions, questions, fears and uncertainties. But let me assure you, you are not alone. We have answers, and we will guide you through them together. Please, any newcomers come to me either now or privately, so that we might induct you into our group, the Third Eye Society. Our eyes have been opened, and we wish to help open yours. Also please see our senior members for extra Taboo. Our manufacturer is currently producing a surplus, so instead of charging it’s all free!” Wild cheers of enthusiasm met Nigel’s decree, and everyone jumped to their feet and surged forward, whether to greet Nigel and join or to get a plastic bottle of red pills. Vanessa looked down, muttering. A small glowing star appeared in her hands. Perhaps, with everyone’s help, she could learn to control this. And then maybe everything would be alright.