Page 66 of Regressive

“Did you know about this?” he asks. When I don’t answer he scowls. He looks to Imogene. “Did you?”

“I just found out tonight,” she says. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”

He may forgive her, but it’s just another secret I’ve kept from him, another chink in the bond between us. I want to heal it, solve the rift between us, but he’s staring at the stage, at his father, and ultimately, I yank him by the arm after his wives sit at his feet, forcing him to the floor with everyone else.

“I know you’re mad, but now isn’t the time to get caught up in your anger,” I whisper. “We sit through this and then follow your plan. Get Imogene out of here. We’ll deal with the rest.”

On the stage, Margaret sits on the arm of Anex’s chair, positioned for the entire community to see. Her hand strokes the swell of her belly, her bare skin pale and smooth. I wonder if Anex branded her as well.

I realize then that everyone has been removed from the stage, not just us, his other spiritual wives as well. I’m not used to looking at the community from this perspective—on the floor with the others. It’s intentional. Everything Anex does is with intention.

“Fuck,” Elon mutters, “She’s pregnant.”

His eyes dart to Rex, waiting for some kind of reaction but it doesn’t come. The Rex sitting next to me is the one that is made of stone. Elon looks away, not exactly worried, but he doesn’t know about Rex’s plan to escape tonight. Or Anex’s plans to move Imogene to the childcare center—to take over her Corrections. There are so many changes happening but none compare to what Anex’s brought us here for.

“Good morning,” Anex says, raising his hand to tug at the short beard on his chin. “Thank you for setting aside your business and work and obligations in order to bask in the glory of The Way.” He grins. “I dislike distracting you from the work of the community—it requires many hands and much diligence to keep our Utopia running, but the words that have come to me… well, they can’t be held back any longer.”

He reaches out and places a hand on Margaret’s belly. “As you can see my mate is carrying my child.” A series of shouts fill the room, claps and cheers of congratulations. I glance at Rex and see his skin has turned pale. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” He holds his hands in a manner to calm and quiet the crowed.

“Becoming a father for the second time, has spurred something in me. The desire to usher Serendee into a new phase. A new birth, as it would seem. I’m sure you’ve all noticed the construction down on the south field. It’s no secret that we’re building a childcare center, a place for the infants and toddlers of Serendee to be blessed with the way from the very beginning. It's not just a place of nurturing and care. It will be a birthing center, with midwives and doulas. It will be a place where the women of Serendee can bond over their young, their bodies and practice of The Way and raising devoted children. It will be the finest addition to the community, the one that will lead us into the future, and the first child to be born there, will be my own.”

He pauses, and Margaret nods at the wives on the floor, the signal for them to clap, praising Anex for his decision. Next to me Rex mutters, “What the fuck?”

“But I didn’t just call you here to spread the good.” The room stills at that. “There are some challenges we’ve been facing. I’ve been shielding you from this for as long as I could—trying my best to protect the community from Indulgent, Regressive behavior of those that live among us—but that is no longer possible. Not when the people committing the largest indiscretions are part of our leadership and have used their positions to undermine The Way.”

Hushed murmurs ripple through those around us, and despite the claustrophobic heat in the room, the hair on the back of my neck stands on end and an uneasy chill climbs my spine.

“It is rare for me to handle something like this so publicly. I prefer smaller, more intimate, meetings when a member of our community has gone astray. But this…” he trails off, his eyes gliding over the crowd, like any one of us could be the offender, “this is too personal. I need witnesses. What better than the whole of Serendee?” His arms lift and he holds up his hands. “Because, brothers and sisters, what has transpired in our quaint, private utopia is blasphemy against the entire community. A mark against everything we do and everything we are.”

“What the fuck is he going on about?” Elon whispers. Rex shakes his head, his eyes focused squarely on his father. I see the way his fingers ball into a tight fist. The restraint he uses just to be in Anex’s presence.

“We’re careful,” Anex continues. “So careful about who we allow into Serendee. As you know there is a process, a way to weed out the unworthy and undedicated. Because of that the people we invite into our world help it to flourish and grow.” His lips form a thin line. “But sometimes it’s not the new blooms that cause the problems. It’s the roots, the foundation, which, over the years, without proper attention, rots. It becomes unstable.” His eyes flick to our section. “Toxic. My hope is that with early guidance the childcare center will eliminate this problem, but that’s the future. Not the presence. To keep our community strong, we must purge the diseased parts and nurture what remains.”

The room has grown painfully quiet as we cling to his every word. As fear builds in our hearts. I can sense the shift in the room. The questions in everyone’s minds.Who. Who is he talking about?

Anex is never one to leave his followers wanting.

“I need the following people to stand.” He clears his throat, eyes flicking down. “Elon, Silas, Levi.”

My movements are instinctive. I stand on command, following his words like he has me connected to puppet strings. Elon and Silas do the same and when I steal a look, their expressions are blank. I have no idea what they’re thinking. Will he have us remove the offender? Is he separating us from Rex and Imogene before he focuses his attention on them?

“Boys,” he says, and my eyes snap to his. “I raised you like my own. I provided you with education, access, skills, and positions of leadership.” His eyebrow raises. “And what have you done in return?”

None of us speak. Not even Elon, who I assume is one second from unleashing. What have we given? Our lives. Our souls. Our everything.

I’m not stupid enough to answer. Either are they.

Anex shifts his gaze to Margaret and holds out his hand. She dips her fingers into the collar of her blouse, deep into the crevasse of her swollen breasts, and pulls out a square of paper.

“This is a testimony brought to me from one of our members.” He slowly unfolds the paper and takes a long moment to read over the contents. When he looks up, his eyes go directly to Imogene. “Please stand, Imogene.”

She quickly gets to her feet, fighting to hide the grimace of pain. Her awkward movements make her trip, stepping on the long hem of her dress. Silas’ hand shoots out to catch her. “Careful,” he says quietly.

She nods and regains composure, but nothing feels right.

Once she’s on her feet, Anex says, “Come stand next to me.”

“You don’t have to,” Rex says, grabbing her wrist.

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