all in. Bea wonders what he sees when he looks at them. If he’s as sure of them as he ever was or if he now only sees a vast new potential for betrayal. From here, Bea recognizes the deep hurt in his eyes—to have given so much, to have had it thrown back in his face.
I want to speak to you of paradise, Lev says.
Bea closes her eyes.
Paradise, he says, his voice flowing over her, is not a place you go, it’s the place that I carry within me. God has entrusted me with this gift. And for as long as you are in my presence, for as long as you live in my faith, you shall have the keys to the Kingdom. Its walls will protect you. Your faith fortifies its walls.
She opens her eyes.
Betrayal of that faith, Lev says, moving carefully through them, weakens its walls. The world outside of The Unity Project is corrupt. Isn’t that right, Foster?
Yes, Foster calls.
The world outside is so sick with sin, sin is more inborn to us than God’s grace. But you—all of you—have been returned to it. You accepted the gift of your Atonement. He opens his arms to them. You were Redeemed.
Amen, Bea says.
Amen, they all say.
We are here to offer salvation to those brave enough to seek it, Lev continues. When no more will claim their place among us, we will close our doors. Remember your vows: the world will fall around us, but we will remain untouched, for no harm shall happen upon those under my wings. And when the world has undone itself, when the nonbelievers have burned themselves away, all that will remain is our paradise. This has always been my promise to you.
Sometimes, Bea thinks heaven is here and now but when Lev talks like this, she knows she’s wrong. If today is ecstasy, tomorrow will be a greater bliss.
Lev will lead them into that tomorrow.
But the path from redemption is as open to you as the path toward it, Lev says. And just because you are here, in The Project, does not mean you are impervious to the temptation of sin, of vice, of materialism, of ego and greed and doubt. You must be—have to be—stronger than that because your weakness becomes our weakness, and your corruption corrupts us, and it jeopardizes our paradise. I can’t accept this, especially when I’m doing all I can to take you with me. I have something to tell you: Rob Ellis was weak and his weakness was corrupting us. I saw this in him. I recognized his threat to our work and our future together, and I asked him to leave. He is no longer a member of The Unity Project. You are all safe with me once more.
The shock of it ripples through them, that Rob is gone, that his very existence was sabotaging them. How close they came to losing all they had built. Bea watches their stricken faces reflect each other, their betrayal, deep. Their anger, fresh.
The relief, palpable.
Thank you, Foster says from his side of the room, and Bea is quick to echo him, and they are quick to echo her, and soon, the room is filled with their song of gratitude and Lev swallows, visibly moved by the way they’ve rallied around him.
I have to confess something to you, he says, once they’ve settled down. I didn’t want to believe that I could lose faith inside these walls. I thought that if God had commanded your presence here, you would always stay the course. But I was naïve to think the task set before me would be so straightforward. We are all here of our own free will and because of this, at any time, we could lose sight of our destiny. I believe God sent Rob to make sure I had not become complacent. He was a reminder to be vigilant. I will never be complacent again. I can never—and I will never—lose any of you again. If I can save you, I will always choose to save you.
He closes his eyes for a long moment, and then opens them.
He tells them to stand.
PART THREE
JANUARY 2018
That sudden crunch, the whine of metal forced in on itself.
The impact earthquakes over my skin and buries itself into my bones. My head hits the steering wheel. The car horn blares into the early evening.
I sit up slowly, bringing a shaking hand to my forehead.
My fingertips come back red.
My hand drops limply to