The Cult

Girl on Fire

Jo's POV

I wake up to Kat shaking me. I pull my blanket closer to me but Kat persists. "Get up Jo, we gotta get ready for the ceremony." She tells me and I blink a few times before I look up at her. Her makeup slightly mimics a Russian doll. Her blush is in specific circles but more fanned out, dark pink lips and minimal eyeliner with mascara on. Her hair is in two braids, with ribbons tied at the end.

Not many people know about us, we tend to keep to ourselves unless we're selling something. It's weird, like why hasn't anyone found out about us? I shake my head of my morning thoughts, or at least that's what I'm told they are.

She pulls me up, shoving a white dress at me. "Why do I have to wear the white one..." I kinda whine. The girls who wear the white ones have to eat a special meal in front of everyone.

They're trying to convert me again.

The hell are you thinking? You're already in this too deep.

You can get out of this, run.

"Because I'm already in the blue one, and Mason told me to have you wear the white one." She shrugs like that's a normal thing. I don't push her more, I've learned to stop. She won't budge. She won't leave.

I walk into the bathroom, quickly washing my face, brushing my teeth, and changing. I look at myself in the mirror. What the hell am I doing? I haven't been able to answer that question in a really long time.

Kat knocks on the door, making me think of how she used to pound on the door to make me get out of the bathroom when we had to go to school back in Australia. It feels like forever ago, yet it was only two years ago. She left for America the next year, and me a year after. Little did I know she was here, in a cult. Not some religious group. A fucking cult.

I open and smile, "Sorry," I say and she drags me into the room again, sitting me down. She works in my makeup as another girl, named Kerri, works on my hair. As she French braids my hair, she threads a light blue ribbon in it, opposed to the white one her and Kat are wearing. My makeup is also different, more neutral. No eyeliner, very little blush, and dark red lips.

"She's doing it again..." Kerri mutters and Kat rolls her eyes. What the hell?

"When is she not doing it? It's like this girl has a mind of her own." They both laugh, of course I have a mind of my own. Now this is just getting weird.

"Well, she's all done. Hopefully Mason likes the way she looks today." She takes my chin in her hand, making me look up at her. "So innocent," she whispers and makes me stand up. "Mason wants me to bring you to him for inspection. So let's go, Jojo." She chuckles and I roll my eyes.

"I told you not to call me Jojo, it makes me feel like a kid." I say and she abruptly stops in the bright yellow hallway, causing me to literally fall on top of her. "Sorry," I say and we stand up. Her tightens the grip on my arm.

"It's because you're treated like a child. At least the children actually listen." She says before plastering a smile on her face and knocking on Mason's door.

Fake ass bitch.

"Ah! Kerri, Josephine! It's so nice to see you." He says and I watch as they hug, before he hugs me. "You two did a good job on her, she looks as lovely as ever." He says and this feeling washes over me. It's not a good feeling though. When I look at him I feel... gross.

"Well, she's a hard one to fix up, but the new white dress looks good on her." She says, keeping the smile on her face and looking at me like I'm her property.