Page 62 of Atlas
“Dinner is almost ready.” The shout came from downstairs.
“Come on. I hope you’re hungry.” Nathan motioned for me to go first. “After you.”
“You’re just like Atlas. He has excellent manners too.”
“Yes, we might share that, but otherwise, you’ll find that we’re very different.”
“In what way?”
“Well, there’s the obvious; I’m more handsome.” He had a pleasant smile.
“But also, Atlas is serious like Lumi, while River and I are more chill.”
“And Maximum?”
Nathan sighed and frowned a little. “Maximum is… hmm, I’m not sure how to describe him. He’s not ambitious and materialistic like Lumi and Atlas, but he’s not about having fun like River and me either. Maximum is the spiritual one, I suppose. He’s a seeker of inner peace, and he travels around to find it. He’ll be here tomorrow night, and then you can see for yourself.”
“I’m excited to get to know him. Well, I mean all of you.”
“Good.” Nathan gave me a wide smile. “Then let’s make sure you sit next to me.”
At dinner, one thing that stood out to me was how quiet Charles was. He sat with a small smile on his face, listening to all the others talking as if he enjoyed their company but didn’t have a need to speak up himself. It was clear that he suffered from tics since his nose would wrinkle up, and his shoulders would bob at random times. Maybe that’s what Atlas had meant when he mentioned that Charles had issues. The few times that I caught his eyes, Charles quickly looked away. It was odd to me because I would have expected the chairman of one of the biggest companies in the world to be outgoing and talkative. Instead, he was enigmatic and hard to read.
“So, Jolene, what is yer impression of Ireland so far?” Damian asked me.
“I haven’t seen much yet, but when we flew in, I was struck by how much the country looks like a patchwork blanket from above. It’s squares in different colors as far as you can see. Why is that?”
“Because of the stonewalls that surrounds all the fields. It’s the way we’ve done things forever.”
“I’m hoping to see as much as I have time for before Atlas and I go back. Are there any castles around here?”
“I can take you on a castle tour tomorrow if you want,” Nathan offered.
“Would you? I don’t want to be any trouble, but I would truly appreciate it because the thought of driving here scares me.”
“Then I’m your man. Driving here doesn’t scare me at all.” Nathan’s eyes crinkled with laugh lines.
“Thanks, Nathan, but I was planning to show Jolene around myself,” Atlas said.
“Don’t worry, brother. I’ve got you.” Turning to me, Nathan continued. “If you want, you can interview me on the way. Some of the castles are quite a drive but worth it.”
“What exactly are you trying to learn?” Liv asked me with curiosity.
“Oh, I’ve been interviewing people who used to be part of a cult. Some left on their own accord while others were excommunicated. What’s fascinating is the pattern of identity disorder that emerges when I speak to them. I’m very interested in talking to people who were born into a cult or brought into it as children. I want to understand how their experience differs from someone who joined the cult as an adult. I imagine it’s harder since a child wouldn’t have an old identity to fall back on.
“Hmm.” Liv looked to Charles. “I never thought about that. Would you say that you suffered from an identity disorder?”
Charles raised a brow. “I’m not sure what that is, but sure.”
“You can’t just say sure if you don’t know what it is.”
He shrugged and winked at Liv. “Babe, I have so many disorders that one more makes no difference to me.”
That had us all laughing and Liv leaning in to kiss him.
“Identity disorder is a form of dissociation with one’s previous sense of identity. Cults and human traffickers use it to gain control over people. They give their target a new name, new clothes, a branding or tattoo, and have them cut away friends and family that knew them before they took on their new identity. In time, this mental process will result in a lack of connection in a person's thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity.”
“That’s scary.” Kit said and stared at me over the rim of her wine glass. “I can’t imagine giving up my family.”
