Eighteen Candles...

April 19, 1980. That was the day I planned to escape the cult. That f*cker had them make his favorite pie for my birthday, I hated it. As I blew out those candles I was terrified. That man to my left was the leader and I was going to tell him "I’m leaving".

One duffel bag with everything I owned was hidden behind trees near the road.

But then that little blond boy next to me, my little brother, hugged me and I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t leave him or my little sister behind, so I stayed for another 290 days.

On February 3, 1981 I got out. I escaped after 8 years of hell. I thought it was uphill from there, but I was hounded by the leader and his minions. They harassed me at work, called my school principal and told him I was a liar and a thief.

They shunned me and wouldn't let me see my siblings. Then they told my mother I was murdered by the Green River killer because clearly if I left, it meant I was a prostitute. My mother was frantic, she called the police, the coroner, and even the FBI, while the leader of the cult sat back and smiled.

In August of 1984 my mother finally got out, and my siblings were free. And that’s when things could finally get better.

~Deb