Catherine arrives

We all looked at each other in anticipation of what's to come. I let Francesca open the door and Catherine entered. Her black hair now had deep purple colored ends and she wore a comfy looking black sweater that accentuated her pretty large breasts. Her jeans snugged her legs tightly enough to make me eager to give her a reason to turn around. We exchanged pleasantries briefly, a hug, a 'hi', that was it, until I had to take charge "Let's sit down. The table's ready." My two 'followers' almost in unison went to the table and sat across each other, forcing Catherine and me to do the same.

"So how has it been abroad?"

Catherine's initial hesitation was slowly melting away as she talked about her troubles with the foreign language, a beach trip or two, an annoying customer at her part-time job, and much more. I couldn't help but smile in this conversation we two were having. It's been so long that we've had an extended talk like this, as we never texted that much. After she was done talking, I looked around the table and saw that we had eaten a decent chunk of the snacks already. "Becca, get us some more snacks. What do you all want to drink?" Catherine wanted a beer, Francesca joined her too. I turned to Rebecca and told her "Bring us three beers and whatever you want. Don't forget about the snacks."

Catherine was now again bewildered. I don't think she's ever seen me and Rebecca talk more than a minute at once, so for me to call her by an improvised nickname and tell her so bluntly what to do, it was weird. Catherine tried to collect herself and turned to Francesca "So how's it going with you, miss author? I heard you're going to have a good internship soon..." Francesca was clearly as excited as Catherine had imagined "Yes! I'm so excited! It's for a publishing company designing school books. It's exactly my niche of math and writing. It'll be next March, so it'll be a while, but they already agreed."

"We've gotta toast to that, come on!" Catherine encouraged us to get the party really going. "She seems to be taking her time" I remark rather crudely, while putting my hand on Francesca's shoulder like a proud dad. Me talking about Rebecca seems to have brought Francesca back to her senses enough to keep following the outline of the evening "Sister Rebecca is sometimes a little bit of a ditz, I hope you can forgive her in your magnanimous heart." Before I can absolve my fake follower of her 'sin' and before Catherine can respond, Rebecca comes back with four beer bottles and a handful of refilled snack containers, handing each one of us an open bottle. After sitting down, she raises the bottle to Francesca and simply says "Cheers" enthusiastically, causing Catherine to go along with the flow rather than question Francesca's statements.

The evening continues in a similar fashion, as we all talk about our lives over the past year, and have a sip or two or five. Rebecca, Francesca, and I manage to sprinkle in some ominous language every now and then, all while Catherine gives us the occasional concerned look, before a mix of the alcohol and the flow of the conversation get her to move on. Yet every time, it's clear she grows ever more suspicious. After the clock is well past 10pm, I turn to Francesca "Bring us the harder stuff." Francesca gets up and leaves to get some shot glasses and Catherine asks a question that had probably been on her mind for a while now "How did you three... get along so well?"

And the best Oscar goes to... Rebecca, for writing a batshit crazy explanation that still somehow makes sense "Last month I got my biggest role yet and I was nervous, so I asked sister Francesca for help. She told me that when she was stressing over exams, her fears were clouding her mind and she felt insecure, stressed, and had no confidence in herself. But the Illuminated One pierced through the darkened sky in her mind and reached out to her to give her life new hope and a new purpose. I talked to our Beneficient Lord as well and am in bliss thanks to my opportunity to serve him." As she was finishing this ludicrous story, Francesca returned with a bottle of vodka, tequila, whiskey, and some liqueurs. I pulled her over by her hip because I remembered Rebecca telling me to do something similar. I had a weird feeling with the thin dress before, when patting her shoulder, but I realized she was braless. I thought it had to do with the flimsy shoulder strings on that dress, but now grabbing her by the waist, I could feel no undergarments either. Was she going commando? What the fuck?

Seizing on that moment, Rebecca asked her "Isn't that right, Francy?"

Francesca snapped, dropping her shot glass the last few inches on the table. She was furious "Don't you dare call me by that name." Catherine began laughing hysterically "Same old Francesca..." Francesca realized she slipped up, and began laughing with the rest of us. "I was a little bit worried, you know?" Catherine said after we had explained the prank costume idea to her. The girls went to the bathroom to get the colored contacts out and Catherine and I had a brief moment alone. "I'm glad the three of you aren't that close yet" she said, before the two girls returned, dress in hand. "You've gotta join the cult now, Cathy. Come on." The three of them went to get changed, and then I was sitting at a table with three girls in identical dresses.

From then on, we had some drunken fun. Drinking games like spin the bottle, all that stuff you do for fun so that the party keeps going. While we're all drunk, Catherine pulls out a notebook "You know what, if w-we're a cult, we n...need some rules, dontcha think?" Her speech was getting a bit slurred, but she still managed to hold her pencil well. "Rule numberrr one..." she said "Zach is the Supreme Master of the cult. He brings light to those shroudedd... in dargh...ness." Aww, sounds sweet. I fear the next few rules are no longer going to be that wholesome. "Rule num...number two" she continues writing "All believers are admitted by the Supreme Master, they can believe in him whether they need to be saved or were lucky enough to never need his help. All believers worship the Supreme Master as their only God."

Rebecca interjects "Gimme that. You're too... boring Cathy." Catherine looks a bit hurt but decides to give in. "We gotta make it really creepy, kay? Rule number three... All believers are women. They all belong to the Supreme Master. Their goal in life is serving their savior from the darkness." Catherine is clearly too drunk to care and just chuckles along with Rebecca, as they already brainstorm even creepier ideas. Francesca gives me a concerned look but I shrug. I'm not a heavy drinker, but I really enjoyed that tequila. I'll buy it again next time... Francesca cuts my enjoyment a bit short though "Hey Zach, would you be mad if I went home?" I shake my head, but that already causes me pain "You'll have to ask one of the other girls to bring you home. I think I drank too much to walk you back home... If they say no, just use the other bedroom, I don't give a fuck." Francesca slouches to the second bedroom, holding the wall all the way. I think we all drank way too much today, but it's all due to the good company, isn't it?