When The Stars Align

It’s happening.

I see Arie make her way across the room.

I have to get closer.

I smile smugly at the server handing out hors d'oeuvres. 

I see a few potential hiding spots.

There’s the bar—no, it's too obvious. I’m not a drinker.

I could pretend I’m waiting in line for the bathroom—no, I don’t

think it’s close enough.

I wish this was an office party where no one knew each other. Everyone silently waits for the speeches and awards, segregated by department, nursing a drink to avoid small talk, until it’s finally time to sneak out. 

Unfortunately for me, these people have plenty to chat about, and the hum of voices is overwhelming. I can’t separate one voice from another. I’d have to be right next to Arie. This is a waste of time. She’ll know what I’m up to.

I’ve suspected that Arie was part of the Order of Orion for a few months now. It all started the first time I saw a call pop up from Betelgeuse.

For those who don’t know, Betelgeuse is a giant red star that marks the right shoulder of the constellation Orion.

I’ve always loved stars.

The man she’s talking to now is named Rigel, which is the name of the brightest star in the constellation. He’s also the man who has been ruining my life.

I know this is Rigel from my weeks of obsessive cyber stalking. That’s the way to get information these days. After weeks of scrolling through the profiles of astrology-obsessed 30-year-olds, I hit the jackpot. I found a group photo on a guy’s page from out West. He appears to host conspiracist stargazing parties. 

That’s where I spotted Arie—way in the back of the photo, almost completely hidden by a brutish, heavily tattooed man. He looked alarmingly out of place with all the tastefully dressed academic types. Naturally, I had to know who he was. Thirty seconds and one reverse image search later, boom! There he was.

That was when the foundation of everything I’ve known to be true, began to crumble. I haven't told Arie that I know. I need to be sure. 

About a year ago, Arie told me about a guy she knew who went by Betelgeuse. I wish I could remember the context of her telling me about him, but too much has transpired since then. I remember she laughed when she told me, saying he was crazy and obsessed with stars, hence the name. 

For a while, I thought nothing of it. Until his name kept popping up. Arie was taking phone calls in the middle of the night, when she thought I was sleeping. The calls became progressively more cryptic as the months went by. 

She’d say things like, “Are you sure I’m chosen?” “When will we know it’s happening?” “Will I be able to keep anyone here with me?” “Will it hurt them!?”

One call really got to me. Arie went all the way to the laundry room to talk—basically the furthest room from our bedroom—definitely out of earshot. Lucky for me, I had it bugged (long story). I heard Arie crying, begging Betelgeuse to tell her where someone named Rigel was. She tearfully pleaded for information for over 20 minutes before threatening to reveal “everything she knows” if she didn’t see Rigel. Apparently, this worked because the blubbering stopped and Arie meekly said, “thank you.” The phone call ended, and she snuck back to bed, oblivious to my knowledge.

The next morning, I played it cool. The second Arie left for work, I broke down. My theory was coming together. All of these people share names with stars that make up the constellation Orion. During the last few months, I had been trying to figure out who Betelgeuse and Meissa were. Meissa is a woman whom Arie has been frequently meeting for tea and also shares a name with a star in Orion. Now there’s a third “star” person, whom my girlfriend appears to be obsessed with, and I recognized his name.

During my searches for Betelgeuse and Meissa, I discovered a blog. The owner of the blog went by the pen name, Betelgeuse, and posted almost every day. After reading a few articles, I began noticing more and more users that commented on the blog shared names with stars. Not everyone on the blog was named after a star in the constellation Orion, but they were almost all stars.

The articles that stood out to me were about messages in the constellations and planets, specifically messages from Orion. Even though I was supposed to be investigating, I couldn’t help but read about how listening to the stars can heal and allow transcendence. At this point, I’m really hoping this isn’t the guy Arie’s been talking to on the phone. 

He’s convincing.

It took a few days of reading blog posts, before I found the other name I was looking for—Meissa. The blog article was short:

Meissa has joined our mission from the west side of the country. She is a leader in her field, and we hope she will supply the technology necessary for us to finally communicate with Orion. This is a day of celebration for The Order! Say goodbye to the unworthy! Soon, our nation will be cleansed! This is what we have all been waiting for! -B

The entry was strange, but it didn’t give me answers. It wasn’t until I heard Arie cry for Rigel, that the pieces started to come together.

Back on the blog post, there was a comment. The comment was from a user named Rigel, which meant little to me until I heard it uttered with such anguish by Arie that night. The comment was hostile: 

I found your little gossip club, Betelgeuse. If you don’t start taking this mission seriously, you won’t be any more worthy than those you speak of extinguishing. Unlike you, I’ve taken action. I don’t need technology; I have the stars on my side now. You’d know if you came to the gatherings. We’ll see how long you last, waiting for computers to do what the stars have been doing since before the creation of mankind. -Rigel

The comment, combined with Arie’s desperation to find this man, led me to believe he was high in The Order. That also led to my cyberstalking. It wasn’t difficult to spiral out of control. There are a lot more hobby astrologists than you think. Each page or profile I clicked on would lead to 20 more that seemed like they could be connected to The Order. It was an endless cycle.

Until I found that group photo.

That’s how I ended up on the burly guy’s profile, which I thoroughly dug through. It was surprisingly bland until I found a happy birthday post from a coworker. The coworker, Alaina, was someone I knew. Arie’s boss. That wasn’t it, though. The post said, “Happy Birthday, Rig. I can’t wait for the party.” and ended with, “love, M.” 

Let’s just say, I don’t think Rig is short for Ethan and M is not Alaina’s first initial. That’s when I decided to go to Arie’s next work party.

A few months of torment later, and here I am, trying to eavesdrop.

I’ve secured a spot on the opposite side of a decorative pillar, centered in the ballroom, barely within earshot of Arie and Rigel - aka Ethan. I watch as clean-dressed professionals mingle and laugh, oblivious to the conspiracy playing through my mind.

Their conversation starts innocently. They chat about work and make fun of an apprentice. They’re making sure no one is paying attention to them.

Arie takes a deep breath. “I miss you,” she says.

My chest tightens. It feels like a bowling ball got dropped on my stomach.

I was right. Not only is she in a cult, she’s cheating on me.

I can feel my temperature rising. My heartbeat is thudding in my ears.

Rigel whispers, “I have good news, darling. We won’t be apart much longer. The cleansing is happening today. Our leader is at his full strength."

Arie gasps, and it sounds like she might burst into tears. Her voice is quavering. “Did you speak to him? Did you speak to Orion?”

"SHHHHHHHH!” Rigel scolded her. “Don’t mention his name here.”

Arie becomes silent.

I decided to make my move.

I spin around the pillar, ready to confront them. 

Then the room goes dark. It consumes everything. Not a speck of light enters. It’s as if the entire world, including the moon and stars, shut off. Even though I can see nothing, I see everything. I wonder if it’s like this for everyone.

A sky of stars appears. I can’t see or hear anyone else around me. It’s beautiful. Is this the moment they were all waiting for? Were they right?

The stars begin to shift and spin in the sky. They form a glowing spiral, like a kaleidoscope. It's calling to me. I have to go to it. I need to be with the stars. I understand now.

I can see. 

I hear a familiar cry; it sounds far away. It’s Arie. “You said I was chosen!” She sobs. “Why can’t I see it!?”

I hear the voice of the man I’ve been stalking. “I guess I forgot to mention, darling, that not everyone who receives messages is chosen. The stars like to play games.” His tone sounds like he’s shrugging.

I hear Arie crying as I’m lifted into the glowing aura. I’m consumed by warmth. This moment is worth all the suffering. I see what they were waiting for. I feel reborn.

25 years later

I go by Alnitak, and I am chosen. The time has come for another cleansing. The stars are aligning. I take my wife, Meissa, by the hand. We walk up the steps of the church to the top of the steeple. We want a good view.

I think I was chosen because I always believed there was more to the universe than our physical needs and realities. Arie was not always the most intuitive; she was raised to be analytical. It makes sense why she was left behind. She wasn't truly called to the Order of Orion; lust and boredom guided her. 

The Order of Orion is stronger than ever before. This cleansing will reach every part of the earth. It is time for a new beginning.