She betrayed us, Leslie fired back. We’re family.

People can come and go as they choose, he said, raising his voice overtop of hers. If someone—

You don’t choose your family, Leslie countered. You don’t leave your family when the going gets tough.

If they’re abusing you?

Abuse? Jo seemed almost impaled by the word. Who was abusing anyone?

I’m just saying—

We shared the most intimate part of ourselves with her.

If someone wants to go—

If someone wants to go they should do it now, Leslie said, pointing at the door, because let me tell you the going’s about to get a lot tougher. So bail now if you’re going to bail.

She paused dramatically and looked around the room—Anyone?

Jo looked over at me and frowned—Claire, do you have something to say?

I felt like I had stumbled unwittingly into the line of fire—No.

It looks like you do.

I—

Kyle looked at me with concern—Are you okay?

I was confused by their attention, until I realized my mouth was opening and closing, like a fish, and I was shaking, slightly. I suddenly felt like I might collapse. But I told them no, I was fine, really. I just wanted them to stop looking at me.

We’re all a little shaken I think, Emily said, trying to dispel the tension.

Howard gestured to the closed laptop—This could undermine everything we’ve been working for.

Leslie nodded, still fuming—Everything.

They’re going to move in, Damian said. There’s no way out of it.

Jo said it wasn’t helpful to catastrophize.

Howard pointed to the window—Jo, there’s a live news broadcast outside our house right now.

Yes, I just watched it, I’m aware.

They’re calling us a sex cult.

She raised and dropped her arms—Yup.

I would say this is pretty catastrophic.

What did you expect? she asked, leaning in towards him.

Well—

She turned to the rest of us—What we are doing is historic. Of course there’re going to be news cameras. And misinformation, and fear-mongering, and discrediting. We knew that.

But what are we? Emily asked. Really? We can say that we’re not this or that, but what are we?

Leslie asked her if it mattered, and Emily said yes, she thought very much. Even just for ourselves.

I’m not sure I feel the need to, Howard said.

Then people will name it for us, they can’t help it.

It scares them if they can’t, Jo said.

Shawn seemed to consider Emily’s point for a moment—We’re a—like—

A cell, Damian said.

A what? Mia asked.

You know, like a—

That makes us sound like terrorists, Shawn said.

Leslie said she also didn’t feel the need to define what we were.

We’re just neighbours, Kyle offered. Like Nora said.