As a young teenager, Darls Centola was searching for something steady in a chaotic world. What she found was the Jehovah’s Witnesses—a religion that felt warm, structured, and safe.

What she didn’t expect to find… was him.

Not the King of Pop. Not the global icon. Not Michael Jackson.

Just Michael.

A shy, curious, thoughtful teenage boy looking to her for religious guidance.

What unfolds is almost impossibly pure. Two kids hiding behind their school not to smoke pot, but to talk about faith and opening orphanages one day—all while trying (and failing) to suppress feelings they aren't allowed to feel.

Because inside their dogma, a crush isn't just a crush. It could get you killed at Armageddon. And as their bond deepens... so does the control.

Until the belief system that brought them together… is the very thing that tears them apart.

This isn’t a story about fame. It’s not a takedown. And it’s not a defense.

It's about first love.

And a deeply human, intimate look at a version of someone the world thinks it already understands, set against the very real, very damaging impact of cult abuse.

And the uncomfortable truth that both light and darkness can exist at the same time.

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Today, Darls Centola is a licensed clinical social worker, educator and EMDR consultant with a focus on the impact of spiritual abuse and high control systems.

She has written a memoir about the innocent and heartbreaking time in her life inside a cult with teenage Michael Jackson from the POV of that young girl. A time that didn't just change her life... but may have quietly shaped his too.

Purchase Darls' memoir here: "Finding Truth with Michael: A Memoir of Friendship, Faith and First Love"

Find Darls' workbook and other resources on her website: findingtruthwithmichael.com

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If Part 1 was the seduction… this is the unraveling.

By now, Celeste is fully in - the "true believer" phase we like to call it. The relationships feel real. The stakes feel real. And the consequences for questioning it? Also very real.

Because inside this world, there are rules. Rewards for loyalty. Punishments for doubt. And what once felt magical begins to shift. The cracks start to show. And Celeste is forced to confront a terrifying possibility:

What if none of this is real?

What follows is a slow, psychological tug-of-war between belief and reality - until one discovery changes everything.

After all, the most shocking part wasn't that there were vampires on the internet.

It was who was pretending to be them.

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FOLLOW CELESTE → Instagram @celestemott | Tiktok @celestemoth

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SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude)

HAVE A CULTY STORY?

Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

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At 16, Celeste Mott was alone, grieving, and searching - for meaning, for connection, for something that felt bigger than her small, suburban life.

And then she found them.

An online world inspired by Anne Rice.

Dark. Seductive. Intelligent.

A place where vampires weren’t just characters… they were real.

Or at least—that’s what they lead her to believe.

This was the early 2000s internet— before social media, before real names, before anyone was asking who’s actually behind the screen.

Message boards. Chat rooms. Total anonymity. The perfect environment for something to take hold… unnoticed.

What begins as a message board for Anne Rice fans, transforms into something far darker. Something that on the surface, sounds completely unbelievable. Except not when you know how cults operate.

Because this wasn’t just fandom.

This was belonging.

This was identity.

This was… a promise.

And like every good cult—it knew exactly what she needed to hear.

This is Part 1 of 2.

______

FOLLOW CELESTE → Instagram @celestemott | Tiktok @celestemoth

FOLLOW US → For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude)

HAVE A CULTY STORY?

Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.