Timeline of Seventh Circle

The following is a timeline of important events portrayed, or referenced, in Nathaniel J. Nelson's serialized story Seventh Circle. Events in connected stories such as Erogrendel and the Mackenzie Weaver series, are referenced only if they directly relate to Seventh Circle as of the editing of this page.

1970s

1970

• FEBRUARY
  • Feb 21 – Lindsay Hopper is born.

1975

• FEBRUARY
  • Feb 21 – Lindsay Hopper turns five. She is gifted a baby doll named Pandora.

1977

• On the orders of Pandora, Lindsay Hopper (6) stabs her mother with a knife. Although she planned on killing both her parents, Lindsay breaks down after giving her mother a non-fatal wound.
• Lindsay Hopper is transported to a psychiatric hospital, where she is put under the care of Dr. Noss.
• Kurt Bachman, a native of Berlin, investigates a young alcoholic named Billy Clubb, who apparently sees a ghost on his walk home from school. Bachman never solves the case, but this paves the way for him to found Seventh Circle later this year.
• Kurt Bachman founds the Seventh Circle Institute for Paranormal Research in Boston, Massachusetts.
• OCTOBER
  • Oct 23 – To impress a visiting psychiatrist, Dr. Noss burns Pandora on a pyre, hoping to break her spell on Lindsay Hopper. However, Lindsay again hears Pandora speak, this time cursing her as she burns.

1980s

1988

• FEBRUARY
  • Feb 21 – Lindsay Hopper turns eighteen and is released from the mental institution. She wanders into Worcester, where she visits a diner and contemplates her future.

2000s

2006

• After witnessing the death of Ronan Matthews at the hands of Erogrendel, Mark Tenant moves to Boston and joins up with the Seventh Circle Institute for Paranormal Research.

2007

• Abraham Bennett dies (approximate).

2009

• Mark Tenant and Mikey Swanson investigate The Yellow Door for Seventh Circle. They find nothing of note, and make this known on the Seventh Circle website.
• Taul Bennett designs the embryonic paraGhost with the help of a free web design course.

2010s

2013

• FEBRUARY
  • Feb 14 – High schooler Mackenzie Weaver kills several of her classmates with a cutlass, before she is shot dead by the police. She would later allegedly rise from the dead and continue her killing spree, becoming known to paranormal enthusiasts across America.

2015

• FALL
  • Avril Robbins begins officially working at The Yellow Door.
• OCTOBER
  • Detective Isaac Parry, investigating the grisly death of Scott Roby, discusses paranormal activity with Inferno Club bartender Vinny Howell, mentioning Seventh Circle to him.
  • The headquarters of the Seventh Circle Institute for Paranormal Research burns to the ground. Kurt Bachman and employee Ruby Lloyd are captured by the shadow government, led by Xavier Collin Potts.
  • The day after Seventh Circle burns down, Vinny Howell goes by to apply for a job, but finds that the building is gone and the employees have disappeared. He immediately downloads all the notes and documents from the Seventh Circle website, before the shadow government takes it down or their domain name expires.
  • Kurt Bachman is interrogated by the Sunglasses Man. (Ignition: Part I)
  • Oct 23 – Avril Robbins has her first "Bean Night" as an employee at The Yellow Door, and experiences the poltergeist activity for the first time. (The Yellow Door: Part III)

2016

• JUNE
  • Jun 6 – Quantum Airlines Flight 888 departs from Boston, Massachusetts, en route to Los Angeles. Many passengers will die of supernatural means. (Quantum Flight 888, Jessi)
  • Jun 7 – Quantum Flight 888 lands in Los Angeles.
• OCTOBER
  • Reverend Jacob Macon begins hosting revival meetings in Stillwater, Oklahoma, at which he apparently cures believers of their physical ailments. (Doctor Ghost: Part II)

2017

• JANUARY
  • Jan 20 (Friday)
    • Vinny Howell attends his unnamed paranormal enthusiasts' group at the Cambridge Public Library, along with Sasha Belanger, Jack, Emma, etc. Vinny is discouraged by the others' lack of interest, and the fact that they focus more on political issues than the paranormal.
    • The inauguration of Donald Trump takes place.
    • After their meeting, Vinny talks with Sasha, bringing up Seventh Circle and openly wishing for a similar setup. Before work, Vinny creates a thread on paraGhost's /meetup/ board, calling for paranormal enthusiasts to start a team. (Ignition: Part I)
  • Jan 23 (Monday)
    • Vinny shows Jack the footprint of the former Seventh Circle building and enthusiastically proposes a partnership in no-budget paranormal investigation. Jack is dubious. (Ignition: Part I)
  • Jan 27 (Friday)
    • Vinny arrives at the library and receives a text from Jack, rejecting his offer and explaining that he won't be returning to the group at all. To the others' annoyance, Vinny interrogates them about specific paranormal cases, eventually storming out in frustration.
    • Sasha follows Vinny out of the library, and he begins to consider her for a partner. He suggests his ideas, and they walk to Harvard Square to continue their discussion. (Ignition: Part II)
  • Jan 30 (Monday)
    • Allegro contacts Vinny about his increasingly-unhinged rants on paraGhost. He requests Vinny's email address, then emails him to ask about starting a team.
  • Jan 31 (Tuesday)
    • Vinny goes to Sasha's apartment to tell her about Allegro. Sasha is excited, but concerned about the team disrupting school and work.
    • Vinny works a shift at the Inferno Club, where he chats with Cassie and debates adding a third to their team.
    • Sasha tells Greg about Vinny and their new partnership. Greg is dubious about Vinny, who he doesn't know or trust, and suggests he go with them. (Ignition: Part II)
• FEBRUARY
  • Feb 2 (Thursday)
    • While shopping at Helping Hands, Vinny calls Sasha to tell her that Allegro asked them to meet him in Ticonderoga, New York (a town Vinny is already familiar with). They debate how to get there, and whether Sasha will be able to miss work, and Sasha reluctantly realizes that Greg can drive them. On his way home, Vinny considers naming their team Seventh Circle for the first time. (Ignition: Part II)
  • Feb 4 (Saturday)
    • Vinny, Sasha, and Greg leave Boston in the latter's truck, heading for Ticonderoga. They stop in Salem, Massachusetts, where Greg confronts Vinny about his intentions, and suggests he continue accompanying them on their investigations.
    • Allegro stalks Vinny's Facebook page, eagerly awaiting their arrival. (Ignition: Part II)
    • Vinny, Sasha, and Greg arrive in Ticonderoga and rent a room in the Best Western. Greg and Sasha have sex, then they all eat at the hotel's John Burgoyne Grill. They discuss Allegro, the future of their team, and various conspiracy theories.
    • Still waiting for Allegro to email them back, the trio go to the liquor store and stay up late watching TV. Allegro finally emails Vinny, telling him and Sasha to meet him the following day at Fort Ticonderoga, to which Greg objects.
    • After Vinny and Greg fall asleep, Sasha goes outside to smoke and meets a trucker who gives her sage advice.
  • Feb 5 (Sunday)
    • Before noon, Greg drives Vinny and Sasha to Fort Ticonderoga. When he's alone, a man in a mask jumps into his car and threatens him.
    • At noon, Vinny and Sasha attend a lecture, where Vinny is approached by Allegro. Sasha attempts to follow them out, but Vinny pushes her away. Vinny and Allegro talk, with the latter saying he hopes to build a paranormal investigation team like Seventh Circle, but with more dedicated agents. He tells Vinny to investigate a local haunted house with Sasha.
    • The trio get Chinese food and prepare for their night in a the haunted house.
    • Ticonderoga local Jake Dean and his girlfriend Bonnie drive by the Bennett House, and Jake tells Bonnie the local legends. (Ignition: Part III)
    • Near sundown, Greg drives Vinny and Sasha to the Bennett House. They explore for a while, experiencing poltergeist activity such as words appearing on the walls in spraypaint, or a phonograph turning on by itself despite the lack of electricity.
    • Vinny and Sasha discover evidence that the house hasn't been abandoned for very long, and find that it contains files on Seventh Circle and various paranormal events.
    • Greg arrives at the Bennett House, ostensibly to check on Vinny and Sasha, but he is apparently shot dead by unseen forces. (Ignition: Part IV)
    • Vinny and Sasha pause to recover from Greg's death before Sasha makes a break for his truck. She is pursued into the woods by El Fantasma. Vinny attempts to follow her, but is blocked first by what appears to be a ghost, and then by Allegro, who reveals that the entire scenario was fabricated.
    • Realizing that El Fantasma is Greg, Sasha has sex with him in the forest before returning to the Bennett House. Taul reveals his true name and his ownership of the house, before rating them on their performance and suggesting they take the name Seventh Circle. (Ignition: Part V)
  • Feb 6 (Monday)
    • Early in the morning, Vinny has a discussion with Taul about Seventh Circle and paraGhost. He asks Taul about the ghost he saw, and Taul dismisses him. (Ignition: Part V)
  • Feb 14 (Tuesday)
    • Vinny and Cassie go on a friend-date that ends in discomfort. Greg hopes to surprise Sasha with a Valentine's Day dinner, but she believes he forgot and decides to get drunk with Vinny instead. Taul decides to allow Seventh Circle to investigate the Yellow Door, a haunted restaurant in Burlington. (The Yellow Door: Part I)
  • Feb 17 (Friday)
    • Vinny and Sasha arrive in Burlington, Vermont.
  • Feb 18 (Saturday)
    • Vinny and Sasha stop by The Yellow Door and speak to Maggie_May, the owner, about the alleged poltergeist activity.
    • Maggie's sole employee, Avril Robbins, agrees to an interview but asks Vinny and Sasha to leave Maggie alone.
    • Sasha goes for a walk around the University of Vermont campus and buys cigarettes from Nick McMann. (The Yellow Door: Part II)
  • Feb 19 (Sunday)
    • Vinny and Sasha interview Avril about the poltergeist activity.
    • Maggie May agrees to hold Bean Night early this month. As expected, the poltergeist activity begins, and Avril realizes that the ghost is her grandmother.
• MARCH
  • Manny Ford is allegedly healed from a brain tumor by Reverend Jacob Macon. (Doctor Ghost: Part II)
  • Judith Macon goes to stay in the hospital due to her debilitating illness. (Doctor Ghost: Part III)
  • Mar 6
    • Vinny shows Sasha his cheaply-made custom Seventh Circle merchandise.
    • Sasha's parents impose themselves at Greg's apartment.
    • Sasha returns home to find her parents there. She calls Greg, angry. Later, Greg offers to pay Sasha's rent, and she refuses.
    • Vinny goes on a Tinder date and runs into Jack Harrison, who asks to be given a second chance to join Seventh Circle. Vinny tells him Greg is their third member. Later, Cassie Barnes comes in to the Inferno Club and Vinny meets her boyfriend, Dave Christian.
    • Susan Wells tries to feed her possessed son, Mike.
  • Mar 8
    • Vinny and Sasha decide to consider taking Jack Harrison to Michigan.
    • Taul Bennett sits at a bar in Ticonderoga and considers talking to an attractive man who sits nearby.
    • Sasha lies to her father about being in Seventh Circle, claiming that the team consists of Vinny and Greg. She insists that Vinny take Greg to Michigan to cover for her lie. (Possession: Part II)
  • Mar 9
    • Greg Lopez tells Chico about going to Michigan with Vinny. (Possession: Part II)
  • Mar 11 (Saturday)
    • Vinny, Greg, and Jack leave Boston in Greg's pickup truck, heading for Ticonderoga, then Saugatuck.
    • Abigail Belanger finds the brand-new Seventh Circle Facebook page, realizes that Sasha is part of the team, and reaches out to Vinny and Greg's mothers. (Possession: Part II)
    • Vinny and Greg field messages from their mothers regarding Seventh Circle.
    • Vinny, Greg, and Jack arrive in Ticonderoga, where they stop at Taul's house. The four of them go to Kelly's Pub, where Greg secures a phone number for Taul from Danny Thomason. Back at Taul's house, the four discuss how to proceed with Mike and Susan Wells.
    • Sasha, leaving work, discovers that Vinny published the Seventh Circle page without telling her. When she returns home, her parents confront her about lying, and she accidentally reveals that she also works at CVS. After further argument, they come to an understanding. (Possession: Part III)
  • Mar 12 (Sunday)
    • After a fifteen-hour drive from Ticonderoga, Vinny, Greg, and Jack arrive in Saugatuck, Michigan.
    • Taul texts Danny Thomason for the first time; Danny suggests they go out to eat at the John Burgoyne Grill.
  • Mar 13 (Monday)
    • Vinny, Greg, and Jack visit Susan Wells and meet Mike, who does appear to be possessed. They return to their hotel and discuss the situation and past possession cases. Jack is extremely doubtful, claiming Mike needs psychiatric care. (Possession: Part IV)
    • Taul goes out for drinks with Danny, after which they drive around Ticonderoga. When Danny says they can't go to his house, as he lives with his parents, Taul fails to invite him over, due to paranoia surrounding the Bennett House.
    • Back at school after spring break, Sasha reviews Seventh Circle's social media and works on Belanger Lore: her own counterpart to the Howell Manifest.
    • Taul drinks alone, regretting how he played his date, but is distracted by an interesting thread on paraGhost.
    • Unbeknownst to Vinny and Greg, Jack visits Susan at her home and tells her that Mike isn't possessed, suggesting she bring him to a mental hospital. (Possession: Part IV)
  • Mar 14 (Sunday)
    • Vinny, Greg, and Jack return to Susan's, where Vinny says he believes Mike is really possessed. Susan reveals that Jack came to see her, leading Jack to accuse Vinny of hurting Mike with his theories. Jack leaves, saying he'll find his own way back to Boston.
    • Vinny and Greg talk to Mike once more. Vinny notices a symbol drawn on Mike's arm, and enlists Susan to help hold him down in the shower and scrub it off. After the symbol is gone, Mike stops showing signs of possession, though he is clearly traumatized.
    • Wanting to make sure he wasn't faking his possession, Vinny has Mike polygraphed and hypnotized. He apparently doesn't consciously remember his time being possessed, and under hypnosis, he reveals the name of the other mind that was in his head: Erdos. Vinny also discovers that Mike found the symbol, and the accompanying incantation, on paraGhost. (Possession: Part V)
  • Mar 16 (Tuesday)
    • Back in Boston, Vinny tells Sasha the entire story of Mike, revealing the name Erdos.
    • Abigail and John leave Boston, agreeing not to surprise Sasha again. They discuss the Dia de los Muertos mask hanging in her room – which Sasha asked Taul to keep – apparently aware of some connection that Sasha doesn't know about.
    • Vinny calls Taul, furious about Mike becoming possessed due to the lack of age controls on paraGhost. Taul talks him down, and reveals that he's found an interesting case: a survivor of Quantum Flight 888. (Possession: Part V)
  • Mar 31
    • Vinny flies to Los Angeles. (Jessi: Part I)
• APRIL
  • Apr 1 (Saturday)
    • Vinny wakes up in Los Angeles and attends Jessi Gibson's paranormal survivors' group. He receives a call from Earl Greene, manager of The Inferno Club, who wants Vinny to cover for Cecile, and is clearly disappointed when Vinny says he's out of town.
    • Vinny introduces himself to Jessi under the name Jason, though she isn't interested in talking. He attends the meeting, not sharing his story.
    • Taul adds to his notes on paranormal residue, theorizing that Vinny, Sasha, and Greg have had supernatural experiences in the past.(Jessi: Part I)
• MAY
  • May 13 (Saturday)
    • On Sasha's first weekday of summer vacation, Vinny appears at her apartment and begs she and Greg to accompany him to Oklahoma to investigate Reverend Jacob Macon. Using the fact that she finally agreed to let him pay her rent, Greg convinces Sasha to go.
    • Vinny, Sasha, and Greg begin their drive to Oklahoma in a rented van. (Doctor Ghost: Part I)
    • Margaret notices that Seventh Circle's Facebook page has become active again and leaves an angry comment. She receives a message from Jack Harrison regarding her hatred of the team, developed after her encounter with Sasha.
  • May 15 (Monday)
    • Vinny, Sasha, and Greg pass through St. Louis, Missouri. (Doctor Ghost: Part II)
    • Jessi Gibson arrives in Stillwater, Oklahoma. (Doctor Ghost: Part III)
  • May 16 (Tuesday)
    • Vinny, Sasha, and Greg arrive in Stillwater, Oklahoma. On their way in, Vinny admires a life-size Transformer.
    • Vinny, Sasha, and Greg meet up with Jessi Gibson, who tells them about Jacob Macon and Manny Ford. They agree to meet with the latter. Sasha and Greg take a walk and have lunch, both seeming uncomfortable and somewhat resentful, particularly after a waitress, Aimee, openly flirts with Greg.
  • May 17 (Wednesday)
    • Seventh Circle meet with Manny Ford at his home. (Doctor Ghost: Part II) Ford shows them the X-rays proving that his brain tumor did indeed begin receding after Macon's apparent healing. (Doctor Ghost: Part III)
    • Seventh Circle visit Holy Church of Christ, where they meet Reverend Jacob Macon for the first time. Macon asks to meet with them individually. Jessi goes first, and Mason interrogates her, picking apart her psychological state while he plays with a toy airplane. Macon suggests that Jessi is addicted to a number of substances. Thinking he looks like her father, Jessi leaves in tears, surprising her friends.
    • Jessi returns to her hotel, depressed. Vinny, Sasha, and Greg eat at Chick-fil-A and realize that Macon reminded them all of someone different.
    • In the evening, Jessi drunkenly calls Vinny to her hotel room, apparently wanting sex. Seeing that she is drunk, Vinny rebuffs her, but stays with her to watch TV. (Doctor Ghost: Part III)
  • May 18 (Thursday)
    • Seventh Circle again visit Holy Church of Christ. Reverend Macon decides to meet with Sasha, and spends their time debating the morality of using antidepressants, comparing Sasha's prescription to Jessi's drug use.
    • With Jessi and Sasha still upset over their meetings with Macon, Vinny and Greg get lunch, where Vinny notices Greg flirting with the waitress, Aimee.
    • That night, Vinny takes a taxi to Holy Church of Christ, where he asks Reverend Macon to talk. Macon reveals that his daughter, Judith Macon, is deathly ill, and likens himself to the Biblical Job.
    • In Cambridge, Margaret Bloom meets with Jack Harrison at an upscale restaurant, having responded to his Facebook message. Jack planned for Emma Hayward to be there as well, but she hasn't shown up yet. Margaret asks what Jack is looking for, being more accommodating than he expected, given her fundamentalist Christian beliefs. (Doctor Ghost: Part III)
• AUGUST
  • Aug 4 – For the first time, Avril Robbins takes her mother to The Yellow Door for Bean Night, allowing her to communicate with the poltergeist spirit of her own mother. (The Yellow Door: Part III)