They linked hands as Hannah had described, took two deep breaths and closed their eyes. Hannah’s scar began to throb and glow just like Emma’s. Michael’s wing glowed as well, and fluttered erratically. They were instantly aware of Emma’s desperation to return to her family and forget the horrors of her torture.At first, only a glimmer of light emanated from them. That glimmer grew stronger and brighter until it became the brilliant aura that had encompassed the three in Emma’s backyard. And then, Hannah heard something that was music to her ears.“Hannah.” Emma spoke in little more than a whisper.“Mama!” Hannah cried out. “You came back! I knew you’d come back!” But Emma didn’t respond. Hannah nudged her. “Mama? Michael, she’s not saying anything.”“Let’s try it again. I don’t think she’s really back yet. Maybe we need to do this holdi
“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Hannah! Happy birthday to you!” The cheerful song was thunderous in the house as the Brethren bellowed it out, and Emma loved it. Although it was sung over a pizza rather than a cake, she could see Hannah didn’t care. It was still her birthday for another six minutes.“Make a wish, honey,” Emma coaxed, rumpling Hannah’s hair.Hannah closed her eyes and opened them. She announced stubbornly, “You know, I think I deserve more than one wish after all that’s happened, so I’m going to make wishes and I want you all to hear them.”“Well, okay then, Miss Warrior, let’s hear them.”“First, I wish that I could have a swimming pool in the backyard. Second, I wish that Seraphiel could come back to us. Third, I wish that everything in those towns would be back to the way it was. That’s what I want. Oh, and that
Michael and Emma looked at each other and with silent agreement, Emma replied, “Sure, we’ll be over by the altar. Let us know when you’re ready to leave.” Hannah sat on the ground and closed her eyes. Immediately she felt the hands of the Ancient Warrior soul on her shoulders. She opened her eyes and turned to find the angel, luminous as ever.“I must go,” it proclaimed. “My duty here is done.” “I know. I’m going to miss you.”“Oh, I was a nuisance most of the time.”“No you weren’t! You protected me, fought for me, and gave me courage when I didn’t have any!” She paused and reached out to the Ancient Warrior as she smiled. “There are big things ahead for me, you know. Will I ever see you again?Will you be there for the big things?” Hannah asked hopefully.“Yes, my warrior, I will be there for the big things. I shall always look
“Okay now, push! Push! Real hard, Emma! That’s a girl!” Michael was yelling, sweat pouring down his face. Emma was huffing and puffing and pushing like crazy, her face turning beet red.“Blow it out your ears, Michael! You want it so badly, you push! Ahhh!” Emma cried out. “In fact, why don’t you take over for me right now? Ohhh! If I’d known you could do this to me, you jerk, why I’d, oohh! Look at you, standing there, feeling no pain, you bastard! Ahhh!”“One more time, honey, push real hard! Push for your scheming, low-down, son of a bitch husband! Push!” Michael yelled, taking no offense at the thrashing he was getting from the woman giving birth to his first child.“That’s it, Emma, Michael. You have a beautiful baby girl!” The doctor proclaimed. A wail beyond all wails erupted from her tiny mouth.“And she’s got a great set of lungs on her, too!&rdq
Time is eternal, no beginning and no end. And yet as humans we are on a constant mission to find when IT all began, how we came to be, and why we are here. We must have a purpose to this life, so many of us suggest. Some of us have found grand, solid purposes to our lives, while others continue to ponder, wallowing in the muck and mire of a horrid life thrust upon them without their consent. And so, while many of us live out our days finding love, building families and careers, others not as fortunate become predators, sniffing out any excuse to snuff out another’s purposeful life.When humans began to segregate themselves this way, into people of goodness and people of evil, the Brethren first appeared on Earth. Their arrival was not one of brilliance, nor was it apocalyptic. There were no meteor showers that day. There was no eclipse of the sun. No major earthquakes or other natural disasters were pointed to, heralding their coming.They simply manifested.There was a new awareness
“My name is Gabriel Seeker, and I’d like the finest suite available. Money is no object, and privacy is of the utmost importance. I’ll be staying for a while.” All too ready to oblige, Caleb, a sprite young man in his mid-twenties, quickly accommodated him. This enigmatic man’s god-like stature and demeanor told Caleb in not so many words that if he did his job well, there would be a very nice tip at the end. Spurred on by this notion, Caleb decided to step away from the registration desk to see Gabriel personally to his suite.“I’m sure you’ll find everything to your taste and requirements, Mr. Seeker. If not, rest assured that I will personally see to it that all is rectified. For a guest such as yourself, I have included complimentary breakfast and dinner for the length of your stay. If there is anything more I can do for you, sir, all you need to do is ask.” Caleb gushed, knowing his boss would be thrilled with the big
On the other, he was scared witless. Manny was unpredictable, and could make trouble for him if he felt like it. Given how much money Caleb had made for him over the past ten years, he figured Manny was not going to be saying congratulations, and giving him a big send-off. He was leaving a major hole in Manny’s secret, illegal enterprise set up at the resort, and now he’d have to put someone in his place. That would be very tricky, since nobody at the resort knew about Manny or his people, and management was extremely diligent and thorough about checking out who they hired. Manny just happened to be better at forging documentation.Picking up the house phone, he dialed up his friend Mack in the operations department. “Hey Mack, how much do you know about state-of-the-art computer systems?”“You know me. I’m always up-to-date with the latest news. What do you need?”He gave him a rundown of Gabriel’s requirements an
Caleb paced the floor of his living room, flipping his cell phone open and closed every few minutes. He checked the time. His watch said seven o’clock in the evening, two minutes later than when he checked it two minutes ago. Stir-crazy didn’t even begin to explain how freaked out he was at this point. He’d been waiting it seemed like hours, though it had only been one since he’d left Gabriel his dire plea for protection. Had he gotten his message? Maybe his voicemail isn’t working. Not likely. Maybe he’s in a dead zone for cell service. Not likely, either. Maybe I should just chill out.Did he remember to lock the front door to his apartment? He didn’t know. So he rushed over to check. He’d locked it, thank goodness. He slunk over to his only window in the apartment and peered out from behind the frayed window blinds, watching for anyone he knew skulking around outside. Not a soul was around, but that didn’t mean anything