Chapter 9
Caleb & Sal
Caleb watched Sal and Jeff talking about the marking with keen interest. He especially zeroed in on Sal. Something about her bothered him. It wasn't an aggravating bother but an affectionate one. He felt a need to be with her—just to be near her. He couldn't remember ever feeling this way before. Suddenly, he felt a surge of jealousy and quelled it wondering where it came from. He pushed his hand away from him as if he was pushing away a branch from a tree, but it was the sudden dark thought, not a tree limb, he was pushing away. The hand movement was just symbolic act of getting it away from him.
He spoke to himself while blocking his thoughts from the others. "I think I felt jealousy over Jeff's nearness to Sal. What's wrong with me? I've never felt that way in my life. Why am I bothered about some kid and a little teenage girl on earth? I've got to get more control over my emotions. She's pretty, but what is it about her that made me feel that way?"
Beside him were his best angel friends, Aaron, Joseph, Isaac, and Irish. He stated excitedly, "Don't you admire that little Sal? She's got more spunk per square inch than all of us put together. She's refusing the mark in spite of everything—just on the chance that she'll become a believer. In addition, I think she's a knockout."
Irish turned to Caleb while squinting her eyebrows together. "Caleb, what are you saying? Are you sweet on that kid?"
Caleb blushed, and Aaron looked at him, then waited for his response. Aaron replied, "I don't think I've ever known you to say anything like that in all the thousands of years I've known you. You really do act like you're smitten with her."
Caleb awkwardly defended himself, "I wouldn't call it 'sweet' or 'smitten' just flat-out admiring her, that's all."
"Oh, so saying a human is a knockout is just admiration, right, nothing more?" Irish asked while poking him in his side for fun.
"Hey, give me a break, will you? I can like someone from afar, can't I? I just think she's striking to look at. I've never seen an heir-servant that's even close to her unusual ways, style, spunk, and yes, her looks."
"Watch it, Caleb. I have a heaven full of beautiful heir-servants that would make most humans drool in an instant, and you're hot for a little human teenager. I think you're a little off. I wouldn't be surprised if you want to go down and help her out, personally, right?"
"You could say that," he answered while being almost defiant. "Can I, Aaron?"
"Can you, what?" asked Aaron.
"Can I go down and help?" he asked, then pointed to Sal getting ready for bed while she stared wistfully out her bedroom window, praying slightly, hopefully, and considering becoming the forbidden believer—an unmarked believer.
"Maybe. Just what did you have in mind? You know that we don't have the freedom like before. The greater the darkness grows, the less hold we have on earth. There may be a time when you'd be forced to leave earth, and it may not be at the most timely moment. Like right in the middle of stopping something bad from happening to your little teenager. How would you feel about that? You know, with all the dark angels around, they'd spot you in a second. They all know Caleb. How would you handle that, morph? You know how our Master and Lord feels about that."
"I probably would have to morph, but it's the first time I've requested it since my creation. Don't you think the welfare of our best player is that important?" He spoke nervously to Aaron with the rest listening. There were some agreeing nods in his favor.
Irish asked, "What's your real reason for wanting to help, Caleb?"
Her question bothered him; and because it did, he felt even more nervous but answered truthfully. "I want to be near Sal. I admit that I like her. Something about her makes me want to take special care of her. I've got to sort through all these emotions that I'm feeling. I've never felt this way before, and I have to work through this. Hiding here in heaven is no way for me unravel it all."
"Can you do that without messing things up?" asked Aaron while shaking his head at Caleb's pitifulness.
"Maybe. Well, sure I can! I've never messed up a mission since my creation. Why would I start now?
"Because, you're acting like a kid running on confused testosterone. That might be just enough to get you in trouble. Apollyon would love to get his hands on you for a while. You know too much."
"That's why you have to let me morph when I need to. Just one character is all I ask. I won't do it right off; but as soon as I can figure out the best form to take, I want to be able to do it. Please?" Caleb was almost pathetic for a moment, and the others prodded Aaron with "yes" nods; even Irish seemed to give in.
Aaron nodded, then raised his hand with Caleb's request. Suddenly, he smiled broadly and said, "Okay, okay. It looks like it was part of the plan from the very beginning. Shows you that we're not told everything. Now, from me, if you go, you must stay with her until it's impossible for you stay any longer. It's too difficult for us to get through the darkness to help in the first place. I don't want to waste our energy on just a short visit. Don't get caught, and don't mess this up. She's too important to our plans. Do you understand? Don't let your testosterone get in the way!" commanded Aaron.
They all laughed at Aaron's last comment, but Caleb wasn't quite as amused as they were. There was something more going on in his head. He felt a little giddy, lightheaded, and dizzy about getting to meet Sal in person. Aaron had never seen him acting like this before. Could his best friend and war comrade be falling for a human? Maybe it was about time. Caleb hadn't ever taken up with any of the heir-servants, even on a casual basis—never mind a human.
"Now get to work," replied Aaron, then nudged Caleb with a small push.
"Thanks, Aaron," replied Caleb, then smiled happily.
Caleb appeared in Sal's room, then watched her sleep. He sat beside her and pulled the sheet up over her small shoulders. He reached out gently touching her soft neck hairs and sighed, then entered her dreams. In her dreams, Sal watched as a beautiful man approached her with his hands held open for a hug. She ran to him but didn't know why. She felt his arms encircle her; and noticed, his wings feathering her face with a large, soft wrap. She looked into his star eyes and melted into the warmth of his body. Something about him made her feel safe and comforted. She started to cry, weeping uncontrollably about her mother and father. He kept her in his embrace until her tears stopped and ebbed away.
Sal looked up at Caleb and asked, "Why are you here?"
Caleb answered softly, "To give you a message. You must keep considering your salvation, your promise to your mother and father. I've been assigned to watch over you. You must be ready to follow our instructions when the time comes. It will be the difference between life and death. God has great plans for you. I also want you to know that God and all his angels care greatly for you. I want you to know that I, Caleb, care much for you."
Caleb kissed her gently on her lips and disappeared from her dreams, but not before Sal woke and felt his presence sitting next to her on the bed and seeing him disappear from beside her.
There was a slight whisper that lingered behind that said, "I'll be near, Sal."
Sal rubbed her eyes in disbelief but touched her lips while still feeling the moist pressure of his kiss from the dream. Beside her, was a white lily from one of heaven's vast gardens. She jumped up with the angel realization. "Caleb, is that your name?"
She believed that this was something special. There was only silence, but she knew he was near. She felt the great comfort of crying in his arms. She also felt something tugging on her heart about Caleb that was personal, but she couldn't explain it. She felt her own heart fluttering with a warm excitement.
"What's going on?" asked Jeff as he barged into her room from her loud Caleb question. He backed off to the edge of her door, not wanting another window episode but drinking in Sal's looks like a thirsty sponge. She looked at him and pointed her finger at him threateningly for his stares while pulling the sheets around her self-consciously.
"Will yo
u stop it with the drooling. I feel like I'm rooming with a ferret in heat. I had a visitor tonight, another angel. In fact, a pretty nice-looking guy, to say the least. He introduced himself to me in my dreams; and when I woke, he was still barely here. See, he left a white lily. Cool, huh?"
Jeff didn't believe a word and thought she was delusional and worn out from all the "marking" talk, but he couldn't figure out what was with the flower. "You're kidding. He left it for you?"
She handed it to him gingerly, and he could smell the freshness of it accenting the air around them. She put a flat palm up to keep him at a distance. After he handed back the lily, he obliged, backing and bowing in a clowning way into the front room, leaving her alone once again.
Her only response once he was gone was, "I will consider, Caleb. I promise. I really will."
Caleb walked unseen through the desperate streets of Nashville. He noticed small gangs forming on various corners. He recognized some of the individuals among them as dark angels. They seemed to be stirring up the gangs as they talked about hurting and killing believers and the unmarked. The gangs were as interested in the bounty as they were in harming them. He moved back into the night and waited outside Sal's apartment until morning. He returned to heaven for a short time to confer with Aaron.
"I asked you not to come back so soon. What part of that command did you miss?" scolded Aaron.
"I didn't have anyone to talk to, not face-to-face. I just wanted to chat. I'll go back in a minute, don't worry."
Aaron placed a brotherly hand on Caleb's shoulder saying, "I see you really made an impression, didn't you? Got to hand it to you, Caleb. You got style. A little mushy, but stylish mush."
"I learned mushy from you and Irish, Aaron," replied Caleb, then playfully slapped Aaron on his back.
"On a serious note, I think that the dark angels are on assignment. I believe that they'll start lynch mobs the second the markings are complete. There's no telling what they'll do. How are Abigail and Alex doing?"
"They're improving; getting a little bored; they'll be okay. Alex has prayed for an update on our agenda. You know the plan. When the time is right, let them know the kids are coming, okay? I believe that Abigail's salvation is very near."