Chapter 17
New Tricks
Day drove up to Star's English Tudor cottage. She sighed as she looked around at the campus. Something about this place always made her feel good. She heard about the angels who battled here when children before the rapture were escaping from Nashville. The angels helped them come right up the side of the mountain under the white cross. Everyone at Sewanee, especially the students, got into the act. It got even more exciting. Over 5,000 children moved to campgrounds just five miles from downtown Sewanee, which was appropriately named, The Sanctuary. At The Sanctuary, angels cared for them, and teenagers became the real leaders. At All Saints, all the children marched into the church for Sunday morning worship a moment before the rapture. That's what started it for her adoptive-dad, Alex, then the Governor of Tennessee.
Alex saw it happen. It drove him to his knees as he surrendered his life to the Lord. Just after that, the angels came to visit him. There was Aaron, Isaac, Joseph, and Caleb. They explained how they wanted him to meet Abigail, a nun who had been left behind after the rapture, and hide in the basement, more an air-raid shelter, built and well provisioned to supply their needs for months. It would protect them from the Oak Ridge nuclear meltdown.
Finally, The Christian Alliance Party (CAP) sought out Alex, and he became the first vice-president of their party, then became a two-term President during the Day of the Dragons. After leading the world to defeat the Dragons, politics was soon discontinued. CAP was the first to use the Red Fish symbol as their rallying symbol.
Day remembered all the summers at this same cottage. It was a memorial now, with a large plaque and words to the bravery of the CAP, who bought it and gave it to the seminary with a provision that the Tabors could use it as much as they needed. This was Day and Star's home away from home for years, and they played in the deep cellars under the old church next to the cottage as kids. They felt that Sewanee was more home than Washington, D.C. Just being here now made Day feel like she was coming home, coming to the same cottage and the same familiar door made her almost dizzy.
"Star, are you around, Star? Hey, girl, you got my contacts? I can't wear these sunglasses 24 hours a day."
"No kidding," a voice came from over her head. She looked up and was stunned. Star was flat against the ceiling looking down at her.
"You dog! How did you do that?" she asked disgustedly. She looked up at Star and morphed into Abigail.
"You get down her this instant, Star Tabor," she scolded and sounded just like Abigail as well as looking like her.
"That was spooky. Stop that, Day," Star replied as she came gently to the floor. "Pretty neat, huh?"
"We both could join the circus. We'd make a fortune," Day announced while they both laughed. "Star, you don't have your contacts on. You got them, didn't you?" she asked nervously.
"Of course, I do. I enjoy my eyes this way. I don't even need a flashlight at night. I can get up to get a glass of water and not have to worry about killing myself over the furniture. It's great. I can see better too. I bet I can see a tick on a dog a mile away. It's wonderful."
"Next, you'll be telling me you can go invisible," she laughed.
"No, I can't do that, but listen to this. I was watching my eyes in the mirror and was concentrating trying to make them get brighter. I kept thinking about things that excite me. I'll not comment on that right now, little sister. I lost my balance and put my hand out to stop from smacking my nose. When I put my hand out, it went into the glass. Watch!" she exclaimed, then ran down to the bathroom with Day following her wide- eyed.
"If you do this, I'll hate you!" Day shouted, almost falling over her coming through the bathroom door.
"Now, you look into the mirror too. Concentrate. Think about Riley. I'll just think about, about, food, for goodness sakes, pizza, good pizza. When your stars fill up your pupils so you can't see them anymore, put your hand on the glass and push like you're shaking hands with someone on the other side. They both stared for a minute and started laughing as they watched each other bugging their eyes in concentration.
"You look funny, Star!" Day laughed.
"You don't look so cute yourself, girl," she smarted back as she laughed too.
"Come on, let's try this," Star begged.
"Okay."
They both got serious this time. As their eyes glowed brighter, they knew they were ready. They moved a hand towards the mirror, Day her right and Star her left while coordinating their efforts together. There was a moment of hesitation, then excitement, as their hands passed through the mirror. Star turned her arm to show Day that it didn't matter. It was like the wall and everything behind it didn't exist. Then, Star slowly reached for Day's hand. They held each other's hand behind it. They were controlling what they wanted to feel and touch. They wanted to feel each other hands, but nothing else, and it worked. They pulled their hands out together and hugged each other excitedly.
"I love it! I absolutely love it!" they shouted together.
"There's no telling what we can do. Is this like having Nephilim puberty? We're blossoming, now. What a way to blossom!" exclaimed Day.
"What else can we do?" asked Star. "We can levitate, at least I can. We can morph, at least you can. We can, wait, wait! Remember what Jesus did? Hold on! Hold on!"
Star closed herself in the bathroom. "Wait a minute, Day. I'm coming out." With all her concentration, she lifted herself a half foot off the ground. She thought herself through the door and felt herself moving; seconds later, she was suspended in the hall in front of the bathroom door.
"I want to try! How did you do the levitate thing?" Day asked excitedly.
"We do everything with thoughts. I just thought myself up, and I just thought my way through the door, with thoughts," she rattled excitedly.
"Okay, I'm closing the door. Okay, I’m thinking about rising off the floor. I’m thinking about, about, I am, I am, I am," she replied as she also passed through the door.
"Come to the kitchen. I want to try something," said Star, then ran into the kitchen and opened the cupboard to see behind it and closing it. She concentrated on going through it; and once her hand was through, Day saw that she was firmly grasping something. She was holding a can of green beans. It seemed to be affected by her own aura until she finally pulled it out and set it down on the counter.
"No more opening cupboards for me!" announced Star.
"Wait till Mom hears about this!" Day said proudly.
"Day, what else can angels do?"
"Well, let's see, fly, disappear. Wait, isn't that what we're really doing, disappearing?"
"Sure, pieces of us are."
"You want to go first?" asked Day.
"No, let's do it together. Let's hold hands?" replied Day as she reached out and grabbed Star's hands.
"Think completely missing. Think clear, invisible thoughts," she replied as they faced each other. "Oh, think it from the feet up, okay?"
"Okay."
Slowly, their toes were missing, and after another three minutes, only their upper torsos were still visible. Finally, they were completely invisible.
"Okay, back now," said Star nervously. Day didn't come back, but Star did.
"Day, come back," she said sternly.
"I'm trying. I really am. I can't concentrate. I'm so excited," she said with her voice trembling anxiously.
"Okay, Day, forget everything now and concentrate on your head, just your head. Think what your face looks like and your nose, and now, your neck, and then, that flat chest of yours," she said laughing.
"Yours too! Yours too!" she chuckled.
"That's it. Now, go to the floor. You got it. Great. You're okay. You missed something," replied Star, humorously.
"What! What! I don't see anything," Day protested.
"You're right. It wasn't there before. Your brains," she laughed at her.
"You're bad, girl. Just plain bad," she shot back while laughing with her.
"Hey, is anyone hom
e? Day, you in there? I hear you two laughing, but I can't tell your laughs apart," shouted Riley.
"Oh, no, our contacts. They're in the front room. We can't go out there like this. My sunglasses are out there too!" Day panicked.
"Wait, I have an idea. Whatever we touch becomes part of this thing we are too; if we want it to, remember the green beans? Stay here. I'll be right back. Get him to stay put."
Star changed again from top to bottom this time, and Day yelled at him, "We'll be right out. Stay put. We're not dressed yet."
"Not dressed, yet? What are you doing, playing doctor?" he thought. "Crazy girls."
Star walked to the coffee table; and as she picked up their contacts, she thought them to be as she was. She walked back and handed a set to Day after reappearing.
"Just like the doctor ordered," as they both giggled together.
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