Chapter 19
Cobrata
Star and Day came out together with their hair covered in a bandanna and laughing at Riley's expression when he saw them. It was obvious he was clueless who was who for a second.
"What am I supposed to do, now?" he asked as he walked up close to them and stared intensely. He couldn't figure them out, not being able to see their hair.
"Well, I guess if you can't tell, you'll just have to go home until you do," replied Star, sarcastically.
"No way," squealed Day as she ran to his side and kissed him, then got a side hug.
Riley laughed, "Now, I'm really intimidated. I'm only just over 5'10, and I'm surrounded by a future family of trees. Where did you two get all that height? My friends are going to really give me a hard time when they finally see us together."
"Our dad was very tall, our real dad, not Alex. We were adopted, if you know Presidential history at all," replied Star.
"I'll leave that to my dad. He's almost a freak over it."
"Don't call him a freak. I think it's nice, all the Alex, Sal, Abigail stuff he has," she replied without thinking.
"How do you know what my dad has?" he asked mystified.
"He just shared some tidbits with me. He used to be my Political Science teacher, remember?"
"Used to be? You just started. Are you quitting his class, already?" Riley asked.
"Leave her alone, Riley. We've both had a tough day. It's her decision," Day defended.
"Thanks, Day. Riley, it just didn't work out. Now, why don't you and Day go spend some time together. I've got to get ready for another pop test."
"What! A scheduled test and a pop one? Can't you give us a break, just once? Day, with that information, I can't stay, now. I've got to go back and study. Lord have mercy, Doctor Tabor! I thought, since Day was here, you'd give me a break."
"Not likely. Not with your Jerusalem assignment so close. I'm giving you and Chad plenty of chances to mess up."
"I hate the competition. You'd figure with Chad being captain of the basketball team, he'd have enough attention without wanting to compete with a small fry like me for the Jerusalem slot. You know that our grade point average is exactly the same, a perfect 4.0. One slip up, and we're both out of a Jerusalem job. One bad pop test, and I'm state bound for four more years before I get another chance. Rules are rules."
Day frowned at Star, then pushed Riley towards the door, "Get to them books, boy! I'm going to Jerusalem with you! Don't mess up, now! And you, Star, ease up a little, just a little!"
After Riley reluctantly walked away, Star turned to Day, "What's up with Mom?"
"I don't know. I haven't talked to her since the day before. Something's going on. I feel it in my bones, but I can't figure it out."
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Outmatched
Cobrata drove through the Sewanee, early morning fog while enjoying the cool mountain smells. She thought how lucky she was to be working for Judas. It was as much hormonal as love. He was so strong and powerful, and she worshiped that in a man. His strength seemed to grow stronger every day. She wanted to share his throne and daydreamed about it. She felt this was another one of his many tests to prove her loyalties. As she drove up University Avenue, she felt something else. There was just a small inkling that another Nephilim was nearby. As she walked up to All Saints, it was just a faint ebb, but it was still there.
She walked around the campus while looking at the plush, tree-laden mountaintop, and enjoying the fragrance of the morning. As she followed the cobbled walks, she came across the Tabor Monument. It stood in front of a little cobblestone church and cottage. Suddenly, her Nephilim senses became acute, and she heard a door open and shut abruptly, then saw Star walking to her class as she came directly for her. She nodded to Star and knew that she was a Nephilim, but didn't know which side. She felt it even more strongly as they almost brushed elbows as Star walked by her. She felt a sense of righteousness, like having the Lord pass by or an old Saint or one of God's angels. To her, her sense of fight or flight seemed highly honed. She watched Star carefully and turned away for a moment; and when she turned back, Star was gone. Star was practicing her invisibility this morning and walked unseen through the campus, but noticed before she disappeared that her arm hairs stood up on end as she passed the pretty, black girl.
Cobrata looked in every direction. If this girl was a Nephilim, and she knew she had to be, then what happened? She pulled her phone from her purse in a panic. "Judas, this is Cobrata. I just had the most unusual experience. I think I just met my first light Nephilim. Judas, is one of the Nephilim tricks on the CDs, invisibility?" she asked as she trembled all over from what she thought she had discovered.
When she heard him say, "yes," she was so upset that she hung up on him. She thought, “Light Nephilims already know about that? What else could they know? She wished she had viewed the CD before she left. It was scaring her. She followed the campus signs towards the seminary. As she walked into administration, her senses lit up again.
"She's here. I know she is," she thought to herself. "Is she a student?"
"I'm Debra Singular from the Nashville Tennessean. We're doing a story on the Jerusalem candidates from Sewanee. Could you help me?" Cobrata asked as she watched the chancellor break into a heated sweat as he looked at her.
"Yes, Debra, follow me, and I'll get them out of class. We'd love to have the publicity. There are only two this year. Only one, as far as I'm concerned. Let me get my favorite, first."
The chancellor poked his head into Star's classroom with Cobrata standing near him. Cobrata saw that it was the girl from the walk. At least, she knew where they could find one light Nephilim.
The chancellor demanded, "I need to have Chad and Riley for a newspaper interview, in that order. Stay put, Riley, till Chad comes back."
"Chancellor, we're getting ready for an exam. Is there any way we could do this in about 30 minutes?" asked Star boldly.
"No, I'm still the chancellor. I want them out here, just like I said, now, Chad!" he commanded as Chad jumped up obediently.
Star saw Cobrata watching her from the sidelines. She felt her senses going acute from a warning but didn't know why. A voice within her said, "Protect Riley." She knew it was the Lord speaking to her in a clear and pleasant voice. His voice made her feel warm and filled with His peace. When God spoke to Star, Cobrata moved back several feet like she had been shoved by some unseen force. She felt it was something about the strength of this light Nephilim, and it frightened her, again.
"You two can go into my office. Chad, when you get done, send that Riley kid down. Ma'am, spend most of your time with Chad. I got my bets on Chad winning the Jerusalem slot more than that Riley kid," he said to Chad's pleasure.
Chancellor, "What is that teacher's name?" she asked.
"Oh, that's Star Tabor," he answered and watched as Cobrata choked in a fit of surprise.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes, I think. The President's daughter?" she barely spoke while recovering from her gagging.
"Yes, exactly," he said in disgust. "Are you here to talk to our Jerusalem candidates or what?"
"Yes, sure," she replied. She thought, "Wait till I tell Judas about this. I want to tell him face to face. I'll be the hero. Where there's one Tabor, the other is nearby."
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Godly Alarms
Hayden saw the drop notice in his faculty email and frowned disappointedly. He felt that he did something wrong, but didn't know what it was. He suspected that George was tougher on her than he should have been; but somehow, her white star eyes bothered him more than anything else. He felt, maybe, Star would concede in giving him a historic interview. If that meant being with her, so be it. He was very fatalistic about it. After all, he was a little too old to fool with mood swings, and his own isolated nature suited him just fine. Yet, he really did enjoy being near her, but he enjoyed visiting the Chattanooga Aquarium
too. He knew the difference and chuckled at his own simple rationalization.
He looked out at the mountains from his deck and sighed restfully. Suddenly, he felt something giving him a quaint alarm. His chest burned with a fierce heaviness. It was "blood." Something was wrong with Riley. He felt it as strong as if someone hit him up the side of the head with a two-by-four. Few times in his life had he felt this way. Once, was right before his wife died. The other time was when Riley broke his collarbone playing football. Both times, the alarm signals felt the same way.
"Where's Riley?" he asked himself.
"Star's class!" he spoke out-loud.
He gulped another swallow of hot coffee and put his shoes on in the elevator while heading for the garage. He pulled the charge cables off his car battery junction, then changed his mind and jumped on his motorcycle instead. What he wouldn't give to have Star's Hummer. He knew it would only take him five minutes to get to the interstate and another five to get to Sewanee.
Cobrata was finished with Chad and realized that his basketball height made him the perfect candidate for a replacement. This meant only one thing; the Riley boy was history. Riley had finished his quiz by the time Chad came back, and Chad winked at Riley. His winking was full of how he thought he had ruined the interview for Riley, stealing the spotlight, again. The chancellor's comment was a real charge to his Jerusalem ego.
Cobrata saw Riley walking towards her and could tell he was a believer. It was so strong on him that it made her uncomfortable. She made Riley feel the same way for the opposite reason.
Cobrata asked him energetically, "Why don't you take me on a campus tour while we talk?"
"Sure, have you seen All Saints down the block, yet?" he asked, still watching the hairs on his arm saluting to attention.
She put her arm through his and pulled back instantly. He was far stronger as a believer than she ever imagined. It was like God blessed him with an extra, big dose of His Holy Spirit power. He noticed her pullback response, but also noticed that she dropped to the ground while pretending to tie her shoelace. She never took his arm again but walked beside him towards All Saints.
Star watched Riley leaving and continued to feel the warning within her: she didn't understand. The class was now only ten minutes from dismissal. She packed her notes and books; and on the board, she wrote quickly, "Class dismissed in five minutes. No pop test next class." There was an immediate applause as everyone looked at the clock and waited while Star ran out the door.
She didn't see Riley, but her senses told her that he had left the building. She ran towards All Saints while feeling the urgency pressing on her. She had no idea what was going on, but Riley was in some kind of danger. As she made it to the chapel doors, she saw Day leaving the cottage. Day saw her, smiled, and waved. Star was flagging her over, then put her hand over her mouth to keep quiet. Everything in her said Riley was inside. It had to be the lady from Nashville.
Day came running to her as she finally sensed the urgency never having seen her sister acting like this. Day asked anxiously, "I felt something go off inside of me when I saw you. Is Riley in trouble? What is it?"
"I don't know. It has to do with a black lady from a newspaper in Nashville. She interviewed Chad, and I guess, Riley is showing her around campus."
"I'll kill him if..." she said jealously, but Star interrupted her.
"A voice in me said to protect Riley. It isn't jealousy kind of stuff. It's Nephilim stuff. I know it is. Are you ready to try out our new skills?" she asked, seeing Day nod, "yes."
Day suggested, "Lets slip in, go invisible, and take a look. If you're right, it might be dangerous for all of us."
They slowly opened the door and peeked in. They could see Cobrata walking with him down the middle aisle while Riley continued to talk about Jerusalem. "I've always wanted to go to Jerusalem. My father is Hayden, the political writer. It's been his influence that made me believe it was so important."
"So, you don't want in it for a high position? You just want to meet and be around Jesus when He comes, right?" she asked, but hated saying the Lord's name.
"Yes, I want to be there when He comes, to be near Him. I want to see Him face-to-face, don't you?" he asked as he stared into her eyes. They were standing at the back of the sanctuary while looking at the high stained-glass windows and the beautiful woodcarvings. It was difficult for anyone to see them from the front.
"Yes," she replied assuredly, then bent to the side and pulled her contacts off. Her red stars glowed hot in the soft light of the low-lit chapel. She turned to him and said, "I want to see Him so I can kill Him!"
"What?" he yelped in surprise as her eyes were getting even more full of their red stars. All he could see was red—blood red. It scared him so bad that he felt nauseous and fell backwards onto the floor.
Cobrata pounced on him and grabbed him with one hand around his throat. She stood up and picked him off the ground lifting him high into the air. Her Nephilim strength was crushing his neck in her powerful grip. She changed her mind and threw him into the far wall while hoping to hear bones break and did hear him scream in pain. He shook his head and decided that he was in a nightmare.
This nightmare required that he be honest. Honesty said, "Run, run fast!"
Suddenly, Cobrata was being lifted in the air in front of him, and there was a look on her face that said she wasn't responsible. Star spoke in a garbled voice on purpose, "Get out of here, Riley! Get out, now!"
Riley scrambled to his feet without looking back and held his side where several ribs were cracked from Cobrata's last throw. He ran at a dead sprint for the front door and fell out of it onto the church lawn.
Star and Day dropped Cobrata to the floor, and she thrashed around while trying to get to her feet, but didn't see anyone. She knew that more than one person had her by the arms. She figured that one was Star; and guessed, the other was Day.
"Leave me alone! We're looking for you! We'll find both of you and kill you! You're dead! I know who you are!" she screamed as she finally got to her feet and waited for any indication of where they were.
Day and Star appeared above her head by 15 feet, simply staring at her and watching her shocked look. She started throwing Bibles and songbooks at them. Finally, she grabbed a candlesnuffer and started jabbing it at them, but always came up short.
"What's wrong? Afraid of a little one on one? I work for Judas. You're both dead and don't even know it!"
Day asked Star, "Do you know how to fight?"
"No, do you?" knowing the answer.
"Sure, I sneaked out when we were kids and took karate lessons."
"Stop the chit chat and fight me, you cowards!" she screamed.
"Got any ideas?" asked Day while shrugging.
"One, I wish I had worn warmer underwear. It's drafty up here," she laughed and pointed to her skirt and wishing she'd worn pants.
At that moment, Cobrata threw a poled crucifix at Star like a spear. Star caught it as it passed by, surprised at her own lightening speed. Just then, Cobrata's phone rang. It was Judas. She backed away trying to get to it. She had to warn him, and she had to either kill them or get out without getting killed. She figured that their Nephilim talents would be enough to keep them safe so she decided to run.
"Judas, Judas, the girls, they understand our powers. Judas, I'm going to..." she said, then felt the thud of the crucifix, plunging into her chest as Star threw it back at her, impaling her, leaving only three feet of wood extending from her chest of a ten-foot pole. Both, Star and Day were surprised at its success. They were a lot stronger than they ever imagined.
"Die," finished Star and Day together.
Cobrata never finished her statement. As they picked the phone from her hand, they heard Judas yelling over it," Where are you, Cobrata? Who has Nephilim powers? Who? Who? Who?"
Star answered him while laughing, "Who, who, who? Grow claws, and you could be an owl, Judas. Bye," then hung up.
"What are we g
oing to do, now?" asked Day.
"Wipe our fingerprints from that pole and get out of here. Unseen, right?" she said with urgency.
"Duhhhh! Let's talk later. I bet Riley ran to my place. Come on, run a piece of my dress over the pole best you can," Star replied as she tore off a large section of it and handed it to Day.
"Hey, I got an idea," Star remarked.
They looked up at the statue of Jesus holding the Shepard's hook with a lamb over His shoulder. They took Cobrata and looped her neck in the hook, then let her torso hang loosely from it. They let the end of the crucifix steady her on the floor, and the cross was now standing upright.
"Isn't there something sick about what we just did?" asked Day.
"Kind of, but they'll see her red stars, look," she said when she pushed open her eyelids so they stayed open. "They're still there, perfect little red stars. They look frozen on her. Well, they'll think it was some kind of divine providence. Almost right, you know."
"I've never been called divine providence before," Day remarked
"You're not, I'm divine, your providence," she laughed again.
They pushed the door open and saw Riley with a group of students outside the building, just seemingly waiting for something. Riley had run through the campus shouting, “It's a demon. A demon is in All Saints.” He was beside himself. Hayden showed up just as the girls moved unseen past the group and lifted themselves over the top of the church and over to their cottage. They moved through the front door and reappeared.
"We look a mess," said Day.
"We look like murderers, Day," she said seriously. "I think we'd better call Mom. We are in way over our heads."
"That Nephilim said they were looking for us, didn't she?" asked Day.
"Oh, you picked up on that too?" replied Star. "Not, exactly making my day. She said that guy Judas was responsible. Have you ever heard of him?"
"No, never, but we've been out of the Nephilim circles for years," said Day, then acted depressed about what they just did.
"Let's go to the basement. There are old showers down there, and we can clean up without messing up my place. I'm sure someone might be checking it out."
"I saw Hayden out there, didn't you?" asked Day.
"Yes, he was hugging Riley. I bet he stays with his dad for a couple of days. At least at Red Fish, he'll be safer; it's like a fortress."
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