Chapter 23
Visiting Red Fish
A caravan of four kid-laden cars made their way up the steep incline towards Red Fish. Everyone had a sense of great excitement. It was the first time anyone but Riley had seen the inside of Red Fish since it was completed; it was like going to a famous museum.
Hayden watched them from his deck viewer and noticed that the Hummer was leading the way. He was excited about having Star in his house again. He tried to quell it, but it didn’t go away. In between school and the quiet nights by himself, he would walk around imagining looking down and seeing her sleeping on his couch again. He remembered his finger kiss and the joy she seemed to have about being around so much of her own history.
He thought, "She was right. This place was made for her."
Riley came running up the stairs just as his dad walked in from the deck. He saw a nervous Hayden, which was unusual. His nervousness was like the jitters of a kid on his first date. It was so noticeable that he asked, "Are you okay, Dad?"
"Sure, Riley. It's not everyday that the Red Fish Museum gets open to the public. An even better example is like the opening night at a new Broadway play, kind of," he said as he sat down in his desk chair while swiveling back and forth in it rather than pacing.
"You don't have to come down. We'll just conduct the class and keep it down to a low roar. Do you mind if some of my friends stay to play on the games? Some of these games, especially the pinball, they've never seen. They disappeared years ago. Your computers will also make up for the computer lab being closed."
"Riley, this is your party. I'm just providing the place and the pizzas. Relax, enjoy, and by all means, learn," he commanded, and Riley knew by that last statement that his old dad was back in form.
"All right, already!" he said as he ran down to the lower level just as the elevator bell came on. His friends walked in, spinning and circling, as they looked straight up at the dazzling colored lights while making admiration sounds like, "Unbelievable! Fantastic! Awesome!"
"Thank your dad for inviting us. Did you promise a low roar?" asked Star and looked at where his bedroom and study were but not seeing him.
Riley noticed that she looked directly towards Hayden's office bedroom, not understanding how she could know. He figured it was just luck but wondered slightly. Before the class settled in, Riley showed everyone the different artifacts and commented on their historical significance. Star noticed that he missed the mural.
"What about the mural?" she asked, then realized it may not have been a good move.
"Yes, the mural. How did you know about that?" Riley asked, suspiciously, especially when Star pointed to the wall above the hearth as she said it.
"Because she was a student in one of my classes for at least one-and-a-quarter times, right, Star?" Hayden replied while walking down the stairs.
"Yes, I was. The history doctor was very informative. He seems to love ancient history, especially, Tabor history," she replied, then looked around for the mural trying to give Riley mixed signals. "It has to be around here. You said it was in the main room somewhere," she replied coyly.
Hayden chuckled at her acting while Riley never caught it, and he pointed to the large tapestry covering the wall. He pulled it back, and everyone stared at it, then at Star. Her mother's looks were right on the money. No one could deny the direct heritage.
"Where is that dog, now?" asked a student stupidly.
"That was 30 years ago. He's dead. However, my adoptive mom, Abigail, has four of his puppies at home, right now. Believe me, you couldn't tell them apart from the real Nicodemus if you tried, except there are no crosses on their heads, just that stupid smile." She laughed as she thought about them.
"You all enjoy yourselves. I've got a writing project to take care of," he said, then walked slowly away and looked warmly back at her. She turned and caught him staring at her and smiled.
She formed the words with her mouth, "Thanks!"
He did the same, "No problem!"
The class worked their way through the English assignments, and then, it was a free-for-all. They played on the ancient pinball and the freestanding, Pac-man machines. They worked their way through 15 different arcade games that surrounded the outside of the main room. Many of these games were converted into old downloads off the Internet, but not the way it used to be. Hayden eventually shut his door to keep down the noise.
Four hours later, they were all packing up to go. Star decided to say goodbye. She knocked lightly on his study door, and he flung it open and smiled that it was her.
"Thanks for letting us use your place. That was very nice of you," she said timidly.
"I want to apologize for leaving your class. Now is not a good time, but one day, I'd like to explain," she said, then looked at the floor in a shy move.
"Don't worry, Star. I was just concerned that George might have manhandled you. I saw he was in the front row when I came in. He must not have got that far," he commented.
"Actually, I 'manhandled' him a little. Did he say anything else?" she asked, not knowing whether she wanted to hear it.
"Yes, he did, but I thought that's what you wanted to talk about some other time, not now," he said carefully while hoping she'd get his message.
She had, "Yes, it is, but not now."
She turned to go, then hesitated, and turned back to him, "I'd like to use one of your computers, here, tomorrow. I have some reporting to get completed for the chancellor. He knows the computer lab is shut down and that I don't have a personal one. He's setting a little snare for me. I see it coming. Do you mind?" she asked quietly.
"Sure! Well, of course! Here, let me give you a key. I don't need to be here. I trust you. Any daughter of President Tabor has to be trustworthy, right?" he replied cheerfully.
"No, I can't do that. I'd like for you to be here. I feel uncomfortable in someone else's house without them around. When would be a good time?" she asked, then handed the key back by pressing it slowly into his palm and giving his hand a thank-you squeeze.
"Oh, I'll be back from my classes at three tomorrow afternoon. Is that okay? Anytime thereafter is fine. If you're still here near five, I can always have an earlier supper. I think I've got spaghetti planned for myself. A bachelor's meal, but mine is pretty good. I'll have to do extra workouts for the next two days."
"Thanks, but I'll stick to my project. I'll come by around four if that's okay," she answered as she cooled again, almost like pulling back. She wasn't going to get trapped by his spaghetti. It sounded a little too much like a date for her. That was too close right now.
††††††
Mom Is Coming
Just after Star got back from Red Fish, she got a call from Day. "Star, it's Day. Mom is on her way to Sewanee!"
"Your kidding! That's wonderful! What's the occasion?"
"Trouble! Trouble with dark Nephilims. She's asked me to drive up to meet you. I'll be there in about two hours. She just flew into Chattanooga and is bringing some friends. Star, I think she's got some other Nephilims for us to meet. She never said, but remember before she said some dark Nephilims were coming to visit. I think she changed her mind, and they're together."
"Great, the more the merrier. I'll get the place cleaned up. When did she call you?" she asked, still excited by Abigail's visit.
"Fifteen minutes ago. She said they'd have lunch, first. We’ll all get there about the same time."
"Okay, I'll be ready.
††††††
Family Ties
"We'll be there in just a little, Abigail. What do you think? Excited about seeing your girls?" Jezzz asked as she watched Abigail trembling in excitement. She knew the answer. Everything about Sewanee had meaning to her. It was so much part of her personal history before and after Alex.
As they crossed a long bridge over a beautiful lake with rest stops on both sides, Abigail stated, "Nickajack is where Aaron and Dar-Raven battled years ago
. They were trying to stop Irish from making it to Sewanee. She was responsible for making sure that Keel fulfilled his destiny to lead the children in the last days to the rapture. The children climbed right up the side of that mountain while God's angels and dark angels battled over them. The whole town got out and helped. I saw sister Bernard fall down the side of the mountain, and Keel went to save her. He fought a dark angel named Malicius with his bare hands and nailed that sucker. A group of us threw Malicius over the Sewanee gate where he burned to a crisp," then she started speaking louder and louder with each sentence.
"Calm down, Abigail. You'll have a heart attack on us before we get there," warned Young Herod as he held her hand to calm her.
"Okay, but this is where it all happened, especially for me and Alex. We practically raised the kids at Sewanee. Now, Star has the old cottage and church back. She's staying in it right now. Can you imagine!" she squeaked while getting so excited this time that she practically lost her voice. They pulled off at the Sewanee exit; and as they approached Sewanee, someone started honking at them. Abigail turned around and spotted Day in the car behind them.
"It's Day. She must have spotted me at the exit crossroad when we pulled onto it," she said as she waved until Day waved back. Day kept throwing kisses at her, and Abigail was returning them.
"Turn right, there," Abigail directed and pointed to the University of the South sign with its obvious red arrow pointing to the right. They drove slowly and started to park in front of All Saints while Abigail pointed out the small church behind it and on the other side.
As they slowed to a stop, Abigail opened the door and jumped out, almost knocking herself down. She stabled herself and motioned them to drive on over to the cottage. Abigail reached Day's car just as it pulled up beside them. They hugged and cried in a wonderful mother-daughter greeting that was long overdue and stored up for over six months this time.
"You'd better not let it get over six months again, or I'll tear your ears off. You hear me?" Abigail commanded between more hugs.
"Yes, yes, yes. Oh, how I missed you, Mom! Let's go see Star. Let's walk," she suggested.
"Wait a minute, my friends!" Abigail exclaimed.
Young Herod and Jezzz ignored Abigail's driving instructions and got out to walk together behind them. They nodded at Day, who was entrapped in Abigail's arm hold. Day could tell they were Nephilims. Her Nephilim senses told her as much. She could also tell they were an item but didn't see any rings.
She thought, "Must be new loves."
Young Herod and Jezzz finally caught up with them. Young Herod introduced himself, "I'm Young Herod, and this is Jezzz, as in Jezzzabel."
"Those are dark Nephilim names, aren't they?" she asked and moved backwards slightly.
"Saved dark Nephilims, dear," Abigail comforted.
"Is that possible?" she whispered back.
"Yes, it is. Don't forget, we have Nephilim hearing too," replied Young Herod as he winked at her.
"Oops, I'm sorry. Any friend of Mom’s is a friend of mine. She went to hug Jezzz and shook Young Herod's hand."
"Isn't that All Saints? It has the yellow inspector ribbons around it. Do you know what happened?" asked Young Herod curiously.
"Sure, Star and I killed a dark Nephilim who was trying to kill Riley, my fiancée," replied Day as if it was a normal part of everyday life.
"Is that all?" asked Abigail.
"Well, we threw a ten foot cross right through her chest when she was talking to a guy called Judas. We never let her tell him anything. I think he's a dark Nephilim boss or something," she commented again, so casually they could be talking over tea at church.
"She was black, wasn’t she?" asked Jezzz.
"Yes, she was. Did you know her?" asked Day.
"You killed Cobrata? She was Judas' favorite. He already knows about it and is he upset!" Jezzz replied, not noticing Day's face flinch a little.
Abigail interrupted, "Can't we wait to talk inside. I'm afraid even these trees have ears. We can't afford to let information like this get out." They all nodded in agreement.
Star looked out and saw them coming. She ran out the door and straight to Abigail. She could barely contain herself. She hadn't seen her in over a year. She purposely let her education get in the way of family and was ashamed of it. Day, Star, and Abigail had a big family hug, and then Abigail introduced Young Herod and Jezzz on the way in.
Day spoke up, "Young Herod and Jezzz are saved dark Nephilims?"
Star went quiet. It was obvious that their dark Nephilim roots were bothering her. It was so obvious that as they sat down, Jezzz asked her, "Is the fact that we're dark Nephilims bothering you?"
Abigail completely forgot all the planning that they had done. It was their intention to expose dark Nephilims as a dangerous group that needed corralling. They were depending on Star's relationship to Hayden to help him influence Jerusalem to take action against them. What they never suspected was that dark Nephilims could be saved. That changed things. It changed things a lot.
"I don't know. Mom, why haven't you told your friends about our plans?" she asked.
"Look," said Young Herod as he pulled off his contacts. No more red stars."
"And me too," replied Jezzz.
"Me, too," said Day.
"Likewise," replied Star.
"Now, I'm really outnumbered. I've just got old eyes," she laughed. "Seriously, we just didn't know that dark Nephilims could be saved. The Lord changed my heart about this. We really were putting together evidence that something sinister was going on with dark Nephilims. Which it was, but only with a select few. For the most part, Nephilims are Nephilims. They each need a chance for salvation. You two have proved that,” Abigail replied.
"Yes, this changes everything. We don't need the Hayden connection, now, it seems," replied Star happily.
"Not so fast," said Young Herod. "There is a plot to try to kill Jesus. There is another one to blow up the abyss that is holding Apollyon and his dark angels captive. We have to stop it. There are five Jesus Priests in Jerusalem who are dark Nephilims. They are going to place nuclear devices in Jerusalem. Jesus may be God, but they are hoping He somehow isn't as much God as everyone thinks He is."
"So we do need Hayden?" Star asked while getting confused.
"Maybe. We need somebody with political clout. We've not thought it out yet. We need someone who's connected to help us plan a united effort to stop these events. We haven't told anyone yet; but if someone pulls the plug on these guys too soon, Judas plans to accelerate the plan, immediately. I’m a little surprised that my actions as Joe the courier didn’t accelerate them already. He has a private agenda; that means, whether it's the right time or not, there are enough nukes in Jerusalem that it will become a ghost town. Also, the attacks on the abyss would cause so much damage that millions of dark angels could get out, including Apollyon. No telling, they actually may all get out. We have to plan this out, and Jezzz and I don't have all the answers."
"I still don't understand why it has to be Hayden?" asked Star, skeptically, starting to feel trapped again.
"Like I said, we have to have someone who is connected. No one is going to believe the five of us about this plot. Only a person like Hayden controls that much respect and attention. They'd believe him. He may be the key, whether you want him to be or not," stated Young Herod flatly.
"How much progress have you made with him, Star?" asked Abigail.
"Oh, Mom, I forgot to tell you. Star isn't making headway with him on purpose. I'm sorry, but I agree with Star. You can't make her get him to build a relationship with her; just because we want him do something special for us. It was just luck with Riley and me," she explained and went to sit with Star as moral support.
"You guys are really serious about this, aren't you? Abigail, you were trying to get Star next to Hayden, just to give you more clout? That's a little extreme. Don't you think?" Jezzz challenged.
"Will you stop it? It
was her choice for the cause. It's obvious it doesn't matter anymore since she's decided not to. That's her decision, and I respect her for it. We were desperate. I can see now how unfair it was to her. Star, I want you to be happy. I want you to find a young man and fall in love with a young man you choose, not for Jerusalem politics. Okay, everyone. You heard me say it. Am I off the hook, now?" she begged pathetically.
Star finally felt free. It was liberating. "Thanks Mom! I needed to hear that! Now, I must admit I like the guy a lot. That's about all. I'm going to be at his place tomorrow afternoon to borrow a computer for a project of mine. When do you want to go talk to him about all this? I may still be able to convince him as a not-so-close friend, you know. We still need his help, don't we? Isn't that what we want to do?"
"Sure, but we need to strategize, first?" suggested Young Herod. "I have two CDs to show you. Oh, no computer, then we'll tell you what we can remember. Wait a minute. Do you girls already know some tricks?" he asked and watched them look back and forth between each other, then winking and doing one-two-three with their fingers.
Slowly, they both disappeared before them. Abigail grabbed her mouth in a gasp of shock. They all heard the girls say together, "Like this?" When they reappeared, they were both plastered to the ceiling.
"Great going, guys! That's great! No wonder Cobrata didn’t kill you two! She couldn't catch you! That's wonderful!" exclaimed Young Herod. "Okay, okay, now watch this. Tell me where I really am," commented Young Herod as he dashed back and forth from one spot to another. He was just a blur of movement in spite of dodging furniture and, looking for the most part, like he was in three different places.
Abigail and Jezzz clapped and shouted, "Bravo, Bravo!" at their antics.
"You all are so much fun. I love this!" exclaimed Abigail.
"Do you all want to stay here? Maybe in Abigail and Alex's basement chambers below the church. There are four bedrooms and a big kitchen. Hayden bought the recliner that you and Dad used to fight over. It's in his study," stated Star to Abigail's disappointment. She missed Alex, suddenly, wishing he were here.
"No, I think I'd like to go to the Hickory Lodge and check in. We have to call Judas to let him know we're here. Got to keep up the pretense," stated Young Herod.
"You two married?" asked Star.
"No, I was married to Jezzz's sister, Abele. Judas killed her for saying Yahweh in his presence. What are we, Jezzz?" asked Young Herod.
"We're very, very, very, good friends who need to spend some quality time together to figure out the real us. That means a lot of talking and walking, right?" she asked, then looked at him while knowing what they really wanted, but knowing somehow that they wouldn't cross that line.
Star spoke plainly, "Abigail, why don't you take our friends outside for a campus walk and explain 'The Oath,' to them. Something in me says it might be a good idea," she suggested.
"That's a wonderful idea, then, they can start calling me Mom too. I get stuck with the dangest duties every once in a while," laughed Abigail.
"But you're so good at it. Look at us! We bought into 'The Oath,' didn't we?" asked Star with Day agreeing beside her.
"We'll make a bed up for you, Mom. You know we won't get any sleep tonight,"
"Like a pajama party?" asked Young Herod.
"What's a pajama party?" asked Star, Day, and Jezzz together.
"Yes, Young Herod, like a pajama party," chuckled Abigail. "Come on kids and let me tell you about 'The Oath.'"
††††††
The Pilate Assignment
"Pilate, are all the pieces of our puzzle in place? You know my rules. If someone blows the whistle, we pull the trigger."
"Yes, they are. Why didn't you pull the trigger when the General was killed? Wasn't that enough?" he asked.
"The General was dead long before he got the CDs. I was surprised someone didn't kill him long ago. I planned to do it myself when this was all over. Someone got to Joe, that's all. Who knows where that human and his little girl are, now. No, a trigger would be the arrest or murder of any of our Jesus Priests, an attack on our South American base camp, or the destruction of our submarine. Of course, someone moving on us here. I've got my priorities."
"So, the girls we're looking for could be just the type to blow a whistle big enough to cause those kinds of things?" he stated and asked.
"They could start it. But, it would take more than a couple of suspicious light Nephilims to do that. Still, I don't want to take any chances."
"Young Herod and Jezzz called. They said they were at Sewanee. They'll be looking around tomorrow and report back. They seem rather happy, lately. Must be enjoying the change in spite of everything," Pilate replied as he thought about Abele and Young Herod's initial reaction. He doubted that Young Herod would forget that easily.
Judas commented, "Good, you know, I think that Sewanee, the girls, Cobrata, and Abigail are all connected. That's where it started for Abigail, if my understanding of history is correct. What if, just what if, the Nephilims who killed Cobrata were the girls? Wouldn't that be a hoot?" he replied, thinking more seriously about it when he actually heard himself say it.
"I've thought about that myself. That would be an interesting coincidence, wouldn't it?" replied Pilate.
"Not interesting, but a deadly coincidence," Judas stated as he levitated above Pilate.
††††††
A Tighter Noose
Star, Day, and Abigail slept late the next morning. Since Star didn't have class, she got up at ten and fixed some breakfast for them, then ran to the library to do research for class work and her chancellor project. She was getting excited about going to Hayden's. She was especially excited, because she was completely off the hook. Her relationship with Hayden was all her decision now.
The group scheduled a get together tomorrow afternoon to work on strategies. Young Herod and Jezzz asked for some private time. They had Chattanooga tourist sites to see. Most of that was just spending time with each other without the pressure of a mission and no pressure to run off to Canada. It was also time for Young Herod to understand the real difference between Abele and Jezzz. Being saved Nephilims, made all the difference in how they treated each other. They felt that God was weaving a loving fabric of deep care between them. They bought into "The Oath," like the girls. It gave them something to look forward too.
The girls and Abigail kept busy as they played old-fashioned monopoly for hours and enjoyed just spending time together well into the afternoon. Abigail kept taking short naps and was asleep when Star started to leave for Hayden's.
"It's about 3:45, Day. I'm heading for Red Fish for a while. Let Mom sleep as long as she wants. This has been a little too exciting for her. Are you okay on classes?" asked Star.
"Yes, I took some personal days. They said I was allowed a week, more if I needed it. I'm only missing one before the weekend, but they're mailing my homework assignments here. Hasn't this been the greatest reunion?" she asked as she bubbled over.
"A little too much for me, I think. Cobrata, Hayden, Young Herod, Jezzz, the chancellor…" she was interrupted.
"And Riley," she interjected.
"He's not too much for me. He's yours. He's the easiest of the lot to please, thanks to you. See ya’. Got to get this over and done for the chancellor."
Minutes later, Star was honking her horn, and the garage door opened to let her in. Hayden was waiting and preparing to pretend he wasn't. As Star got off the elevator, Hayden wasn't around.
She shrugged, then saw him peeking around his study door at her. She thought, "How cute. He's playing shy."
Hayden's voice echoed from his study, "Make your self at home. Let me know when you leave. I'll open the garage door for you."
She waved his direction and moved to a robust Macintosh to start work. It took her almost two hours to get the drafts completed. She printed the project and decided to proof it from print. Hayden came down and kept as quiet as possible, but it was
obvious to Star that he was cooking, but she still couldn't leave. She had at least 30 minutes of proofing and had to make her corrections. Whatever he was making smelled great. It was hard for her to concentrate, and she cursed herself for feeling hungry with her stomach growling incessantly.
After supper was about cooked, he approached her quietly, "I know what you said about supper. But, I'll offer you a pot of coffee and some crackers, or you can join me on the upper deck for some of my famous spaghetti. I'm eating, whichever. You're invited if you want. Food's in the kitchen," he said, then turned and walked away up the stairs towards the outer deck doors.
She sat for over ten minutes thinking about it. She didn't want to seem like she wanted to start anything with him. She didn't want to have this "dinner" date. She looked at the coffee pot on the desk beside her and smelled the spaghetti. She grabbed at her growling stomach.
"You rat!" she replied to her stomach, feeling betrayed.
She got up and marched into the kitchen, got a plate of spaghetti, poured the meaty sauce on it, and added three slices of French bread on the plate edges. She marched up the stairs, onto the deck, put her plate down, loudly, and sat down.
"Grumpy, aren't you? What's wrong? Doesn't it smell good enough?" he asked and kept eating.
"You're a rat too. My stomach is a rat for getting hungry, and you're a rat for making such good smelling food," she answered back at him.
"Star, I told you when I eat. I even waited an extra hour for you to finish. You didn't. I'm going to eat whether you think I'm a rat or not. So hush up and eat," he replied simply, never missing a mouthful.
"This isn't a date. You know that, don't you?" she replied again.
"I never said it was. What's your problem? Listen Star, if you don't want to come around here, then don't. If you come over, don't try to make me feel guilty because I enjoy your company. It's just the way it is. So, either do or don't come over. No one is breaking your arm, one way or another," he answered back.
She looked dejectedly down at her food, then asked, "You do?"
"I do what, Star?" he asked while acting angry himself this time.
"Like my company?" she asked, almost shyly.
"Oh, my gosh, Star! You drive me crazy. Of course, I do. I love your company. I haven't loved company in ten years, not in ten years. Yet, I meet you, and I like company again. I even invite your class over just so I can see you again. Yes, yes, yes, I like your company," he announced defiantly and went back to his spaghetti.
"Whhhhyyyy?" she asked while playing with her fork and twisting at her noodles, then looking up at him.
"What? Why what?" he asked mystified.
"Why do you like my company?" she asked, acting like a simple school kid with the beginnings of a crush.
"Star, there you go again, driving me crazy. I like your company because you don't, you don't, ask me to be someone else. You seem to like who I am. Although, you don't like me being the cook, but I'll get over that. I like you because you don't let your youth and beauty get in the way of the real you. Right now, I'd say the very complex you. How's that?" he asked and laughed at his own response.
"Something else, Star," he whispered. "You're an absolute knockout."
Star smiled at his answer and started eating without saying another word until she was finished, not even leaving a smudge on her plate.
"Hungry?" he said.
"Yep, I'm stuffed. I'll be big as a barn after much more of this. Can't afford to hang around you so much," she laughed and grabbed a piece of his bread, then sopped up some of his sauce. "I like your company too, almost, for exactly the same reasons. Except, you're just nice looking, not a knock out," she teased at him. "Did you know that Abigail called Alex ugly once? She did! She thought he was one of the most homely men she'd ever met, but she fell in love with him. Why? Because, she liked being around him; although, he was ugly and ten years older. Some things are more important than others."
"Are you trying to say, I'm ugly, but comfortable?" he funned at her.
"No, just that being comfortable with someone overcomes a lot of things. It's a priority. Don't you think?" she asked.
"I'd rather have it all. With you, that's the way it is, pretty and comfortable," he announced, then instructed her like a student. "Hadn't you better get your homework done, little girl?"
"Okay, okay, I just have to proof the project and make the corrections. You want to help?"
"Sure, I'll proof, you correct, okay?" he asked, and they got up and carried their dirty dishes to the kitchen.
"Don't clean up, now. It ruins the meal to have to clean up so soon after eating. Get me your stuff."
They sat on the small sofa, and Star grabbed a pillow, then snuggled up into it. She pulled herself up so as not to take up too much room while Hayden read through her project with a red marking pen. It took him longer than expected, but his keen journalist eye was worth the trouble. Nothing escaped him when it came to grammar. Having to edit his own stuff made him that way long ago. He finished and heard Star snoring lightly.
He laughed and wished he had a recorder. He almost let her sleep; but knew that she had to make the changes. He didn't want to do it all for her. That was too close to cheating for him. She'd have to do it. Instead, he noticed her bare feet inches from him and reached out and pulled them gently into his lap. Slowly, he began to rub her feet one at a time. He caressed them gently and carefully worked between her toes. She moved slightly in her sleep and moaned briefly, then pushed her unattended foot his direction. He knew she was awake now and just enjoying it. After another 15 minutes, he patted them lightly, placed his fingers on one of her ears, and rubbed it tenderly. She got up just enough to switch ends and put her pillow in his lap, then fell onto the pillow with her eyes shut.
"Don't stop," were her only words as she put his hand on her other ear.
After he thought he was finished, she grabbed his hand and put it on the back of her neck while pushing her short hair up to let him get to it easier. He spent half an hour gently rubbing on her face, head, and neck before she sat up smiling at him.
"I haven't felt that relaxed in my life. You really have a gentle touch. Thank you." She reached over and kissed him on his forehead as she got up and headed for the computer with her edited copy.
Hayden didn't move. He hadn't told her. This was exactly how his wife and he used to spend most of their evenings. In fact, the way Star kept grabbing his hand and moving it to her ears and the back of her neck was exactly what she always did.
It was now 7:30 in the evening, and it was almost ten before she finally got it perfect. Hayden had long gone back to his study, being one of those perpetual night owls like most writers. She put her stuff together and walked back up stairs to his study. He watched her through blurred eyes while she walked towards him and rubbed her face in her own fatigue. He could tell she was having problems staying awake.
"You finished or do you want me to make some coffee for you?" he asked. "It's a little late. Do you want me to drive you home?" he offered.
She never said a word but turned and walked down towards the middle bedroom and fell on the bed. She didn't even get under the covers, just passed out. She remembered how Abigail always said what attracted her so much to Alex was how safe he was. That's how Star felt about Hayden. She knew she could count on him always treating her like an honored guest.
After several minutes, he went looking for her. He looked out at the main room, and her books were still packed up like she was ready to leave. He walked past the middle room and saw her lying in the middle of the bed. He chuckled and went back to his writing. He didn't stop until it was nearly one in the morning.
He turned out the light of the main room and walked back one more time to check on her. As he rounded the corner into Star's room, he stopped suddenly. She must have finally woke enough to turn down the bed. Her clothes were in a crumpled pile beside the bed. Just the outline of her under the sheet made his breath g
o short and his body temperature peak. He couldn't move. He trembled, embarrassing himself, and felt the twinge of God's conviction telling him to leave. In a robotic move, which was like a military about-face, he turned slowly around and walked directly to his room, closed the door, and went into a cold shower with his clothes on. After five shuddering minutes, he went to the cupboard, downed two Tylenol PMs, and went to bed.
In her sleep, Star heard him come around the door corner. The next thing she heard was his shower starting. She thought she heard a loud yelp. (The kind of holler when someone is shocked.). Early the next morning, she got up, dressed, and left by triggering the garage door herself, but leaving it open.
She left Hayden a note, "Thank you for making last night so nice. I really enjoyed it. I'll call you when I get another project." There she was putting that distance between them on purpose. She felt fickle because of all her pulling towards him, then pushing away. Where did she learn to be so wishy-washy?
Abigail heard Star come in and got up, then peeked her head from her room, "You okay?" she asked.
"Yes, I guess. Just confused. Don't worry Mom. I kept my oath. I just ended up sleeping by myself at Red Fish after working too late. I won't do it again," she said despondently.
"Why not? Did you enjoy being there?" she asked, surprising Star.
"Yes, I loved it. I ate supper with him, then he proofed my project. I took a nap, and he rubbed my toes. Doesn't that sound funny?" she asked as she felt almost giddy talking about it.
"He likes you, doesn't he?" she asked simply.
"Yeah, he said he likes my company."
"Do you like his?" she asked, being a little too nosy.
"What's not to like? He cooked me supper, edited my project, and rubbed my toes. It was great. Yes, I like him. He doesn't ask or require that I be anything except me. Whoops! He doesn't know the real me. That's next, I guess," she stated and realized that she wanted to step it up a bit. The next stage was honesty.
"You'd tell him about being a Nephilim?" she asked.
"Well, he knows about my eyes. I know that. Several days ago I told him I wanted to talk about it later. He didn't push, never does," she replied.
"You two sound more like Alex and me at every turn. It was the shoulder rubbing that caught us both off guard years ago. I remember accidentally losing my bathrobe in front of him right after that. He always kidded me about it, forever. I still don't wear bathrobes to this day. My problem, I guess. He's safe, isn't he?" she asked and knew that Star understood.
"Yes, he's more than that. He's safe, comfortable, warm, loving, gentle," she said as she sighed contentedly.
"Just like Alex," Abigail sighed herself this time.
"Not exactly. He's good looking. Not spectacular, just nice looking."
"Looks to me like you have some sorting out to do. You going to see him again, Miss Toes?"
"I keep telling him I won't, then I always do, somehow. I pull to him, and then push him away. I think I'm scaring him away," she admitted frankly.
"I think you're scaring yourself, not him. If he's the man for you, he won't be scared away by a little fickleness. If he's the man for you, he'll stick it out. He's probably already figured you're worth it. Trust me," Abigail comforted.
"I do trust you, Mom. I'm so fickle that I just don't trust myself," she said as she went to get ready for her class.
††††††
Telling Them Apart
Riley was quiet in class today. Star liked watching him as she taught. He reminded her so much of Hayden. She liked Hayden's age better. Riley still looked too young, wet behind the ears. Good looking, but he looked a little naive. She felt that Hayden's wit and wisdom did a lot to pull him to her. She felt that she didn't have to wait for him to grow up. He was the finished product and nothing about that bothered her; in fact, it made her feel quite content.
As the students left, Riley stayed behind. "Star," he replied while acting a little reluctant for what he wanted to say. "You know I can see the difference now, don't you?"
"You can? Do you mind sharing you're secret with me?" she asked, winking at him.
"I guess. You're voice is different, for one. You sound a little older. Maybe it's my imagination. Then, you always smile, pulling your face to the right, like half a smile. Day does the same thing but pulls to the left. Thank goodness. Makes it easier on me."
"Well, the voice is your imagination. The smile is right. It took us years before Abigail told us how she could tell. We would always try to trick her between us. She always knew. She didn't tell us until after high school graduation. We figured, that it was the only way she knew. The blonde swish in our hair didn’t start until much later. She'd been in quite a mess without that smile business. We never noticed ourselves. Isn't that funny?"
"Yeah, funny. You know I'm leaving soon with Dad to go to Jerusalem for his speech. I'm going to miss you two," he said sadly.
"Oh sure, miss your English professor. I know who you'll miss. Well, I'm sure she'll wait for you, sailor," replied Star and laughed again as she flipped off the lights of the classroom and walked with him towards her cottage.
"Day is still here, isn't she?" asked Riley.
"Yes, and Abigail is here too. Do you want to meet her? Do you have her permission, yet?" asked Star seriously.
"Permission, permission!" spoke Riley loudly. "What do you think we are back in the 18th century?"
"Just kidding. Listen, now may not be a good time. We have some friends coming in from Chattanooga in a couple hours. Kind of a family meeting. It shouldn't take us too long. Can you drop over later this afternoon? You have a tough homework assignment from me, you know?"
"Okay," he responded in disappointment. "Tell her I'll be around near three this afternoon. See ya’," he replied, then walked off dejectedly towards his dorm room.
Star saw Jezzz and Young Herod driving towards her place. She could see them clearly although they were over a half mile away. They were huddled close to each other in the car, and it was obvious that their sorting out was working.
As she walked in the door, she saw Abigail and Day sitting together with Day's head in Abigail's lap while Abigail gently stroked her hair and rubbed her face. It was a mother-daughter moment, but all Star thought about was last night at Hayden's.
"Hey, it's been years since you held me that way. I miss it. I'm next," she joked.
Day waved her away, "Not likely!"
"Sit down here, girl. I haven't had you two to myself in so long that I'm having withdrawals," she said as she pulled Star to her and put a free arm around her. Star pushed her face up into Abigail's neck and kissed on it lovingly, then Abigail said softly, "I could stay like this forever."
"And us," the girls replied together.
The expected knock on the door startled everyone but Star. She knew they were arriving any moment. She got up and motioned for them to remain seated with a slight hand movement. "I'll get it, guys. It's Jezzz and Young Herod. I saw them coming just before getting here." When she opened the door, they were sneaking a quick kiss and blushed a little in a got-caught embarrassment.
"Come on in, sweethearts," replied Star as she bowed to them as they entered. They found the beanbag chair and sat in it together. They looked attached at the hips for all their closeness.
"Thanks for letting us have some time alone. It was important. Not even Abele and I talked so much. It's funny how different twins can be. If it weren’t for your smiles and your hair, I'd never have noticed the difference between you two. But Jezzz and Abele are really different."
"You never said that before. You really think so? You mean, you really believe it? I think that Abele was a little dense, if you know what I mean? Don't you think so, Young Herod?" she asked as she poked him in the chest lovingly.
"Actually, Abele and I never talked much," he answered, jokingly, knowing Jezzz understood exactly what he meant. The Oath was in play, and no matter how difficult it was, they'd keep their pr
omises.
"You better hope some things are the same," she remarked.
Trying to change the subject, "Well, folks, what's the plan? We brought a laptop that we bought in Chattanooga. I'd like to go over the CDs with you."
Young Herod set the computer up, and they all watched the CDs together. There was only silence after it was all over. Nothing had prepared them for their impact.
Finally, Young Herod spoke seriously, " We have to figure out what to do. Actually, I'm stumped. We have to find a way of stopping Judas' plan without starting a catastrophe. We need someone to blow the whistle on this."
"They won't believe us. Would they believe you, Abigail?" asked Young Herod.
With Day's head still in her lap, she spoke frankly, "I don't think so. I might get some short-term attention, but they'd want to set up a committee to check it out. Even if they called in these replacements to cross-examine them, that's just enough to make Judas flip the switch. There would be a terrible disaster, although his timing would be off."
Star walked around the room trying to think, "We need to take them out. We need to find someway of getting to them and removing them before the whistle is blown. That should save Jerusalem, but what about the attacks on the abyss?"
"That would take a coordinated and unified effort," remarked Day as she raised her hand to speak.
"What if we just found a way to warn them about it. After all, can't God take care of His own abyss? He put them there. Why can't He keep them there? If we can save Jerusalem, let Him take care of the other," replied Jezzz with everyone nodding.
"I say we let Aaron know about that. I agree. If we can stop the Jerusalem part of this, we'd be doing a lot. If we could find the nuclear devices, we could show the high council. That should be enough to cause some kind of action to stop the submarine attack and the C147 deliveries," answered Abigail confidently.
"So, can we do something so fast and so coordinated that no one can warn Judas? With the nuclear devices in hand, it could be enough to prove to the high council to order up a strike immediately," replied Day, sitting up now.
Jezzz asked, "Who can influence the high council about all this? They'll never believe us. Or, why can’t we call on the Lord or His angels to finish this?”
Young Herod announced, “Someone very important to all of us named Joseph said that this was our Reign of Peace. It’s really up to us to run this show a much as we can. I believe it really is up to us more than what we ever want to think. Any other ideas?”
"I know who," stated Star flatly. She had already told them she would approach Hayden about this. It was time now.
Abigail commented, “You’re ready to play your Hayden card, now? Is that what you're talking about? I still didn’t know if your fondness for him might remove him from the radar screen.”
"Yes, my Hayden card," she answered. “I promised I would no matter what. Fondness or not.”
"You'd have to reveal yourself to him. What if it scares him away, then what are you going to do? Aren't you afraid you'll lose him? You're willing to take a chance like that?" asked Abigail as she grabbed her hand tenderly as she paced by.
Star knelt near Abigail and stared up into her eyes, then said, "You're the one that said he probably figures I'm worth it already, remember? I was getting ready to talk to him about my true nature, anyway. Of course, this just accelerates it. He's going over to Jerusalem in a week. Riley is going too. What if Judas changes his plan and accelerates it? Are any of us willing to take that chance? We might as well use his influence with the high council. Now is as good a time as any. I say we do it now and get it over with."
"My Riley is going with Hayden to Jerusalem? My baby?" cried Day, almost in a hysterical moment of grief. "I say we take out those guys! We have to find a way to get invited so we can go!"
"I have an idea," remarked Star. "It's just a chance, but it may work. You can't go. You're not related."
"Related, neither are you?" replied Day skeptically. "What are you up to? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Maybe. I'll go over and talk to Hayden this afternoon. Let me see what I can do."
"You can't do it alone, Star," stated Day.
"I know I can't, but that's another part of my plan. First things first. Just let me think about it a little. I'd like for you all to stay close until I get back. Oh, Riley will be here at three this afternoon, Day. Keep him occupied. I don't want him showing up at Red Fish for any reason. I need to take care of this first."
"He won't go anywhere but where I tell him," said Day.
"Around your little finger, isn't he?" asked Star laughing.
"Around each and everyone of them," she laughed back.
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