ISPRANG OUT OF bed, smiling at the sunlight shining through my window. I wondered if I’d see Mike after school again. Would he appear like a cute guy? Or a stray dog? If he did show up, would anyone else see him, or just me?
Hoping I’d see him as a guy, I added a few curls to my hair, a new gray-metallic eye shadow, and slightly more mascara than usual.
If Mike was always around, he’d seen me in every state possible. That was embarrassing. Where was he when I took a shower or used the bathroom?
I knew God was always with me, but this was different. Surely God wouldn’t send a peeping Tom to watch me get dressed.
With a towel still draped around my body, I approached my closet and tried to decide what to wear. I squeezed into my favorite jeans, pulled on a comfy long-sleeved T-shirt, and slipped on a pair of leather thigh-high boots.
I hoped he’d show up that day. I couldn’t wait to ask him more questions. Maybe I’d see him in the parking lot after volleyball practice again. All this extra makeup and hair styling is gonna be wasted if I don’t see him till after practice. If he showed up earlier, I wouldn’t have time to talk to him, because I had classes. What if I’m the only person who can see him? I’ll look stupid standing there in the parking lot or school talking to someone no one else can see. Was his Camaro real? Could I get into it and go for a drive with him? If no one could see Mike, would they see a Camaro driving down the road with no one in the driver’s seat?
I needed answers, and I didn’t want to wait till I saw Mike next to ask. I’d gotten all I could out of Eden’s dad’s notes. So I decided to go straight to the source.
My parents kept lots of Bibles in their room. I never had one of my own. I’d never really read the Bible on a daily basis. I thought it was high time I got one I could keep in my room. Mom and Dad were downstairs having breakfast, so I snuck into their bedroom and scanned the bookshelf by Mom’s dressing table, I found several Bibles. I grabbed the one that said The Message because the cover said it was a modern translation.
I sat on the bed and scanned a few pages to see if I liked this version. There were no long, old-fashioned words I couldn’t understand.
Bev often encouraged me to read the Bible every day. I’d tried it and found it tedious. I’d only read a King James Version that my parents had given me when I was twelve or something, and I’d been bringing that to Sunday school with me every week, but I never looked at it except when Bev told the class to open their Bibles to a particular passage. Whenever I tried reading my Bible at home, I got frustrated at the strange words and gave up. Tonight, after school, I’d look up some of the Scriptures mentioned in Eden’s father’s angelology notes. I’d use this modern version.
Hopefully I’d understand it better.
I carried the Bible downstairs so I could put it in my backpack and perhaps read some of it on the bus.
I checked my watch. Having taken more time than usual getting ready and then grabbing the Bible from my parents’ room, I was running late. I grabbed my jacket and headed down the stairs, hoping I wouldn’t miss the bus.
I ran into the kitchen and grabbed a Pop Tart. “Gotta go. I’m running late.”
“Bye, sweetie,” Dad said.
“Your lunch is on the shelf by the front door.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I grabbed the sack and my backpack and headed outside, still chewing my Pop Tart.
The bus rounded the corner of my street and stopped in front of the walkway to our house. Exhaust engulfed me. So much for that lavender body spray I put on.
As I boarded, I saw all the half-asleep kids in their usual seats. But this time they all had a green light floating above their heads or wrapped around their shoulders like a snake. I gasped. No one seemed to hear me.
I took my usual seat behind the driver, then dropped my backpack on the seat beside me. I peered over my shoulder, wondering if I’d see the same thing again. I did.
I heard a quiet voice say, “Look closer, and you’ll see what’s holding them.” This voice wasn’t Mike’s. It had to be the Holy Spirit. Bev had talked about a “still, small voice” that was God speaking to us through the Holy Spirit.
As I gazed behind me, I sensed that each individual had something different encircling them. Brenda, who always sat right behind me reading trashy romance novels, had a feather boa and a Playboy bunny symbol on her back. The word sensuality dropped into my head.
I recoiled and faced forward again.
The bus stopped, the doors opened, and Greg walked in. Immediately the word sorcery dropped into my head. I recalled his escapades with Christina involving spells and dabbling in the occult. He slipped into the seat across the aisle from me and shot me a tired smile.
I felt pain in my left eye. I closed my eyes and grabbed the opportunity to pray.
There must a purpose to this, God. If I know what things are hindering my friends, I can pray more accurately for them, right? I have to admit, I’m not sure I want this gift.
I took a deep, jagged breath.
I’m not seeing the dark angels yet, but I must be getting close if I’m seeing visions of evil things on my friends.
In Sunday school once, Bev taught that all children of God had spiritual gifts. One of those gifts was discernment of spirits. Was I discerning spirits?
I wondered what kind of spirit I’d see on Christina when I saw her in school today.
I reached into my backpack and pulled out the Bible I’d tossed in before rushing out of the house. I turned to the index in the back and found a heading for spiritual forces. One of the verses listed was in Ephesians, so I turned to chapter six and read, “This is not a wrestling match against a human opponent. We are wrestling with rulers, authorities, the powers who govern this world of darkness, and spiritual forces that control evil in the heavenly world.” It was the same verse I’d read in the notebook, only worded a little differently in this version of the Bible.
When the bus arrived at school, I put my Bible away to face the day before me.
After getting my books out of my locker and hanging up my hooded jacket, I maneuvered down the crowded hallway, looking for Christina.
God, I need a break from seeing these “things” on people.
When I didn’t see any spirits lingering on people I passed, I was relieved. I could turn it off!
I caught Christina as she closed her locker. She looked like she hadn’t slept for days. But I didn’t see any spirit engulfing her.
I took her arm and whispered, “Are you OK?”
“Some weird stuff has been going on. Can we talk at lunch?”
“Absolutely.” I threw my arms around her and gave her a squeeze.
As Christina headed into the hallway, something fell out of her backpack. I picked it up. It was a medicine bottle. The label said it was Xanax.
My mom took that for anxiety. What was Christina doing with it? She was already lost in the sea of rushing students, so I slipped the bottle into my backpack so I could give it to her at lunch.
I had a test or quiz in nearly every class. I was relieved I had a study hall first period so I could review all my notes.
When the bell rang for lunch, I hurried to the cafeteria. Christina waved at the guys she usually ate with, signaling that she and I needed to talk. Then she pulled her chair close to mine. I sat down, opened my brown lunch bag, and pulled out an apple and a sandwich made from mom’s leftover meatloaf.
Christina’s eyes darted around to make sure no one could hear her. Then she whispered, “Last night, after I listened to the recording I made of the grave again, I saw the spirit of that little boy. He talked to me. He told me his name. It was the same one we saw on the gravestone.” She covered her face with her hands. “He’s been following me ever since last night. He sits in the corner of my room and stares at me. And he sat in the backseat of my car while I was driving to school today.”
God, what do I say to her?
I opened my lips and hoped God would give me the right words to say.
“You’re on dangerous ground, Christina. You have to stop playing games with this stuff.”
“I know. You’re right.”
“I want you to meet a lady I know from church. Her name is Bev. She’ll know what to do. And she’ll pray for you.”
She drew her hands away from her face and looked up at me. “Where does she live?”
“Right down the street from me. Let’s stop at her place after school tomorrow. I have too much homework to do it tonight.”
“I’ll do anything to get away from that spirit.”
I pulled the bottle of Xanax out of my backpack and handed it to her. “You dropped these after we talked this morning.” Christina took the bottle and tucked it into her purse. “I’ve been having trouble sleeping for about a month. My mom took me to the doctor, and he prescribed these pills.”
“Have you been seeing other spirits?”
Christina rubbed her forehead and grimaced. “The last time Greg and I tried to dream jump, I saw that spirit in a trench coat and hat standing near my bedroom window. His face was a blur. All I could see were his green eyes.”
Oh no.
“I tried sleeping on the couch one night, but he followed me there. So I asked my mom to take me to the doctor. He said I wasn’t getting enough sleep. The medication worked. But it made me feel sick, so I stopped taking it about a week ago. Even when I was sleeping soundly, I still saw that spirit.”
Well, I guess the proverbial boogey man wasn’t such a pretend thing after all.
The bell rang, and the cafeteria began to clear out. We picked up our backpacks.
I placed my hand on Christina’s elbow so she’d pause a moment before rushing to her next class. “Do you have a Bible?”
“There’s one on the coffee table in our living room. No one ever opens it.”
“You need to get it and read the book of Psalms.” Bev told me once that the Psalms could comfort people. Christina really needed to be comforted.
“I’ll read it tonight. Thanks, Liv.”
What if she forgot? Would she be kept awake another night with eerie apparitions lurking in her room again? Fear seized me as I wondered when I’d see an evil spirit. Mike had said I would in time. I didn’t want to.
While Olivia stopped during her route to pray in her car outside of Christina’s house, Mike flew to the window outside the girl’s bedroom, where he could observe her without losing sight of his charge.
A large hardcover Bible lay open on the bed. Christina lay on her stomach beside it, poring over her literature textbook.
Gideon sat on the floor in the corner of her room, bobbing his head to the rock music blaring from Christina’s headphones. He smiled at Mike in greeting.
“She’s going to blow out her eardrums,” Mike exclaimed, his hands covering his ears.
“I know!” Gideon shrugged. “We can only do so much.”
Mike understood. He danced to the beat thumping from the radio beside Christina’s bed, and Gideon joined in. A light mist filled the room. Mike and Gideon stopped dancing. Two dark-cloaked, faceless figures appeared again near Christina’s other bedroom window.
“Spirits of confusion,” Mike said with clenched teeth.
The two angels reached behind their backs and drew out swords.
Mike’s sword blazed with fire. A metallic bronze triangle materialized in his other hand. Gideon’s two swords glowed blue. A metal helmet clanged as it covered his face. Breastplates and shin guards clanked into position. Lightning shot from their armor.
Christina’s cell phone rang. She looked up from her books and spotted the boy in the corner. Mike had not seen him there until this moment, having been focused on the faceless cloaked ones.
She put her hand on the Bible.
Gideon pointed his sword at the tiny figure.
“She invited me here,” sneered the boy. “You can’t do a thing.” Of course, Mike knew that was a lie.
“Watch me!” Gideon dragged the boy by the scruff of his neck and hurled the boy through the wall. He dragged him into the field behind the house, then chopped at the demon with his blade.
Mike turned his attention to the other presences in the room. Suddenly a shriveled face appeared from under one of the cloaks and leered at Christina. The demon licked his lips with a snake-like tongue, the rest of his facial features still.
Mike moved toward his enemy with confidence, knowing Olivia was still in the car praying, and Christina had her head bowed also.
“Look at me, you filth!” Mike demanded.
“You have no power over me.” The demon’s eyes glinted as they turned in Mike’s direction. His dark companion hovered behind him.
“Wrong answer!” Mike swung his saber, knocking the legs out from under the demon, landing it flat on its back. He traced a pattern over the demon with his finger. A golden rope followed the trail and bound the evil spirit, who writhed and screeched. Mike wrapped the golden cord around the demon’s mouth, silencing him. The second cloaked demon had already disappeared.
Hoisting the bound spirit over his shoulder, Mike joined Gideon in the field behind the house. He dumped his prey next to the other hellhound.
“Go back to where you came from,” Gideon yelled. The two angels plunged their swords into the demons’ bellies. They turned into a green dust cloud that quickly dispersed.
Mike and Gideon returned to the bedroom.
Christina got in bed and snuggled under the covers, leaving the lights on. She gazed at the bottle of pills on her desk.
Mike wished he could tell her she may not need them anymore.
“God,” she prayed, “if You’re real, show me.”
She sat up, picked up the Bible that lay open at the foot of her bed, and opened to the index. She found the page number for the psalms and turned to it. Mike peered over her shoulder as her finger pointed to a verse that said something about being in the shadow of God’s wing.
Mike felt a heavy hand on his left shoulder. He turned and embraced Gideon, whose expression had lightened, as there appeared to be hope for his charge.
She kept reading until Mike could see that her eyelids were beginning to flutter. Just before dropping off to sleep she peered at the window. No demons stood there.
“Thank You, God.”
She turned on the radio to the Christian station Olivia had played the night she slept over. Then she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Olivia started her car and headed home. After driving about a mile down the road, she jumped at the sound of Mike’s voice as he said, “Hello.”
“If you hadn’t been present I would not have been able to assist Christina’s angel, Gideon, tonight because, of course, I can’t leave you.”
“I guess that’s why God had me stop in front of her house to pray instead of just praying for her at home.”
“There is a fight ensuing concerning your friend, you know.” Mike let the words hang in the air for a moment.
“Do you think Christina will make the right choice, and all these demonic attacks will stop?”
“I’m only an angel, not God. I don’t know the future. But you can pray, Olivia. Don’t stop.”
“I won’t.”
Mike and Gideon had emerged from this skirmish unscathed. But he had a feeling this battle was going to intensify. Soon. Was he ready for the war to come?
I climbed into bed and stared at the night-light in the corner of my room. It was a punched-tin angel that my mother gave me on my third birthday. The glow that peeked through the tiny holes in the tin always gave me a sense of peace and security.
I hoped Mike would visit me and we could talk more about Christina.
I closed my eyes and prayed again. “God, help me make sense of all the things I’m going through. Be with Christina. And Greg too.”
I felt a gentle hand rest on top of my head.
“Do you know you are a chosen one?” The voice came from behind me as I lay back on my bed.
I dared not turn around. Something I recalled from a church sermon told me it was impossible to look at God and live.
“Don’t be afraid.”
I guess God would say the same thing angels say when they talk to people. I wasn’t afraid.
“I’m doing something special in you. You will help many people. You will be a warrior.”
I can’t imagine that. I’m not much of a fighter.
“The gift I’m giving you is not for you alone. It is for My other children.
Can I trust you with it?”
“Yes,” I said aloud.
“I will always be with you. And I will send My angels to watch over you and protect you.”
A vision came over me, and I fell slowly through clouds into a sky that glowed like the blue-and-pink dawn of a fall morning. I drifted to the ground, landing on the patch of grass where I’d talked to Mike the last time I’d talked to him in a dream state. My heart raced with anticipation.
I saw him on the horizon just above the hill. He wore a red cotton T-shirt, jeans, and bright white sneakers. He swung his arms as he walked toward me.
When he came close I smelled the earthy, masculine smell of patchouli, one of my favorite colognes.
“It’s good to see you again.” He squatted down with his hands leisurely folded on his knees.
I resisted the urge to hug him since I wasn’t sure about our physical boundaries.
The corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. “We’ve had some exciting things happening lately. I bet you have a lot of questions.”
“I’m not sure I’d call all of this exciting. But I do have a lot of questions." I stood and instinctively brushed off my pants, which was stupid since there was no dirt to brush off.
“Let’s take a walk.” He leaped over a small creek and waited on the other side. “Come on over.”
I thought about how I’d get to Mike and in an instant found myself on the other side. Dreams were so cool like that. I wished I could float like that in real life.
“What’s your first question?” he asked.
“Am I crazy?”
He looked at me intently. “No. God has given you a gift. Most people ignore God’s gifts. Many don’t even realize they’ve been blessed with one.
Or they’re too selfish to use it the way it was intended. Some try to use their gifts for their own means or to manipulate people.”
“I guess my knowledge of private things about others could be used to manipulate them. But I wouldn’t do that.”
“I know. You remind me of Mary, Jesus’ mother.”
“I do?” I sure didn’t feel I deserved to be compared to her.
“She was just a young woman when God chose to use her. Joseph was a typical young man, but he had a heart that was surrendered to God, tender and sensitive. Like yours. God trusted him. He trusts you too.”
If God trusted me, He needed to know that my feelings for Mike were totally pure. “I think I’ve been looking forward to our meetings in the wrong way.” I wrung my hands, searching for the right words. “You seem like the perfect guy—the kind of guy any girl would love to have as a boyfriend.” I felt myself blush. “So if you’re reading my mind, please forgive me.”
Mike held up his hands. “Don’t worry. Intimate interactions with humans are off limits to angels. In the ancient days, some of the fallen ones crossed that line. They had improper relationships with women, and a race of super-humans resulted. They were called the nephilim. They were half-angel, half-man.”
These beings sounded like the characters having romantic relationships with human girls in the novels my girlfriends read. I’d seen these books on desks at school and had read the back covers to see what they were about.
“During the flood of Noah those creatures were destroyed. They were sent to a dark abyss. But the book of Jude says they’ll be released in the end times.” Mike ran his hands through his wavy, flaxen hair.
“My friends would fall for that deception. Falling in love with fallen angels. They read it in novels all the time and think it’s romantic. Girls all over school would brag about a half-angel boyfriend if they ever had the opportunity to have one. I’m sure all the stories about fallen angels and vampires—nephilim is what they sound like—has desensitized us girls. I think it’s a bit creepy myself. But this is serious stuff and not something to be romanticized.” I shook my head as the realization of this demonic deception overwhelmed me.
“That’s why God needs warriors who have discernment. Like you.”
“Me?” I felt like such a novice. I had so much to learn.
“You’ve always had a sensitive heart. God sees that. I see it. And now you are delving into the deep understanding of what a true walk with God is all about.”
“I had no idea how intense it would be—yet exciting.”
“Your spiritual gift discerns, identifies spirits.”
“I’m scared. I’m not sure I want this gift. I saw some ‘stuff’ on people one day on the bus. It really freaked me out.”
“That’s because you don’t understand it. The church hasn’t done a very good job of mentoring people with your gift. That’s where I come in.”
All I could think to say was, “Thank you.”
“When you’ve learned to use your gift, you’ll be able to pray for people like few others can. And some of your friends really need some powerful prayer. They’re participating in activities that open themselves up to the schemes of the fallen ones. As a result they’re experiencing depression, oppression, and suicidal thoughts.”
“I do want to help them.”
“That’s what I love about you.”
Although flattered, I realized this was a pure, brotherly love.
“That’s what God loves about you too.”
That was exactly what I expected him to say.
“The last days on Earth are coming. As the time gets closer Lucifer and his fallen ones will become more determined. The battle is going to intensify. Eternal lives are at stake. God is equipping people like you to assist Him in the war to come.”
“I’ve heard about the final battle in the book of Revelation in church sermons, but I never really understood it.”
“God will allow humans to see the extreme evil that He has kept at bay for generations. The church needs to be vigilant and grow stronger. They need to know the crafty ways in which the evil ones work.”
I’d already had a taste of their work, knowing what Christina and Eden were going through. Anger rose up inside me. Suddenly I felt like fighting.
“For every gift of God, the fallen ones have a counterfeit. Remember when Moses tossed his staff on the floor in front of Egypt’s king, and the supernatural power of God turned it into a serpent?”
“Yeah, I remember that Sunday school lesson.”
“Under a different power, the court magicians did the same.”
“Yeah. Didn’t Moses’ snake eat theirs?” I smiled at the mental image.
Mike laughed. “God has a good sense of humor.”
I agreed. I couldn’t wait to get to know God better. I’d missed out on so much all these years. All I did was sit in church. I never desired or understood how personal a relationship with God could be. Now I craved it.
As we walked along the creek I admired the flowers blooming beside it.
“In the last days there will be more false prophets. Some will actually worship us angels. But we don’t deserve any worship. We only want to see God worshiped.”
I reached for a flower and plucked it from a bush. Silver sparks flew from the stem where it broke. I giggled with delight. “Am I dreaming?
Or is this real?”
“Yes to both. This place is real. But I find it helps to appear to people in a dream state sometimes. It’s a little less frightening at first, and it helps people warm up to me. It’s really annoying when we appear to humans and they faint.”
I chuckled. “I liked it when you helped me with my gas. I wasn’t afraid of you . . . much.”
I faced Mike. He stopped to wait for my next words. I’m sure he was already reading my mind anyway.
“So this gift I have—do I have to use it?”
“You can choose to accept the gift God has given to you, or you can reject it. Just like I accepted to be a holy angel, not one of the fallen who chose to rebel against God in the beginning of time and were kicked out of heaven.”
“You mean you can choose to disobey God?”
Mike’s expression became serious. “I have a free will, just like you do.
But if I turned away, I would not have redemption, as you do. There are no second chances for us.”
“Why did God give humans a second chance but not His angels?”
Mike shrugged. “There are many things that are still a mystery to us.”
Mike quickened his stride as he changed the subject. “We love to join in worship with you humans in church.”
“Oh, like the time I saw the angel choir?” I beamed, trotting to keep up his pace.
“Yes. But we can’t imagine your joy as you worship as those who have been given the second chance. Jesus died on the cross for the human race, not for us. So your worship is different from ours. Those of us who are holy angels love to worship our Creator because we know His nature and His heart. We need no other reason.”
“So these fallen angels—am I going to see them soon?”
Mike came to a halt, put his hands on his hips, and turned to me.
“Don’t worry. When the time comes, you’ll be ready.”
I skidded to a stop beside him. I couldn’t imagine not fainting at the sight of one.
He then regained a leisurely stride. I was relieved. I had to take two steps for every one of his. We crossed the field of grass and entered a garden where red roses covered a white trellis that extended as far as my eyes could see. I breathed in the scent of the roses. The bushes were trimmed into all sorts of animal shapes. Butterflies flew in the air. Heavenly music seemed to come from all the living things.
Mike reached up to pluck a flower from one of the taller trees. As he did so, his shirt rose slightly. I noticed a flat, chiseled stomach.
Hey, he doesn’t have a belly button! I smiled to myself. Why would he?
As we walked, our feet touched the ground, but my soles felt no pressure. We’d walked quite a way, yet I did not feel like I needed to sit and rest. I imagined I could walk like this for a hundred miles and never get tired.
“You’ve been wondering when you’ll meet the life partner God has chosen for you, haven’t you?”
“How did you know?” I was embarrassed that he knew this. “I’ve never really had a true boyfriend. It seems like so many other people in school have had serious relationships. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever find ‘the one.’”
Mike’s lips curled into an amused grin. “Oh, you don’t have to worry. God has the right one in mind for you. When the timing is right he’ll appear.”
“I can’t wait,” I exclaimed but then sobered. “But how will I know he’s the one?”
Mike threw me a crooked smile. “Trust me, you’ll know it when you see him.”
I obviously wasn’t going to get any help from Mike on this topic. So I decided to ask some of the other questions that had been plaguing me.
“When will I see you again?” I reached out, but he disappeared. I was back in my bedroom, lying on my back on the floor.
“Soon.”
I couldn’t help but worry if I would be entering into spiritual battle alongside Mike soon. Would I measure up? Would I run away at the first demon that challenged me face-to-face? I didn’t want to disappoint God.