[Child of God]: 416.Novels.The Messenger.Chapter 1

“I had that dream again last night Crysta, but I still don’t know what it means.”
“And I care why?” a young red-haired teen irritably replied as she busied herself loading her bookbag of uncompleted homework.
The older dark-haired girl sitting at the kitchen table raised her eyebrow in surprise at the tone in her younger sister’s voice. “What’s eating you today?”
“Nothing!” the redhead snapped angrily, attempting in vain to stuff a large math notebook into an already overstuffed bag. “I’m just not in the greatest mood! Is that alright with her Highness!?”
Sighing, the older girl slipped out of her seat and draped an arm over her sister’s shoulders. “Didn’t do very well on that math test huh?”
“What the hell is it your business anyway Kassandra?” demanded the younger one as she tore herself from her sister’s grasp and threw the notebook on the floor in frustration.

Shaking her head as she picked up the book, Kassandra gently slipped the book into the bag, then handed it to her sister. “Look Crysta, if you want some help you know I’m more than willingly to help you. After all, I did take the same class with the same teacher last year.”
Crysta glared at her sister before roughly grabbing the bag. “Whatever. It won’t do any good but if you wanna waste your time go right ahead.”
“With that attitude, your right, it won’t do any good. But we can fight about this later cause right now we’re gonna miss the bus!” Kassandra finished, realizing the time. Grabbing her bag off the counter she ran to the door, her sister right behind her as they raced to get outside in time. “Bye mom, bye dad! Love you both!”
“You won’t make it.” She heard her mother yell back before Crysta slammed the door behind her, the bus just flying past their house.

“Wait!”

Two blocks later they finally caught the bus while stopped at a stop sign. Tired and out of breath, both girls climbed the bus steps as the driver grinned at them.
“That’s the third time this week!”
Kassandra laughed lightly in between her gasps, her dark brown hair matted to her forehead. “Thank God it’s Friday!”

Watching the familiar scenery pass, she frowned as an unfamiliar feeling grasped her. A strange, yet foreboding feeling. As they pulled into the school, a voice in the back of her mind whispered it would be the last time she saw any of this again. What scared her was she had a feeling the voice was right.

* * * * * *

Just after the lunch bell had rung, Kassandra ran from the school doors to a wooded path across the road, following it for about a kilometer or two behind stores and plazas before emerging in a circular clearing. Surrounded by a ring of maple and birch trees, then fanning out into pine and cedar for rest of the woods, it was a perfect hideaway and could only be found if someone were really looking for it. Kassandra and her friends had found the clearing one day when they took off the afternoon classes and didn’t want to risk one of their moms, who worked at the school, catching them.

Waiting for her were five other girls, all around the same age.
“Took ya long enough Kassy!” called a girl with short, fire-red hair and green eyes as Kassandra took a seat across from her. “And what’s with the clothes? Going for the ‘guy’ look are you?”
“Sorry Molly, but Mrs. Fillangae needed to talk to me after school.” She replied apologetically, then looked down at her clothes. “And what’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
The other girls looked at Kassandra, looked at each other and only shook their heads. With a baggy, dark blue hoodie over a forest green tank top, forest green cargo pants and black runners, she certainly didn’t look as though she were going any place important anytime soon. Kassandra merely rolled her eyes at her friends, then looked to the girl on her right. “Hey Sally, how are you and Corey doing? Yesterday was your two year right?”
The youngest of the group, a girl with short, dyed blond hair and brown eyes, nodded happily, her eyes sparkling. “Well, he did give me this!” She held up her hand, a white gold engagement ring on one of the fingers. The group gasped as the gathered around her, eager to see it.
“But Sally! You’re still so young! You’re not even out of high school yet!” one of the brunettes exclaimed.
“Oh Tethy! Leave her be! She’s happy!” cried another brunette named Michelle, giving her a friendly shove.
“When’s the wedding?” a dirty-blond named Sulie eagerly asked the excited younger girl.
“Not until after high school, but this is your invite!” Sally cried, hugging the girls around her.

As the sun continued to travel across the sky, how Kassandra wished they could all just stay frozen in that moment for a while longer, laughing and carrying on with her friends, hoping for more days like these. Unbeknown to her though, it would be the last memory made of her and her friends.

* * * * * *

“Bye Crysta! I love you!”
“Bye Kassy! See you later tonight and don’t forget you’re gonna help me with my math!” Her sister called as the bus pulled away from the school.
Heading back towards that familiar wooded path, she thought about what to do. She didn’t have to meet her friends at the theatre for another three hours or so, and their lunch spot was only ten minutes from the theatre anyway. May as well get some reading done. Looking around, she chose her favorite maple tree and, with her backpack secured on her back, climbed as high as the branches allowed.

It was mid-fall, with the maple leaves changing their color, causing the interior of the clearing to bask in color, and the sap on the trees to run. Swinging her legs on either side of the branch, her back against the trunk, she withdrew the desired book and opened it, looking for something to help her.

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

Stopping at the end of the verse, Kassandra closed her eyes and thought over what she had just read. She knew she was being prepared for something, but what? That dream, the same one she’s had every night for three months now, it meant something but what.
‘What are you trying to tell me? What are you preparing me for?'

* * * * * *

“And whatever we ask we receive from Him”

Pausing her reading, Kassandra looked around. Hadn’t she just heard a twig snap? But no one knew about this place save herself and her friends. People in her area were too worried about money and such to care much about nature anymore. Peering over the branch, she surveyed the darkening area, looking for either a person or animal. Seeing nothing, she leaned back into the trunk and chuckled to herself.

‘That’s great Kassy, let’s starting hearing things. Next thing you know, you’ll be seeing things and talking to yourself! Wait! I am talking to myself! Well, not talking exactly, more like thinking. But who else would I think to if not to myself? Ok, I’ve definitely gone off the deep end! I’m rationalizing with myself about thinking to myself!’

Shaking her head, she carefully placed the book into the bag and secured it on her back. Just as she was prepared to start climbing back down, she heard an even louder crack.
‘That definitely wasn’t an animal!’
Climbing out a bit further on the branch, Kassandra once more scanned the area. After all, maybe it was some kids playing around, or her friends trying to play a prank on her. They all knew she came here whenever she needed to kill time.
“Alright guys you got me! You can come out now, I saw ya!”

She waited but got no reply. No sound, no movement, nothing. Just as she was almost convinced she really was hearing things, a blur raced from the base of one tree to another. Kassandra’s eyes widened as she scurried back against the trunk.

‘That was no frickin animal and I waiting to find out who or what that is!’

None of her friends could move that fast, or any other person she knew for that matter! It wasn’t just a moving shadow, it was a blur! Trying to calm herself down she called out with more courage than she felt, “I can see you! Show yourself!”
Still nothing. She began looking around for another way to get out of the clearing. Person or animal, she didn’t want to be caught on the ground with something that could move that fast and looked as though it was hunting.

The sun had almost completely set, covering the wood in an area of shadowed dusk, the once warm and welcoming scenery quickly turning dark and frightening, it’s shadows masking that which did not wish to be seen, hiding it’s threat. Shadows began deceiving her eyes as she scanned the area trying to pinpoint the creature, straining to hear any sound which may give a hint as to it’s location. Her eyes landed the nearest tree to hers, it’s branch not appearing to far away; it was only about three feet, but the branches didn’t look very strong. Looking around in one more desperate attempt, her body reacted before her mind could as the crack of a twig beneath her caused her shoot across the three feet to the neighboring branch. Clutching her new branch beneath her, she breathed in deeply the breath she had lost upon her body making contact.

‘I swear when I get out of this I’ll never watch another horror movie again!’

Just as she began pulling herself into a seated position, a strong hand roughly grabbed on of her legs, trying to pull her down. Kicking at her assailant with her free leg and clinging for her life with her arms, Kassandra’s mind raced.

‘How is this possible!? I’m at least fifteen feet up!! This isn’t possible!!’

Managing to free her captured foot, her body once again reacted before her mind could process what was happening as instinct began to take over. Blindly jumping from tree to tree, she could hear her assailant pursuing from the ground. The highway had just come into view as she landed on the last maple. From here on were only the pine and cedar, which weren’t strong enough to support her (she had learned this the hard way when she was younger). With no other choice, she grasped a thick branch above her and broke it off, holding onto it tightly as she jumped onto the path. Almost immediately the creature was on her, but she was ready. Swinging as hard as she could, Kassandra aimed for the creature’s head. It dodged but not fast enough as the branch made contact with the side of it’s head. Hearing some foreign language come from it’s mouth, she made a dash for the highway once she heard the impact. She would have made it too, if only the creature wasn’t so fast. In a matter of milliseconds, the creature was once again upon her, rough hands reaching out and violently pulling her back by her hair, the force causing her to stumble. Trying to get back on her feet, Kassandra found herself looking up at a creature that held the form of a human, but it’s eyes glowed red. Smiling a toothless grin as it bound her hands cruelly tight with an unknown material, it spoke to her in very bad, broken English.
“Ya ut up a ood fight, but did ya no good. Ook ound ya ‘n member all dis ause ya never see id again!”

Pain and darkness followed, as she stumbled out of a bad dream and into a hellish nightmare.