Eternity by Heather Terrell Page B

“Thank God for that. So, what did Ruth say?”
    “A volcano on an island off the coast of Greenland is about to erupt, and—”
    “There are no volcanoes mentioned in Revelation,” he interjected.
    “I know. Ruth believes that this volcano will have big consequences, among them disease and famine. And those disasters are referenced—”
    He interrupted again, “In Revelation. Oh my God, what do we do?”
    I smiled at him reassuringly. “I’ve brought help.”
    “By help I hope you don’t mean Ruth. No offense to Ruth.” Michael looked skeptical at the amount of help Ruth could offer beyond her research.
    “No, I brought someone a bit more powerful than Ruth.” Turning to the trees lining the perimeter of Michael’s yard, I whispered loudly, “Rafe?”
    Rafe emerged from the trees behind Michael’s house. With his brawny physique and dark hair, he was still handsome, but he no longer bore that angelic quality. As we had driven from the Tillinghast town center to Michael’s house, the dust of humanity had descended upon him once again. Wearing his usual flannel shirt and scruffy jeans, Rafe looked every bit a real teenager.
    They sized each other up. It was bizarre watching these two men in my life—if you could even call them men, given that they were much more than human—assess each other.
    Every muscle in Michael’s body tensed, as if readying for a battle. Even though I let my arms slacken a bit, I held him close. The next few minutes were critical, and I needed Michael to have faith in me. I knew this would be tough for him; the last time someone new convinced us to let him “help,” it was Ezekiel. And here I was, foisting some unknown teenage guy on him.
    “Who is this?” Michael said, as warily as I predicted.
    “This is Rafe. I met him at a committee to help the earthquake victims.”
    Michael was immediately furious. He allowed me no leeway for explanation. “Why would you bring some stranger over to my house in the middle of the night? Especially at a time like this?”
    “Because he’s not some stranger.”
    Michael struggled against my arms, freeing himself from my embrace. “Well, I’ve never laid eyes on him before. Who is this guy, Ellie?” He sounded angry and scared.
    I didn’t answer Michael. I knew that words could never be as powerful as images. I knew that Michael needed to see Rafe as he really was and hear the words as he really spoke them, to believe. And to follow.
    I nodded to Rafe that the moment had come. As he had earlier, Rafe shook himself the tiniest bit. The movement released a haze of shimmering particles, almost like a golden dust. As it dispersed into the air, the rumpled teenage Rafe disappeared, only to be replaced by the ethereal Raphael.
    Michael was frozen. Rafe did not fill the void with words; he awaited my lead. I knew I had to answer the question I’d purposely left unanswered before.
    “Michael, Rafe is an angel. Not the fallen kind.”

Chapter Twenty-one
     
    It was the first time I’d seen Michael rendered speechless.
    I mustered up my courage, and said, “Michael, I know this is hard for you. To trust another being after everything that happened with Ezekiel. I assure you that Rafe is no Ezekiel, and his intentions are true.”
    I paused, allowing for Michael’s reaction. He gave no response. Instead, he watched me silently, judging my every phrase and gesture. It seemed that his verdict still hung in the balance.
    “Rafe risked everything to visit us. His kind”—I hesitated to use the term “angel” for some reason—“aren’t meant to have contact with those on earth. They aren’t supposed to interfere in any way with our free will. Here, the stakes are so high that Rafe chose to jeopardize his own well-being to help us with our destiny.”
    Michael still didn’t say anything. I looked over at Rafe helplessly.
    Rafe took over. “Ellspeth is telling you the truth, Michael. I’ve broken so many rules by offering my help. But I