ketchup.
Gross. Raven selected three very peppery fries, dragged them through the puddle, and then shoved them into her mouth. “Next level of your spiritual journey.”
Joy looked away. The food was unappetizing enough on the tray, but half-chewed in Raven’s mouth? Disgusting. No wonder they were never very close before now. Totally different people. Something about that appealed to Joy now though. No expectations. No memories.
What had Raven just said? Joy needed to focus. “Did you say spiritual journey?” Her head whipped from side to side.
“Um. No way.” There would be no more journeying.
“Yeah. Listen.” Raven stuffed four more fries into her mouth then pointed her finger at Joy. “You got a lot of shadows, a lot of demons chasing you.” She took a deep breath. “Don’t just reject the idea immediately….” Raven laughed. “I can tell by the expression on your face that you’re hating this idea, but hear me out.”
Joy’s stomach twisted into a pretzel. No good could come of this conversation. Things had gone so far already. She needed to just grab her things and get out of there, take control back. But she couldn’t. It was like being stuck in a dream. She couldn’t move.
Raven licked the ketchup off her fingers. Finally. “Look. I know what it’s like to be confused and to have your faith blown to smithereens. Exactly what happened to me when my mom took off and my brother committed suicide.”
Joy gasped. “What? You’re kidding.”
“Yeah. Which is when I had to come live here with my dad. It wasn’t by choice. Before all that, I was a happy churchy kid like you were. Suddenly, I was face-to-face with being totally alone. Luc changed it all for me, and I can change it for you.” She shrugged. “It’s really not that big of a deal. If you could take the leap and believe in God without seeing Him or experiencing anything, then this jump is nothing. Especially since you’ve already seen the spirit world at work.”
She made a great point. It was true. Joy had blindly believed in something that had never, not even once, come through for her or even revealed itself to her in any tangible way. Yet here she was, staring eye-witnessed truth in the face and trying to deny it existed.
“It’s time for you to put aside blind belief in the unseen and embrace what’s right in front of you.”
Joy nodded. “I’m in.”
A leisurely stroll down a grassy lane with a white puppy on a leash. Joy reached down and patted the fluffy pup on the head then scratched it behind the ears. “You like that, boy?”
The little dog looked up at her with loving blue eyes that spoke his name from the very depths of his soul. Silas
.
They walked and walked. Along the familiar streets of town without a care in the world, like nothing had ever happened to either of them. They had been friends forever, as though born together. Maybe their souls had been united in an eternity past
.
Silas led the way. Not quite a puppy anymore
.
They walked on, not seeing a soul until a form appeared in the distance. A man. Joy would recognize those sandy curls anywhere. Austin
.
Silas began to pant. Even older—changes happened with each step forward
.
How did the dog know she and Austin had a history? It was as if Silas could read her mind or at least sense her heart rate
.
Joy felt the anger toward Austin rise in her chest like bile. A low growl came from Silas’s belly. He pulled at the leash, saliva dripping from his mouth, guttural growls coming at regular intervals. His strength magnified until he looked and sounded like a beautiful, full-grown wolf
.
Austin didn’t notice them at first
.
Silas barked once
.
Austin turned, probably expecting to see a dog walker
.
Silas and Austin made eye contact, and Silas began to run, yanking the leash from Joy’s hand
.
Austin’s eyes grew wide, and he half turned to run away. He couldn’t seem to pry his gaze off of Silas long enough to really attempt an
Gross. Raven selected three very peppery fries, dragged them through the puddle, and then shoved them into her mouth. “Next level of your spiritual journey.”
Joy looked away. The food was unappetizing enough on the tray, but half-chewed in Raven’s mouth? Disgusting. No wonder they were never very close before now. Totally different people. Something about that appealed to Joy now though. No expectations. No memories.
What had Raven just said? Joy needed to focus. “Did you say spiritual journey?” Her head whipped from side to side.
“Um. No way.” There would be no more journeying.
“Yeah. Listen.” Raven stuffed four more fries into her mouth then pointed her finger at Joy. “You got a lot of shadows, a lot of demons chasing you.” She took a deep breath. “Don’t just reject the idea immediately….” Raven laughed. “I can tell by the expression on your face that you’re hating this idea, but hear me out.”
Joy’s stomach twisted into a pretzel. No good could come of this conversation. Things had gone so far already. She needed to just grab her things and get out of there, take control back. But she couldn’t. It was like being stuck in a dream. She couldn’t move.
Raven licked the ketchup off her fingers. Finally. “Look. I know what it’s like to be confused and to have your faith blown to smithereens. Exactly what happened to me when my mom took off and my brother committed suicide.”
Joy gasped. “What? You’re kidding.”
“Yeah. Which is when I had to come live here with my dad. It wasn’t by choice. Before all that, I was a happy churchy kid like you were. Suddenly, I was face-to-face with being totally alone. Luc changed it all for me, and I can change it for you.” She shrugged. “It’s really not that big of a deal. If you could take the leap and believe in God without seeing Him or experiencing anything, then this jump is nothing. Especially since you’ve already seen the spirit world at work.”
She made a great point. It was true. Joy had blindly believed in something that had never, not even once, come through for her or even revealed itself to her in any tangible way. Yet here she was, staring eye-witnessed truth in the face and trying to deny it existed.
“It’s time for you to put aside blind belief in the unseen and embrace what’s right in front of you.”
Joy nodded. “I’m in.”
A leisurely stroll down a grassy lane with a white puppy on a leash. Joy reached down and patted the fluffy pup on the head then scratched it behind the ears. “You like that, boy?”
The little dog looked up at her with loving blue eyes that spoke his name from the very depths of his soul. Silas
.
They walked and walked. Along the familiar streets of town without a care in the world, like nothing had ever happened to either of them. They had been friends forever, as though born together. Maybe their souls had been united in an eternity past
.
Silas led the way. Not quite a puppy anymore
.
They walked on, not seeing a soul until a form appeared in the distance. A man. Joy would recognize those sandy curls anywhere. Austin
.
Silas began to pant. Even older—changes happened with each step forward
.
How did the dog know she and Austin had a history? It was as if Silas could read her mind or at least sense her heart rate
.
Joy felt the anger toward Austin rise in her chest like bile. A low growl came from Silas’s belly. He pulled at the leash, saliva dripping from his mouth, guttural growls coming at regular intervals. His strength magnified until he looked and sounded like a beautiful, full-grown wolf
.
Austin didn’t notice them at first
.
Silas barked once
.
Austin turned, probably expecting to see a dog walker
.
Silas and Austin made eye contact, and Silas began to run, yanking the leash from Joy’s hand
.
Austin’s eyes grew wide, and he half turned to run away. He couldn’t seem to pry his gaze off of Silas long enough to really attempt an
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