reach the chapel to end it.
Eden turned her head toward the blazing sky with the lightening shooting across it. God had given her the weapons to fight Satan, but it was not the sword at her hip or the holy water in her pocket. It was love. She would fight for Adanna, who had never stopped thinking of her sister. She would fight for Edward, who had taken care of his dad. She would fight for Aaron, who had died for his country. She would fight for Yuri, the man who had given everything for the mother who kept betraying him. And she would fight for Rebecca, even though she had abandoned her. She would fight for her mom because she was brave and because she could. She girded her loins, prepared to go to the clearing where Satan awaited her.
" Eden, I can sense your fear," Satan said again. " If you don't come out to face me, then I will come find you. And I will punish you. I will punish you until there is nothing left. "
"Eden," Yuri said; she heard the tremble in his voice and knew they were on the same wavelength yet again. Somehow he knew what she had to do. "Eden, no. Don't do this."
"Wait," Thema said. "What is she going to do?"
She gazed at her friends' faces and gave them a shaky smile.
"Go to the Blood Stone chapel. Use the back way. There is a route through the basement. It should still be unlocked from when I used it. I doubt anybody would go in there of their own free will," Eden said. "When you get there, the Blood Stone will not be able to function because of the love which is within your hearts. Good luck."
"Eden, wait ," Aaron said. "I don't understand. Why aren't you coming?"
"I was never meant to be in there," Eden said. "I was meant to face him until the end."
Their eyes widened in understanding.
"No," Edward said.
"Eden," her mom said, reaching for her arm as if to stop her.
"I won't let you do this," Yuri said, seizing her arm. "There has got to be another way."
"Yeah," Thema said. "Make your mom's boyfriend stay with you. And me too. I'll stay with you. I'm not one of the five."
"Go with your sister, Thema, and protect her. It's more important than protecting me. And Henry, you go with my mom." Eden pulled her arm from Yuri's grip. "There is no other way. He's waiting for me out there. He can feel me. The only way to save me will be to finish this and open up the gates of heaven again. You can't keep me from him if he wants me. He knows where I am at all times. But God can save me, so you must help Him."
"Eden," Yuri said weakly, stepping toward her.
"Eden," Rebecca said. "I⦠I love you."
"I love you too."
Eden held onto her mom so hard her arms ached. As she clung to Rebecca, she received a wash of memories of all of the things they had done together while they were alive before her mom left her. One memory in particular swept her up in its embrace.
Fourteen-year-old Eden sat at the table. A phone sat at the table next to her. She glanced down at her fingers, picking away at the fragile skin around her nails until it gave way to a trickle of blood. Her mom sauntered into the dining room and then paused when she saw Eden sitting at the table. She tucked a crimson strand of hair behind her ear, then pursed her lips in concern.
"What's the matter, Eden?" Rebecca asked.
Eden hesitated before answering her mom. Talking about her dad with her mom was the equivalent of deliberately running headlong into a brick wall. When her mom laid eyes on the phone next to her, though, she didn't end up needing to respond at all. Her mom expelled an annoyed sigh.
"So Osier didn't call you again." Rebecca sat at the table and crossed her legs.
"He probably had a meeting." Tears threatened to fall from Eden's eyes as she bit her bottom lip. The pressure it took to swallow her tears made her feel as though she had a prickly cactus stuck in her throat. "That's all. He'll call any minute now."
Her mom stared at the phone. "Eden, you know it's one o'clock in the morning in Frankfurt right now. He isn't
Eden turned her head toward the blazing sky with the lightening shooting across it. God had given her the weapons to fight Satan, but it was not the sword at her hip or the holy water in her pocket. It was love. She would fight for Adanna, who had never stopped thinking of her sister. She would fight for Edward, who had taken care of his dad. She would fight for Aaron, who had died for his country. She would fight for Yuri, the man who had given everything for the mother who kept betraying him. And she would fight for Rebecca, even though she had abandoned her. She would fight for her mom because she was brave and because she could. She girded her loins, prepared to go to the clearing where Satan awaited her.
" Eden, I can sense your fear," Satan said again. " If you don't come out to face me, then I will come find you. And I will punish you. I will punish you until there is nothing left. "
"Eden," Yuri said; she heard the tremble in his voice and knew they were on the same wavelength yet again. Somehow he knew what she had to do. "Eden, no. Don't do this."
"Wait," Thema said. "What is she going to do?"
She gazed at her friends' faces and gave them a shaky smile.
"Go to the Blood Stone chapel. Use the back way. There is a route through the basement. It should still be unlocked from when I used it. I doubt anybody would go in there of their own free will," Eden said. "When you get there, the Blood Stone will not be able to function because of the love which is within your hearts. Good luck."
"Eden, wait ," Aaron said. "I don't understand. Why aren't you coming?"
"I was never meant to be in there," Eden said. "I was meant to face him until the end."
Their eyes widened in understanding.
"No," Edward said.
"Eden," her mom said, reaching for her arm as if to stop her.
"I won't let you do this," Yuri said, seizing her arm. "There has got to be another way."
"Yeah," Thema said. "Make your mom's boyfriend stay with you. And me too. I'll stay with you. I'm not one of the five."
"Go with your sister, Thema, and protect her. It's more important than protecting me. And Henry, you go with my mom." Eden pulled her arm from Yuri's grip. "There is no other way. He's waiting for me out there. He can feel me. The only way to save me will be to finish this and open up the gates of heaven again. You can't keep me from him if he wants me. He knows where I am at all times. But God can save me, so you must help Him."
"Eden," Yuri said weakly, stepping toward her.
"Eden," Rebecca said. "I⦠I love you."
"I love you too."
Eden held onto her mom so hard her arms ached. As she clung to Rebecca, she received a wash of memories of all of the things they had done together while they were alive before her mom left her. One memory in particular swept her up in its embrace.
Fourteen-year-old Eden sat at the table. A phone sat at the table next to her. She glanced down at her fingers, picking away at the fragile skin around her nails until it gave way to a trickle of blood. Her mom sauntered into the dining room and then paused when she saw Eden sitting at the table. She tucked a crimson strand of hair behind her ear, then pursed her lips in concern.
"What's the matter, Eden?" Rebecca asked.
Eden hesitated before answering her mom. Talking about her dad with her mom was the equivalent of deliberately running headlong into a brick wall. When her mom laid eyes on the phone next to her, though, she didn't end up needing to respond at all. Her mom expelled an annoyed sigh.
"So Osier didn't call you again." Rebecca sat at the table and crossed her legs.
"He probably had a meeting." Tears threatened to fall from Eden's eyes as she bit her bottom lip. The pressure it took to swallow her tears made her feel as though she had a prickly cactus stuck in her throat. "That's all. He'll call any minute now."
Her mom stared at the phone. "Eden, you know it's one o'clock in the morning in Frankfurt right now. He isn't
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