Chapter 10 The Names
It was the afternoon and there was cloud cover outside. It made the day dreary outside as well as inside.
The girls in the school were working on their assignments at their desks. Mrs. Grace roamed around the girls casually looking at their work.
Elisha sat in silence along with the rest of the girls. She scribbled in her notepad has she read through the book.
After a while she looked around the room. In the center of the library was a group of stands with different books. One of the books was the Bible.
Elisha got up and went to the stand that contained the group of books. She did a quick look to see where Mrs. Grace was at that moment. One of the books was called Christian Names and Meanings.
Elisha opened the book of names and flipped carefully through the pages until she found her name, Elisha.
Elisha, from the Elijah. Elijah is defined: "My God is YAHWEH".
Elijah was a great prophet from the old testament. Elijah faced evil in the forms of the malevolent queen Jezebel and her amenable husband King Ahab. Elijah stood strong against the enemy and temptation. Because his faith in God was strong he ascended into heaven in a chariot of fire.
Elisha looked at the name. "Jezebel," she whispered.
She then turned a few more pages in the book. She saw that the names and definitions listed. There was Jael, Elisha's roommate.
Jael, from Judges. Defined: "One who ascends."
Jael was the wife of Heber. Jael killed the Canaanite General, Sisera. The Canaanites had failed to destroy the Israelites. Jael had met with Sisera in her tent. He fell asleep, exhausted from the battle. Jael took up the weapons of a tent peg and hammer and crushed his skull.
Elisha's face scrunched when she read the passage. She continued through the following names. Jasper, Jemimah, Jewel, and Joanna. The name Jezebel wasn't listed in the book.
Elisha closed the book gently and then went over to one of the book shelfs. She pulled out the dictionary from its place. She looked up the name Jezebel.
The original meaning of the name Jezebel was chaste. The name became distorted from actions of Queen Jezebel in the Old Testament of the Bible. She had worshiped the idol Baal and tried to convert the Hebrews to worship Baal as well. She was an adulteress. It had been considered that woman who paint their faces and fall into false idols are following in the ways of Jezebel. Her death was from being pushed out a window and her flesh eaten by dogs.
Elisha closed the book. "That would be gruesome," she whispered putting the book back.
Making sure that Mrs. Grace was engaged elsewhere, Elisha walked back to the book of names. She carefully opened the book and turned towards the T's. The name she turned to was Tobias.
Tobias from the Book of Tobit.
Tobias was a hero from the old testament. With the help the Archangel Raphael, he drove away a demon that had plagued a woman by the name of Sara. The demon had killed Sara's previous husbands on their wedding night. In the end, Sara had married Tobias.
"Raphael." Elisha turned to see who had whispered the name. She then looked back at the book.
Elisha then closed the book and went to the window. From there she could see out into the garden. The cat Mrs. Grace had chased away a few days earlier was roaming around.
"Looking at your name finally." Mrs. Grace said approaching Elisha.
"Yes, Ma'am." Elisha said. "It's from Elijah, my god is Yahweh."
"Very good." Mrs. Grace stated. "Who is Yahweh?"
"The name of God." Elisha answered. "The name was not meant to be pronounced. Our lord Jesus taught that we are to think of our god has our father in heaven." The entire time Elisha rubbed the cross around her neck.
"Very good." Mrs. Grace said. "We need help in the kitchen."
"Yes, Ma'am." Elisha said heading into the kitchen.
Elisha pulled her hair up and grabbed an apron. She grabbed some gloves from the box provided and then immediately began working with the other girls in the kitchen.
The garbage was quickly filled. Elisha and another girl, Terah, lifted the garbage onto the dolly and started to roll it outside.
Elisha looked over and saw the cat. Without Terah seeing, she reached in and grabbed a piece of meat that was in the garbage. She used her glove to wrap it up in her pocket.
Terah and Elisha went to the dumpster and dumped the trash inside.
"This is so disgusting." Terah said closing the dumpster lid.
They both started walking back into the kitchens.
"I'll be a second," Elisha said.
"Don't get into trouble." Terah warned taking a peek inside.
"I won't." Elisha whispered.
Terah nodded and went inside.
Elisha looked at the cat who was sitting under the window.
"Mrs. Grace doesn't like having you around." Elisha put down the scraps from her pocket on the ground and walked away. The cat cautiously approached the food. After a few sniffs the cat began eating the scraps.
"They are all about names around here." Elisha said to the cat. "Since Mrs. Grace says your evil, I will name you what fits. I will call you Jezzy."
Jezzy continued to eat the scraps provided.
"Elijah" Elisha heard whispered. Elisha looked towards the door to the kitchens then quickly headed back in to the kitchens. She continued to work with the rest of the girls in the kitchens until they could eat dinner.
At the end of the day Elisha and Jael prepared for bed.
"There is something I want to do." Elisha said.
"What," Jael asked.
"Esther," Elisha started.
"Jackie." Jael said. "She told me that's her real name."
"Anyway," Elisha continued. "She told me that Mrs. Grace keeps everyone's record in her office. I want to see what Annabelle said about me."
"Are you crazy?" Jael said. "That woman goes nuts when someone breaks the rules."
"Don't you want to know what your parents said about you?" Elisha said. "You know, everything."
"Yeah, I do. But that is still." Jael said shaking her head. "Wait, you haven't been taken to The Hut yet, have you?"
"No. What's The Hut?" Elisha asked.
"It's where Mrs. Grace puts the kids that are really bad." Jael answered. "You usually get put in there the first week if they think you are discipline problem. I haven't been in there yet. Jackie and a some of others have. Nobody talks about it."
Elisha pursed her lips. "I'll do it alone then."
"No, I want to see." Jael said. "We'll watch to see when the best time is."
The girls then went to bed.