Chapter two - Lily white

"Jeanne D'arc." Joan whispered to herself. She blinked profusely at the screen and moved her cursor over several links, each one revealing more. She knew that she shouldn't be researching personal information on the library computer, but the events of the day had been pushing in her mind. The vine bordered page was scripted with gold letters, almost nostalgic.

Joan clicked over the link that stated 'banner'. There was a picture of Jeanne's standard, a forked banner. Fumbling, Joan reached under her desk to retrieve her bag. She flipped open the sack and pulled out a half crumpled sheet nestled deep inside some folders. Her hands shaking, she smoothed it out on the table.

"Joan?" Her name was called.

"What's happening to me? What are you doing?" Joan said instinctively. Her ivory fingers traced the outlines of what she had drawn.

"I don't know. But you better get your ass behind the counter because I'm borrowing this book." It was Grace. Joan whipped round to face her, and sighed heavily.

"Sorry, I-" She shook her head "Thought you were someone else." Her long hair trailed like spider silk over the table.

"Right. Like who?" Grace asked nonchalantly. She slammed several books on the table.

"The law of physics? The atom structure?" Joan read the titles of the books, raising an eyebrow. She deliberately avoided Grace's question.

"Science project." Grace snapped.

"Nothing to do with Luke." Joan said, as a statement.

"Right." Grace nodded.

"Okay." Joan checked them out, watching as Grace silently fidgeted under her gaze. "Bring them back in three weeks."

"Thanks." Grace said sarcastically. She shoved the books into her book bag.

"Hey, what is up with you?" Joan suddenly said, loudly. Grace's attitude was disconcerting. She placed her palms on the table and forced Grace to look into her eyes. She saw anger, bitterness, and fear.

"You mean what's up with you." Grace said. "We're all worried about you, Joan. Even your brother." She started towards the door.

"Luke?" Joan said incredulously. She had noticed his quiet presence on the way to school today, how he had refused to talk to Grace before school, how he had ignored their parents.

"Delivery!" There was a chime at the door. A man clad in blue uniform entered, carrying a large bouquet of flowers.

"Oh." Joan said quietly. She never usually had this many customers in a day - normally it was only God who visited, but he hadn't even shown up yet. Deliveries were very rare at the library.

"You Joan Girardi? Just sign." The delivery man handed her a clipboard and a pen. Joan did, warily. The bouquet of flowers next to her had an aura that surrounded the entire desk. When the delivery man left, Joan noticed a small card hanging off the side of the plastic encasing. She cautiously ripped it open and read the note:

Here's your army.

Ryan.

Joan dropped the card, feeling his spirit burn her fingers. There was something incredibly spine-chilling about receiving flowers from an enemy. She tossed the card quickly in the trash. The lilies were pure, creamy and rich in colour. They seemed to vibrate in the room, giving off its own transient light. She debated for a while whether to place the flowers in water or to throw them away. Her nurturing side eventually won and she slowly placed the dozen lilies in a vase of water.

When she sat back down at her computer screen the image was still there. The piece of paper lying by the side of the mouse haunted here. She picked up the paper once again and held it to the screen. They both held the same images - two symmetrical angels, god holding the earth - Joan shivered involuntarily. Her eyes travelled down to the text on the screen:

She further said that she loved her banner "better, forty times better" than her sword, and carried the banner into battle instead of a weapon.
Elsewhere in the documents we learn that God was seated in the middle of the two angels, holding the world (pictured as an orb). Some accounts describe God blessing a lily, or the angels holding lilies. The phrase "Jhesus Maria" (or "Ihesu Maria") was described as being on one side of the standard rather than on the top or bottom.

"Lilies..." Joan gasped and turned around to see the proud lilies standing on the counter. Was that what Ryan had meant?