Joshua got fired from his job at the New York Journal and then Azmaria gives him a full time position at the Order. Furthermore, Sisters Abigail, Caitlyn and Ebony are introduced. What will happen now? And what is the fate of Wolf?
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Chrono Crusade: Horns of Time
Chapter Three: In The New Life
"The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness." –Lao Tzu
At six in the morning there was a knock on the door. Slowly but surely, Joshua got up, got on his night robe and headed towards the door. He opened it and found three Order officers there.
"Excuse me," one of the officers asked, "are you Joshua?"
"Yes…" Joshua answered with a yawn.
"We've been ordered by Sister Azmaria to help you move your things to the compound."
"Huh? Wha?" Joshua was wide awake now. "Did you say that you were going to move my things?"
"Yes. That was the order. Now if you could kindly get yourself dressed we could begin."
"But I haven't gave my landlord my eviction notice." Joshua stated. "This is a rental."
"All taken care of. Now if you don't have any more questions…" The man was getting impatient so Joshua did as he was told. He got himself dressed and once he was done, they required him to pack a few things before giving him a ride to the compound. While this was going on, Joshua thought about all this,
"Sister Azmaria's going a lot of trouble into setting me up to Order life. I wonder what's really going down."
It was about ten in the morning when Joshua arrived at the order. As the Order officers got out, Joshua asked them, "Hey, what about my car?"
"Don't worry," one of them said assumingly, "it's being towed here. Now Sister Azmaria is expecting you in the head office. I suggest that you get a move on."
"Oh, right," Joshua then sped off to the office. When he arrived, however, Sisters Abigail, Caitlyn and Ebony already inside the office. Ebony asked, "Are we training him!"
"Yes," Azmaria answered her, "This is the new recruit."
"You have got to be kidding me!" Abigail shouted. "He's annoying, he's immature, he's…"
"He's going to be our proof to our parents that we're capable enough to handle ourselves," said Caitlyn calmly.
"That's right," Azmaria said approvingly. "Joshua! You're here!" All three girls looked at him. Ebony and Abigail looked at him disgustingly but Caitlyn kept a straight face.
"I hope that the Order officers I sent didn't give you any trouble."
"No…they didn't," Joshua said. He was trying to keep himself from laughing. The girls who were looking at him could make him express amusement so easily.
"These girls will be your trainers. I know that you've been working with Wolf and he's been here longer than you have however I would like you to reach the militia rank sometime in the near future. And to prove that I'm serious about this, I have asked these three to be your trainers as they have the highest rank of militia."
"Militia? Me?" Joshua was surprised about all this. The first time he took a job as on-call person for the Order was when a friend suggested it. He didn't think about a career.
"Of course! I expect great things from you Joshua. And these girls…" she put her hand on Abigail, "will be your ticket to your success." All three girls smiled. Joshua smiled back. Joshua was told after the meeting that they would all meet with him at the old fountain outside at noon. It was 11:30am when Joshua arrived. He took a seat and thought about the fountain.
"This fountain's seen better days. Maybe I should tell Sister Azmaria to tear this down..." Just then, Azmaria appeared out of nowhere.
"Thinking about your new job here?" she asked Joshua.
"Not really. What I was thinking is about how this fountain had seen better days."
She was silent for a moment, "You know, this fountain has been here ever since I arrived here…"
"Really?" Joshua perked up. "When did you actually arrived at the Order?"
"Well…I was brought in during the roaring twenties. Before that, I was part of a traveling troupe before they were…" she grew silent again and this time her eyes watered
"What happen?" Joshua asked.
"They were…killed."
"… … …" Joshua was shocked by this. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."
"It's alright. I get that kind of response from people who haven't my story." They both saw the girls walking towards them.
"I've better go," Azmaria said while getting up. "Don't want to interfere with your work."
"Okay…" Joshua said. While Azmaria was walking off, he thought, "This isn't over sister. I'll get to the bottom of this." He turned to the girls, "It's not nice to keep your student waiting!"
"Oh, shut up!" Abigail shouted, "We were forced do this, okay!"
"I forgot to ask Sister Azmaria," Joshua started, "what happened to Wolf?"
"Oh, he got a job here too," Caitlyn said happily. "He was very excited about it too. Although he was a member of the NYPD, he quit that job. He wanted to be more hands-on."
"Oh…"
"First things first," Ebony said, "we have to know all about you. You've been on-call only and we don't know a thing about you. So…tell us…"
Joshua thought for a moment. He then said confidently, "Okay, let's trade. I tell you about myself and you tell me about yourselves."
"Okay!" The three of them simultaneously said.
"And don't do that…it gives me the creeps." Joshua gave a deep breath…and began.
Now the story will get in-depth in the next chapter (hoping!) Please R&R.
