CHAPTER SIX
"How dare he?" Joan mutters under her breath as she lingers on the porch swing. She is so mad, she would gladly bite the head off of the next person who spoke to her.
"Problem, Girl-warrior?" a booming voice asks.
Joan sighs. This isn't what she had in mind. Joan doesn't bother to turn around as she recognizes the voice of her angelic tutor-slash-annoying pest. Besides, his appearance still creeps her out even after all of these months. Whoever decided angels looked like fat babies with tiny white wings was a moron.
"Are you here to finally tell me your name?" Joan asks, referring to an on-going dispute between them. Angels always obey God, but that doesn't mean they are without opinions. This particular warrior angel never seemed to care for this training assignment, and refusing to tell Joan his name is one of the ways he expresses his displeasure.
Ignoring her question, he says, "I hear you have your first multiple demon situation. That's surprising since you are barely adequate at dealing with the weakest solo demon."
(Is that a sneer Joan hears in his voice?) "Well, Goth Kid gave me the assignment, so I guess he knew what he was doing."
A burst of spiritual energy ripples through the air, nearly knocking Joan off the swing. She knows her tutor deeply resents the casual way she speaks of God, so this is her way of pushing his buttons. She knows he is never suppose to harm her, but wonders if one day she will go too far and he will smite her.
"So, you want to know how to deal with more than one demon at a time?" he asks.
"Yeah, how can I do that?"
"You can't. Not at your level. If we double up your training sessions, you might—might—be ready in a month…or two."
"I can't wait that long."
"Then you will have to deal with them the simple way, one at a time. Be aware, when you start with the first, the second one may urge your subject to attack you physically. Are you up to the challenge?"
"Yeah, I guess. You've been training me like a marine recruit all summer long—getting me in shape, and teaching me those weird angelic fighting techniques. Dr. Dan is old and out of shape. If I have to, I can take him."
"And can you do this while maintaining the level of concentration necessary to deal with demons?"
"Uh…"
"Not to mention your other distraction."
"Speaking of that, how long is Ryan going to be haunting me? He's really starting to piss me off."
"I explained this matter, and I don't like having to repeat myself. Check your notes."
"I don't have to—I remember. I'm suppose to ignore him because he only gets stronger when I respond. If I completely ignore him, he will weaken and eventually be out of my life. But it seems to be taking forever! Is this type of haunting common?"
"No, but Satan can make an exception when he chooses. After all, hell is his kingdom, and he can do what he wants there. Apparently he sees you as an enemy worthy of his attention. Hmm…perhaps Lucifer is getting feeble-minded in his old age?"
The insult is too blatant to ignore. Joan turns to confront her tutor, but she sees only a brief ripple in the air where he was, and hears only a faint echo of laughter…
"You're a big jerk, you know that?" Joan shouts into the night.
"Excuse me?" a voice from the sidewalk calls.
Joan looks and recognizes a neighbor walking his dog. "Mr. Sellers, sorry. I wasn't speaking to you."
"Who were you speaking to, Joan?"
"Uh, no one. I was just venting some anger."
"Well, good luck with that. Goodnight, Joan."
"Goodnight sir."
Joan resists the urge to vent again. Really, by now she should have learned to be more careful about what she says…
X X X X X
Upstairs in Grace's bedroom...
"Do you think I'm crazy, Dr. Hunter?"
"Because you claim to have had an out-of-body experience? No Grace, I've certainly heard of this before. For instance, some patients undergoing surgery will later claim to have witnessed the event from outside the body. Most experts believe the patient's mind records the procedure subconsciously, and the imagination provides a dream that fills in the details."
"This wasn't a dream, and it wasn't the first time."
"How many times has this occured?"
"I've lost track. It doesn't happen every time I fall asleep, but it does happen fairly often."
"How can you be so sure this isn't a form of dreaming?"
"Because I remember how this started. It was during the time of my coma. The details are fuzzy, but I remember I was in a peaceful, beautiful place where I was very happy. Then...I was visited by God."
"God...?"
"Hey Doc, don't give me that look. I'm not making this up."
"What did God look like?"
"That's one of the fuzzy details, but I knew it was 'Him'. God asked a favor. He wanted to briefly borrow my physical form. Since I wasn't using my body, I said sure. Later, when I woke up from the coma, I knew I had changed, but I didn't know how until the first time I left my body."
"Describe the experience."
"It was while I was still in the nursing home. It was late at night, and I was fast asleep. Suddenly, I was floating above the bed in some sort of ghost-like state. For a few moments, I watched myself sleeping--talk about a weird experience!"
"How long did this experience last?"
"Only a few minutes. Just long enough for me to accomplish my task."
"Task?"
"Yeah, I had this overwhelming urge to go somewhere--to witness something vital. It's not like I couldn't say no, but I didn't want to. I just knew this was something important. I traveled across the nursing home, going through walls like they weren't even there. No one was aware of my presence, but I could see and hear everything."
"Where did you end up?"
"The pharmacy. One of the night nurses was preparing the patients' morning medications. I was on a mild blood thinner to prevent blood clots because I was constantly stuck in bed. The nurse had patient cards on the counter with a little white cup on each card. When she had filled all the cups with the right medicine, she began transferring the cups to a tray, and attaching the room number to the cup. Mine, and the cup for the old man in the room next to mine, were the first ones on the tray. But then, the nurse accidentily knocked over a bottle of medicine. When she bent down to pick it up, she unknowingly bumped the tray--it did a one eighty spin. The nurse ended up attaching the wrong room numbers to my cup and the old guy's. Right after seeing that, I was sort of yanked back into my body."
"I'm guessing this account has a happy ending?"
Grace nods. "The first thing they do when they wake you in the morning is to hand you your medicine. I remembered what had happened, and I made such a huge fuss about double checking the medications, they did. That old man would have died if he had gotten my blood thinner, and his medication would have severely damaged my baby."
"This is amazing. And you've had similar experiences?"
"Well, yes and no. Most of the time I'm free to go where I want without any pull on me. During my nap this afternoon, I went to visit Luke. He was at a Labor Day barbeque with a bunch of other college kids. There was this red-headed skank who kept hitting on him despite the fact Luke was wearing his wedding ring. He tried to politely turn her down, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. Finally, Luke told the bitch to back the hell off. That he was a happily married man who loves his wife." (Grace chuckles.) "I never knew my geeky husband could be so forceful."
"That's quite a blessing--to be so reassured of his fidelity. But what about the other times, Grace? When you are 'urged' to witness something?"
"None of the other times have been as straight forward as the first experience. Over the last few weeks I've seen little snippets of a lot of meaningless events and conversations. None of it makes any sense to me. It's almost like I'm being shown pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, and I have to wait for the pattern to appear."
"Grace, you realize you're telling me that this ability, which is called astral projection, is being directed by God?"
"Which is why I'm wondering just how crazy I am. So what's next, Doc? A rubber room and a straitjacket?"
"No Grace, I believe you."
Grace snorts derisively. "You do? Great. My shrink is as crazy as me. Why would you believe me about this 'astral projection' thing?"
"I'm a man who has led an unusual life--spiritually. That opens me up to more possibilities than your average psychiatrist. But Grace, I would caution you about sharing this tale with others. Most people would react negatively."
"Yeah, I figured. But again...what's next? I was expecting you to talk me out of my craziness."
"When we have more time, I'd like to review the pIeces to your puzzle. Perhaps together, we can uncover that elusive pattern."
X X X X X
Later that night in the penthouse apartment of the most expensive apartment building in Arcadia, Susan Radovitch lounges on her bed wearing sweat pants and a tee shirt. She always preferred this casual attire to her closet's endless supply of lacy nightgowns and girly-girly dresses bought by her step-mom at the urging of her father. It is almost as if her Dad expects her 'tom-boy' stage to end at any moment, to be replaced with a never-going-to-happen princess phase. Step-mom undoubtedly knows the truth, but she has always chosen not to interfere in the odd father/daughter relationship.
Maybe Joan is right, she should tell Dad... Susan shakes her head. Despite the fact she was never a doll-playing, dress-wearing princess, Susan knows her Dad always wanted that sort of little girl. Maybe that is why he is in such denial of the blatantly obvious. She is certain that when she eventually tells Dad the truth, he will still love her and be fully supportive. But, she also knows that for just one moment she will see in his eyes a painful shattering of his dreams for her life. No matter how hard she tries, Susan can't bring herself to face that moment.
Susan sighs and resumes looking through last year's Arcadia High yearbook--lingering every time she comes across a photo of Joan. She closes her eyes, remembering the kiss and re-experiencing the excited tingling that swept through her entire body. Susan has limited experience with other girls, but none have excited her the way Joan does. She was always aware of how attractive Joan is, but until this afternoon she never imagined how intensely desireable she could be. Sadly, Susan could tell from the kiss that Joan is overwhelmingly straight. Still, she hadn't called off the 'experiment'. Maybe, if she went slowly and built trust, Joan could be persuaded to go further. Much further...
A knock on the door interrupts Susan's train of thought. Quickly, she slips the yearbook behind her pillow and opens her history text.
"Come in."
Dr. Dan enters the bedroom looking surprisingly ill at ease. "It's getting late, Princess. Are you ready to turn in?"
"As soon as I finish this chapter, Dad."
Dr. Dan nods and then hesitates until the delay becomes awkward...
"Dad, is there something wrong?"
"I was thinking about this afternoon."
"Dad, I told you, it was Joan who kissed me."
"I know. It's just that I think I over reacted."
"It must have been a shock."
"Yes, from a father's viewpoint. But from a doctor's perspective, I handled the situation badly. I should have remembered how fragile Joan is."
"Fragile?"
"Ethically I can't go into details, but Joan isn't as strong as she looks. I'm concerned that this new, tenative venture into bisexuality may be a tipping point for her."
"You're worried that if 'I' reject 'Joan' she might...go over the edge?"
"I know it must seem unlikely, but Joan's rash action today was really a cry for help. I'm concerned that any harsh blow to her ego could send her back to the state she was in when I first met her."
"That bad?"
"She was a basket case."
"I had no idea. " Susan lies. While she had only skimmed Joan's file last year, she did remember her Dad's preliminary notes. "So, what exactly are you asking me to do?"
Dr. Dan blushes deeply. "Nothing too over the line. Should Joan continue to express-uh-'romantic' feelings for you...maybe you could not reject her? I know I'm asking a lot..."
"I'm still not sure what you are asking. How far should I take this?"
Dr. Dan gulps hard. "I-I don't know. I'm concerned that if Joan is too abruptly denied... But, of course, I wouldn't want you to... That is..."
"Okay Dad, I think I understand."
Dr. Dan breathes a sigh of relief and wipes sweat from his brow. "Thank you, Susan. I'm sure this won't last long, and it may save a young woman's sanity. Thank you. Goodnight, Princess."
"Goodnight, Dad."
Dr. Dan exits, and Susan's mind races wildly. What the hell was that all about? Was he serious, or is this her Dad's way of letting her know he has finally figured out her 'secret'? Either way, it lined up perfectly with her plan for Joan...
Out in the hall, Dr. Dan struggles to control his tears. Oh God, how had he come to this point in his life? To use his own daughter as bait? But, he needed leverage. Somehow he knew, like from an inner voice, Joan's comments this afternoon were more than a shot in the dark. The town hero either knew or at least suspected his secret, and Joan had proven with the Ryan Hunter business that she can be a dangerous foe. He must act to protect himself. Tomorow he would hire a private detective to get the evidence he needed for his plan to ruin Joan...
TBC Please review.