At long last, the lunch bell rang.
Finally, Mike thought, stretching out his arms as he meandered down the hall, Luke and Hannah out in front. I can't believe it would be this hard to pay attention. Still, he'd do anything to defeat this Fallen Angel. He had to fix this.
The students spilled out into the sunshine. Mike heard Luke and Hannah talking several yards ahead of him.
"-at least this mission is nowhere near as frightening as our others," Luke was declaring happily. Hannah muttered something, keeping to the shadows by the side of the path.
Luke slowed. "Hey, that garden over there looks really nice! It's so small, and there are those massive blue flowers. What do you think?"
Hannah regarded the area in question. "They certainly are flamboyant. But with those wide petals, it's possible something might be concealed beneath-" she broke off. "…what are you doing?"
Luke finally succeeded in freeing a large basket from his bag. He swallowed, and tapped it, face to the ground.
"Well, you see, I uh… well I just so happen to have with me this picnic. There are some apples and bottles of water, and some really-nice-tomato-sandwiches, and a blanket… and, well, maybe we could go eat in the garden? I mean, if you're not busy."
Hannah was silent for a moment. Her arms were crossing and uncrossing, unsure just what they should be doing. "Well, I… I suppose I do like tomato sandwiches..."
Mike watched as Luke eagerly began to set up. He tossed down the checkered blanket under the flowers, weighted the corners with food, and filled the air with chatter.
People are really are capable of so much, even in the hardest of times, Mike thought. Smiling, he was about to steal way, when something caught his ear.
"Hannah, what was your life like?"
Her eyes widened, her mouth full of tomato. She hurriedly swallowed. "What? Why do you care?"
Luke busied himself with slathering a cracker in peanut butter. "Oh, uh, it's just, you know… I want to know more about you. And I thought if I knew what your life was like, then maybe I'd understand you better."
Hannah's head dropped a fraction.
"If you don't want to talk about it, that's-"
"No. I can tell you anything about my about my life, it won't bother me. None of it really matters anymore. It doesn't matter if I talk about it, because…my…life… means nothing to me."
₪ "No matter how difficult live may be, it can be survived. If you learn the lessons of survival, how to eradicate threats, how to make yourself stronger, how to never trust…
"I was always my Daddy's girl. That was on the pink sign outside my bedroom; it was how people saw me. It was how I saw myself.
"My daddy was a preacher in our roomy parish in Alabama. He had a very large congregation; people always said he had a way with words. We never lacked for anything. My friends always wanted to come to our house; we had a tennis court, and a swimming pool. I had American girl dolls, a real maid, and a deluxe Barbie Dream House."
Hanna's hand clenched around the blade at her side. "I was Daddy's little princess. He never could say no to me, and boy, I used that to my advantage. I trusted him totally. I knew nothing could ever harm me. My Daddy had told me so.
"Daddy had some weird friends. They always came at night, in shiny cars. Daddy never let me meet them, always made me go to bed. I knew enough not to ask questions.
"One night after a meeting with his friends, my Daddy called me aside. 'Princess, I have been given some great news. Very shortly, our fortunes shall become even greater.' He was alive with energy-his smile was electric, his face glowed. I couldn't resist him when he was like this.
"I was breathless. 'Oh my Gosh, why?' I giggled.
"'The Lord provides. Just trust him. We're both looking out for our little Princess.'
"Sometimes, it all just seemed too miraculous to me. That I would have two fathers, who would love me so much. I was just a kid, but I was important in the King's eyes. That's what my daddy had taught me.
"For weeks, I wondered what the mysterious fortune could be. My dream was to be a professional violinist. I wanted to make my own songs, and create beautiful noise! There was a special school I desperately wanted to go to. Maybe, that was what my Daddy was planning for me.
"But every day, my father became more withdrawn. His sermons became frantic, and when he was alone, his hands would shake."
Hannah was still, cross-legged with eyes shut tight.
"My father's friends came on a rainy and moonless night. I remember waking up in the dead of night, hearing a crash. There was a thump from downstairs, then another crash. That came from the chapel, I thought. I stumbled downstairs, blinking in my nightgown, and wandered into the holy room.
"The alter lay fallen onto a pile of broken candlesticks. My father cowered against it, shaking under the barrel of a blonde women's pistol.
"Calling out, I ran to him, only to feel someone grab me. A man pulled me to him, pinning my arms painfully. He laughed as I screamed.
"'Daddy, I cried,' what's going on, who are these people? I'm scared!'
"The man laughed again, loud and high-pitched. 'What's this Milligan, never told your pretty girl about your old pals? Hahahaha, oh listen, I'm "Knight", and the joker over there is Bishop. A regular barrel of laughs.'
"Bishop did not acknowledge her associate. She was beautiful. She had a strong face, and a powerful body that lay coiled inside a formal suit. I remember looking at her eyes, and feeling like I was falling into a voyd.
Her fierce gaze never left my father. 'The Rinsey account went south, Milligan. McBordey, Kosher, all gone, all your ideas. Losses have been catastrophic.'
"'Everyone makes mistakes,' my father whimpered. 'I'm only human, please, please, just don…"
"'Just don't kill you? You know what kind of business this is, Milligan. It's thanks to us, plus the cash you scoop of the collection bins, that you can live in this pretty house,' Bishop spat. She kicked aside a candle. 'We always settle our debts. You know this.'
"Then, my heart stopped. My father was begging. He had fallen down to his knees, the strongest man in my life. His back faced the cross of his church, as my Daddy groveled. 'Please, you have to understand. I'm pleading, just give me some slack!' His eyes were red, his lips bubbled like bloated worms. 'You can take whatever you like, whatever just please, don't hurt me!"
"'Dad!" I cried... My heart was racing, my face was red, but I wasn't scared. I was in the house of the Lord, nothing bad could truly happen. This had to be a dream. I was my Daddy's little girl. 'Daddy, it's okay! They wouldn't dare hurt you, tell them who you are! You're God's soldier, his servant, his-"
"A loud hiss interrupted me. For a moment, I almost thought Bishop was laughing. But then I saw her face.
"Bishop's hate-filled face shown down on me, driven by the confidence of experience, pure in power. She was untouchable. 'God? You think God will protect you, the God of Milligan? Look at this gun, you child. With this gun, I have total power over the both of you. With this, I have the power to end your lives. And so, I am your God. And now, your father will learn the true nature of the Lord.'
"'NO!' my father shrieked. 'You can't! I can pay it back, take the house, take whatever you want!'
"The thugs paused. Suddenly, I felt a finger, stroking my cheek.
"'You know,' I heard Knight whisper. "This one ain't half bad. We could get a good price for her, on the market down in New Orleans."
"Bishop cocked her head, her stone eyes scanning me like a bar code. "Actually... you have a point. In fact…" she shrugged. 'Very well, Milligan. You can keep your life. On second thought, you could still be useful. You can use your mind-less congregation to pay back what you owe.'
"'Meanwhile, we'll be needing your daughter as a down payment."
"Knight drew me close to him, and he strode toward the exit, kicking pews aside as he went.
"My father collapsed as Bishop left him, gaze on the pristinely clean floor.
"'Dad!' I screamed, elbowing, thrashing. I tried to fight, desperately trying to catch his eye.
"'Hold on,' I remember him saying. Now that he wasn't under a gun, some strength had returned to him. "The Kines account is still profitable. I still get my cut from that, right?"
"Bishop ignored him, and just swept towards the door. Knight giggled, and patted my father on the head, before following after.
"I fought, and I screamed, and I called out to him. Damn it, I begged him. But my Daddy never looked up to acknowledged his little Princess, as I was drug out the chapel door."
Hannah blinked; she lowered the knife she had subconsciously clenched in her fist.
"On the toy market, they had a name for the products. The buyers and sellers called us 'Teddy Bears.' Useable, then disposable.
"No matter how much I tried to protect the people I met, Teddy Bears wear out after a few years. I was lucky. I lasted five."
Luke didn't move. His food lay untouched at his side.
"In keeping me in existence, the Lord has made a deadly error. There will be justice. I can't let him get away with it. He must pay for all of the lives his world destroys, for all of the children he has hurt." Hannah's shoulders, usually straight with readiness, shook. "I will become strong. I won't let him hurt anyone else."
Luke couldn't speak for a minute. He was clearly at a loss for words. Finally, he offered her a basket.
"…would you like a strawberry?"
Hannah stumbled. "Uh, no, I… It's fine."
Luke took a deep breath. "Hey… I know I might not be as strong as you. But… Hannah, I want to help you. I want you to know that I'm with you on this, against any monster, angel or God."
But Hannah only turned away. "Luke, I don't need anyone. I can survive on my own."
She continued to eat her sandwich in silence, while Luke withered.
Mike had slumped to the ground, his back to the pillar separating him from the picnic.
And I thought I had difficulties. I thought my life was hard, just because I was an apathetic loser who didn't care about anyone. In the world all-around me people had lives like Hannah, and meanwhile, I did nothing…
Mike felt like crumbling. He felt so useless it burned. In his life, he'd died before touching someone else, he was worthless.
Maybe I deserved that crappy world, but did the rest of us? What kind of world is it, where Winnie's brothers and sister were killed out of simple spite? Where Hayley's dream was taken? Where Harry's life was degraded to filth? Where God's own angelic servant is left by herself, alone and abused? Where my sister died, before she had a chance to…
What kind of world would hurt Hannah so much, that she's afraid to let anyone close?
Mike's hands knit themselves into fists. God didn't care, he didn't love. He had total power, he could do anything, create anything, and yet… Pain. He created pain.
But not for much longer. The Battlefront was coming, and there would be justice.