Dream Makers: Dream Of Me Part 18

Serenity's stomach dropped to her feet as she heard the voice was Rat's. At that point, she was no longer thinking. She was simply on auto pilot. In hindsight she would realize that she should have taken a few minutes to go and tell her aunt and uncle and Dair, but her only thought was get to Emma. She flew out of the bathroom. Instead of going back out through the large room full of people, she raced toward the other direction, down the hall, and out the back door. The cold air rushed into her lungs as she slammed through the door and into the night. Serenity hadn't bothered to stop and grab her coat, and as she reached her car she was thankful that she'd taken her car key off the key chain and stuffed it in her front pocket. She hadn't wanted to carry a purse with her and all her keys were too big to fit comfortably in her pockets.

Her hands were shaking as she reached into her pocket to get the key. The ridges got caught on the fabric and she heard it rip when she forced the key out. The lock was frozen so Serenity had to be careful not to break the key off attempting to unlock the door. Her mind was filling up with horrible scenarios as she leaned down and breathed warm breath over the key hole, all the while praying that she would get there in time. In time for what, she didn't know. She just knew she needed to hurry. Mercifully, she felt the key finally slip into the lock after her fifth attempt. Serenity was pretty sure something or someone was helping her along because she had never moved as fast as she did in those few minutes. She threw herself into the seat, closing the door and starting the car at the same time. She had it in reverse and was flooring the small car through the ice-covered parking lot faster than she could sing the first ten presidents of the song she'd learned in the fifth grade. For whatever reason, when she was extremely stressed, that song popped into her head and she would sing it in her mind. Weird, she knew.

Her car was on the road to Mildred's house in a flash, slipping and sliding, but somehow, miraculously, she didn't end up in a ditch. There were no other cars on the street, which was a ma.s.sive blessing. Something about the dark night seemed so sinister in that moment. The emptiness of all the parking lots and the lack of people loitering around the stores was eerie. Considering everything within the city limits was practically in walking distance of each other, Serenity was sure that Mildred's house had somehow jumped up and walked clear across the county as long as it was taking her to get there. Her fingers tapped a beat to the worry that was bouncing around in her head. She wanted to kick herself for not going and getting Emma. Serenity should have known that Mildred would be throwing some sort of sick soiree with the vermin she called friends.

Her hand slammed down against the steering wheel as she shouted, "DAMMIT." How could she have been so foolish? And now because Serenity had talked herself out of picking the little girl up, Emma was stuck in the hands of those monsters. Where the h.e.l.l was Raphael she wondered? She couldn't imagine that he would leave Emma, especially if Mildred's friends were around.

Serenity's foot pressed harder on the gas pedal as her destination came into view. She hit the driveway at a speed that caused her low front end to bounce off the uneven concrete. Serenity didn't care. All she could think about was getting to Emma. She threw the car in park and was out the door without even realizing that she hadn't shut the engine off. Her feet pounded against the unforgiving frozen ground, causing a jarring pain to shoot up her legs. She ignored it. She also ignored the pain of her shoulder slamming into the front door as she turned the k.n.o.b and shoved her way into the house.

With all of the scenarios she had built up in her mind, she hadn't come close to hitting the mark. The scene before her was like something out of a horror movie. The room was dark with only a small lamp casting a low light. Serenity quickly found Emma standing against the far wall with her eyes wide and her body stiff. Raphael stood behind her but she could tell no one else could see him. In that moment she wanted to yell and scream at the angel. What the h.e.l.l was he doing just standing there? How could he not be getting Emma out of the house while a drunk, highand who knew what elsemad man waved a gun around muttering under his breath. Rat didn't even seem to register that Serenity had entered the room. Mildred sat slightly dazed on the couch, her eyes s.h.i.+fting from person to person. She truly didn't seemed bothered by Rat or his gun. Serenity wondered why people like this were allowed to live. They only existed to hurt others. Their lives seemed like a serious waste of s.p.a.ce, and she knew those thoughts were utterly hateful, but she couldn't bring herself to care as she watched tears stream down Emma's face.

"Mildred," Serenity practically growled. "What have you done?" She pointed at Rat and her lips curled up like a vicious predator ready to devour its prey. "Why would you let that man in here with a gun while your niece is in the house?"

Her voice finally jarred Rat from his demented rambling as he stopped his pacing and turned his head slowly towards her. It reminded Serenity of a scary movie she had once watched where a demon had crawled across the ceiling and then stopped to turn its horrible face on its victim just as slowly. She battled with herself to stand her ground, to not step back away from the evil that stood before her. And that's what he waspure evil. There was something in his eyes that hadn't been there the first time she'd met him. Almost as if Rat wasn't the only one home, something else had taken up residency in his body and was influencing his actions.

"Pretty, pretty, pretty." His voice was slightly higher than last time, and Serenity hadn't thought she could be any more freaked out. She was wrong. "Pretty." His body turned towards hers as he whispered the word that would now be forever burned in her mind, in that voice. Serenity was sure that if anyone ever called her pretty again she would vomit on them.

Serenity was frozen under the sinister glare. Everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath as they waited for the puppet before them to say something more. The fear rolling off of Emma was palpable, and Serenity just wanted to cross the room and gather her up in her arms, s.h.i.+elding her from Rat and his gun. But she couldn't move so she did the only thing she could in that moment, she prayed, G.o.d help us. The thought repeated itself over and over as she waited for Rat to make his next move.

Chapter 13.

"If you dream that you are in a circus, tied to a spinning board, and the knife thrower is flinging his blades at you, it means something painful is about to happen in your life."

Emma was like stone against the wall staring at Serenity who looked as shocked as she felt. How had this happened, she kept asking herself? Her mind sifted through the events of the evening, trying to determine where her situation went from 'kind of bad' to 'category five hurricane bad'. She and Raphael had been sitting in her room, attempting to entertain themselves by drawing up the plans for a large scale incendiary device, or BKB, as Emma had called it. When Raphael had asked her why she called it a BKB, she just rolled her eyes and said, "Big Kablooey Bomb, duh." Raphael had refused to get her the material but he at least agreed to let her sketch it out on paper. There had been a wall jarring bang and then the sound of Rat's voice filled the house. Emma recalled the look on Raphael's face when he'd heard Rat's voice.

"Raphael, what's wrong?" Emma asked him. She knew that he was worried about Rat hurting her, but the look on Raphael's face went far beyond worry. Fear, then anger, then resolve, flashed in the angel's eyes.

Raphael didn't answer her as he stood and went to the bedroom door. She watched as he did something to the door k.n.o.b, working his angel mojo she decided. He didn't move from that spot. Emma sat still, trying not to hear the things Rat was yelling and cringing when she did. He sounded frantic, almost out of control. She wondered what drug could bring out such a reaction, because the only effects she'd seen so far on her aunt and the others were the sluggish kind. Rat was anything but sluggish.

The sound of shattering gla.s.s filled the hall, and for a brief moment, she imagined the gla.s.s was her own life breaking into a thousand tiny little pieces. She knew that all her efforts to keep it together had been futile. The cracks were too many and too deep. How had she thought she could handle living here? How did she think she could possibly survive in the care of one such as Mildred, who wouldn't care if people hurt her? Emma felt like an optimistic fool. She was eight years old for goodness sakes. Who was she that such ugliness couldn't touch her?

"Emma," Raphael's voice was sharp.

She looked up at him and saw the stern glare that pierced her.

"Do not let it taint you."

"What?" she asked, her voice sounding hoa.r.s.e.

"The evil that has entered this house; it is not just the evil of a man's flesh. Something supernatural is happening and it is affecting you. I can see it in your face; do not let it crush you. The lies it is whispering to you are just that-lies. Fight back with truth."

She was trying to catch up with what the angel was saying, but negative thoughts swirled in her head clouding her mind. Raphael had said something about supernatural. Her eyes narrowed and she sucked in a breath. "Do you mean a demon, like what you were talking about earlier? Is it because you told me about themsort of like that saying, speak of the devil and he will...," her words trailed off as she watched his reaction.

Raphael's shoulders tensed. He was so rigid that Emma thought if she pushed him he would fall stiffly to the ground like a statue being toppled on its side. His jaw flexed as he ground his teeth together. "Rat is a weak man," he finally said. "I told you that the minions find people who are weak and influence them. They gain their power off of those like Rat who have no willpower to fight back. Rat has practically rolled out the red carpet for the beast."

"Cookies and lemonade," Emma said with a sad shake of her head. "Like mama said, 'What do you expect if you offer the devil a recliner and hand feed him grapes?' "

Raphael's lips twitched. Emma thought it was funny that the angel got such a kick out of her mama's sayings. She was glad someone appreciated them as much as she did. Another crash had her attention snapping back to the present. It was quiet suddenly but Emma didn't think the chaos was over. No, it was more like the calm before the storm. She couldn't have been more right. Her door smashed inward under the force of someone either kicking it or ramming their shoulder into it. Emma stood quickly and backed away, looking from Raphael to the door. The look in the angel's eyes was one of complete helplessness. Finally, the door crashed in and Rat stood in its place.

"Time to come out and play," he said as a sinister smile stretched across his wild-eyed face.

Something was wrong with him and it wasn't just the drugs. Raphael didn't need to tell her that. She could see the man. It was clear Rat was under the influence of something so twisted and evil that it made it difficult for anyone in the room to breathe. She took a tentative step toward the doorway. She'd much prefer to exit on her own rather than being man handled by Rat. As she walked past Raphael, she felt the brief warmth of his touch on her shoulder and heard him speak in a language that she didn't understand. Rat's head snapped up as though he had heard the angel. Emma looked from one to the other, waiting with baited breath. All of a sudden she was quite certain, judging from the look of utter hatred stretched across the gaunt man's face, that Rat could see Raphael.

Raphael's eyes met Rat's. But it wasn't a man's eyes that stared back at the angel. It was an ancient evil, one he had contended with many times before. This demon was extremely cunning. He knew with exacting certainty the rules that would keep him from being cast into the fire, and he was careful not to cross them. Raphael could see humor in the beast's eyes. He was laughing at Raphael. The demon knew that the angel couldn't touch him. Free will of the humans prevented the angels from interfering. Unless given a direct order by the Creator, Raphael could not intervene when the rules had not been broken. Raphael had received no such order.

"Why are you even here, light bearer?" The demon's voice was a hiss and sounded odd coming out of Rat's mouth. "You know you can do nothing. You have no purpose."

Raphael's muscles flexed with the urge to do battle. He had served in the Creator's army and fought many foes, and still the demons of h.e.l.l paraded across the earth wreaking havoc. Of course, the only power these foul creatures wielded was whatever the humans allowed them.

"I serve a greater purpose than you can imagine, ancient one. It is you who truly has no place in this world. You are nothing but a parasite, weak without your host." Raphael could see that his words had hit a nerve. Demons were extremely prideful beings and hated to be insulted. This demon in particular was one that specialized in violence. These types of creatures seemed to be especially p.r.i.c.kly. Raphael was surprised that Rat didn't carry the demon of addiction, considering his recreational habits. A demon which, though no less dangerous, was much more subtle.

"You know what must take place and what is ordained," the demon taunted. "I have been given permission."

"Not to harm the human!" Raphael growled. "You may influence your host, but he must choose. It must be by his hand." Raphael moved faster than a human could track and had Rat's arm in his hand before the man could back away. He felt the demon squirm inside of the man as Raphael searched Rat's mind. He had to know if there was anything salvageable left in the man. Could he be reasoned with so that he could fight off the evil that was attempting to coerce him to act? He could see Emma out of the corner of his eye. She stood, watching and barely breathing. He imagined she was attempting to keep from drawing Rat's attention to her. Smart girl, Raphael thought.

Raphael searched the man's mind and found that it was depraved beyond his worst imagining. He fought the urge to crush him, to prevent him from playing his part in what was to come, but it was not his place. He would not be like Lucifer so many millennia ago who decided that he should be equal to the Creator. He would trust and obey, as he always had. Raphael released the man's arm and stepped back. "I will be watching," he warned the beast.

A sick giggle bubbled up out of Rat's throat. He motioned for Emma to move forward. She hesitated at first, but one hiss from the demon had the girl's feet moving quickly across the stained and worn carpet. Raphael followed them both into the living room. Mildred was sitting on the couch with her eyes glazed over. As soon as Raphael entered the room, her eyes snapped up to meet his, and she let out a high squeal that should never have come from a human's mouth. The demon staring back at him from her face was weaker than the one that occupied Rat. Raphael held its gaze, trying to get a read on what type of ent.i.ty he was dealing with. He watched Mildred fidget as the beast inside her grew uncomfortable under the angel's scrutiny.

"Leave us be, light bearer," the demon said softly. "She invited me in; it was her choice."

Raphael knew that the demon hadn't been in the woman long. Mildred did not have the signs of one that had been possessed for a significant amount of time. She was gaunt looking, but not from supernatural evil. Her broken appearance was her own doing. It saddened him anytime he came across a human that had given into the lies that were whispered to them by h.e.l.l's minions. It meant one more of the Creator's children had wandered too far.

"You will call the girl that was here with you the other day," Rat's voice was his own again but Raphael could still feel the demon's presence. "You might not be old enough for what I want, but she is. Call her, or I will kill your aunt and make you watch. Then you will join her." He stared at Emma as he pulled the gun from where it had been hidden under his s.h.i.+rt.

Emma's hands shook as she picked up the phone that sat on the edge of the worn out couch. Her eyes stayed on Rat as she spoke. "I'll call her; just give me a second to think of her number."

Rat growled. "Hurry up!"

Raphael took a step toward the man but forced himself to stop. All he could yet do was be present for Emma so she would not be alone. He felt useless and angry. He did not understand why it had to happen this way.

Emma hadn't been trying to stall when she told Rat that she needed to remember the number. Her mind was a jumbled mess and her hands were shaking from the adrenaline that was racing through her body. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest that Emma was sure she was going to be one of the few eight-year-olds in history that had died from a heart attack. Deciding she was pretty sure that she had the number figured out, she pushed the on b.u.t.ton of the old, wireless phone. Emma hadn't been around when these phones had been in almost every household in America, but she was pretty sure that this one had been dragged out of the garbage long after those days had pa.s.sed. The years of grime that coated it made her want to wipe it down with those Clorox wipes her mama loved so much, spray it with Lysol, and then wipe it down again. Emma's fingers stuck to the b.u.t.tons as she pushed them, and she tried not to think about the myriad of substances that might be causing the tackiness.

As she pushed the last number, she thought it was funny that though there was a man holding a gun on her, in that moment she was thinking about not wanting to hold that disgusting phone near her face. That right there proved that she must be going into shock. The phone began to ring and she tried not to hold her breath while she waited for Serenity to answer.

"h.e.l.lo?" Finally, Serenity's voice crackled over the line. It was both the most precious and most devastating thing Emma had ever heard. She knew she was dragging Serenity into her mess and she hated it. But she couldn't stop herself because she didn't want to die alone in that house.

Serenity wanted to look at Emma again to make sure that she was alright but she didn't want to take her eyes off of Rat. He was the threat in the room and she would be stupid to think he wouldn't use the weapon in his hand.

"You're gonna come with me," Rat finally spoke. His crazed and l.u.s.t-filled eyes roamed over her, causing Serenity to feel as though she needed a bath and perhaps to be dowsed in bleach as well.

"Let Emma leave first," Serenity countered and was surprised that her voice didn't shake. She wasn't feeling nearly as confident as she sounded but she couldn't show him weakness. "Let Emma leave and then I will go with you. You have my word."

Rat let out a disgusted snort. "The word of a woman, what good is that?"

Serenity tried not to roll her eyes. Great, he's got mommy issues, she thought. If he hates women there's no telling what his sick mind has planned. She knew that she couldn't let her mind wander down that road or she'd vomit right there in front of him.

"I can't speak for others, but my word is good. If I say I'm going to do it then I'm going to do it," she told him and then looked over at Emma. "Come here, Emma." She motioned with her hand. Emma started to move forward but Rat pointed the gun at her and she froze.

"Stop!" Serenity yelled. "If you shoot her then you might as well shoot me too because you will not take me alive from this house if you don't let her go." Rat looked at her, back to Emma, and then back to Serenity again. She could tell that he was trying to figure out if she was bluffing. She hoped that he chose correctly.

"Fine," he huffed like a petulant child. "But if she goes for help and someone shows up here, I'll kill you."

Serenity ignored his threat as she again motioned for Emma to come to her. Emma moved cautiously across the living room and, though it was only around twenty five feet, it felt as though miles separated the two as she waited for the girl to reach her. When Emma was less than a foot away from Serenity's outstretched hand, Rat suddenly lifted the gun and, from that moment on, everything seemed for Serenity to move in slow motion.

Her eyes widened as she looked over at Rat and saw something else staring out of the man's eyes. It was an evil so vile and dark that the already meager lights in the room seemed to dim.

"She must die," Rat howled, but it wasn't Rat's voice, and even that statement seemed to come out in a slow motion scream.

Serenity simultaneously pushed Emma behind her while moving toward Rat and the gun that was now aimed at her. Rat pulled the trigger and the bullet flew from the barrel. Serenity felt as though she could see it slicing through the air moving directly toward her.

Somehow, from somewhere far away it seemed, she heard Dair's voice. It was a primal roar, and she could feel pain in the sound. But despite that awareness, she was at total peace. For so long she had wondered what her destiny was. She never knew what she wanted to do or where she wanted to go. Since her parents' death, she had felt as though she was just going through the motions of life until...until Dair. Flashes of his handsome face flew threw her mind. Then she saw the future she could have had with Dair shatter along with her rib cage as the bullet sliced into her body. The projectile hit with such force that it knocked her back against the wall behind her, and her head made a resounding thud but her body never hit the floor. Dair's arms were around her, lowering her gently to the ground. His dark eyes bore into her, swirling with emotions. She wanted to reach up and smooth away the crease in his brow but her arm would not obey her command. She s.h.i.+vered as the cold crept inside, enfolding her in death's embrace.

Serenity was dying. She knew that with utter certainty and yet she was not afraid. There was a part of her that was sad. The part of her that belonged to Dair wanted her to fight. It wanted a life with him and it refused to leave this life behind. But another part of her, somewhere deep inside, knew that this had been her path all along. This part of her knew that it was her destiny all along to be here to save Emma, and it was resigned and at peace with what had happened.

"Don't leave me," Dair whispered against her ear. She felt the darkness surround them and knew that Dair was using his disappearing act to take them somewhere else but she was quickly growing tired. She wasn't able to concentrate on the sounds that now filled the air. Dair laid her down on a firm surface and suddenly there was a flurry of people surrounding her but none of them were Dair. He was pushed back away from her and she wanted to cry out for him to come back. If she was going to die, she wanted his face to be the last thing she saw and his voice to be the last sound she heard. But instead, as her eyes slipped closed, the last thing she saw were green scrubs leaning over her, and the last sound she heard was the voice of some random person saying, "We're losing her." And then there was nothing.

Dair fought the urge to push the medical staff out of the way to get back to where he belonged, back to her side. He had no idea if she could be saved, but he had to try. He couldn't just let her go without a fight. His footsteps echoed against the tile floor as he paced outside the room where the doctors and nurses were attempting to save his love's life. The harsh florescent lights seemed even brighter as fear and anger filled him. Dair couldn't get the image out of his mind. He had appeared in Mildred's house to the scene of his darkest nightmare.

He had waited for Serenity to return from the ladies' room, and after fifteen minutes he had gone back to check on her. When he realized she wasn't in the restroom, he had searched the restaurant, and the longer he went without finding her the more frantic he had become. Just as he was walking out to the parking lot to see if her car was still there, he heard Raphael's voice in his mind. "Come to Mildred's. Now." The angel's voice had been so filled with rage that Dair had begun to shake with his own.

Then he was there watching Rat pull the trigger, the bullet rus.h.i.+ng through the air, and then hitting its targethis Serenity. Dair hadn't been able to move. As though his feet were encased in cement, deep in the ground, he was trapped in the spot where he had appeared. As he watched her body fly back with the impact and crash into the wall, he saw her begin to crumble to the floor. That brought him out of his stupor and he caught her before she could hit the ground. Her body was limp, lifeless, and broken. Dair looked into her eyes, searching for her, imploring her to fight. Serenity's breathing was labored and he could hear her heartbeat stutter as it fought to keep pumping. He could see the light fading from her, pulling further and further away from him, and he panicked. Dair knew what the Creator had shown him. He knew that this was her destiny but he could not accept it. So he vanished with her in his arms and reappeared at the hospital not caring if he scared some poor soul to death when he suddenly materialized in the ER doorway.

The hours ticked by as he continued to pace. He was vaguely aware of Serenity's aunt and uncle arriving with Raphael, Glory and Emma. They didn't approach him and he imagined that had something to do with Raphael, and he would be forever grateful to the angel for interfering. Although the looks Glory was shooting him made it clear she was not happy about not being able to speak with him. He wasn't sure that he could be polite and maintain the correct social etiquette that the situation warranted. Dair didn't want to hurt Darla or Glory or be rude so it was better if he just stayed separate from them for now. Raphael, however, didn't seem to be worried about Dair's temperament.

"Are you alright?" the angel asked, his voice flat, betraying no emotion.

Dair shook his head unsure of how to answer. He didn't know if he was alright and he wouldn't know until Serenity's fate was made clear. If she died, then the answer to that question would be a huge resounding h.e.l.l no.

"I killed the human who shot her." He told Dair this as if he went around killing humans every day, which was not the case.

Dair's head snapped up as his furrowed brow deepened. "You broke the law?"

Raphael shook his head. "No. The demon that the man housed took matters into his own hands. He made the human raise the gun and pull the trigger. He took the man's free will away and so I destroyed him. But it cost the human his life."

"It's no less than he deserved," Dair growled through clenched teeth. He finally stopped his pacing and stood in front of his long time comrade. "I have something I have to do. Will you stay here with her?" The last thing Dair wanted to do was leave Serenity, but there was one who could save her, one who had that power, and he would try anything to save her. Even begging.

"Of course."

Dair nodded his thanks and then stepped around the corner of the hallway, making himself invisible to all but two. He came back around the corner and pa.s.sed Raphael without a word, heading straight for the young girl who sat quietly in one of the dingy waiting room chairs. Dair knelt down in front of Emma and gave her a sad smile. "How are you doing?" he asked with more gentleness than he realized he was capable of in that moment. Glory sat next to the young girl holding her smaller hand tightly in hers. Her face also was streaked with tears but Dair could tell she was trying to keep it together for Emma's sake.

A single tear slid down Emma's cheek as she looked up at him. Her eyes darted away to check and see if anyone was watching her he a.s.sumed. If anyone was watching, it would appear that she was talking to herself. She apparently wasn't worried about what Glory would think, probably because Glory knew all about him. When her eyes were back on him she let out a shuddering breath. "I didn't want to call her. I did this to her. If I'd told Rat no then-,"

"Then you would be dead, Emma," Dair interrupted. He wouldn't sugarcoat it, not for her. Such patronizing would be insulting to her intelligence. "Rat did this, not you. n.o.body blames you, and you know Serenity doesn't either."

"She's going to die, isn't she?" Emma asked, her words shaking out of her.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I hope not."

"I'm praying that she doesn't. It's not her time, Dair. She's too young; I mean she's older than me but mama would still call her a barely blossomed flower. She'd say Serenity hadn't reached her full bloom and that the sun was still rising in her life. She used to say that to me all the time. She'd say my mind bloomed way before the rest of me. Serenity shouldn't be picked before her season is over. Think of how many people will miss out on knowing her. She saved me, Dair, not just my life but my spirit. She and Darla and Wayne took me in and loved me, and now Serenity will pay the price for knowing me and being a part of my messed up life."

Dair placed his finger under her chin and raised her head once again so she would look at him. She was so wise for one so young, and yet she was still just a child in so many other ways. The grief she had already experienced in her few short years was more than most would experience in an entire lifetime. The fact that she wasn't a complete mess was a miracle, and yet she truly had no clue just how special she was. "First of all, even if Serenity had known the outcome, even if she could have seen into the future, and had known what happened today, she would not have changed anything. She would still have latched onto you and taken you as her little sister. She would have still loved you fiercely and she would have given her life knowing that yours was one worthy of saving. Whatever the outcome of this, I hope that you will not let it make you bitter. You've lost so much, Emma Jean, and yet you remain a beacon of light in a dark world. Don't change, not for anything or anyone."

Emma wiped the tears from her eyes as she attempted to give him a rea.s.suring smile. "What about you?" she asked. "You love her."

He nodded.

"If she dies, what will become of you?"

Dair attempted to let out a slow breath but it felt tight in his chest and threatened to choke him. He didn't want to think about Serenity dying. He didn't want to give a second's thought to a world without her. "I do not know. I have never experienced loss. The emotions that I've recently begun to feel are new to me, and I will admit that I don't know what I will do if I lose her."

"You deserve her, you know," Emma said gently. "I know you don't think you're worthy of her. My daddy used to tell my mom that all the time. My mama would look at him and say, stupid man, it is the love we choose to give each other that makes us worthy. Don't sell yourself short, Sandman. Sure, you have terrible taste in clothes and your job is pretty weird, but you chose to love an imperfect human and she chose to love you. I think that proves that you both are worthy too."

Dair patted her softly on the knee and then stood. Emma truly baffled him at times with her wisdom and knowledge and it left him speechless. "I have to go for a little while. Raphael will stay."

"I'm asking Him too."

Dair's head tilted to the side.

She nodded up toward the ceiling. "The Creator. That's where you're going, right? Well, I'm talking to Him too and asking Him to leave her here with us."

Dair didn't know what to say. Again he was speechless. So he only nodded and then disappeared. Emma was right; he was going to the Creator. He had no clue what he was going to say. But he knew he had to pet.i.tion Him, to intercede on Serenity's behalf. Dair wasn't sure if he was about to face the wrath of the Creator for his interference, but he would risk it. For her sake, he would risk anything.

Chapter 14.

"Dreaming that you are moving toward a bright light does not necessarily mean your time on earth is coming to an end. It could perhaps mean that you have a brilliant idea brewing and don't even know it."

Serenity opened her eyes and felt the warmth of the sun on her skin. She took in a deep, painless breath and smiled as a gentle breeze blew across her face. As she looked around her, she realized she was standing in a large field surrounded by green gra.s.s, full trees, and blooming flowers; the landscape around her was nearly too perfect. Perhaps, this was what it was like to be dead. She was surprised to find that the idea that she was indeed dead didn't upset her. She had peace about it, just like when she had decided to move in with her Aunt Darla and Uncle Wayne. She just knew it was the path she was supposed to take.

"Do you think that there is but one path for a person to follow?" A deep voice surrounded her, and though she probably should have been frightened, Serenity found that she couldn't be. Her spirit recognized the one who created her, and she could feel her Creator's love radiating in the very rays of the sun beaming down on her. Serenity hadn't always 'believed' in the Creator, and yet somehow she had always known he was real. Feeling his love now, she suddenly wished she had searched more while she'd been alive. She couldn't see anyone around her, but she could feel him.

"I don't know," Serenity answered honestly. "I've heard people talk about destiny and fate, and I have wondered if someone could stray from the path destined for them. Would there be no opportunity to get back on it? Would there be a plan B?"