Dark Waters (Warriors S1B5)

Chapter 8

Earth date: 01/08/2012, 11:00

I didn't talk to any of the other people for the next few days. Jay cast me withering glances in the hallway. Joey acquiesced me whenever he saw me. I descried Keenan Carter looking my way a couple times, but whenever he did, Max would locomote by and Keenan would adjudicate he needed to go to class.

On Sunday, I paid little assiduity during worship. I rarely did. Pastor Angela had a resplendent singing voice, but her rendition of "Jesus Son of God" made me think of the Phillips, Craig and Dean blaring from the radio and Mother's shrill voice singing along. I respired a sigh of relief when Pastor Ken dismissed the junior high kids to our service. 

I catenated my friends to the youth room. Normally, Sister Eliza and Sister Evelyn would be sitting on the edge of the stage, with a half-circle of chairs pulled closer to the stage. That was how it was, but what was different was someone being in the chairs. There was a young man with buzzcut sable hair talking with Sister Eliza and Sister Evelyn. Even though it was a junior high group, he looked somewhere between 17 and 20.

"Who are you?" AJ Windom grilled inquiringly as he took a seat in the semicircle of chairs. 

"AJ, don't be rude," Sister Evelyn chided gently. "This is Dino."

"I'm sorry to interrupt your meeting," Dino said softly. "I've, uh, had a lot going on and I decided to come to the closest church, hear what God has to say, you know?"

AJ nodded agreeably.

"I was in the military. Navy."

"And we thank you for your service," Sister Eliza declared proudly.

"My mom's the only family I have, and she got sick while I was stationed over in New York. Uterine cancer."

"Isn't that the kind of cancer you had, Sister Evelyn?" Taylor Robinson instituted curiously.

"It was. We were talking about that before you all came in."

"The Navy discharged me so I could take care of her. I got back here last night. But..." He put his hands over his eyes. "I haven't been to the hospital. I don't want--I'm scared to see Mom. I don't want to see her shriveled down to nothing with a bunch of tubes up her nose."

"Dino, do you mind if we pray for you and your mom?" Sister Eliza queried gently.

"Yeah, of course. I appreciate it."

Sister Evelyn and Sister Eliza motioned for us to forgather around Dino. I posited a hand on Dino's shoulder and closed my eyes. In the midst of Sister Evelyn praying for the healing of Dino's mother and Sister Eliza and the other kids mumbling agreements and "Yes Lord"s, I felt eyes on me. I opened my eyes and started. 

There were eyes in the back of Dino's head. 

Two bald patches had cleared in his close-cropped hair, and two brown orbs coolly gazed at me.  They motioned to the right, then disappeared and were replaced with skin and hair.

"In Jesus' name, amen," Sister Evelyn concluded.

"Amen. Thank you." Dino scented deeply and let it out. "I'm going to do it." He put a hand in his pocket and came back with car keys. "I'm going to go see her."