Cataclysm (Alternate Earth Series, Book One) (5 page)

I always know exactly when our private realm has been created. There is a slight shift in the atmosphere around us that allows me to discern between our reality and the one found within our realm. After I sense that it’s been constructed, I open my eyes to find out whether or not Lilly has been allowed inside.

I feel a sense of relief when I see that she isn’t with us.

And a sense of dread when I see that Lucifer is.

I stare at him for a moment before shaking my head and whispering, “Crap.”

Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes – who are they, and where did they come from?"

Revelation 7:13

CHAPTER FOUR

Everyone seems to be in a state of shock as we all stare dumbfounded at Lucifer.

Earlier in the day, I made a wish that Lilly wouldn’t be the missing member of our group. Now, I realize I should have also made that wish a little more specific by excluding certain people from the pool of possible candidates as her replacement.

Malcolm is the one who finds his voice first, and finally breaks the heavy silence.

“There’s no way in hell we’re taking him with us,” Malcolm states angrily, tightening his grip on the silver wolf head at the top of his black cane.

Mason looks over at me with an unasked question on his disbelieving face.

I shake my head at him in dismay because I can’t give him an answer, but I do know someone who might be able to help.

I look behind me to find Michael standing there, dressed in his usual jeans and white t-shirt with black angel wings on the front.

“Michael?” I ask, not needing to verbally ask the rest of the questions running rampant inside my mind about Lucifer’s evident inclusion into our party.

Michael drags his own leery gaze away from Lucifer, his best friend once upon a time, to look at me.

“I don’t know what’s going on, Jess,” he says, not easing my worry but giving me an honest answer.

I look back at Lucifer, who is studying all of the other Archangels standing behind their vessels.

Strangely enough, Lucifer is the only one of us who doesn’t seem surprised that he was allowed inside our inner realm.

When Lucifer’s gaze returns to me, he says, “So, how are we supposed to travel to this alternate Earth of yours?”

“Who says you’re going with us?” I retort.

“Well, I’ve been allowed inside your super-secret sanctum, haven’t I?” Lucifer says. “Isn’t that evidence enough?”

“No,” I say as I study Lucifer’s suspiciously-calm face. “Something’s not right here.”

I find it extremely odd that he doesn’t seem disturbed at all by the prospect of traveling to a reality outside our own. It’s almost as if he wants to go, and knew beforehand that he would be allowed to come with us.

“Besides this devil being allowed inside our sanctuary,” JoJo says beside me as she looks at Lucifer with loathing, “what else do you sense, Mon Cherie?”

“I can’t quite put my finger on it,” I tell her, returning my gaze to our unexpected guest. “How did you know you were meant to come with us?” I ask, realizing Lucifer knows more than he’s openly admitting.

Lucifer remains silent, but someone else with a greater knowledge about what’s happening answers the question for him.

“Because he’s had dreams similar to yours, Jess,” I hear God say.

God walks in from the right side, and passes between Rafe and Zack to enter into our circle. He keeps His eyes on Lucifer as He continues to speak.

“I thought it might be good for Lucifer to see what can happen if he and the other princes try to break the seals before I deem it’s time for them to be opened.”

“I’m always up for a good old-fashioned apocalyptic party,” Lucifer tells his father with feigned enthusiasm. “Thanks for the invite.”

“I’m only doing this because I hope you learn something by visiting this alternate reality, Lucifer. Perhaps seeing another version of yourself will also help you realize what you’ve become and what you’ve lost.”

“Still endeavoring to play the loving father card, are we?” Lucifer scoffs. “Don’t you ever grow weary of trying to make me ask you for forgiveness? Seems as though you, of all people, should know
that
will never happen.”

“Never is a word that should only be used when it’s truly meant, my son. If I believed you were beyond saving, I wouldn’t keep trying. I think you forget how well I know you, Lucifer. You were my first born, my best friend at one time. I will
never
lose hope that you will come back to me one day. I love and miss you too much for that to happen.”

Lucifer diverts his gaze away from his father and doesn’t make a reply. I’m not sure if he simply can’t think of a pithy comeback, or if God’s words have actually touched a part of him that can still be affected by his father’s love.

“But you can’t be serious,” Malcolm says to God. “Won’t bringing him to a world where the seals are being opened just make matters even worse there? All we’ll be doing is adding gas to an already-blazing fire.”

God places a hand on Malcolm’s shoulder and says, “Trust me in this decision, Malcolm, as you do in all things.”

Malcolm’s stance becomes more relaxed as he nods his head at God, even if there is reluctance in the gesture.

God turns in my direction and walks over to me.

“I did answer your earlier wish, just not in the way you expected,” He tells me in a low voice only meant for me to hear. “Perhaps this will give you an opportunity to mend what was broken and ease the pain you’re still in.”

I shake my head slightly. “I’m not sure that can ever be fixed.”

“Don’t lose your faith in him,” God urges me. “He still cares for you, even if he doesn’t want to admit it to himself. His prideful nature has caused him more pain than he’s willing to acknowledge. He has lost much that he loved because of it. All I ask is that you be open to forgiving him for the things he has done. Perhaps he’ll see that forgiveness isn’t an impossibility.”

“I can’t make any promises,” I say.

“And I’m not asking you to make one. Simply keep an open mind, Jess.”

I nod, willing to promise at least that much.

“How do we get to alternate Earth from here?” I ask God.

“You are the connection between both worlds,” He tells me. “Join hands with the other vessels and concentrate on where it is you want to go. The combined power of all seven of you is needed to open a dimensional gateway to the alternate reality you’re trying to reach.”

“When we get there,” I say, “what exactly are we supposed to do? How do we stop the princes from opening their seals?”

God smiles, and I know I won’t appreciate the answer he’s about to give.

“You’ll figure it out once you get there,” He tells me, being as infuriating as ever with His obtuse answers.

“I don’t even know why I bothered to ask.”

“Me neither.”

I just smile and shake my head at God’s little joke.

“I wish you luck on your journey,” God says in a louder voice for all to hear. “I’ll see you when you return.”

His statement brings me up short.

“Wait,” I say. “Are You telling me I can’t contact You while we’re there?”

“If you pray to Me, I will hear you,” He assures me. “But I can’t interfere with what’s happening there. My involvement stops here.”

“Why? Is it because You can’t travel between realities?”

“Yes, I can travel between realities,” God says patiently. “I simply don’t need to go there to do what must be done. I’m sending you and the other vessels to do that for Me. Have faith things will turn out the way they’re meant to, Jess.”

I was never one to believe in blind faith before God entered my life, but now I trust in His judgment to lead me where I need to go when I need to be there. I may not always agree with the results, but I know He has a purpose for all things.

“I guess we should be going then,” I say, holding my hands out to Chandler and JoJo, who are on either side of me.

“Good luck,” God tells us before phasing out of our inner realm.

Once I see that all the vessels are again holding hands, I close my eyes and concentrate on the dream I’ve had of alternate Earth. It’s the one thing that has connected me most to the other reality we’re trying to reach.

After a few minutes of nothing happening, I hear Lucifer ask, “Uh, how long is this going to take?”

“Shut up, Lucifer,” Malcolm says, sounding annoyed by Lucifer’s impatience. “You try opening a gateway to an alternate reality and see how long it takes you to do it.”

“But I’m not the one who’s supposed to have God on my side. At this rate, the apocalypse will be over before we even get there.”

“If you’re so…”

“Quiet!” I finally yell at the both of them, opening my eyes because they’ve completely broken my concentration. “The two of you squabbling like children on a playground isn’t doing me any favors.”

“He started it,” Malcolm defended.

“Real mature,” Lucifer counters.

“Zip it!” I tell them both, making a motion over my lips, demonstrating that they both need to keep their mouths shut.

I glance over at Mason and see an amused look on his face at my outburst. For some reason, he’s always found my temper attractive. He winks at me, and I just roll my eyes and shake my head in response.

I take a deep breath to calm my nerves before closing my eyes again so I can concentrate.

In all honesty, I have no idea what it is I’m supposed to be doing. I think about what God said. He told me I was connected to the alternate reality through my dreams of it. I’ve had the same dream so many times now that I can visualize it inside my mind with exact clarity. As I come to the part where I hear the screams, I tighten my grip on Chandler and JoJo’s hands for added strength and support.

Then I feel it.

By leaning on my friends when I need them the most, I feel my hands begin to tingle, as though I’m channeling their energies through me.

“Jess…” I hear Mason say. “I think you’ve done it.”

When I open my eyes, my attention is immediately drawn directly above me, where a vortex of lavender-hued clouds with tiny dots of light intermixed with them hovers. In the center of it all, one light shines brighter than the rest, beckoning me to reach out and touch it.

“Ok,” Chandler says apprehensively, staring up at the dimensional gateway. “Now what do we do?”

“I think you need to physically touch it to go through to the other side, Jess,” Michael says behind me.

“We should all be holding hands before I do that,” I suggest. “When Mason and I went through the Tear, we held hands and ended up in the same exact spot. Maybe if we do that, we’ll all travel to the same place there.”

“It’s worth a try,” Gabe agrees, from his position on the other side of JoJo.

I remove my hand from Chandler’s as Jered, Tristan, Malcolm, Mason, and Lucifer join our circle. Lucifer comes to stand between Mason and me. Reluctantly, Mason takes hold of one of Lucifer’s hands while I take the other.

I let go of JoJo’s hand to reach up and touch the bright center of the gateway. My hand disappears into the orb of light, and I immediately feel the pain I experienced the time Mason and I went through the Tear. It’s as if my body is being broken down into its individual atoms as I’m transported through space to alternate Earth.

I find myself standing in a dark alleyway. My head is spinning like I just stepped off of an amusement park ride, forcing me to close my eyes in an attempt to stop a sudden onslaught of nauseating dizziness. Right before I trip over my own feet and fall to the ground, a strong arm wraps around my waist, catching me before I have a chance to collapse.

I open my eyes, only to find that the world is still spiraling out of control. I automatically close them again and lean my back against the person holding me as I attempt to shake off the effects of traveling between realities.

“Take a deep breath,” Lucifer instructs me.

It’s only then that I know the identity of my protector.

I take his advice, and inhale deeply a few times. After a minute or two, my legs don’t feel like jelly anymore and my head stops spinning. When I’m in control of my faculties again, I open my eyes and survey our surroundings. We’re standing in a narrow alleyway between two tall brick buildings. I look to either side of us, but don’t see anyone else.

“The others must have materialized somewhere else,” Lucifer suggests, noticing my search. “We’re the only two here.”

I rest my hands on the arm Lucifer still has around my waist.

“You can let go of me now,” I tell him. “Thanks for the help.”

Lucifer doesn’t relinquish his hold of me right away. First, he says, “I couldn’t let you fall and crack your head open. I’ll need you later to return us to our own reality after this little vacation of ours is over.”

After Lucifer slips his arm from my waist, I take a couple of steps forward before turning around to face him.

“Whatever the reason; thank you.”

Lucifer shrugs his shoulders, as if what he did wasn’t a big deal. He begins to study our surroundings with a critical eye.

“What do you suggest we do now?” he asks.

“We need to find the others,” I tell him.

“You realize they could be anywhere,” Lucifer points out.

“Then I guess we’d better start looking,” I tell him, turning in the direction of the sidewalk by the alleyway.

Lucifer grabs my arm to stop me. “Wait a minute. You’re rushing into this without thinking, as usual.” I face him as he continues. “This world isn’t a safe one for you. At least use your outfit and make yourself invisible, in case we run into trouble.”