7even Circles Bundle

By KD Jones

7even Circles Bundle

The Moon is Calling (Book 1)
Mercury Rising (Book 2)
Fallen Venus (Book 3)

Cassandra Adira Knight...
Born from the light and forged in the fires of Hell to be a warrior.
A young woman who had no knowledge of her past, thrust into a world she never knew existed. Powers buried deep inside her are triggered and she discovers the truth about herself.
Will she accept what fate has called her to or will she turn her back on her destiny?
She will have to make a decision...7even Circles is here and the moon is calling.

• Language: English
• Publisher: KD Jones
• Release date: Oct 25, 2018
• ISBN: 9780996530859

KD Jones

KD Jones has been a huge fan of both romance novels and science fiction novels since she was 16 years old. Her favorite television shows growing up were Star Trek and Doctor Who. When not writing, she can usually be found curled up on the couch with a good book, working on her hobby of photography, or spending time with her family.

Book preview

7even Circles Bundle

7even Circles Bundle

KD Jones

7even Circles Bundle # 1

Volume 1 (Books 1-3)

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- 7even Circles Series -

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KD Jones

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Copyright 2018 KD Jones

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Contents

The Moon is Calling

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Epilogue

Mercury Rising

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Epilogue

Fallen Venus

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Epilogue

About the Author

KD Jones Book Series, Book List

The Moon is Calling

Cassandra Adira Knight...

Born from the light and forged in the fires of Hell to be a warrior.

A young woman who had no knowledge of her past, thrust into a world she never knew existed. Powers buried deep inside her are triggered and she discovers the truth about herself.

Will she accept what fate has called her to or will she turn her back on her destiny?

She will have to make a decision...7even Circles is here and the moon is calling.

1

Will that be all? Cass asked the man in the black raincoat. He’d sat down at her table an hour ago and ordered the special. It bothered her that he didn’t eat his food, just sat sipping his coffee and watching her. It was seriously creepy.

Yes. His answer was short and brisk, and when he looked at her his eyes were a bottomless black. He reminded her of the Grim Reaper.

Let me get your bill. She turned and headed to the counter. Jerry, the owner of the little diner, leaned over from the other side. He was a giant of a man, tall and muscular. He used to be a college linebacker in his twenties, and though some of his bulk had turned to chub, he still maintained a good deal of his muscles. Even though he towered over them, he was always so gentle with her and Leeza. He was the closest thing Cass had to a big brother.

Is he bothering you, honey?

She shook her head. No, he’s just…weird. I need to give him his check so he can leave.

Jerry handed the bill to her and went back into the kitchen. She looked it over to make sure that everything on it was correct, even though she knew that stalling was only making this take longer. She took a deep breath and turned to walk back to the creepy guy.

Here’s your bill. Hope everything was to your liking. She placed the check on the table.

He pulled out his wallet and threw a twenty-dollar bill down. When she went to pick it up, he reached out and grabbed her hand, halting her.

Are you about to get off work? I’d love to get to know you better. My car is across the street—we could take a ride. I know places in the city that you’ve probably never seen. His eyes seemed to glow red for just a moment; maybe it was the lighting in the diner, or it could be that her eyes were playing tricks on her.

The creepy feeling she got just from speaking with him now tripled with their skin-to-skin contact. She felt a tingling in her arm that made her stomach roll a little. Everything in her told her she needed to run, to get away from him. She tried to pull free, but he tightened his grip on her hand, almost to the point of pain.

She felt sick inside, looking down into his dead eyes. She stuttered, I—I’m n—not interested. He released her hand and she felt that buzzing pain fade. I’ll get your change for you.

Keep it. He stood up, and she couldn’t help but step back out of his way. Just as he reached the door he turned and looked at her, and again she saw that flicker of red in his eyes. We’ll be seeing a lot more of each other, Cassandra Knight. Then he turned and walked out into the rain.

Cass rubbed her arm and hand where he’d touched her. How did he know her name? She had Jerry put just her nickname—Cass—on her nametag, and she never introduced herself using her full name. She had a terrible sense that the man would be back, and he wouldn’t take no from her so easily next time.

Hey Cass, you going to pick up these orders? Jerry barked out.

She shook off the weird vibes. On it!

Well, if the guy tried something, she wasn’t going down without a fight. She hadn’t survived the foster-care system and living on the streets by being a pushover.

Four hours later she finished refilling the napkins in the dispenser. She looked over at her friend Leeza, who was turning the closed sign around on the door as she locked up.

That was one hell of a night. Tim, their busboy, came out of the kitchen to help clean up.

Leeza snorted. It’s not over for me, either. I have to go home and study for my anatomy exam.

Shit, you should’ve said something earlier. I would’ve covered your tables so that you could leave early.

No way, Cass. You’ve worked double shifts the last three nights covering for Alice while she’s on maternity leave. I couldn’t leave you high and dry. Besides, tuition for med school has just gone up, so I need every dime I can make right now.

Did that last Pell Grant not go through?

It was approved, but I still have to buy my supplies now; the check won’t be in until next month.

Cass envied her friend. She’d never even graduated from high school. Things didn’t work out that way for her. Most of what she knew she’d learned from going to libraries, reading books, and newspapers.

Well, let me cover your shift the day before your final so that you can concentrate on studying.

I may take you up on that. You ready to go yet? I could give you a lift home.

Cass shook her head. You go ahead. The bus stop’s not too far. She was lying; she had several blocks to go before she got to the abandoned apartment building she lived in. She usually rode the bus during the day, but at night, she found the oddest people watching her and didn’t want any of them to know where she lived.

She preferred to walk home at night in the shadows. It wasn’t the safest thing, but she knew how to blend in with her background. She was good at that, making herself invisible. Maybe being passed from foster home to foster home trained her to be that way.

She came from nothing; she couldn’t even remember the first eight years of her life. Cops from the downtown Detroit police department had found her wandering the streets. When they questioned her about who she was, she had no idea. She didn’t know who her parents were or where she lived. She didn’t even know her own name.

From the back pocket of her jeans she pulled out a picture of a woman with dark hair holding a baby. On the back of the picture was one name, Knight. Cass also wore intricately designed silver cross with a word inscribed on the back: Adira.

The cops called in a social worker and put out word that they’d found a missing child, but no one ever came forward to claim her. She’d been placed in the foster care system and forgotten about.

The foster care system wasn’t the worst, it was just flawed. Some of the other kids in the system were able to find forever homes. Just not her.

She managed to keep the picture and the cross with her throughout the years. They were the only two things that linked her to her past. She’d looked at them every day of her life, hoping to find a clue to who she was. Even now, years later, she saved part of her tips from waitressing so she could one day afford to hire an investigator to help find her parents.

Cass went to the back door and unlocked it to let herself out. She looked around to make sure no one was there before she walked down the alley. The various sounds of the city were so familiar to her now. She heard the sirens of police cars going after criminals and people yelling at one another a few blocks down. It amazed her how much she could hear from such a distance. It came in handy at times.

She stopped to look behind her after she crossed the street, thinking she’d heard footsteps following her. When she turned, no one was there. Maybe it had just been her imagination.

Cass walked faster around the corner. She felt relieved when she got closer to her apartment building. It had been abandoned years ago, but someone had rigged up the power to come on for several hours a day. She took the fire escape and climbed up to the top-floor landing. There was no door on this side of the building, but she left one window unlocked and rigged it with a coin that would lie flat if someone had tampered with it. The coin still stood upright, wedged between the window and the pane, telling her the window hadn’t been disturbed.

This wasn’t the first abandoned building she’d lived in. She’d learned that the safest places were the ones where she could control the way she entered and exited the building. Inner stairways and hallways were too dark and dangerous. Sometimes they were filled with drug dealers selling their products, hookers selling their bodies, or other homeless people like her needing a dry place to sleep. She didn’t have to pay rent or utilities. Her apartment was run down, but it was hers, her only real home.

She spent six years going from foster home to foster home. Every time she was placed somewhere, something would happen that would make her foster parents send her back. She seemed to attract trouble without meaning to. It was hard to never have a real home or be able to make real friends. She couldn’t figure out who she was or what she wanted. She saw her parents in every couple she met, only to be disappointed when they too turned away from her.

When she turned fourteen, she decided she’d had enough of being shuffled from place to place and never having any say in it. She grabbed what little she owned, stuffed it in her book bag, and ran away. She’d been living on her own ever since.

She shimmied through the window, closing and locking it behind her. She checked over the locks on her apartment door next, thankful for the sturdy deadbolt in place. She’d taken the doorknob to the local hardware store and had them help her make a key just in case she ever needed it. She’d learned a lot from four different apartments in the last six years.

The first year was really hard; she had to scavenge for food and for safe places to sleep. By the time she was fifteen, she discovered that it was better to sleep during the day and go places at night. Her favorite haunts at night would be the public library. The public ones were open until seven at night but the college ones stayed open until midnight. She used her visits to the libraries to educate herself.

One time she’d tried move farther out, to a suburb, but it was harder to find transportation. She didn’t have a license, and the suburbs had limited bus routes. The city’s public transportation was much better. Also, she found that in the city it was much easier to find a job that paid her under the table.

Her life was hard, but it was hers. In her spare time she searched for her parents. There were times she’d though about leaving Detroit, going somewhere else, but something pulled her back and kept her from leaving. Cass wasn’t sure why, but she felt like the answers to who she was, were close to being revealed.

She looked around her studio apartment and the old beat-up furniture she’d salvaged from the dump. Ah—home sweet crap.

It wasn’t messy, but nothing there was new. She usually got things like her clothes from shopping at thrift stores or dumpster diving. Cass knelt down by the corner and pulled up a floorboard. Inside was a black lockbox, which she stored her tips in. She had several lockboxes in different buildings throughout the city, just in case someone did break in to this one. She’d learned the hard way not to put her money in just one location.

The lights flickered. She reached for her candles and lit them, just in case. She’d read for a few hours until the sun started to rise, and then get some sleep. He dreams were always filled with strange sights and sounds, but she could never remember them when she woke up.

He stood outside the building, watching from below. She returned home at her usual time, which wasn’t such a smart thing to do. She should never keep a regular schedule. It made it too easy to get to her. All a person would have to do was watch her to get the opening they needed; like he was now.

He wrapped the hoodie further over his head and took a deep inhalation of his cigarette before he threw it to the ground and smashed it with his boot. Footsteps alerted him that at least three men were approaching him.

Give us your money.

He shook his head. Why would I do that?

To stay breathing, man.

I am breathing.

That just angered the leader of the little gang. If you piss me off, you won’t be that way for long.

Interesting. Can you back up your words?

Son of a bitch, I’m going to kick your ass!

He moved his head side-to-side, making the vertebrae pop. You can try. He needed a good fight to let some of his energy out, anyway.

2

Two days later

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Hey Cass, your boyfriend’s back!

Cass looked up and watched as a gorgeous man in tight jeans and a leather jacket strutted into the diner. Ari. He had dark hair, almost black, and the most amazing eyes. She watched as he headed right to her section to sit down. He did that every time he came. He never wanted anyone but her to wait on him. That gave her a fluttering feeling in her stomach, for some reason.

Sometimes he would just get coffee and ask for refills in order to talk to her. Her pulse quickened when he smiled at her, and her whole body lit up. Damn him for being so sexy. She cleared her throat and tried to pretend he didn’t affect her.

What can I get you, Mr. Daniels?

Come on, Cass, we’ve known each other for a few years now. You only call me Mr. Daniels when you’re in a bad mood.

Ari. Just saying his name in a whisper made her tingle all over. He was right; she was in a weird mood lately, and she didn’t know why. She realized that he was staring at her.

What would you like?

You—me—and a few hours alone in a bed.

She rolled her eyes and snorted. "You say that every time—and every time my answer is no way in Hell."

He chuckled. I’m wearing you down. One day I’ll ask you and you’ll say yes.

Cocky much? He wasn’t far off the mark. She was lonely. She had no one in her life to go home to, and there were times it really got to her. One night, she might cave in and give him what he wanted.

She feared that more than anything, because he was the type who was only interested in a girl if she was a challenge to him. He would take what he wanted and be done with her. It reminded her too much of constantly being rejected by her foster parents. She didn’t want to be used and then left behind like she didn’t matter, not again.

It’s called confidence; there’s a difference.

She propped her hand on her hip and glared down at him in annoyance. Order something, Ari, or I’ll have Jerry make you leave.

My usual.

She didn’t even write it down, just turned and walked over to give Jerry his order. Special number three, eggs over easy. She poured a cup of coffee, which he liked to take black, and brought it over to him.

How have you been? Ari took a sip of his coffee.

Good. Business has slowed up a bit. You’ve not been here in for a few weeks. Did you take a trip somewhere?

I had some family obligations I had to attend to. Why, did you miss me, Cass?

Not even a little bit. In fact, it was so peaceful without you, I didn’t think about you at all. That was definitely a lie. Every night she’d looked up when the door opened and hoped Ari was coming in, but he didn’t. She suspected he was off with one of the bimbos she’d caught glimpses of, riding off on the back of his Harley motorcycle at night. Okay, so maybe she was a little jealous.

He just smiled like he knew it wasn’t the truth. Ari pulled out a newspaper and opened it up. That was different. He never read the paper, always preferring to watch the news on the T.V. or using his iPhone to look stuff up electronically. Ari was definitely a child of technology.

Order up! Jerry called out.

She refilled a cup of coffee for one of her other customers and went over to get Ari’s food. Leeza was leaning against the bar, openly admiring Ari from across the room. Cass couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.

Leeza was tall and shapely, with dark hair and a naturally golden complexion. Cass always felt like a short pixie standing next to her. She couldn’t understand why Ari never hit on Leeza, like all the other men who came through the diner.

She leaned over and whispered, Stop staring at him Leeza!

Honey, that man could make a girl orgasm just by looking at her. Too bad he only has eyes for you.

No he doesn’t. He flirts with everyone.

Leeza shook her head. "He may flirt, but with you he means it. If I were you I would take him out for a test drive."

You’ve changed your tune. Last time he was here you told me to watch out for him, kind of warned me off him. Not that she was interested in dating anyone. She’d dated a few times, and she was asked out and hit on all the time, but she wasn’t interested in anyone. It was hard to be when she didn’t trust anyone. Plus, she didn’t have a lot to offer.

She glanced at the mirror behind the bar. She was pretty, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Short, about five-foot-three, and a little on the skinny side. She always wore her hair up in a ponytail or braid and never put on makeup, except for lipstick. Leeza told her she didn’t need makeup; she was a ‘natural, wholesome beauty.’ She didn’t feel that way.

Sometimes what Leeza said about having someone made her question things. She couldn’t help but think about what it would be like to go home with Ari for the night. Would one night of amazing sex be enough? Maybe.

She looked over, and their eyes met. Images of their bodies intertwined filled her head. Her nipples responded by hardening into tight tips. His eyes seemed to glow for a moment, and he licked his lips like he knew what she was thinking about—and liked it.

Oh boy. Her heart was racing. What was happening to her? She took a quick breath and carried his food over to him. Do you need more coffee?

No thanks. When do you take a break? Maybe you could sit and eat with me.

I’ve already eaten, but thanks for the offer. She bit her bottom lip, because she was lying again. She hadn’t eaten all day.

Cass.

Ari.

You’re not easy to get to know. You let very few people in. Why is that?

Maybe I like to be mysterious.

You already are, babe. I like mysteries, especially when they involve a beautiful girl. Come on, give me a break and let me buy you dinner.

I don’t know you that well.

I’ve been coming in here for years.

I serve you coffee and food and we talk some, but we don’t really know each other that well. Okay, she was making up excuses.

We could get to know each other better. The more time alone we spend together, the more we can discover. Go out with me tonight. I’ll even spring for a taxi if you don’t want to ride on the back of my bike.

Secretly she’d been fantasizing about being on the back of his bike. Taking that option off the table made her disappointed for some reason. She shook her head, even though she wanted to say yes to him. If she was alone with him, she knew it would get intimate quickly. She wanted him, and the way he watched her and flirted with her, she knew he wanted her too. Sex with him would be explosive, she had no doubt, but the intensity between them scared her. Her lack of experience would leave her open and vulnerable. It was a risk she wasn’t ready to take yet.

No.

Why not?

I’m—seeing someone.

He rolled his eyes and leaned back in his booth. Okay, I get it. I’m coming on too strong and now you have to make up a fake boyfriend to get me to back down.

She bit her lip to keep from smiling. She was a bad liar, and he’d known her long enough to see it. He’s not fake.

He raised his dark and sexy eyebrow. Everything about him was sensual. That just wasn’t fair.

Really, what’s his name?

Uh... Barry.

Barry what?

Allen.

He laughed full-out, making everyone else in the diner turn to look at him. Your boyfriend is the Flash. Good one.

She could feel the heat rise to her cheeks. Why had she told him that? It was the first guy’s name she could think of. Plus, she did love watching The Flash. She made Jerry put it on the T.V. all the time.

She walked off to help one of her other customers. Cass couldn’t stop the smile that crept over her face…and then she frowned. She looked over and noticed that Ari had gone to the counter to ask for his bill. She hadn’t meant to make him mad. She watched him as he went to the door to leave. He paused to look back at her and winked before he left.

He wasn’t too mad. She wanted to say yes to him more than anything, but if she gave in to him, then what? He wasn’t exactly boyfriend material. She walked over to the door and watched him climb on his bike. He didn’t even bother with a helmet. It only made him look more dangerous, and sexier.

Why should it matter that he wasn’t a typical boyfriend? It wasn’t like she had a family to take him home to meet. Why shouldn’t she enjoy her time with him, for however long it lasted?

He drove away and every instinct in her told her to go after him. She shook her head, not understanding her reaction. Sure, he was the hottest guy she’d ever met. He made her feel sexy even when she was wearing the ugliest waitress outfit and no make-up.

He was a few years older than her, but he never talked down to her. When he asked her questions, he seemed to really listen to what she had to say. Ari made her laugh when she was having a bad day, and with one look with those sexy eyes of his, he made her feel like a desirable woman. Okay, she wanted him; but just because she wanted him didn’t mean he was right for her.

She went to his table to clean up his dishes. He left her a hefty tip, like he always did. Obviously if he had a nice expensive bike, he could afford to leave her outrageous tips. It did make her wonder what he did for a living. Every time she tried to ask him, he would give her a different answer—another reason she didn’t cave in to her attraction to him. She couldn’t completely trust him. It was hard trusting anyone. Leeza and Jerry were the closest she let anyone get to her, and she still didn’t let them know where she lived.

Clearing off his table, she noticed that he’d left his newspaper behind. She picked it up, ready to throw it away, but something caught her eye. It was an article about the recent marriage of two people she didn’t know. It wasn’t the couple that caught her eye, but the name of the church: Saints of Adira Church.

Adira? That was the inscription on her cross. She touched the cross she wore around her neck. It was the first clue to something in her past that she’d gotten in years. Where was this church?

Is everything okay? Leeza came over to help her clear the dishes.

Yeah, do you know where this church is located?

Saints of Adira? I think that’s on the corner of Dean and Smith. Why? Are you wanting to get some religion now?

Maybe. I’m a sinner, after all, she replied, making Leeza laugh as she walked away.

She didn’t say anything else, but she did keep that section of the newspaper. Something about it kept making her look at the clipping. This could be it; this church could hold the answers to who her parents were, and who she really was.

Jerry, do you mind if I leave early tonight?

Sure, you’ve helped me with double shifts the past week, I owe you. It’s a slow night, we can cover it.

Thanks. She said goodnight to Leeza and went to change her clothes at her locker before leaving. She pulled on a black sweatshirt with a hoodie and black jeans. She was going to have to splurge tonight and take a taxi, because the church was too far away to walk and she didn’t think the bus transport had daytime commuter routes in that section of the city. Plus, with the economy and population decreasing in the city, there were far fewer buses available.

She could feel that something big was about to happen; she just didn’t know what that would be. She hoped she was ready for the truth.

3

She stood outside on the sidewalk, looking up at the small Gothic-style church. In the dark, with few people around, it was kind of foreboding. She shook off the strange feeling it gave her. It was getting late and the church would be closing soon. If she wanted answers, she needed to go now.

She walked up the steps and through the open doorway to the foyer. The door to the main church was closed. She turned the handle but found it locked already. Crap. She wasn’t going to let this stop her. She’d come too far and waited too long to let this hinder her.

She reached in her back pocket and pulled out her library card. She wiggled it between the door and the frame, and the lock slid open. She opened the heavy wooden door and entered the candlelit church. As she walked down the aisle she was drawn to the stained-glass windows.

Someone had taken a lot of time on these, and they seemed really old, too. They depicted angels with swords, defending children. Something about the image was fascinating. The angel with the long dark hair seemed familiar.

How did you get in here?

She jumped in place from surprise. How could she not hear someone come up on her like that? Cass looked behind her to see an elderly priest coming her way. Part of her wanted to run, but another part of her demanded that she stay and get some answers. The priest wasn’t really a threat; she could outrun him if necessary.

I came through the door. She used her thumb to motion backward at the main entrance.

Who are you? The priest frowned and rubbed his balding head.

She didn’t answer his question, but asked her own instead. Have you been here a long time?

The priest seemed taken off-guard by the question. Almost twenty years now. The doors were locked. How did you get in?

I just walked through the front door. I’m trying to get some answers.

I’m sorry, but you can come back during the daytime.

She had to get him to let her stay somehow. I can tell that there’s a story here. What do these stained-glass windows mean?

She succeeded in sidetracking the priest. He turned to the glass with pride. The artist captured the story of the Arkangels.

Arkangels? Are they different from regular angels?

When was the last time you attended church, child?

Um—that would be never.

Well, the stories vary, but the artist who did these windows for Saints of Adira went with the story of the Arkangels, higher-level angels who actively do God’s work. They have been known to give messages to prophets.

Why are they holding swords?

Most Arkangels are warriors for God. Not all of them hold swords. Those two there are Gabriel and Michael. They will one day lead the fight during the apocalyptic wars.

What about the angel holding the woman on the ground?

There was a small pause, as if the priest was trying to think of the right way to word something. Raphael…he was an Arkangel, a warrior as mighty as any other, but his main job was to heal people, save souls, and to keep the peace between humans and the angels.

Why would he need to keep the peace?

Angels are not perfect, despite what everyone has said. They feel the same emotions as humans: love, hate, anger, and jealousy. From their creation, they are taught to push those feelings aside so that they can do what needs to be done. Some angels were jealous of God’s love for humans.

Is that where the story of the devil comes in? The story goes that he was an angel who grew jealous and fell from grace, doesn’t it?

The priest smiled at her. For someone who hasn’t gone to church, you seem to know quite a few things.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I read stuff at the library. I went through a Christian mythology phase and had to read everything I could find about it. On the stained glass the name Arkangel appears, but it’s spelled with a k instead of what I have seen in the Bible with ch."

"It had been known as both throughout the centuries but was more widely known with the ch spelling. The artist prefers the older version with the k spelling. I’m curious, why didn’t your parents take you to church? Were you raised as an atheist?"

Actually, at one of the foster homes I was in the people claimed to be super-religious, but held church in their own home. They would claim that God didn’t want me to eat every day and that I should let my foster father strip me to make sure that I continued to be pure. I refused and didn’t stay there long, but after that I never had a desire to go to church.

The priest paled. I’m so sorry, child. You lost not only a family, but your faith in God.

Actually, I may not go to church like everyone else, but I am spiritual. I believe in God. Though, there have been times my faith has been tested. I read a story about a woman who never went to church but believed strongly that God had blessed her. She was poor, but she worked in the shelters giving to those less fortunate than her. She claimed to be happy, said that serving God through helping others was her calling. Something in that story resonated with me. She didn’t need proof or vindication from others to prove to her God existed. I feel the same. I always feel connected to others when I help them, and I guess that’s why I don’t mind the job I have.

What do you do?

I’m a waitress. Doesn’t sound like much, but I do get satisfaction from serving my customers.

Have you been on you own for a while now?

Yeah, sometimes it seems like forever. It’s better than living in a place where they treat children like something they can trade or sell. Sorry…it wasn’t all bad. I just never found a real home.

She didn’t realize how much of her childhood had been tarnished by the carelessness of the foster-care system. She was sure there were other children who’d had much better experiences than she had; she just wasn’t one of them.

He touched her shoulder and she felt relief. It was like she’d been carrying a burden for a very long time, but now, the weight of it somehow lifted from her. He was a good priest if he could make her feel better with just a simple touch.

I’m sorry, child, for your suffering.

I’m okay, it was a really long time ago. So—the apocalypse, when is that supposed to happen?

The true date of it is only known to the Father. There is much speculation, and a few people think that it happens in stages, that we are going through one of those stages right now.

I hear the doomsayers all the time: ‘The end is near, repent or damn your soul to Hell.’ She snorted.

You don’t believe in judgment day?

I don’t believe that any of us would know when the end day would come. It’s all speculation, and I’ve seen evangelists on T.V. use it to instill fear in people to get their hard-earned money. I live my life according to my own rules and values. I don’t hurt others, I help those less fortunate than me, I try to be honest, and I’m extremely loyal to those I care about.

Those are all very good values, but what about being humble and serving a higher power? If you went to church, you could have a church family who shares the same values and would care what happened to you.

That all sounds good, but some could claim the same of joining a cult.

The priest laughed instead of getting angry. That’s true, but joining, participating, and even leaving are all voluntary with a church.

She stopped herself from continuing