Sacred: Sacred, #1

By C.J. KLINE

Nothing in Syene Harper's past prepares her for what is C O M I N G. She is a typical college student, with a few good friends on campus and a loving single mother, lively little sister, and devoted dog waiting for her back home once she finishes her final exams. Waking to a good luck text from her mom and a cryptic update from her friend Amy about her previous night's adventures, Syene's last day of the semester starts out uneventfully.

The next text reads C O M I N G. Is this an invitation or a joke? A warning? Who on earth has a four-digit phone number?

Syene seeks refuge in her summer routine of family and church. But her sense of well-being continues to unravel. The greatest comfort for Sy and her family is a newcomer, introduced as Farrel Kelly, a young theologian from England on a work-study program.

Unexpectedly, Farrel reveals the answers to Syene's questions. Syene has been called to become the Sacred. The unease she feels is more than mere discomfort—it is danger. Just as Farrel is dedicated to venerate and protect her, others, made of pure evil, fear her sanctified purpose and seek mankind's destruction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: C.J. KLINE
• Release date: Apr 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9780986089077

Book preview

For,

My husband, for always believing in me, our girls, for always being there to listen to my chapter readings over and over.

For my mom, sisters, family and friends, who never doubted my ability and became my biggest fans. They brought the characters to life. A special thank you to Gilly, my editor, you are awesome.

And of course, to my Creator; only through You are all things possible.

With Love,

C.J.

Chapter One

Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him- even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes! Amen! –  Revelation 1:7

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Syene stretched and yawned, trying to motivate herself to get out of bed. She groaned, thinking of the day ahead of her.

Two more finals today and I’m done!

This semester had been rough. Twenty hours of school and trying to hold a part-time job, she felt like she was fifty right now instead of nineteen.

What happened to college being fun?

She was feeling sorry for herself, and she hated having a pity party. She had so much to be grateful for.

Okay, Syene, get your butt up and get moving. Talking to herself seemed to be a regular occurrence lately. She laughed. You really are turning into an old lady. All you need are a few cats, and the package will be complete.

She grabbed her phone to check her messages and take a quick glance at what she missed in the world of social media. Her mom’s daily text was one of three.

Good luck on your finals today my beautiful Syene. Can’t wait to have you back home for the summer. I love you.

She smiled and sent her reply.

Love you too mom! Thank you! Can’t wait to be home! And I get to boss Ariel around! My slave! LOL. See you later!

Syene smiled, thinking about her little sister Ariel. So full of life and so different from herself. Mischievous would be a great word to describe Ariel. Syene did everything by the book, and that meant everything: straight A’s, no drugs, no sex, and no alcohol. Her friends liked to tease her all of that equaled no fun, but Syene didn’t care what they said. She was glad she had made those decisions.

She hoped her little Ariel would follow suit and not get wrapped up in the craziness of the teenage world. Thirteen could be such a hard age, but all had been good so far. Ariel was a great kid, just her big sister’s opposite. Syene liked to tease and call her ‘the little artsy-fartsy weirdo’, but Syene was crazy for her. Ariel was the thing she missed the most about being away from home. They were six years apart, but that never seemed to matter. They always laughed and had a great time.

She glanced over at the clock on her nightstand.

Oh crap, I’m going to be late! She bolted out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. A note was on the mirror from Amy, her roommate.

I got in late last night, I sent you a text!

Need to talk to you!! Call me!

Must have been one of the other two texts she hadn’t read yet.

Oh well, I’ll call her later. I’m sure it’s about some guy she hooked up with last night.

Amy was always meeting Mr. NOT Right. She and Syene had very different interests, but they had become fast friends freshmen year. Amy was tall, dark, stunning, and wild. Preacher’s kid syndrome, she always liked to say, but Syene knew better. Amy just liked shocking people. She had a heart of gold, and Syene loved her for it.

Syene brushed her teeth, washed her face, and pulled her hair back into a side braid. She considered putting makeup on but then thought better of it.

This will have to do. No one to impress, anyway.

She applied colored ChapStick and called it good. She threw on some shorts, T-shirt and sandals. A quick glance in the mirror, and she straightened her posture, thinking for some crazy reason it might make her seem taller. She could hear her mom’s voice in her head. Wonderful and beautiful things come in small packages. Her mom was biased.

Syene knew she wasn’t ugly by anyone’s standards, but she didn’t feel like a super model either. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders, giving one last glance in the mirror.

Doesn’t look like runway model is in my near future. Five foot two is going to have to do. She grabbed her backpack and her phone and glanced at the other texts.. The first one was from Amy.

I can’t believe you are in bed asleep already! Something crazy

happened tonight! Really weird! I need to talk to you.

Syene quickly sent her a text back.

I’ll call you after my first final. In a hurry. Running late.

She immediately got a response.

Don’t forget. It’s IMPORTANT!

Odd, Amy wasn’t usually so frantic to speak to her. The story must be really juicy. Syene was pretty curious, now. She opened the third text, but she didn’t recognize the number. Only four digits appeared on her phone, not even a real phone number. The text had only one word.

C O M I N G

Coming? Her forehead creased as she stared at her phone. What does that mean? So annoying.

She didn’t put too much thought into it. Probably, just random weirdness that seems to happen sometimes on cell phones. She shoved the phone into her backpack, grabbed a protein bar and a water bottle from their tiny kitchen, and headed out the door. On her way out, she thought she saw something standing behind her. Just for a second, like a shadow following her. She turned quickly to look back into the living room. There was nothing, but the hair stood up on the back of her neck, and she could have sworn she felt a rush of air go past her.

Amy, are you here? Her voice sounded a little shaky.

Nothing but silence met her.

Well that is stupid, you idiot. You know she isn’t here, you just got a text from her. Okay, this is nothing other than mental fatigue!

She was going to be late for class worrying over imaginary things in her living room. With a nervous laugh she gave herself a little pep talk.

Shake it off, Syene. Only two more finals to go and then it is home sweet home.

She closed the front door but still had an uneasy feeling that something was watching her from inside. She hurried away as fast as she could. The day was beautiful, the air felt warm, and the sun was shining.

Syene took a deep breath, Awww, much better, you just needed a little oxygen to the brain.

She walked down the dorm stairs and into the sunlight. She began walking toward the main campus. She weaved in and out of other students, along the sidewalk; all of them seemed to be in a hurry, too. Finals week was always a frenzy. She still had fifteen minutes to make it to her Chemistry class, plenty of time to get there and get settled.

Syene passed the pond set in the middle of campus. All the ducks were huddled together in a large circle.

How strange.

She only saw them do that in the winter time. They never flew south in the winter because all the students still fed them, but it was May and already seventy-nine degrees outside. The friendly ducks were typically in the middle of the pond, splashing near the fountain, or quacking at the students passing by, pestering them for some bread crumbs. Syene looked around to see if anyone else noticed that things seemed abnormal. It seemed she was the only one who thought this to be odd, or at least the only person who noticed it.

As she looked around, that was when she saw him. A man stood across the pond staring right at her. Not a nice stare, it was menacing. Syene didn’t think she had ever been looked at like that in her life. Chills ran through her body. She wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. It was like something was physically holding her to this stranger. He wore what looked like a long dark coat, of all things on such a sunny day. His black hair shone in the bright sunlight. He seemed tall, from what she could tell. She could see his eyes were green, a very intense green.

How can I tell the color of his eyes? This is crazy. He is too far away for me to see his eye color or even the way he is staring at me, for that matter.

It felt as if he were beckoning her to come closer. The sensation broke when someone passing by bumped into her on the sidewalk.

Syene mumbled, Sorry, for blocking the path. When she looked back to where the man had been standing, he was gone.

Syene quickly scanned the area but didn’t see him. None of this made sense to her. How does a tall, dark man, wearing a coat on a warm day in May, just vanish? She began to feel a little dizzy and nauseated.

Oh God, please no, I can’t get sick right now! She spoke in a low voice and rubbed her temples. She wasn’t feeling well at all.

Are you okay? Syene looked up and saw a girl from her Chemistry class.

Uh, I’m not sure. I feel really dizzy and a little sick to my stomach.

The girl gently touched her arm. Here, let me walk with you to class.

Syene looked over at the girl, standing by her, a pretty redhead with a sweet smile.

Thank you so much. Syene couldn’t have felt more grateful. I’m Syene. I’ve seen you a few times in our Chem class. She stuck out her hand to introduce herself.

Amber. Very nice to meet you. They gave a friendly handshake and started walking again.

Do you want me to carry your bag for you? You look really pale. Syene could hear the genuine concern in Amber’s voice.

No, I think I can manage. I really appreciate your help.

Amber shrugged. No problem. You looked like you were about to pass out. You were just swaying and staring. What were you looking at?

Syene wasn’t sure what to say. She felt like she had been standing and staring at the pond for hours, but a quick glance at her watch told her it had only been a few minutes.

Did you see all the ducks huddled together? She motioned toward the pond, back behind them, but as they both looked back, all the ducks were swimming and quacking like normal.

Ummm, no. Amber’s tone told Syene she thought she was still a little loopy.

Who knew? Maybe she was going crazy, but she didn’t care at the moment. She was just glad she had someone to walk with and thankful she hadn’t asked Amber if she had seen the sinister-looking man in the long, black coat. That would have really made her look nuts.

Everything seemed to be normal again after a few minutes of walking, and Syene felt better. She enjoyed the walk with her new acquaintance, listening to her gripe about the test they were about to take in Chemistry.

They reached their destination and began walking up the stairs to the Health and Science building. Syene took a quick glance behind her. She could have sworn she caught a glimpse of the same man. He was partially hidden behind a large tree, watching her. She squinted her eyes in the morning sun, but he was gone. She was definitely starting to see things.

Chapter Two

Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth! This is what the Lord says: The children I raised and cared for have rebelled against me." – Isaiah 1:2

The chemistry final was done, and Syene rushed down the stairs of the Health and Science building. She only had fifteen minutes to get over to the Econ building for her last exam. Amber was just behind her, in a hurry as well. Syene gave her a wave and thanked her again for her help earlier.

Only one more test to go. Thank God!

Her brain felt like it was mush from the Chem test, and she wished aloud she had time to grab some coffee. No time for the caffeine rush, or you are going to be late. The weirdness from earlier in the day had been forgotten.

As she turned the corner, a large and very distracted woman slammed into her, almost knocking her down. Syene’s backpack went flying, and everything in it scattered across the ground.

Wow! Syene scrambled to pick her things up, but she noticed the woman—a faculty member from the school badge she wore—seemed oblivious. Syene didn’t care at this point.

Ummm, excuse me. She knew her tone sounded a little too frustrated, but she had folders and paper scattered all over the pathway. The woman didn’t even look at her, she just kept glancing behind her and up into the sky.

Syene spoke up a little, clearing her throat. Hello?

The woman finally looked down at her, like a thunderbolt had hit her.

Do you hear that? the woman looked and sounded a little off.

Hear what? Syene was not in the mood for this.

You don’t hear them? You must! I can see them around you. The lady looked at her like she had two heads. Syene crouched on the ground, trying to get all her things picked up.

Uh, I guess not. Not sure what I am supposed to be hearing or seeing?

In extreme irritation, Syene looked around to see what in the world this lady was talking about. She held up her hands and looked from side to side.

Obviously, there is nothing here.

Syene retrieved the last of her papers off the ground and stood up. There was no doubt now, she was going to be late for her Economics exam. Why hadn’t the woman apologized for slamming into her? She grabbed Syene by the arm, catching her by surprise, and Syene jerked away.

Hey! What are you doing?

The lady immediately pulled back, letting out a yelp, as if she had just been burned. She glared at Syene while she rubbed her hand. Syene hadn’t felt anything.

They are following you. You must know. I can see them. They’re coming! Her rambling voice shook with fear as she yelled at Syene. They’re coming!

Syene began slowly to back away. That nut didn’t even seem to notice. Instead she stared into the sky again, talking to herself. Syene took advantage of the distraction and quickly started walking down the sidewalk. She glanced back at the crazy lady one more time to make sure she wasn’t going to follow her.

Wow, this has been a freaky day.

She remembered the creepy man staring at her, and now this crazy person.

What could possibly be next?

She started to jog to make it to her class. She didn’t have time to dwell on any of it or she would definitely be so late she would get an instant F on her exam.

Syene walked through the class room door, breathing heavily. She was hot and sweaty from running the whole way to class. She hoped she could just slide in unnoticed, but she immediately heard her professor’s voice as she walked in. She could feel her face burning from embarrassment. All ninety-five students were staring right at her.

Miss Harper, I’m so glad you could join us for the exam. He made a grand gesture as he waved his hand across the room. Please take your time and find a seat. We obviously have nothing better to do than wait on your arrival.

Syene mumbled, I’m so sorry.

She couldn’t see herself, but her whole body felt lit on fire, and she knew she had to look red as a strawberry.

No problem, Miss Harper, I’ll just be deducting ten points off your test today. The professor smiled at her.

Syene slid into the closest seat she could find to the door.

I’m very sorry, professor.

Her luck today was not flowing in the right direction. Syene glanced up to see her friend Lizzy staring at her from two rows down.

Lizzy mouthed, What happened?

Syene just shook her head at Lizzy.

The professor interrupted their exchange. Miss Harper, if you and Miss Richardson would like to continue your conversation, then please let us know, and we will wait until you are done.

No, sir. Sorry. Syene could feel heat rushing to her face yet again.

He directed his attention back to the waiting students. Okay, class, now that Miss Harper has given her permission for us to start, we can begin the exam.

Syene heard some of the people in the class laugh.

She turned an even brighter shade of red and couldn’t help but wonder how much worse this day could possibly get. Syene glanced at Lizzy, who shrugged her shoulders. She knew Liz would grill her on where she had been and why she was late. She would have to fill her in later on her freak show day.

She and Lizzy had been friends since seventh grade, and Syene had no doubt Lizzy would catch up with her the minute their exam was over. She honestly didn’t know what she would do without her.

Elizabeth Richardson was much more outgoing than Syene. She was confident, talkative, and full of life, with a personality as strong and bright as the red curls on her head. Their friendship was born in Math class in junior high. Syene had no idea what her life would be like without Liz in it. She actually couldn’t wait to talk to her about everything that had happened. She needed a good old-fashioned, Lizzy-reality-check.

Syene finished the exam in forty-five minutes and walked to the front of the class to hand it in to her professor. She tried to apologize again for being late, but he gave her a dismissive wave. She handed him her test and went back to her seat. She gathered her things and headed for the door.

The professor called out to her. Take care Miss Harper, for we are a brood of evildoers. It’s dangerous out there.

She turned to look at him, but he wasn’t looking at her. No one in the classroom seemed to hear him say it. In fact, not one person looked in her direction, not even Lizzy, who was walking to the front of the class to hand her exam in. This day was only getting creepier. She quickly left the classroom.

Syene couldn’t wait to get back outside and into the fresh air. She pushed open the doors and felt the warm breeze wash over her. Her phone vibrated with a call just as she stepped outside.

Hello. She took a deep breath of the warm air as she answered the phone.

Are you done yet? I’ve been waiting forever to talk to you! Syene could hear the urgency in Amy’s voice.

Yes, I’m sorry. I just got done with Econ! I didn’t have time to call you after my Chem test. It has been a very weird day, to say the least.

Syene could see Lizzy rushing down the stairs and walking toward her. She covered the phone with her hand when Lizzy got up to her.

Hang on, it’s Amy. She’s been trying to talk to me all day. Syene sat on one of the steps in front of the building, and Lizzy settled in next to her, pulling out her own phone to occupy herself while Syene talked to Amy.

Okay, Amy, what’s the big urgency? She wasn’t sure if she could handle anymore drama today.

"I don’t even know where to start, because it was so weird. But last night at work, a gorgeous man sat at one of my tables, and when I say gorgeous, I mean gorgeous, but in a weird, dark way. I can’t explain it. He was movie star sexy."

Syene laughed, Okay, so what? You met a great-looking man, that doesn’t sound too bad. Are you trying to tell me you ran off with a movie star last night and got married? Because, if you are, I need to put you on speaker, so Lizzy can hear all the delicious details.

The conversation had peaked Lizzy’s interest, and she looked up from her phone.

No, he asked about you. Amy sounded a little irritated.

What? What do you mean he asked about me?

Yeah, I know. At first, I felt a little jealous he even knew who you were, but then I realized it was just plain weird. Like he already knew a bunch of things about you. I know for sure, that if you knew someone who looked like him, I would have heard about it.

Syene felt dizzy again. She just wanted this day to be over.

I don’t understand, Amy. Why was he interested in me, and what do you mean he knew me? I don’t know anyone who remotely resembles who you are describing.

Amy’s voice went up a pitch, I know! That is what I am trying to tell you! He knew we were roomies, he knew where you were from. Amy paused for a second, Sy, he even knew about your sister and mom. It was really weird, super creepy. I’ve been worried about you all day.

Syene still felt dazed by the events of the entire day and now this, too. I have no clue who would be asking about me or why. Did he tell you his name or what he wanted?

No! I wasn’t giving him any information, and like I said, it was weird. It was almost like he was trying to let me know he knew stuff about you. It really creeped me out. I told him if he wasn’t there to eat, then he had to leave.

Syene’s headache intensified. What did he say when you said that?

The phone went silent on Amy’s end.

Amy? What did he say? Syene could tell Amy was hesitating and not wanting to answer.

She finally replied. Well, that’s when it got really sketchy. He stood up, leaned over and whispered in my ear, ‘Tell her we are watching.’

Syene couldn’t even wrap her brain around all of this.

"Tell her we are watching? Who is watching? Watching what?" She shivered in spite of the warm sunshine around her.

I know, Syene! That’s not even the creepiest part. When he looked right at me his eyes were black as night!

Syene was really confused now. I don’t understand, Amy. What’s weird about that? I mean, there are a lot of people with dark eyes.

She could hear the fear in Amy’s shrill voice.

Well, when I first started talking to him at my table, he had the greenest eyes I had ever seen!

What? Are you sure, Amy?

Amy’s voice pierced through the phone. Of course I’m sure! It freaked me out so bad I ran to get my manager, so he could make him leave, but the dude was gone! Like, vanished into thin air.

Syene’s stomach turned, and she thought she might throw up right there on the steps.

Sy, I know this sounds crazy, but I am telling you exactly like it happened!

Syene knew