Elijah frowned as he sat in his Mustang. His fingers tapped on the driver's wheel as he glanced into the window of his motel room. He lit a cigarette, and the smoke swirled out the window. He gazed at Emily as she drank a beer with a grin stretched across her face. Ashley and Bruce leaned up on the wall, arms crossed, as they avoided Emily's gaze as she danced.
The evening sky was splotched with clouds of deep blues, purples, and orange hues. A calm, cool wind brushed Elijah's arm as it dangled out of his car window. Cigarette packs littered the parking lot and his passenger seat. He groaned as he tried to tune out the heavy bass from Emily's pop music by turning on the radio station.
His eyes glanced up as he heard the motel door open. Ashley left the room and walked towards his car, clutching her arm as she gazed at the parking lot. Elijah glanced up at Emily, who smiled and shrugged as she continued to dance. Bruce left the room shortly after, dumping his half-eaten cheeseburger into the trash.
"What's up?" Elijah asked as Ashley and Bruce opened the side doors of his Mustang.
"I can't do this," Ashley flatly said with wide eyes. "I am quitting now; I can't be around her without thinking I will just vanish if she accidentally touches me."
Elijah nodded and glanced at Emily, who picked up another beer as she danced on the bed.
"I gotta agree with Ashley on this. This is way above our pay grade," Bruce insisted as he rubbed his neck. "What do we even tell HQ?"
"There's no point talking with HQ," Elijah replied as he smoked. "We are trapped between a rock and a hard place. Dez is dead, we got two Omega-level Conduits, and time can be fucked with at any given moment."
"Eli, she's not just dead; she doesn't even exist anymore. Just gone; we got to get the fuck out of here!"
"Eli, what should we do?" Bruce asked.
"I don't fucking know!" Elijah yelled, then sighed as he flicked his cigarette out the window. "I don't know and can't advise you on this one. Do whatever you want to do."
Ashley breathed deeply as her eyebrows lowered. "My parents were deeply religious. They would take me to church all the time. I didn't see the point, but I think I do now."
"There is no GOD here, Ashley. But I get it," Elijah muttered as he lit another cigarette.
"I think I am going to go as well," Bruce said. "A couple of quick prayers, and then we leave."
"So we are running, is that it?"
"She's drunk, Eli; let's just high-tail it out of here."
Elijah shook his head as he considered what he and Rachel had found in Emily's trailer home. "It won't work. She will find us," he explained as he glanced at Emily dancing on the bed. "But I will take you to some church if you want, and I will keep her busy."
"Hey, where are y'all going!?" Emily yelled as she opened the door with a beer bottle. "Party is in here, guys!"
"That's okay! One of my friends sings in a choir at this church," Ashley yelled as she formed a thin-lip smile. "We thought about asking you, but what teenager wants to attend church?"
Emily giggled as she chugged her beer. "Of course I want to go! I just beat Destiny. Hell yeah, I wanna go to church," she exclaimed as she tossed the beer can into the trash. She burped as she forced herself into the backseat alongside Ashley.
"Hold up," Emily muttered as she gagged and then put a finger to her lip before she puked out the car window. "Fuck," she grumbled as she hurled. "Beat Destiny!"
Elijah rolled his eyes and formed a thin-lip smile. He sighed and then turned the ignition on. The engine hummed to life as he drove. Ashley recoiled as Emily slumped on her shoulder and giggled. His heart raced briefly as he glanced up at the rear window, half expecting Ashley not to be there. He breathed a sigh of relief to see a nervous Ashley scooting away from Emily. Bruce swallowed hard as he stared wide-eyed at Emily before turning his attention to the trees that whizzed by as Eli drove.
As he pulled up, Eli gazed at the cross on the church roof. The red brick contrasted with the church's white windows and doors. Freshly trimmed brushes and grass surrounded the area as he parked his Mustang. He could hear clapping and singing coming from within as people swayed left and right in the window.
"This is going to be great!" Emily burped and giggled as she exited the vehicle. "I wonder if they will let me sing?"
"Please don't," Elijah grumbled as he exited the vehicle shortly after Ashley and Bruce.
His eyes squinted as bright lights cast shadows across an indigo carpet as he creaked the church door open. The smell of expensive cologne, new clothes, and money lingered in the air. Women wore vibrant designer dresses with eye-catching church hats as if competing to see who paid more. Men wore bright-colored suits and fashionable, exotic leather shoes. They sat in wooden church pews, clapping and humming along to the choir near the pastor's podium.
Emily nodded and smiled as she found an empty pew near the back of the church. "Over here," she said as she gestured for Elijah, Ashley, and Bruce.
Ashley rubbed her neck as she glanced up at Elijah with a thin-lipped smile. Her eyes darted towards Emily and then back up at Eli as if telepathically insisting he go first. Elijah shrugged as he sat next to Emily, breathing deeply. He looked up at the pastor, who danced along with the choir.
"Jesus is on the main line; tell 'em what you want," The pastor sang as he clapped alongside the choir and his congregation. "If you want salvation, tell him what you want!"
Emily clapped and giggled, then looked up at Elijah. "Hey, they're pretty good!" She burped and then coughed. "I think I drank too much."
"You think?" Elijah whispered, forcing a smile as people looked back at Emily. "Just keep it down."
"Oh, come on, you don't beat destiny every day. I can go to college now, maybe have kids one day," she replied as she gazed at the congregation. "Hey, do you believe in GOD?"
"I don't know now," Elijah replied.
"I do."
Elijah side-eyed Emily, who smiled at him. His eyebrows furrowed as he glanced down, forcing a thin-lipped smile. He sighed as he felt Emily's gaze on him as he looked up at the cross and then at the choir and pastor. His heart sank as he saw the lights flicker briefly.
"ⱧɆɎ ₴ØɄⱤ₱Ʉ₴₴ ⱧØ₩ ɎØɄ ⱧØⱠĐł₦₲ Ʉ₱?"
Eli's eyes widened as Emily's voice echoed in his ear. His body stiffened, and his fingers trembled as he stared absent-mindedly at the congregation clapping along to the music. His lips quivered as he forced his eyes toward Ashley and Bruce, who refused to look in his direction, their bodies as stiff as a board.
"ⱤɆⱠ₳Ӿ, ł ₩ØɄⱠĐ ₦ɆVɆⱤ ⱧɄⱤ₮ ɎØɄ."
Elijah swallowed as he stared forward, noticing the faint hue of mulberry in his peripheral vision. "Why is that?" He nervously asked Emily Prime.
"ⱠØ₦₲ ₴₮ØⱤɎ, ฿Ʉ₮—" Emily Prime said but stopped as she winced. She glared up at the choir, then shook her head. "₩ⱧɎ ₳ⱤɆ ɎØɄ ⱧɆⱤɆ, Ø₣ ₳ⱠⱠ ₱Ⱡ₳₵Ɇ₴, ₴ØɄⱤ₱Ʉ₴₴?"
"Excuse me for going through an existential crisis after seeing what you did to Dezerea."
"₣₳łⱤ, ฿Ʉ₮ ØⱧ ₮Ⱨ₳₮'₴ Ɽł₲Ⱨ₮ ɎØɄ ĐØ₦'₮ ⱤɆ₥Ɇ₥฿ɆⱤ," she sighed then shook her head.
"Remember what?"
"ⱤɆ₥Ɇ₥฿ɆⱤ ₩ⱧɆ₦?" Emily Prime asked, then paused as she glared at the choir again. "ⱤɆ₥Ɇ₥฿ɆⱤ ₩ⱧɆ₦ Ɇ₥łⱠɎ ₲₳VɆ ɎØɄ ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ₦Ø₮Ɇ? Ⱨ₳VɆ ɎØɄ ɆVɆⱤ ₩Ø₦ĐɆⱤɆĐ ₩ⱧɎ ł ₩ØɄⱠĐ ₩₳₦₮ ɎØɄ ₮Ø ⱤɆ₥Ɇ₥฿ɆⱤ?"
Elijah shook his head.
"Ø₭₳Ɏ, ł₦ ₥Ɏ Ʉ₦łVɆⱤ₴Ɇ, ɎØɄ ₩ɆⱤɆ ₭ł₦Đ₳ ₥Ɏ Đ₳-" Emily Prime explained before groaning as she stared at the choir again. Her right eye twitched as she stared wide-eyed at the person playing the piano.
"₲-₥ł₦ØⱤ!" Emily Prime yelled as she stood up. "₮Ⱨ₳₮ ł₴ ₴Ʉ₱₱Ø₴ɆĐ ₮Ø ฿Ɇ ₳ ₲-₥ł₦ØⱤ. ₲Ɇ₮ ł₮ Ɽł₲Ⱨ₮!
The pianist stopped playing as the choir stared wide-eyed at Emily Prime. The pastor wiped his forehead as he squinted at her.
Emily Prime sighed and shook her head. "ɆӾ₵Ʉ₴Ɇ ₥Ɇ ₣ØⱤ ₳ ₥Ø₥Ɇ₦₮," she said as she scooted past Elijah, Ashley, and Bruce. As she walked down the aisle, the air crackled with electricity, and her mulberry eyes glowed. "₥ØVɆ, ł ₩łⱠⱠ ₴ⱧØ₩ ɎØɄ," she ordered as she waved the pianist away.
"How dare you do this in the house of the lord!" The pastor yelled.
Emily Prime looked up at him, then tilted her head as her fingers grazed the piano keys. Her hands slammed on the piano keys as she looked at the other instruments. "Ʉ₲Ⱨ, ₮ⱧɆɎ ₳ⱤɆ ₳ⱠⱠ ØɄ₮ Ø₣ ₮Ʉ₦Ɇ. ₦Ø₮Ⱨł₦₲ ₳₦₦ØɎ₴ ₥Ɇ ₥ØⱤɆ ₮Ⱨ₳₦ Ø₣₣-₮Ʉ₦Ɇ ₥Ʉ₴ł₵."
"GOD will punish you for the blasphemy!"
Emily Prime blinked, rubbed her neck, and chuckled. "₮Ⱨ₳₮'₴ ł₥₱Ø₴₴ł฿ⱠɆ," she replied as she sat at the piano. She sighed as she played random notes, listened to the tone, and then shook her head. "₮Ⱨł₴ ₩Ø₦'₮ ĐØ," Emily flatly said with a thin-lip smile. "ØⱧ, ɎØɄ ₲Ø₮ ₳ ₵ɆⱠⱠØ!?" She smiled as she stood up and rubbed her hands on the instrument. "₮ⱧɆ ₴₮Ɽł₦₲₴ ₳ⱤɆ ฿₳Đ ฿Ʉ₮ ł ₵₳₦ ₣łӾ ₮Ⱨ₳₮."
Emily Prime snapped her fingers, and ether strings materialized in thin air. The congregation collectively gasped and recoiled, their eyes widening.
The pastor dropped to his knees and closed his eyes, hands clapping in prayer. "Lord, banish this demon."
Emily Prime chuckled and sighed. "ł ₳₥ Ɽł₲Ⱨ₮ ⱧɆⱤɆ," she announced as she materialized a bow into her hand and strummed a tune on the Cello. She then glanced up at the confused expressions on everyone's faces. "ł ₩Ø₦ĐɆⱤ... ł₣ ł ⱠØØ₭ɆĐ Ⱡł₭Ɇ Ⱨł₥, ₩ØɄⱠĐ ɎØɄ ฿ɆⱠłɆVɆ ₥Ɇ?" She asked as she gestured to the cross insignia on the pastor's podium.
She nodded her head as she continued to strum on the Cello when nobody responded. "ł ₴ɆɆ. ɎØɄ ₳ⱠⱠ ₦ɆɆĐ ₳ ฿Ⱡ₳₦₭ ₵₳₦V₳₴ ₮Ø ₱ⱤØJɆ₵₮ ɎØɄⱤ łĐɆ₳Ⱡ VɆⱤ₴łØ₦ Ø₣ ₲ØĐ Ɽ₳₮ⱧɆⱤ ₮Ⱨ₳₦ ⱠØØ₭ł₦₲ ₣ØⱤ ₩Ⱨ₳₮ ł₮ ⱤɆ₳ⱠⱠɎ ⱠØØ₭₴ Ⱡł₭Ɇ."
Emily Prime continued stringing a melody as some congregants ran out of the church. Others kneeled and prayed, while others shivered in fear. More instruments and a choir manifested out of nothing, playing independently. Emily's eyes glowed as she smiled, bobbing her head to the music she was playing.
Elijah stared at Emily Prime with a blank expression as people stormed past him like a stampede. Ashley's lips quivered, her eyes wet, as she grasped Bruce's arm. Eli forced a smile on his face, and Emily Prime looked at him with a euphoric smile as she continued to play a beautiful yet melancholic tune on her Cello.