THE SHADOWED ONYX: A DIAMOND ESTATES NOVEL (39 page)

“I bet you’re wondering why we’ve brought you all here today.” Ben stood on the stage in the prayer room and looked out over the girls sitting before him. “Once in a while someone comes here and has difficulty shedding the ties to the past. It can make things really hard to surrender to what God has in mind. Anyone here know what I’m talking about?”

A chorus of groans and a few lifted hands were offered in response.

“Yeah, I thought so. And once in a while we get to see a miracle. We get to witness the hand of God miraculously intervene in a humanly impossible situation. Someone, one of you actually, has a little story to tell. Anyone want to hear it?”

He clapped his hands, and the group followed suit. Joy could see the question on their faces: who was he talking about?

Ben grinned. Boy, he liked to go for the suspense reaction. “Joy?”

Joy stood and walked to the front amid whispers and stares. She looked over the girls. “I know what you’re thinking. Believe me, I’d have thought it, too. But how about you hold your judgment for fifteen minutes and let me tell you my story.

Okay?”

Joy plunged in. “I came here because I was stuck in a life of the occult and the paranormal. I dabbled and then later immersed myself in it. It all started innocently because my best friend had committed suicide, and I missed her. I had so many questions. Someone came along and offered me a way to talk to her.”

Joy saw several girls nodding along with the story. Including Savvy.

“It started with only contacting Melanie, but then my grandmother, too. Then I had some out-of-body experiences.”

Joy took a deep breath, trying not to notice the shock on some faces.

“This part is hard to talk about, but my friend gave me a guardian spirit, a protector. His name was Silas, and he was a white wolf. He protected me constantly and was with me always. Even here.”

Several girls gasped.

“That’s right. While we were having dinner, he was right there by my feet. Or while we were here in the prayer room, he was circling me, making sure I didn’t get sucked in with the God stuff or become affected by your prayers. It totally worked. I was trapped.”

Joy looked at Ben.

He nodded encouragement.

“Over time, our relationship changed as my heart strained toward Jesus. The spirit within me craved companionship with its Savior. But my flesh was committed to another master.”

The girls were leaning forward, hanging on to every word Joy said. How far should she go into the story? How much was too much?

“Every time I tried to pull away from evil, something bad happened or I was threatened. Without giving Satan too much credit, what I’m trying to say is that the spirit world of good and evil is real, and it’s happening all around you right now.”

Joy took a deep breath.

“I had flashes of visions where I got to see the battles that rage over your beds while you sleep.”

Mouths dropped open.

“Yes, you. Tonya, Paige, Holly … all of you.”

“I even saw into the intense war you guys fight with your prayers in this room. It sets the spirit world on fire. You should feel some holy pride for that.”

Ben laughed. “Not that we’re encouraging pride now, girls.”

Joy rolled her eyes.

Everyone laughed. Nice tension breaker.

“We might not know exactly what is happening or why, as long as we know that to win the battles, and ultimately the war, all it takes is the name of Jesus.” Tears coursed down Joy’s face. “The power is in that name, and it was only when I took a chance and cried out to Him that I was freed the instant of the final attack—the one that would have taken my life.”

Paige and several others dabbed their eyes.

“Then, you want to know the coolest part?”

They nodded. Every single one.

“The Lord opened my eyes, and I was able to see into the spirit realm. My enemy laid at my feet, slain by the blood of the Lamb.

“Each and every one of you has that very same power right in the palm of your hands. The Bible says that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow. Every knee. That means every enemy of yours. Every force that comes against you. Every spirit of doubt, worthlessness, or guilt. Crushed.”

Joy shrugged. Had she really said all of that? Where had it come from? She looked at Ben. “I guess I’m done.”

Ben moved to the front. He turned to Joy with authority in his eyes. “Joy Christianson, there’s a calling on your life. You are going to be a powerful voice on issues of spiritual warfare. What Satan has meant for evil in your life, our holy God has turned around for His eternal good.” He swallowed a few times to compose himself. “You will be a light of hope to young people. They will hear you and believe then turn their hearts to Christ because of your words.” He stood silently, lips moving in prayer.

It almost felt like those words were from God Himself. Could that be? She’d talk to Ben about it later. In private.

Ben looked over the group. “Girls. There’s an old Cherokee legend …”

Thirty groans filled the room.

Ben laughed. “No, no. Hear me out. The legend has it that an old Cherokee granddad tells his grandson that there are two wolves inside everyone. One is evil—pride, jealousy, anger, rage. The other is good—love, joy, peace, patience. They battle over control in the heart and minds of every person.”

Ben strode across his stage. “So the little boy thinks about it for a minute, then asks, ‘Granddad? Which one wins?’ The wise old man looks at his boy and says, ‘The one you feed.’”

Mark stepped beside Joy into the lunch line. “Mind if I cut?”

“Hey!” Paige teased. “Get in line like everyone else. Thinks he’s something special just because … well, why is it, Mark?”

“Ha. Ha. I just want to chat with Joy for a sec. Okay?” Mark winked. He could get away with anything with those girls. And he knew it.

He turned to Joy. “So, I wanted to talk to you.”

“Sure. What’s up?” Joy pushed her tray along the rails and took a sip of her Dr Pepper and added a brownie to her tray.

“I’m curious about something. How do you feel about your tattoo? That was a bit of an issue when I first met you—you felt like it connected you to the wolf. So what now?”

“It’s awesome. I still love it.” Joy shrugged. He might not understand, but it didn’t matter.

“But it’s a permanent reminder of the darkest days of your life. You don’t regret it?”

“Oh no. Not one bit. It’s my journey. It’s a benchmark to remind me of my turning point. Jesus and I? We slayed that wolf.” Joy smiled. “There’s another side to it, too. Remember that Cherokee legend Ben talked about?”

Mark tilted his head. “Yeah. The one with the little boy and his grandpa … oh, and the good and evil wolves?”

“Right. Well, for a long time, I fed the evil one. Now I’m feeding the other one.”

“Happy birthday to Ben!

“Happy birthday to Ben!”

Joy looked around the room while the song continued. It was like the heavens had opened and doused everything with the brightest light. The world was in high-def. Before it had been like watching an old black-and-white movie on a VHS tape. Dim, dreary. No dimension.

The divider had been slid black; the library and dining room opened into one big space. The fire roared in the fireplace; the music blared through the sound system. Tons of people she’d never seen before. So this was a party? She’d forgotten how to have fun. But it was all coming back to her—she totally had her eye on the game of Twister happening in the back. They hadn’t seen a back bend until they saw hers.

Ben leaned forward to blow out his candles. Alicia dove for his tie. Thank you. No one wanted another fire. Candles out, Ben reached for the mic. “Mind if I say a few things?”

“Do we have a choice?” The words slipped out before she could stop them. Luckily the twinkle in her eye reached him first.

“Ah. Someone knows me too well. No. You don’t have a choice.” He winked. “I just want to tell you all that I love you with all my heart. You make my life,
our
lives,”—he smiled at Alicia as he tugged her close—“richer than you could ever realize. Thank you for being you.”

He bent to set the mic down.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad,” Joy teased.

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Ben grabbed the microphone again.

A chorus of good-natured groans filled the room.

“We have a surprise for you. Me, Alicia, Mark, Ginny, and Tammy.” He paused for effect. “Construction begins tomorrow on the back house. And here’s the surprise. It will be a rec center. Workout room, theater room, coffee bar, aerobics studio, stuff like that.”

A cheer erupted. Perfect. No one wanted that awful quarantine setup.

“It’ll go in stages. So dig out your old clothes. Pretty sure we’ll be calling on our cheap labor now and then.”

Had there been any doubt?

Now. She was at a party. It was time to meet someone new. Hmm. That pretty dark-haired girl with the purple streak down the side of her hair looked interesting. Joy approached her and stuck out her hand. “Hey. I’m Joy.”

“Hi. I’m Olivia. It’s really nice to meet you.”

“Olivia? Are you Ginny’s daughter?” Joy hadn’t realized she was drop-dead gorgeous.

“Yep, that’s me; this is my fiancé, Justin.”

“Oh. I didn’t know you guys were engaged. Congrats. It’s nice to meet you, too, Justin.” And that’s how it was done. Just like normal people, making new friends, laughing at jokes.

Time for Twister. “Can I play?” Joy spun the dial and moved in for a contortionist’s dream. Her foot on the yellow circle, she had to reach her opposite arm to the blue one across the mat. “Sorry, Paige. You’re going down.”

Joy made her move, stretching her body over the top of all the players and put her hand on the dot. So hard to stay in position with all the laughing.

Paige collapsed to the floor. “Fine. Fine. You win.” She laughed.

“Let that be a lesson to you all.” Joy stood like a general surveying a battlefield. “Any other takers?”

Paige grinned. “Joy, you crack me up. You’re the life of the party. Who knew?”

J
oy peeked from behind the curtain out into the sea of faces. Two thousand wide-eyed teenagers looked to her for answers. Spiked hair, blue hair, nose rings, tattoos … whether out of rebellion or for personal expression, they all wanted to be different … but inside, they were all the same. Needy. Desperate. Just like she had been.

When she’d talked to him on the phone earlier that day, Ben Bradley had said, “Just tell it like you told the story to us that day in the prayer room. Do you remember what I said? I told you that you would go on to be a voice of hope to young people, that you would tell the story of good and evil in the battle raging over each one of them. Then I said they would believe you and hearts would turn to Christ. Today is the first fulfillment of that prophecy. Go out there and give it all you’ve got.”

Joy wiped her sweaty palms on her designer jeans. She sure had prepared for this. Public-speaking lessons, Bible training, a really good shopping trip. She was dressed to kill with a speech that would give life to those who heard it.

So said Ben.

“Father, open their eyes and ears to the truth. Let them hear You call to them from behind the enemy’s veil.” She shook the tension from her hands and arms then rotated her head in circles.

She flipped open her favorite Bible, the one her parents gave to her on Christmas, the year it all happened, to Psalm ninety-one and read, “‘Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for he shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways …’”

“Miss Christianson, it’s almost time.” The stagehand with the walkie-talkie helped her up the rickety back stairs until she was standing on the stage behind the curtain.

“And today,” the emcee rallied the crowd, “I have the distinct privilege to introduce our special guest. This young lady is only twenty-one years old and is recently engaged to the love of her life. She has experienced things that will chill you to your toes—but I’ll let her tell you about that. She’s a graduate of the Diamond Estates program and a Bible student. She also just released her first book,
Feed the Good Wolf
, about spiritual warfare. Let’s welcome Joy Christianson.”