Dear Jesus,

It turns out Lori is a terrific driver. Mehn, this angel—sorry, lady— is a wicked on the wheels. I need to find time to ask her for lessons to perfect my driving skills.

However, when the turns she took became eerily familiar, I began to panic.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, my palms now sweaty.

"Relax, Ray. And trust me, you have to see this," she said with a grave smile thrown at me.

I was seriously considering doing the spirit discernment test on her. I mean, why had I neglected that part of this whole process? I was supposed to know better. What if this was just a sly demon who had come in a rather convincing disguise? I didn't know how piles of doubt loaded on my mind.

The reason for my reaction was obvious. This was the same site where John and I had been taken captive by The Scar.

Lori finally shut down the engine after finding an awkward spot to park in.

I never imagined that I would be back to the place of my nightmare, not so soon, not ever.

Gloria stepped out and strode over to my side. Her confident urging thawed my tense muscles and I was able to come out of the car too. I slowly walked side by side with her, shuffling reluctantly while she held my hand to lead me. 

Many thoughts flooded my mind, bitter memories from that dreadful day.

We walked past the bushes and thick overgrowth of greenery till we got to the small entrance of the cave-like space. I felt a huge dose of claustrophobia creep into my skin.

"It's okay, Ray. You're light. The darkness should be afraid of you, not vice versa," Lori said.

I closed my eyes and shut out the ugly memories struggling for dominance in my mind. I took a deep breath and whispered a prayer.

"Jesus, I don't know why you think I'm strong enough to handle PTSD, but I trust you so I'll follow. Give me strength. I cannot walk through the valley of the shadow of death twice in a row without you by my side."

When I opened my eyes, Lori was watching me, an approving look on her face. With a nod, she said, "You're ready. Let's go."

We crouched into the low ceiling passageway and began to grope our way into the belly of the cave.

I clutched tightly to Lori's arm and entered in with her.

Once or twice, I thought I heard a bat fluttering or a large rodent scurrying and I would jump in a start, but Lori would reassuringly squeeze my hand and I would immediately feel the fear fade away.

When we got to the centre, the place was pitch dark but the headroom was now very high of course. 

"Now, what?" I whispered harshly when we had stood still in the darkness for a while. The place was so musky and dark that my eyes weren't even adjusting for me to see anything.

I could almost hear the smile in Lori's voice. "Now we turn on the lights."

Then, Lori did what was most unimaginable, considering her earlier instruction for covertness.

She transformed right before my eyes into her glorious angelic form.

The glow started from her chest and wrapped her in dancing wisps till it covered her entire form. I could vaguely see her through my hands that covered my eyes to shield them from the glare of the brilliant light.

She was still shimmering when the light dimmed to a lower intensity that I could look at. Her golden armour, sword and halo were all in place as I remembered them from my countless visions in the past.

A smile of delight was etched on her face as she bobbed rhythmically just inches above the floor, her resplendent white wings flapping slowly and making my hair swish over my face.

"Darling, I hope you've been convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that I am your guardian angel and not some demon in disguise—" she said and I marvelled that she had read my thoughts back in the car.

She came to me and her eyes glowed a warm golden as she said these words,
"I believe that Jesus is the Son of the Most High who came to earth in flesh, died and rose again on the third day for the redemption of mankind whom he so loves. I am His humble servant privileged to minister to this precious heiress of salvation." She gave me a full-blown smile to cap it all.

I couldn't find words for a full minute.

When I finally did, they came out disjointed.

"Is this real?" I asked in wonder, reaching out to touch her wings. It passed through. Phantom.

She chuckled. "Relax, dear. With permission for what we're here for, I just unleashed your spiritual sight to a more keen level. What you're seeing now is an overlapping of the spiritual over the physical."

"Oh!" I said.

I looked around the arena and asked, "Are you supposed to be this explicit here? I thought this place was supposed to be the region of demonic principalities or something?"

"They've moved their headquarters. The Inflicter of the Scar is still recuperating, I heard, so his minions are still lying low for now. It's only a matter of time before they come out of hiding and the Scar resumes its operations."

I flinched on hearing that name again. I didn't quite miss that demon.

"Okay so, why exactly did you bring me here?"

"Your biological father..."

I sucked in a breath, dreading the words that would follow. Lori came closer and placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Listen, Ray, you have to listen carefully and look beyond your emotions. Your father is in grave danger!"

My eyes widened in a mix of surprise and mild relief.

"My father is alive?"

She nodded. I didn't know how to process that so I looked away. 

"They're after him. Again."

"Again?" I asked.

"It's too complicated and now is not the time to break down everything that happened in the past. But you have to get across to him and make him recover his faith."

Faith! Really? I was very confused.

"Can I ask you one thing?" I said.

"Sure."

I asked the question that had been gnawing at me ever since my experience as a captive here.
The words of Mike's uncle, that I had the scar blood flowing in my veins, had plagued me with dread ever since. 

"Was my father associated with the Scar?"

Lori stood silent for a long time and I guessed she was asking for a heavenly go-ahead.
"No," she finally said.

I sagged with relief. Then a million other questions flooded my mind but Lori cut me to the chase.

"That's not why we're here, Ray. You'll find out everything in God's perfect time. For now, we came to retrieve something important. Something that would help your father regain his faith when you finally come in contact with him."

Oh. I would soon meet him!

I wanted to ask more questions like Was my father nearby? Did I know him already? What was he like? What did Lori mean by he's in danger? Why must I be involved in this?
I just wanted to be a normal girl, focusing on my academics and aiming for the stars. The strain was so heavy on me and I feared I'd break under the pressure. I needed a break, but at the same time like fire burning in my bones, I couldn't stop wanting more.

"Look around. Do you see any shiny object?" Lori said.

I squinted and whirled about to take a full sweep of the space. There were rubbles of stones all over the floor, relics of the caving-in that happened that day.

I went closer to the elevated platform where the altar was, dreading the fact that I would meet the decaying body of Mike's uncle but then I couldn't perceive any stench and I remembered Mike saying in passing that his body had been found on an abandoned road. He never really told me details about his burial or how his family was faring. Mike had been very reluctant to talk about his past so I didn't want to push it.

There was something on the altar. It glinted under the glory of her light. At first, I imagined it was Mike's former bracelet that he had discarded here on the night of our deliverance. But that wasn't it. It was a golden locket. It was dusty, broken and scratched but still recognisable.

"This?" I said, picking it up.

"Yup. That's it," Gloria said as she examined it.

"What's this?" I said, opening it but finding nothing inside.

"You'll have to keep this safe and give this to your real father when you meet him," Lori said.

Realisation dawned on me. This must somehow be connected to him. I was holding a piece of my father in my hands. Emotions I couldn't place filled my lungs.

"Listen to me, Ray. This will be the last time I directly speak to you on the subject of your father. You'll have to uncover the rest of the puzzle on your own by trusting the Holy Spirit."

I ran my hand into my hair and took in a shuddering breath as I carefully wrapped up the locket and put it into my back pocket.

"Um, Lori. Can I... Can I have a minute to gather myself together?"

"No problem. Take all the space and time you need," she said and turned away from me.

I walked in slow circles and let out a short shriek of release before clamping my mouth shut again.

"Jesus," I cried as I fell to my knees. "Please, I cannot do this on my own. I don't have that kind of strength to fight this looming battle. Can't this cup pass over me?"

I sobbed, my shoulders shaking. I was like that for several minutes.

I heard Lori's soft voice in my mind. Telepathic communication.
"You know, the Lord himself prayed this prayer in his lowest moment in Gethsemane. The Father sent angels to comfort and strengthen him. Just as He has sent me to you."

I lifted my bowed head and saw her looking at me with compassion in her eyes. I went to her and melted into her embrace.
She prayed over me. If anyone ever told me that angels pray, I would have scrunched my face in scepticism. But experiencing it first-hand in the arms of my guardian angel was so natural. Since prayer is basically talking to God, it made logical sense that angels pray.

Lori lifted my chin looked straight into my eyes and said telepathically, "Of course, no one is promising it won't be a dangerous battle. Just rest assured that God's got your back. Me too."

I gave a lopsided grin and sniffed through my tears. "I'll keep that in mind," I mouthed.

⋋✿ ✿⋌⋋✿  ✿⋌

I was silent all through our ride home. I was taking time to mull over all I had been shown. There was a lot ahead of me. I still doubted I was cut out for the whole charade.

Of course, Lori didn't need my directions or GPS to drive to my apartment. She knew the exact route to take. When she drove into my compound, she looked in our neighbours' apartment direction and said, "Tough one, uhn?"

"Yup. A very hard nut to crack."

She gave a single nod but didn't speak further.

I came out shakily and walked into my apartment in a slight daze.
It was already dark and my friends were waiting for me in the living room, each in different postures.

They clustered about me like chirping birds and paused in reverential awe as Lori came into view.

"Is she... Is this?" Kathy asked, looking at the smiling Gloria.

"Dear friends, meet Lori Drop aka Gloria," I said simply, a small hint of smugness seeping into my voice.

Pris placed her hand over her mouth to muffle her gasp.
Portia's eyebrows lifted and her lips slightly parted.
Kathy just smiled brilliantly and said with every sense of composure, "Oh my, welcome. Ray didn't tell us you'd be coming. Thanks so much for all the years of watching this girl's back. Have a seat. It's not every day we get to entertain an angel!"

I watched my friends abandon me and cluster around Lori, pestering her with questions upon questions. I wanted to pity her but my stomach was now growling in protest so I  snuck into the kitchen, praying that dinner was ready. I found my meal in the warmer. It was Pris' turn to cook today and her dishes were delicious. Couldn't say the same for mine.

I took my food to the living area, ready to devour my food to the background of Lori instructing my eager friends. But then years of home training kicked in. I asked if Lori wanted something and though she declined at first, she finally agreed to take a drink. She drank fizzy soda. I guess angels on earth eat and mine needs a proper lecture on the difference between junk food and a balanced diet.

About one intense hour later, Lori eventually excused herself, saying she had to leave immediately because of curfew at the hospital quarters. I rose to escort her as courtesy demands and had already started to calculate how she would flag a taxi but she gave me a brief smile, mischief twinkling in her eyes.
Lori winked at me and said, "Godspeed, all of you."

Then, Lori went all out to prove her angelic status to my friends. Poof. One second she was standing there, the next she was not.

I blinked thrice. Did she just... Vanish? Teleport?

"Oh, my, God!" Pris said, squealing at the end.

"Your guardian angel is so cool," Portia said, her sigh wistful, "Wish I could meet mine in person too."

I shook my head and internally facepalmed.

"Now, now, girls, let's not get too distracted. This is no game or merry adventure we're dealing with. Didn't you listen to all her injunctions and advice?" Kathy, the ever-level-headed of this crew, said.

I continued jogging my knees together, thinking.

~~~

My dream was HD resolution vivid, short but sharp. I saw a male figure in a large mire, sinking and desperately crying for help. Then many more people of different races and ages appeared on that same mire field, sinking and crying in despair.
I was on solid ground, on the other side, safe. I wanted to help them. Something held me back and I was screaming that I wanted to help them.

My heart hammered in my throat and sweat glistened in my face as my eyes flew open. I gently shifted Kathy's body away from mine and went outside to the balcony. I ignored the biting cold and raised my face to the night sky.

The whole recent event has upturned my universe and I just couldn't wrap my head around it. It felt like I was expected to juggle a million balls at once. And I knew I wasn't superwoman.

I retrieved the locket and felt its cold metallic surface, and I started praying in the spirit for myself and my father, meaning every syllable.

I heard something and I froze. Since the balcony faced the backyard, I was scared it was a night animal. Or had the demons come?
The sound came again and I realised it was the sound of someone sobbing.

I squinted and realised it was our neighbour. The Muslim girl. She was sprawled on their porch, her face draped with her long braids that were exposed and dishevelled. She was even more beautiful without her hijab.

Concerned, I called out in a whisper, "Hey, is everything okay?"

She jerked her head up, looked at me with round eyes and scrambled to her feet.

"I'm fine," I heard her mumble as she scurried inside. I frowned and raised a quick prayer for her.

"Dear Lord, please heal this broken soul and let her find peace, you."

"Ray?" I heard Kathy's voice call from behind me.

Oh, bother. I turned and saw that my bestie was half asleep and half awakened.

"Is everything okay?"

I sighed and leaned on the railings as I raised my head to the stars.

"Had a nightmare. Just wanted some air."

"Oh! Wanna talk about it?"

I gave her a sideways smile and ran my hand through my hair as I shook my head.
She didn't press. She just nodded and wrapped her hand over mine on the railing.

"Do you ever get afraid, Kathy? You don't show it," I said.

She chuckled.

"I do and I don't. I'm pretty sure God doesn't want us to be caged or controlled by fear."

She glanced at me, an inscrutable expression on her face.
"I know you've got your guardian angel here and all but, if you need your human bestie to vent to, I'll be always here glued to your side, sis."

"Ooouu. I see where this is going, Kathy," I said, grinning. "Are you jealous?"

She scoffed and hit my arm. "You wish."

As she went back inside, I kept taunting her with my laughter.

⋋✿ ✿⋌⋋✿  ✿⋌

Author's note: Hey guys, Happy New Year and happy weekend! 🎇🎆🎉🎊
I'm so glad we made it to 2024 by God's grace.
I hope you've been maximising this new year already. Check those plans and resolutions and see if you're still on track. 🙃😋

Another chapter will drop soon. 🤩
I hope this sacrifice of two-chapter updates today appeases you, O patient fans of Ray and the rest of the Holy Priesthood gang. You've been with us, journeying for years on this path of Light. I want to assure you that this book will be completed this year, God willing, if the Lord tarries. Haha... 🤭

I make no promises of how often I will update since my academic course has gotten more demanding and I'm involved in quite several things already but rest assured, I will do my best to give this book my utmost priority before moving on to other books (meaning COTSS which as you might have noticed is currently on hold till I finish ASWD).🥹

Just a point of note: I crave your prayers. Please pray as often for me as you can, as HS leads you.

Meanwhile, if you're not yet a part of the PeculiarPraise online community (WhatsApp to be precise), you're missing quite a lot. Jesus has juicy agendas in store for us and I don't want you to be left out.
Join the PeculiarPraise inner circle group by sending me a private message so I can know how to add you. 🤗

I love you so much. You're the best. 💖💖💖