They both laughed, loud enough for a tone deaf aged man miles away to hear clearly. The peals of their mirth spread through the span of the kitchen space. Ella was certain that she had laughed more in this singular hour than in her whole lifetime.

Deb had taken Ella to her cozy apartment tucked in a quiet neighborhood in the eastern suburbs of the Mainland Coastal  Campus. Compare that to the chaos that is the norm in the main ports of Ivory Town and you will have two charged poles that can never meet.

Deb took time to tell Ella all that had been happening, which eventually led to their meeting.
How the Holy Spirit had revealed to her that she would soon encounter someone that is a very important tool for Him and that she was to be the iron to sharpen her.
How she had already begun interceding for her for about two months prior their meeting.
How sometimes, while in the place of groaning for this unknown person, she would see brief but vivid visions of water and lilac eyes.
How she had felt so prompted in her spirit to drive to Mkesea Tanks that Thursday immediately after her rounds at the college's clinic.
Thankfully, she had obeyed and here they were.

All Ella could say was, "Woah! I find it a little hard to believe that anyone would go this extra mile for me. You have no idea what I've been through." The last part was painfully whispered.

"You're right," Deborah admitted, "I don't know everything about you. But I sure know someone who has been eyeing you for such a long time that he was willing to go any extent for you," Deborah said.

Ella smiled and fiddled with the edge of the silk gown she wore. It was one of the dresses Deborah had given her and just as she had suspected, it fit like a wing to a butterfly. "You're talking about the one who calls himself the Redeemer right?"

"Oooh!" Deb said comically, wriggling her eyebrows and clapping her hands spontaneously, "I've got a smart lady seated by me."
Ella blushed and looked at her hand while Deborah chuckled.
By this time, she had successfully tied the fringe of the gown into a knot.
She still couldn't place why she felt nervous even though she felt safe here.
She felt bare and vulnerable. Was it because her powers were stripped off her?

"But do you know that he took your place in death so that you can live?" Deborah sounded serious but her voice was soft.

Ella looked up. She remembered the altar and along with it the feeling of death ice cold hands closing in on her. She remembered the Redeemer's lighted face and his punctured hand.

Did he really become an exchange in her place of death?
Why would anyone do that?

"He did?" her voice carried uncertainty and fearful awe. The little she knew about the Christian God was that he was One who allowed his loyal subjects to be slaughtered by the Evil Lord's agents. At least that was all she had the access of seeing while still affiliated with the underworld. Nobody ever told her he loved or cared. Now it was clear she had been looking through the wrong side of the lens.

"Yes! Just so you and I can be saved."

"Pfft... I know I'm the one who needs saving," Ella whispered.

Deborah smiled in a somewhat sad manner. "Maybe telling you a little bit about myself will reaffirm to you that there is indeed no one God cannot save."

She took in a deep breath and sharply exhaled as she ran her hand through her curly hair which she had let down in the most carefree manner.

"I don't say this often, but I feel I have to. There was once a time when I was bisexual."

Ella's eye widened but she quickly concealed her shock. She couldn't imagine this primp and proper, miss-goodie-two-shoes Deborah being a 'bisexual'.

Deborah looked outside the window adjacent where she sat and sighed. A pigeon was by the window sill and it's cooing was like a chorus of melancholy.
"I had this strong affinity for ladies and anytime I saw one who caught my eye, I'd subtly go after her till we became sexual partners."

Ella gasped. She knew the demons assigned to do just that. They weren't the kinds that were easily shaked off.

"I knew I was wrong but I couldn't stop. It became an addiction. By the way, my parents were ministers of God. They didn't know because I would pretend to be the sweet little girl so pure and innocent at home. I was like a whited sepulchre with rotten bones and smelly sewage inside."

"The worst part was that I got introduced to different degrees of this addiction. All kinds of women of all ages who claimed to be trying to be independent from men had encouraged this lesbianism act. Let me say it was a kind of sect or cult. I would either sleep with women old enough to be my mother or even little girls. I remember doing it with my younger sister, as well."
Deborah bit her lips and grimaced. One could see that the memories still haunted her.

"One day, I met this  gorgeous woman who claimed to be lesbian. She said she was attracted to me. Turns out she was a pretender." Deborah smiled. "She was sent of God to rescue me from my addiction."

Hovering above them, in a plain beyond the visible range of human's eyes, four pairs of eyes were dutifully watching the girls seated and talking in the room.

"That would be me. She's referring to me," Jael hooted, using her golden whip to skip, her wings fluttering like a hummingbird's.

"Obviously," the muscular three said as they rolled their eyes and crossed their arms.

Deborah continued her tale. "The day we met, we were supposed to go to her house but she lied to me. She took me to a church instead."

Deborah chuckled whereas Jael made a face of mock hurt and said, "Hey! I cannot lie. I actually told you the fact there. That is my house."

The trio shook their heads.

"You know she cannot hear you.  Why then bother?" Haliel, the one with grey iris said softly.
"It's fun actually," Jael said simply.

"Be serious for once," Griel said, obviously exparated but trying hard not to show it.

"Hey! Do you know how serious I can get when demons coming prying? Aiyaa!" She made her battle cry, fighting a non-existent enemy. 
Griel could have as well slapped his face.

Deborah continued, "I can still remember the shock on my face when I saw that this was my dreaded territory. I feared the God of my parents. I mean who liked this harsh being up there who delighted to stop one from having all the fun?" 

Ella nodded her head. She could relate.

"Turns out he had me in mind all the while. I was set free because during the progression of the service, demons were expelled out of me in the most violent of manners. Pastor still tells me how many hefty brothers it took to hold me from hurting myself. "

"It was like death and rebirth. I gave my all to the one who had freed me because I was made to see Him in a new light."

"But the perplexing aspect is that I never found the woman who took me there. No trace. Like even when I described to the pastor he claimed to have seen me walk into the church myself. But I'm cork sure I was brought in. I still recall her face. Who knows? It could have been an angel of the Lord."

Jael beamed a billion sparkles of light. "That my dear is absolutely correct! Oh the joy of being a guardian angel allowed to actually interact physically with my ward."

The muscular three tsked.
Griel muttered something along the lines of, " I don't see why you have to rub it in."

"Let's bake cake," Deborah said suddenly. "You can tell me all about you while we do. It's likely we have a visitor and I hate to have nothing to give. Plus I'm craving chocolate cake all of a sudden."

"Okay then. Let's do this. Mind you I have never baked in my life."

"Gasp! Poor child." Deborah pouted, placing a hand on her chest.

"Don't even mention it."

They got to the kitchen and started the batter mixing process.
Ella moved forward to pass her the flour bowl. Her feet tripped. Flailing arms, raining flour, she fell forward. Thankfully she didn't scatter into fragments on the floor.

She gathered herself together and watched as a white Deborah struggled to get the flour out of her hair, she couldn't help but laugh. In no time, Deborah joined her.

To make matters worse, the doorbell rang just as Deborah said she it was high time they calmed down. That only caused more shrieks of laughter from them both.

"I'll get the door for you."

"Sure dear. It's not like I can go out this way!" Deborah said as she gestured to her flour-decorated clothes.

Ella trotted to the door. She dusted off the mask of flour that had glued itself to her gown as she made for the door.

No one would understand what fun she had had in the past few minutes. They would just conclude she was an uncultured, unmannered blob of femaleness.
Ha! Come to think of it, it seemed like a perfect description of her condition now.

"Who is there?"

"Deborah, can I come in?" The voice sounded like a properly tuned bass cello.

Ella swung the door open.
"Good day sir. Deborah is..." she started to say but the words got stuck in her mouth as she looked up.

It was as if lightning had struck her. As if a shooting star had fallen at her feet and out of the crystalized rock emerged a perfectly moulded Greek god. For before her stood the a man in whom there was no blemish.

He took a sweeping look at her and as he did Ella could feel the same heat of desire crawl up and down beneath her skin.

Upon realizing it was not Deborah, he became defensive. His hairy brows furrowed ever so slightly. Ella could have drooled and swooned all at once at the pristiness of him, but somehow she fought to maintain a fraction of composure.

"Who are you and what are you doing in Deborah's clothes?"

Wait, what? Whoo, whoo, whoo... Slow down there bro. 

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She closed it back, feeling quite foolish. Her face went hot and she could only hope her long aurburn hair covered her face well enough.

"Can't you speak?" He said, eyes narrowed and his voice squeezed tighter than before.

"Uhmmm..."

"Oh Jay! You're here! You wouldn't believe what happened to me today!" That was Deborah. Only that her voice had gone a million times more animated and alive.

And with that, she threw herself at him. He did not mind one bit that his well pressed shirt was being rumpled and smeared by flour.
He held her close and gave her a sweet peck on the cheek.

Ella looked away as her heart shattered. She felt like a fool, ogling and fantasizing about a total stranger, one who was apparently the boyfriend of her rescuer.

Drat! Why did he have to be taken? And why the heavens did she care?

"How have you been, Deborah?" His voice was back to it's soft note.

"Great! I have never been greater," Deborah almost squealed. Then she turned to Ella and pulled her hand closer.
"Jay, meet Ella Macmillior, my new friend. Ella, this is Jeremiah Drestor, my fiance."

Ella took one look at him and swallowed. Her fiancee? This was way deeper that just a boyfriend thing.

"I see." Jay said still looking at her like she was an amoeba under a microscope. Deborah didn't seem to notice.

As Jay entered into the living room, Ella knew that this was going to be one tough battle.

The angels could not agree less.

**********
Author's note: Whew guys! I finally got this out. I know it needs a lot of fleshing out but I just had to stick to my updating schedule. 🤓

Was it too long? Was it just too wordy? Let me know please. 🥺

And yeah! What do you think is going to happen now that Jay is in the picture? I can't wait to see... 🌝😏😏😏

And who else just thinks that Jael is witty. Ha! Am I the only one?😝 Please don't henceforth think angels are witty beings. Blame my hyperactive imagination. 🤭

Anyways, thank God for another update. It would have been impossible without Him.💖🔥🙏

See y'all next week.
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Oh! Tap the vote and comment button before you leave. Thank you. 😁😁😁