The Battle Begins Read online

  “You sure?” Both girls could tell he sounded way too eager. (Guys, so transparent.)

  “Laz,” Martha said, “I really don’t think that’s something she’d be interested in.”

  It was the truth, but Maggie and Martha both knew the real judgement going on underneath.

  Maggie, let it go. “I’m looking for Shepherd’s Surf Shop,” she said.

  “Of course, you are.” The words slipped out before Martha could stop them.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Maggie said.

  Martha shook her head. “Nothing. Sorry, I just…nothing.”

  Maggie simply looked at her. If there was anything to like about the girl, she couldn’t find it. Martha held her gaze. The feeling was mutual.

  Of course, Lazarus didn’t catch any of this. (Guys, so clueless.)

  “It’s just down the beach,” Lazarus said. “Sure you don’t want to stay?”

  “She’s sure,” Martha said.

  “You got that right.” Maggie flipped him the ball. She was thinking of flipping his sister something else, but figured the chick wasn’t worth it.

  Instead, she turned and sauntered down the beach, smiling slightly when she heard, “Come on, Laz.” And then again, “What are you staring at? Lazarus, come on.” (Guys, so easy to manipulate.)

  When she arrived at the tiny surf shop, Eli was outside sanding a board. He spotted her and pulled the air filter away from his mouth. “Hey, Maggie.” The smile caught her off guard. “What brings you down here?”

  “I, uh…” she tried holding his gaze but felt more comfortable glancing up the beach. “I saw what you did. Behind the school.”

  He tried playing it cool, checking out the board, but he was busted and knew it. “Yeah? What’s that?”

  “Most kids duck behind the school for a smoke. You hide there to heal dogs.”

  “You, uh, you saw that?”

  “Like I said, being invisible has its advantage—” She stopped, seeing Eli’s expression freeze. “What’s wrong?”

  “No!” He ripped off his mask.

  “Wha—”

  He broke passed her and started running up the beach. “No. NO!”

  “Eli?” she called. “Eli!”

  But he just kept running.

  Ten minutes later, Eli burst through the house and into the kitchen. Dad was lying on the floor. His brother, Uncle Gary, was on his knees desperately doing CPR as Eli’s little brother, Jimmy, and Mom who was holding the crying baby, watched in terror.

  What was the Enemy doing now? Don’t get me wrong, I appreciated the fear and panic, but what was He up to?

  “We were just having lunch,” Mom said, “when he collapsed.”

  Eli stood there, not moving…as the baby continued screaming and Gary continued the CPR.

  “Do something,” Mom cried. “Eli…”

  They turned to him, but Eli didn’t move. It was obvious he was listening to the Enemy, but it was one of those private conversations they wouldn’t let me hear.

  “Eli!” she cried.

  Then, ever so sadly, he shook his head and in a quiet whisper said, “No.”

  “What?” Jimmy said. “What do you mean, no?”

  Eli looked to him, then to his mother. He was as troubled as they were. But, again, he whispered, “No.”

  “He’s your father!” Mom cried.

  “I know.” His voice was clogging with emotion. “But…I can’t.”

  Mom brought her hand to her mouth, tears spilling on to her face.

  “What do you mean, you can’t?” Jimmy demanded.

  Eli turned to him, looking lost and confused.

  So was I. The kid could heal some stranger’s dog but not his own dad? What was going on?

  Moisture filled his eyes as he turned back to his mom. Her expression was pleading, begging.

  “Do something!” Jimmy shouted. “We know you can. Do something!”

  Eli lowered his head.

  “ELI!”

  He took a deep, unsteady breath, then moved towards his father.

  The room watched.

  He lowered to his knees. Gary stopped the CPR and waited. Everyone waited. But instead of reaching out his hand and laying it on his father, instead of praying over him, he dropped his head. His body began to shudder in silent sobs, but he did no more.

  “Eli!” Jimmy yelled.

  He did nothing.

  Uncle Gary pushed him aside, “Get out of the way,” and resumed working on the man’s chest.

  Little Tabitha appeared in the doorway. “Daddy!” Before Mom could stop her, she raced into the room. “Daddy, what’s wrong?”

  Jimmy reached for her, “Tabby,” but she slipped past him and arrived at her father’s side.

  “What’s wrong with him?” She looked around the room, saw the faces, grew more frightened. She turned back to him. “Daddy, wake up! Daddy!”

  Mom moved in. Holding the baby in one arm, she tried pulling Tabitha away with her free hand.

  But the little girl would have none of it. “Daddy, wake up!” She turned to Eli. “What’s wrong with him?”

  Eli looked over to her, unable to answer, until Mom was finally able to pull her away.

  She started crying, “Momma, what’s wrong with him? Daddy! DADDY!” She tried breaking free, but Mom held her tight.

  As Gary continued pumping the chest…in what everyone knew was a futile effort to bring the man back to life.

  Chapter Nine

  Later that night, family, friends, and snoopy neighbors had gathered around the E.M.S. vehicle with its flashing blue and amber lights. Two uniformed attendants loaded Dad’s cold body into the back. Everyone was all weepy and broken up.

  Everyone but me.

  I’d tried a thousand times to draw him over to my side, but the man wouldn’t budge. In fact, the more I threw at him, the more he and his old lady dug in to follow the Enemy. Every time I pushed, they went deeper. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure all my pushing only made things worse. What is it with people like that? Once they’ve tasted the Enemy’s love, they just won’t listen to my common sense.

  Well, good riddance is all I’ve got to say.

  And Eli? Of all the friends and family, his heart was the most shredded. Not only had he lost his dad when he could have saved him, but he knew his whole family looked upon him as a traitor. That’s probably why he chose to watch the scene from the ridge above the house alone, all by himself.

  Well, not exactly alone…

  Suddenly a bright, glowing hand, was resting on his shoulder. He turned to see his father standing beside him. Not the man’s body that was in the EMS. But the man’s spirit. Instead of freaking out or running off screaming, Eli threw his arms around him. His dad did the same. They hugged one another fiercely.

  Fighting through the tears, Eli finally spoke. “I couldn’t. I wanted, but I—”

  “I know,” his dad said, “It’s all right. I know.”

  They pulled apart, looked into each other’s eyes, and fell back into another embrace. Eventually they separated and began walking along the ridge, looking down at the people and the flashing lights.

  Dad was the first to speak. “He said my job is finished. He said I can come home.” With a chuckle he added, “Guess you don’t need an extra Father getting in the way.”

  “But the shop?” Eli said. “Mom, the kids? I can’t do it by myself. I need your help.”

  “You’ll have better help than I could ever offer.”

  Eli nodded, taking a swipe at his eyes. The words didn’t stop the ache in his heart, but he understood. Finally, he slowed to a stop and looked back at his father. His voice hoarse with emotion. “I’ll miss you.”

  Dad gave a quiet smile. “It won’t be long.” Then he added, “and it won’t be easy, you know that.”

  Eli took a deep breath and nodded.

  “But we’ll be watching, rooting you on every step of the way.”

  “We?�
�� Eli asked.

  Dad just smiled. He looked over his shoulder and stepped aside so Eli could see. Behind him were thousands of glowing forms, people and angels, all smiling, all watching. They filled the yards, the street, even the hills around them.

  Astonished, Eli turned back to his father. But the man was no longer standing. Instead, he was kneeling before him, his head bowed. When he spoke, it was only one sentence:

  “It has been an honor, my Lord.”

  Awkward and uncomfortable, Eli reached down to help him up…then stopped, realizing the truth, knowing this is how it must be. A knot swelled in his throat. Silent tears streamed down his face. Then, ever so gently, he bent down and tenderly kissed his father atop the head—the Son of God blessing a dear friend and faithful servant.

  “You okay?”

  He looked up to see Maggie approaching, then back down to Dad. But the man had disappeared…along with all his glowing pals.

  He turned back to Maggie, not knowing what to say.

  She tried to help. “It’ll get better,” she said. “My mom went through plenty of husbands; it gets easier.”

  Eli simply nodded. They turned back to the crowd below, as the attendants climbed into the E.M.S. “He was a great man,” Eli said quietly. “I’ll miss him.”

  The vehicle silently pulled away.

  “But not for long,” he said.

  “What?”

  “I have a few things to do first. But I’ll see him again.”

  “A few things to do?”

  Eli didn’t answer.

  She turned to him, waiting for more.

  He simply nodded. And, as they watched the E.M.S. vehicle disappear down the street, he added, “Buckle in, Mag. It’s gonna be one wild ride.”

  She simply stared, having no idea what he was talking about.

  But I did. Because now I would have to throw everything I had at him…and his followers. Because if you bottom feeders ever learned how much my Enemy loves you, how He’d even kill His own son for you, then my cause will be lost. Yeah, I’ve read the end of His Book. I know I’m going down in flames. But if I can break His heart by taking as many of you with me as I can, I’ll at least have some satisfaction.

  But for now, I’ve got to focus on Eli and his buddies…one soul at a time.

  Soli Deo Gloria

  OTHER BOOKS BY BILL MYERS

  Novels

  Eli (a retelling of the Gospel as if it happened today)

  Devoted Heart (a retelling of the Christ’s birth as if it happened today)

  Harbingers (supernatural series)

  That Awkward Age

  Child’s Play

  The Judas Gospel

  The God Hater

  The Voice

  Angel of Wrath

  The Wager

  Soul Tracker

  The Presence

  The Seeing

  The Face of God

  When the Last Leaf Falls

  Blood of Heaven

  Threshold

  Fire of Heaven

  Non-Fiction

  The Jesus Experience—Journey Deeper into the Heart of God

  Supernatural Love

  Supernatural War

  God Stories (true testimonies of the miraculous)

  Children’s Books

  Baseball for Breakfast (picture book)

  The Bug Parables (picture book series)

  Bloodstone Chronicles (fantasy series)

  McGee and Me (book/video series)

  The Incredible Worlds of Wally McDoogle (comedy series)

  Bloodhounds, Inc (mystery series)

  The Elijah Project (supernatural suspense series)

  Secret Agent Dingledorf and His Trusty Dog Splat (comedy series)

  TJ and the Time Stumblers (comedy series)

  Truth Seekers (action adventure series)

  Teen Books

  Forbidden Doors (supernatural suspense)

  Dark Power Collection

  Invisible Terror Collection

  Deadly Loyalty Collection

  Ancient Forces Collection

  For a complete list of Bill’s books or to sign up for his newsletter check out www.billmyers.com or www.facebook.com/billmyersauthor

  THE ELI DIARIES

  SKIN DEEP

  by

  Melody Carlson

  Chapter One

  Everyone betrays me. That’s just a fact of life, and why I trust no one. Because eventually they’ll mess me up—both figuratively and literally. That’s why I keep my heart to myself. And why I felt blindsided when my heart went out to someone else for a change. I’d call this ‘someone’ a friend, but that’s overstating things. He’s just this weird guy from school…Eli Shepherd. Sure, he’s been somewhat friendly to me, but that’s not so unusual. Most guys (the straight ones anyway) can get real friendly. At first anyway. But they just want a piece of, well, action. Because even though I’m new at Kennedy High it seems my ‘reputation has preceded me.’ It figures. But back to Eli—I wasn’t prepared to actually care about this dude or anyone for that matter. But somehow I got caught up in the moment.

  For some reason, I felt compelled to go down to the Surf Shop yesterday. Okay, I just wanted to talk to Eli. He’d been doing so many weird things lately—I just wanted to know what was behind it all. At least that’s what I told myself when I walked down there. But it wasn’t long before Eli and I were interrupted by his brother totally flipping out, yelling for Eli to get into the house. And, fine, I took a hint and headed for home.

  A few blocks away, I heard sirens blaring and honking—and a couple of EMT vehicles raced down the street. But when I saw them pull into Eli’s driveway, I turned around and went back. By then several curious neighbors were gathered on the sidewalk. And a tall surfer dude told me that Joey Shepherd had just suffered a bad heart attack.

  “One of the good guys,” Surfer Dude said grimly. “Best surfboard shaper on the West Coast. Ya know him?”

  “Sort of.” I didn’t admit that I’d been dreaming of getting one of his boards or that I knew his son Eli.

  “Man, it’ll be a bummer to lose him.”

  “Do you think he’ll die?” I asked.

  “I heard it’s pretty bad.” Surfer Dude shook his head. “And he’s got all those kids too.”

  After a while, Eli and his weirdly large family emerged from the house, clustering together in the front yard. They were all sobbing and hugging, and it didn’t look good. After a few more minutes, the paramedics wheeled out a gurney. I couldn’t see much through the crowd, but Surfer Dude nudged me. “Looks like he didn’t make it,” he whispered. That’s when my heart betrayed me by softening. I felt bad for Eli.

  But when I tried to express some concern, which was pretty awkward, Eli seemed sort of preoccupied. I mean he was obviously sad—I could see tears in his eyes—but it was like he was distracted. He told me he had ‘things to do,’ which made no sense. What was there to do? I mean besides cry or scream or kick something? But as the EMT truck slowly drove away, with no lights or sirens, Eli turned to me with a strange expression. He told me to ‘buckle in,’ and that it was ‘going to be a wild ride.’

  Okay, I get that he was probably in grief—maybe even in shock—but even so that was a pretty bizarre thing to say. I really didn’t get it. But then again…Eli is an oddity. No one really gets him.

  The next day, not to be out-weirded by weird Eli, I decided to do something else totally out of character. I used some cardboard and felt pens to make a sympathy card. Then I ‘borrowed’ some flowers from a neglected planter outside of our decrepit apartment complex and walked them over to Eli’s place. But the closer I got to his house, the stupider I felt. And that’s when I heard that voice—the one that plays through my head sometimes. I’m sure it’s just me, being all negative and hopeless, but I call it the voice of doom.

  You’re such a loser! Are you seriously going to knock on his door? Hand over those lame tokens of sympathy? And then say what? You’
re pathetic, Maggie! Do you really want him to laugh in your face? You should know better!

  I was about to chuck my snitched blooms and beat it when I saw Eli wave to me from his yard. Realizing there was no turning back, I put on my brave front, which I’m pretty good at, and continued toward him like this was completely normal.

  “I know this is kinda lame.” I handed over my sad little gifts. “But I just wanted you to know someone cares.”

  “Thanks.” He stared at the card and flowers with such intensity. Like I’d handed him the keys to the castle. Finally, he looked back at me. “This means a lot to me, Maggie.”

  “Well, uh, I know what it feels like to lose a parent,” I mumbled.

  “I know you do.”

  I blinked then tried to conceal my shock. How could he know that? But, really, why should I be surprised? Eli was always doing and saying weird stuff. It’s just his way.

  “Do you miss your mother a lot?” he asked.

  I shrugged, trying to act natural. “Well, not like when I was little. I guess I got sort of used to it. You will too…in time.”

  His eyes lit up. “And I’ll see him again too.”

  I waved a hand. “Yeah, right. If you believe that religious bunk.”

  Eli seemed to study me closely. But not the way most guys look at me, running their eyes up and down, smirking in ways that always makes me feel naked…and later ashamed. Eli stared straight into my eyes, like he was trying to see something in there. Looking so deeply I felt worse than just naked—I felt exposed clear down to my soul. And I didn’t like it.

  “Maggie,” he spoke quietly, “what would your mom do if she could see you now?”

  “What do you mean?” I shoved my hands into the pockets of my cutoff jeans, fighting the urge to swear at him.

  He tilted his head to one side with a hard-to-read expression. “What do you think she’d say to you?”

  “Just what are you getting at?” I suspected he was about to lay into me about my skanky reputation. Not that I’ve ever heard him get down on anyone else before. But something about Eli always feels like he’s got all the answers up his sleeve—and yet he holds back like he doesn’t want to play his cards. It’s confusing. Instead of answering, I just glared at him, wishing I hadn’t attempted to do something nice.