by Jen Gentry
Soon sunlight began to stream through the windows of the small coffee shop and Jewel slowly gathered her things and headed out the door. The air was still freezing as she pulled the hood of her coat around her face. She was thankful for the heavy coat that had been donated to the school for homeless children. Ms. Stella, her favorite teacher saved it just for Jewel along with a pair of used but sturdy winter boots in just Jewel’s size. It was little things like a coat and a pair of good shoes that kept Jewel alive.
The brisk walk to the school took about twenty minutes and Jewel was never so grateful for the warmth the small run down building provided. She made her way to the makeshift girl’s gym and stored her backpack in her assigned locker. After making sure her things were locked securely away, Jewel stepped into the shower area and took a brisk cold shower. She always came early to shower before any of the other girls showed up. This was another way of trying to keep to herself. It was fortunate that she was allowed to use the school’s facilities. Otherwise, she never knew when she might get the chance to shower.
After she showered and changed into her cleanest clothes, Jewel made her way to a utility room where she used the washer and dryer there to wash her small bundle of dirty clothes. Again she was happy to have the warm clothes donated to her. When the school bell signaled the start of classes, Jewel had all of her things dried and packed carefully away in her backpack. She had Ms. Stella for English first. Her fear and dread from the previous night began to ebb away as she caught a smile from her teacher and settled in her desk to begin her day.
****
Samuel, in angelic form never left Jewel’s side. He helped her through the window at the mission and guided her safely to the coffee shop where he watched over her throughout the rest of the night. He did wish Jewel would open herself up to trust someone long enough to get help to leave the streets behind.
Jewel’s cries in the shelter had indeed brought her unwelcome attention. She’d not escaped the notice of the scattered demons in the shelter. A nasty one in particular concerned Samuel. This demon had a hold on a young man that Samuel had never seen before. The demon reared his ugly head when Jewel began to cry out. Samuel did not miss the look of recognition that passed the demon’s face when he spotted Jewel. The girl was now no longer hidden from the demon ranks. It would not be long before the hordes of demons came looking for the empath they now had full knowledge of.
The Gift of Empathy
Chapter Two
Hebrews 13:1-2
Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
Jewel spent her school day distracted. Her mind was spinning as she tried to make a plan of where she could stay now that the mission was out. The next shelter was a full ten blocks away from her school. That meant an even longer walk in the cold mornings and she would lose out on her private shower time in the gym.
She sat alone, as she normally did at lunch. Unlike the kids who came from regular homes, the homeless children ate every bite on their trays and never complained about what was served. These children never knew where their next meal would come from, and each hot meal was savored.
Jewel resigned herself to her fate in the strong willed way she always did. She was determined to get through school with good grades and hopefully some scholarship money for college. This was her only chance to get off the streets for good. If she had to walk ten blocks to school in the freezing winter then she would do it. If she had to shower with the other homeless girls, then she would do it.
First thing after school she had to find Samuel and tell him where she was going. Samuel had become the only life line she had to cling to. She wondered where she would be without him to keep tabs on her. When the bell rang at the end of the school day, she headed to the coffee shop where she thought Samuel may be hanging out about right now.
Samuel was waiting for her in a booth at the coffee shop, just as Jewel thought he would be, and she slid into the seat across from him. He looked every inch the hardened old street soul he was, complete with a salt and pepper beard, and bushy eyebrows. His NYC baseball cap clashed with his tan overcoat, but this was the look that Jewel trusted. He looked rough, but he cared about Jewel, and she felt safe when she was with him.
“Hey Kiddo, how was school?” His voice was like gravel as he sipped from a steamy cup of coffee.
“Same as always.” Jewel didn’t say anything else. She waited for Samuel to acknowledge what they both already knew. They had to change their winter shelter plans. Right now. There would be no going back to the mission and they only had a couple hours of daylight left to get to the next shelter. With any luck they’d be able to get in. Worst case scenario, the shelter would already be full and they’d be left out in the cold, literally. Jewel didn’t want to think about that.
“OK, Kiddo. We better get started for the shelter on Boston Street if we want to make it for the night.” This was the acknowledgement Jewel was waiting for. She could do this as long as she knew Samuel was with her.
Neither of them noticed the young man who watched them leave the coffee shop. The demon attached to the young man pushed his charge forward with a few whispered words. “Follow the girl.”
The young man pulled his cap down on his forehead and strolled out onto the street behind Jewel and Samuel. The demon with him was sure the girl was an empath. The gifted ones were rare to find, but they were very powerful when they came to the Lord.
An empath could pinpoint where the enemy of God was attacking and render the attack useless. This made any empath a danger to the dark ones. An empath walking the streets of New York was a real threat that needed to be extinguished. The slick demon rang his scaly clawed hands in anticipation. Yes, surely the great Ba al` would reward him handsomely for capturing such a prize as a child empath.
The only problem the crafty demon could see so far was the huge warrior angel watching over the girl. This was surely another sign the girl was an empath. The demon was not so dumb that he imagined that this angel was the only one watching over the girl, but so far he was the only one visibly close to her.
There had to be a way to get the angel out of the way. For this kind of a prize the demon was willing to risk his neck. For now, he would just tail her and wait for an opportune moment to strike.
****
Samuel sensed the demon following him and Jewel. This one may be crafty, but it would not be the first demon to fall under Samuel’s blade in defense of Jewel. Samuel had been at Jewel’s side since the day she was born. He stayed close to her, always.
The angel did not always understand the ways of the Lord, but he trusted them. Keeping Jewel on the streets was not the angel’s idea, but he now realized that this was the best way to keep Jewel out of enemy hands. Up until now, anyway.
The line to the Boston street shelter was already long. Samuel could see the two angels standing guard over the volunteers of the shelter posted at the currently open doors. He knew they were holding a place for Jewel. The problem was Samuel needed to get into angelic form as soon as possible to protect Jewel from the demon currently tracking her.
When Jewel was at the door to go in one of the volunteers came out and said, “We’ve only one bed left.”
Jewel began to panic as she looked around for Samuel. He was nowhere to be found. He couldn’t have just vanished. Yes, he could. Jewel knew Samuel could disappear in a heartbeat if he needed to. Well, I hope he makes it back to the mission shelter in time. Jewel thought as she ducked in the door, just as the volunteers began to close up for the night.
“Wait, wait. Please.” Jewel turned to see a young man begging one of the volunteers to let him in. He was pointing at Jewel.
“See that girl, she’s my sister. Please, we don’t want to be separated. We just lost our parents and I’m all she has.” Jewel gasped and started to protest, but the young man sent her such an imploring and pleading look that she found herself
agreeing with him just so he wouldn’t get left out in the cold night.
“Yes, we can share a space.” Jewel assured the woman it would be all right.
Before Jewel or the volunteer could say another word, the young man grabbed Jewel’s hand and pulled her inside, as the doors closed behind them.
Jewel yanked her hand away from the stranger and looked him in the eye.
“Just who are you and what do you think you’re doing? Get away from me and stay away.” Jewel turned to leave and the young man pulled her back.
“Please, just wait. At least let me thank you. If you hadn’t helped me I’d probably die in this weather. Just let me stay around you so they don’t get suspicious and throw me out.” Against her better judgment Jewel nodded her assent. She found herself lost in the anguish of his big blue eyes pleading with her.
“Fine, you keep your hands to yourself and don’t touch me or any of my stuff.”
“Fine by me, sister. By the way I’m Jake, and you are?” Jake held out his hand to Jewel as a means of earning her trust.
Jewel only stared at his hand. Her trust wouldn’t be so easily given. “My name is Jewel and I’m not your sister.”
“Sure you are, sis. At least for tonight we’re sister and brother.” Jewel found an empty cot in a corner and looked out over the families already settling in. In this shelter, families were allowed to stay together and not separated by gender as the area was smaller and more closely watched over by the volunteers.
Jake kept his word and pulled a couple of thin blankets from his own pack and placed them on the floor beside Jewel, careful not to touch her or any of her things. Jewel curled up in her sleeping bag, and turned her back on Jake. She wouldn’t allow herself to think on him anymore. She would guard her things from him and then lose him in the morning. That was the plan, anyway.
During the night Jewel was again wakened by the searing heat and pain that came with being in close quarters with so many hurting souls. She bit her thumb until it started to bleed and began to writhe on the cot. Her soft moans woke Jake.
“Hey, Jewel, you OK?” Jake placed a tentative hand on her shoulder. Instead of pulling away Jewel turned towards him. Tears flooded her eyes and Jake pulled her towards him and fully embraced her. He slowly rocked her as she began to feel the heat and pain ebb from her.
Jewel was instantly aware that the pain lessened the second Jake embraced her. His nearness eased her pain. This was a new sensation for her. It both elated and confused her. She knew better than to trust anyone, yet if just being held by Jake could help her cope then she would stay like this with him as long as she could.
Samuel, in angelic form stood beside the cot as Jake rocked Jewel. This was not a good thing in his eyes. He knew Jake had a demon attached to him, but the demon was making himself scarce at the moment. Samuel wanted to send Jake away, but as long as Jewel clung to him there was nothing he could do about it. The only hope he had right now was Liam’s word that Jewel’s sister was coming for her. The sooner the better, Samuel thought. He would continue to watch over Jewel sticking close as he always did. Hopefully, Jake would disappear in the morning along with the demon Samuel knew was lurking about somewhere.
Jewel woke sitting up on the cot beside Jake with her head resting on his shoulder. She very carefully pulled away from him so she didn’t wake him. With any luck she could get out of the shelter and lose Jake. It was nice to be able to lean on someone else for a change, but Jewel needed to find Samuel and make sure he’d made it through the night. Jake just didn’t fit into her plans to get off the streets for good. He was extra baggage she didn’t want or need right now. No matter how helpful he’d been.
Jewel stood at the front door and waited for the volunteers to open it. At six o’clock on the dot, the volunteers began waking everyone in the shelter and one came and opened the door. Jewel ran out before Jake could come to look for her.
Into the still darkness of the cold morning, Jewel ran down the street. She would wait as long as she could at the coffee shop for Old Sam. She didn’t know that Samuel ran alongside her and even ahead of her as he returned to human form as Old Sam and entered the coffee shop just behind her.
Jewel almost cried when she saw him. “Oh Sam, you scared me. I guess you made it to the mission in time?”
“I made it through the night in one piece.” Samuel didn’t lie, as Jewel briefly wrapped her arms around him.
“I thought we agreed to stick together, Sam. Please don’t leave me like that again.” Jewel almost sobbed.
“There, there, Kiddo. We both made out all right.”
“I met this guy at the shelter his name is Jake. He told the volunteers he was my brother so he could get in. He was OK, I guess, but I just ducked out as soon as the doors opened so I could lose him.”
“That’s good, Kiddo. Now you better run or you’ll be late for school.”
“Yes, you’ll be here when I get out this afternoon, right?”
“You know it. I’ll be right here waiting for you.”
Jewel ran against the icy wind all the way to the school. She would skip the shower today and just go to classes. Out of breath and red faced from the cold she ran into her first class with Ms. Stella.
Ms. Stella did not miss that Jewel was running late. The teacher placed both her hands on Jewel’s cheeks.
“Jewel, you’re freezing. Is everything OK?”
“Yes, Ms. Stella. I’m fine just running late this morning.”
“All right then, take your seat.” Ms. Stella made a mental note to talk to Jewel after class. Jewel was Ms. Stella’s brightest student and she wanted to check and make sure everything was well in Jewel’s world. It was a rough life her students lived, but if any of them had a chance to make it off the streets it was Jewel. As a teacher, she had high hopes for her star pupil.
At the end of class Ms. Stella held Jewel back. “You haven’t been in to talk to me in a while, Jewel, is everything going well for you. You and your mother are getting along OK?”
“Well, it’s been really crowded in the shelters at night, you know.” Jewel tried to change the subject.
“Yes, but you are OK, right? You’ve got everything you need? You’re not sleeping on the street and you’re eating well?”
“I’ve got everything I need and I’m safe.” Jewel tried to smile and reassure Ms. Stella that she was fine. She didn’t want her teacher guessing her secret. Otherwise, Ms. Stella would turn her in to Child Protective Services and that was the last thing Jewel needed.
“OK, Jewel. You know you can come to me if you need anything, right? Anything at all, and tell your mother I look forward to seeing her at the next parent teacher conferences. I missed her last time.”
“I’ll let her know.” Jewel didn’t like lying to Ms. Stella, but keeping her secret was paramount. She left the classroom as calmly as she could giving that her heart was about to beat out of her chest.
When school let out, Jewel looked forward to meeting up with Sam then heading to the library to do her homework, and check out a new book to read. All her plans changed when she hit the street and saw Jake leaning against a mail box with his hands in his pockets looking her way. Something about him made her heart melt. All her resolve to stay away from him fled.
“Hey, Jewel. Why’d you leave so early this morning? You coulda at least said goodbye or something.” A boyish grin crossed his face and Jewel realized just how good looking he was. She knew nothing about Jake, save that he was homeless like her, and that he had the biggest blue eyes and pale blond hair that fell straight to his shoulders. He was tall and lanky but he smelled clean at least. Staying clean while living on the streets was no small feat, and it earned Jake a modicum of respect from Jewel.
“Well, are you going to talk to me or not?” Jake’s words brought Jewel out of her musing.
“I don’t know if I should. You’re a stranger to me, you know. I know nothing about you. That means I don’t trust you.” Jewel kept walkin
g and Jake stepped up beside her.
“Well, as your brother, I suggest we spend some time getting to know each other. Where are you off to in such a hurry?”
“You’re not my brother. I still don’t trust you, and it’s none of your business where I’m going.” Jewel stepped up her pace just to annoy him. But instead of being annoyed Jake just kept up with her.
“I have to meet up with a friend and you’re not invited. So buzz off, Jake.” Jewel tried her best to sound serious, but the truth was with Jake she wasn’t so alone. It wasn’t the same with Sam. Old Sam looked out for her, but Jake was someone closer to her own age. Someone she could talk to and hang out with.
“Nope, I’m not letting you outta my sight. So you might as well as accept it I’m your shadow for the rest of the evening.” Jewel held back a smile. She was hoping Jake would say something like that. His persistence made her want to keep him around all the more.
“Hey, I got a little money. Let’s go get something to eat. You can learn all you want about me and then we won’t be strangers anymore, OK?”
Jewel didn’t want to ask how it was he had a little money. On the streets that was a dangerous question to ask. Instead she countered him. “I got my own money and can get my own dinner,” she huffed.
Jake threw up his hands in defeat. “Whatever you say, sister. Just lead the way. I’m hungry.”
“I am not your sister! So stop calling me that.” Jewel led the way to a McDonalds that was close by and forgot all about meeting up with Old Sam.
****
Samuel was not far behind Jewel and Jake. The young man reeked of the demon that had to be close by. Samuel looked for him, but the dark one must be a very smart because the demon avoided the angel he had to know was guarding Jewel. Samuel had a really bad feeling about Jake. But again, as long as Jewel welcomed his company, there was not a lot he could do about it.