She reached out and touched it. “I think he’d want you to have it,” she said softly. “Do you know what it means?”
“I do. That’s why I put it on.”
“Then wear it like he did. It’s very special.”
“I’ll always remember him.”
“So will I. But you need to go. I don’t know what this place is going to be like tomorrow. You have to get out of here tonight.”
Reed nodded. “But where will I go? I mean, how will I get there?”
“If God wants you there, He’ll get you there. Trust Him and don’t worry. There’s a network of Christians all over the country. Go to them. They can help you get wherever you need to be.”
“But…” he was having a hard time expressing what he was feeling. “Will I see you again?”
She smiled. “God only knows, Reed. We might not find each other again in this life, but we know we will in the next. I’ll pray for you.”
“Then… then goodbye, Lucy. I’ll miss you.” He swallowed. This was difficult. He had never realized before just how beautiful she was.
Lucy caught his hand. “Goodbye, Reed. I’ll miss you, too. God be with you.”
With a final, lingering look over the clearing, Reed picked up his backpack and turned into the woods. He looked back once and saw Lucy standing where he left her, her blonde hair gently tossing in the evening breeze. She waved a hand in farewell, then the trees and shadows swallowed her from view.
He turned back to the way before him and squared his shoulders. He didn’t know what lay ahead, but he had a purpose, and he knew peace for the first time. He was ready to take it on. As he broke out of the trees and set his course westward, Reed lifted the chain around his neck and slipped the pendant inside his shirt. Settling into a steady pace, he took a deep breath. The sun had set, but the air was warmly soft, the hills were green, and the sky overhead was clear in the twilight. It was the beginning of high summer.
Reed could feel the pendant riding against his chest as he walked and thought of Elijah. He always would; he could never forget him—him or the days he had known him—days when everything had changed.
Far ahead, just where the last bit of fleeing day met the oncoming night, a star, silver and brilliant, glimmered in the West.
“And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.”—Daniel 12:3
About the Author
Born and raised in Lufkin, Texas, Ransom Grey learned the love of literature from an early age. Though always an avid reader, he began writing in middle school and won his first state-wide writing competition at 13. He began working on his first novel at the age of 15 and quickly developed a love for writing fiction. At 18, Grey won the prestigious National Merit Scholarship Competition and enrolled in the School of Communication and Creative Arts at Liberty University. Grey graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Liberty University Honors Program with a degree in graphic design and is currently pursuing his Masters of Business Administration in Marketing with the Liberty University Graduate School. In addition to writing, Grey is an avid photographer, designer, and coffee drinker.
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