The Beginning (Jessica Christ Book 1)

by H. Claire Taylor

  Jess nodded.

  “Hm.” Destinee’s eyes flicked back to the road for just long enough to make sure they were still in the lane. “And you know that for sure?”

  “Yeah. He warned me not to go with Randy, but I didn’t listen. And so he pushed Randy over the edge for touching my ears.”

  Destinee narrowed her eyes thoughtfully then nodded approvingly and faced the road again. “Hmm.” She fidgeted in her seat. “Let him know I’d like to thank him personally before bed tonight.”

  Jess hadn’t pegged her mom as a praying type, but she supposed it wasn’t the strangest thing she’d heard of. “I’m sure he already knows.”

  OH YES I DO. TELL HER I’LL SEE HER TONIGHT.

  “He says he’ll see you tonight.”

  Destinee bit her bottom lip but then jumped when her cell phone, which she always kept tucked between her thighs while she drove, began vibrating.

  The car veered slightly as Destinee took her eyes off the road to check her phone and then swerved back into the lane as she sighed, accepted the call, and held it up to her ear.

  “What is it now?”

  Jess knew immediately who was on the other line. That had become her mother’s signature greeting whenever Jimmy Dean called. Jess had yet to actually meet Jimmy in person—besides the one time she didn’t remember, due to being a newborn—but she’d concocted a strong enough image of him in her mind based on the complaints Destinee regularly voiced against him. He was probably short and fat, and for some reason that Jess couldn’t exactly pinpoint, she imagined he had one eye that never did look straight ahead. She also imagined he had holes in his clothes, but she knew where she’d come up with that detail, because Jimmy was usually asking for something—money or otherwise—when he called Destinee. Other than that and the fact that Jimmy had been the chosen messenger from God, Jess didn’t know much about him. Someday, though, she hoped to meet him face-to-face, since he was the only other person she knew of who’d spoken directly with her dad.

  Destinee gave Jimmy an earful over the phone. The man had gone and gotten himself into a financial hole again, that was obvious enough from the context. But this was nothing new, and Jess had enough to deal with, without worrying about Jimmy’s verbal pummeling from her mother.

  How was she even supposed to decide how she felt about the day’s events when both her parents wouldn’t shut up for a moment and let her think? At least with Destinee’s attention temporarily focused on Jimmy, Jess only had one parent droning on …

  God’s lecture since she’d gotten back on the bus from the zoo, heading to Mooretown, had been so constant that it’d faded into a buzzing in the back of her mind as she tried to focus on other immediate tasks, like walking and responding to questions from the various adults who decided they needed to check in—emergency responders, police officers, and, over Mrs. Thomas’s cell phone, a social worker and last but definitely not least (or calmest) her mother.

  But now that the insanity and chaos had mostly subsided and Destinee’s focus was diverted, Jess decided to tune back into God’s lecture. She probably deserved it, anyway, after not listening to Him.

  YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD KILL—AND HAVE KILLED, ACTUALLY—TO BE ABLE TO GAIN MY WISDOM AND ADVICE?

  Is Luke going to be okay? She’d caught sight of him only once between when his uncle was mauled by lions and when she and the rest of her classmates, sans Luke, were loaded onto the bus to head back to Mooretown. The boy was sitting on a bench as Mrs. Thomas knelt in front of him, her hand resting gently on his arm as she spoke to him reassuringly. The strangest part of it, and the one that left Jessica endlessly curious about what Mrs. Thomas was saying, was that Luke didn’t look at all upset. In fact, he actually seemed to be holding back a smile.

  God ignored her question. AND YOU THINK YOU’RE TOO GOOD FOR IT. OUTRIGHT DISOBEYING ME. YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FIRST ONE WHO OUTRIGHT DEFIED ME?

  No, what?

  NO? HOW DO YOU NOT … LUCIFER. LUCIFER DEFIED ME.

  Who’s that?

  WHA— YOU DON’T KNOW WHO THAT IS?

  Should I know?

  ABSOLUTELY! IT’S ALL IN THE BIBLE!

  But I haven’t read the Bible. I didn’t know I needed to. Should I?

  ACTUALLY, NO. THERE WAS SOME STUFF SAID ABOUT WOMEN THAT … WELL, MAYBE WAIT FOR THE SECOND EDITION.

  You mean you changed your mind about things?

  HAVING A DAUGHTER CHANGES EVERYTHING. BUT THE POINT IS THAT NEXT TIME I SAY THOU SHALT NOT DO THINGS, YOU NEED TO LISTEN.

  Does that mean I’m responsible for Randy’s death?

  NO, THAT’S ALL ME. AND I ENJOYED IT. THERE’S SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT RANDY.

  Yeah?

  HE WAS EVIL.

  Evil? Like the Devil? Jess didn’t know much about religion, but she knew her opposites, and since she knew about God, she also knew about the Devil.

  YES, BUT HE WASN’T THE DEVIL.

  That’s good.

  HE WAS A DEMON.

  “Wait, what?”

  Destinee paused between “fuh—” and “—king” to glance curiously at Jessica, who realized she’d spoken aloud. Jess waved her mom off, and Destinee was happy to oblige and get back to Jimmy. “Um, like I was saying, there’s no fucking way we’re doing that. Jess doesn’t even need church …”

  What’s the difference between a demon and the Devil?

  FIRST AND FOREMOST, THE DEVIL ISN’T STUPID LIKE RANDY. BUT MOSTLY THERE ARE MANY DEMONS AND ONLY ONE DEVIL.

  If Randy was a demon, she supposed she shouldn’t worry about feeling bad for him. But before she could be completely alleviated of her guilt, she had to be sure.

  Was Randy born a demon?

  NO. BUT AT SOME POINT HE LET A DEMON INSIDE HIM.

  Why would he do that?

  HE DIDN’T MEAN TO.

  Okay, so there was a new thing to be scared of. People could let demons inside them. She was pretty sure it couldn’t happen to her, but other people around her could be in danger.

  Are there a lot of people with demons in them?

  OH YEAH. AND SOME OF THEM AREN’T POLITICIANS.

  “I swear to God, Jimmy Dean”—Destinee’s voice sliced through the conversation like a knife—“yes, God Himself. You know I’m thankful for you, but I don’t owe you jack shit … What?” Her eyes darted sideways to Jessica. “No. That was— that was a one-time thing. I thought we weren’t gonna talk about that ever again.”

  More of the same.

  Her mind returned to the important issues. But how do I tell if someone’s a demon? She conjured up an image of Randy to see if there were signs she’d missed. Was it the donut around his middle? Did all demons have that? Probably not.

  YOU’LL GET BETTER AT IT AS YOU GROW UP. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THERE ARE ALSO ANGELS. YOU HAVE A FEW IN YOUR LIFE ALREADY.

  That’s sorta creepy. Are there any around me right now? Jess searched the air vaguely.

  NO.

  What do angels look like?

  THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE.

  But with robes and wings and stuff, right?

  NO WINGS, NO ROBES … UNLESS THEY PUT ON A ROBE, I GUESS.

  Her mental image of a man in a white robe with large, soft wings blinked out of her mind’s eye instantly.

  Oh. So like demons?

  YES. THEY JUST LOOK LIKE REGULAR PEOPLE.

  But they know they’re angels?

  EVENTUALLY THEY FIGURE IT OUT.

  Did Randy know he was a demon?

  NO. HEAVEN AND HELL WORK ON A DIFFERENT WAVE LENGTH IN THE HUMAN BRAIN. THE MIND CAN SENSE GOOD AND EVIL. IT CAN BE INFLUENCED BY EITHER, BUT IT CAN BE WEEKS, MONTHS, OR EVEN YEARS BEFORE THE MIND KNOWS IT’S LOST CONTROL OF THINGS.

  Knowing that, she actually felt a smidgeon of sympathy for Randy.

  So does the Devil know he’s the Devil?

  OH HELL YEAH. THE DEVIL IS DIFFERENT.

  I guess that’s good …

  UH DUH. THAT’S WHY I MADE
IT THAT WAY. THE DEVIL WOULDN’T BE THE DEVIL IF HE DIDN’T COMMIT ALL HIS EVIL WITH A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF THE HARM IT CAUSED.

  Cool.

  SO WHILE WE’RE ON THE SUBJECT, THERE’S SOMETHING ELSE I NEED TO TELL YOU.

  Jess sighed. Please don’t.

  YOU’LL NEED TO CONFRONT THE DEVIL EVENTUALLY.

  Do I have to?

  YES.

  Damn it.

  THAT’S THE SPIRIT.

  What does the Devil look like? If the confrontation was inevitable, she should at least know what to expect. At least if the Devil had horns, he’d be easier to spot than demons.

  WHATEVER YOU LEAST EXPECT HIM TO LOOK LIKE.

  Crap.

  THE DEVIL HAS TAKEN MANY FORMS IN THE PAST, BUT HE IS ALWAYS A WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING.

  That sounds like just one form.

  NO. IT’S A FIGURE OF SPEECH. I CAN SEE WHY YOU WOULD THINK THAT, THOUGH.

  So the Devil isn’t actually a wolf dressed in a sheep’s shirt?

  NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT.

  Then how will I recognize the Devil?

  THAT’S THE WHOLE THING, ISN’T IT?

  What whole thing?

  WHY EVIL SUCKS.

  He was being unhelpful again. Big shocker.

  Destinee said, “Okay. You too, Jimmy,” ended the call, stared at the phone intensely for a moment, then slid it back between her thighs with a long exhale. “When I start going gray, Jess, it’s because of that man.”

  “What did he want?”

  Destinee shook her head vaguely. “Same thing as usual, money and for us to go to church with him.”

  “You told him no.”

  Destinee nodded decisively. “Hell yeah, I told him no. Don’t worry, Jess, I wouldn’t subject you to his Bible-thumping nonsense.”

  Something about that stung, and while Jess wasn’t the biggest fan of older men after the day’s events, she replied, “I mean, I wouldn’t mind meeting him sometime.”

  “Huh,” was all her mother replied, and as she seemed to consider the possibility, Jess returned her gaze back outside of the car.

  Can’t you just tell me what the Devil looks like?

  NO.

  Do you not know?

  OF COURSE I KNOW.

  Then why can’t you tell me?

  THAT’S NOT VERY GOOD SUSPENSE, IS IT?

  Why does it have to be suspenseful?

  BECAUSE THAT MAKES FOR A BETTER STORY. TRUST ME ON THIS. IF I’D TOLD YOUR HALF-BROTHER EVERY SINGLE THING THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, THE NEW TESTAMENT WOULDN’T HAVE SOLD A SINGLE COPY. NO ONE WOULD HAVE READ IT. EVERYONE WOULD STILL BE JEWS.

  Jess had never heard that word before. Is being a Jew bad?

  OF COURSE NOT. THEY’RE MY CHOSEN PEOPLE.

  But what about Christians?

  THEY’RE MY CHOSEN PEOPLE TOO. I CHOOSE A LOT OF PEOPLE. LISTEN, YOU NEED TO FIND OUT THINGS FOR YOURSELF SOMETIMES SO THAT OTHER PEOPLE CAN LEARN LESSONS FROM IT.

  That doesn’t sound fair at all. What good is being your daughter if I still have to learn everything the hard way? At least give me a hint about the Devil.

  FINE, BUT ONLY BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO WIN. AND BECAUSE I GET TO DO WHATEVER THE HEAVEN I WANT.

  She didn’t care what His reasons were, so long as she could get a little bit of help. Okay. What’s the hint?

  THE DEVIL’S NOT FROM MOORETOWN.

  She thought about that, let it really sink in, before deciding that it was a fairly useless hint. She wasn’t sure exactly how many people were on the face of Father’s green earth, but she assumed it was a significantly larger number than were born in Mooretown. Possibly more than one million times larger.

  What am I even supposed to do with that knowledge?

  YOU CAN START BY CROSSING OFF ANYONE BORN IN MOORETOWN FROM YOUR DEVIL LIST.

  Am I supposed to have one of those?

  IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA.

  She reached down and grabbed her backpack from the floorboards, opening it and pulling out her school-issued daily planner before turning to November. Under that day’s column was simply, Zoo!!!! Presently, she wrote down finish homework and create devil list.

  Then she flipped to the notes section in the back of the planner and began writing the names of everyone she knew. Once she had twenty-five names, she jumped up to the top of the list and decided she might as well get started.

  “Mom,” she said, turning toward Destinee.

  “Yeah, baby?”

  “Where were you born?”

  Destinee stared down at her strangely. “America.”

  “No, but where?”

  “Here.”

  “Here as in Mooretown?” Jess asked anxiously.

  “Yeah. Why?”

  Jess beamed at her mother. “No reason. Just curious.”

  She waited until Destinee’s focus was back on the road, then she crossed her mother’s name off her Devil List.

  9 A.G.C.

  The knock on the front door was abrupt and loud, but not unexpected. Jess looked up from her fourth grade math homework as Destinee stood from the couch where she and Jess had been waiting in the hour since lunch. Destinee paused and asked one last time, “You sure you’re up for this? I can send his ass away, just give me the signal.”

  But Jess was secretly excited to finally get to talk with a man she’d met only once and heard about for the entirety of her life, though she knew better than to let that excitement show. “No, it’s fine. I don’t mind.”

  Destinee searched her daughter’s face and then nodded and crossed the living room to open the front door.

  The man on the doorstep looked nothing like how Jess had imagined him, and for a moment she assumed he was just a door-to-door salesman, not the actual guest.

  “You’re on time,” Destinee said, surprised. “Come on in.”

  As Jimmy Dean took his first few steps inside, Jess was able to get a better look at him. He was neither short nor fat and both his eyes were perfectly timed with one another as he scanned the doublewide hesitantly. His clothes weren’t what Jess had expected, either. Rather than tattered rags, he wore a charcoal gray suit over a powder blue collared shirt, which brought out the blue of his eyes. He looked more like a businessman than a beggar, and Jess’s mind tripped over itself trying to replace her previous image of him with this new one.

  “Bet you never thought you’d be setting foot in this place again,” Destinee said, clearly enjoying Jimmy’s uneasiness.

  “You’re absolutely right,” he said, his voice like Aunt Jemima syrup poured over a bowl of Rice Krispies.

  When his eyes landed on Jessica sitting at the end of the couch, her math homework still spread out on her lap, he inhaled sharply and took a step back like she’d snuck up on him.

  “Jessica Christ …” he breathed.

  Wait. What? Did he think that was her name? That would be a stupid name to have.

  Destinee motioned for Jess to come over, so she set her textbook and spiral notebook on the couch and approached slowly.

  Jimmy looked almost as nervous as Jessica felt. She hadn’t expected to be nervous. But she also hadn’t expected Jimmy to be well groomed and tall.

  He reached out and she shook his hand, forcing a smile.

  “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Jessica.”

  She wasn’t sure how to respond. “You too.”

  Jimmy chuckled as he let go of her hand, and something about the way his eyes sparkled and the small parentheses that appeared around the corners of his mouth made it impossible for Jess to keep from smiling, too. She couldn’t remember ever meeting someone like Jimmy. She wanted to like him, but more than that, she wanted him to like her.

  When his eyes landed on Destinee’s bemused expression, the chuckling ceased immediately.

  Jess looked at her mom, whose arms were folded tightly over her chest as she uncharacteristically held her tongue. Why didn’t she like Jimmy? He seemed so nice.

  When he turned back toward Jess, he l
eaned over so he was on eye level. She could smell his cologne, a strange combination of two scents that her brain registered as cedar and elevator. “How do you feel about ice cream?”

  Jess’s mind jumped back to the zoo, and she waited to see if God had anything to say. When she didn’t hear from Him, she figured it was probably safe to proceed. “I love ice cream.”

  He straightened up again. “Dairy Queen then?” When he glanced at Destinee, she shrugged one shoulder slightly and gave a nearly undetectable nod.

  “Right-oh,” he added. “Then, uh, I guess we should get to gettin’.”

  Destinee opened the door and Jimmy walked out first, but not before Destinee slipped him a folded up bill (of which denomination, Jess couldn’t see) and shot him one last stink eye as she mumbled, “Change comes back to me. I ain’t playin’.”

  Jimmy grinned appeasingly and then headed out with Jess just a step behind him. Her nervousness began to gain momentum. What if Jimmy didn’t like her? What if he wanted to like her and then decided he didn’t?

  Before Destinee shut the door, she hollered, “Jimmy.”

  He paused and turned around, his lips pressed together tightly as he clenched his jaw.

  “God’s watching. Don’t try anything.”

  Jimmy swallowed hard, then forced a smile when his eyes traveled down to Jess and saw she was looking at him. “Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said.

  The Dairy Queen was on the other side of town, and as they sputtered along in Jimmy’s old Tacoma, Jess began to feel like maybe this was another terrible decision. Maybe Jimmy was like Randy and God was just too busy with something else to stop her from going with him. She really wished she understood how all that worked with God being in more than one place at a time.

  But Jimmy didn’t seem like Randy, and not just because he had all his hair and wasn’t soft and lumpy. Jimmy didn’t seem like Randy because she was pretty sure he wasn’t a demon. So maybe it was just the fact that she didn’t have the slightest idea what to talk about with him that left her so uneasy.

  “So Jess,” he said, breaking the ice as they turned right at the stoplight at the edge of her neighborhood, “I’m curious what your mother’s told you about me.”