Chapter 2 -(pt 3)

Slamming the door behind her, Jasmine struggled to breathe. She squeezed her eyes shut as hard as she could, thinking it would somehow blott out the images. Where was she? How did she get here? She was just at home!

All at once, Jasmine felt her feet sink into soft ground. Frightened, she dared not open her eyes.

"Ma...? Daddy...?" She called, voice a whisper.

Suddenly, Jasmine heard running water. A breeze blew and trees rustled. Her senses quickened to the movement all around.

Cool wind kissed her skin, birds sounding nearby. Gently coaxed ,Jasmine hesitated; tempted yet afraid to view what was before her.

A light shined then, getting brighter and brighter. It seeped through her eyelids, growing so immense, she couldn't shut it out. It seemed to evade her body, exploding through every cell. A flood of warmth filled her, and all the fear and anxiousness left. Opening her eyes, she could see only the outline of a stream and trees, for the light was so strong.

Shielding her eyes, Jasmine tried to see more. Then she saw. There were vivid colors all around, hues of forest greenery and lively flowers so textured and patterned they could be felt with the eye. There were trees and wildlife, as far as she could see, dipping and rising in a landscape sculpt with hills. A thin stream of crystal water branched through them, parting into four, waving in and out in different widths, then meeting at the base of what appeared to be a valley between hills. It was beautiful.

"Jasmine."

Jumping, she swung around. What was that?

"Who's there?" She called out. She tried to be afraid, pull walls up and protect herself but couldn't help but feel a familiar connection with the sound she heard. It sounded almost like her dad.

Jasmine stood amazed; the voice she heard wasn't audible, but her mind heard it... Heard it clear. It didn't make sense, but it did somehow. She squinted. Someone was walking towards her. They were tall and so full of light she couldn't see anything distinct.

"You know who I Am." He said, coming closer.

Frowning, she thought. She had heard a voice earlier today that frightened her... was this that same voice? Who could it have possibly been? Suddenly, the light dimmed so that Jasmine could see the man who spoke without being blinded in the process. Somehow, the dimming only revealed how radiant He truly was. A pair of deep clear eyes met hers, and instantly, Jasmine knew. He now stood only a few feet away, and all she could sense was love seeping from Him in waves. And those eyes... they shone so bright and full, there was no telling of their true color. His expression was serious, though, one that spoke without words.

Jasmine's heart leaped within her chest. She forgot about her mother in that moment..

She forgot about her father... She even forgot about Michael. Nothing else seemed to matter, because as she looked into His eyes, she knew that all that was important, was that the person standing in front of her loved her more than anyone else could. She felt wanted, and like nothing was missing... It felt like home. Home. This entire time, Jasmine never knew she needed anything until now; standing before Jesus. Jesus. Her eyes widened. She was speaking to Jesus. Jesus!

Jasmine stuttered, unable to speak. Suddenly, she had an extreme desire to please Him, to help Him if at all possible, to apologize, though she wasn't sure why. It were as if everything she'd done up until that moment was wrong and no words she had could justify it. Her family went to church sometimes... so why did she feel so bad? Tears came to her eyes. How many times had she sat with her eyes closed during family prayer time and thought about things that had nothing to do with God?

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." her voice broke. That was all she could think to say. Overwhelmed by a flood of things, she lowered her head.

---

"Do you believe I am alive, and am the Son of the living God?" He asked.

Jasmine thought for a moment. He was talking to her now, wasnt He? Jesus Christ? He had to be real. But was He the Son of God? That... That was kind of big to say. How could He not be? At that point, whoever He said He was, she knew had to be true. Why not?

"Yes... I believe You are..." She responded, sounding more sure than she felt.

Instantly, the warmth began to bubble up inside of her, and she became overwhelmed with joy. A weight lifted, and she started to breath with an ease she didn't know she'd been without.

Heart fluttering, she smiled brightly. Jasmine felt full... And good!

Falling to her knees, she reached in front of her and found she touched the edge of Jesus' cloth. It was smooth and strong, and even it shown in brilliant light.

"Jasmine...." Jesus said. His voice seemed quiet now, but close. "You are Mine, and I am Yours." He bent down and clasped her hands firmly. "Everything will change now, child. You will feel like I'm far, but I'm with you always. My Holy Spirit lives on the inside of you and He will comfort you and teach you My word. "

"Spirit?" Jasmine asked, nervous. "Spirits are real?"

"Yes, Jasmine. There are evil spirits. Those are workers of Satan, the devil. There are human spirits that live on the inside of every person. Once your years are finished on earth, your body stays and decays, but your human spirit goes on to live either in heaven or in hell." Jesus squeezed her hands then, urgent.

Jasmine listened. She was shocked. Who knew ghosts weren't really people? This was a lot to take in. Her entire body trembled.

"Then there is My Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God the Father, and when a person gets saved, He goes to live on the inside of them to help them. You will learn more about this later. Child, I need you to read the bible. Read and ask Holy Spirit to help you understand. Whatever He teaches you, write it down and keep the journal safe; everything is about to change. Don't be afraid... Learn about Me, trust Me, and brace yourself daughter. I love you and nothing will change that."

Breathing in deeply, Jasmine savored the calm she felt, even at His words, words that in retrospect were very alarming. She'd never felt more at peace in her life, and a part of her didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay right there with Jesus where it felt safe. What did He mean everything was going to change? Why did that sound like a bad thing? Wasn't everything already changing?

"Jas..." Someone said from afar. Jasmine blinked, sitting up. Her vision was blurry.

"Jas!" She was being shook. Shaking her head, she looked up and saw her dad in front of her, his hands on her shoulders, concerned.

"Jas, you alright? What's wrong?" He asked, brows knitted. "Why were you crying baby girl?"

Eyes completely cleared, Jasmine looked up at him. Had what she'd seen really happened?

Looking around, she frowned. "Daddy, I need paper..." She said, and started looking around frantically.

Nodding and unsure, he went and got her a pen and some paper.

---

Scribbling away, Jasmine wrote down all she remembered, and described to her best ability what the images displayed in the frames. She wrote and wrote, until all pages were filled, and she concluded with her "waking up".

"Jas, please tell me what's goin' on."

Looking up at her dad, she hesitated, unsure of what he'd say. Letting go of her doubts, she poured it all out to him, every detail.

The color drained from her dad's face as she described what it was she saw in the long hallway. He just nodded on, affirming with simple "Mhm"'s and "Uhuh"'s, asking questions here and there.

When she finally finished, she waited. Anna sat close by, waiting too.

"Jasmine..." He said softly. "God is very real, and that's why we pray as a family. I don't know what could be comin', truth be told, none of us know what could happen. I've never in my life seen Jesus, but if He says we're gonna go through somethin' ... We'll go through together..."

Relief flooded her. She let out a breath and hugged him. Everything was okay. Having verbalized the details of the images sent her mind back, causing a chill to run down her spine. She forced her thoughts to focus on the moment. There was nothing to worry about; Jesus said things were just going to change. Plus, her dad was with her, and so was the rest of her family. As long as they were together , everything would be okay. Why then, was there a warning, still crying out in the back of her mind?

Anna squeezed herself into the hug, eyes wide.

"Baby girl, your ma went to take Shanelle to go get her things. She'll be stayin' with us for a bit." Mr. Johnson straightened.

"Why? What happened daddy?" Jasmine asked, desperate to know what was being kept from her.

He glanced at Anna before deciding on it, telling her to go in her room.

"But daddy, I'm scared!" She protested.

Understanding, Chino sighed. "Anna, you can turn the hallway light on and leave your door open. Come back when I'm finished talkin' your sister."

"Okay..." She said, slowly getting up. Leaving the room, Jasmine heard her click the light on.

Leaning in, she fastened her eyes, attentive.

"Vanessa is in the hospital, Jas." Chino started, solemnly. "Something happened with her and James and they got into it bad. Shanelle ended up having to call the police. Vanessa didn't turn in a statement to the police and claimed the call was for the neighbors when they actually showed up."

Mr. Johnson rubbed a hard hand over his head. He continued. "After they left, James beat her real bad and ran... Vanessa could hardly walk, so she crawled to her front door and cried out through the screen for help. A neighbor heard, called the police and took her to the hospital. They looked through the house for the kids..." He stopped.

Jasmine's gut knotted up in her belly. Oh no. "Honey...?" She whispered.

Nodding his head, Chino struggled to go on. "DCF took all of them. They're gone."

There was a long, sad moment of silence. Chino continued.

"Shanelle's gonna' be with us until her mama gets back right. She's not supposed to be over there, legally, being they found drugs, but we're not gonna' keep her from seeing her mom. She has us down on paper as godparents."

Anger and grief flooded Jasmine. How could Vanessa let this happen? She could have stopped James when Shanelle called! But she lied...

Heart hurting, Jasmine lowered her head on her dad's shoulder. Shanelle always complained about Honey and Mila and how she had to watch children that weren't her's, but it was clear to anyone who listened to her that Shanelle cared deeply about them. She constantly worried about if they'd eaten, washed, gone outside, went over their letters, and other things. She'd be utterly broken if...

"Daddy! Can I come back yet?" Anna called from her room.

"Not yet Mae!" Chino answered.

Eyes widening in worry, Jasmine looked up. "Daddy.... Does Shanelle know? About the girls? And her mom?"

Chino took a deep breath and shook his head. "Your ma's gonna' tell her... But not now. She dealt with a lot today."

Jasmine nodded, understanding. She couldn't imagine what happened for Shanelle to call the police in the first place.

"Your Ma's gonna tell Shanelle and nobody else. This stays between you and me... Understand?" Chino demanded, sternly.

There was a moment of silence before she spoke. "Yes sir..."

She wondered though.. how could she not say anything when Shanelle was her best friend?