Chapter 9 pt 2

Wrapped up in her blanket, Shanelle didn't bother changing out of her clothes. In fact, they were Michael's. The bed she slept in wasn't hers, nor were the clothes she wore.

Biting her lip as hard as she could, Shanelle didn't release until she tasted blood. It hurt... But it felt good. Good to feel.

An ache pounded in her heart. What happened to the liberty of the night? The freedom she felt beneath the stars? Oh how she missed her mother. It bothered her to think that the last words she spoke to her were ones of anger.

Jasmine came in after a few moments, taking her place on her own bed. Shanelle didn't want to talk. She didn't want to be in Jasmine's home... With Jasmine's family... She just wanted to be left alone.

To her surprise, Jasmine didn't say a word. In fact, it wasn't too much longer that she soundly snored. For some reason, this angered Shanelle further. Shutting her eyes, she drifted into a distant reality.

The scenery around her cleared until she could see a black outline of a moving horizon against a navy blue sky. Soon, she realized that the line she thought was a horizon were the rises and dips of a turbulent sea. Lightening exploded across the sky, branching into several trees, immediately followed by deafening thunder.

Cowering beneath her trembling arms, Shanelle noticed that she was standing on a stone platform. The sea rose violently, the wind whistling, until a single wave towered above her, so immense that its top was out of sight. Convinced she was staring into her own grave, Shanelle braced herself as the icy water engulfed her with a breathing aggression. Helpless against the force, she surrendered to the relentless pounding and pulling of the current. It was then she realized she could breathe... Her lungs filled with water as easily as with air. Stunned, she looked down to see that her feet remained on the stone platform.

Vibrations of current and movement pressed in on all sides, yet, planted she remained. Looking ahead of her, all she could see were levels of the deep, exposed beneath flashes of lightening from above. To it, there was no end...

---

Morning came, and with it, an endless rush of activity. From Anna's wining about having to wear stockings, to Jasmine's complaining about not being able to wear make-up, Shanelle's nerves stretched taunt. Who cared if she wore make-up? Why did Mrs. Johnson have to ask Anna what she wanted if she knew the battle was endless? Just give her an out fit and tell her to put it on: problem solved!

Shanelle wore the same dress every Sunday, washed, ironed, and rehung ready for service. She'd gotten it a few weeks after moving in, and she saw no reason to switch it out. It was dark purple with lace lining at the hem, a lining so translucent it had to be seen close up. It had a white v neck collar, and a purple and white bow attached to a belt that went around the waist.

Sharing the bathroom mirror with Jasmine, Shanelle detangled her hair with water and leave-in conditioner the way June showed her. Using a wide toothed comb, she went from end to root in sections until it was manageable enough to brush.

Jasmine glanced sharply at Shanelle in the mirror. She huffed softly, using a brown liner to shape her lips.

"Nelle, if you don't go change that dress..."

"I ain't changin' nothing. My dress is clean, not wrinkled... It's fine."

"You act like you 70 years old! Jesus Himself is tired of you coming to Him the same every sunday."

"Scripture said come as you are."

"Yeah, the first time.... Not every Sunday. Put on my black skirt and and that red dress shirt."

"Jas I'm not changin!"

"Yes..."she paused what she was doing to yank it off of the hangers in her closet..."You are."

Signing, Shanelle snatched it from her.

Stripping off her beloved dress, she changed roughly.

"Don't rip it now, it's not sturdy and vintage like that carpet you took off." Jasmine shook her head, arms folded.

Glaring, Shanelle straightened. Smoothing her hands over the shirt, she pulled it as low as it could reach. The skirt flattered her figure, reaching down to her knees. She turned to the side in observation. It didn't feel right.

Jasmine's eyes widened. "When did you grow a butt? All them plus size clothes you be wearing..." She came and quickly tucked in the shirt for Shanelle, folding it lightly over the skirt. "We're growing up girl! This is so cute."

"Ion like it... " Shanelle grumbled. Tucking it in made it more revealing!

"Finish your hair, man." Jasmine gave her a firm pat on the back. "Nevermind. I'll handle it." Jasmine took charge of the process. She re-combed her hair, parted the front, and styled two twists to fall over her forehead. Using rubber bands, she sectioned Shanelle's hair to crisscross at the back and gathered it into a ponytail. Then, she used her fingers to define individual curls, making them stand out.

Shanelle watched silently. She didn't want to admit it, but it looked... Nice.

"I had a dream last night... It was weird."

Jasmine frowned. "What was it?"

Shanelle told her all she remembered: the water, the stone, the lightning. Talking about it gave her goosebumps.

"You say you could breathe under the water? And not die?"

"It's sound stupid when you say it like that." Shanelle shook her off, putting both hands on the edge of the sink.

Leaning her cheek against Shanelle's shoulder, Jasmine smiled in satisfaction. "I did a good job. You don't look like a usher anymore."

Rolling her eyes, Shanelle slid on her sandals. "You think your mom can drop me off at Michael's church?" Hearing her own words, she immediately regretted mentioning Michael. Moving away, Jasmine peered at her through a masked expression. "Michael's church? What's wrong with our church?"

"I went to that H. I. E. T place yesterday, and I didn't know he was a member. They invited me, so I said yeah."

"Michael invited you?"

"No, Layla did."

"Who's Layla?"

"Layla, is a member too... she... girl! If you don't leave me alone. I'll ask myself." She left before Jasmine could pray with any more questions.

"Wait! I wanna go too!" She called from behind her. Shaking her head, Shanelle trotted down the stairs and entered the kitchen where June was.

---

Memory of the previous night still lingering, Shanelle gulped as she approached a preoccupied June, stacking papers over the kitchen counter.

"Good morning Mrs. Johnson. Could you or Mr. Johnson take me and Jas to H. I. E. T instead of our church today? I'm not sure if she told you but we wanted to go to their camp after school during the week too... We got applications."

June nodded, without looking up, brows knitted. "Yes she mentioned it earlier. Jas cant go, shes got a speech to read for youth Sunday today, but she don't know it yet. I can drop you baby. She's gonna have to wait until next time. "

Though she was sure Jasmine would have a fit, joy exploded within her at the thought of being able to go back and see her newly made friends. Michael's face appeared in her mind's eye like a gentle whisper. Pressing the image away, Shanelle focused on getting herself ready to go. Some things were best left unsaid.

Jasmine refused to look at her when they pulled up to the main auditorium. Ignoring her, Shanelle got out of the car. "Go on ahead with her Jas. I'll tell them you couldn't make it. It makes me feel better for Nelle to have someone with her anyway..." June waved the matter off. Jumping up with excitement, Jasmine jumped out of the car and hurried with Shanelle.

"Text me when y'all done!" June called, pulling off. Chino waved from the passenger's seat, head buried in the same papers June had overlooked earlier. Taking a mental note, Shanelle turned, heading to the front doors. An anxious Jasmine followed her. "We have to go to foundation classes since we new. I just joined, so you can come with me."

"Why you ain't tell me that Nelle? Ma needs to know you joined another church."

Shrugging, Shanelle asked a staff member for directions, and was lead to a classroom beyond the courtyard to an unfamiliar hall. There were 9 others already sitting at tables. A young woman stood at the front. She must've been the instructor. Scanning the room, Shanelle recognized a boy from their school; Timothy. Blond hair and blue eyes, he noticed them immediately, and averted his attention to Jasmine.

Finding an open seat, Shanelle sat, Jasmine taking the spot next to her. The instructor's name was Thalia, and she was responsible for teaching them the "next steps" in their walk with Christ.

"Good morning y'all! From my understanding, if you're in this class, that means you've already given your heart to Jesus, praise God! Now, all we need to do is talk about what comes next. Before we start, let's go around the room and introduce ourselves to each other." Everyone did.

"Okay, great! Such a diverse group this time. I love it. Okay, so in the middle of each table should be a stack of bibles... Everyone go ahead and take one. You can grab a pen too." They each did as instructed.

"You can write today's date and your name on the cover page. These... "She waved one, "are yours to keep. This is your food, your spiritual food, your sword, your source, your friend, your reference, your identity in itself... It all starts here." She patted it's cover. "You're considered babies in the kingdom, and that's a beautiful thing! But we need to make sure you don't stay babies."

She walked to one side of the room. "Someone raise their hand and tell me what you do first when you want to learn a new trick, or trade, or skill?"

She pointed at an older man in a peach polo shirt. He cleared his throat. "I um... I watch someone who knows how to do the skill so I can do it too."

"Yes! What else?" She pointed to a middle aged woman.

"I personally would take classes, or research and test it out until I feel like I understand it."

"Exactly! We follow those who know what they're doing, research and learn on our own. In a sense, that's what you do here... You learn from those of us who are a little more experienced... Study the scriptures to be more knowledgeable... Most importantly, you strengthen the intimacy between you and Jesus on your own time by talking to Him, praising Him, and listening.

Leaning in eagerly, Shanelle clung to every word. She wanted to understand. Frowning, she raised her hand in question. Jasmine shifted uncomfortably, huffing only loud enough for Shanelle to hear.

"Yes?"

"How could you talk to God? Do He talk back?"

"Does He talk you mean" Jasmine grumbled.

Smiling big, the instructor nodded. "Oh yes! Great question. One of the main ways God speaks is through His word. Once you learn about Him, you start to understand how He responds to situations, and you'll also see how you should respond too. Then, there are other ways... He speaks in dreams, visions..."

Suddenly, Jasmine's head popped up.

"Sometimes things are repeated over and over in separate settings... God speaks in so many ways. But, the main way you'll be able to identify when He is, is by first understanding Who He is."