Thomas, however, cared too much. I could hear how frustrated his father was getting over it. He wouldn’t drop it, and he was taking his anger out on Azrael. Anytime Azrael even spoke, the tensions grew, as if he hated the man’s very existence.
Perhaps it had to do with what they were discussing though. I knew as soon as Azrael mentioned his work, Pastor Masters would be striving to move him up the ranks. Before his month-long absence, I had been overhearing things like ‘growing operations’ and ‘building new churches’. Whatever Azrael had offered them, it made them hopeful for a prosperous future.
But in the last two years, the weight of his eyes never changed, his aura never shifted, his shoes were the same. He hadn’t stopped to talk to Thomas in quite some time, but I always saw his shoes.
Never a scuff mark, never untied, his pants always pressed and pristine. His cane always shining.
As far as I knew, he hadn’t even picked a Favorite yet. At least not one that he brought to church. Where was his daffodil? Had he solved her puzzle yet?
Would he say anything if he had?
I wanted to know. I wanted to know if she was blooming brightly, as bright as the sun, or if she had wilted away, never to be seen again.
Today was a good day though. Today, he had returned, and after the sermon, I saw his shoes come into view as Thomas led me to the Back Hall.
My heart skipped as I stared at those shoes pointed at Thomas. I wondered if they would ever point at me. Would I ever gain his attention, or would I always fall short?
Perhaps it was better this way.
Pastor Masters had never liked anyone like he liked Azrael. So maybe, just maybe, gaining his attention wasn’t something I wanted to do.
Still, the sea called to me.
Was it because he was so different than the others? The weight of his eyes told me being his Favorite might be nice, Elder spy or not. It was hard not to imagine him treating me differently.
Perhaps that was just the wild dreams of a girl locked in a cage. They were all the same. All of them, weren’t they? It didn’t matter if the weight of his eyes was different than the others, the outcome would still be the same. Marrying, producing children, being shipped from house to house to be shared for the rest of my life, however short it may be.
But maybe he wouldn’t share me.
Maybe…maybe he would keep me all to himself.
Air filled my body at that. It was a strange feeling, but it caused my stomach to warm and my mind to spin a little. Maybe I really was sick. Being sick didn’t mean anything to Thomas, he would still bring me to church, if only to take me to the Back Hall for the Leaders. There would be no rest, no sleeping away the sickness.
I hoped I wasn’t sick.
“It’s been a while,” Thomas said in a way of greeting. “I thought they finally excommunicated you.”
So, Pastor Masters wasn’t telling his son everything. Perhaps his son had less of a stance than I believed, at least regarding the business portion of the church.
I wanted to know more about it. I didn’t know what I would ever use that information for, but I wanted it. I wanted to know everything. I never got to know anything. Everyone always kept secrets from me. I once thought that maybe that’s why my mind remembered everything.
What I couldn’t figure out was why Thomas hated Azrael so much. They needed another transporter. Besides, in the past Thomas had liked when his father found another Leader. It was a celebration, but not this time.
Was Thomas afraid of him?
Did the very same aura I was drawn to scare him?
Or did Thomas know who he actually was?
No, that couldn’t have been it. Thomas respected the Elders, if he knew Azrael had been sent by them, he wouldn’t be so outwardly angry towards him, I was sure of it.
Maybe he just hated the way Pastor Masters was doting over him. Thomas was, after all, his only son, so Pastor Masters treating Azrael so well, maybe that’s what was setting him off.
Or maybe this testing was leading somewhere different. It was so thorough, so different than the others. Maybe it was because Pastor Masters was training him for something else. Maybe…
Maybe he was hoping that he was training a replacement.
Pastor Azrael.
