Chapter 6: The Necklace

Nathanael

Sera has spent the remaining hours after lunch, diving into work. Sometimes he would catch her staring at the computer screen, but for the most part, she kept herself distracted. She's numb to it all. That's why when she pulled into the coffee house parking lot, he didn't even care.

He's been here countless times with her before. The past two days have been different. Sera is changing. He can't figure out whether he likes it or not; and can't for the life of him understand what this feeling is in the pit of his stomach, tying itself into little twisting knots repeatedly. By far the strangest feeling he's ever experienced.

It's a habit when he hovers behind her while she orders. The tension between Jack and Sera is palpable. Jack always has that slick smile on his face; the one he only saves for her. Nathanael hates it. The way he looks at her, says her name, knows her drink, and watches her while she works on her laptop at night. It makes him uneasy. It makes him... mad.

"Hey, Sera. How was work?" Jack's voice is cheery as ever. One would think after that first date was a bust; he would be a little more withdrawn. A proud smile spreads across Nathanael's lips.

"Just like my life: long, uninteresting, and mundane," she responds.

"That good, huh? Anything I can do to make it better?" He leans slightly over the register. Nathanael feels the need to step in and glide through the counter. The machines shimmer as he shifts through them to wind up behind the bar. Bending over, he grabs hold of the rubber floor mat and flips it out from under Jack.

Jack wobbles before falling onto his back. Quickly, he dusts himself off and stands. His smile, a little less perky than before and his cheeks redder than the apron he's wearing.

"Whoops, it's just a little wet there." He attempts to recover.

"Are you okay?" Nathanael's heart stops when Sera looks so concerned.

"Uh," Jack rubs the back of his head, "Yeah, that was weird."

"Appears a lot of weird things are going on around here lately." It's Sera's turn to glance around, uneasy. Her hand reflexively flies to the vial at her chest again.

Not that he blamed her. Strange things are going on around here. He suspects something happened in that psychic shop she went to at lunchtime. Anger inside bubbles at the memory. For some reason, Nathanael wasn't able to enter the shop. A strange force stopped him. It must have been some form of shield protecting the building from everything supernatural. The only thing that could have done that would be powerful spells. What is a powerful being like that doing here on Earth? What is it they could be hiding? Above all things, what could they have possibly said to Sera to make her so... jumpy?

Nathanael leans on the window ledge of Jack's Coffee Bean. Beside him, sits the green chair where Sera is typing away at something on that portable computer. The longer he remains here, the more he begins to comprehend their many purposes, not that he would ever know how to work one. The world now revolves around these devices. Not one human seems to walk around without some kind of technology with them. The Angels of Heaven are going to be so entertained with all his stories when he returns. Some have never been to the surface. Those Angels are the most curious, hovering around the outskirts by the clouds, hoping for morsels of the secular drama. The unknown can tempt even Angels.

Sera stirs, mumbling something to herself and glances off into the distance. Her hand automatically reaches for her chest. She does that often. The necklace hanging there proves to be a source of comfort for her.

The vial on her necklace brings his attention lower. Situated between the curves of her breasts, sits a powdered substance that glimmers in the sunlight. He scoots off the ledge, coming in closer for a better look. That's not just any vial.

It pulses at her throat in tune with her heartbeat. Whatever it is, it is somehow connected to her. He can feel the power radiating from the necklace the closer he gets. This is something supernatural.

How did she get a hold of this? His hand reaches for her neck, the pulsing increases.

Sera's breathing increases as the vial thrums against her. He can feel the power the closer his hand gets. That's Angel dust around her neck. His fingers dance along the edge of it. What could this be?

She gasps, wraps her slender hand tighter around the pendant, and sits back in the chair, escaping him. "Why are you so connected to this necklace?" He asks rhetorically, staring at the hand at her chest. "And how are you able to touch something spiritual?" He glances up to see her hazel eyes staring into the space where he's standing or would be if she could see him. He freezes; his hand still extended, reaching for her.

They stay like that for a few seconds until he can sense her heartbeat slow. With a shake of her head, she bites her fingernails and melts back into the chair.

That is... strange. It's as if she can feel him there with her. The more he comes to know about this girl, the more mysterious she becomes. She has hidden secrets, unknown to even her. He doesn't even know them yet, but he will find them out. Maybe that is why they sent him for her, maybe she is somehow important. He was given this assignment for a reason, the Lord entrusted him with her for a purpose. He intends to find out all of her secrets... and figure out what is going on around here.