God's Gone AWOL

[9] Major Discomfort

After breaking free from the clutches of Heaven, Atticus and Bentley took Frances and fled to Jericho, Washington. It wasn't the best place in the world, but it was the first that came to mind. Heaven knew Atticus' registered Earthly address, but even if they came knocking again, Atticus could always keep the door locked against them. If they painted enough deterring spells and wardings all over the house, they would be able to keep Heaven at bay for a while. They could knock and yell and shake the earth all they wanted, but nobody would be able to enter the building unless the wards were broken.

The arrangement wasn't exactly ideal, but there weren't any good alternatives. The logic was the same as locking a precious object in a safe in order to prevent it from being stolen. Although they were secure, they were also imprisoned for the time being, so it was a two-way standoff of frustration. As long as Atticus was kept away from Heaven, everything would be okay and that was what was most important.

"Y'know it's been a while since I visited the Americas," Frances said, "It's kind of weird here, isn't it?"

Both Frances and Atticus were busy painting the house's white walls with various wardings. He had set up a ladder so that Frances could reach the higher parts of the walls. This proved to be an entertaining decision as their big brown eyes were now staring in every direction, admiring the wonders of small-town USA. Coming from a loud and bustling European city such as Paris, this was no doubt a bit of a cultural shock for them.

Atticus himself wasn't a big fan of the United States in general. Everything was way too bright and flashy, and there seemed to be a prominent feeling of narcissism and self-importance among the locals. It all reminded him a little too much of Heaven's obsession with being the best and gaining the most respect. When he had first decided to settle down in Jericho, Atticus decided that he wasn't going to stay for very long: only ten years or so —before anybody realized that he wasn't ageing. However, before he had even made it halfway through the decade, Bentley had come back from the dead and all of his life plans were crumpled up and thrown out the window.

"You get used to it," he told Frances.

"I hope uncle isn't too mad at me," they said, "I kind of ran off in the dead of night without saying anything. He's been so concerned with keeping us safe, but now that things are so messy, I really just can't sit back any longer,"

"If it's safety Reuben is concerned about, then he shouldn't worry. That's why we're making sure the house is properly warded," Atticus reminded them.

Just then, one of the windows on the second floor slid open and Bentley climbed partway through.

"I did it! I've figured out how to turn off capital letters!" she announced.

"That's great, Bentley!" Frances offered her a thumbs-up. "How're things on Xander's end?"

"He said Hazel's been set free. He'll bring her by later." Bentley waved Atticus' cellphone around in the air. "These things are so cool, I want one now."

With her arrival came a sudden swirl of uncomfortable thoughts in the front of Atticus' mind. Ever since they had left Heaven, neither one of them had said anything about the... whatever it was that had happened between them. It hadn't been very long since their escape. Atticus wasn't sure if he should mention it, or whether he should just pretend to forget about the whole thing.

After all, it was hardly the first time Bentley had kissed someone. Maybe it really didn't mean anything to her, and that it was just a spur of the moment situation. Maybe she had already forgotten about it entirely. Maybe Atticus was overthinking everything simply because it was his first kiss, and he needed to accept it as a fleeting moment of tension between old rivals. Maybe he just needed to let it go.