Genesis

CHAPTER 22 On The Dark Side

Ugh! I was still staring at the ceiling as my bedroom gradually lightened. With the sunlight came the resignation that I would never again get a good night's sleep. Michael's narrative had obviously seeped into my subconscious, thereby affecting my dreams. Rolling on to my side to check the time on the clock, I noticed the t-shirt I had worn to bed, the worn gray t-shirt with the UGA bulldog on it that Michael had given me last night. I smiled, remembering that Angie had told me how much Michael loved that t-shirt since the day his oldest brother, Gabe, had given it to him after his visit to the University of Georgia. Under different circumstances, I could most definitely see myself with Michael. Truth be told, he was actually much more my type than Ty. Prior to this, I had never been attracted to those perfect GQ guys, ever. But Ty had aggressively pursued me and he was, admittedly, hard to resist. Yes, Ty is my boyfriend, I reminded myself, and I couldn't allow myself to become captivated by Michael Powers.

As I laid in the bed, thankful that I didn't have to be to work until one o'clock, I went over all the things I loved about Ty in my head and chose to focus solely on the fact that Michael said it was possible for him to give up the part of him that was demonic. Would he want to do that for me? That would be a requirement, of course, if he was the demon that Michael portrayed him to be.

I decided that I believed in the existence of angels and demons, but it was difficult to determine the exact truth. Maybe, just like politicians, Ty and Michael were each painting themselves in the best light. Maybe Ty was right in saying that Michael was trying to come between us. Did he have a secret agenda? Now that I had spoken with Michael about this, I wanted to hear Ty's side. I regretted telling him that I didn't want to see him until Monday morning. I was anxious to tell him what I'd learned from Michael. But it was probably best for him to take some time to get over me working for the Powers. He just had to, because I was sure I could successfully navigate between their diametrically opposed worlds.

I'm hungry, I thought, as I looked over at the clock. Eight-thirty. Hmmm. I wished that Ty was coming to pick me up to go to breakfast. I could call him, but I wouldn't. I was stubborn. I said Monday and I would stick to that no matter what. I'd just take myself to the Waffle House. Maybe one of the kids would want to go with me.

After throwing on a pair of shorts and the Braves t-shirt that Ty had bought me, I ventured downstairs to see who was around. Hollie was still in her pajamas, sitting cross-legged on the couch eating Froot Loops out of the box.

"Have you eaten many of those?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"Wanna go to the Waffle House with me?"

"I do, I do," she answered excitedly.

"Alright, I'll take you. But let's get you dressed first, okay?"

"Okay."

As we rummaged through her drawers, Hollie decided she wanted to wear her Braves t-shirt, too. A little embarrassing, but if it would make her happy, I'd deal with it.

We got to the Waffle House right about nine and sat in Donna's section at the counter.

"And who's this?" she asked in that super sweet tone that adults usually reserved for children and animals.

"Donna, this is my baby sister, Hollie. Hollie, this is Miss Donna."

"I'm not a baby," she said defiantly.

"I didn't mean that you're a baby. I should've said that you're my youngest sister. I'm sorry. Can you please say hello to Miss Donna?"

"Hello, Miss Donna," she complied.