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Chapter 8

     Zane stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. He couldn't sleep; the events of the day were on his mind. Mom hadn't said much after the video. She just sat there, obviously distracted. Dad tried to get her to open up and engage with the family, but to no avail. She didn't smile or play with Lindsay. She didn't even scold Zane when he pulled out his phone to check his Facebook. Something's bothering her, Zane thought to himself. Which is weird, since barely anything bothers Mom. Did she know what the message meant? What made her so upset?   

   After trying to think and mull it all over for hours, Zane decided to get a drink. Quietly getting up, he tiptoed across his bedroom floor, through the carpeted hallway, and down the stairs. The house was dark, save for the moon's light. Zane managed to creep into the kitchen and quietly fill a glass of water. He sat down at the counter, taking a few sips of his water. The kitchen was unusually cold tonight. It had this eerie feeling, and though it was dark the moonlight had managed to stream through the windows, like a spotlight. It's just me, Zane assured himself. I'm just still worried about Mom. I just wish I knew how and wh-   

   Zane turned his head toward the hallway, towards his parent's' room. Light was coming through the bottom of the door. Zane could hear hushed voices talking quickly.    

   His parent's voices.   

   Zane set his glass down and soundlessly made his way to the door. The voices were a bit louder now, but their words were hard to make out. Quietly, Zane bent down on one knee and gently pressed his ear up against the door. "Annie", he heard Dad say. "There's no reason to get worried about this. It's not even real."   

   "What if you're wrong, Jim?", Mom asked. Her voice sounded worried, panicked even. "What if it is all true? What if he is coming back?" Zane heard her sigh. "I used to believe in him. I used to believe in the Bible. And now...it all seems to make sense. The scripture, the missing people, the statue-"   

   "That's just it", Dad interrupted. "You grew up with these stories. Your parents taught you this stuff for years. It's all just a coincidence."   

   Zane heard him sit down on the bed. "You know President Ben-Judah isn't a bad man. He doesn't even want to have the terrorists executed. It wasn't even his idea to build a statue for himself."   

   "But Jim-"   

   "Annie, you've got to let this go. You told me yourself you weren't really into God to begin with. You just believed it because your parents told you he was real. At least, that's what you told me."   

   For a few minutes it was quiet. Zane's legs were beginning to ache from bending down this long, but he was too interested in this to leave now. What are they talking about? The Bible? Him coming back? What does it all mean? He heard Mom sigh. "You're probably right", she said softly. "It's probably all just me. I just... I just want to get this out of my mind. I don't want to keep worrying about this."   

   "Come here", Dad said gently. It sounded like they were hugging now. "I love you, Annie. I just want you to be alright. I don't like seeing my girl worried about something that's not real."   

   Mom mumbled something, but Zane couldn't hear it. Then the light shut off. Zane slowly stood up. The Bible. Why does that sound familiar? Is it a book? A movie may- wait. I think I know where I've heard of it.   

   Tiptoeing away from the door Zane made his way into the living room to the bookshelf next to the television. He scanned the rows of books as well as he could, considering it was still dark. Lord of the Rings. The Jungle Book. Shakespeare. Cook book. Cook book. Interior designing book- there it is! He reached up and pulled down a thick, red leather book that had in gold letters on the front The Holy Bible. So this is the book she was talking about. Why haven't I ever seen her read it? I would have remembered seeing her read something like this.