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Chapter 9

   Zane couldn't focus on the lesson Mrs. Olsen was giving. His mind was still on what he'd read in the book that morning. The first chapter just briefly talked about the seven churches and someone named the Son of Man all dressed up between some lampstands. The other two chapters were just letters to the seven different churches. They seemed more like words of encouragement.

   But it was chapter four when things started getting weird. It talked about these flying creatures singing praises to someone they kept calling Lord God Almighty. It was sweet, but still didn't get Zane much to go on. In fact, it only gave him more questions. The fifth chapter, however, was a bit more interesting. It talked about a scroll with seven seals and that only the Lion of the Tribe of Judah could open it. And then there was more praises. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah? Is he linked with the Lord God Almighty? And what's up with this scroll having seven seals? Does that mean anything?

   He was so lost in thought that he didn't even hear the bell ring. It was Mrs. Olsen who pulled him out of his train of thought. "Zane?", she called out from her desk. "Zane, are you alright?"

   "Huh- Oh." He stood up, picking up his backpack. "Yeah, I'm alright. I'm just thinking, that's all."

   Mrs. Olsen nodded, but her face still showed she was clearly concerned. "I understand. How's your family? Are they well?"

   "Yep", Zane replied. "They're great actually. We're planning on vacationing up in Washington D.C for a week."

   Mrs. Olsen's face brightened. "Oh, really? That sounds exciting. I will be heading up there again myself for the picnic President Ben-Judah is having. Will you be there?"

   Zane nodded. "Yeah, President Ben-Judah invited us."

   "Wonderful!", Mrs. Olsen exclaimed. Zane noticed something on Mrs. Olsen's right hand. It looked like some kind of henna or tattoo, but he wasn't concerned about that. He was hoping to get to his last class do he could go back home and read the rest of Revelation.

   "I'll see you around", Zane replied, walking away from the desk as casually as he could. Mrs. Olsen blinked in surprise but then nodded and waved good-bye. Alright, my next class is science, then I Mom will be here to pick me up. I hope she didn't take the book out of the car. She probably wouldn't have since-

   Zane accidentally bumped into a kid- a boy about his age- knocking him to the ground. "Oh! Sorry dude", Zane apologized, extending his hand to the boy. To his surprise and relief, Zane realized it was Calvin. "It's alright man", Calvin said cheerily, using Zane's hand to hoist himself up. "The fault was mine. We cool?"

   "Uh, yeah", Zane said hesitantly. "Yeah we're cool." He paused for a minute, trying to grasp the situation. Something seemed different about Calvin. He was smiling, almost like he'd never had a care in the world. Maybe there's good news about his brother. "So did you find out what happened to your brother?", Zane asked.

   Calvin cocked his head. "My brother? What are you talking about?"

   Zane's heart nearly skipped a beat. "You went to Washington to look for him", he said slowly, "because he went missing?"

   Calvin shook his head. "You must have me confused with someone else. I don't have a brother. But I did go to Washington this weekend, and it was a blast. We're going up again for the picnic President Ben-Judah is throwing."

   Okay, this wasn't right. He knew Calvin had an older brother. The kid practically bragged about the guy back in middle school. "Dude, you were worried sick about your brother just last Friday."

   Calvin raised an eyebrow. "Did I?" He sighed, then pulled out his phone and began quickly typing. "Sorry, it's my mom", he apologized, quickly answering the message. "Look Zane, I don't have a brother. I'm an only child, remember? You have me confused with someone else."

   Zane shook his head in annoyance. He was about to protest when something caught his eye. As Calvin was texting away, Zane saw a strand of numbers on Calvin's right hand. Three numbers. 666.

   "Where'd you get that?", Zane asked, trying not to gulp too loudly.

   Calvin looked up, following Zane's gaze and saw what he meant. "Oh, this?" He held it up a bit higher. "I, uh, can't really say. I was told not to say anything. I shouldn't even be out without gloves on, but I got up late this morning and forgot them." He lowered his voice and leaned in closer to Zane. "It's supposed to be a surprise. It's going to be the latest thing, but I can't say why. All I can say is that you'll find out in a few weeks."

   He backed away from Zane, grinning. "See you around, Zane." And with that, he walked away, his head held high.

   Zane just stood there, unsure of what to do or say. Those numbers, he thought numbly. Those are the same numbers the book warned about. The one that came up with that message on the TV yesterday.

   Something finally registered in him that he had to get going to class, but as he walked down the halls the small feeling of dread weighed him down with every step he took.