Ark of the Light

Seven: The Church of Nowhere

The coordinates led to the middle of the woods in northern Michigan, and Emilia was grateful it was turning to summer, because despite the humidity, it was better than the cold which came with winter. She drove her hummer over the dirt trail, bouncing over rocks and roots. The forest overhead filtered out the light. A punk rock CD she bought for her fourteenth played through the stereo, a band she worshiped but now just made her nostalgic. She turned down the radio, as she approached a clearing.

Ahead of her waited a dilapidated church—or what she thought was a church. Of what? Who knew, it was the middle of nowhere. A short steeple with no bell sat on top of the building, crowning the front door. White paint peeled, revealing the weathered wood beneath. Parked next to the church rested a collection of vehicles—a beat up pick-up truck that may have been in worse shape than her hummer, a basic white car that someone else maybe could have identified the model of her, but to her was just another car, and a motorcycle looking like it held memories. Pulling up, she noticed stray signs of life--the curtains over a bay window that looked new, the path already formed in the overgrown grass, and--

The sliding glass door opened, as Emilia parked. She rolled down the window but kept the doors locked. A boy stepped out, scanning the clearing before stopping at her. A smile pulled on her lips. Hands in pants pockets, he strolled over to her. "I'm Jovanna. You?"

"Emilia," she replied, gaze narrowing.

"That's one southern drawl. What do you do?" He pulled his hands out of his pocket, bracing himself against her car door. Emilia chose not to answer. Jovanna raised his hands, stepping back. "I've got earth." A pebble from the gravel parking lot shuddered before lifting shakily into the air.

"Fire," Emilia finally replied, unbuckling from her seat. Forgoing the door, she slid out the window of her car.

Jovanna's smirk broke into a full-blown smile. "Nice, the others are inside. You're our number six. Zoey, my sister, is trying to get this place cleaned up so it's semi-livable. Nicholas is helping her—uh, short blond kid, real weird, but not as weird as Christopher."

"Yeah?" Emilia moved to drag her bag out of the backseat window, standing on her tip toes to get it. Throwing it over her shoulder, she followed beside him. Inside, the church was surprisingly homey. A candle burned from somewhere, mixing with the blooming outdoors. There was a warmth she wasn't used to. Jovanna slipped off his boots, but Emilia kept hers on. The church wasn't a typical design. Rather than one large sanctuary, the main room was split into an open kitchen and an area that could have once been the sanctuary but also a dining hall. Now it was split into a living room made of mismatched couches and a television that looked like the ones her elementary teachers would roll in when it was a movie day and a dining room that made her heart ache oddly.

"The hall around the corner used to lead to all the classrooms, but we converted them to bedrooms. There were a ton of air mattresses up in the attic, but we're hoping to find some cheap mattresses and bed frames. Nicholas freaked," Jovanna rambled.

Emilia shrugged. "I've slept worse places."

"Cool, cool," Jovanna rubbed the back of his neck, "I guess I should introduce you to the others."

Shifting her bag, Emilia nodded, holding back a small smile.

***

On another path to the church, Shadow pulled a suitcase over a dirt path, his own pack crossing over his chest. In front of him, Lexis walked backward. Her hands moved quickly as her mouth flew. A smile made her face flush, eyes alight and alive. Somehow, despite his deafness, Shadow knew Lexis was talking loudly. It made his heart beat softer as he watched, not really listening anyway. They had been walking for about an hour since the bus had dropped them off in a nearby town. From what the diner owner said, they were heading to an old non-denominational church that had closed after the preacher moved to another town.