God Has Other Plans

Chapter 7

Everything around Emily seemed slightly hazy as she walked through the streets of Jerusalem. Men and women's faces showed no features, and the roads seem to jitter like static. The small girl's brows furrowed in confusion at the surroundings of the dream. It was very different from what she usually dreamed of, which were often nightmares.

"You damned kids!" Yelled a man. Turning her attention toward the voice, it was clear that she had entered the market area. A few stalls away from her was a man in his late forties with a full black beard and anger-filled brown eyes. He stood over a group of four crying children. There were three boys within the age ranges of six to eleven, and one young girl no older than five.

At the sight of the kids, Emily felt her heart swell. They were covered in dirt, wore ragged clothes, and showed signs of dehydration and hunger. The man growled as he kicked one of the boys in the stomach, causing the boy to puke up nothing but stomach acid.

"How dare you even think of stealing my products! You brats will pay for this!" The young girl wailed as the man grabbed her short choppy brown hair and lifted her off the ground. The oldest boy's eyes seemed to dilate in panic as he tried to punch the man and demand that he let her go. As he tried to free the young girl, a few guards had noticed the situation and were approaching quickly.

Emily's heart picked up at the sight of a couple of guards pushing through the onlooking bystanders. Without a second thought, she felt her body move on its own.

"Wait! Don't hurt them!" She pushed past the citizens that were in her way, trying to reach the kids. Before she could reach them, everything around her turned a blinding white.

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Emily's eyes snapped open as she shot up from her makeshift bed. Frantically, she looked at her surroundings to see she was still at the bureau surrounded by pillows. Wiping the thin layer of sweat from her forehead, she noticed that Altair was fast asleep and snoring softly on the other side of the room. She let out a sigh as she raked her fingers through her slightly knotted hair.

"That's right; we arrived here yesterday. I-I bathed, made dinner, and not long after that, we all went to bed." The sun was just beginning to rise as barely any beams of light managed to invade the room. Letting out a shaky sigh, rested her forehead onto her hands. They felt nice and warm against her cold and clammy forehead.

~"What was that dream?"~ Not feeling the urge to go back to sleep, the girl decided that she would go for a walk to clear her mind. Carefully, so not to wake the two men, she stood from her resting spot, grabbed her money pouch, then tip-toed to the hidden door in the back that led out to the alleyway.

The fresh morning air felt enjoyable on her skin as a small gust of wind blew through the streets. It mixed nicely with the gentle warmth of the morning sun. Very few people were roaming during the early morning, but quite a few merchant sellers were up and getting ready to set up shop as she walked past them. A few would notice her and smile as a greeting, to which she happily returned, or greeted them with a good morning.

"Are you sure?" A faint voice came from an alleyway. Pausing in her step, Emily glanced toward a grungy alley filled with crates and trash, as the voice sounded like a child. Feeling curiosity getting the better of her, she poked her head down the alleyway and saw the four kids from her dream—three boys and one girl, adorned in ragged clothes that were baggy on their thin frames.

The smallest of the kids seemed to be the girl. She seemed to be the youngest, which is what Emily would guess to be five years old. Like in her dream, she had short, choppy brown hair and warm dark brown eyes. Despite the signs of hunger, she had an adorable round face and warm tan skin. The oldest of the boys who seemed to be close to eleven looked similar to the girl. He had dirty brown hair and matching eyes that were a slightly lighter shade. His face wasn't as round as the girls, but a bit more elongated. By what she could tell, the two could be related.