CHILDREN OF GODS

Icy cold sheets of rain and sleet lashed against his skin, soaking him through and through, sending a numbing chill deep into his bones. As the frozen winds slammed against him and sent him hurtling through the dark, ominous cloud banks, his nervous system threw itself into overdrive, every inch of his body screaming out for mercy. He had just passed from one dense copse of clouds to the next—in barely more than the blink of an eye—when he felt it. It was sudden and subtle, but the change was there all the same. He could sense the ions charging up in the atmosphere like a battery getting ready to explode; the air enveloping him smelled of copper and rust. Like the blades of a turbine engine revving up, the energy built and increased to the breaking point, when an eerie calm fell over everything. He was still free-falling through the clouds, but in that moment the world had become silent, still, peaceful. Just as he emerged from the last bit of cloud cover, the barr

Early morning sunlight filtered through the blind-covered window as James sat on his bed waiting for Karen, Joey, and the twins to return from Sunday morning mass. He had stayed home to finish packing and was now just waiting to say his goodbyes before Blakeney swung by to pick him up. Nervousness and anxiety coursed through him as he studied the school pamphlet for what seemed like the hundredth time. What will the students be like there? Will I even fit in? He kept wondering. It’s not like I’ll be leaving again in a few more months, like every other school. I’ll be finishing out this year and all of next. He sighed. Well, I guess I’ll get through it just like every other time—make a few friends and trudge it out the best I can. Changing track, he thought about when he broke the news to Joey yesterday and how the normally comic, easygoing boy had actually cried for a bit. James hadn’t known how much the younger boy had really thought of him as an older brother. That conversation

After leaving Blakeney’s office, the pair made their way straight down the first hall to a nondescript wooden door, which the older man opened to reveal some kind of grand entryway. Right in the middle of the beautiful, white marble flooring was a fountain with a statue of a nude woman—maybe Aphrodite? James thought—and winged cherubs shooting water out of their mouths across her sprawled frame. The walls weren’t paneled with wood, but instead retained the same white granite as the exterior. Here, unlike the unadorned exterior, exquisite painted carvings of cherubs, laurels, heavenly bodies, and lounging figures graced the walls at what at first seemed random. The more James stared in wide-eyed wonder, the more he recognized the pattern of it all. The cherubs were dancing in the air around the bodies, throwing laurels at their feet while the reclined figures themselves seemed to be studying representations of the stars and planets. It was like nothing he had ever seen be

The early morning sun gradually bathed the small room in a pale, gray and pinkish light as James opened his eyes from a dreamless sleep. He glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. The red holographic numbers of 6:28 a.m. stared back at him from tether-less suspension. What a weird clock, he thought. He was too excited on this newest of new days, so he knew trying to gain any more sleep would prove futile. Taking a deep breath, he swung his legs out from under the covers, deciding to get a head start on the day. Doing his best not to wake up Tres, he quickly made his bed, grabbed a few hygiene items, a towel, and some boxers, and headed out the door in search of an early shower. James thought he would’ve been one of the first to make it to the bathrooms, but by the time he swung open the door, he found that wasn’t the case. Of the six showers, only one was available. He stepped in, put his boxers and towel on the offered hangers, and stripped off the athletic shorts

Sitting with this new group of friends was different, he realized. Gone was the familiarity of the sibling-like relationship of Eliza and Tres. Conversation was more refined, as if even here, while just having dinner and enjoying each other’s company, reputations had to be preserved and images upheld. It was actually exhausting. Of the three—Ceres, Rachel, and Ricky—the only one he had any kind of interesting conversation with was Ricky. They talked a lot about lacrosse and the upcoming spring season. Of course, Jennifer didn’t know much about lacrosse, so she mainly talked across James to Rachel while keeping a hand on him flirtatiously. James learned that Ricky had several big parties every year. The shorter boy’s eyes lit up at the mention of his get-togethers. “Normally I just throw one for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and my famous End of the Year Bash. But from time to time, I like to just go crazy as hell and throw one for no reason at all.” “Let me gues