Free Dimensions of Genesis by Danielle Q. Lee Page A

the
hillside to the Donovan residence, his thoughts again drifted back
to the moment his lips met Lily’s. Quickly reprimanding himself for
his mental weakness, he questioned his objectives.
    How can I be committed to the church if I
have these feelings for Lily? Am I doing the right thing?
    So many scenarios raced through his mind as
he neared the turn-off for the Donovan acreage. All he knew is he
had to see Lily. God help him, he wanted to take her into his arms
so badly, his soul ached.
    Pulling into the driveway, Gabe was relieved
to see Lily’s car was there. Hearing Gabe pull up, Maggie met him
outside.
    “Hello there Gabe!” She said in a cheery
voice.
    From her pleasant demeanor, Gabe assumed
they'd found Lily safe and sound at home.
    “Hi Mrs. Donovan, is Lily inside?” Gabe asked
anxiously.
    “No, she left us a note saying she took a cab
to the bus station and went to visit her friend Sarah in Sherwood.
Apparently Sarah called her crying over some boy and Lily wanted to
go and console her.” Maggie rolled her eyes when she mentioned the
boy. “We called Sarah, she said that Lily was there and that she
was welcome to stay for a few days.”
    “Did you speak with Lily?” Gabe inquired,
suspicious.
    “No,” Maggie stated as she folded up her
sleeves, “she said Lily was having a shower, long ride on those
dirty buses…” her voice trailed off as Gabe’s intuition told him to
investigate this further.
    “Maggie, may I have Sarah’s number? I need to
talk to Lily about something.”
    “Oh, of course, it’s in the kitchen, I’ll go
grab it.” She was already walking away by the time she finished her
sentence.
    After thanking Maggie and politely refusing
lunch several times, Gabe got back on his bike and sped back to the
church to use the phone. He had a nagging suspicion that Lily
wasn’t where she said she was.
    A nervous flutter grew within his stomach
when he realized he also had to contact Father Francis. Pushing
thoughts of the impending exorcism aside, he revved his bike’s
engine, pushing it to go faster through the curving valley.
    Arriving at the church, Gabe scrambled to get
into his office as quickly as he could. Nervously he punched in the
numbers on the phone to call Sarah’s house. As the phone rang, he
took deep breaths to calm himself.
    “Hello.” A young girl answered.
    “Um, hello, may I please speak with Sarah?”
Gabe stuttered.
    “Yes, this is Sarah.” 
    “Hi Sarah, this is Gabe...Lily’s friend. I
was wondering if I might speak with her.” He attempted to make his
voice appear cheery and care-free.
    “Oh…um…she’s…in the shower right now. Can she
call you back?” Sarah stammered, her lie transparent.
    “Ah, I see.” Gabe said quietly. “Sarah, I
need to know if she’s really there. Please.”
    Sarah paused and sighed heavily. Finally, she
surrendered, “No...she’s not really here. She called me this
morning and begged me to tell her parents she was at my house.”
    “Did she tell you why?” Gabe inquired.
    “No, just that it was a huge favor to her.
She said she needed a few days to herself...to think.”
    “Thank you Sarah.” Gabe felt relieved. “Did
she say where she was going?”
    “No, only that she was going to the only
place where no one would find her.”
    Gabe thanked her and they hung up. Pondering
every word of the phone call, he wracked his brain trying to think
where Lily would hide.
    Sighing, he knew the next phone call wouldn’t
be nearly as easy.
    Dialing the numbers on the business card,
Gabe breathed deeply as he listened to the empty echo of the rings.
He was just about to hang up when Father Francis answered.
    “Yes.” Father Francis answered coldly.
    “Uh…hello Father, this is Father Gabe.” Gabe
stuttered, his heart beating a little too fast.
    “16 Campbell Street, three o’clock. Bring
your bible.” Father Francis said icily.
    Gabe was about to respond by asking the
elderly priest a round of questions