Under the Blood Moon (The Stargazers Trilogy Book 1) (14 page)

Chapter Thirty-five

September 19
th

Solomon went to the kitchen and let Eric take responsibility dealing with Isabella. “I’m right here,” he said. “I’ll keep an eyes on her as well. Just in case.”

“Thanks.” Eric nodded.

Isabella looked at Eric as if through new eyes. She said, “I want to hate you, but can’t help but wonder why no one ever spoke to me like you just did. How come there’s nobody in my life that talks like that? Why does everyone just use me for whatever they want and then throw me away like I’m an old candy wrapper?” She was pleading more than just talking. Eric could tell that she subconsciously cried out for something she never had.

Eric listened to her and thanked God, in his mind, that she was asking instead of attacking. Solomon just smiled and listened. She rambled on and on, and then broke down and cried.

“I used to read the Bible with my mother when I was growing up,” Eric finally volunteered. “I remember at the time, I just wanted to be a young boy and not have to pay attention to the Lord and His amazing wisdom. But I’m paying attention now. Everything I learned—but didn’t think I would remember—is coming back to me now. All the scriptures and lessons were always there in my subconscious mind. I just needed something to bring them to the surface. I guess I really should thank you, Isabella, for putting me in a situation where I had no choice, but to turn to God. It was the best choice I ever made.”

Unbelievable to him, Isabella softened her stance and leaned into Eric, embracing him. She had released the tears of pain, and showed hope for change. Eric looked to Solomon for advice. Solomon smiled and just pointed to hug her. He then went into the other room to give them some privacy.

Eric held her in his arms and said, “Isabella. You said that everyone treated you like an old candy wrapper. What you didn’t realize was that you could have stopped it at any time. Yes, some situations are harder to get out of than others, but admitting that the situation needs to change is half the battle. The harder the situation is, the harder it will be for you to change, but you have to. No one is going to do it for you. You have to love yourself before you can be loved. God believes in you and loves you so much, that He sacrificed His one and only Son, so that you can have a chance for everlasting life, where there is no pain, no hate, and no being used.”

“Thanks.” Sniffing, she let her emotions out. “I will never question your sincerity. I feel peace for the first time in my life. I already feel a sense of worth just from your words.”

Later, Solomon told Eric that, although he didn’t mean to eavesdrop, he could not help but overhear Isabella’s display of emotion. He said, “I’ve thought about everything you said, Eric. It all makes sense to me. You’re a man of wisdom.”

“I appreciate your kind words.”

“Knowing what I know about you, thanks to Sybil’s research, I see why God chose to give you dreams about the last Tetrad. Because this is the end times, the blood moons will have the biggest display to the world.”

Chapter Thirty-six

September 20
th
, 2015, 1:45 p.m.

Eight days before the final moon in the Tetrad

Much happened in the months between the third Tetrad and the last one. Isabella had cut off all ties with her past and accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. She never contacted any of her henchmen or anyone from her previous life again. She listened when Eric talked about God. She said that she didn’t feel worthy of God’s love. She cleared out all of her bank accounts and bought a small house on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon and put the deed in Solomon’s name, much to his surprise. When he asked her about it, she just shrugged and explained that it seemed like the right thing to do. The trio also was able to get two vehicles. Both were Dodge Caravans. Eric was impressed with her generosity.

Isabella put the rest of the large amount of money in a joint account with Eric. He saw that she was really getting good at wanting to please God.

Eric and Isabella read the Bible together on a nightly basis, They invited Solomon to join them, and developed a family Bible study. Eric had some soul searching of his own to do, so he needed Solomon’s input.

* * *

When Callista and Solomon were first taken to the hospital after their rented house had collapsed in the earthquake, Solomon was released after a few days. Callistra had a shattered hip bone and had to stay longer. It was over a week later that she healed enough to be released from the hospital. She joined her son in the house that Isabella bought. Ironically, she stayed in the basement of the new house. It was by choice.

Solomon received the insurance money and put it all in a special account for his mother’s retirement. She would never have to want for anything, ever again.

Eric studied Sybil’s notes on the Blood Moons, and accomplished the most he’d ever done. Isabella gave him enough money to live on. He sold everything that Sybil owned, including her car, and bought her a grave. He was able to get a beautiful plot in River View Cemetery. River View was located in the southwest section of Portland and had many notable citizens buried there. He picked a headstone that revealed her good character qualities. It read, “Nothing stronger than a sister’s love.”

After visiting her grave, he would return to the friends that he lived with. They all worked well together and soon became soulmates. It was apparent that Isabella still carried the guilt of what she had done to Eric and was looking for a way to make up for it. Above and beyond what she already sacrificed, she loved him.

Each one developed a hobby that made them stronger. Isabella studied the Bible. Solomon studied science in memory of Sybil. Eric had followed the war in the north country on the news. His concern was the US organizing a peacekeeping force in the Ukraine. It had not been settled yet. He walked to the corner to get a newspaper almost every day.

* * *

One day Eric went for a long drive alone. He had some thinking to do. When he returned, Solomon greeted him at the garage. “Hey, young man! Did you go get pizza?”

“No. I’m afraid not. Just been thinking,” Eric replied with a smile. “I’d like to call a meeting in the living room and tell you about it, if that’s alright.”

“It’s more than alright, Eric,” Solomon returned, with a smile of his own. “I’ll go get Isabella. Do you have anything in
the
car that you need help
wit
?”

“No.” Eric shook his head. “I didn’t shop. Thanks anyhow, Solomon.”

He followed Solomon back through the garage to the kitchen where Isabella was preparing lunch. Solomon said, “Hey, girl!”

“Hey, yourself!” she replied. “Lunch is almost ready. I heard the van. Is Eric back?”

“Right behind Solomon,” said Eric with a broad grin.

“Hi Eric.” She gave him a hug.

He saw the sparkle in her eye, when she mentioned his name. It made sense. He always thought that she had a crush on him, but had a twisted way of showing it. After all, had he not been the one who told her how to turn her life around.

Solomon nudged him in the ribs and winked. Eric blushed.

“We need to have a family meeting,” Eric told Isabella. “Will you turn the fire down on the food for a few minutes. We’re doing it in the living room.”

“Of course.” Isabella nodded and stopped what she was doing. They both walked into the living room together.

Solomon was already seated. “What’s going on? Are you moving out?”

Eric laughed. “Not unless you’re tired of my rantings. Ha ha! It’s about a trip.”

Solomon looked concerned. “Trip?” He put his finger to his cheek, thinking. “It’s close to the last Tetrad in the cycle. Does this have anything to do with that?”

“Actually, it does,” Eric responded with some apprehension. “I’ve finally read all of my sister’s notes and research. I also read yours, and, well, your research coincided with Sybil’s. Between the two of you, there is a lot of information about the fourth blood moon. Solomon! I’m impressed!”

Solomon nodded, with an over-exaggerated grin.

Eric’s smile faded, as his tone turned serious. “I had no idea about a lot of what you two found out about the Tetrad. Some of it, I know doesn’t apply to me, but other things were quite the revelation. I gotta tell you, man. You’re right on. Wow.”

Isabella looked nervous as she glared at Eric, waiting for him to finish talking. Obviously, she did not want to say anything before he had a chance to say all that he had planned on saying.

Eric inhaled and exhaled slowly. “Okay. Here we go. There was one thing I found while I was reading your notes that all of a sudden makes perfect sense to me. I think I know why I was having those dreams. There was something about all that stuff that happened in the forties and sixties with Israel and Jordan that opened my eyes. First, Israel became a nation for the first time in over two thousand years, and next was the war with Jordan when Israel took back Old Jerusalem. Both of those situations coincided with Blood Moons. Well, almost. Within a year. I must have had a pretty big ego if I believed the dreams centered around me. Now I understand that I am just a messenger. I may still be part of a bigger plan. One to rescue Israel. What do you think?”

“I’m thinking.” Solomon winked at Isabella, as if he now could put the pieces together. He groaned as if he mentally kicked himself for not doing it sooner. “I have a good idea of what Eric is going to say next, but I have decided to remain silent and listen. Continue, Eric.”

Eric took in another breath and sighed. He was obviously nervous and carried a huge burden. “I want to say that I respect you both, and I couldn’t have gotten this far without either of you. Now I have to go a bit further and see how this all ends. We may very well be at the end of all things now. The end of days is my simple message. But I feel there is something big that I have to do for Israel.”

“What?” asked Isabella.

Eric was impressed that they both were giving him their undivided attention. He could see that the wheels of their minds were turning. He wasn’t going to keep them in suspense any longer.

“To start with, I was adopted. Only recently did I learn about my heritage.” He took a sip of water and cleared his throat.

Isabella couldn’t wait any longer. “So, you found your birth parents?”

He shook his head. “Not exactly. Not at all, really. What I found out is that I am half Israeli and half Jordanian.”

Isabella’s eyes widened, as her mouth dropped. “Really? So am I.”

Solomon placed two fingers on his chin and just nodded. “I believe you, man. I shouldn’t have discounted anything about you. Maybe if I had been more honest about God’s chosen people, I could have saved Sybil.”

“No. It’s not your fault,” said Eric.

Isabella looked at both men repeatedly, back and forth. A state of panic overtook her. “What does that mean? Does that mean what I think it means?”

Eric removed a suitcase from behind the couch. He searched for the right words, before he continued. “ Needless to say, that’s why I have this luggage.” He tried to laugh to ease the tension and even pretended he was one of the models on the Price is Right, showing the luggage, as if it was a prize in one of the pricing games.

Finally, his voice cracked. “I’m going to Israel.”

“That is what I thought,” said Isabella. “Who is going with you?”

“I’m going by myself.” His voice cracked again. He thought he could talk right through the pain, but it was nearly impossible. He took another sip of water, and clasped Isabella’s hand.

“Wait a minute!” Isabella interjected. “No way, mister! You’re not just going to lay this on us and then say that we can’t go with you! Huh-uh! Try again! We’re going with you! Right, Solomon?”

Solomon appeared to be shocked, because she put him on the spot. The sound of his name brought him into reality. He looked up. “Uh… yes! Definitely! We’re all going. Whenever
dere
are three friends, they must travel together. It’s
the
musketeer pact, or some such nonsense. Yes. We’re going with you.”

“You don’t understand,” Eric returned, wiping tears off his cheeks. “I will not be coming back from this trip. I will join the military and fight to my death. Or until I am too old. Or the second coming. Whichever comes first.”

“Says you!” screeched Isabella in his face. “I never let no one tell me what to do up to this point and I sure ain’t going to start now! How do you know it’s a one way trip? Huh?” She stood with her hands on her hips, while leaning forward just enough to intimidate.

“It’s part of
the
cycle,” Solomon interrupted.

“I didn’t ask you, Mist-ter Know-It-All!” Isabella blurted out quickly.

“I know,” Solomon replied while smiling at Eric. “I think interrupting is the least of our problems and I think Eric’s right. I mean, it makes sense. That’s the missing link to all of this.”

Isabella calmed almost as instantly as she became angry. She looked at Eric, then narrowed her eyes at Solomon. “That sounds familiar, but I’m lost.”

Eric looked at Solomon and nodded. He was too emotional to continue his speech.

It was Solomon’s turn to take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Then he had a second thought. “Isabella may care. She not only is smitten with you, Eric, but she trusts you.” He turned to Isabella. “It would sound better coming from you. You need to tell her, Eric.”

“This is about your dreams,” Isabella said. “Do you know that?”

“Yes.” Eric thought about it, then nodded his agreement. “There is a whole section of the Bible devoted to the end of days. In the Book of Revelation, there’s talk of a lot of really scary things if we take them literally. Somehow, I believe… and I think Solomon can agree, that the Tetrads have something to do with the end of the world. The Biblical end of the world.”

Isabella’s eyes teared up, as she placed her hands over her mouth. Her bottom lip started to quiver. “So you need to go to Israel?”

“Yes. I believe…” Eric continued, “…that if something doesn’t change, Armageddon will begin on September 28. Maybe that is too soon. Now, everyone has their own interpretation, but the signs are all there. The prophecy started with Israel, surrounded Israel and will come full circle back to Israel. That’s why I’m going to the Middle East now. I believe with all of my heart and soul that if someone doesn’t stand up for the Lord in the right place at the right time, this world will end sooner than it is supposed to. I have been given a message to tell the world. No one can help me. It has to be me and me alone.”

Isabella clasped his hand. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” he said. “And if I die, I die.”

Solomon said, “You were born for such a time as this.”

“We didn’t do all of this becoming friends, just to have one of us go off alone and get killed for the greater good,” Isabella said. “We all go, or none of us go! Right Solomon?”

“I don’t handle things like this very well. Actually, not at all,” said Solomon, as he nodded. “But yes! Of course! We all go! Together! The three of us. Together.”

“Good.” Isabella looked pleased.

“Being a believer,” Solomon said, “I should have been the one to handle this truth better than anyone. The fact is that I am an emotional man.” He walked over and sat back down on the sofa, biting his nails. He tried to say more, but his voice faded. “We all go together.”

Eric looked concerned and didn’t know what to say.

The basement door opened and Ms. Dancer came in. “It is so good we all got this place together. I’m grateful, considering we lost our home.”

Solomon stood up, when his mother came up to him, and he gave her a hug. “Love ya’, Mom.”

“What’s going on here? I sense all kinds of sadness.” She put her hands on her son’s shoulders and looked him in the eye. “Are you okay? What’s wrong, son?”

He looked at his mother, as if he was looking at her for the last time. Tears filled his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a big hug.

“Whoa!” she replied. “Be careful wit
da
goods, child!”