After that disastrous meeting where he had turned his back on the never-ending family drama, he had taken a few days to rest in a luxurious hotel. The only thing that hurt him, really fucking hurt him, was the uncertainty of what his decision would do to a group of younger angels he cared about. Especially the youngest, Casiel. All he knew was that Michael must be beside himself with rage and certainly capable of unleashing that rage on this little group in retaliation. As a result, he would most likely never see them again. This knowledge slowly began to affect and pollute his thinking. He realized he was in a downward spiral but saw no way out. He had to anchor himself quickly. He couldn't break, not now; he had to keep his shield up.
He was in no hurry to make plans for his future. The first item on his agenda was where to go. After thinking it over, he hesitated between Europe and the United States. In the end, he decided to live in the U.S. and keep Europe for vacations. The second thing he decided was where to live in the USA. He didn't really like winters, so he could immediately delete all the northern states. Okay, very strangely, as the Antichrist, he had developed an affection for Christmas and a little snow during that time, but after that, the snow had to give way very quickly. His affection had a lot to do with the fact that he liked two of his relatives very much, his uncle and his aunt. His solution was usually a week or two in Aspen, in his mountain cabin, and then very quickly back to a snow-free zone. He went state by state, Florida, California, and Texas being the first to go. The song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" made him think about Georgia for a moment, but he quickly dismissed the idea. His appetite for jokes and ambiguity was gone. The light inside him shone less and less brightly. The darkness gained ground in his mind and heart. In the end, he chose Louisiana and Baton Rouge. He was a college football fan, and having LSU in town seemed convenient; he just loved the underdog. The only thing he regretted was that they kept getting their asses kicked by the Alabama Crimson Tide. The third thing to consider was what he was going to do. He needed a profession to explain his wealth. He stuck with being a financial advisor who had a small, select group of immensely wealthy clients. He could also pose as a wealthy playboy, but he didn't like that anymore. Yes, he loved sex, lots of sex, women and men fell for him in droves, but he wanted something else. That lifestyle had lost all its appeal. He wanted to live a more or less normal life for a while. Yes, of course, a very nice house with a swimming pool and a big garden, his own cars, and his own bank account. Well, the saying about being richer than God definitely applied to him. Come to think of it, everybody was richer than God because he did not use money. He was going to live as a human being, so he was going to use his powers as little as possible, and he was going to avoid creating things out of thin air. He would travel across the country from Bangor, Maine, where he was now, to Baton Rouge. Nice and easy and never more than 400 miles a day. From landmark to landmark. A light lunch along the way and checking into a nice hotel at the day's destination. He had his route planned and his first hotel booked.
He checked out of the hotel where he was staying and walked with his suitcase and laptop bag to a place where no one could see him. He closed his eyes and searched for a deserted place with no people for at least a mile. He found an ideal spot about fifty miles north of Bangor. He snapped his fingers and appeared in the wooded area he had chosen. He didn't really need to snap his fingers for this kind of thing or for manifesting things. It was something he had done as a child when he started experimenting with his powers. Something he had thought was really cool as a kid and he had stuck to it. Now it grounded him. He needed his routines to keep from losing his mind. Another of his routines was his wristwatch, a blue Breitling Crosswind. He was a Celestial; he knew what time it was everywhere in the world, so he had absolutely no need for a watch. With a satisfied smile on his face, he sniffed the scent of nature. Now it was time for his transport. A snap of his fingers and there was a Dodge Challenger Demon in front of him. His personal and customized Demon, equipped with every possible gadget to make his journey more enjoyable. The Demon already had a lot of horses under the hood, but he had added another herd. The car was black on black, and there was something demonic about it. At least he had a reputation to uphold as the son of the Devil, he thought to himself. On the passenger seat was a cooler with several sandwiches, soft drinks, water, and some energy drinks. He put his suitcase in the trunk and the laptop on the back seat. Jon took a seat behind the wheel; the beast roared to life with the sound of a wildcat from hell, and he smiled contentedly at the sound. He was ready for his new life. His mind and soul, however, were in a very bad state. It seemed as if he could break into a million pieces. Jonathan demanded the utmost of himself not to drown in the black nothingness that seemed to be calling out to him.
He had been driving for about two hours when he needed to pee and decided to use the opportunity to enjoy his lunch. A sign told him that a rest area was coming up. He arrived at a deserted spot among the trees with a few picnic tables. He took his cooler from the car and placed it on one of the tables, then walked to the edge of the trees. Suddenly, he felt a supernatural force. He immediately scanned his surroundings and found them. A young woman and a girl of about eleven, he thought. The woman tried to scan him. She was a white witch, a rather powerful one, but compared to his powers, she was nothing. Even though he could sense that she was powerful, these powers were not at their peak. It was as if they had been suppressed somehow. They had hidden behind some trees a little higher up a path that went into the forest. Once seated at the table, he called out softly and kindly:
"I know you are there. You can come over if you are hungry and thirsty. I promise I won't hurt you, and you are completely safe."
He began to take the sandwiches out of the cooler and put them on the table in plain sight. He took one and started to eat slowly. A moment later, the two walked out of the woods toward him, hesitantly approaching the table. The woman could be described as petite and slender but athletic. She had long red hair that seemed to glisten. The young girl was blonde, with long hair like her mother's. Beneath the sadness and helplessness they both felt now, he felt that there was a bright light lurking. Jon said:
"Sit down and eat something. What would you like to drink? I have water, Coke, and Fanta."
They sat down, and the women said softly:
"Coke, please."
He grabbed some cans and a bottle of water; he had more or less figured out what was going on here.
"Have a few sips of water first. It will be better for your dry mouths and throats."
They did as he said and then attacked a sandwich. He looked at them silently. They had obviously been in the forest for a few days. They looked a bit feral. Their hands and faces were filthy, and their clothes were dirty and torn in several places. But Jon had a feeling that this was not just the result of their time in the forest, but also of abuse or neglect. His suspicions were confirmed when he scanned them for a moment. He hated scanning people without their consent, so he kept his scan to the surface whenever possible. It just made him so incredibly angry that someone could hurt an innocent woman and child like that. As they finished their first sandwich, he said:
"My name is Jonathan.
The woman replied:
"My name is Elise Paschal, and this is my daughter Juliette, but she prefers to be called Jules.
"Well, nice to meet you, Elise, and you, Jules."
Jon said with a sincere smile, hoping to put them at ease a little more. He thought they might be from the bloodline of two of his relatives he was particularly fond of. His aunt and uncle. The woman's red hair was a dead giveaway:
"I don't know what you ran away from. I can promise you that I won't take you back there, because it's obviously not safe for you."
Elise was startled, and her eyes began to water.
"I promise, Elise. Now just eat another sandwich, and then we can talk for a bit, OK?"
He didn't know why he cared about them and their fate. He should leave them behind. Especially since the mother was a witch, a white witch for that matter, and the daughter had it in her blood as well. But he looked into her sky-blue eyes with a purple speck and decided that he would tell her the truth about who and what he was. If she freaked out, he could always get up, get inside the demon, and get out. He was extremely tired and tired of hiding. Why he had made this decision at this moment, he had no idea. They finished their sandwiches and looked at Jon. The mother asked in a trembling voice:
"I don't know who or what you are, mister, because my powers bounced back immediately. Please, can you help us? Please don't hurt my little girl. Please..."
A few tears streamed down her cheeks. He looked into her eyes; a bitter expression had formed on his face. He said:
"That last sentence you used, that's usually when I get up and leave. Too many people say that when they find out who and what I am. I've heard it too many times. People always jump to conclusions without knowing who I am, they just look at what I am and immediately think I'm going to eat their souls, Elise."
"I'm so sorry..."
The girl started to cry along with her mother.
"I didn't mean it like that. I'm just confused and very scared. I have to protect Jules, but I don't know what to do."
He looked at her, sighed deeply, and replied:
"I know what you can do. For starters, stop crying. You are perfectly safe, and I will not harm a hair on your head."
After a minute or two, the sobbing stopped, and Elise frowned, clearly thinking about something. She asked:
"Where are you going, Jonathan?"
"Today the plan is to go to Salem. But eventually, my destination is Baton Rouge."
"Why?"
"Because I'm in pretty much the same situation as you. I had a very big fight with my family. I may not have run away from danger like you, but I turned my back on them. Now I want to build a new, nice, quiet life."
"What did you fight about?"
Jon thought for a moment if his decision was the right one. He just decided to keep going.
"My full name is Jonathan Marcus Drago; my father is Lucifer the Lightbringer, and that makes me the Antichrist. They wanted me to destroy the world, Elise, and I told them to fuck off."
Her eyes widened, and she said:
"I'm sorry, My Lord, but I had no idea."
"Why should you be sorry? You couldn't have known who I was. And please, I don't care about that rotten title; let it be Jonathan or Jon. I just hate that damn title."
The little girl narrowed her eyes and asked:
"If you are the Antichrist, why don't you want to destroy the world? The evil man said they were waiting for you and you would reward them and destroy the world?"
"I don't want to, Jules, because I've lived on earth all my life. Earth is my home; I like it here and because I don't want to hurt anyone. And I never reward bad people. On the contrary, they annoy me. I think your mother has a lot to teach you. Not only about the white magic that seems to be in your blood but also about Celestials like me and the status we have."
The answer had given her pause for thought. Moments later, to her mother's confusion and shock, the girl said:
"Prove it."
He chuckled for a moment. He raised his eyebrows a few times and snapped his fingers. Suddenly there were four bowls of lukewarm water on the table, along with washcloths, towels, soap, shampoo, and a completely new outfit for both of them. Mother and daughter sat wide-eyed at what had appeared out of nowhere. He would let them recover from what they had just seen at their own pace. Jon stood up and said:
"Now wash yourself, throw the rags you are wearing into a pile, and put on these other things. I'm going for a walk to give you some privacy. Don't worry, I have shielded this resting place; no one will come here. When you are done, close your eyes, picture me in your mind, and let me know."
Without waiting for an answer, he turned and walked toward the path that disappeared between the trees and out of sight. About fifteen minutes later, he heard Elise's voice softly in his head:
"My... Jon, we're ready."
He responded, and to her astonishment, she heard him as clearly as day in her mind.
"I'm here at the pond; I'm coming."
When he arrived at the table a few minutes later, he saw that they were wearing their new clothes. He snapped his fingers, and all the items they had been using disappeared. He made Hellfire appear in his hand, and it seemed to have a mind of its own. It slowly slid from his hand towards their old clothes, and once there, they turned to ash in an instant. Their hair looked as if they hadn't been to the salon in ages. He manifested two brushes and two rubber bands. He gave one set to Elise and said:
"Jules, please stand in front of me."
She did as he asked because she saw the brush and rubber band in his hand and knew what he wanted to do. Jon brushed her hair back and then pulled it into a ponytail. He did it to hide her neglected state as much as possible, but she looked pretty with the ponytail.
"Well, that turned out better than I thought, girl. That ponytail looks great on you."
And those beautiful green eyes that looked so damn much like his own, like Cas's, lit up, and he saw more and more zest for life returning and even the first traces of pleasure.
"Really, Jon, does it look good on me?"
"It looks perfect on you, Jules."
And for that, he got a hug from the girl. He was over six feet tall himself, so the girl's head barely reached his ribs.
"Thank you for the new clothes, Jonathan.
"You're welcome, Elise. But now the important question. What do you want now that you can't go back?"
She answered in a low voice:
"A new life too, just like you, far away from here. Can we please come with you?"
He took a deep breath and said:
"Of course, you can come with me. I'll see to it that you can start a new life in Baton Rouge. A house, papers, clothes, and money to get you back on your feet in complete safety."
He had barely spoken before the girl's tiny arms were around his waist again. Had he seen a hint of disappointment in the mother's eyes, he wondered, or was it just his imagination? He quickly dismissed the thought. This was exactly the kind of situation he could miss like the plague. His brain was no doubt playing tricks on him. He really hadn't been himself since the last damn meeting. The girl said, the emotion clearly audible in her voice:
"Thank you, thank you, thank you..."
"Okay, enough of that."
He said, amused. Elise asked:
"How long will it take to get to Baton Rouge?"
He got a smirk on his face and replied:
"About... a nanosecond. Get in the car because my plan to drive has now been compromised."
After all three got in, he said:
"I need to concentrate for a while."
His eyes glowed gold. He scanned the area around the town until he found a suitable spot where no one would see the demon appear. He opened his eyes and snapped his fingers; they appeared about twenty miles outside of Baton Rouge. A very luxurious hotel in town suddenly had a reservation for a large three-bedroom suite for Mr. Drago plus two. The girl called from the backseat:
"This is so freaking cool..."
He laughed for a moment and said:
"I'm glad you like it, Bwitch, but now put your seat belt on, girl, or I'm not going anywhere."
Jules quickly buckled her seatbelt and asked:
"Why Bwitch?"
Jonathan turned around for a moment to look the girl in the eye. He pointed his finger at her mother first:
"Witch"
and then to herself:
"Bwitch, baby witch."
With these words, fireworks seemed to go off in the girl's eyes.
"When we arrive at the hotel, you will notice that there is a suitcase for each of you in the trunk. These will contain only the most basic items. A toiletry bag and some good towels."
He looked at his watch and saw that it was almost one in the afternoon.
"Okay, we still have time and can go shopping for you today, new clothes first."
The girl's eyes got as big as saucers:
"All new clothes, and I get to choose?"
"That's kind of the idea, Bwitch. I can't keep manifesting clothes for you. I'm not a tailor, and I don't work for Versace."
Jonathan, Elise, and Jules had arrived at the hotel, the Demon safely in the hands of the valet, with a warning to use the accelerator very, very carefully. They walked up to the front desk, followed by a bellboy pushing a trolley with their bags. He said:
"I have a reservation; the name is Drago."
The young woman looked at him for a moment, and her smile changed from a toothpaste smile to one of sincerity and absolute interest in the handsome young man standing before her. She couldn't help but unconsciously ignore the woman and girl with him.
"Indeed, Mr. Drago, a three-room suite, prepaid for three weeks."
She handed the bellman a key card. Jon looked at her name tag for a moment and then placed ten hundred-dollar bills on the counter in front of her:
"Thank you, Patricia, enjoy."
She sighed deeply, watching him as they walked toward the elevators. The thousand dollars was not the only thing she wanted to enjoy. Jon kept his laptop bag with him as they followed the bellboy.
"Here we are, Mr. Drago, the blue suite, and as you can see, you have a beautiful view of the city from this floor."
Jon gave him a hundred-dollar bill as a tip, and he left the suite. Elise and Jules could not believe their eyes; they had never seen so much luxury. Jules' excitement was heightened when she saw that she had her own bedroom with a king-size bed and a private bathroom with a shower and bathtub big enough for two or even four of her pint-size and age. She ran into Jon's bedroom and jumped up to him, just in time for him to catch her.
"This is so great, Da... Jon!"
He said with a forced smile, having clearly heard the girl's almost slip of the tongue:
"Well, enjoy it, Bwitch; this could be your home for the next three weeks."
But he thought:
"Oh, fuck no, I need to get rid of them as soon as possible!"
He took a deep, unnoticed breath and said:
"Let's go. We have a lot of searching to do."
In the living room, the three of them plopped down on the sofa. He opened his laptop. Being the Antichrist has its drawbacks, like having a family that keeps nagging you to destroy the world. But it also has nice advantages, like the fact that your laptop will never, ever be without an Internet connection. No matter if it's in the middle of the desert or on the dark side of the moon, it's still going to be connected. You want to be connected, and there is a connection. The funny thing was that he never left a trace of his activities on the net. That pretty much drove certain three-letter agencies into a state of madness when he had another one of his episodes where he latched on to a certain part of history like a pit bull and just wanted to know everything, absolutely everything, about it. Including the deepest, darkest secrets of those three-letter agencies. The first thing he did was to find a store where they could buy clothes for Jules and Elise. Not the kind you get at Walmart, but not the overpriced designer stuff either. Jules was a young girl and needed to go to school. He didn't think it was a good idea for her mother to send her to school in Prada. He wanted her to feel at home with the other kids, not stand out in overpriced clothes. It took him a while to find a store that had a complete line for women, children, and teenagers. Everything from underwear to formal wear. Then a shoe store and, for him, an upscale men's store where he could buy a few tailored suits or have them made. You can never have too many suits, was his motto. Finally, he started looking for a house for the two of them. After some searching, he found a house to their liking. Four bedrooms, three full bathrooms, and a large backyard with a pool in a gated community. That would give them an extra layer of protection. Jonathan decided to call the real estate agent. She immediately agreed to show them the property an hour later. After hanging up, he said:
"Okay Witch and Bwitch, I'm going to take a shower; you better do the same, and then we'll check it out, okay?"
The Dodge Demon was waiting for them outside the hotel; he put his laptop on the back seat next to Jules and set the GPS. Elise and Jules felt and heard the beast's power as he started the engine. The house was in a nice neighborhood. He parked the Demon in the driveway, where they were met by a woman of about fifty.
"Mr. Drago, nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Dekker. These are Jules and Elise."
The girl greeted the woman politely and was rewarded with a warm smile. After the tour, Jules stood trembling with excitement.
"I love this place...!"
He nodded with amusement in his eyes and turned to the agent:
"And this house has no hidden defects?"
"No, absolutely not. The owner has always been very meticulous with the upkeep."
He used a tiny bit of his supernatural powers and could feel no trace of a lie or deception and said:
"Well, you heard it."
He pointed to where Elise and Jules were standing and said with a smile:
"The ladies have spoken."
He pulled out his laptop and placed it on the kitchen island.
"Do you have a banking app that gives up-to-date information?"
"Of course, Mr. Drago, but if you want to make a deposit, it will take at least a day for it to reach us anyway."
He looked at her mischievously and said:
"Not with my bank, and I don't make any down payments."
The woman swallowed hard and could only nod. This young man must be flush with cash and damned important to be a customer of such a bank. She suspected that this might be the fastest sale of her career, especially for a three-quarters-of-a-million-dollar house.
"May I have the account number to make the deposit?"
With a slightly shaking hand, she handed him a card. Jon logged into his bank account, the one he used to play with, and made the transfer.
"This may take a few minutes. Can you tell us about the area? I'm mainly interested in schools for the young lady."
"Well, there is a Catholic campus very close by, St. Bernard. It has everything: nursery school, preschool, elementary, and high school. It really is a very safe neighborhood for kids. Especially since most of the parents contribute to a kind of fund that provides extra private security during the day, in addition to the guard at the gate and the normal police patrols and double surveillance at night. The chairman of the neighborhood committee will certainly contact you to explain this in detail and, of course, to ask if you would be willing to contribute financially."
"Do you know this chairman?"
"Yes, I know him well; he is a friend of mine and a very good man."
"Could you call him and tell him that I would love to contribute to this initiative to protect the children? Give him my number so he can call me. The safer it is for these ladies, the happier I will be. Tell him to have the committee's account number ready so I can make a generous donation to this wonderful initiative.
"I'll call him later, Mr. Drago. I'm sure he'll appreciate it."
"Well then, I think we have a perfect understanding. Would you please check to see if you have received the amount?"
She opened her app and indeed the full amount had arrived. She nodded.
"Great, can I come by tomorrow at 10:00 to pick up the contract? I want access to the house starting tomorrow. The rest, to make everything completely official, can be done quietly through normal channels. In the name of Elise Paschal. I will give you all the details tomorrow morning."
"Of course, Mr. Drago."
"Perfect, let's go ladies. We can do some shopping just in time."