Chapter 1

Alan awoke with a start.

It was still dark, the blue numbers on his bedside clock showing 3-something. The last few numbers were a bit blurry. He closed his eyes. Alan had just ... just what? Dreamed? Had it been a dream? There was nothing else it could have been. That's what every image and sound you experienced while you slept was. Dreams.

Yet...

He wanted to forget it. Fall back into slumber, dreamless oblivion. Unbidden, the images returned. Swirls of colors. A sense of dread. Horror. Destruction. Then, a light. A voice. Hope. Salvation. Faces. Faces he knew, yet didn't. Female faces, almost those of classmates.

They looked at him with love.

Alan opened his eyes. The clock read 6:30. Time to wake. He pushed himself up. His head throbbed. Yet ... he felt calm. As if some fog had descended, even as the universe had opened up. As if he now ... KNEW. Knew answers to the only questions worth answering.

He shook his head. It faded, if only slightly. He'd worry about it later.

The shower didn't help. His mind, not body, needed cleansing. Alan paused, shampoo half lathered in his short hair. No. Not quite. Warm water spraying over his body, he DID feel something. A ... cleansing that was more than physical. He relaxed, hands falling to his side. The fog seemed to be flowing away. Truth became clearer.

Truth? What Truth?

Ah, that WAS the question.

His mother was staring at him as he ate, the cereal in his bowl quickly vanishing. He frowned, as much as he could with his mouth full. She was normally gone by now, glass of orange juice her only breakfast. She frowned back, brow furrowing under her curly black hair.

"Are you OK?"

He swallowed. If she had asked if he felt normal, he would have answered 'no.' He in no way felt normal. But, OK? Nothing about this felt bad, so...

"I'm OK." He took a sip of his own juice. She slowly nodded.

"OK. I'll be late again."

"OK." He looked back down at his bowl. The milk seemed to swirl around the remaining flake. "I'm ... OK."

His mind had divided its attention.

As school went on around him, classes and classmates appearing as a swirl, his lesser faculties dealt with reality. Writing notes, talking to others, all went on almost subconsciously. A daydream. A distraction from what he now saw was the most important thing in the universe.

Her.

Alan looked around as he sat in the courtyard, back against the beech tree. His senses saw her everywhere. In every blade of grass, every brick of the wall. Every ladybug and human. How had he been blind? Why was everyone else blind? He turned his head, looking through the large window into the cafeteria. His mind saw her swirling around all, yet they went on eating and talking. Went on as if the Glory was not right there. As if the Glory was not for them...

"Excuse me."

His subconscious begged for attention. He raised his eyes, contemplating this interruption.

The world shimmered around her. She had the bearing of a Senior, although not one he could recall seeing. Her curly brown hair fell to her shoulders, swept back behind her ears. Light brown eyes looked down at him. She stepped back, clutching a lunch bag and phone. A green blouse fell past the pockets of her faded jeans, black belt acting as a fashion accessory highlighting her waist. Her bra was faintly visible. Alan found his eyes going to hers.

"Yes?"

She looked away. The shimmering was still there, seeming to distort the world around her even as she became more focused. Her brown eyes flicked back to him.

"Y-you're in my spot. I always sit here."

It was the first time, in three years of high school, that he had not found a place inside. Indeed, Alan had never paid attention to the square patch of nature walled in by the school. His mind too had focused on that which was no longer important. That she had found shelter, here, away from that world...

"If you yearn, sit." He gestured to the grass beside the stone path.

Her surprise mirrored his. He did not know what he was doing. Yet, he DID. Even as his mind focused, the Truth came. He was here to help. Help those who wanted to be helped. They would come to him.

She lowered herself to the ground.

Alan smiled.

"What is your name?"

"Brenda." Her eyes kept flicking away from him, then back. He clasped his hands together in his lap.

"I'm Alan." A slight smile touched her lips. Alan felt something in his mind. Felt Understanding. He leaned forward. "You seek Truth."

Brenda frowned. Before she could question, he went on.

"You seek the Truth about Truth. The Truth about Glory. The Glory that is Love." Her eyes widened. "The Love that is around us. For it is. One need just look. Mind and heart open. See the Love that is the Universe, the Universe that is Love."

She leaned forward, lunch bag still clutched in her hand.

"God..."

"God is a name without meaning. Its meaning changes every place it is spoken. No. Not God or Jesus. They are for those who have not seen."

Her body seemed to be closer, their crossed legs just two feet apart.

"Who, then?"

"Her." He leaned back against the tree, eyes on the blue sky above. "I have not learned her name, but I see her in every cloud, every leaf. She has come down to save those who would be saved. Those who would follow." His eyes dropped to hers. "To follow her, follow me."

Brenda almost ran to the corner of the cafeteria, ignoring the looks of those around her. She threw herself into a chair at an empty table, ripping open her bagged lunch. There were still five minutes left in the period. She had spent the rest of it...

How? Not eating, obviously. She bit down on the salami and cheese sandwich, the tomato only partly having made the bread soggy. As she chewed, she opened the bottle of V8.

What was that guy?, she glanced out the large glass window. He was still there, partly visible sitting against the tree. Just a plain black haired guy. Nothing special. Yet ... She took another bite. What he had said over the last half hour was a swirl of images. How can words be images? Yet they were. She had seen more than heard.

Love.

She had seen Love.

It had surrounded him. Flowed through him. She didn't love him. No. She didn't even KNOW him! But ... From him came Love. Love from Her. Who was Her? She didn't know. But, through him she would. Would know.

Brenda shook her head. She had to talk to someone. This was too much. She could just be crazy. Jeanie. She'd talk to Jeanie.

"Sounds like a nut. A religious nut."

Brenda sighed as her friend closed her locker. She shrugged as Jeanie gave her a disapproving look, lock secured.

"I know. That's why I'm telling you. When I was there, beside him, it all seemed so..."

"Is he studly?"

Brenda snorted.

"No. Not that we are, either."

"Hey, Ken!" Jeanie raised her voice at a passing guy. "Wanna sleep with us?" Brenda groaned as he slowed down, those around Ken laughing. Attention like this she didn't need.

"Sure!" He grinned at them. Jeanie waved her hand at him.

"Too bad! Go away." Ken laughed as he moved on with his companions. Jeanie looked at Brenda. "See? We're not fashion models, but we have our own beauty. Can hold our own. Don't fall for the first guy to say something good about you."

"This guy didn't..."

The bell rang.

"Let's go!" Jeanie took her hand. They'd talk later.

He was standing on the edge of the sidewalk, eyes seemingly unfocused as the two walked out of the school. Brenda pulled Jeanie off to the right, away from the flow of kids. She pointed.

"There he is."

She focused on Jeanie as Jeanie give Alan the once over. Her best friend was not, quite, the stereotypical "fat" friend, just as she was not your normal "shy" one. Jeanie had a few extra pounds, but they were distributed rather well. Her oversized t-shirt was a bit tight, breasts seeing to that. Straight black hair fell just past her shoulders. Her expression was ... not impressed.

"Him."

"Yes."

"Don't see it. Let's talk to him."

Brenda followed, nervous. Did she want Jeanie to be impressed with this guy? Or did she want to realize he was just some scam artist after all? Either would settle things. Wouldn't it?

He turned to them as they approached. Alan smiled, Brenda once again seeing the glow from him. The glow of Truth. Love.

Or something else. His eyes seemed to go to Jeanie.

"If you wish to follow, follow."

He turned, starting down the row of buses. Brenda stood where she was. That ... was unexpected.

Jeanie passed her, following Alan. THAT surprised her as well. Brenda moved quickly, matching her stride to that of her friend. She shot a glance at her.