afternoon. The kids ordered pizza, but everyone was so upset, no one felt like eating.
“I can’t believe it,” Ryan said.
“Why do they come for Lionel now, after all this time?”
“Don’t ask me,” Lionel said.
“Seems like I’d have some kind of say in it. I don’t even know these people.”
“What about your friend at the GC Social Services,” Chaya said to Vicki.
“Couldn’t she help?”
“I called Candace from the school this morning,” Vicki said.
“She told me she’d do everything she could, but it doesn’t look good. If the guy really is empowered by the family, Lionel could fight it, but he’d eventually have to go.”
“And if that’s true, I’d only be making them mad if I draw this thing out,” Lionel said. He put his head on the table.
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Maybe you should go with Judd,” Ryan said, “wherever he is.”
“Don’t joke about it, OK?” Lionel shouted.
“What’d I do?” Ryan said.
“This is my life we’re talking about,” Lionel said.
“They’re taking me away. Do you understand that?”
Ryan got up and slammed his chair into the table.
“I hope you do go,” Ryan said.
“The sooner the better.”
Ryan ran out of the room. Chaya stood, but Vicki motioned for her to stay.
“Let him go,” Vicki said.
The kids sat in awkward silence. Finally, Lionel said, “I wish Judd were here.”
Vicki did too, but she didn’t say it. Judd had been their anchor. Whether he made the right decision or not, he took charge. The kids could lean on him. Even though she wasn’t the oldest, she felt a responsibility to take his place.
“Judd’s not here,” Vicki said, “and neither is Bruce. We’ve been saying all along we want to make our own decisions and that God can lead us just as well as he can lead older people.”
Lionel looked at Chaya.
“Please tell me there’s something in the Bible that’ll let me stay,” he said.
“The closest thing I can come up with is the verse about obeying authorities,” Chaya said.
“I know it’s not what you want to hear.”
The group threw around ideas and options. Lionel could go into hiding. He could stay and fight the system. Or he could go with Nathan. After a few minutes Chaya took the floor.
“No matter what you decide,” Chaya said, “there are some things in Bruce’s notes we need to talk about. He made it no secret that we would one day become the mortal enemies of the Antichrist. We’ve done a lot of worrying about money, but one day, even to buy a loaf of bread, you’ll have to take a mark on your forehead or your hand.”
“Wait a minute,” Lionel said.
“What do you mean? Like a stamp or something?”
“It’s not dear what form it’ll take,” Chaya said, “but if you don’t have it, you’ll be in trouble. We won’t be able to fake it. And once you take the mark, you’ve chosen sides with the devil. You’re lost forever.”
“What if you don’t take it?” Vicki said.
“Is there any hope for those people?”
“The people who don’t have the mark will have to live in hiding,” Chaya continued.
“Their lives won’t be worth anything to the Global Community, so they’ll have to take care of themselves.”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” Lionel said.
“Bruce wrote about this, and I think Dr. Ben-Judah agrees,” Chaya said.
“Cash is going to be meaningless soon. We need to take what money we have left and convert it to gold.”
“What I have left wouldn’t buy an ounce,” Lionel said.
“Why gold?” Vicki said.
“Cash might be phased out pretty soon,” Chaya said.
“Gold can still be used for food and supplies. That is, until the day comes when we’re forced to choose whether to take the mark of the Beast.”
“Then we have to put that in an edition of the Underground,” Vicki said.
“Especially this thing about taking the mark.”
“I agree,” Lionel said.
“Buck Williams is coming out with a Global
“I can’t believe it,” Ryan said.
“Why do they come for Lionel now, after all this time?”
“Don’t ask me,” Lionel said.
“Seems like I’d have some kind of say in it. I don’t even know these people.”
“What about your friend at the GC Social Services,” Chaya said to Vicki.
“Couldn’t she help?”
“I called Candace from the school this morning,” Vicki said.
“She told me she’d do everything she could, but it doesn’t look good. If the guy really is empowered by the family, Lionel could fight it, but he’d eventually have to go.”
“And if that’s true, I’d only be making them mad if I draw this thing out,” Lionel said. He put his head on the table.
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Maybe you should go with Judd,” Ryan said, “wherever he is.”
“Don’t joke about it, OK?” Lionel shouted.
“What’d I do?” Ryan said.
“This is my life we’re talking about,” Lionel said.
“They’re taking me away. Do you understand that?”
Ryan got up and slammed his chair into the table.
“I hope you do go,” Ryan said.
“The sooner the better.”
Ryan ran out of the room. Chaya stood, but Vicki motioned for her to stay.
“Let him go,” Vicki said.
The kids sat in awkward silence. Finally, Lionel said, “I wish Judd were here.”
Vicki did too, but she didn’t say it. Judd had been their anchor. Whether he made the right decision or not, he took charge. The kids could lean on him. Even though she wasn’t the oldest, she felt a responsibility to take his place.
“Judd’s not here,” Vicki said, “and neither is Bruce. We’ve been saying all along we want to make our own decisions and that God can lead us just as well as he can lead older people.”
Lionel looked at Chaya.
“Please tell me there’s something in the Bible that’ll let me stay,” he said.
“The closest thing I can come up with is the verse about obeying authorities,” Chaya said.
“I know it’s not what you want to hear.”
The group threw around ideas and options. Lionel could go into hiding. He could stay and fight the system. Or he could go with Nathan. After a few minutes Chaya took the floor.
“No matter what you decide,” Chaya said, “there are some things in Bruce’s notes we need to talk about. He made it no secret that we would one day become the mortal enemies of the Antichrist. We’ve done a lot of worrying about money, but one day, even to buy a loaf of bread, you’ll have to take a mark on your forehead or your hand.”
“Wait a minute,” Lionel said.
“What do you mean? Like a stamp or something?”
“It’s not dear what form it’ll take,” Chaya said, “but if you don’t have it, you’ll be in trouble. We won’t be able to fake it. And once you take the mark, you’ve chosen sides with the devil. You’re lost forever.”
“What if you don’t take it?” Vicki said.
“Is there any hope for those people?”
“The people who don’t have the mark will have to live in hiding,” Chaya continued.
“Their lives won’t be worth anything to the Global Community, so they’ll have to take care of themselves.”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” Lionel said.
“Bruce wrote about this, and I think Dr. Ben-Judah agrees,” Chaya said.
“Cash is going to be meaningless soon. We need to take what money we have left and convert it to gold.”
“What I have left wouldn’t buy an ounce,” Lionel said.
“Why gold?” Vicki said.
“Cash might be phased out pretty soon,” Chaya said.
“Gold can still be used for food and supplies. That is, until the day comes when we’re forced to choose whether to take the mark of the Beast.”
“Then we have to put that in an edition of the Underground,” Vicki said.
“Especially this thing about taking the mark.”
“I agree,” Lionel said.
“Buck Williams is coming out with a Global
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