Author's Note: I highly recommend that whoever(including you, Jolina) wants the full experience of this, read the singing part with the song thats playing in the background, cos its what ***** is singing.(no spoilers! find out who's sings in the story)


"Don't turn your back on-" The stern, nagging voice was suddenly cut off by the sound of the door slamming against the wall.

Then the sound of a lock turning in the knob.

She took quick strides towards her bed and climbed up, anger and frustration fueling her otherwise sluggish body. Jolina flung herself onto the bed, and the room became silent as death.

The usual sound of music that would throb throughout the white walls of her room, plastered up with posters and such, was absent.

Only silence.

Only hurt.

Only anguish.

Her hands clenched into tight fists, she buried her face in her pillow, trembling. Slowly, her body shifted back to face the ceiling, and her eyes focused on the whiteness of it. She felt rather cold without any blanket covering her body, but she didn't care.

Despair was colder by a lot more.

Slowly, drowsiness crept up on her like a snake, wrapping around her like a coffin, and as she struggled to stay awake, her eyes closed and she entered slumber.

She then forced herself awake, trying to hang onto consciousness.Her eyes finally popped open, only to see the bright blue sky.

She blinked, and sat upright. The soft mattress had become hard stone, and as she got up she saw a man with long black hair, dressed in a black vest over a white t-shirt that said "The Only Way Up Is Him" printed in bold.

As he approached, she saw a building that looked similiar to the White House behind him.

"Hey, sister! You're here! Great, I gotta show you the place..." Saying thus he grabbed her arm and led her into the building, and when she was about to protest she saw the line drawings of two wings on the vest.

He turned back to her, gave her a knowing smile, and opened the door for her. There, the whole room was half-filled with people walking and talking around.

In the center of other end of the room, a huge stage was set up, and on it were three microphones on stands, two electric guitars, one acoustic guitar, a bass guitar and a keyboard, each hooked up to its respective amp, which was in turn fed by mikes in an unseen sound mixer.

The angel cleared his throat, and shouted loudly:

"His Majesty's guest-of-honour has arrived!"

Immediately a hush came across the room, and everybody turned to look at her.

Jolina looked at the angel, and he spoke again in a normal voice to her: "Get ready. No angel has ever been given this before." And as she was about to ask who was he, the angel spoke again: "My name's Azrael...A friend of yours told me to take good care of you."

He started to snigger.

"A..."shiny" friend of yours"

A loud round of applause and cheering rose from the crowd, and when Jolina turned to look at the stage, the band was already there. Azreal began to point to each person and her who there were.

"He is Michael, the Commander of the Angelic Host," he said as he pointed to the lead guitarist who had a look of a warrior about him. "That guy is David, the 'man after God's heart'" as her eyes were trained on the rhythm guitarist.

The bassist and the drummer are the Apostles John and James," Azreal grinned "whom Jesus called the Sons of Thunder." And finally he motioned towards the keyboard, where a blonde was trying fit his scrolls on the the keyboard's slate.

"Blondie over there is Gabriel, a.k.a the Messenger of God."

The moment he finished speaking the word "God", a great hush came over the room, one greater than even the silence in the room before.

A man came onstage, and he was clad in a blazing white robe of linen, along with a red sash.

His eyes were filled with power and wisdom, and his forehead marked with scars from what could only be a crown of thorns. There seemed to be nothing special about his looks, until she realised that the source of light in that very world came from him.

She was suddenly filled with awe and reverence, and fear of this being that was infinitely more powerful than anything in the universe. But when His eyes met hers, she felt the fear drain away, until it was as if she was staring into the eyes of a loved one.

Jesus picked up the acoustic guitar, and spoke into the mike while pointing at Jolina:

"This is for you."

And the song began, with the keyboard filling in with effects here and there first. And Jesus began to sing:

Tears burn like the flame of the fire
Words hurt when they come from an empty heart
Then time stops like the hand of a broken clock
And everything that lit up your life is covered in the darkness

She realised that the singing voice that was speaking was not exactly the true voice of Jesus, but still she thought it was pretty good. Then the words sank into her mind, and immediately all the emotions she felt crashed into her. But Jesus continued:

I know, I know
I feel your pain
I know, I know

And when Jolina heard this line, her heart began to lift a little, from the mess that it had been in moments ago, and Jesus kept singing:

When the world is closing in, you’re breaking down
You’re crying out but there is no answer
When you call, just close your eyes and know that
This twisted road eventually, is gonna lead you back to Me

Jesus' voice carried out through the room, and Jolina closed her eyes, simply floating and breathing in the truth of His words, and the Redeemer began singing the second verse.

Ice melts to reveal a frozen soul
And the water rises to new suffocating heights
And it feels like you’re drowning in desperation
Cause everything that lit up your life has been covered in the darkness

A coldness touched her, and once again she was awash in everything that had happened moments before, where she seemed to be drowning in untold depths of anguish and despair. And still Jesus kept singing:

I know I know
I feel your pain

At this moment, when she looked up and stared into His eyes, she was shocked as tears began into form there, and she began to tremble, thinking: "Are you crying for me, Lord?"

When the world is closing in, you’re breaking down
You’re crying out but there is no answer
When you call, just close your eyes and know that
This twisted road eventually, is gonna lead you back to Me

She was overcome by a sense of unworthiness, and she fell to her knees weeping, all of her pent-up feelings now rushing out like floodwaters pouring from a broken dam. Her mind was reeling, as her thoughts ran all around: "Oh God...What have I done to deserve Your love? My concerns are so insignificant, my troubles so unimportant when compared to you...Lord, why are you crying and singing over this...this useless wreck?"

As Michael moved into a guitar solo, Jesus set the acoustic down, and leapt off the stage to run to her side.

As Jesus knelt beside the sobbing girl, he took her in His arms and whispered in her ear: "No matter what may happen or no matter what may come, I will be there with you. And remember there is no problem or burden too small or too big for me to carry for you I love you, Jolina, and there is nothing I cannot do for you."

"Just remember to follow what I said when My Father took me to the Cross," and Jesus sang:

I know I know, You know the way

The chorus rang throughout the room, and as Jesus sang and Jolina danced, still holding onto His nail-scarred hands, joy filled the whole room and everyone began to dance and laugh and sing.

When the world is closing in, you’re breaking down
You’re crying out but there is no answer
When you call, just close your eyes and know that
This twisted road eventually, is gonna lead you back to Me

As the last strains of the song faded away, Jesus caught Jolina in an embrace that was tight enough to make her feel secure and yet loose enough fro her to breathe. A still small voice then spoke in her ear, full of love and grace:

"I love you, my child."

And as the last words of the song was sung, I'm gonna lead you home, she buried her face in his chest, and fell asleep in the arms of her Saviour, a smile on her face.

************

Well. Hoped you liked it.

I'll write everything else later. Its 5.05AM now, no person in his right mind should be awake till now, and certainly not sick people either.

Reason I took so long? Blogger has committed its first farce; instuiting something that makes my entries disappear everytime i preview them.

Tomorow then.

Meanwhile, enjoy the song and story.

josh fatesealer turned back time on 5/12/2005 03:50:00 am.