Read Online Jack Staples and the Ring of Time by Mark Batterson - Free Book Online Page B

desperately angry! She was angry with the woman, with her parents, with herself—maybe if she hadn’t left the house, she could have stopped the fire. Maybe they had died because of her. Finally, her attack slowed, and in a moment of immense sorrow and exhaustion, she collapsed into the woman’s arms and began to sob.
    As she felt the woman’s arms around her, Alexia screamed again. There was so much she wanted to say, and though she still wanted to hit the woman, more than anything, more than any other thought in her head, she wanted to be held by her. She wanted her to run her fingers through her hair and tell her everything was going to be all right.
    And in the end, that is exactly what happened.
     
    The next morning, Jack woke up filled with anticipation. He lay in bed remembering his dream, savoring every detail. “It was so real,” he whispered. Shadowfog, a beautiful girl who climbed like a cat, a map that moved and transported him to another world … It was all so wonderful.
    He couldn’t wait to tell Arthur and Parker. Arthur would absolutely love it, while Parker, Jack was sure, would simply roll his eyes and ask why he hadn’t been in the dream. As Jack hopped out of bed to get dressed, he was surprised to find that more than half of his clothes were missing. Maybe Mother is mending them , he thought. Picking up the first things he found, he quickly dressed and sprinted through the hallway and down the stairs.
    “Mother, you’ll never guess what I dreamed last night!” Jack said, then grabbed the bannister and swung himself around. He ran full-tilt through the dining room and then saw his mother sitting at the kitchen table drinking her morning tea. Her lip was split and she had a black eye and a few cuts and scrapes on her arms, yet when she saw him coming, she smiled warmly.
    “Mother, what happened to you?” As he entered the room, he saw someone sitting on the opposite side of the table. In an instant, he realized it was the girl from his dream. Trying to skid to a stop, he tripped and crashed into the table, sending food and hot tea flying.
    “Jack,” his mother said, grinning, “I trust you remember your friend from yesterday? Her name is Alexia and—”
    Alexia jumped to her feet, shoving her chair back. “He is your son?” she shouted incredulously. “This is the boy I was telling you about! The one who killed my best friend!”
    Jack crawled to his feet, still confused. “So yesterday wasn’t a dream?” he asked, rubbing the bump beginning to rise on his forehead. “What do you mean, I killed your friend? You tried to kill me!”
    Alexia balled her hands into fists and stepped forward threateningly. “I’ve beaten up boys twice my age,” she snarled, “so this will be easy!”
    Jack backed away fearfully. He’d seen Jonty Dobson start many fights, and he wasn’t excited about being in one now. “She slung a rock at my head!” he yelled to his mother.
    “Children! Stop this, right now. I will not have it in my house. Sit down!”
    Jack sat right away. He had rarely heard his mother so angry. But Alexia stood her ground, staring daggers at Jack.
    “You didn’t tell me he was your son,” she said fiercely.
    “Alexia, when you told me about your friend who died in the circus fire, I wondered if you were talking about the lion who saved Jack’s life, but I wasn’t sure. I was going to ask you when you finished your story. Yet you know as well as I that it was not Jack who killed your friend, it was the fire. And though I wasn’t sure I understood it until now, I think it must have been you who saved Jack—you and your lion friend.” Tears shone in her eyes.
    “What do you mean?” Alexia asked. “I’ve never seen him before yesterday.”
    “No, you never met Jack. But if the lion was your best friend, then I assume you spent many hours with him. I am sure you trained him for shows, you fed him, and you probably were the best friend a lion could have hoped