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you know, really going."
"I have to think about that," I said. "I meant for now. I was kind of hoping
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to come by on Monday after my job. Maybe take her out for pizza or something."
"Pizza!" Amariah shouted, distracted momentarily from her bathroom needs.
"That's fine with me," Deidre agreed with a little frustrated smile. "As long
as Elijah hasn't run off with her to Israel."
"He won't." I took Amariah's hand and stood up.
Raphael stood in front of the kitchen door. He leaned on an unsheathed
broadsword, his wings spread. I looked in the other direction, toward the
other door that took us out into the main hallway. The archangel Jibril stood
underneath the glowing exit sign. He held a scimitar in front of his chest. He
wore a flowing, multicolored robe like those worn in Ethiopia. His wings were
green and gold like a peacock's. I could see the glint of the holographic
tattoo between his eyes, words that read, there is no God but Allah, and
Mohammad is His prophet.
"We've got trouble," I said, sitting back down.
Deidre stretched to look over the countertop. "Huh," she said. "How long you
boys been there?"
When the angels didn't answer, she sat back down. "One of us should make a
break for it."
I nodded, getting ready to stand up. Deidre pulled me back down, shaking her
head. She pointed to herself, and then to where the angels stood guard.
"I should fight them," I said.
No, she mouthed. You take Amariah.
She must have a plan, I decided. I gave her the okay sign and took Amariah's
hand.
"I gotta go potty, Papa. Now," she whispered.
"I know, Rye. Just hang on another couple of minutes."
Just then the door from the dining hall sprang open. A member of the kibbutz
barreled into Jibril, nearly knocking the archangel off his feet.
"Get out of here right now! They're taking Rebeckah!" The next through was
Tom, his Anhk swinging wildly against his chest. "The kibbutz is bugging out!"
ISRAEL SEIZES TEMPLE MOUNT
Agnostic Press (April 2083)
Jerusalem, Israel Four hours after a meteorite destroyed the Dome of the Rock
and portions of al-Aqsa, Israeli soldiers have cordoned off the area.
The office of Prime Minister Avashalom Chotzner responded to allegations of
Israeli expansionism with this statement at a recent press conference: "Temple
Mount has been ours since the Six Day War in 1967. It was only by our good
graces the Waqf [the Muslim governing body] have been allowed the
administration of the portion beyond the Western Wall. We have not extended
our borders by an inch."
However legal this move may be, many in the Arab world see the occupation of
the former grounds of the Noble Sanctuary by Israeli forces as a slap in the
face. "To be frank, the occupation is an outrage," said Palestinian president
Idris Quasim. "Our people are mourning the tragic and accidental loss of the
second holiest site in our religion, the place where Mohammad, peace be upon
his name, ascended into heaven. This is not the time for Israel's jackboots to
trample on holy ground."
In his statement, Quasim also appealed for peace. People are already camping
out on the Israeli-guarded borders of the meteor crater. A number of scuffles
have broken out between those gathered and the army.
The recent hijacking of Temple Rock, the virtual free zone, has heightened
already escalating tension. Many people gathered at the Dome feel as though
they have no place to pray, and that every aspect of the Dome of the Rock has
been forever closed off to them. It is felt that Quasim has not accurately
expressed the rage many Muslims feel at the sight of an Israeli flag flying
over what is perceived as their holy land. " 'An outrage?' No, this is more
than 'an outrage'; it's an act of war. It's what the Jews have been waiting
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for," said one Palestinian man who asked not to be identified, referring to
the long-standing claim by many Jews that the area the Dome stood on is the
site of the first Jewish temple. "Quasim should fight them. We should all
fight them."
Chapter 6 Mouse
"Christian!" Monique says when I walk in the back door twelve and a half
minutes late.
"Bonjour," I say. Monique calls me Christian because it's my given name. A
long story, but my mother, the comedian, named me Christian because she
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