Elijah Has A Secret

Noah enters a small coffee shop in Detroit. The door is unlocked but the sign says closed. No one is in the main room and most of the baked items have been put away. Finally, a young dark haired male enters the room from the back behind the counter.

"We're closed."

"I noticed. Are you Elijah?" Noah moves to a small table closest to the counter, picking a seat and settles in as he watches the man.

"Yes." Elijah tosses a rag on the counter, not stepping out from behind the counter. "Do I know you?"

Noah smiles. "Not yet. I'm Noah, from a different story. Dawn wanted me to come chat with you for this blog post."

"Oh right. Well, nice to meet you Noah." Joining him at the table, Elijah shakes his hand before sitting down. He looks a little uncomfortable and tired. "What are we supposed to talk about?"

"Something that happened before you died and became umm you know, what you are."

"Oh." He looks down at the table, his hands fold together underneath as if he is trying to hide the nervousness he feels over the topic.

Sensing the tension, Noah waits for a moment as he tries to come up with the best way to approach the topic he has been given. After some thought, he offers the question that seems least expected. "So... You're gay, right?"

Caught off guard, Elijah blinks and looks around the room to make sure they are alone before answering. "Yeah... why? Are you?"

"Of course. I mean, Dawn created us after all." He chuckles but the mood doesn't stay light for long as he brings out another question. "Does anyone else know you are?"

"Now? Yeah, they do. I kind of had to tell them after I almost slept with a guy I had just met. I had to confess to it." This got a slight smile from Elijah. It is short lived as he continues speaking, "before when I was alive, I did tell my parents. I was only 12 and probably should have waited because they responded even worse than the angels in the confession group."

Noah got up and went over to the one container of coffee that hasn't been put away yet. He fills two cups, bringing them back to the table with a few packs of sugar and hands a cup to Elijah. "Parents. I know the feeling. My mom didn't care but my dad was pissed when he actually found out."

"Thanks." He sips the coffee. "Both my parents were upset. They sent me to counselors, church officials and even considered sending me away to a place that claimed it could turn me straight."

"Sounds a bit harsh."

"And they were actually considering allowing electroshock treatment." Elijah pauses before trying to explain further. "Electroshock is when they..."

"I know what it is. I control electricity and have a degree in physics. What did you do?" He winced as he sipped the already cooling coffee.

Elijah looks away, absently stirring a spoon in the half drank cup of coffee. "I figured I was screwed anyways, so I did whatever and whoever I wanted. Finally, when I was fourteen I got tired of the therapists and my parents constant trying to change me so I snuck away and went home with a guy."

Noah watched him intently, trying not to stare too much, as he listens.

"I was mad and just planned to have sex with him a few times, then I'd go back home but when we went to a bar after he let me use a fake ID, that changed. There was this really hot guy there that everyone seemed to want. No one thought I stood a chance so I took the challenge and tried to get him to sleep with me." Pausing, Elijah picks at a pack of sugar, pretending to read the label.

"Did you succeed?"

Elijah nods. "Yeah, though I would rather not say what I did to convince him. But eventually he had sex with me. I was tired after, so he let me sleep in one of the small side rooms they had. When I woke up, the door was locked and I couldn't get out."

"What do you mean? What happened?" He couldn't drink the coffee anymore and he couldn't look away either.

"It turned out the man I had convinced to use me ran a prostitution ring. They forced me to take part. I tried to escape but there were too many of them." Elijah doesn't look up at Noah. He is still playing with the sugar packet and eventually tears it open, spilling the sugar onto the table. "It was several months before the police raid and I finally saw my family again. I died a couple years later."

"Wow." Noah isn't sure what else to say. He hadn't quite expected the discussion to go to such a dark place. "Does anyone know about all this in your story?"

He shakes his head. "No. No one really knows. Well, one knows some of the details since he manages the group but other than that I haven't told anyone yet. It's not easy to talk about and most of them wouldn't understand. The others are having a hard enough time with the whole being gay part."

Moving his chair, Noah put his arm around Elijah. He rubs his back as Elijah rests his head on his shoulder. "Thanks for telling me. You've obviously been through a lot. But things are better now aren't they?"

"They are better. Thanks for listening."

Letters to Dawn

Dear Dawn,

First let me say thank you. Thank you for writing our story even though many people are getting tired of angels. Thank you for doing this story and for liking me as a character. I really do appreciate this. And I understand that you're a very busy writer. I was just wondering: are you going to get back to the story I'm in any time soon. I have been stuck with this guy in my apartment for months and it's a little awkward. I mean, Lucas asked about seeing my bedroom and then nothing. I don't know if I should show him. Should I invite him to stay? I feel bad that he doesn't even have a bed where he is living right now but don't want to get in any more trouble right now. I'm already grounded from going to the club. I know I deserved it and that night was really worth the punishment. Thank you for that, by the way, I really had fun even though I almost gave in. Speaking of, do you think Lucas likes me? Will he still like me if we can't have sex? I hope so. I can't put my finger on it: there is just something about him. I never had a relationship before, though you know that already. It would be really nice to have one even if we never sleep together. Lucas, he's so.. this feels so weird. I don't know what I'm even doing. So, umm if you could find time to come over and help me out, I would really appreciate it.

Sincerely,
Elijah


Elijah, you are so kind. I'm glad you are one of my characters. And I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to write your novel. I do want to and I promise that I still love the story even though I haven't written in the book for months, I really do. I will do my best to get back to your novel as soon as I get my head in order and finish the YA draft. I can't wait to see what happens next. Thank you for being such a great character.

Dawn,

What the Hell? Seriously? I die in the first chapter, become a stupid minor demon, and then you take me all the way to this really cute guy's house and leave? Ugh. This sucks. I mean, it's hard because the past months have been so lame. Then I met this guy, Elijah. He's really cute and we almost had sex at the club. Then I find out he's in my English class and now I'm in his house, staring at his bedroom door and you leave us there for months while you write other stuff, or pretend to be writing but really your just hanging around online. I don't even care if we have sex or not, just let me know. Elijah, he's so... Do you think he likes me? Could he ever like me? Did he tell you anything? I sound crazy. Okay, just, could you please come back and at least finish this chapter so I'm not stuck waiting. I would really like that.

From,
Lucas

Oh Lucas. I'm sorry that I haven't gotten to your novel. And I know it sucks about the whole death and demon thing but you got a lot of action that first chapter. So, at least you have that. And I don't know about Elijah. You'll just have to wait and find out. I will try to get to your novel by this summer. The other novels just need my attention right now. But I promise, you'll like what happens.

Introducing Elijah and the Teens

For my second introduction post, I have the other paranormal romance main character that has been in a chat before and then two very new characters. Well, they are new to this blogging/chatting activity but not new as in novels because I started their first book back in 2007. They are in a young adult mutant series, though will later be in the adult ones with Noah when they are old enough but for now, they are teen boys. First, here is Elijah, the angel character from Angel/Demon (aka Vulnerable).

Elijah: Hello blog readers. Don't mind the halo in the picture, we don't really wear those things around. Dawn just put it there cause she thought it was fun that she could do that. And I don't wear eyeshadow but it kind of looks like I am in that one. But I do like being shown in front of the coffee shop, one of my jobs that I have.

Dawn: Yeah, the halo was a bit much. Good thing no one in the story can see the pic. Might want to explain the whole job thing and about the fact that you are an angel. It's okay to admit it here on the blog, I promise you won't get in trouble with Omniel.

Elijah: Good to know. So, technically I'm an angel, although I live on Earth in a city called Detroit. I'm what some would call a guardian angel because I have wards that I help as they struggle to keep their faith in God and I show them that they can be true to who they are without losing that faith. I have wings but they remain hidden for the most part unless I'm alone in my house. For the most part, I look normal for someone who died over 20 years ago, or so I think.

Dawn: If you are a guardian, then why the job at a coffeshop? Do you need a regular job for any particular reason?

Noah: Well, I don't need the job. It just helps with the boredom because we are only given a few wards since too many would be emotionally and physically draining. I chose the coffee shop because it's in a gray area of the city and it makes things more interesting. Plus it keeps me from going over the edge most of the time because there is just enough excitement to keep things interesting. Well, that's probably enough about me for now.  Boys, it's your turn.

Ephram and Isaac are seated on a set of lounge chairs located in the blog world. Ephram stares as Noah leaves, then looks at the blog and looks to Isaac for him to start.

Isaac: Guess I'm supposed to say something here. Talk Ephram, it's your story.

Ephram: *sticks his tongue out at Isaac* So? You're better at this talking to strangers thing. *sighs* Fine. Umm, hello people out there, whoever you are. I'm Ephram. He's Isaac. What else do we have to say?

Isaac: I dunno. I've never done this either. I guess we talk about ourselves from the story or something like that. It is an introduction after all. Ugh, I'll start then since you're slow. So, you all know my name but aside from that I'm the new kid in this story, as in I am new to the school and that's where I met this little weirdo. *points to Ephram*

Ephram: I am not a weirdo, or if I am then so is he. Okay, well, I'm a mutant but it's really not as cool as it sounds. My mutation is a weird one that they found when I was born. I don't have a detectable body temperature by normal ways to test. Isaac here is in the story because he's new and is the only friend I have so far, out of like three total, who knows about it. He thinks it's okay to be a mutant or so he tells me.

Isaac: Because it is okay. He thinks he is a loser or something, keeping quiet in school and everything but he is actually nice, unlike many of the others I tried to talk to at that place. The town is an odd mix of people with their noses up in the air. Ridiculous. I'd rather spend time with mutant Ephram than normal boring people who are rude.

Ephram: Umm, thanks I guess. I still think it sucks. My parents are normal, the kids at school are mostly normal and I'm a mutant. It gets lonely and boring. I spend a lot of time working on computers or drawing. Have you finished the sketch assignment yet?

Isaac: Uh, no. We should go draw in the park. I think we've done enough here.

Ephram: Okay. Bye blog people.

Isaac waves, then they both walk back to their story world to finish homework.