Among Us

“Hello, Otium, my old friend …” Kako announced. “Old friend?” Otium asked. “I didn’t realize we were friends.” “Don’t be such a cliché, Otium,” Kako quipped in return. “Of course we are.” Otium had grown to respect Kako, much the way you would respect a dangerous, wild predator. He was intelligent and cunning—and never to be trusted. The classic prototypical demon, he was stunningly impressive on the outside and complete garbage on the inside; basically a spirit devoid of any redeeming qualities. And just as all demons did, he had a way of tangling you up through what seemed to be just casual discussion. Talking with him always seemed to be innocent or harmless at first, but always became confusing and misleading in the end. Otium knew from many past sparring sessions that he needed to tread carefully. “A cliché? What do you mean?” Otium asked, cautiously curious. “We’ve had our disagreements in the past, but ultimately we are the same. We are just following orders, being the ‘dutiful’ servant. I can respect that of you, can’t you respect that of me?” Kako reasoned. Otium cringed. “We are not the same! What are you up to?” “Well, that certainly is direct. Why do I have to be up—” Kako paused, feigning levity and freely waving his arms as if he was dancing—“to anything? I just came to visit you. I heard you were here.” Kako strutted around the room, pretending to examine the collectables, ribbons, and photographs Emily had proudly displayed as though he were really interested. Otium watched him carefully. Never take your eyes off a snake, he thought. He knew the second he did, there would be trouble. “By the way, what are you doing here?” Kako taunted, eyeing him suspiciously. “What is she, sixteen, seventeen years old? Hardly worthy of the ‘Great Otium.’” “People are my favorite assignments, especially the young ones,” Otium lightly replied. “The Boss knows this; that’s why He assigned me here. Sometimes it’s a refreshing change of pace for me.” “That is vile, Otium. Over the years He has trusted you with so much. And this,” Kako lectured, pointing at Emily and her ribbons making an exaggerated face of disgust, “is ridiculous. You should find it insulting. He normally gives these assignments to the less accomplished ’servants.’” He paused waiting for Otium’s reaction, but Otium did not take his bait. After a moment Kako continued, waving his hands around the room again, “Oh, I’m sorry, there I go again. I’m sure you don’t appreciate my use of the word ‘servant’ in this context. That must really be why you’re so cranky!” “I’m not cranky, and I don’t mind being a ‘servant.’ I think you are just trying to get a rise out me, and it’s not going to work,” Otium replied. “Well then, what is this new assignment? Is she the virgin that will give birth to the next Christ?” Kako said sarcastically. “Watch yourself, Kako. You are treading where you shouldn’t.” Otium shot back. “Again, my apologies, Otium. I can see that you are especially sensitive today, and I didn’t come to fight; this is a social call. I just can’t help but wonder why He is wasting your considerable talents here.” Kako replied innocently. “Is she important?” “They are all important.” Otium quickly replied. “Hardly … they are like insects,” Kako teased. “They are all important!” Otium replied, beginning to lose his patience. “Well, look.” Kako motioned to the prom dress. “I do believe someone is going to a ball.” He slid one finger under one of the straps on the hanger and slipped it off. The dress crumpled to the floor. Emily immediately jumped up and went to the dress to scoop it off the floor. As she did, Kako kicked a bit of the crinoline under the door. As Emily lifted the dress to return it to the hanger, she could hear a few of the stitches rip as it caught on the door. “Darn it!” she exclaimed. She pulled the dress back down and began searching for the tear. “Why did you do that?” Otium exclaimed, showing his full annoyance. “Why are you here?” questioned Kako. “She must be important for Him to have sent you—you, one of His best.” “I don’t know why the Boss sent me,” replied Otium. “He doesn’t always tell me.” “Well, that’s got to be annoying. It’s not like you’re one of the rookies. Come on, Otium … she must be important. That’s why He sent you.” “I told you, He knows I enjoy taking care of the teenagers! Besides, I don’t need to understand the bigger plan,” replied Otium. “He dispatched me, and I gladly—” “You are pitiful,” Kako hissed, interrupting Otium in mid-sentence. “How can you just blindly scurry off to do His bidding, year after year, century after century? You are as lost as these pathetic creatures!” Kako then moved to place himself behind Emily so that she was between the two of them. While Emily could not see the events unfolding around her, Otium could see that she caught a chill as Kako began to summon all the negative evil energy around him. Kako slowly settled into an aggressive crouching posture just a few feet from Emily. “Stand down, Kako!” shouted Otium. “Why? Who is she?” Kako hissed back. Emily dropped to her knees holding the dress, frustrated as she searched for the tear. Using the voice that had once brought down the walls of Jericho, Otium shouted, “She is in my charge, and you will stand down!” His voice boomed, shaking the spirit realm. Kako twisted his body and crouched lower to the ground as though he was preparing to pounce. He drew one arm behind him, coiled and ready to strike. “Who is she? Why is she so important?” he loudly hissed again. Otium was now angry and widened his footing, preparing himself for the impending confrontation. He did not know Emily’s importance, her position or her future, but he did know that at the very least she was loved and it was his job to protect her. She was entrusted to him and he would defend her to the end. Raising his fists into a fighting stance, he could feel the Lord’s Power swelling within him. “She is no one, just a girl. And if you touch her, I will strike you down … here—and—now!” He screamed each word at Kako with all his might. Then suddenly, as if he had flipped a switch, Kako changed his demeanor. He stood up straight and dropped his aggressive stance toward Emily, taking a few steps away from her. “That’s all I wanted,” Kako calmly replied. “You said it … she is no one. I knew it.” And as sleekly as he had entered the room just moments ago, he began his exit. “What?!” Otium shouted, still charged and ready. “That’s not what I meant! She is very—” “I knew she was no one, no one at all, just one of God’s pathetic little creatures,” Kako spryly interrupted, “and you said it yourself.” Smiling brightly, he guiltlessly glided out of Emily’s room through the exterior wall. Otium had never felt adrenaline (as he was not created that way), but from what he had seen, this was the same kind of rush. His hands shook, as he realized the whole purpose of the encounter was to get a rise out of him—and it worked. And although Emily was oblivious to all that had just happened, she sat on the floor and began to cry, holding the ripped dress. “I’m such a klutz,” she whispered, as the tears rolled down her face. “I can’t take any more of this! The SAT, finals, my dress is messed up, and on top of it all, John still hasn’t called. I just can’t handle this anymore.” She threw herself across her bed and began sobbing. Otium felt horrible. Once again Kako had slithered in, and right before his eyes, with what seemed to be a few minor steps, thrown everything into chaos. Otium sat down next to Emily on her bed. “I’m so tired of this!” she cried. Otium gently wrapped his wings around her and whispered in her ear, “Sleep …” For a moment, Otium thought she had actually heard him as she stopped crying and looked around the room as though she had heard something. Then after wiping the tears from her face, she lay down on her bed, staring at the ceiling, blinking her eyes slowly as they were heavy with fatigue. Finally