"I love you!" Liam said when we met eyes again. I stared into his eyes and let the stunning stallion lead the way. But something else caught Liam's attention. And when he looked away he shrieked, "Stop!"

I followed Liam's gaze and turned my eyes to the front of my horse. Amy had just run out from behind a tree ahead of us. Neither stallion could stop quickly enough! And!

"Kyara." Liam's voice sounded beneath me. I had been shaken awake from the terror in my dream. I couldn't believe it. The dream was so perfect. Why did it have to end. . . end with such grief and horror?

My heart beat fast and my breathing could not sustain itself. I sat up.

"Another bad dream, Kyara?" Liam said, and I turned toward him as he twisted his lip upward to show sympathy.

I nodded.

"The same one as. . ." Liam couldn't finish his sentence. I nodded again and stared at Liam.

"Amy," I whispered, and as I did I felt a great stab in my chest.

Liam groaned in pain and his eyes seemed to be watering slightly.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I mean, I guess. Just hurting," he said. I knew he was trying to suck it up, but that made me feel like somehow, he was lying to me.

I heard rustling in the kitchen, so I stood up, took Liam's cup which was empty and went out to find who was awake.

Mom, Dad, and Luke were in the kitchen. I went to the bucket on the table and scooped up some water as we exchanged our "good mornings".

"How's Liam?" Luke asked.

I smiled. Luke was always so caring and such a sweetheart. It seemed normal that he would ask how my boyfriend was.

"He's doing okay, buddy. Thanks for asking." I brushed his hair back with my right hand, the cup in my left. "I'll be right back," I said and went to bring Liam the water.

"Thanks, love," Liam said when I handed him the water. I lifted his head up and helped him drink.

"No problem," I paused. "You okay?"

"Don't worry about me," he said.

"But I have to. You aren't doing well," I said, sad that he thought that he didn't deserve to be worried about.

"I'm hungry," he said, obviously taking no attention to what I had just said.

"I'll go see if Mom started making the porridge," I said and went back out to the kitchen.

The fire was steaming, and I could smell the scent of oats cooking.

"Is there enough for Liam to have two servings?" I asked.

"Yes, of course. He needs his strength. But we only have enough food for lunch and dinner, then we'll be out." Mom said.

"Good thing we're going into town today. We need to find that person who has the phone," I said.

"We need to get every detail of the boy Liam saw," Dad said.

Mom and I nodded.

"Bella?" I heard Bryan ask from down the hallway. The door to her room creaked open, from Bryan's push, and he called out Bella's name again.

I went down the hallway and saw Bryan standing at the threshold staring down at the floor. His face was pale white, and his eyes were wide with fear.

The words, "You'll be better off without me" were perfectly etched into the dust on the floor.

"That's not true!" Bryan shouted, and Mom rushed to our side. Dad and Luke joined us, as we all stared at the dust on the floor.

"'You'll be better off without me'?" Dad asked, repeating what it said.

"What's going on?" Liam said, and I went to his room. My eyes were wet with tears and my face was glowing with rage as I entered the room. "Kyara?"

I had absolutely no strength to say anything. I couldn't. I did not know how I felt or what was going on. I wanted to get inside Bryan's mind to know what he was thinking. The three of them passed my room and Mom and Dad were holding Bryan in between their arms.

She had planned it. That's for sure. But why? Especially after Amy's death? Why would she make the burden bigger on all of us? We had enough to worry about already. Now we had to worry about another life. But what if she was with her dad? Then I had absolutely no pity for her. But I didn't know where she was or whom she was with, so I couldn't judge her just yet.

Something in my stomach turned over and I felt like I was about to puke. And then I heard a voice resounding through my head as if someone was screaming it at me.

Lies! Lies! Lies! It repeated with a slither on the "s". I knew right away that the devil's voice said it. The words were too deplorable and repulsive to be God's.

I let the words repeat over and over again. The anger at God swelled up in me.

You promised! I cried out in my head. You promised everything would be okay! And I felt tears roll down my face. I ran outside the room. Liam screamed out for me to stop, but I did not. I needed to be alone, so I ran straight for the door. Mom yelled out my name, but I heard Dad shush her, telling her I'd be all right and to let me go for a bit.

As I ran outside, I shivered-it was a cold morning. I ran into the barn and shut the door behind me and sat on a hay bed.

Nothing's okay! You lied to me! I felt as if the moment Jesus touched me and I witnessed a miracle was fake and worthless. The sacrifice and promise I knew shattered to nothingness. Everything seemed lost-no everything was lost.

Yes! Yes! Yes! The voice resounded once again, and the "s" slithered to a conclusion.

I wanted to die. I wanted to curse the name of the Lord. I wanted to shout out and tell Him that He lied to me and broke His promise, but something held me back. My voice ceased to work, and all sound disappeared. I became mute.

Stop it! This time it was a different voice, and not the voice of the devil. Something invisible pushed me to the ground of the barn and my eyes rolled into the back of my head. And I saw it. An angel.

I sat up and noticed how bright the angel was.

"Do not be afraid!" He said.

My mouth was dry, and I could not speak back, but I could not be unafraid. I was fearful for my life.

The angel glowed bright hovering above me, and my eyes were blinded as four pearly wings with golden streaks outshone everything else around me. After a few seconds, the angel's wings came down and I could see what the angel wore. He had a breastplate of steel that covered his entire upper body. His entire face, except for his oceanic blue eyes, was protected by a shiny copper helmet. Around his waist, the silver belt held his flaming sword. And in his right hand he held a golden shield with a blood red cross, outlined with bronze, carved in the center.

"I have come on orders from the Mighty King Jesus to tell you of His promises that you must not forget," he began.

My mouth stayed wide open, but my voice remained mute-not that I could say anything anyway.

"'Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.'" Chills rolled through my body as he continued. "'For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.'" I did not fulfill this part, for I just fell into the struggle with the devil.

"'Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.'" He let me think for a moment of what he said.

I am about to receive the Armor of God. The real Armor of God. I will have no competition against me, for I will stand firm! Tears filled my eyes, but tears of joy and hope, not of sadness and grief.

"'Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,'" he unbuckled his silver belt, but held his flaming sword in his right hand. The Angel helped me to my feet and he buckled it around my waist. The burden of Bella's lies lifted up from my shoulders and I forgave her.

"And with the breastplate of righteousness in place," he untied his breastplate and tied it around me. The burden of lost hope lifted from my shoulders, and pure hope ran through my veins and stuck close to my heart.

"'And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace,'" he said and unhooked his auburn sandals from his feet and took my shoes off. A basket of water appeared, and a golden chair stood behind me. I sat as the angel requested and he bathed my feet in the Holy Water, and then put the sandals on. The burden of anger against Blake lifted from my shoulders, and I forgave him.

"'In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.'" He placed it up against my torso, and whence it seemed big on the angel, it now fitted me perfectly. And the burden of emotional, physical, and spiritual pain and loss lifted from my shoulders.

"'Then, take the helmet of salvation,'" he pulled off his copper helmet and fit it onto my head, buckling it tight under my chin. And the burden of Liam's unknown future lifted from my shoulders and I knew that no matter what happened, it was God's plan, for He only could save us.

"And finally! 'The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God' I present to you." He presented me with the flaming sword, and as I took it, a warm sensation filled my body. And the burden of misery, grief, and sorrow from Amy's death was elevated from my heart. I smiled widely.

"'And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.'" And with those final words, The Angel vanished as quickly as it appeared.