Night Fall (The Quantico Files #1) - Nancy Mehl Page 0,10
at Jeff. “It’s just too early. Let’s wait and see what we find out about this Adam Walker. That will help us figure out what he might do next.”
“Some kids rebel against the values and beliefs of their parents or guardians because they want something different,” Monty said. “You did. How do you know this guy, Walker, didn’t get involved with the Circle after he left home?”
“It’s not impossible,” Alex said. “But remember, according to my aunt, few copies of The Book exist. Most of them are probably in the hands of older people who’ve been part of the Circle for years. That’s why I believe Walker was raised on it.” She hesitated for a moment. “You are right about one thing, though. He is rebelling—and maybe his parents had a hand in it.”
“What do you mean?” Logan asked.
“Only angels are allowed to read The Book. Demons aren’t allowed anywhere near it, let alone have a copy and read it to their children. The Circle believes The Book is a road map for the future. Demons aren’t supposed to have that kind of knowledge. If the Circle already knows what Walker is doing, that he and his parents have turned out to be demons, they might retaliate if they can find him. They sure won’t protect him.”
She paused, letting what she’d just said sink in. “The Circle won’t accept any demon’s role in the prophecy. It’s supposed to happen without demons even knowing about it. It’s a prophecy, not a plan. Also, Walker wrote those messages on the train cars. No one is allowed to share the sacred scriptures with the world. It’s . . . well, it’s like the unpardonable sin. Isn’t there something like that in Christianity?”
“Yes,” Logan said when she turned to him.
She nodded. “This is looked upon in the same light. This guy can never go back to the Circle. Even if he weren’t a demon, he’s committed several big . . . sins, for lack of a better word. Like I said, his parents may protect him, but the Circle won’t.”
“Those passages about a war with the angels and the demons? Who wins?” Logan asked. “I mean, if a third of the world is eliminated, that leaves two thirds remaining. Are they angels or demons?”
Alex searched her memory. “I do remember Willow telling me that after the war, some demons and some angels will survive and learn how to reign together. She believed they’d decide that they needed one another, that good can’t exist without evil.”
“Well, I don’t know about that,” Jeff said, “but without evil we wouldn’t have jobs.”
“That proves her point, I guess,” Alex said. “The FBI wouldn’t exist if there wasn’t evil for us to fight.”
“One thing I don’t understand,” Jeff said. “You say those in the Circle aren’t supposed to share The Book with anyone else, unless they’re an angel. Yet your aunt told you all this?”
Alex shrugged. “I guess if she believed she was an angel, then she also believed her sister—my mother—was one, making me an angel too. Angels are allowed to read The Book to their children until they reach ten years of age. After that, the children have to decide if they want to join the Circle. If they don’t, their parents must never mention The Book to them again. They’re treated as outcasts with the hope that they’ll repent and someday decide to become members.”
“But you said you were twelve when you went to live with your aunt,” Jeff said. “You were already too old.”
Alex didn’t want to say much more about her mother, but she had to answer Jeff’s question.
“My aunt said she thought my mother died so I would end up with her. That she was called to ‘bring me into the fold.’ Even though I was too old, she believed it was okay to share The Book with me since I’d never had a chance to listen to the ‘truth’ before. I hated her for saying that about my mother, and when I was fourteen I told her I didn’t want to hear anything more about The Book. That if she didn’t shut up about it, I’d tell someone in the Circle she was breaking the rules. After that, she left me alone. But she did make me promise to never tell anyone what she’d shared with me. I agreed since I had no plans to ever talk about this again.”
“Did she treat you like an outcast after that?” Monty asked.