After days of praying about what had happened at school with the girl named Ashley, Jenny still had no answer.
And that unsettled her more than anything.
She felt restless. Hopeless. Like the ground beneath her feet wasn't steady anymore. Ashley remembered nothing, not the shadow, not the fear—nothing at all. And because of that, Jenny had no proof. No confirmation that what she saw was real.
She remembered it clearly, as if it had happened yesterday.
But remembering wasn't the same as knowing.
Even her mom had noticed something was wrong that day when she came to fetch her. She'd said Jenny looked shaken, almost traumatized. Jenny had brushed it off, saying she was just tired from a long first day.
Now, she didn't know who to talk to.
So she went to the one person she knew wouldn't take her seriously—but would still listen.
Mike laughed so hard he nearly cried.
"What's so funny?" Jenny said, sitting down on the hospital stool beside his bed. "This actually happened!"
"I believe you! Really!" Mike said between laughs, trying to calm himself.
"No, you don't, you jerk."
"Okay, okay—but listen to yourself, Jenny," Mike said, grinning. "You see ghosts that reflect people's inner emotions, one of them attacks you, and then the Bible turned into a shield and protected you?"
"You make it sound like I'm crazy."
"Sorry, big sis," Mike said, raising his hands. "Maybe you just fell asleep during a really boring class?"
Jenny sighed. "No. I wish it was a dream. But it wasn't."
Mike's expression softened. "Did you try talking to God about it?"
"Obviously," Jenny muttered. "But I still don't have an answer."
"Then wait," Mike said gently. "He always answers… just in the right time."
Jenny blinked. "You sound older than me, and you're only fourteen."
"It's easier to give advice when you're not the one in trouble," Mike said quietly.
Jenny's smile faded. She reached for his hand, holding it tightly. "You will get better, Mike. I promise."
"Jenny… maybe that's not going to happen to me—"
"And why not?" she interrupted, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Have you given up that easily? Are you forgetting that I was in your place not so long ago?"
She squeezed his hand harder. "Faith. That's all it takes. Just have faith that Jesus can do it. Please."
There was a pause.
"…Okay," Mike said softly.
The room fell into silence.
The machines hummed quietly beside him.
Then Mike finally spoke again.
"You know, there's this pastor who once came to pray for me," Mike said, grinning a little. "That man… he was crazy. Jumping around, doing weird dances—total energy. I don't know if he can help with your situation, but maybe you should ask him for advice."
Jenny raised an eyebrow, a little shocked. "Really? You think so? What church is he from?"
"I think he said… the 'Saved by Grace' church?" Mike replied.
"Saved by Grace…" Jenny murmured, thinking. "I think I've heard of it somewhere." She stood up, feeling a little lighter.
She bent down and hugged Mike tightly. "Thanks, little bro. I feel so much better after talking to you for a bit."
"Me too, Jen," he said softly.
"I'll come visit again on Sunday, okay? Take care!" Jenny said, waving as she turned to leave.
Mike sighed and chuckled, shaking his head. My sister is something else, he thought.
Jenny arrived home. As usual, her mom wasn't there. Being a single mother of two—one at school and one in the hospital—she worked long hours just to make ends meet. Most of the time, Jenny was alone.
But she didn't mind. Not really. She had learned to take care of herself.
Jenny hurried to her room, grabbing her phone and a math book. At the back of the book was a phone number—a boy she'd met at school.
He was… unusual. Eager to be her friend. Persistent, even. Never shy about reaching out.
His name was Haruto. An exchange student from Japan. He loved Castella cake, Dorayaki, Daifuku, and basically any sweet treat you could imagine.
And—surprisingly—he loved Jesus Christ. That had caught Jenny off guard, but somehow it made him even more interesting.
He had talked about the "Saved by Grace" church before and how much he loved it, even inviting her to come along someday.
Jenny smiled, her fingers hovering over her phone. 'Guess I'll be visiting sooner than I expected', she thought.
She typed his number into her phone and pressed call.
"Hi!" Haruto said, and Jenny immediately pulled the phone slightly away from her ear—his voice was way too high-pitched.
"Uh… who am I talking to?" he asked.
"Uh, hi… it's Jenny—Jenny White from school," she replied cautiously.
"Hey, Jenna!" he said, getting her name wrong, but Jenny let it slide. "I didn't think you'd call at all! How are ya?"
"I'm okay," Jenny said. She hesitated for a second. "I was just thinking about the church you were talking about at school yesterday… I thought maybe, if you want, we could go together?"
There was a long pause. Jenny's heart skipped a beat—did he hang up?
"Hello…? Haruto? Are you still there?" she asked.
"...Yes!" he said, loudly again, then cleared his throat nervously. "Y-yes! I'd… I love you too—I mean, I'd love to go with you."
"Great! Let's go tomorrow!" Jenny said, excited.
"T-tomorrow!? But tomorrow is Thursday!Church is on Sunday!" he protested.
"Oh, no. We'll go to the actual church on Sunday," Jenny clarified, "but I need to talk to the pastor of your church tomorrow."
"Oh! Oh! That's great! I'll tell Pastor B you want to see him. S-see you tomorrow, Jenna!" he said, stumbling over her name again.
"It's Jenny," she muttered to herself, smiling.
"You'll see tomorrow, Haruto" she said.