The Rose Colored Glasses

Later

PROLOGUE

In the Pit of God’s Greatest Weakness

…After god granted humans free will, He became blinded by the good in all humanity, regardless of the bad things people did. God could not trust His own judgment, so He cast out His clouded vision and created the rose-colored crystals.

Commanded by God, the blind prophet raised his open hand to the sky as five rose-colored crystals appeared in his palm. He could feel their power flow through him. He squeezed the crystals tightly and the once-blind prophet gained the gift of sight, but only for a moment before it was stripped away. Confused, the prophet looked up to the sky and cried out, Why, Father? Why must I suffer? Have I not earned your good grace? What am I to do with such great power?

God responded, I am reliant on you for one important task: destroy the rose crystals. The future of this land depends on clear judgment. It will not come from visual sight, but your ability to see beyond the physical plane. I have a message that must be delivered. For those who have ears, and will listen, will heed my warning.

The prophet nodded his head as God declared, On that day, when the blind will see, the rest of the world will be blind to the truth. Those with the most clouded vision will see the clearest. And those who live with confusion will prosper in clarity, for the truth will be abundant. This day will be struck the War of the Souls, when light and dark merge as one for the ultimate battle that will alter life as it will be known. As one side flourishes, the other will cease to exist. Condemn thine body to this land, deny thine soul from heaven.

Father, how am I to destroy such great power?

By using my greatness weakness, He demanded. As God revealed His greatness weakness to the prophet, the prophet vowed to guard the knowledge with his life.

The blind prophet went on a quest for God’s greatest weakness, but was quickly blindsided by an indistinct voice coming from the nearby temple. The prophet entered to get a better listen.

I’m absolutely sure it can be accomplished. I’ve seen what we need to do. It’s destined to work, the angel declared.

The prophet moved in closer, hoping not to be spotted by whomever was there. He walked lightly and slowly as the voices became louder.

But how can you be so sure? Another angel questioned.

The angel smirked as he shifted his sight to his left.

Because our missing piece just walked in.

The prophet suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Do not stop on my account, the angel smiled villainously. The angel forced his arm back causing the prophet’s body to dematerialize and reappear in front of the two angels.

I am not here for trouble, the prophet pleaded as he kept his hand gripped on the crystals.

Trouble? the angel asked profoundly. There is no trouble here, only timing and opportunity. You weren’t eavesdropping on a private conversation, were you? The angel chuckled to himself. Well, nothing is really private with you, now is it?

I wa-was just on my way t-, the prophet stuttered.

Oh, I know where you were going, he said as he looked down at the prophet’s fist, and you are in the right place.

The prophet gulped in fear as he mustered up the courage to stand up to him. "You cannot hurt me—I am protected!"

The angels were amused by the prophet’s false sense of conviction, but they humored him anyway.

I am well aware of your protector, Prophet. And believe me, I am in no mood to get into an altercation with my brother, the everso-mighty, Archangel Raphael. I just cannot fathom the idea of getting into a tussle right now, especially with so much at stake. He looked over at the other angel who was accompanying him. "So, to avoid all of that, I have my friend here, who is, let us just say, my protection. For as long as he stands before us, our very existence at this present time in this temple, not even God himself could find us if He wanted to.

Speaking of God, I can feel His presence here with us right now. You know, it’s all around us, the angel laughed as he raised his hands to the sky, forcing the prophet to lift his as well. Ugh, the irony at which I tease, the eponymy of it all, it sickens me, But, nonetheless, it is more physical in this sense. The angel pried his hand open, revealing the crystals; the prophet groaned as he tried to resist. I take it since you’re here, He’s already declared His prophecy.

The prophet stood silent.

The Angel smiled as he stepped toward the prophet when the crystals suddenly began to glow. The prophet’s eyes mimicked the crystal’s glow as he became horrified by the images he received. The glow abruptly stopped; the prophet was weakened; he fell to the ground in disbelief as he faced the ultimate destruction that was to be.

It is you, the prophet whispered. You are the one. We had the wrong angel in custody. It was not him at all. You started the rebellion and sent the angels away. It was you. He looked up at the Angel and declared, I know what you wish to accomplish; you will not succeed! I can assure you He will find a way to destroy you and the rest of the Graceless.

And I can assure you that you will not be around to worry about that, the angel chuckled.

"You cannot kill me—I am human!"

The angel sighed as he smiled.

Have you forgotten that I am not alone? My protector here is, after all, my protector for a reason. He is one of the Graceless and we both know what that means. Azazel? He said as he looked to his right.

Azazel walked toward the prophet and stood over him. He bent down and traced an eye onto the prophet’s forehead with his finger. He cocked his fist back and punched him directly where the eye was. The prophet disintegrated and turned into a pile of dust, leaving the crystals on the ground unharmed. As he went to retrieve them, the other angel willed them to his hand; they exchanged devious smiles.

What? Azazel started. Do you not trust me?

Last I recall, we did not agree on having a relationship of trust, but sheer understanding.

And what is it that I should be understanding?

Your purpose, he said as he looked down at the crystals. My power.

Not yours yet, love. You cannot assume that power while you are still tethered to your restrictive divinities. So, what will you do with the crystals until then?

Hide them, of course. In the pit of God’s greatest weakness: humanity.

CHAPTER 1

The Bright White Man

Raquelle, can you read the first line for me, please? Dr. Clark asked Raquelle as he flicked the lights off in the ten-by-fourteen-foot exam room. He stood by a small, white desk adjacent to where Raquelle was sitting. The room was all white, with a marble counter where he kept his tools. Underneath were white cabinets and shelves, typically what you would find in any doctor’s exam room. There were also different posters on the walls with models wearing glasses, advertisements for contact lenses, and a few informative ones. One of the posters read, EYE CARE ABOUT U, SO CARE ABOUT YOUR I’S.

Raquelle sat on the brown leather chair while her mother, Gloria, stood behind her. Raquelle’s chair faced the back wall where a lit eye chart hung. She gripped the chair while nervously swinging her legs. She dropped her head down, trying to avoid participating in the exam. It felt like the 100th eye exam Raquelle had to partake in; they were all becoming redundant at this point. Four specialists, and no one seemed to be any closer to uncovering the root of her blindness. So, Gloria got creative and decided to branch away from her surroundings. After thorough investigation, it appeared that one name was popular amongst a list of syndicated specialists: Dr. Robert Clark, located a few hours away from Sacratus.

Dr. Clark won numerous awards for treating blind patients without resorting to surgery. He invented specially formulated eye drops derived from stem cells that act as neuro-stimulators, activating the damaged nerves and tissues in the eye. In a number of cases, he was successful in restoring sight to those who thought they would never experience it again.

Gloria remained hopeful. Reading his patients’ reviews filled her with hope, something she thought she would never have again. She could not take much more disappointment. Although there was still a chance that the treatment may not work, she felt she still needed to try, for Raquelle’s sake. Dr. Clark was their last hope.

Gloria placed her hand on Raquelle’s shoulder. Go ahead, sweetheart, Gloria reassured her. Tell him what you see.

Raquelle lifted her head and removed the eye mask from her face, handing it back to her mother. She opened her eyes to look at the eye chart and tried to focus on the first row of letters, but she could not find them. All she saw was a big ball of light shining brightly in her face. Although there was about 20 feet between her and the chart, the brightness of the light forced Raquelle to throw her arms in front of her eyes to shield them from its high intensity.

Dr. Clark scratched his chin as he spoke to Raquelle.

Raquelle? Did you see the letters?

With her arms still wrapped around her face, Raquelle shook her head vigorously.

Can you try to read the middle line for me? Dr. Clark hoped he could gain some clarity on what her range of sight may be, but again, he came up empty with another shake of her head.

It’s too bright! She pouted.

Lights always seem to bother her eyes, Gloria chimed in.

Dr. Clark walked over to the eye chart and dimmed the light. Is this any better?

Raquelle peeked at the chart through a crack in between her two arms and quickly closed it off again. She shook her head again, so Dr. Clark clicked the knob back two more notches and the light dimmed even more. Dr. Clark hoped that if he could get the light dim enough that maybe he could properly assess Raquelle’s mysterious condition.

Can you see if that’s any better, Raquelle? Dr. Clark asked.

Once again, Raquelle made a little crack in between her arms and peeked at the chart. This time, the light was not blinding to her eyes. Unfortunately, that did not improve her sight. It only reinforced that she could not see anything.

What can you see, Raquelle? Gloria asked.

Raquelle shook her head and responded in a soft tone, Nothing.

Can you see the letters at all?

No, Raquelle said disappointed. I can only see darkness. Except for the light. When there’s light, I only see that.

Hmm, Dr. Clark said softly as he walked over to the countertop.

What is it, Dr. Clark? Gloria asked as her face dimmed.

Do you mind if we step out for a minute? I just want to ask you a few questions.

Gloria nodded. She bent down, eye-level with Raquelle.

Sweetie, Dr. Clark and I are going to step out just for a few minutes okay?

Raquelle nodded.

Are you going to be okay? She asked, rubbing her hand along Raquelle’s warm cheek.

Yes, Raquelle sighed.

Okay, baby, Gloria kissed her on her forehead. Dr. Clark and Gloria stepped out of the room, closing the door behind them.

So, what do you think, Dr. Clark? Do you think there’s anything you could do to help? Gloria asked desperately hoping for a miracle.

Honestly, Mrs. Eckles –

Gloria, she corrected him.

Gloria, he smiled, I’m not sure what’s going on. Her symptoms seem a little unusual. Is she experiencing any dryness, itchiness, pain, or any kind of irritation?

No, none that I know of. I ask her all the time and she always tells me the same thing.

And how long has this been going on?

Ever since she was a baby.

Hmm, Dr. Clark uttered as he thought to himself. I see. And the light sensitivity, how does that affect her?

I don’t know. It’s like the littlest ounce of light bothers her eyes, even in the dark; that’s why she usually keeps the eye mask on.

I see, Dr. Clark said as his eyes shifted to the right and bit his bottom lip. How is she with doing things on her own? Like walking?

She needs help around where she’s going. She wants to do things on her own and we try to but, usually I or my husband will help her out. She goes to W.H. Fisher’s School for Blind and Visually Impaired Children; she’s learning to do a lot on her own there. Gloria’s eyes began to tear. She just wants to be normal. Our last doctor, Dr. Mayson, said that it might help for her to get one of those walking sticks to help her out and get used to walking on her own, Gloria explained as she sniffled.

A white cane.

Gloria nodded.

Hmm. Well, yes, we can definitely look into that. Let’s just see if we can find the root of this problem first. I’m sure you’ve probably read online about a treatment I’ve developed.

Yes! Gloria glowed. The eye drops!

Dr. Clark nodded as he smiled. Yes. Now, I don’t want you to get your hopes up, Gloria. The treatment has been very effective, but only in certain cases: hemorrhages that cause eye damage, chlorine poison, optic neuritis, age-related degeneration, and limited retinopathy cases.

Gloria’s eyes drooped as they watered.

I am starting a new trial very soon. I’ve been working with a team to try to formulate a new drop that helps repair damage that comes from more unexplained reasons.

Unexplained?

There are some conditions we still don’t fully understand like Tay-Sachs Disease or Basal Cell Nevus Syndrome, which are very rare. I’m not saying she has either of those, but it is a very slim chance that is the problem. Did Dr. Mayson gather anything about your family history? Is there anyone else in your family that experienced anything like this before?

No, no one! She exclaimed. I don’t understand why this is happening. She’s only ten years old! Gloria’s eyes began to water as she thought about all problems her Raquelle had gone through.

Dr. Clark put his arm around her as he softly rubbed his hand across her back.

It’s going to be alright, Gloria. We are going to figure this out.

Gloria wiped the tears from her eyes as she forced on a smile, but thinking of her daughter having a tragic life weighed heavily on her.

They walked back into the room to Raquelle in the same slumped position.

Gloria stood behind Raquelle while Dr. Clark went to his desk and brought a device over toward Raquelle and sat it on the table in front of her. It looked like a high-tech microscope that scientists use to look at cells and different germs in their labs, but it actually was a slit lamp.

Has she ever had one of these done? He asked Gloria.

Mhmm, yes, she has. When she was only a baby, she wiped the tears from her eyes and continued on. The first doctor who looked at her used that… she pointed at the slit lamp.

Slit lamp, Dr. Clark filled in the blank.

Yes, and he checked for cataracts, but nothing; he said he couldn’t find a cause for it.

Dr. Clark reached over to his desk and grabbed a couple of bottles of eye drops and placed one of them next to the device.

Hmmm, alright. I’m going to look again, he assured Gloria. Okay, Raquelle, can you tilt your head back some for me, please? He put his index finger on her forehead to help guide her head back. I’m going to put a couple of drops of each of these solutions in your eyes so I can get a better look behind them.

Okay, she responded softly.

With his index and middle fingers on his left hand, he pried open Raquelle’s left eye and squeezed two drops of the first solution into her eye; he did the same with the right. He placed it on the table and grabbed the other solution and did the same as he did with the first. When he was done, Raquelle closed her eyes as the excess drops rolled down her face. Dr. Clark grabbed a tissue from his desk and wiped her eyes.

There you go, he smiled.

Thank you, Raquelle sighed.

Okay, so it’s going to take a few minutes for the solution to settle and do its job, so your mother and I are going to step out for a few minutes to talk again. Are you going to be alright?

Yes, Raquelle spoke doubtfully.

Alright, we won’t be long.

We’ll be right outside the door, honey, Gloria reassured her.

Okay, mommy.

Raquelle sat in the room, alone, in the dark, just how she had been for the majority of her short life. She continued to stare at the eye chart, hoping that she would be able to miraculously see it. She hoped that if she stared at it long enough, it would force her brain to decipher what she was looking at, but the more she stared at it, the more disappointed she became. What’s wrong with me? She asked herself as she rubbed her burning eyes. But, she was determined to make it happen, so she tried again.

Raquelle squinted her eyes as she tried to will her brain to see the letters on the chart. As she stared, the light grew brighter and brighter, but it did not stop her; she was too determined to be a normal kid. The harder she stared, the brighter the light became until the chart let out a big burst of light. Suddenly, it turned red and orange, like fire, and the room started to get very warm. The light sucked back into the eye chart and released itself again into a ball, hovering in front of the chart. Terror grew in Raquelle’s eyes as this light started to approach her.

The closer the light got to her, the warmer she became; sweat beads formed on her forehead. When it reached about a foot away from her face, the light manifested itself into a figure. Raquelle could not quite make out the figure, but it appeared to be a man. He did not have a traditional face with eyes, a nose, and a mouth, but all the suggestions were there. The glowing red man walked closer toward Raquelle, causing her to become profusely hot; he stopped as soon as he reached the front of her chair. Suddenly, the wooden legs of the chair started to spark and a small flame arose from each leg.

Mommy? Raquelle’s shaky voice called out.

The glowing red man bent down and put his face to Raquelle’s. He slyly moved his neck and head around toward her ear and whispered, Wormwood. He stuck out his fiery tongue and licked the beads of sweat from the side of her face, burning her in the process.

Raquelle tried to scream out for her mom again, but the red glowing man grabbed her throat, cutting off her air supply. Raquelle used all of her strength to grip his wrists, but as soon as she grabbed them, her hands burned.

The red glowing man gripped Raquelle’s throat tighter and repeated himself in an even more scratchy and dreadful voice. Worm…wood!

His grip grew tighter, and Raquelle’s eyes grew wider as she clung to dear life. Suddenly, the bright white light started to appear again within the red glowing man. He started to shift from red to white, fading in and out. Each time he faded, his grip on Raquelle’s throat loosened until he fully transformed from a red glowing man into a bright white man. Once the transformation was complete, he removed his hand from Raquelle’s throat and dug it into the middle of his chest.

He pulled something out of his chest; when Raquelle focused more, she could see it was the red glowing man. As he removed the fiery, red figure from his being, the bright white man began to screech, following the beastly roar of the red glowing man. The high intensity of the screams made the room shake.

Raquelle sat in fright—she could not fathom what she was witnessing, if it was at all real.

The bright white man and the red glowing man disembodied themselves from one another until the bright white man held up the red glowing man by his throat and the screams stopped. The bright white man raised the red glowing man and slammed him down; the figure disappeared through the floor, sending an aftershock through the room.

The bright white man turned and looked straight at Raquelle; she was still terrified, but that feeling was dissipating.

The bright white man looked identical to the red glowing man in every way, but something about him was comforting—a wave of peace and harmony washed over Raquelle, but she still held some doubt. He made his way toward her and gently rubbed his fingers across her neck.

Please… Raquelle whispered with tears in her eyes, …don’t hurt me.

The bright white man looked at the burn marks on Raquelle’s neck and on the side of her face. He gently held her neck as she watched his light magnify and intensify, traveling from his core to his hands. As the glow emerged from his hands, Raquelle felt her neck and face become tingly. Once the bright white man removed his hands, the tingling stopped and the burns disappeared. He picked up her hands from her lap and faced them palm side up, laying his palms onto hers. When they connected, a bright white glow shot from in between their hands. Once the connection was broken, Raquelle’s hands were healed.

The bright white man stared into Raquelle’s eyes. He moved his face closer and closer to hers until their noses touched. A few awkward seconds passed before Raquelle tried to touch him. As soon as her hand touched his face, Raquelle went into a hypnotic state and the bright white man merged himself into Raquelle’s body.

Everything is already set. The plan is in motion, Lucifer, said a man with an English accent.

There was a strangeness overcasting Raquelle. She had no idea where she was, but for some reason she recognized everything—she felt like she was right where she was supposed to be. Looking at this man, this gorgeous man, she knew exactly who he was. As he ran his fingers through his thick, purple hair, Raquelle’s eyes locked onto his. He had the most engaging blue eyes—a beautiful swirl of blue and green like the ocean when a wave crashes down and the water begins to foam. He wore a powder white robe that blended into the clouds. The only way she could see he was there was because of his skin– a light, decadent shade of caramel that hummed very softly with a warm glow. His lips were the perfect blend of strawberry ice cream and a freshly bloomed rose in the beginning of spring.

Is he talking to me? Raquelle thought to herself as she looked down at her hands.

Although she had never seen her own hands before, Raquelle knew what they felt like and these hands did not feel like her own. They were much softer, much larger, and a million times stronger than hers ever would be.

In the background, behind the gorgeous man, Raquelle saw clouds roaming freely through the sky as they stood amongst them atop of a cloud that kept them anchored. Traces of a blue sky peeked in between the clouds, creating a perfect setting, but most importantly, Raquelle could see! She could see it all! No blurs, no fuzz, just clear pigmentations of real life. A warm breeze enveloped them, truly making this place the perfect place.

The third trumpet will sound soon enough, bringing us one step closer to ultimate annihilation, said the gorgeous man as he turned to peer past the clouds, looking for the next sign. Suddenly, a horn blared in the distance. Do you hear it, Lucifer? It’s almost time.

The skies suddenly became dark and the clouds began to disappear except for the ones they were standing on; stars filled the space where the clouds once stood. The trumpet sounded, once again. The gorgeous man looked up at the stars when all of a sudden, one of the stars in the distance whooshed right past them. Look, watch! He said to Raquelle as they both diverted their attention to the clouds beneath their feet.

The clouds became transparent; Raquelle and the gorgeous man followed the path of the shooting star. Let’s go, the gorgeous man said to Raquelle before suddenly disrobing. As his robe hit the clouds, two gigantic, pillow soft, black wings emerged from his back. Without warning, he flew off into the stars before disappearing completely.

Raquelle continued to watch the star travel, watching it plummet into a river in an underpopulated town. The impact sent out a blast that made the waters tremble and the whole town shake.

A frightened Raquelle went to follow after the gorgeous man, but the moment she went to take a step, everything began to collide into itself: all the stars, the clouds, and all of the colors began to merge together until it became a bright white light. The bright white man detached himself from Raquelle and regained his original form in front of her. As Raquelle regained consciousness, her eyesight reverted back to its original state.

As Raquelle stared at him, she reached her hand out to touch the bright white man’s face again, but he fled away from Raquelle, sucking back into himself like a vacuum and reverting to a ball of light. Raquelle reached her hand out to touch him once more, but the ball dissipated back into the eye chart. The door opened and Dr. Clark and Gloria came back into the room.

Mommy?! Raquelle cried.

Yes, sweetheart, I’m right here, Gloria rushed to Raquelle’s side. What happened? Are you alright? She asked as she saw the tears rolling down Raquelle’s cheeks.

Raquelle’s mouth was agape and her breathing was heavy.

Raquelle, what’s the matter?!

Dr. Clark joined them at the chair.

I saw something, mommy, Raquelle’s voice pitched as she stared at the chart, no longer able to see.

What? How is that possible? Gloria asked as she looked at Dr. Clark.

What did you see? Dr. Clark squinted his eyes.

Gloria wiped the tears from Raquelle’s face with her hands.

Raquelle turned her head in her mom’s direction and said, There was a red glowing man and a bright white man. The bright white man came from the red glowing man. The red glowing man hurt me, mommy! she exclaimed as she cried again.

What red glowing man? Where is he? Gloria asked, becoming more distressed.

The bright white man killed him! He went down there, she said as she pointed to the floor.

Gloria stood up and walked toward Dr. Clark. What’s going on, Dr. Clark? She whispered to him. How would she even know what a man or colors even look like?

It might just have been the medicine playing tricks with your eyes, Raquelle, he tried to assure her as he walked toward her. I’ve had other patients, other blind patients that claimed to see different things when the drops sit in their eyes for a while.

He looked up at Gloria. The eyes and the brain are very manipulative like that. The drops are intended to dilate your eyes to allow me access to see into your pupils and behind your eyes, so I’m guessing when your eyes received the solution, your brain enhanced the lights that you were already seeing and manifested them into shapes you were vaguely familiar with. Maybe even mixed in with a slight case of synesthesia.

As well as Dr. Clark was able to theoretically explain what Raquelle experienced, truthfully, he had not the slightest clue why her eyes reacted the way they did to the solution, if the solution was even the cause.

It wasn’t real, sweetie. It was just your mind playing tricks on you, Gloria said as she stroked Raquelle’s cheek and hugged her.

But, the bright white man was here! He showed me so many things. I was in the clouds and I saw the stars, mommy! Raquelle said, convinced that it was not false. I was able to see, mommy! She cried out.

Gloria’s eyes filled up with tears as she hugged Raquelle tighter. I know, baby, I know.

Dr. Clark stood up and got the slit lamp ready for Raquelle’s examination. Okay, Raquelle, are you ready?

Yes, I’m ready, she sighed disappointedly.

Okay, I’m going to use this to look into the back of your eyes to see if there’s anything that’s not supposed to be there, alright?

Raquelle nodded.

Dr. Clark positioned Raquelle in front of the apparatus and positioned her chin in the chin rest. He moved to the other side of the device and shined the bright light into her eye. He did not find a cause for the problem, leaving both Raquelle and Gloria to face the reality that they would never know the cause.

CHAPTER 2

El Caballo

Shortly after her visit with dr. clark, Raquelle and Gloria arrived home. Raquelle was in the backseat curled into herself with the blindfold around her eyes and her sunglasses on top. The images of the only things she had ever seen in her life replayed in her mind like a movie reel. On one hand, she was amazed by the beautiful things she saw—the clouds, the stars. On the other hand, she was terrified by the red man, the pain he caused her, and the truths that were revealed to her. The whole situation was confusing.

Raquelle’s thoughts came to a halt once she felt the vibrations of the car stop, followed by the jingle of the keys and the unhinging of the lock on the door.

Raquelle, mija, we’re home, Gloria said as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

Okay, Raquelle said as she sniffled. She rose up and slid to the left toward the door. She pulled the handle with her left hand and pushed the door outward.

Come on, sweetheart, Gloria said as she reached for Raquelle’s hand.

Raquelle grabbed her mother’s hand and slowly inched her way out of the car; Gloria shut the door behind her. Hand-in-hand, they both walked up the driveway to their home.

Gloria pushed the door open and announced their arrival. Isaiah, we’re home.

The sounds of little feet tapping against the hardwood floor filled the room as a little girl came running into the living room.

Mommy! Roselyn smiled as she grabbed onto her mother’s leg. You’re back!

Yes, I am, my little sweetheart, Gloria said as she caressed the back of Roselyn’s wavy, brown hair. Where’s daddy?

I’m coming, Isaiah said as he stepped out of the kitchen; he was in the middle of preparing dinner.

He walked over toward Gloria and gave her a soft kiss on her lips. He crouched down and stroked Raquelle’s curly hair back and gave her a sweet, loving kiss on her forehead and pulled her close to his chest.

How are you, my darling? He asked. He pulled away from her and smiled as he removed the glasses and lifted the blindfold from her eyes.

Raquelle closed her eyes to protect them from the light; Isaiah rubbed his thumbs across her eyes, followed with a kiss on each one.

I’m fine, daddy, Raquelle answered in a soft voice.

Are you hungry?

No, Raquelle said as she shook her head.

Gloria rubbed her hand