Two young children, Caleb a ten year old boy and Mary Ruth a seven year old girl, have a wonderful destiny to be fulfilled. Not knowing why bad things are happening to them, they soon realize what is causing these dreadful things. Caleb and Mary Ruth know how to protect themselves. This is a very emotional and suspenseful story. Many things are happening to these children and you will start to understand why and who is doing it. You will then understand the meaning of the story. This is the first in a series of books, titled "The Chronicles of Caleb and Mary Ruth"

Children of Destiny

The Chronicles of Caleb and Mary RuthBy Barbara L. Apicella

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Barbara L. Apicella
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4772-5782-1

Contents

Acknowledgement.........................viiChildren of Destiny.....................ixThoughts................................xiChapter 1...............................1Chapter 2...............................7Chapter 3...............................13Chapter 4...............................19Chapter 5...............................25Chapter 6...............................31Chapter 7...............................37Chapter 8...............................49Chapter 9...............................57Chapter 10..............................63Chapter 11..............................67Chapter 12..............................75Chapter 13..............................83Chapter 14..............................89Chapter 15..............................99Chapter 16..............................111Chapter 17..............................119Chapter 18..............................129Chapter 19..............................137Chapter 20..............................149Chapter 21..............................163

Chapter One

DAVIE, FLORIDA, 1966

Caleb! Caleb! Wake up! Mary Ruth was crying and shaking. It was 2:00 A.M. and Caleb was sound asleep, dreaming of swimming in the ocean and having fun with his friends. When he opened his eyes and saw Mary Ruth's face, he immediately sat up and hugged her.

Mary Ruth looked like she had seen a ghost. Then he smelled the smoke that had entered his bedroom.

Mary Ruth said, "Caleb, I saw a big man walking through the house! He was so scary looking, then I smelled the smoke." Caleb said, "Come on Mary Ruth, we have to get to mom and dad."

They ran through the hallway to his parent's bedroom door. Mom and dad were quietly laying beside each other sleeping. Caleb and Mary Ruth ran up to them crying and screaming to get up and run out of the house. But for some reason mom and dad didn't move.

"Please wake up!," Caleb cried. The smoke was getting really thick now, and the kids were finding it really hard to breath.

Then Caleb felt something sticky on his right hand, the hand he used to shake his father.

He then realized it was blood and was all over his mom too. He tried to feel for a pulse but could not feel anything. He knew at that moment that his parents were really dead!.

Caleb grabbed the table lamp on the bedside stand and hurled it through the bedroom window. The window shattered and Caleb threw Mary Ruth unto the grass and jumped out behind her. They got up and ran to the barn where they kept their horses.

As they looked at the burning house, Mary Ruth cried, "Why didn't mommy and daddy leave with us?" Caleb was crying too. He had to tell Mary Ruth that for some reason mommy and daddy would not wake up. He could not tell her that they were already dead. How could this have happened? Then suddenly they saw two dark figures standing near the back of the house. They were dressed in black and looked very tall.

One of the figures said to the other, "We completed our mission for our leader. We have killed the pastor and his wife and burned the two children. He will be well pleased with us." Little did they realize that Caleb and Mary Ruth were within a few feet of them, hiding in the barn. The men quickly took off in their truck.

Suddenly the kids heard sirens and two fire trucks pulled up to the house. A police car drove up also.

A police sergeant named Tom Goodman got out of the police car. He asked the firemen if they would be able to save the house. The fireman replied, "No way, I just hope the house had no one in it because it is going to be gone within the next few minutes."

Caleb didn't know why, but something told him they should get out of the area. He whispered to Mary Ruth that they needed to go.

Mary Ruth just looked at him in fear. "Why should we leave?"

Caleb said, "I don't know why, but I heard a voice saying, You and Mary Ruth must leave and not let anyone see you. Hide and stay there until the morning light appears. Do not worry as I will lead you and guide you. No harm will come. I will care for both of you."

Caleb and Mary Ruth quietly ran out of the back of the barn and into the woods. They came to a spot under a fallen tree and laid down.

After about four hours the house fire was out and cooled down enough to try to enter and check for causalities. A few neighbors and reporters had shown up to see what was happening. Sergeant Goodman went inside with the firemen to check things out.

As they entered, everything was blackened and ruined. It was even hard to tell what room they were in because a lot of the roof had collapsed and fallen down into the interior. They entered what seemed to be a bedroom and found two bodies on what used to be a bed. They were both burned beyond recognition. The police officer assumed it was Pastor James Powell and his wife, Sarah.

Pastor Powell ministered in a nearby church called "The Church of God". The church was growing substantially week by week because of the recently new pastor. He was so loving to everyone and could make the congregation understand his whole sermon. The people loved it! They would tell their friends and more and more people would come each week and just delight in his preaching of the goodness and mercy of God. His wife, Sarah, was also loving and kind to everyone. She supported everyone and always showed her love and kindness. The children were something! They were sweet and innocent and had many, many good qualities. Although they were young, they knew many scriptures and verses of the Bible and understood what they meant.

As the sergeant and firemen walked through the house, they expected to find the children in the same condition as their parents. They entered a small bedroom but did not find any trace of a body.

The sergeant said, "Maybe they were in the same bedroom." As they walked into the other bedroom, they did not see any evidence of the children.

"Maybe they went under the bed"?" said one of the firemen. They searched the whole room but found nothing. Goodman thought, Where are the children? Maybe they were at a grandparents house or a friends.

Sergeant Goodman told the fire chief he will check out the situation and find the children. As he said this, he thought to himself, I'm sure they were here!

As the sergeant was returning to the police station, he made a call from a nearby phone booth.

A phone began to ring in room number eighty two at the Surfside Hotel. A man picked the phone up and said, "Yea," Sergeant Goodman said, "You told me you did as ordered and it was a success. How come the children's bodies are missing"? The man who answered the phone said, "We quietly broke into the house, we went and saw both children sleeping in their bedrooms. We then entered the Pastor's room. He and his wife were sound asleep. We both took out our knives and slit their throats as ordered. We then poured the gas all over, dropped a match and left the house. Joe watched the back door and I watched the front door to make sure the children couldn't come out. In just a few minutes, the fire was raging. I went to the back to talk to Joe. There was no way the kids could have gotten out as we had both the doors blocked. You probably just didn't find the bodies because something was covering them. Don't worry, the bodies will be found".

Sergeant Goodman was outraged. You better hope what your saying is true or our leader will kill us. He doesn't like his workers to disappoint him.

When he arrived at the police station, he decided to call all the people in the Pastor's neighborhood and get any information he could about the family and their relatives. He was very upset to think of what would happen to him if the children were still alive.

Chapter Two

As the light of the day began to enter the woods, Caleb woke up. He looked at Mary Ruth and felt so sad. As he looked at Mary Ruth's face, tears started flowing down her cheeks. "I want Mommy and Daddy," she murmured.

"Wake up Mary Ruth. Mary Ruth, we have to be strong. I know it was God who spoke to me last night. There has to be a reason for what happened. We must now put all our faith in the Lord. I know he will get us through this. We have to think positive and trust Him. Remember how mom and dad use to always tell us that when we felt down? We love and will miss them forever. They would want us to be strong and not to stress ourselves, although it will be very hard."

"But what are we going to do now, here in the woods Caleb? I'm getting hungry, where can we get something to eat?"

As they got up and started walking, they came upon a small creek. Aside of the creek was a bunch of wild strawberries.

"Look Caleb," Mary Ruth shouted. "We have found a drink and our breakfast." The strawberries tasted really good and thankfully satisfied the kids appetite.

It began to get hot but luckily there was a breeze. After about an hour, they came to a road. As they were walking along the road, a car with two teenage boys pulled along side of them. Hey kids, "Where are you going?"

Caleb said, "Our parents are coming to pick us up here."

Mary Ruth screamed and said, "That's a lie, we're lost." Caleb cringed.

The boy driving said, "Get in the car and we'll give you a ride."

Before Caleb could say anything, Mary Ruth jumped into the back seat of the car, so Caleb got in too, although he didn't think it was a good idea.

It seemed like they were driving for quite awhile and the kids fell asleep. As Caleb began to wake up, he heard the boys talking. The driver said, "Hal, we can take these kids home and keep them. We can use them to clean the house, make our meals, and when that pretty little girl gets older, we can use her for all sorts of things."

"Hey, that's a pretty good idea." Hal said. Caleb's heart started pounding. What will they do now?

Ben, the driver said, "We're low on gas. I hope there is a station nearby." After a few minutes, as luck would have it, there appeared a gas station. They pulled into the station and filled the tank.

"While we're here, let's get some sodas and snacks for the rest of our drive."

"Okay", Ben said, "I'll stay here and watch the kids."

Hal said, "They're both sound asleep, anyway, we're in the middle of nowhere. They have no place to hide. Lets both go in, you never know what we'll find in there."

"Okay," Ben said.

As they entered the store, a small convertible pulled up driven by a young lady. She got out of the car and found a window cleaner by the pump and cleaned her windshield. She then headed to the outside restroom.

As Caleb watched, he got an idea. He grabbed Mary Ruth and said, "Wake up and follow me now." They got out of the car and jumped into the back seat of the convertible. No sooner had they crouched down on the floor, the lady came back, started up the car and took off.

After a few minutes, Hal and Ben came out of the station laughing, "That guy will never miss these extra things we took. He's so old he doesn't watch guys like us." As they entered the car, they noticed the back seat was empty. "They couldn't have went very far, there's no place to hide."

They searched the area and the store but could not find a trace of the kids. They were unaware of the lady who pulled up while they were inside.

Ben said, "I told you we shouldn't have left them out here."

Hal answered, "Who cares, they probably would have been a problem anyway."

"You're right, lets go."

As Sandy drove down the highway in her convertible, she thought she heard a strange sound and couldn't figure out what it was. It actually sounded like someone crying, well it couldn't be that, it must be my ears. She drove for about an hour and entered a town called St. Cloud.

Saint Cloud was a small, quiet town. Sandy was raised here in this perfect community, that not many people visited. It was located in Central Florida. Her parents loved the peaceful atmosphere, with basically no worries.

As she pulled into her driveway, she smiled at her parent's home. She headed for the front door but remembered her package she left on the back seat. As she reached for the package, she noticed something strange on the floor. Wow, what could be stranger than two kids in the back of your car? She could not believe her eyes! They seemed to be sleeping, she hoped so anyway! How did they get in my car and when did they get in?

Sandy gently shook the little boy. He opened his eyes and realized where he was. He got up and sat on the seat while rubbing his tearful eyes.

"What is your name?" Sandy asked. "What are you doing here?" Caleb just stared at her, not saying a word. Now Mary Ruth was beginning to wake up. She seen Caleb on the seat and Sandy looking at him. She quickly closed her eyes again.

"I know you both are hungry so wake the little girl and I'll tell my mother we're having company for dinner."

Caleb shook Mary Ruth and when she opened her eyes, he motioned at her to come with them. As they entered the front door they could smell something really good, like southern fried chicken. It actually brought their hunger back with a bang!

Sandy said, "You kids have a seat here on the couch and I'll go and get my mother." The kids sat down.

As Sandy left the room, Caleb looked at Mary Ruth and said, "For now, lets not say anything. We don't know anything about this lady or her family or even where we are. I think we can eat any food they offer us but still keep silent. Later we will pray to Jesus and ask him to help us and tell us what to do."

As Sergeant Goodman called the neighbors of the pastor, he hoped it wouldn't take him to long to find out if the kids were staying at one of their houses.

After he called about twenty people in the neighborhood, he learned that they hadn't seen the kids. One neighbor, Mrs. Evans, told him she once talked to Jim and Sarah. Jim's parents had died in a very strange car accident about ten years ago. Sarah's parents were still alive and lived in PA.

Sergeant Goodman had a pretty good idea as to why Jim's parents had a strange car accident. Jim's father was probably a preacher too. Now he had to find out Sarah's maiden name so he could locate her parents. After calling a few more neighbors, he lucked out as Mrs. Anderson was close to Sarah. She did know Sarah's maiden name, not only that, she knew her parents phone number.

Goodman put the call through and a man answered. "Are you the father of Sarah Powell?" "Yes I am. I'm Dr. Joseph Lewis, why do you ask?"

"My name is Sergeant Goodman from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Unfortunately, I have some very bad news for you. The Powell's house somehow caught fire last night. By the time the fire department arrived the fire was out of control. After the fire was put out, we went inside. The house was completely burned down. We found the bodies of Jim and Sarah in the bedroom."

There was a short silence, then Joseph asked, "What about my grandchildren?"

"We didn't find any evidence yet of the children but we are still searching." We were hoping the children might be in PA. visiting you and your wife."

"No, we haven't seen them since they were here during Christmas," said Joseph, as he was sobbing. "How am I going to tell my wife about this! I can't believe it! How did the fire start? Why couldn't they have ran out of the house?"

Goodman said, "We are still investigating how this happened. Right now we know nothing, but we will find out. I am so sorry I had to bring you this dreadful news."

"At least my grandchildren might still be alive. We will certainly pray to God that they are."

"We will let you know what we find out, and again, I'm so sorry."

As Goodman hung up the phone, he thought, Sorry my foot, this town didn't need a preacher like Jim Powell. He was much to Godly for the town's people. Imagine, bringing more people to his God each week. We have our own control of this town and his name is not Jesus. I still don't know what happened to the children!

The people of the town decided to meet at the church. They were very upset and most of them were crying. What could have caused this fire to kill their loving pastor and his wife and maybe his children?

Bill Johnson said, "I want to find out all the details of this tragedy. Where are the kids? Something just doesn't make sense. Why didn't their smoke alarm go off? I installed it myself and I know it worked. Something just isn't right."

Chapter Three

Sandy entered the kitchen just as her mom, Jane Phillips, was finishing preparing dinner.

"Mom, you'll never believe what I am going to tell you! I pulled in our driveway and there were two kids in the back seat of my car. They're in the living room right now, a young boy and girl. They look very scared, and they won't say anything. I think they're both hungry so I invited them to dinner with us."

"Oh my," said her mother. "I wonder how and why this happened. Do you think they are running away from home? Let's go and try to get them to talk to us so we can try to help them."

As Sandy and her mom entered the living room, Caleb and Mary Ruth didn't even look at them. They just stared at the floor.

"Hi kids," Jane said with a smile. "Are you feeling okay? Can we do anything for you?" The kids didn't answer. Jane said, "Dinner is almost ready and you both are more than welcome to eat with us. We have plenty of good food. If you decide you want to talk, Sandy and I will be in the kitchen."

As Sandy and Jane returned to the kitchen, Caleb and Mary Ruth looked at each other. "We are going to eat, aren't we?" Mary Ruth asked. "I'm starving! Let's tell them what happened. I wish we could talk to Mommy and Daddy!"

Caleb said, "No Mary Ruth, just keep quiet until I decide if it's the right thing to tell them what happened. But I'm sure it will be all right to eat."

They heard a door shut in the kitchen as Josh, Sandy's dad, entered. He was a sweet man who was the mayor of the small town. Sandy told him what happened.

"You're kidding," he said. "Have they told you why they were in your car?"

"No Dad, they won't talk yet, but I'm pretty sure they're coming to dinner."

Josh asked, "I wonder why they got in your car?"

"I did stop at a gas station to clean the bugs from my windshield. I also went into the bathroom to wash my hands. That had to be where they got in. In fact, I remember another car parked at the pump but I didn't notice any children."

"Well, let's not try to force them to talk, they will when they're ready. I hope so anyway. Their parents must be frantic!"

"Okay kids, it's time to eat, follow me. "This is my dad, Josh, and my name is Sandy Phillips. My mom's name is Jane."

The kids still didn't say anything.

"Okay," Sandy said, "Maybe you guys will feel better when you have my mom's great southern cooking." She pointed to the chairs for the kids to sit down. Caleb thought, This food smells so good! I can't wait to dig in.

The food was passed around the table. Crispy, fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, coleslaw, and buttery biscuits. The kids filled their plates and began eating. It was a wonderful dinner. They ate and ate until they could eat no more. Then downed it with ice tea.

"Well kids, you certainly were hungry."

"You must not have eaten for quite awhile," said Josh. "How would you like to spend the night and in the morning we can get together and talk. We want to help you if you are having a problem. I'll show you the spare bedroom, it even has twin beds so you'll each have your own bed."

Jane said, "I'll take the kids up to their room. I want them to take a bath before they go to bed. After you take your bath, you can wrap a towel around you while I'm washing your clothes." She took them upstairs and showed them the bathroom and the bedroom.

After Jane left, Caleb said, "I think we can trust these people, they seem very nice and honest. We might as well take a bath and leave our clothes out in the hall so she can wash them for us. They really do need a washing. You go first Mary Ruth." Mary Ruth went into the bathroom and threw her clothes out in the hall. Caleb also threw his clothes in the hall and wrapped a towel around himself while he waited for Mary Ruth to get finished.

Jane noticed that the clothes were all out in the hall already and took them downstairs. Sandy was cleaning up the kitchen and Josh was watching television in the living room. Jane put the clothes in the washer.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Children of Destinyby Barbara L. Apicella Copyright © 2012 by Barbara L. Apicella. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.