This might be a bad idea. Of course in my life I've had tons of them, but none so stupid as waltzing right into one of the His Holy Messenger's services. Not just to see what they're about but also what we're up against with this Father Pucci creep.

  Daniel passed out after the Man in Bck showed up and said that Phrase. If anyone knows more about it it's that priest. That smiling man standing on the stage right now under the lights and the weird pageantry. I can't pick out any Stands around, but if anyone's a Stand User its him.

  I'd bet all my savings on it. I brought my coat with me and flip up the hood just to keep myself as hidden as possible. The pce where its being held isn't even on the compound but an old church that has been around since the 60s in Midtown.

  Its rather rge and soaring over the rest of the buildings with a steeple reaching for God himself. It was well-built and made of brick. It almost seems standard if not for the other buildings around it. Comes off pretentious as all hell.

  Like...

  'Look at me, I'm super-dee-duper important and holy!' but here I am buttcheek to buttcheek and shoulder to shoulder with penitents and congregants and normal people just trying to see what all this was about.

  The priest is a tall man with a fine priest's uniform. It didn't look fake and opulent. It almost looks *too* humble. Of course from where I was sitting it was hard to see him over all the people. So Stone Free appears and I spread a few strands out to make some kind of readout of the inside. All the different ways I could be attacked. From the rafters, to the pulpit, and then to the entrances and exits. He continues his sermon as the strings make sure he's not doing- then they stall. Something's just above the cross in the upper part fnked by two stained gss windows.

  Something massive shades the area. It billows and looks almost like a man with translucent skin over electric blue bones and in its hands is a square-headed hammer. It looks down at me with one pale blue eye and a bright white pale one. I'm struck dumb just by it making eye contact. Almost filled with superiority, it looms over me like a priest that knew more than he let on. Stone Free and I are small in the face of this power. Almost like the same vibe I got from Daniel whenever he'd drink my blood.

  It's a cold hand gripping my heart and an even colder gaze keeping my attention. The hymns rise through the air and the Stand seems to bask in them. I'm not compelled to sing or invited to. I just stand there struck silent by this... thing. When everyone sits down the priest smiles and spreads his hands, "Good evening, everyone! What a turnout! Of course, I know its an odd time to have a church service right in the middle of the week. But we here at the His Holy Messenger Church understand the non-believer's feelings."

  Huh. Seems normal enough.

  "It's the church that uses God to justify sin! To justify their discrimination! That is not what God would want for us here on this Earth! He would want us to care for our friends and family and to shelter those who're less fortunate."

  Sounds pretty normal. Aside from going against the very church that made the rest of them. He strides away from the pulpit and towards the front of the seating area with his voice rising with this passion.

  "That is why he sent his holy messenger to open the way to a better world as John the Baptist did for Jesus Christ."

  Oookay that's where he lost me. A messenger? Like Jesus? Wait a second. He's talking about Daniel. Our Daniel. The same one. How?! He's the big bad guy who's going to destroy the world? The priest goes on.

  "He was born to the Holy Mother, who through her love and devotion to him had raised him to be the symbol of the changing times. The bright beginning of a new world is in his hands." The priest's eyes scan through the room almost looking for something or somebody...

  Until they settle on me. The strangest thing is that Daniel described his 'father' as having dark eyes but it might be the lighting because... they're blue? He looks away but I swear he was staring right at me.

  "Yet there are those who've led him astray, those who would much rather squander his gift to us all, and while we have sin we can be secure in the knowledge that he will return to us." But that's not what he wants. That's not what he wants at all. To give the world a new chance? No.

  I stand up and ease out of the pew making sure to make it look as natural as I could. I creep out of the sanctuary and feel the comforting weight of my phone in my pocket. It's a burner Mack gave me back at the restaurant before we ran.

  But that's when a strange woman appears from out of nowhere, "Ahem." She's shorter than me and wearing a parody of a nun's habit. Her eyes are a bright blue almost fming in the light even with how bright it is. Her face is thin and her cheeks seem to show that she's not eating a lot. She doesn't smile and her eyes seem to burn right through me and into my soul.

  I leap almost three feet in the air, "GAAH! What the fu-"

  She suddenly closes the distance staring right into my eyes, "What does he see in you?" she stares up at me, "Hmmm? You Jezebel. You Bathsheba. Answer me."

  "What're you talking about?" I back off and Stone Free is ready and raring to go.

  "Lord Dio left us. He left us instead of staying, and I will not pretend it wasn't because of you, Jolyne Cujoh." the area behind her ripples with heat waves and the temperature keeps going up.

  Sweat begins to build on me and living fire leaps out of nowhere to wrap around her. My sweat turns to steam and the woman grins. How does she even know me? What's the nature of her Stand? Is it like Mr. Avdol's?

  "Do you feel the heat? That is your sin!" she excims. But a door opens and a boy lopes out with something in his arms. He's bowed and small wearing a t-shirt with a truck on it and shorts. His hair is messy and slicked down with a clump of it sticking up straight in the air.

  He's holding a little wooden sword and a little wooden shield rests on his arm. All the sudden a knight armored in silver with gold accents appears as the kid runs up. It towers over me with a sword resting on its shoulder and a proud shield marked with a lion. It stares at me from beneath its visor.

  "Miss Elise! Don't hurt her!" he yells, "Knight of Cydonia, make sure the dy gets to where she's goin'!" The knight nods and guides me towards the bathroom. It cnks along and opens the door for me.

  "Thanks."

  The knight bows its head and marches back to the kid as I send out a string to listen in. I end up sitting in a stall. Its weird that this dy almost fought me. Even weirder is the fact that a kid has a Stand in the first pce sets me off even more.

  "Loudon..." Elise sighs.

  "It's not right to hurt people, Miss Elise!" the kid, Loudon, cries, "Why'd you wanna melt her?"

  "Because she led our Lord Dio astray." the fact that she still called Daniel by his other name really bugs me. Because what the hell is her problem with me?

  "Oh..." Loudon sighs, "But that's 'cause the Holy Mother's gone."

  "Well yes. But that woman is also one of the few people who've taken our Lord in. As much as I loathe letting her live, what we do is-"

  She falls silent, "I know you're listening."

  My stomach drops and she grabs my string, "So keep listening, Cujoh. I will burn you and your pathetic friends to ashes and liberate my Lord Dio. I will see you in Hell suffering great pains and it will be without end."

  "For now, I will let you run back to them. Run back to the sanctuary and maybe you'll learn something. So take that as God's mercy on your soul." she flounces away and grabs the kid's arm to yank him along with her.

  "As for you, young man. Prayers now!" she snaps.

  "Aww, do I have to?" the kid whines.

  So I guess this 'Holy Mother' was Daniel's actual mom. And these two have to be like that Cashe guy that Mack and Daniel fought. This Elise dy's Stand felt strong. Almost like the one looming in the sanctuary right now.

  With that out of the way I make my way back to the sanctuary.

  By the time I get back in there's this odd silence and people are praying near the front. It doesn't seem like Communion but really one of those weird altar calls at the big megachurches. I slip into the line and wait for him to come my way.

  I have a lot of questions so I'm sure he'd be able to answer some of them while still acting like a good priest should. He goes down the line with his Stand's presence looming over the entire room almost smothering any chance for Stone Free to come out and do anything. Something about him makes me even more nervous. It's how serene he is. Most of the time I've seen cult leaders be complete lunatics but he's over there being all kind.

  Not a Jones or a Manson, not even that. His power comes from how in control he is I'm sure of it. But his voice is warm and calm, radiant with that sickening charisma.

  "I do hope your miracle comes soon, Miss Davidson. I shall keep you in my prayers."

  "Ah! Tommy, it's good to see your cancer is in remission! I'm gd the doctors were able to provide God's healing." One of the people next to me is leaning against a crutch with only one leg. Seems like he was a veteran or he was in an accident. He looks at me and I move down the line.

  "Here. You go first." I smile and the man shuffles into where I was with a slight smile.

  "Thanks, miss." he nods and that's where I start paying real close attention. If this guy can really grant miracles as he says then he's the real deal. *The* guy. The creep that hurt my friend and forced him to murder his mom. I watch as the priest glides from person to person, ying hands on them or getting them to try licking their elbows. And his Stand sweeps through them with cries of joy and shock and even... weirdly enough, pleasure all in his wake. Crying like little kids in happiness too.

  Or in some cases admitting to their dirtiest secrets, "May your miracle give you the peace you desire." was all he answered with as he slides over to the amputee.

  "I heard you could heal guys like me..." the guy says, "My insurance won't help pay for a prosthetic and I'm on the end of my rope. So please, if ya can..." his eyes fill with tears, "Please just prove it to me."

  The priest smiles with that unnerving calmness and motions to a chair, "Sit." With an ambling limp-hop the amputee sits and the priest's Stand looms over them both.

  "Now... this one is quite intensive. Are you prepared for what that entails?" the priest's eyes seem to shine with a kind of fear? Why would he be worried about the guy he's healing? The man nods and the Stand takes out a shining square-shaped hammer. Then it happens.

  Right as the hammer hits the stump the man cries out in sheer terror, "NO! NO! Don't send me back there! Don't make me relive that again, God! No... no...!" he thrashes as the priest holds him still. The stump growing new bone and muscle fibers and skin overtop of that.

  He lets out a loud crying scream that makes everyone else turn to look. Some extend their hands and others weep. Its insane. It's... it's wrong. Thrashing and spasming almost jerking around like he just got hit by what blew up his life.

  The priest holds the man until he passes out, "There we are... that's it. Relive your pain. Only through pain and remembrance will we ever achieve our dearest happiness." he settles the man to lie against the back of the chair with his head bowed towards his stomach.

  "May God bring you peace and serenity through the suffering, honored soldier." his expression shifts to a little spot of anger, "Although you hadn't brought peace to those lives you've destroyed in the name of this nation. When you wake you shall begin your penance."

  He stands tall and turns towards me with his smile returning and it feels like he's known me my entire life just by looking at me, "Now this is a surprise." his steps towards me are met by my own steps backward. I don't want what he's going to do to me! He just made a veteran speedrun what he did while regrowing his leg!

  But the Stand above us looms with its hammer csped in its bony hands, "Now now. It's quite alright that you're afraid of me, child. But please... have a little faith. What would bring you peace? Happiness? Maybe even your future?" he's just before me with his head slightly inclined.

  "I don't know." I blurt out, "I've never thought of it before." What's gotten into me? Is it his Stand influencing me to reveal what I want most? Or is it just the fact that I'm scared? He doesn't bother putting his hands on me but from the way those strange eyes of his seem to change back to the dark ones and a cold slip of something slides into me he'd done what he set out to do to me.

  "God will reward your bravery, Miss Cujoh." he walks away down the line and I look down at myself. What did he do? There's nothing being healed or anything being changed. At least not immediately.

  I look down at my hands and they're shaking. What did he take? What did he give to me? When the service lets out I'm practically running to call everyone. I take out the burner phone from my pocket and fumble-dial for Loredana's number.

  Something has me more terrified than anything else, "Come on. Come on... pick up!" I snap, "Dammit, come on, Loredana!"

  She picks up, "Loredana!" I yell.

  "Hello? Jolyne, where are-" I don't even give her a chance to answer.

  "I was at a service and Father Pucci's Stand enacts miracles!" I splutter out, "Like I saw a guy's leg regrow! It was insane!" I don't realize it but I'm jumbling everything together into a mess of words.

  "Slow down, slow down..." She says.

  "I met him!" I blurt.

  "What do you mean you met him?" she asks, "Father Pucci?"

  "Yes! And his Stand, it... it's..." my heart drops into my stomach and I hang up when I see who's staring at me from the entrance of the church. Stone Free appears and I drop into a fighting stance almost on instinct.

  That Elise chick is gring at me like she's got a score to settle. Her dress and wimple billowing fiercely in the wind behind her. Thunder rumbles like a war drum in the skies and the heavy air gives way to a raindrop. Then another. And another. Until the shhhhhhhh of rain drowns the world in noise. She snorts and goes towards a rather rge bus. The kid, Loudon, being dragged behind her by the hand. A whole bunch of people load in all in simple clothes but all wearing armbands with the letters H.H.M.C.

  All I can do now is head back to where everyone else is. Just to regroup and tell them in full what happened to me. But then... I feel my other phone. My personal one. It buzzes against my chest like a warning or some kind of...

  Miracle.

  I pull it out and stare down at the picture of Mom, Dad, and I. Mom's star-covered shirt and happy smile as we pose cheek-to-cheek as she carries me. Clutching my old Teddy bear Beary in my loose arm. Her darker skin and Dad's tanned skin combined to make mine. Her dark hair was long and wavy, same color as my own dark hair wrapped under an orange turban lined with stars, and then Dad's hair is kinda... merged into his hat. For some reason he'd always rip out the back and then wear it like normal.

  The pyramids loom behind us and we're just smiling away while Dad is gring at them like he'd ruin them himself. He was wearing white back then and gold. And while he also had stars on him he also had meteor and pnet pins and other ornaments. He'd forced himself to smile for the camera. Not a big one. But a smirk.

  Happy. That's what we were then. Happy. We were visiting Mom's family in Egypt. Although Dad refused to stay long so he'd head home early because of what happened with Great Grandpa Joseph and Great Gramma Suzie and we'd stay. I stare down at the photo and the caller ID says the one thing I didn't want it to ever say again...

  Dad.

  I start to walk back towards Mr. Avdol's pce where we're lying low. All I can think is... 'Some miracle, huh?'

  The night I left our home in Los Angeles was always in my mind as something I regret deep down. Mom and Dad had fought again..

  "Jotaro, please. Jolyne needs you. I need you." she said, "Whatever you're after right now can wait."

  "No, Midler. It can't." he sighs with his hands wringing the hat he wears between his hands like crazy.

  "I've had it!" I snap, "Every fucking time we want to be with you, you wanna run away!"

  "JoJo..." Mom cautions, "Just calm down, okay?"

  "Do I just not matter to you?! You keep leaving us here! Seriously, all those recitals and programs, and all those band concerts. Mom's shown up more than you!" I gre down at him like I wanna scream at him some more, "So I'm gonna get outta here and handle it better than you ever could."

  "Jolyne, wai-" Dad reaches out and I sp his hand away with my anger twisting my guts into knots. Normally I'd never sh out at Dad mostly because he's scary when he's mad. But this was different. Just beside him is a massive man with white gloves studded with gold. The same man I used to sometimes see in photos or just out of the corner of my eyes...

  The expression on its face was full of despair with tears streaming down its purple cheeks. I turn on my heel and stalk off towards my room. Of course whoever heard of a nineteen year old living with her parents? But it was easier for school... until I dropped out. I get down a bag and begin to pack. Frustrated tears burn down my cheeks just because Dad won't listen. No matter how many times Mom and I asked him to do something he'd fire back with how busy he was or how he had somewhere to be.

  Well, I'll show him.

  The creak of the door sounds and Mom comes in. Drying her tears and helping me pack, "Mom? You don't have to help me, you know." I pipe up but she shakes her head. Her star earrings fshing in the light.

  "Your father is the most stubborn man I've ever met. It was charming as hell when we met in Egypt but right now its getting on my nerves." she huffs and grabs my shoulders, "So go get 'em, Jolyne."

  "Where am I even going?" I ask.

  "That's the fun part, you get to pick." she smiles and kisses me on the cheek, "You're my brave, strong, and beautiful little JoJo. You can do anything you can think of." she squeezes my arms and her eyes fill with more tears.

  "I just... hhk... I can't..." she throws her arms around me and squeezes, "I don't want you to goooo! My baby! My lil' JoJooooo!" she's sobbing into my shirt, "You've been my entire liiffffeee!"

  I can't help but start crying again, "Aw mom... Okay, I'll stick around." I close my eyes and hug her tightly. She snuffles and looks up at me.

  "Y-you will?" her face is a mess of snot and tears. Almost like how there was that weird face that'd sometimes pop up, "Uuu... uuuhaaahhh... BWAAAAAAHHHH!" she melts down and buries her face into my chest.

  "My sweet, considerate JoJo! My little angel's grown up so much!" she sobs and I just awkwardly pat her back. All I need to do is wait until the dead of night to go. When the time was right I ended up leaving behind a note on my bed and opening the window out into the backyard.

  'Shit! I forgot how high up I am! Okay, Jolyne. On three. One... two...' just before I threw myself down there was something that popped out of my hand. Turquoise strings shoot out of my hand and bind onto Iggy's tree.

  'Sorry, Iggy.' I thought as I swung down and nded into a roll. My bags waiting for me as a same colored humanoid with green sungsses stands over me. It reaches down to me.

  "Ora." it says.

  I take its hand and all I can think of is my favorite song, "Stone Free, huh?"

  The rain falls in drenching sheets as I finally get back. As of right now everyone's asleep. Everyone except for Daniel. Who is just barely nodding off in a chair. His eyes ease open and he looks up at me with a smile.

  "How was it?" he asks.

  "I completely understand you now." I sigh, "Those people are creepy."

  "Creepy? I grew up with them." he pys with his hair and looks down at the table almost shy, "At least I hoped they were good people. Who all was there?"

  "That chick with the wimple and the weird baby doll eyes, and then the big cheese himself." I smile and he tilts his head.

  "Big cheese? Since when do they make cheese?" he looks lost and I just ugh a little.

  "It's an expression meaning 'boss', Daniel." Deep down I'm relieved that he still acts the way he does. In fact I'm just relieved he's here at all, "You ever heard of miracles?"

  "Miracles... yeah, like the ones Jesus and Moses did." he nods, "Why?"

  "That stand of your father's can make them. He regrew a veteran's leg and made him relive his time in the war." I shiver a little and Daniel takes a bnket from the floor and throws it around my shoulders.

  I can't help but let out a soft hum as he wraps it around me a little tighter. His eyes focused on his work and there's this gentle smile on his face. Like he's enjoying the fact he gets to take care of me. He moves back and settles into the chair, kicking up the footrest. I amble into the chair too. It's only big enough for two people but I like flustering Daniel. He doesn't flinch when I loosen my wet hair and settle onto his chest. Listening to the slow steady drum of his heart.

  Wrapping the soft bnket around him too and seeing how red his cheeks are. Flushed with the fact that I'm on top of him and close to him. His hand finds my back and rubs it. His nails ghost against my skin scratching itches. I close my eyes and bask in how warm he is. Like a mini-sun but also just because... I didn't want the miracle his father gave me. Unless this is it or the phone call was. I didn't answer.

  I could worry about what comes next in the morning.