"Yes." "Yes, she's just perfect." "I'll giveyou to Sister Yvonne." "She's dying to talk toyou." "Mrs. York, wait until you see her." "She's a tiny miracle." "Yes." "Yes, ofcourse." "Then we'll expectyou." "All right." "Bye." "The clouds sweep away the color." "Leaves everything like a black and white photograph." "Tell me about the parents." "Any history of drug abuse or alcohol addiction?" "We're supplying the environment, but we're inheriting the genes, whether the mother was traumatized during the period of gestation." "It's all important." "You're going to be the mother ofthis child, not her lawyer." "Right." "Sister, I'm so sorry." "I'm soinsecure aboutall this." "You know we tried so hard." "I'm not anxious to take on a load of problems I'm not prepared for." "She has a "sins of the father thing"." "I do not." "The mother was at university and the fatherwas an exchange student." "Sweetheart, ifthere are any complications, psychological or physical, we'll handle it." "She's got us." "My best friend's a doctor." "Besides, I play racquetball with a couple ofgood shrinks." "You're such a wise guy." "She's beautiful." "It's okay." "Oh, she's beautiful." "Bye, bye." "Bye." "Hush, little baby Don'tsaya word" "Mommy's gonnabuyyouamockingbird Want togo tosleep?" "Shh!" "Quiet, quiet." "Ooh." "Ta-da" "She's beautiful!" "Everybody, I'd like you to meet..." "Delia." "What's she gonna sing?" "Any requests?" "I don't know." "When she's hungry, she can hit notes Tina Turner hasn't thought of." "Ow!" "She scratched me." "Excuse me." "Doctor in the house." "Let's take a look at this." "It's nothing." "You'll be all right." "I don't know what happened." "She stopped crying as soon as Gene picked her up." "I don't know what I did." "Aye-yie-yie!" "Maybe this pin came undone whileyou were burping her." "What museum did we get this from?" "I take fullblame." "I was the one who insisted that she go aunatural with diapers and safety pins." "Well, I don't think it merits a law suit." "Butyou come see me in the morning." "Okay." "Come on." "Here." "Come on." "Delia, don't scratch your mommy." "You okay?" "An eclipse is hardly an event, SisterYvonne." "Hardly an event?" "A spontaneous eclipse?" "Howmanyspontaneous eclipses haveyouseeninyourlife?" "Don't speak to me in that fashion!" "You've damned us, cursed us with that child!" "I can think ofno worse curse than the murder ofa child!" "We should never have been born!" "Be quiet!" "DearFatherin heaven, we are heartilysorry..." "Quiet!" "No!" "I don't believe this." "Yeah, well, antibiotics willstop it." "But those red marks mean serious infection, don't they?" "How can a baby's fii ngernail do so much damage?" "Who knows?" "I had a client who got athlete's foot in the Caribbean." "She almost lost her leg." "Yeah, Lou, but this..." "Karen, I'm a doctor." "I've seen every conceivable type ofinfection, believe me." "On a scale ofone to ten, this is a big two." "The good news is, you gotyour baby!" "Yeah." "No more testing." "Isn't that a relief?" "Just my annual PAP smear." "That's right." "I just don't get it." "Gene and I have been tested." "We're both okay." "I should've been pregnant a dozen times by now." "Karen, that happens to lots ofcouples." "Three times a day." "Thankyou." "WhatmadeyouandGene decide on thename "Delia"?" "It's a pretty name, isn't it?" "Beautiful." "It means "always visible" in Greek." "Besides, IhadanAuntDelia... who was the fiirst woman in ourhometown torun foroffiice." "Thought it might be a good-luck name as well." "Oh, yeah?" "Grooming her for offiice?" "It's a family tradition." "Nowsanctify this water... that Your servants who are washed in it may become one... with Christ's death andresurrection, tobe cleansed anddeliveredfromsin." "Anoint them with Your HolySpirit, that theymaybeborn again in Your church, that theymaybecomeinheritors ofYourglorious kingdom." "Delia, Ibaptizeyou... in thename ofthe Father, theSon, andthe HolySpirit." "Give hertome." "Theysay thata child thatcries is closerto God." "Thereyou go." "Right there." "Yes, Delia!" "Isn't that beautiful?" "Boo!" "Boo!" "Yeah." "Say "hi"." "Hi, Daddy." "Whoops." "Don'tyou look pretty!" "Smile nice, Mr. Congressman." "Dropyour drawers forCapitolHill." "Sure was convenient... that somebody took that picture of Resnick in the motel room." "Who cares who took it?" "Someone nailed the incumbent." "Resnick is a crook and whoremonger." "Those photographs will bury him." "You've had six weeks to think about it." "What doyou say?" "Why doyou want me to run,Jake?" "Fishing." "For answers, not compliments." "You know what I stand for." "How many hours haveyou spent complaining to me... about the bungling bureaucracy and howyou'd change things?" "A couple thousand at least." "Nowis the time toput somemuscle whereyourmouth is." "A lot ofus agree with you and think they all ought to take... theirsweetdeals, perks andbulgingpensions andtakeahike." "You'reyoung." "Youdon'tneedthemoney." "Youcome from apoliticalfamily." "You've got the looks, the brains." "Everything that spells voter appeal." "I said, no compliments." "That was the downside." "Wait till you hear what I like aboutyou." "Gene York, popular Virginia legislator, has announcedhe willrun forcongress forthe 14th Districtseat... nowheldby thescandal-ridden Graham Resnick." "Exitpolls at this timeindicate... that Gene York should win the 14th Districtbyan unprecedentedmajority." "You've got a meeting with Noland tomorrow at 2:00." "Congressman York, newchair ofthe Finance Committee, has been fiighting for thehomeless reliefbill." "Look overthere,Jake." "Look at this." "She almost took the head clean off!" "She's real rough on prom queens." "llie, ollie, oxen free" "I'll find you behind a tree" "Boo!" "Boo." "Boo!" "Cuckoo!" "Cuckoo!" "Delia!" "Delia, this isn't funny!" "Delia." "Delia!" "Delia!" "Delia!" "Delia, come out now, please." "Delia!" "Delia!" "No!" "No!" "Delia!" "Lookwhatyou've done, you dumb dog!" "No, no, no!" "He saved my daughter's life." "Areyou okay, baby?" "Areyou okay?" "Yeah?" "He's beenbathed, hadhis shots." "All checked out." "He's fii ne." "She adores him." "He adores her." "Okay, okay." "He'dbegoodprotection forhertoo." "Congressman Gene York kickedoffhis reelection campaign... byissuing arenewedpledge for theplightofthe disadvantaged." "Thepopular Virginia congressman continues toleadallpolls." "I thinkwe should get one thing clear." "You guys don't know whatyou're doing." "There's a witch wholives on top ofthat tower." "Anyone who has the courage to climb that ladder, will be granted anywish theywant." "I could do it if I wanted to." "You're afraid ofheights." "No, I'm not." "I'm not talking toyou,Jerome." "Miss Norris!" "Whatis going on?" "But he hit her!" "Her lip was cut." "I've heard enough!" "Ifhe did, she probably deserved it." "She spit at him." "Bit him so hard his hand swelled up." "You've got a psycho for a daughter." "And you, Mr. Congressman, see what happens next election." "Mr. Creighton, I never bow to threats." "Please leave before I lose my temper." "Whata fiirst-classjerk." "Doyousupposeithappened... the way Delia told us it happened?" "Sure." "Why not?" "Hi, sweetheart." "Hi, Daddy." "Tell me." "Exactlywhat kind ofproblems haveyou been having with this boy at school?" "He's always doing something to me." "Calling me names or hitting me." "Areyou sureyou didn't start it?" "He started it by putting his gum in my hair that very fii rst day." "I know." "I remember." "How about doing your dad a big favor, and staying far away from him?" "That whole family is trouble." "Daddy, there won't be any trouble." "That's my girl." "I promise." "Can you identify this one for me?" "Killerwhale!" "Andwhere does ltgo?" "That's perfect." "You got it." "We're fii nished." "Recess." "Thankyou." "Hey!" "Gimme mywatch back!" "Give itback!" "Don'tyou dare!" "You're so brave, come get it!" "I'm gonna tell Miss Norris." ""I'm gonna tell Miss Norris"." "You big crybaby." "Come on,Jerome!" "Teacher!" "I warned you about this, but no, you're not gonna pay attention." "That kid is trouble!" "I mean it!" "You'll hear from me." "Lookat the children." "They don'tpayanyattention toher." "Shestillhasn'tmade friends." "Somekids takemore time." "Besides, she's more mature than most." "Yeah." "Sheneeds friends, though." "Thereyou go." "Melissa?" "Alex, you'll be next." "Hereyou go." "Alex?" "Paul?" "Come on." "Areyou sure he's gentle?" "I mean, it's her fii rst time on a horse." "Honey, it's a fiirstday forall ofus." "Delia?" "Hi, honey." "Let's go, Delia." "Delia!" "Delia!" "Don't move her." "I'll get help." "It looks likeyou're gonna be our guest for a while, Delia." "Hi, sweetheart." "What is it?" "Let's talk outside." "Be right back, honey." "Thankyou." "What?" "You can relax." "There's no sign ofinternal bleeding, butl'm gonnarun a couple tests andtakesomeXrays." "Aside from a fewbruises andmaybeaslightconcussion..." "Thank God." "I still don't understand why that horse bolted." "That happens sometimes, Gene." "Especiallywhen a child..." "is becoming a woman." "What?" "Delia started menstruating." "That's impossible." "She's only eightyears old." "It's notimpossible." "It's rare, but it's not impossible." "I'll helpyou explain it to her ifyou want." "Yeah." "Youlook tired, Karen." "Youcanaffordsomehelp." "She's old enough." "Do it." "So sorry to have keptyou waiting." "It's okay." "Just got off the phone with the agency." "They gaveyou a four-star rating." "They like to recommend me for special families." "Special families?" "Families with special needs." "I like a challenge." "Well, welcome to the Olympics." "Come up." "I wantyou to meet Delia." "That's Ryder." "He's friendly." "Delia?" "I'd like you to meet Miss Thueson." "Jo." "Please call me Jo." "Short forJosephine." "First names are more friendly." "Hello." "Hi, there, Delia." "What's this?" "That's a healing crystal." "Isn't thatpretty?" "Come on, I'll showyou toyour room." "I'm notanti-business,Jake." "But I'm not gonna letyou pave over parks with concrete eyesores." "You cripple construction, you cripple the country." "You campaigned for me soyou could have a connection on the Hill." "I don't deserve that." "You've gotten greedy." "You're trying to turn me into what we both hated." "Good boy, Ryder." "Yeah." "Good boy." "Come on." "Come on, Ryder." "They grow like that with points?" "Mm-hmm." "The Book ofLight." "That's all about healing and crystals." "And stupidjunk!" "I'm going out to play." "Delia, come back here." "No, it's okay, Mrs. York." "Let her get used to me a little." "She'll get used toyou after she apologizes." "Excuse me." "Delia!" "They're all black!" "Noah, canyoucome over?" "Ineedto talk." "You feel it too?" "Tightening in the throat?" "Yeah." "Ever since I got here." "Energy's real low." "Look at my palms." "Is that the girl?" "Yeah." "What doyou get from her?" "Anything?" "Very weird." "It's more like a..." "It's more like a muddy pool than an aura." "It's like mud and molasses." "Swirls ofred paint." "Does that mean what I think it does?" "A verynegative life force." "Red means violence." "She's got a violent streak, all right." "Swirled together like that, it means rage and chaos." "Is she dangerous?" "Why don'tyou get her on my turf?" "Bring her to the fair." "Let others see her." "That was my plan." "Why don'tyou get out?" "I'll seeyou at the fair." "Areyou all right?" "Yeah." "Your creepy friend almost caused an accident." "Was he drunk?" "No, Mrs. York." "He was sick." "You saw him, Delia." "He was sweating, he couldhardly catch his breath." "Maybe he was sick." "Jo said she saw what?" "She saw an inverted cross on the mirror." "I'm sure there's some explanation for it." "You can handle it." "I know I can handle it." "I just wanted to talk toyou about it." "I've got a committee meeting." "I've gotta go." "Yousawthe crossyourself." "No, I don't know." "I don't know anything anymore." "I'm tired." "I knowyou're tired." "That's why I'm here." "I understand kids." "Theyjust want to flit in." "Let me take her out this weekend, just the two ofus." "There's a psychic fair." "Psychic fair." "Psychic fair?" "I don't know." "I don't want Delia getting involved in anything strange." "There's nothing strange about metaphysics and new thought." "It's very positive." "She'll be one up on her friends." "She doesn't have any friends." "Maybe she'll make new friends." "Okay." "Okay." "ommm." "Oommm." "Thankyou." "Let's go." "Oh, look." "Have a cup." "I see a face." "He's a very important man, and I'm sure he will be..." "I feel a strong aura emanating..." "Okay, here's what we've got." "This should helpyou interpret it." "No." "No." "You're a dancer, many lifetimes." "Ballet." "Not here, abroad." "Europe?" "Netherlands?" "Belgium." "What?" "What?" "What is it?" "Very nice." "Thankyou." "Enjoy the fair." "Thankyou." "What's thisplace?" "Noah and a couple offriends." "Let's get our picture taken." "Whatareyoudoing?" "I thought it would be fun to get our picture taken." "No, you didn't!" "Oh, my God." "It'sjust like I saw it." "This isn't an aura." "It's like an infection." "Pestilence." "Look how it's spread overJo." "Noah, these colors, or lack of, ofsepia and black..." "This is the aura ofa Borgia, not a little girl." "No!" "Delia, wait!" "Leave me alone!" "Leave me alone!" "Come on!" "Does anyone know how the fii re started?" "No." "Know what a Kirlian photograph is?" "No." "It photographs auras." "Jo was given..." "One ofthese photographs was taken ofher and Delia at the psychic fair." "I don't believe in any ofthat stuff." "What does that have to do with the fii re?" "Even ifyou don't believe in that stuff, there's other stuff." "Like lying, accusations about dual behavior." "Delia behaves differently in front ofother people than she does in front ofus." "You're notanswering my question." "Whatdoes this have to do with the fiire?" "What I'm trying to say is..." "Jo says that Delia... is a very powerful personality." "Like "Carrie setting fii re to the prom"... powerful?" "Karen, would you give me a major break here?" "Shame onyou forbuying into thatcrap... andletting othersjudge the childyouhave." "Whatis thematter withyour vision?" "Tsk." "Anyway, I'm committed to havingJo stay." "She's determined to get through to Delia, and I want her to try again." "I understand the guys have patched things up." "Yeah." "Thank God." "Jake flew up to meet him." "Hejustgotcarriedaway with having a friending ahighplace." "He helpedput Gene there." "Areyou talking about Daddy?" "My daddy's going to be president." "No, Iorderedthered." "Iorderedthered." "Areyou sure there's enough seating for 200?" "Watch out for the ferns!" "Go." "Delia's alone." "This is a chance for us to talk." "Just pack up and come with me." "I can't, Noah." "You have the photograph." "You're sharing her aura." "Everything she touches turns to illness." "The tone below illness is death!" "For heaven's sake, she'sjust a little girl." "What wereyou doing?" "Meditating." "Asking for guidance." "I just want to helpyou, Delia." "Ifyou'll just help me to understand." "What?" "About what happened at the psychic fair... and other things." "About the trouble with the kids at school, starting with kindergarten." "I know theywere unkind toyou there." "Yes.Jerome teased me." "He stuck gum in my hair, kicked in my lunch pail." "He hit me." "Is that whyyou hurt him?" "I didn't hurt him." "He was a sissy." "And then his fatherwas killed in that terrible accident." "How did you feel about that?" "I don't know." "In my bathroom, the cross?" "Upside down?" "Doyouknow what thatmeans?" "Yes." "Who taught that toyou?" "My father." "Your father taughtyou that?" "My father... is your father." "I don't..." "I don't understand." "What's the matterwith you?" "Why did you do that?" "What evil madeyou do that?" "Mrs. York!" "Mrs. York!" "Mrs. York!" "Mrs. York!" "Mrs. York!" "Mrs. York!" "Jo!" "Jo dead." "Dead." "Relax, relax, Karen." "Relax.Just let go." "Let go." "That's right." "That's right." "Good." "Sorry." "She's, uh..." "She's okay." "What, Lou?" "I think Karen may be pregnant." "What?" "We've sedated her." "He toldus ifwe stopped tryingyoumightgetpregnant." "Iknow, but..." "But what?" "We were both tested, and there was nothing wrong." "There was a 50-50 chance you'd get pregnant, and you did." "Now, be happy." "I am happy." "I'm just not going to let anything happen." "What could happen?" "I don't know." "I gotta go." "Have a good one." "Bye." "Have a good day." "Mrs. York!" "Youshould've seenherface." "She doesn't want me to have this baby." "Karen, come on." "How can you say something like that?" "She wouldn't try to hurtyou." "You said yourself, it'sjust a game." "Childrenjust don't know when to stop." "I thinkyou'rejust..." "I thinkyou're nervous..." "Oh, that's gonna be an umbrella excuse forwhatever I'm feeling over the next fiive months." "Icanseeitcoming." "Gene!" "Our daughter isn't sacrosanct." "Every time her odd behavior is mentioned, you get defensive." "Herbehavioris notodd." "Lou toldyou." "When childrennolongerfeelthe center ofattention, they do outrageous things." "That's what happened." "I had a serious talkwith her." "She promised she wouldn't do it again." "There's all kinds ofthings." "Jo's Book ofLight." "She flashed it at me at the window like she wanted me to see it." "Ifounditin thebushes." "Parts are underlined, making references to Biblepassages." "In it was aphotograph ofJoandDelia at thepsychic fair." "Karen..." "It was a Kirlian photograph." "Gene, pleaselisten tome!" "I talkedto theman who tookit." "He was a friendofJo's." "Itphotographs auras." "Honey, come on!" "Don'tyou think it's odd our daughter has never had any childhood illnesses?" "Not necessarily." "She obviously has a strong immune system." "Strong immune system." "Friends, friends." "She has no friends." "Don'tyou think that's odd?" "Yes, I know that's odd, but I didn't have any friends too." "I was an only child, and I turned out okay." "Karen, look." "I'll keep my eyes open." "I'll be on the lookout." "Iflseeanythingstrange, anything atall, I'll deal with it." "We'll deal with it together?" "Us." "Come on." "Delia?" "Come on!" "Time togo." "Doctor says, "You're pregnant"." "She says, "I want a second opinion"." "He says, "Okay, you're ugly"." "One ofthe niceties I miss about having dinner is saying grace." "Delia, doyouremember thatsimpleprayer... ofthanks I taughtyou?" "No." "Sureyou do." "Thankyou, Lord," "for Thybountifulgifts..." "I don't remember it!" "Audible prayers can sometimes be embarrassing." "Let's voteagainstit, huh?" "Not everything is up for a vote, Gene." "h, youmustbe Mrs. York." "Hello." "Father Mattson?" "Yes." "How doyou do?" "Congratulations." "Thankyou." "I'm six months." "Father, I need your advice." "I want to know ifyou're familiar with this New Age book." "Please, let's go inside." "Thankyou." "There are severalBible references in this book." "One is from Revelations." "Right here." "Ah, yes." ""And he stood on the sand ofthe seashore..."" "Where is it? "And I saw a beast coming up out ofthe sea, having ten horns and seven heads." "And on his horns were ten diadems." "And on his heads were blasphemous names"." "The Book of Revelations will be argued until the Apocalypse." "Please." "But we believe thebeast tobe theAntichrist." "In God's eyes, that's exactlywhat he is: a beast." "The tenhorns are a confederation oftennations." "The seven heads are the seven leaders who will give him their allegiance." "They form an alliance with the Antichrist." "So, it's about politics?" "There's nothing that isn't politics, Mrs. York." "Lookaroundus." "We're ushering in the Antichrist to a world ofoverpopulation, pollution, crime." "Our hell is his paradise." "We brought this on ourselves?" "We helped usher him in?" "This is crazy." "We'rejustspeaking fiigurativelyhere, right?" "Whatever makes you comfortable." "But, yes, we are ushering him in." "That part ofus that is the worst ofus, is what gives him his power." "You're saying we're all in league with the devil?" "Most ofus unknowingly, ofcourse, but there are others." "What doyou mean?" "What others?" "Leaders who plunder the treasuries oftheir poor countries, trashing their own people, driving them into famine, hopelessness, disease." "Men whopave overforests thatprovide the veryair we breathe." "These are the true apostates, the ones laying out... the red carpet for the Antichrist." "You do believe the Antichrist will come?" "Yes, I do." "" Uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and allowed to exercise authority for 42 months"." "That's all it'll take?" "A politician can do a lot ofharm in 42 months." "This man will be a terrible, charismatic liar." "Millions are gonnabelieve in his one world, onereligion." "Doyou think he can be stopped?" "I'd pack it in ifl didn't." "We all do what we can, right?" "Yes, Father." "Yes, we all do what we can." "Hi, honey." "Is your mother home?" "She's across the street." "Let me leaveyou something foryour mother to read." "Ladies, excuse me." "I live in this house." "What happened?" "I only said hello." "We handed her a pamphlet." "You didn't scare her?" "With a smile?" "That little girl, the things she said!" "I've never heard language like that!" "She tore up the pamphlet, and then threatened us with your dog." "Please,just wait here." "I'll getyou some money." "You get toyour room right now!" "Why?" "I didn't..." "Don't argue with me!" "Go!" "Delia?" "What happened?" "Theyscaredme." "They said the world was gonna end, and that I was a sinner who was going to burn to death... unless I do what they say." "That'sjust not true." "Yes, it is." "Those end-of-the-world zealots have been around since I was a kid." "They scared the hell out ofme." "I had nightmares for a week." "That's not what happened." "Mommy, you weren't even there." "You did it again." "You found an excuse." "Way back in your childhood, you found a corollarywith what happened today." "She told us what happened." "It never occurred toyou that she might not be telling the truth?" "No, Karen, it never occurred to me." "I should guess you're about eight months along." "Oh, about eight months, two days, and 12 hours and 23 minutes." "You have no idea what happened to SisterYvonne?" "She chose a secular life." "That's all I can tell you." "No contact at all?" "None." "Forwarding address?" "I don't think so." "There's something wrong, isn't there?" "I'll see ifl can fil nd some address that might helpyou." "Great." "ReverendMother?" "Doyou think it's possible... for a child to be born evil?" "A child is not born evil." "It's the world it's born into... that's fiilledwith evil." "Butyou believe in original sin?" "Yes." "But there are degrees ofsin." "To what degree it will be manifested... depends on how close we come to God." "Then the idea ofan evil seed..." "God wouldn't create something evil!" "Man does that for Him." "Gene?" "Come help me!" "Gene!" "Gene!" "What's wrong?" "I can't get up." "I feel like the Goodyear blimp." "Couldn't say "no" to the ice cream, could you?" "He kidnappedhis kid." "Hejumpedbail, andsnatchedtheboy." "Don'tgive me that." "Thebastard doesn'tgive a damnabouthis kid!" "He's holding theboyhostage." "Youbet!" "And you tell your slimy client that he's in bounty country now." "Andl'm gonnabag him, fiielddress him, slam him across thehoodofmy car... like a gutted moose, and drop him on the steps ofthe countyjail!" "I'm partialto Chinese." "Charlie Chan's myhero." "Ineversaw apregnantlawyerbefore." "You know courtrooms, you look away for a second and... ahh!" "Ha, ha, ha, ha." "With a sense ofhumor." "Hmm." "My friend Forrey Riggs told me aboutyou." "Lawyer." "Black." "Very smart." "Wife's a teacher." "Yeah, I remember." "I wentona dig forhim." "He says you dig pretty good." "Sit down." "I'd likeyou to do some investigative work for me." "I play Paul Drake toyour Perry Mason?" "No, I gave up my practice long ago." "Huh." "Congressman Resnick." "Graham Resnick!" "Oh, yeah." "I enjoyed taking him down." "Yeah, my husband got hisjob." "Iknow whoyouare." "Your husband's pretty clean." "He's a good guy." "Tell him to keep it that way." "Why did you choose Resnick as your target?" "Citizen's Action Committee contacted me." "Huh." "Could you tell me who was on the committee?" "My fee is three hundred a day, plus expenses." "I wantyou to fii nd someone for me." "Missing persons is most ofmy business." "The baby in this photograph is our adopted daughter." "I wantyou to fii nd her parents." "Theyoung novice is SisterYvonne." "I have an address for her." "I'm not sure that it's good." "This photograph was taken years ago at St. Francis Orphanage." "There's more." "There's so much more." "There's arash ofthings thathave happenedovertheyears." "A Kirlianphotograph that was takenbyapsychic." "Noah." "I can getyou his last name." "It started with the baptism." "There was a terrible accident with Father Hayes." "Then there wasJo." "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." "Slowdown, slowdown." "I'm so sorry." "I'm so sorry!" "It's all right." "It'sjust..." "It'sjust that so much has happened." "I'm fii ne, I'm fii ne." "Come here." "Come on." "Citizen'sAction Committee." "Theypavedthe way foryourhusband." "Huh." "Smell a rat?" "Yeah." "Hell ofa world, huh?" "Yeah." "It's a hell ofa world." "Ihave toldyouall Ican, Mr. Knight." "The law prevents me from giving you the names of Delia's biological parents." "Mrs. York already toldyou they were ayoung couple at the university... who got careless." "Reverend Mother, did we order two clowns to perform?" "Ofcourse not!" "What in Lord's name?" "Excusemeamoment, Mr. Knight." "It's beautiful, honey." "Karen, lookat this." "She drew the family trees ofour founding fathers." "Never known a child so interested in politics." "May I be excused?" "Mm-hmm." "It's beautiful, honey." "Icamehome early today." "You weren'there." "Thatphotograph ofGraham Resnick andthehooker." "Youknow whosethim up?" "Doyou?" "Jacob Millican." "How'dyoufiindout?" "A little detective work." "nyour own?" "Ihadalittleprofessionalhelp." "Excuse me, excuse me." "Haveyou seen this young woman?" "Yeah, she used to come in here." "Don't look like that anymore, though." "We all get older." "Drinkin'andturning tricks don'thelp." "Where is she now?" "What areyou, a cop?" "Was." ""Was" don't cut it, pal." "Only birdies sing for free." "What does 20 bucks get me?" "Vanna?" "A vowel." "Maybe a consonant." "Oh." "He's a tough guy." "Hereyou go." "Pimp's name is Misha Russkie." "Uh-huh." "First McDonald's, now pimping." "They learn fast." "Uh-uh." "He'll be in after dark." "Pop in around 9:00." "I gotta keep track ofmy expenses." "Give me a blank receipt." "I'll fii ll it in later." "A dishonest cop." "Ex." "Ex." "What's this world comin' to?" "Going straight to hell, pal." "Oh, yeah." "Straight to hell." "She was no good for me." "Nyet." "She starts for to preaching to her tricks." "Bad for business." "Eh, I had to dump her." "She got religion again, huh?" "No, she starts for to hearing voices." "Becomes a prophet." "Calls herself Felicity." "Now she has a cult in North Carolina." "I don't know where." "But, I'll tell you this." "She does better than me now." "Eh!" "Okay." "Just tell me what this means." "All right, all right." "Theyoung couple existed." "But they're not your daughter's parents." "They both died in the 1930s." "They didn't even know each other." "What?" "You've got SisterYvonne, a nun who became a hooker." "And now some kind ofhellfii re prophet with a cult." "She goes by the name of Felicity." "I tracked her down... toasmall town in North Carolina." "Thought maybe I'd go and share hervision." "What about Noah?" "Disappeared afterJo's death." "Something must have scared the hell out ofhim." "Mrs. York!" "Areyou all right?" "Just get me to my car." "Come on." "This way." "Igotscared." "Can Isleep withyou?" "Sure, honey." "Come on." "Nightmares, huh?" "You okay?" "Get her away from me!" "What is it?" "What's wrong?" "Get me to the hospital." "Come on." "She triedtokillmybaby." "She triedtokillmybaby!" "Your baby's fii ne." "Could Delia have anything to do with this?" "Don't be silly." "Let's giveyou a healthy baby." "That was 50 seconds." "You did great." "Huh?" "Hi." "You okay?" "I'm okay." "It's all arranged." "I'm sending a lady over to help take care of Delia." "She's an ex-nurse named Miss Roselli." "That's great, and thanks." "Who areyou?" "This is the anesthesiologist." "No!" "No anesthesia." "Just in case." "No!" "No!" "No!" "God!" "Slow it down." "Slow it down." "Come on." "Push!" "Push!" "That's it." "Push!" "Atta girl." "There we go." "My friends, Isee thatforasoul... tobe truly cleansed, tobe trulypurifiied, thatsoulmustfiirstbe tainted... by thesoiledtouch ofthe devil." "Say "Hallelujah!"" "Hallelujah!" "Say "Hallelujah!"" "Hallelujah!" "Now rise with me, my friends." "Rise." "And welcome our sister, Felicity, whois our own angel." "Droppedfrom thearms ofhermotherchurch... into the verypitofhell!" "Shehas ascended!" "Shehas been cleansed!" "Say " Hallelujah!"" "Praise God!" "Praise God!" "My friends, my friends." "Beseated." "Beseated." "Andhear with me theinspiredwords ofoursister, Felicity." "Faith in The Source, I enter the pit ofdamnable sin!" "Say, "Hallelujah!"" "Hallelujah!" "Thesting ofthose lecherous angels Godbanished from His kingdom cannothurtme." "Because I have The Source to lead me." "Praise God!" "It is only through a demonstration offaith..." "TheSource can deem us worthy... ofsurviving the fiinalbattle!" "Praise!" "Praise God!" "Hallelujah!" "Praise God!" "Help her,Jesus." "Come." "Whoshall take up serpents?" "Melissa, you will be saved!" "Hallelujah!" "John!" "Praise God,John." "I will pray for him." "I will pray foryour son." "Bless you, brother." "Jesse!" "I willpray forher." "I willpray foryour wife." "John Stewart." "You've got thejoy,John!" "Amen!" "ust the devil." "Do not be afraid." "Fangs ofthe serpent cannot hurt us." "Because our faith is strong!" "Hallelujah." "Prayers beheard." "Delia." "You'll be all right, Mr. Knight." "I'll have someone moveyou to recovery." "How's Felicity?" "Not good." "Please don'tbe toolong." "Away from God." "The child." "The child." "The beast." "The beast awakens." "Hi!" "When can I see Mommy?" "She'll be home soon." "Goodafternoon." "I'm Lisa Roselli." "Hi." "Hi." "Yourwife is well?" "Yes." "We had a baby boy." "And you have a little brother." "Congratulations." "Thankyou." "Delia?" "Just a littlejealousy." "Delia?" "We spoke briefly, Delia and I. She's perfect." "Beautiful and very smart." "Miss Roselli, I wantyou to do me a favor." "Ifthere's any behavior of Delia's thatyou fii nd odd," "I wantyou to tell me at once." "Mywife's not to know anything." "I don't want to upset her, okay?" "Ofcourse." "Thenew weatherman mustbenamedScrooge... becauseallholiday traffiic in andoutofCharlotteAirport has stoppedbecause offog." "So here to help pass the time are some more Christmas favorites." "You see, sir?" "Not anybody is leaving today." "Ah, doyou have a large envelope, please?" "Andmercymild" "Godandsinners reconciled" "Joyfulallye nations rise" "Join the triumph oftheskies" "With angelic hosts proclaim" "Christis born in Bethlehem" "Hark the herald angels sing" "Glory to the newborn King" "Christbyhighestheavenadored" "ffspring ofa virgin's womb" "Veiledin flesh thegodheadsee" "Hail theincarnate deity" "Oh!" "Delia?" "Honey, listen." "Everything's okay." "Alexander is proofofthat." "You're right." "I'll be good." "Is thatLisa?" "Miss Roselli." "Let's keep itformal." "This is Miss Roselli." "Hello." "Hi, sweetie." "No wipes, okay." "Okay." "What areyou doing?" "What's this?" "That's, uh," "Alexander's milk." "Don't mothers nurse their babies?" "Sometimes." "Don'tyou wannanurseAlexander?" "Ofcourse." "Excuse me." "Sometimes a mother's milk doesn't have enough nutrients." "Why?" "Careful, Delia." "You don't wanna wake him, doyou?" "Um, hello?" "Can I speak to Earl Knight, please?" "Oh!" "Areyou a relative?" "Why?" "Well, this sort ofthing is kinda, you know, it's kinda tough to..." "Yeah, I'm his sister." "Oh!" "I'm so sorry." "Your brother died in a freak accident." "What?" "I couldn't believe it." "We had two strange deaths in one day." "Your brother at the construction site." "And then a preacherwoman ofsnakebites." "Oh, it was a bad day." "Alexander's doing fii ne." "He's with Lisa." "She's a real godsend." "Did you know that SisterYvonne died?" "You're kidding?" "No, I'm not kidding." "Snakebite." "Freakaccident." "That's terrible." "Lotofdeaths lately." "Realepidemic ofstrange deaths." "Detective I hired died." "Freak accident." "Karen, those things happen." "It's called coincidence." "Look, I've been doing some thinking." "Andl thinkitmightbeagoodidea togetaway." "Dosome traveling." "I can't now." "Fine." "Not now, later." "Go to Europe." "Eventuallywe could put the kids in international school." "Uh-huh." "Where?" "Rome would be nice." "Rome." "Where areyougoing?" "Huh?" "Oh." "I'm gonna..." "go check on Alexander." "Here." ""And I saw the beast coming out ofthe sea"." "Good morning." "Where areyou going?" "Your appointment with Lou isn't till 11:00." "I'm gonna run some errands." "On the phone." "Sorry." "Didn't mean to keepyou waiting." "Let's go somewhere more quiet, shall we?" "And somewhere, I think it's in Daniel, it talks about the fourth kingdom." "Hmm." "What is there about the fourth kingdom that frightens you so much?" "Here it is." ""Thus he spoke." "As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom here on Earth, and it shall be different from all the kingdoms... and it shall devour the whole Earth"." "This fourth kingdom is where the Antichrist comes from." "Yeah." "Does he have to be born there?" "No, not necessarily." "Where is the fourth kingdom?" "Rome." "Rome." "Rome." "He said, "Travelto Rome"." "So..." "So, it could mean, " Educated in Rome"." "Yes." "Father, the Antichrist is always spoken ofas a "he"." "The Bible didn't mean to be sexist." "Mankind can also mean womankind." "Womankind." "Womankind." "Uh, Father, could I be left alone here for a few minutes?" "Oh, yes, ofcourse." "Hi." "Well, Gene tells me you got a case ofthe icks." "Yeah?" "I beg your pardon?" "Youknow, feeling icky." "Aftera couple falsealarms andthen fiinallyyoubecoming amother." "Oh, my God!" "I wantanswers." "It's allhere." "You're not mentioned, but the pieces fiit." "All about Delia." "Her father." "Who is Damien Thorn?" "The diary says he's the Antichrist." "Yes, yes." "It's true!" "Damien." "He's the whole, Karen." "Damien is the power!" "Tell me about Delia." "She's Damien's daughter." "She carried his seed." "When did you know this?" "We've always known." "We've been waiting ever since his death." "Whatis this fetuspapyraceous?" "Whatis it?" "Fetuspapyraceous." "Ah, it's one twin able to carry... the embryo ofits twin inside ifit's a female." "Just waiting to be implanted." "Alexander is Delia's twin." "She carried her twin inside her until you removed it." "When?" "When I examined her, after she fell off the horse." "You implanted it in me... when you examined me afterJo's death." "You made me a surrogate for Delia's brother, you son ofa bitch." "Why Gene?" "Is Gene in on this too?" "Gene?" "No!" "But we need him." "He will become a very important political fiigure." "Ofcourse." "Ofcourse." "It's allaboutpolitics, isn'tit?" "Forty-two months andit'llallbe over." "Wrong, Karen." "It'll just be starting." "Jake Millican is in on this too." "What happened, Lou?" "Did he get greedy?" "Started thinking in the short term?" "No, he's back with the program now." "It's gonna be a new world." "Gene will usher in our king." "One man." "One religion." "That freakwill never rule..." "'cause I'm gonna kill him!" "Ofcourse." "You're one ofthem too." "No!" "I want to see my son." "Yes, Mother." "See him." "Really see him."