It was only now, on the cusp of leaving, that Sasha realized how much she was going to miss movie night with her friends, central heating in the winter, reliable Internet access…

Our Lord does not speak to us from comfortable places.

It took her an embarrassing amount of time to find the bus stop. She was scared to use her deck—she’d shut it off as soon as she left school—and she didn’t know the city bus system very well. She’d taken buses to school for years but her parent’s car had always driven her around the city. She was ashamed of how anxious she felt about riding a city bus. Here she was, on her way to a warzone and possible martyrdom, scared of public transit.

“Be strong and courageous, and do the work,” she recited David’s advice to Solomon. “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you.”

That helped a little. Thinking of Alexander’s smile, his green eyes, and the strong lines of his jaw helped more. Sasha didn’t like admitting that to herself. It felt too carnal, almost sacrilegious. But she knew that what mattered to God were her actions. Even if her flight to Zion wasn’t done with a completely pure heart, God would forgive her. Her sacrifice to build the new Jerusalem would outweigh the sinful part of her mind that couldn’t stop imagining how Alexander’s strong arms would feel when they finally wrapped around her.

She waited at stop 23A. 4:30 came and went. By 4:45 PM, her chest burned with barely restrained panic. She was sure the people passing by all knew her secret plans. A pair of police officers passed her at one point. One of them, a woman not much older than Sasha, flashed her a smile. For a long time she was convinced this had been a sign, that her communiques had been intercepted and the police or the FBI were onto her plan. But the police didn’t come to stop her. And, after a quarter hour that felt like days, a brown sedan rolled up to the bus stop. Its window peeled down and Sasha locked eyes with a care-worn young man in the back.

“Sasha Marion?” he asked.

“Yes?” she said. “Are you Brother Andrew?”

“As I was with Moses, so will I be with thee.”

That was the passphrase Alexander had told her to expect. It was all Sasha could do to stop from bawling right then and there. She got into the car.