Beyond the Door: The Chronicles of the Team

By D.N. Dettwiler

Travel to the future...3030, to meet the Team, a group of friends determined to love not only each other but those that hate them the most. What will become of their convictions under fire? Will they truly give it all, or will their good intentions fall flat? And what if it is all for nothing?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Oct 22, 2019
• ISBN: 9781400326280

D.N. Dettwiler

D.N.Dettwiler was born in Southwestern Ontario, Canada in April of 2003. At the age of seven, she embarked on the greatest adventure of a lifetime with Jesus. Other than writing, she enjoys various activities, such as sports, reading and music.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Change

Bella

I

saw the life and color drain away from my mom’s face. I fled silently from outside the closed door where Nici and I peered through the space between the door and the doorway, one of us on each side. I saw her behind me as I made for outside. You see, we were not even supposed to be there.

Let me explain. It started with my mom, Lydia Mertin Matthews. She became a Christian at a young age but she married Arnold Matthews, a non-Christian. After being married two years, they had a child each year starting with Cameron (who was now sixteen) and moving on to William, Nicole, Samuel, Melody, and Jesse. They were relatively happy until I was born the year after Jesse, starting Mom on a downhill journey healthwise that could kill her in as little as six months or as long as twenty years, and there was no cure. This caused Dad to hate me and he succeeded in getting Cameron, Samuel, and Jesse to hate me. William and Melody followed in fear.

Then, that left Nici and Mom who chose to love, protect, and teach me to love and forgive the rest of our family. Like I said, my three brothers and Dad hated me for being alive and, therefore, treated Nici like a traitor and the same as me, but they loved Mom and that was what drove Dad to his decision. I once heard him tell Mom that, if I had not caused her eventual death, he would love me. On the other hand, Cameron, Jesse, and Samuel hated Nici and I the more because we were Christians, and they cut Mom off whenever she started talking in any way that insinuated Christianity.

My three brothers’ and Dad’s hatred of Nici and I had grown over time and as Mom got weaker and weaker. Now that she had died, Nici and I knew that the possibility of our three brothers and Dad trying to get rid of us for good was high, but we also thought that this could be the turning point in our relationship with William and Melody. We wondered if this would be the point where they would go against the crowd and live out their secret Christianity.

Nici and I were coming upon the forest, our light brown-blonde hair flowing in the wind, and we could hear our siblings behind and I knew all too well that they were gaining on us. Nici, I panted, just run as fast as you can, don’t wait for me … you need to live! I was gasping for breath more and more.

I’m not going to abandon you now, she was now starting to gasp a little for breath. You’re my sister and you need me now more than ever.

I, now, was too out of breath to say anymore. Now, I could hear Cameron and William right behind him, coming closer and closer. Suddenly, Nici tripped on a tree root and flew forward as Cameron grabbed me. William was right there and socked him in the stomach, forcing him to let me go. Cameron staggered back but recovered in a flash and took a swing at William’s face with his fist, but William ducked and tried to flip him over.

"You traitor! His voice cracked when he yelled traitor! What’re you doing? I thought you were for us!"

At that moment, Sam and Jesse caught up and grabbed me from behind just as I was standing up. I knew I did not stand a chance with both of them. If it had been just one of them, especially Jesse, I could have eventually gotten away, even though they were both older than me. Then, out of nowhere, Melody tackled Sam from behind, allowing me to have a fighting chance.

You too, Melody?! Sam sounded betrayed.

Cameron had William in a headlock and brought his own face close to William’s. By now, Cameron was shaking with rage, ANSWER ME! he shouted at William as he tried, to no avail, to get free.

We’ve kept silent too long, Melody answered for William as she struggled against Sam, I against Jesse, and William against Cameron. The situation was getting worse and worse with every passing moment. Cameron now was almost choking William and he probably would have if, at that moment, the neighbor that did some work for us had not shown up.

Save your fight’n for later! he yelled and we all stopped. Cam released Will and Will gasped for air, almost collapsing, Come with me! Your dad wants to see you, he motioned and we followed; Will, Nici, Mel, and I keeping safe distances from the others.

When we entered the room where our dad was, I could see he did not want discussion but for us to just listen and leave. All of you are leaving for boarding school in Manitoba tomorrow, so get packed.

Won’t we be staying for the funeral? Mel asked timedly.

There won’t be a funeral, he shot back, annoyed. "Now … Get out! All of you!"

____________________

After packing, I crept out to be alone and release my emotions that had been caged in my heart like a wild animal all day. The greatest blow was that we were being sent to this new boarding school, which had been the plan already for that year, without being allowed to stay while the funeral happened; not that Nici and I, and now Will and Mel, would be allowed to attend anyway. Also, it hurt that Dad was not even having a funeral for Mom. After my emotions had simmered down a little, I sat in silence. Suddenly, I caught my breath when I heard footsteps.

Bella? I heard Nici’s voice and let my breath out.

Yeah, I replied as she came into the clearing with Will and Mel.

What’s up? I asked.

We just wanted to officially tell you two how sorry we are, Will began as the three sat down on the huge rock.

We know we need your forgiveness for all these years, Mel added.

I forgive you and you know it, I told them.

Yeah, Nici quietly agreed.

You also have my gratitude for what you did today, I continued and Nici nodded.

Will shrugged and said, It was years overdue.

We spent the rest of the day together, trying to avoid the others. Finally, we had supper and went to bed. Will slept somewhere else in the house that night instead of in the room he and Cam had formerly shared.

____________________

The next morning was September 3, 3030 and we left our home in southwestern Ontario on an electric train, bound for Winnipeg Boarding Academy. Will and I and Mel and Nici sat together. In a different train car, Cam sat alone with Sam and Jess sharing a seat just in front of him. We all did not have much luggage; each of us had only a backpack and shoulder bag with us. Once the train was moving, I pulled out my Bible from my backpack and opened it. I opened right to the page where my cross bookmark was without even trying to. Mom had crocheted it from soft baby blue yarn and lined the edges, including the circular hole in the middle, with pink lace. In that hole, there was a round rock type thing with our family’s picture on it from when Jess was just born. When I saw it, a tear fell from my eye, and when Will saw it, he put his arm around me and squeezed me slightly.

The rest of the one-hour journey, the four of us talked and read our Bibles together. The train station was right by the school door. Once in the room in between the outside and inside door, we swiped our cards, which had been electronically sent to us and we had printed on our 3D printer, in the slot and the door slid open automatically. Then, a robot ushered us to the hall cars and each of us got into one and swiped our cards in the slot, which made a host of options come up on the screen for us to choose from, the first of which was our room. Once in front of my dorm room’s double doors, I swiped the card once more in the slot and the double maple, heartwood doors, identical to all the others in the huge building, slid open. When I stepped inside, a girl with defiant sky blue eyes and swishing thick, straight blonde hair stepped out in front of me and gave me a shove up against the already closed door.

"There’s something you, she crinkled her nose, need to know." She put her face uncomfortably close to mine.

What’s that? I asked, uninterested.

"What a stupid question! She brought her face even closer and I moved slightly away, That is that I am the boss here and I am a princess, higher than first class … and you, she crinkled her nose again, are more like tenth. She spit when she emphasized the last th."

I smiled slightly and replied jokingly, "So, basically, you’re saying that you’re the king of the castle … and I’m the dirty rascal?"

She shoved me and held my shoulder against the door hard, but not hard enough that I could not have gotten away if I wanted to, but I decided not to try. I noticed that all eyes in the room seemed to be watching the two of us with some interest and had left their devices for the moment.

"Don’t be smart with me! she yelled and then added, You’d better mind your manners with me and you’ll have to make a choice about how much you’re willing to give if you’re a Christian, because, if I had my way, Christians would be wiped off the face of the planet by my own hand….You get my meaning?"

Yeah, I sighed, persecution for being a Christian was nothing new to me and I already knew how much I was willing to give, that is if she really meant it, which I hoped she did not, but the whole society was pretty hostile to Christianity. I was just bored with the whole conversation and asked, Can I go to my room now?

We’re not finished, her eyes narrowed. Sooner or later, if you’re a Christian, I’ll hunt you down and you’ll find out what pain and persecution are.

I was not really shaken by the conversation and walked to my room. I could feel the eyes of the others in the room follow me until I had entered the single door to my room in the big dorm room. The sight that met me slightly startled me when I entered the room. I had expected it to be vacant, but apparently, in this school, you had roommates and mine had chocolate brown eyes and wavy strawberry blonde hair. She did not seem to notice me as she lay on the bed facing the open window, sketching in an actual sketch book instead of on a device, and not listening to music except the music that was coming through the window from the birds outside.

Hey, I greeted her after I had laid down my things and as I walked over.

Oh. Hey! she replied, startled. Then, she patted the bed beside her, Come, sit beside me.

I came over and sat down and asked, puzzled, So … you don’t use anything but a sketchbook? And you don’t listen to music?

Well … yeah, she replied and added hesitantly, Before my parents died, they taught me to appreciate nature. They said that the bird’s orchestra beats any new junk music they come up with.

When’d your parents die? I asked softly and hesitantly.

Two summers ago, she told me. Then, the government sent me here to this absolutely awful place.

What’s so awful about it? I asked her out of curiosity.

Well, she began, I heard Julia met you at the door. She’s the first thing. Then, there are the teachers and principal, Mr. Garteen. They punish you for things you didn’t do, even if they know the truth, whenever Julia says you did something wrong; and I have to add that the punishment isn’t just something light and fluffy.

Then what is it? I asked again out of curiosity.

Well, she thought a moment for the wording, it’s actually illegal. Once you’re in the office, they give you a thrashing and lock you up in this cell thing underground for the rest the school day.

You’re joking, I told her, not believing her at all.

Oh, she half laughed. You’ll find out I’m right soon enough.

We talked some more until the supper buzzer rang, startling both of us. After supper, we were given the things we needed for school. I was in the habit of reading my Bible before I went to bed. I pulled it out while I waited to brush my teeth. I was rather absorbed in what I was reading and did not notice when Ivy, that was what I found out her name was but I called her Ive, came out of the bathroom.

Are you a Christian? she asked surprised, making me jump.

Uh yeah, I told her.

Well, I am blessed, she seemed relieved. I am too, and I need some real help trying to love Julia. Since you understand why, maybe you can help me.

Sure, I agreed. We can help each other. We both were smiling now, and it was a wonderful rest of the night. We went for a walk, talked, prayed, and read the Bible together. I explained to Ive about my situation family-wise and I introduced her to Nici, Mel, and Will. All of us planned to meet the next day to have a Bible study together, pray, work on homework, and to talk about things we could do to love Cam, Julia, Sam, and Jess.

____________________

The next two weeks went by slowly and were full of school work, plus jeering and insults from our brothers, Julia, and four other brothers who had joined forces with them. These brothers were Peter (17), Daniel (16), Mark (14), and Darren (13). We had come to call ourselves (Nici, Mel, Will, Ive, and I) the Team; and our brothers, the four other brothers, and Julia, the Side. Then came the second Friday, which was the first test. My stomach had tied itself into one huge knot but my heart was at peace. I was sitting right beside Julia, and that meant she was certainly going to accuse me of cheating. The teacher, of course, would not listen to me and would send me straight to the principal’s office, which I now knew was as bad as Ive had told me it was. But, like I said before, my heart was at peace and this was because I knew that Jesus was with me as always.

The first few minutes were stressful as I tried to get the test done before she decided to accuse me, even though I knew the chance of me succeeding was pretty much nil. I was right.

You cheater! she yelled and punched my left arm as hard as she could. The teacher practically flew over in rage and grabbed me by the front of my shirt, yanking me up and over the desk before I could even blink.

C’mon you, he yanked me along toward the door. This’ll teach you not to cheat.

Wait! I heard some boy from behind us say and the teacher spun around with me practically dangling from his hand. He dropped me and leapt over to where the boy stood. The boy had sky blue eyes and straight light blonde hair. He looked tiny compared to the huge man, but he held his ground with clear, unblinking eyes that seemed to slightly shake the teacher because he was used to people being afraid of him because of his size, especially students of our age and younger. I could see something in the boy’s eyes that told me he had been through much sorrow in his life but could still be joyful because of Jesus in his heart. She didn’t cheat, he told the teacher.

"You dare question me?!" he yelled in the boy’s face and I shivered as I sat on the floor frozen, wondering if the teacher would hurt him and, if so, how much. Even though I could not move, I prayed.

You’d better sit down before I send you to the office as well!

I won’t, he replied, his voice not even slightly raised, just certain and unmoving, She’s innocent.

Ahh, Julia mocked him. How sweet … standing up for your girlfriend.

The boy’s ears turned slightly red; I could tell he did not listen to things like that but stood for what was right. I finally found the strength to stand but I did not know what to do. I wanted to help the boy but I did not know how. Before I could speak, however, the teacher grabbed the boy and then me and dragged us to the principal’s office where we were beaten and then locked up in the dungeon. When we had been alone for a while, I spoke.

Thanks for trying to help me.

No problem.

No, I told him. You risked something for me. Your comfort, your grades.

I can make up for my grades, he paused. But this was a chance to show someone that I care and I want to be their friend.

I smiled in the darkness, I’m glad you did … and I’m glad you chose to live out your faith.

I heard him shift a little, probably from nervousness. Faith? he asked and he swallowed.

Yes, I persisted. That’s something I believe we share … I could see it in your eyes.

Really? he asked.

Yeah, I told him. I could see that you’ve been through quite a few sorrows, but still had the joy and peace that only Jesus brings … I can especially understand that because I’ve been through some things myself.

I then proceeded to tell him my story and he told me his. It turned out that James, that was what he told me his name was, was ten years old and had a twin brother named Justin. What really surprised me was that he and Justin were the other four members of Side’s younger brothers. The twins came from a family where their dad hated their mom and both their parents hated their kids, but them and their brothers defended each other. Then, the twins became Christians because of their grandmother and their brothers turned on them and their parents treated them even worse. Finally, the six of them were taken away by Social Services and sent to the school a week before school had started for the year 3030-3031.

Our sentence time passed fairly quickly and we actually rather enjoyed it. When we were released, we found Justin and I took the two of them to the daily Team meeting.

By Monday, which was the 27th of September, the twins had joined us as members of the Team and we had given them the nickname J’s. The previous night, all of us Team members had received on our computers a message saying, Your days are numbered. I had traced it to Julia, which was not a surprise. It was too simple, they could get rid of us and block the surveillance cameras when the cameras would otherwise record the incident. Julia would handle the cameras and the rest of the Side would do the dirty work.

James and I were in our history class and the teacher gave each of us a book entitled The Lost Ship that was Never Found. As soon as the teacher set the book on my desk and walked away, the pages flipped open by themselves and began to play a movie in front of my face. It began with the first spaceship that took off for Mars in 2030. It told of how it disappeared, but instead of ending there as the story always had when I heard it because no one had found the ship, the story continued. I sat