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since0202 · 4 years ago

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Chapter 10: Alpha’s Orders

“So, she’s the spirit bird?” Jacob asked skeptically.

“Apparently.” Sam shrugged.

They were all back at Sam and Emily’s bungalow.

“Oh ye of little faith.” Grace said confidently, smiling up at Jake. He smiled back. His eyes kept darting to her wrist where he had grabbed her so hard last night in his pre-phase anger. Grace could see it was bothering him and kept sliding her sleeve over her wrist to deter him focusing too much on it. They hadn’t had a minute alone yet.

“So, he imprinted right?” Jared questioned the group. Paul stood with his arms crossed by the counter looking down with Emily next to him. Sam held up his hands.

“I’m not sure, looked like it. But when we phased it didn’t feel the same, did it?” Sam said uncertain. Paul and Quil hadn’t imprinted but Jared had on Kim. Sam and Jared could sense that the connection didn’t feel quite like imprinting based on their own shared similarities with the feeling.

“Do you feel drawn to her?” Jared asked Jacob.

Jake looked to Grace, “I mean yeah, but don’t you all feel that?”

This was accurate. All of the pack had a similar pull that Grace experienced, but that was part of the protect and shield qualities of being the spirit bird. They were a team so they were all meant to be near one another and protect each other. Jacob’s connection felt more intense though than Sam’s and it made Sam uneasy.

Jared and Sam gave each other a look. Paul shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other keeping his gaze on the ground.

“Yeah, but is it like-”

“Gravity?” Sam finished Jared’s statement, his eyes darting over to Emily.

“Jesus, if he said he doesn’t know then he doesn’t know!” Paul spat. Everyone turned to look at him.

“You okay?” Jake asked Paul. As he said this, Jake’s hand rested unconsciously on Grace’s lower back as a form of comfort at Paul’s outburst. This seemed to rattle Paul further. A shiver ran through him and he charged out the front door. Grace took an automatic step forward as if to go after him, and in her head she called out ‘Wait!’ to him.

Jake looked to Grace for an answer but she shook her head.

“It’s not gravity, it’s something else.” Jake said after a moment to the tense room. Grace nodded in agreement. It wasn’t gravity, but it was something.

Grace nodded in agreement and whispered “Something.”

At this, Jacob wrapped his arms above her shoulders and pulled her to him. Sam nodded at Jared to go after Paul, understanding that this was the extent of their answers for the day. Things would unfold in time. He watched Jacob warily from his space across the room and Grace could feel the tensions he was trying hard to dissuade from hackling and raising in his body.

------

They spent the day out in the forest and around the beach. Grace showed Jacob how she could recast herself in different parts of the forest. Each time that she recast to her original spot next to Jacob on the beach, she hit the same mark every time. Sam took notice and raised an eyebrow. Grace gave him a sheepish look.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t been trying before now, Jacob’s presence was so much more distinct to her. When Paul couldn’t be persuaded to come back, Grace was disheartened.

“Let me try,” she said. Sam shook his head and to this Grace frowned.

“He needs to cool off. I’m not going to put you in the line of fire like that.” Sam declared. To this she scoffed,

“Line of fire? Like he would ever hurt me.” Even when she said it out loud she knew it was true. She had developed a close friendship with Paul since he was usually her designated driver home at the end of the night. They had spent the short ride back to her house talking about what they planned to do, what they liked, what their favorite colors were, and what was the easiest way to get under Sam’s skin.

Grace turned up the beach to get to the tree line.

“Grace, I said no.” Sam said sternly. To this Grace automatically halted and turned to face him. When Sam used his Alpha voice it was almost impossible to ignore it. She hated this feeling, it felt like turning to stone, or being lashed with leather straps that held her to the ground so she couldn’t move until she resolved to do the thing she was commanded to. When she realized what was happening early in her training, Paul had explained how it was the Alpha command and any time Sam did that, you didn’t have a choice. Paul had found the only way to get around it--get as far away from Sam as possible before a command was thrown at you.

Seemed like Paul had the right idea.

Grace gritted her teeth as she glowered at Sam. “Are you serious?” she eeked out. Jacob was frozen in place looking from Sam to Grace. He couldn’t move against an Alpha command either.

“Don’t I look serious?” he asked and then quickly followed with, “Yes.” in the Alpha tone again. Grace crumbled inside. If she could recast in this moment to wherever Paul was, she would do it right now just to spite Sam. But she was shackled in place until she obeyed. Jake walked up to her and touched her arm reassuringly.

“He’ll be back later. And if he’s not, we’ll go look for him,” Jacob looked to Sam for confirmation and nodded with a pained look on his face.

“You should head on home, Grace,” Sam said decisively, “We won’t need you for training just yet since we still need to acclimate Jacob.” He looked to Jacob, Grace still frozen in place stubbornly. “Make sure she gets back and meet us in the clearing.” He gave a curt nod to Grace and headed off, phasing just beyond the tree line.

Jacob turned to look at Grace worriedly.

“Grace-”

She threw her head back and let out a guttural scream. Jacob, startled, took a step back and watched her, not sure how to help. When she finished she gave a dramatic groan and stomped her foot. Jacob let out a relieved laugh.

“Don’t laugh!” she cried out.

“I’m sorry,” Jacob as he was unable to hide a smile.

“I absolutely hate when he does that.” Grace stated looking down at her shoes.

“Yeah, well. Alpha’s orders right?” he said, a little unsure. “Come on,” he nudged her forward and when she gave him an incredulous look, he laughed and and wrapped his arm around her waist to guide her forward instead. She responded by wrapping both of her arms around his torso and walking awkwardly with him up the beach.

When he closed her driver’s side door for her, he held onto the window frame and let his eyes fall to her wrist. A light purple splotch of pruises had started to appear around where he had squeezed the previous night.

“Grace,” he whispered, his eyes never leaving her wrist. “I’m-”

“Don’t. Really. It’s okay,” Grace reassured giving him a small smile. To this he reacted in anger.

“It’s not okay. If anyone else had done this to you, I would have ripped their throat out by now.”

“Sweet image,” Grace joked.

“But the fact that it was me who did this to you, makes me sick.” Jacob was getting worked up now. She put her hand over his.

“Jake, let it go. I know that you didn’t mean to hurt me. You were in the throws of pre-phase anger and I put myself in the middle of it. It’s okay. If I say it’s okay and that I forgive you, you have to let it go. Spirit bird’s orders,” She held her hand up in a boy scout salute.

He rolled his eyes in mock annoyance and hoisted himself up and through the window to plant a quick kiss on her cheek before hopping down and jogging toward the tree line.

“Call me later, little red,” he called out, not looking back. She turned the key in the ignition and smiled.

---

When she got back to the house and placed her keys in the little bowl by the front door, Bella stumbled down the steps, her face red and puffy. Immediately Grace panicked. Was he back? Did he call? Why had she been crying?

“Bella?”

“Is he okay?” Bella asked. Grace breathed out a sigh.

“Yeah, I mean, I think he’s okay.”

“Billy said he was sick,” Bella said, a little confused. Grace hesitated while she quickly tried to gather a believable story. But not quick enough, “I’m gonna go see him.” Bella moved around her to reach for the keys.

“Wait!” Grace finally spoke. “He….he has mono. You shouldn’t go. Plus, I don’t think Billy would let you in to see him right now. He wouldn’t even let me in,” Grace lied. Her stomach squirmed--she hated lying, especially to Bella. She was particularly perceptive. Bella raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Mono?”

“Yes.” Grace said more forcefully.

“But you said you thought he was okay?”

“I mean, I assume so. Billy wouldn’t let me see him either. He was sleeping when I went over there. Explains the fever.” Grace offered. Bella put the keys down, still eyeing Grace. Keep your cool. Grace told herself. Years of sneaking out and practicing the tone of voice when she would tell her mother where she had been and what she had been doing in Oklahoma had trained her for this very moment. Keep and even face, maintain eye contact, channel calm.

Bella gave a resolved sigh, “okay.” and climbed back up the stairs. Grace let out a breath of relief that she didn’t realize she had been holding. When she looked at the landline phone in the kitchen and then back to the stairs where Bella had receded, she quietly cursed herself.

She picked up the keys again and shouted “I’ll be right back” quickly up the stairs before she hopped down the front steps and to the truck. There was no way Grace could be caught calling Jacob on the landline, especially if he was told to keep his distance from Bella, which Sam would have told him he had to do now that he phased. She needed a cell phone.

-----

Even with the cell phone, Grace had a hard time reaching Jacob or even Sam. They were out consistently training and acclimating Jake much more seriously than they had when Quil phased. And for the first time since she had realized what she was, Grace felt wholly left out of the pack’s inner workings.

What was worse, Bella was in a new state of mourning. Her new found friendship (?) with Jake was on the rocks considering he wasn’t allowed to see her and wasn’t returning any of her desperate calls. Grace would give her a sad smile when she saw her on the kitchen phone or clip her cell shut after yet another text went unanswered from him.

“It’s fine, I’m sure he’s fine,” Grace tried to reassure her after a week of silence. But she herself was also suddenly in the dark. This felt intentional on Sam’s part and she wasn’t entirely sure why.

“Have you heard from him at all?” Bella asked, one arm wrapped around her midsection as if she was trying to hold herself together. Grace hesitated.

“No,” she answered honestly.

“Maybe we should just go down there,” Bella looked to Grace for confirmation that this would be a good idea. But Grace couldn’t seem to find a solid answer.

“Let’s just wait a little bit.” Grace said, trying to buy them more time.

Why was she buying Sam time? He was blocking her out too. Jake hardly returned Grace’s text messages and when he did, he said he was too exhausted to talk or had just missed her calls while training. A wolf can’t carry a cell phone around with them easily. She was trying to be understanding, but the deep pain was growing again. Whether Jake realized it or not, he was calling out to her while telling her to stay behind. She was missing that certain feeling she always felt when she was around him. She missed his warmth.

Bella gave her a look at disappointment and stared at her feet.

“If we haven’t heard anything by next Friday, we’ll go down there together and bust the door down.” Grace promised. Bella nodded and they climbed the stairs together.

That week, in between classes, Grace snuck outside to try and call Emily again.

“Hello?” Emily’s bright voice answered.

“Emily! It’s Grace. Is Sam there? He hasn’t been returning my calls and every time I’ve stopped by the house is dark.” Grace let all of the words tumble out at once. She had made a couple of attempts down the rez when she could sneak away without Bella or Charlie noticing at night. But every time she showed, there didn’t seem to be anyone home. When she would go into the woods to recast, she felt no sign of the wolves anywhere nearby.

She did however feel an extremely unfamiliar and unsettling presence. A coldness that lingered in her bones long after she left the reservation.

“Oh, Grace. Hi!” Emily said a little enthusiasm pulling from her voice. Grace picked up on this and frowned. “Um, Sam’s not here right now.” a pause, “Maybe try tonight? I think he’s just been busy running drills.” A pause.

“Bullshit.” Grace finally said.

“Excuse me?” Emily’s voice piqued in that way a mother’s would.

“You heard me,” Grace pushed back. This was getting ridiculous. “He’s there and he’s been avoiding me. Let him know this is a warning. If he doesn’t get back to me, he’s not going to like the next time we see each other.” Grace threatened. She had no idea what exactly she was threatening but a heat rose up in her so strongly that she could feel the ground shiver under her feet.

Another pause.

“Okay.” Emily said.

“Great.” Grace clicked her phone closed and ran a hand through her hair. It was looking more and more like she and Bella would be taking the ambush approach. But why she even needed to take this route was even more confusing. Weren’t they a team? Why was she all of the sudden on the outs? She vowed to get to the bottom of it and hoped against hope that when they showed up on the reservation the wolves would at least be around for her to track. She’d have to find a way to ditch Bella in the process though which didn’t fill her with ease.

---------

SMS Text – 9:42 pm : Sam

I promise I will clue you in on everything once we get a handle on the situation.

SMS Text – 9:47 pm : Grace

What situation? I can be on the rez in 20 minutes to talk.

SMS Text – 9:56pm : Sam

No, don’t come to the rez now.

I’ll come to you this weekend.

Promise

SMS Text – 10:07 pm : Grace

I know one of them is there Sam.

I felt it when I came to the rez looking for you guys.

They’ve crossed our lines.

I’m nowhere near ready and I haven’t even trained with Jake.

We’re out of time and I’m not waiting on you.

SMS Text – 10:09 pm : Sam

Don’t come to the rez again until I say.

Alpha’s orders.

SMS Text – 10:11 pm : Grace

You know that doesn’t work via text right?

SMS Text – 10:15 pm: Sam

I mean it Grace.

Grace rolled over in her bed where she had been frantically texting Sam from and dropped her phone on the bed beside her. This was really getting old. It was already Wednesday and Friday was fast approaching. It took all of her energy to keep Bella from going down to the reservation every day and now Sam was trying to Alpha her via text message to stay away. That wasn’t happening. She started to drift off after thinking of how many ways she wanted to strangle Sam when her phone lit up with a new text.

SMS Text – 11:02 pm – Jacob

Don’t come to the reservation right now, it’s not safe.

We’re taking care of it.

Grace stared at the double text for a solid minute and rolled her eyes before deciding to clip it shut and turn over to go to sleep. Okay, this was getting really really really old.

----

On Thursday during lunch, Grace was laughing with Angela and Jessica about a comment Mr. McCarthy had made in their English class while Bella quietly ate her food and nodded every now and then at Mike and Eric’s conversation about dirt bikes. This momentary distraction gave Grace some much needed relief from the drama of the past week.

Grace got up to take her trash to the trash can that sat by the double doors that led outside and down the staircase to the parking lot when she saw a familiar figure. Confused, but elated, she glanced back at the lunch table making sure everyone was preoccupied before she slipped out into the drizzle and bounded down the steps. Leaning against his old forerunner with a light sweatshirt and cargo shorts was Paul.

When Grace got down the last of the steps she took off running and launched herself at Paul who gladly responded and laughed grabbing onto her and hugging her back.

“Oooh, it’s good to see you,” he muffled.

“You too! I was starting to think you guys didn’t exist. How are you?” Grace said as she pulled back and took a step back too look at him.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Really? Because I haven’t seen you since you took off on the beach that day. What happened?” Grace asked gently.

“It’s nothing, just lost my temper is all.” Paul played it off crossing his arms. “Anyway, I came to talk to you.”

“Oh?” Grace said surprised. “You and no one else it seems. Everyone’s ducking me.” Grace crossed her arms to mirror Paul. He smiled and looked at the ground.

“Yeah, well not me. I don’t agree with Sam keeping you out of the loop with what’s going on right now.”

“Thanks,” Grace breathed, genuinely surprised. Paul was always kind to her, but this was him going directly against Sam it seemed even if there wasn’t a specific order. Maybe Sam didn’t think he need to give one about this.

“You’re welcome,” Paul looked at her with an intense warming look that made Grace blush. Okay, get a grip Grace. She said to herself. “Anyways, I’m sure you already picked up on this, but a vampire has been on our land. We’re tracking her but she keeps bouncing in and out. She’s fast.”

“I assumed as much. But wait, why doesn’t Sam want me there for that?!” Grace asked.

“Weeeeeell,” Paul looked everywhere but at her.

“Hey! I thought you said you came here to tell me what’s up?” Paul looked at her and reconsidered for a half second. “Paul. Come on.” she almost begged. To this he perked up and gave her a smile.

“Sam doesn’t want you on the rez for two reasons. The first reason is because he’s feels you’re untested and is worried you’ll get hurt. Jacob agrees.” Paul threw in that last bit and tapped his foot nervously.

Grace fumed. So this was some weird helicopter wolfing. Some ridiculous plot to protect the protector. She was only untested because Sam had stopped the training as soon as Jake phased and now she was left out of the loop. She bit the inside of her cheek, crossed her arms and kicked at the pavement.

“And? What else?” Grace said, trying to keep her voice even and failing.

“And the second reason I’m not at liberty to say.” Paul said this slowly. Grace’s eyes shot up to his face and her anger was palpable.

“Are you fucking serious?” Paul was taken aback a little by Grace’s reaction. She was so fed up with the Alpha orders.

“I-” Paul started.

“Sam gave a specific order not to share information with me?!” Grace’s voice started to rise.

“Hey, come here. It’s okay. It’ll blow over.” Paul crossed the short distance between them and wrapped her in a hug, but she was done. She pushed away from him and turned quickly, making her way back up the staircase.

“I have class, I gotta go.”

“Grace!” Paul called after her. As she reached the side doors of the cafeteria, she heard him slam his car door and peel out of the parking lot.

Sam was in for a rude awakening if he thought he could install orders to distance her from her destiny.

#twilight #twilightfanfiction #fanfic #chapter 10 #a monster lives here #jacobblack #jacobblackxoc #edward cullen #bella swan #new moon #jacob black #paul lahote #the pack

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dfroza · 5 years ago

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the sacred writing of Scripture

has been conserved to illuminate the significance of grace and its True story of which my own heart mirrors in becoming a book. we are each writing a book that holds the True story of our lives played out on earth, and Heaven’s grand Library is full of books that wait to be opened, exposing our lives for what they truly are. and to be marked by grace is the path of the Son that leads the heart “Home”

and with August 19 of ‘19 being day 231 of the year it reminds me of Psalm 23:1 that was printed on an envelope for Dayspring cards when i worked at Love envelopes, inc. in Tulsa, Oklahoma

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I have everything I need.”

and we do need Love. to be sure. and God is Love who inspires us to “believe...” and to do things as well.

A point that is seen in Today’s reading with chapter #2 of the book of James:

[The Royal Rule of Love]

My dear friends, don’t let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated faith. If a man enters your church wearing an expensive suit, and a street person wearing rags comes in right after him, and you say to the man in the suit, “Sit here, sir; this is the best seat in the house!” and either ignore the street person or say, “Better sit here in the back row,” haven’t you segregated God’s children and proved that you are judges who can’t be trusted?

Listen, dear friends. Isn’t it clear by now that God operates quite differently? He chose the world’s down-and-out as the kingdom’s first citizens, with full rights and privileges. This kingdom is promised to anyone who loves God. And here you are abusing these same citizens! Isn’t it the high and mighty who exploit you, who use the courts to rob you blind? Aren’t they the ones who scorn the new name—“Christian”—used in your baptisms?

You do well when you complete the Royal Rule of the Scriptures: “Love others as you love yourself.” But if you play up to these so-called important people, you go against the Rule and stand convicted by it. You can’t pick and choose in these things, specializing in keeping one or two things in God’s law and ignoring others. The same God who said, “Don’t commit adultery,” also said, “Don’t murder.” If you don’t commit adultery but go ahead and murder, do you think your non-adultery will cancel out your murder? No, you’re a murderer, period.

Talk and act like a person expecting to be judged by the Rule that sets us free. For if you refuse to act kindly, you can hardly expect to be treated kindly. Kind mercy wins over harsh judgment every time.

[Faith in Action]

Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.”

Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.

Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?

Wasn’t our ancestor Abraham “made right with God by works” when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn’t it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are “works of faith”? The full meaning of “believe” in the Scripture sentence, “Abraham believed God and was set right with God,” includes his action. It’s that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named “God’s friend.” Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?

The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot. Wasn’t her action in hiding God’s spies and helping them escape—that seamless unity of believing and doing—what counted with God? The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse.

The Book of James, Chapter 2 (The Message)

A chapter paired with Jeremiah 23 that speaks of the significance of holding to the truth in Love rather than making up a lie:

“I know what they’re saying, all these prophets who preach lies using me as their text, saying ‘I had this dream! I had this dream!’ How long do I have to put up with this? Do these prophets give two cents about me as they preach their lies and spew out their grandiose delusions? They swap dreams with one another, feed on each other’s delusive dreams, trying to distract my people from me just as their ancestors were distracted by the no-god Baal.

“You prophets who do nothing but dream—

go ahead and tell your silly dreams.

But you prophets who have a message from me—

tell it truly and faithfully.

What does straw have in common with wheat?

Nothing else is like God’s Decree.

Isn’t my Message like fire?” God’s Decree.

“Isn’t it like a sledgehammer busting a rock?

“I’ve had it with the ‘prophets’ who get all their sermons secondhand from each other. Yes, I’ve had it with them. They make up stuff and then pretend it’s a real sermon.

“Oh yes, I’ve had it with the prophets who preach the lies they dream up, spreading them all over the country, ruining the lives of my people with their cheap and reckless lies.

“I never sent these prophets, never authorized a single one of them. They do nothing for this people—nothing!” God’s Decree.

The Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 23:25-32 (The Message)

to be concluded with wisdom from chapter 19 of the book of Proverbs for August 19 that includes a point of inspiration in expressing patience & kindness in a world gone mad:

It’s better to be honest, even if it leads to poverty,

than to live as a dishonest fool.

The best way to live is with revelation-knowledge,

for without it, you’ll grow impatient and run right into error.

There are some people who ruin their own lives

and then blame it all on God.

Being wealthy means having lots of “friends,”

but the poor can’t keep the ones they have.

Perjury won’t go unpunished,

and liars will get all that they deserve.

Everyone wants to be close to the rich and famous,

but a generous person has all the friends he wants!

When a man is poor, even his family has no use for him.

How much more will his “friends” avoid him—

for though he begs for help, they won’t respond.

Do yourself a favor and love wisdom.

Learn all you can,

then watch your life flourish and prosper!

Tell lies and you’re going to get caught,

and the habitual liar is doomed.

It doesn’t seem right when you see a fool

living in the lap of luxury

or a prideful servant ruling over princes.

A wise person demonstrates patience,

for mercy means holding your tongue.

When you are insulted,

be quick to forgive and forget it,

for you are virtuous when you overlook an offense.

The rage of a king is like the roar of a lion,

but his sweet favor is like a gentle, refreshing rain.

A rebellious son breaks a father’s heart,

and a nagging wife can drive you crazy!

You can inherit houses and land from your parents,

but a good wife only comes as a gracious gift from God!

Go ahead—be lazy and passive.

But you’ll go hungry if you live that way.

Honor God’s holy instructions

and life will go well for you.

But if you despise his ways and choose your own plans,

you will die.

Every time you give to the poor you make a loan to the Lord.

Don’t worry—you’ll be repaid in full for all the good you’ve done.

Don’t be afraid to discipline your children

while they’re still young enough to learn.

Don’t indulge your children or be swayed by their protests.

A hot-tempered man has to pay the price for his anger.

If you bail him out once,

you’ll do it a dozen times.

Listen well to wise counsel

and be willing to learn from correction

so that by the end of your life

you’ll be known for your wisdom.

A person may have many ideas concerning God’s plan for his life,

but only the designs of his purpose will succeed in the end.

A man is charming when he displays tender mercies to others.

And a lover of God who is poor and promises nothing

is better than a rich liar who never keeps his promises.

When you live a life of abandoned love,

surrendered before the awe of God,

here’s what you’ll experience:

Abundant life. Continual protection.

And complete satisfaction!

There are some people who pretend they’re hurt—

deadbeats who won’t even work to feed themselves.

If you punish the insolent who don’t know any better,

they will learn not to mock.

But if you correct a wise man,

he will grow even wiser.

Children who mistreat their parents

are an embarrassment to their family and a public disgrace.

So listen, my child.

Don’t reject correction

or you will certainly wander from the ways of truth.

A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice,

for the wicked never play by the rules.

Judgment is waiting for those who mock the truth,

and foolish living invites a beating.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 19 (The Passion Translation)

my reading from the Scriptures for August 19, day 60 of Summer and day 231 of the year:

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newyorktheater · 5 years ago

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Now is the time when interest in Broadway is at its peak, piqued by the three-hour TV commercial for Broadway known as the 2019 Tony Awards.

Get tickets to attend the Tony Awards in person!

I regularly get asked for recommendations, especially from out-of-towners planning a trip to New York. When I try to explore the person’s tastes, they typically say to me “I just want you to pick the shows for me.” So here are ten (plus several “bonus” selections.)

THREE NEW PLAYS

The Ferryman Bernard B. Jacobs Theater (242 W 45th Street New York, NY 10036) Opened: October 21, 2018 Twitter: @TheFerrymanBway

Theatergoers have only until July 7, 2019 to see this feast of Irish storytelling in a breathtaking mix of genres – from suspenseful thriller to family saga to ghost story to history lesson to morality tale. Now with an American cast, this play by Jez Butterworth and directed by Sam Mendes tells the story of Quinn Carney (Brian d’Arcy James) who was once a member of the Irish Republican Army but is now a farmer with a sprawling brood — but on this day of the annual Harvest, his past comes back to threaten him.

Tickets to The Ferryman

To Kill A Mockingbird Shubert Theater (225 W 44th Street, New York, NY 10036) Opened: December 13, 2018 Twitter: @mockingbirdbway

Aaron Sorkin has adapted Harper Lee’s beloved novel to focus more on the murder trial of an unjustly accused black man who is defended by Atticus Finch (Jeff Daniels.) But Scout (Celia Keenan-Bolger), her brother Jem (Will Pulled) and her friend Dill (Gideon Glick) still feature in the show, all played by adults.

Tickets to To Kill A Mockingbird

What The Constitution Means To Me Helen Hayes Theater Opened: March 31, 2019 Twitter: @constitutionbwy

Fifteen-year-old Heidi Schreck earned enough money for her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. Now she re-creates one such competition, portraying herself, as a way to explore the relationship between the document and four generations of women in her own family — and by extension all women. This smart, informative, funny and moving play has engendered an almost cult-like devotion, serving as a kind of communal salve for the politically shell-shocked and disaffected. It ends on Broadway on August 24, 2019.

Tickets to What The Constitution Means To Me

Bonus Play

Opened last season:

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Lyric Theater (213 W. 42nd St., New York, NY 10036) Opened: April 22, 2018 Twitter: @HPPlayNYC

This continuation of the saga of the boy wizard is really for (the legions of) Potter fans, but the special effects are awe-inspiring:

Tickets to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

THREE NEW MUSICALS

Hadestown Walter Kerr (219 W 48th Street, New York, NY 10036) Opened: April 17, 2019 Twitter: @hadestown

This sung-through musical taking place in Hell adapts the Greek myth of retrieving his wife Eurydice from the Underworld. Anaïs Mitchell’s score features sweet and sexy folk music, rocking jazz, and down-home blues.

Tickets to Hadestown

Oklahoma!, Broadway 2019

Oklahoma! Circle in the Square Theater (235 W 50th Street NYC) Opened: April 07, 2019 Twitter: @OklahomaBway

This is of course not a “new” musical, but this fifth Broadway revival of the landmark musical, directed by Daniel Fish, offers such a different interpretation that it feels like new. It’s a darker take, and the music is countrified, with a small on-stage band (and some of the performers) playing fiddle, accordion, banjo guitar.

Tickets to Oklahoma!

Ain’t Too Proud The Life and Times of The Temptations Imperial Theater (249 West 45th St. NYC) Opened: Mar 21, 2019 Twitter: @AintTooProud

Fans of 1960’s Motown are in for a treat in this musical whose performers can sing and dance as well as the Temptations — and act too.

Tickets to Ain’t Too Proud

Bonus Musicals

Opened in previous seasons:

My Fair Lady Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont (150 W. 65th St) Opened April 19, 2018 Twitter: @MyFairLadyBway

If you haven’t seen Laura Benanti in this fourth Broadway revival of the Lerner and Lowe musical, you have only until July 7th to do so.

Tickets to My Fair Lady

Dear Evan Hansen Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th St.) Opened: December 04, 2016 Twitter: @DearEvanHansen

Evan Hansen is an anxious high school student with no real friends who becomes the center of attention when a classmate he barely knew commits suicide and, through a misunderstanding, people think that Evan was his best friend. Evan turns that misunderstanding into a lie, and the lie gets out of hand. The musical offers insights into an array of issues, from adolescent insecurity to the downside of social media, while keeping us emotionally engaged with the characters. The songs by Pasek and Paul are tuneful and deeply felt.