“My name is Sister Agnes,” she says in a strict voice.
“Hello, Sister. My name is Aria.”
“I know. Follow me, and I’ll take you to your room,” she says, turning around and making her way down the pathway.Well, I can already tell that I won’t be having any fun here.
We walk until we reach another building, this one behind the church. We step through the door, and there’s an archway leading out, but I don’t get to see what’s past the arch because she steps up the stairs that are to the left of us. Once she’s at the top, she begins walking down the long corridor.
The only sound that can be heard through the silence is the sound of her shoes click-clacking as she walks ahead of me without checking to see if I’m still with her. Following her is my only choice, for now at least. The beams along the way have an arch design that makes it look uniform but also cold and uninviting. As I continue to walk behind her, I look to the right and see that there’s a big courtyard down below. I’m guessing that the archway downstairs leads out to the courtyard.
There’s a fountain in the middle, with benches around it, and other seating areas throughout the space. Getting a better view now, I can see that this building was made into a square surrounding the courtyard. I wonder what else there is to see here.
When we get to the end of the corridor, she turns right and walks a few more steps before coming to a stop in front of one of the doors. She opens it, steps inside, and I follow along.
“This is going to be your room for the duration of your stay here,” she tells me in a monotone voice.Wow! I feel so welcomed here already!
“Thanks,” I say, trying not to roll my eyes at her welcoming personality.
“As per your father’s request, you are not permitted to leave the grounds unless it’s an emergency or you have a doctor’s appointment, given your current condition. When you need to leave, one of the sisters will escort you. Tomorrow, we’ll go over the rules that you are required to follow while you’re here,” she says, before turning to leave.
Great! From one prison to the next…
My driver steps into the room, places my bags on the floor by the foot of the bed, then turns and leaves. I look around the room. There’s a bed, a writing desk and chair, a shelf with some books, and that’s about it. It’s pretty bare if you ask me. Two other doors in the room lead me to the bathroom, shower, and a small closet.
I’m already tired, so I guess I’ll unpack tomorrow. There’s a knock at my door, and I walk over and pull it open. No one is here, but I see someone left a tray of food for me. I bend down to grab the tray, and when I stand up again, I look out at the courtyard. At least they didn’t lock me in my room. Small mercies, I guess.
I take my tray and put it on the table, lifting the lid to take a look. It’s roasted chicken and vegetables. It looks good, but I’m not really hungry, so I cover it back up. I have no clue what to expect from this place. Based on what Sister Agnes said, this is just going to be another cage for me. Same thing, different walls. I can’t go anywhere, and I have no idea if there’s even anything to do here. This just sucks balls.
After all the emotional, physical, and mental turmoil that has plagued me over the last few days, and now being here, I decide to just take a shower and head to bed early. At least I have my own room. That should count for something, right? Maybe after some sleep, tomorrow will look brighter.
The next morning, once I’m presentable enough, I take a hesitant step out of my room, expecting a guard posted by mydoor or something, but I’m relieved to see that’s not the case. I look around and see that the corridors are as empty as they were last night, except for a few people milling around down in the courtyard.
I start to walk down the hallway, retracing my steps from last night because I have no clue where the hell I’m going. I’m halfway down the hall when Sister Agnes calls out to me, making me jump a little, as though I was just caught doing something wrong.
“Glad to see you’re finally up,” she tells me in what absolutely sounds like a “she’s disappointed in me” tone. “Let me show you around so you can get acquainted with the place.” I’m thinking that’s her normal voice, and she could lighten up a little. It definitely seems like she has a stick up her ass.Dear God, please forgive me for thinking that about a nun.
“Thanks, I appreciate it,” I tell her as I begin to follow behind her.
She shows me the recreation room, which is a decent size. Half of the room is set up for board and card games, and the other half is set up for movie nights with a big enough television. There’s also a library here and the classrooms for all the classes they provide that we have to attend against our will, or maybe that’s just me. She also takes me over to the church, quickly showing me the inside. Lastly, she shows me to the dining hall at the end of our tour, then starts to leave me to get breakfast.
“The only classes you have are religion and Bible study. Religion is on Wednesdays, and Bible study is on Fridays. You’re also required to attend Mass every Sunday. Other than that, you are free to do whatever you wish in this compound as long as you don’t cause any trouble,” she tells me.
“I understand.”
She walks away, and I’m left to watch her retreating form. A moment later, I shake myself out of my stupor and head insidethe dining hall for some food. I’m actually starving. I need to feed my baby girl. Sometimes I forget I’m eating for two now, and I didn’t end up eating the food last night.
I grab pancakes, eggs, sausage, and some milk, along with some juice, before heading to one of the tables. The sisters who are still eating are all together at one of the tables. No way in hell am I going to even attempt to sit there with them.
A few other girls are sitting at different tables. Some are together, and some are alone like me. I’m halfway through my breakfast when someone comes over and sits in the chair across from mine.
I look up to see a beautiful girl. She looks like we might be the same age, and she has a friendly smile.
“Hi. I’m Isabella,” she says.
“I’m Aria. Nice to meet you,” I say.
“Nice to meet you, too! You look like you need a friend, and no one wants to be here alone, without anyone to talk to. Trust me, it’s miserable.”
“I’ve only been here for a night, and I can already tell,” I mumble, and she laughs.
