7. Sisi
7
SISI
F earing for her safety and that of her daughter, Lina decides to leave the convent and move in with her brother.
"I'm so sorry, Sisi," she whispers in my ear as she gives me one last hug.
"Don't! You need to think about Claudia." I try to reassure her, even though I have no idea how I'm going to survive this place without her.
I'd known from the beginning that she would leave at some point. But now that the moment has come, I find myself terrified at the prospect of being alone.
"Take this," she hands me her phone. "It has data, and you can call me any time."
"Lina..." I trail off, blinking rapidly to avoid crying.
"We'll see each other soon. I'm sure of that." She gives me one last smile before turning to go.
I say goodbye to Claudia too, and I can see the confusion in her eyes. Poor baby, she has no idea what's happening.
"We'll meet again," I whisper in her hair as I squeeze her in my arms.
Then... they're gone .
It takes me a while to get back to my previous rhythm, but their absence is like a gaping wound. During the day, I go about my work, but during the night, it's the worst. The deafening silence of the room is stifling, and I can barely fall asleep.
I miss hearing them breathe.
Even if we didn't talk, I knew they were there.
Now... It's just me.
The convent is trying to move past the Father Guerra incident, even though the nuns have become more and more inclined to believe in the occult. The number of ghost stories circulating around, or the fact that Father Guerra may have been the undead, would be funny if not for the fact that I have to return to an empty room at night.
I pride myself on being the type of person who doesn't have those sorts of fanciful notions. But late at night, even the smallest sounds, like the floor creaking, make me alert and on my guard.
"Damn it," I mutter to myself as I trudge my way back to the room after a full day of work. My muscles are aching, and my eyes are closing.
Already paranoid, I make sure to lock the door before changing my clothes and getting in bed. I'm fading in and out of sleep when the phone buzzes next to me.
Thinking it might be Lina, I quickly grab it and open it. There's one unread message. Frowning, I squint at the text, confused.
Congratulations! You've won a brand new iPhone. Follow the link to redeem the prize.
Did Lina sign up for something? I keep rereading the message, trying to think what to answer. I can't in good faith redeem the prize, since I could not have it shipped to Sacre Coeur anyway. Instead, I decide to craft a message advising them to choose another winner.
Thank you for your consideration. I, however, cannot accept such a gift. Another lucky person may benefit more from it. Please forward it to someone else .
Hitting send, I snuggle back under the pillow.
I barely get to close my eyes, though, when my phone buzzes again.
Congratulations! You've won a brand new iPad. Follow the link to redeem the prize.
I scroll up and realize this is a different number than before. Surely, Lina hadn't participated in so many contests.
I type up the same message and hit send.
When the next text comes, however, I'm not surprised. Instead, I'm starting to become suspicious.
Congratulations! You've won a brand new car. Follow the link to redeem the prize.
Different number, but the same text. The only difference is the prize. Annoyed at whoever is messaging me out of the blue, I decide to play their game.
The link does not work.
The screen immediately blinks to life with another text. This time, an answer.
My apologies. Please try this one.
My paranoia is through the roof at this point. They can't reply to my previous messages, but they promptly replace the link? Something isn't right. No one even knows this number aside from Lina and her brother. Unless...
My eyes widen at the possibility that it may be Father Guerra's relatives. What if they think Lina is on the receiving end?
The phone immediately drops from my hands, and I back away from it. But the more I think about it, the less it makes sense. Why would the mob send these ridiculous texts? Maybe it's simply a prank. To test my theory, I type up another text.
I'm sorry, but I am a nun and I have renounced all earthly possessions. I cannot claim such a prize.
I hit send and wait. Sure enough, another text. This time, from the same number.
Congratulations! You've won two gallons of Holy water from the Vatican. Follow the link to redeem the prize.
I stare at the screen with open-mouthed shock before suddenly bursting out laughing. They are mocking me now. Whoever is on the other end is definitely making fun of me. Well, game on.
Only two? How is that the same price as an iPhone? I feel cheated.
I smile cheekily at my reply, especially when I see that the stranger has texted back, finally ditching the format.
How many do you want?
You, Sir, are making fun of a poor nun. Don't you know it is a sin? You'll end up in Hell.
You don't seem too nunly to me. I hear communion wine is quite dangerous these days...
My smile dies on my lips as I read the message. This person knows... that can only mean one thing. Whoever is texting me knows I am not Lina. Dear Lord, maybe it is the mob. And maybe they know I helped Lina bury Father Guerra.
Did they send you to kill me?
Apprehensively, I hit send.
Kill you? No, too morbid. But you could click that link. No deaths involved. Promise.
Who could it be? If it's not someone Guerra sent, then who else?
Send me the Holy water with a Vatican certification and I may click the link.
Pushing my chin up, I feel a little proud of myself for not giving in. Instead, I power off the phone and I place it back in its hiding place.
If they don't plan on killing me, that's all the assurance I need.
Well, imagine my surprise when I open the door to leave for work the following morning.
Holy water. Two gallons of it.
Hanging from the neck of the bottle is a ribbon and a small note.
With love from Vatican City.
Incredulously, I look back and forth between the note and the water. Is it someone from the inside? It has to be; otherwise, no one would have been able to place the water here. The security at Sacre Coeur is tighter than a prison, so no outsider could have done this.
I do the only thing I can think of. I grab the phone, turn it on, and send another message.
Who are you?
Despite my initial reservations, the unknown number and I establish a routine of texting back and forth. I'm a little embarrassed to admit, even to myself, that I started craving the interactions simply because I'm lonely. It's funny how when Lina and Claudia had been around, I'd considered myself such a strong person and I'd confidently declared that I didn't need anyone. Yet the moment they disappeared from my life, I started leaning on a stranger...
Not my best moment.
Our interactions are not constant and consist mostly of him trying novel ways of getting me to click that damned link, and me not clicking it. But somehow they've become the highlight of my day.
I mean, when all I do is work and sleep, a little non-spiteful human interaction can do wonders. I'd even become a little reckless in that I'd started carrying my phone with me outside my room.
Congratulations! You've won a brand new cow. Follow the link to redeem your prize!
I shake my head at the message, quickly typing my reply and attaching a picture. When he'd seen that the regular prizes did not work, he'd started coming up with the craziest ideas, like the one at hand.
No thank you. I already have a cow.
I send a picture I'd snapped of Lizzy, my favorite cow, when I was milking her. The reply, though, doesn't surprise me in the least.
Congratulations! You've won a brand new ox to mate with your cow. Follow the link to redeem your prize!
A slight giggle escapes me, but I quickly compose myself when I see some nuns heading my way. Afraid of getting caught with the phone on me, I quickly dash toward the cemetery, since no one should be there today.
But just as I cross by the church, I hear a blood-curdling scream. I still, frowning. Before I know it, I'm dashing inside, opening the door and stepping toward the altar.
One of the younger sisters is on the floor, staring in front of her with shock. Her entire body is trembling as she tries to find her voice to scream again. When I turn my eyes to the source of her terror, my eyes widen.
"Lord," I whisper, almost dropping my phone.
Behind the altar, Sister Elizabeth's body is nailed to the wall, her habit wide open to reveal an empty chest cavity.
I take a step forward and note that her organs and everything that should have been inside of her are laid on the altar table.
I move closer, and the most striking feature jumps out at me.
The letter C is branded on her forehead .
"Lina..." My thoughts immediately lead me to Lina. Because this looks entirely too similar to how Father Guerra's body had been treated, the organs on display, the body ravaged by some type of wild beast.
I don't even think as I dial her number, afraid that this could have been intended for her.
"Lina," I start when she answers. "Something bad happened..."