Chapter 13 #2
Then the sound banged again, thumping repeatedly.
My heart leapt into my throat as I fought to calm my nerves, while also identifying the source of the commotion.
Adjoined to the sanctuary was a small prayer room the size of a closet, all painted red save for a giant wooden cross that hung on its center wall.
I’d always felt a prayer room next to the sanctuary was redundant and imagined someone needing to pray so badly that they stopped short of the grand cathedral and instead opted for the quicker, smaller space.
The idea made me want to laugh at its humorous absurdity, but again, this church, like all others, was designed and built by men. And men had little sense at all.
The rattling continued as I inched closer.
I was also sure I heard a small scream that sounded identical to Sister Delilyx’s voice.
Beasts.
Howls.
Devils.
Satan.
Containing my tremor and fighting against the cold chill creeping down my body, I gripped the door handle.
God, if something happened to her or any of my sisters, I don’t know what I’d do.
They’d become my family in the two months I’d been at Altar Church.
If my sister was in trouble, I had to find her.
I had to work up the nerve to open the door.
With an inhale of resolve, I turned the knob and flung the door open.
A shriek echoed through the stone foyer.
I gasped, my eyes unable to take in all I was seeing.
Sister Delilyx was naked from the waist down, her tunic pulled up and over her shoulder…
and Sister Pandorian was in a similar state of undress.
Sister Pandorian had Delilyx up against the wall of the narrow prayer room, the blushing nun as crimson as the red room while her leg was draped over Sister Pandorian’s shoulder.
Their bodies tangled together in such a way, in such a small space, that they could not efficiently or expeditiously untie the way they’d locked their naked bottom limbs together.
It seemed as if they were grinding their pelvises together… a thought that had never occured to me, and an act that my Reverend Mother had never taught me.
It intrigued me at first.
Then, I gasped, looking over my shoulder before jumping into the room with them.
“Close the door!” Sister Pandorian demanded.
“I’m trying!” I whispered-yelled. Just stepping inside had me pressed up against both of them, the smell of sweat and sex heavy in the prayer room’s air. “What the hell are you two doing?”
“Praying.” Sister Delilyx giggled, her knee still firmly lodged over Sister Pandorian’s shoulder. I’d always suspected that they were intimate with each other, but I’d never had confirmation… until now. “Ouch, this is hurting my leg,” Delilyx complained through a huffy giggle.
Sister Pandorian barked at me. “Would you give us a hand? Oh, christ, I’m soaked.”
“Oh, christ, is right! If Reverend Mother found you, you’d both be toast right now!” I grabbed Sister Delilyx’s thigh and heaved it over Pandorian’s shoulder.
“Veilentine knows, new kid,” Sister Pandorian said as I shoved her against the opposing wall, giving Delilyx’s knee more room. “Though our choice of time and location would for sure get us kitchen scrubbing duty for a month.”
“You’re both late for sending in the next confession.
” I finally got Sister Delilyx’s leg unhooked and pulled down her dress while Sister Pandorian did the same with her own garb.
Through a delirious laugh I could hardly contain, I scolded without conviction, “You are both sinful, wicked fornicators.”
“You’re one to talk.” Sister Pandorian raised her eyebrows, looking sated despite the state I’d found them in. “We see the way you look at Sister Lilith… and if I didn’t know better, I thought I heard the pew behind us rocking this morning.”
My eyes widened. “I—I—”
Sister Delilyx patted my shoulder. “Thank you for the help. The hazards of scissoring should have been mentioned in the bible. No one warned me.” She shrugged as she reached for the door.
“Is that what that’s called?” I asked, intrigued as we all fell out the narrow door at once, falling into the corridor.
Above us stood Father Benedict and Reverend Mother. Reverend Mother’s eyes widened as she took in our red faces and surely the lingering just-fucked air. Father Benedict only looked confused, which wasn’t too different from his usual expression, honestly.
“What in the heavens?” Veilentine asked with an edge of disbelief and anger.
“We were, uh—” I stumbled to stand, holding onto Pandorian’s arm, who was helping Delilyx, who was fighting a very inappropriately timed giggle-fit. “Praying, Reverend Mother.”
Veilentine furrowed her brows and opened her mouth to respond when the booming voice of the man next to her spoke instead.
“God does say to pray and give thanks at all times, Sisters.” He looked to the line of parishioners who watched us in the corridor.
“Perhaps at confession we do not take that verse quite so literally. Though, I must say, I’m pleased to see the prayer room getting some use. It is always so dry in there.”
“It is no longer dry.” Sister Delilyx stifled a laugh, earning another warning glare from our prioress as we all stood straight backed.
“To your posts, Sisters… now.” Reverend Mother ordered us with thinly veiled ire. We obeyed, scattering in separate directions. The air of the sanctuary chilled against my warm skin as I scurried in, ushering Miss Gogh to the parishioner’s confession side.
Sister Lilith opened the door, her features etched in perplexity. “Where’d you disappear off to?”
“I couldn’t find Sister Delilyx and I… uh… I went to find her.”
“Is she all right?”
“Yes, she’s definitely doing just fine.”
It was then I decided I’d also like to explore the biblical hazards of scissoring someday as well. Perhaps just not in the prayer closet during confession.