Page 16 of Thots and Prayers

Eisley took a deep breath and shook her head. “Corrupt, fine, but don’t kill any of these innocent people.”

“Deal. Okay.” He went to her and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. “Just a little sinning today. Nothing major. Want to come with?” He looked at both of us and we scowled. “Oh, come on, you’re gonna wanna see this.”

Reluctantly, Eisley and I agreed to go.

“Only to make sure no one dies,” Eisley argued. We sat in the back like we had that first time and watched as the townspeople waded in. They were a lot more chipper than they’d been before. A few even paused to speak to us.

“Isn’t it so nice having Father Duvall here? He’s filled the void we’d felt after our previous priest fell ill,” a man said.

“Oh yes, and I like the changes he’s made. Small, but different.” His wife smiled. The man leaned over as if telling us a secret and winked.

“She bought a bottle of wine for home. I think someone may have a little crush.”

“Oh, Malachi, stop!” They hurried off, and we stared after them curiously. Everyone seemed to have good things to say about Constantine’s ministry, despite it being... bizarre.

We went through the motions of mass. I zoned out a lot. I’d read his sermons, they made no fucking sense, but still, the townspeople ate it up like it came from Jesus himself. They were desperate for any sense of security that came from being here with someone they considered knowledgeable. They thought they could trust Constantine, or Priest Duvall, but they were so far wrong they had no idea.

“A little birdie told me last night that we would have some virgins coming forward for their first communion tonight.”

The room tittered at the choice of the words. Constantine grinned wide, having chosen virgin on purpose. “Come forward, sons and daughters of Christ, and have your first taste of adulthood in the safety and comfort of your friends and families.” Constantine brought out a giant chalice and poured an entire bottle of red wine into it. A handful of people, seemingly our age, came forward, giggling nervously. My stomach tightened. What had he put in there?

We had many drugs in our bags. We were immortal now and had a lot of time to kill, why not have some fun? But weed was a lot less harmful than...

“What is it?” Eisley whispered to me. She was just as nervous as I was.

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

One by one, they drank, took a nibble of bread, and sat back down. I watched them cautiously for the rest of the service. One of them would react eventually, but I saw nothing. Finally, the mass ended and Constantine raised his arms to the sky.

“Ricefield, those of you who partook tonight in the blood of Christ, please stay. We will be meeting together to discuss what a relationship with Christ means to you, and how that can affect the relationships you have with other people. Domino, Koi, Mitch, stay please.”

Mitch’s face lit up as he darted a glance at Eisley. I clenched my fists but forced myself not to respond. I’d dealt with men fawning after what was mine for years. I knew she wasn’t going anywhere. Especially not with Mitch, the creepy fuck in love with his mother.

The townspeople left, smiling and chattering happily. A dozen of us remained, and Constantine took us into a side room, shutting and locking the door behind him.

There were chairs in a circle, and we each took a seat. Mitch sat across from Eisley and waved nervously. She waved back and sat there, silently fuming.

Constantine clapped his hands and walked into the center of the circle. “All right, now that the boring adults have left, the real deflowering can begin.”

“What?” One girl took on a panicked look and stood.

“Jennifer, we talked about this. Father Duvall says it’s okay.” The young man beside her tugged her back down.

“Yes, you’ve been taught your whole lives that pleasure and fun are bad, but I promise you, there is nothing wrong with enjoyment, in small doses,” he added, playfully winking at the group. It relaxed them.

“Now, to make sure you are safe, I will be here, guiding you through everything.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out a bag of small, round, white pills. Molly. He went to a girl and handed her one. “Take this, child, and think of it as the new body of Christ.”

Constantine gave the young people a Molly and blessed them, crossing their foreheads and all. He reached us and then pulled back with a wag of his finger.

“Not you.” He turned to the group. “You see, these two are here because they partook in the body of Christ too much. They are Sodomites, overindulging, acting selfishly, and losing their way. They will not get to enjoy tonight, but merely sit back and watch. Let them serve as a lesson that those that are greedy do not get into heaven.”

Was he fucking for real? I stared at him, trying to talk to him telepathically. He caught my eyes and laughed.

That bastard. That fucking bastard.

“When will we start to feel different, Father?” a girl asked.

There was a pause, and suddenly, another girl began to fan herself.

---