Page 58 of Nine Inch Nasty
“Mom—”
“No! You will not talk back to me here. This ismychurch.Myhome. Iwillget respect here, if nowhere else.”
“Well, I was about to start my spiel off with, ‘with all due respect,’ but clearly you don't hold any for us, so I'm not sure why I should hold any for you. I've been sent here on a mission by the goddess herself.”
“Heresy! She knows not what she says! The goddess would never use a woman likethisto spread her message!” Wil's mother starts stepping toward me, and I'm kind of rooting for her to trip on the steps, but unfortunately, karma must be booked elsewhere.
If I could make the goddess possess me on demand, now would be a great time for that to happen. That's not going to happen though, because I'm pretty sure just speaking through me earlier wiped out the power she had built up in this realm.
I ignore the enraged people at the pulpit and focus my attention among the congregation. They're the people that really need this message the most. The people that are potentially more easily influenced by bad ideas. “If I don't look familiar to you, it's because I've always tried to avoid the media. You'll know my mother though. Queen Gabriella.”
I wait for the commotion to settle down before I speak again. It seems like some people are interested in what I have to say, but a lot of them are angry that I'm here at all. And sure, maybe my outfit is making things worse, but like, it's vital to my mission that I have quick access to my marble toy. If I decide that’s the only route to take.
“I find it highly inappropriate to air familial affairs in front of all of you. I must apologize to my mate, Wil, for being used in such a cruel way by his own parents. Nothing about my relationship with Wil has been improper. No, I will not be sharing our personal matters to entertain all of you and allow you to pick them apart. What you need to know though, is Wil’s mother doesn't approve of me, even though I am the goddess's own chosen one. I am to be her new voice. If Mrs. Murdock doesn't want that for her child, I ask you, what would be good enough?”
I return my attention to his mother, hoping something will cut through and diffuse the situation, but I'm pretty sure we're past that. She's already decided she's going to hate me, and nothing's going to change that. I'm giving her son the confidence that she took away, so he's able to think for himself finally and make decisions that don't align with what she's instilled in him.
“As you can see, the goddess has blessed me with 11 mates. I know, practically unheard of. But the goddess does not want us to tear each other apart out of hate. I listened to today’s message for a moment, and maybe I'm missing some context, but it sounds like this man would have you believe that the goddess wants us to be without any sort of human urges.
“We are called to love. The goddess gave us mates, and for those of us that aren't conduits, we can emulate that with marriage. It is one thing to expect your children to be respectful when courting a potential partner, it's another thing entirely to misjudge a situation and attack people for something you weren't even there for. But I digress. The long and short of it is, Wil and I are officially mated under the eyes of the goddess. There can be nothing improper between us because we share a soul.
“The goddess has shared concerns with me about this congregation because of how much hate it is generating. So much so in fact, that has spurred on a complete alter ego of the goddess. One that poses a real threat if it's not kept under control.
“That's why I'm here today, trying to intercede. I'm not a member of this church, and I cannot say for certain, but I'm willing to bet that many of the messages you guys receive here are ones that provided you with some sort of hope and positivity. I would hope that by coming here, you'd be feeling refreshed and loved by the goddess, not beaten down and shameful.”
I let that sink in, and I can see people shifting in their seats, and I know I've struck a nerve. Their pastor now approaches me, and I can tell he's just chomping at the bit to get me off his stage and away from his people.
So, I’ll kill him with kindness. I extend my hand. “Delaney Wilder, Sir.”
That's the first time I've used my mated name, but it feels good. It’s tradition to take the first mate's name, even if the first mate became the first mate by trickery.
“Pastor Bob. I don't appreciate you coming in here uninvited and speaking to my congregation like this. It is hardly appropriate. We don't allow young ladies to go up on this stage, either. I kindly ask you to address me from down there, if you need address me at all.”
Oh, so he's a sexist as well. I guess that kind of goes hand in hand though with a lot of their beliefs here. “Do you serve the goddess, sir?” I ain’t moving worth shit.
“What kind of a question is that? You saw the statues out front. You see the murals on the wall. Ofcoursewe serve the goddess. That is our entire existence and purpose.”
“And how much time do you spend around conduits? You spoke as if you know them well. How much support do you give for members of your church that are in a circuit?”
He stutters, likely trying to figure out a polite way to say what he's thinking. “That is none of your concern.”
“Actually, it is. My mother has been the voice of the goddess for many years; seeing as I have as many mates as her now, that honor has been passed on to me by the goddess herself. I hold within me the goddess’ knowledge, her wisdom, and her love. Therefore, I'm able to feel the pull of the conduits sitting out in this very audience.”
There aren't too many, but the ones I do see are all seated at the back of the church, in a row on their own. I'm not sure where their mates are, even though they're all middle-aged andshould have several each. I turn to them, hoping they’ll hear my message in truth. “I won't embarrass you by asking you all to come up here in front of everybody, but know that you are seen. Know that you have worth. Know that the goddess loves you and wants more for you than this man is claiming you should receive. I can't put all the blame on his shoulders, but he is misguided.”
“How dare you disrespect me! This ismychurch. You need to get out. Now.”
I'm not surprised that we’re being kicked out, but the congregation seems somewhat torn. There are those of them that clearly believe what I say, and those that would throw stones just to see how hard they could hit us.
I'm fairly sure Wil's parents are in the latter. His mother seems to have been trained to not speak in the presence of a man such as this pastor, so she's not contradicting anything he's saying, or interrupting him, or trying to take any attention on herself, even though I can tell how eager she is to engage with me.
She's having some sort of argument with Wil's father, pushing him to action. As much as I don't want that though, it’s what I’ve kind of been waiting for. He’s putting his hands out, trying to calm her down, and then he swings his eyes to me.
He checks on his son, winces, and then straightens his shoulders. “Why should we bring our fight to Hemlock when we are presented with such an excellent opportunity right here in our very congregation to share our views and express our concerns? What better time thannowto make an example and be a beacon for our community?”
The pastor takes this into consideration, tilting his head. “Why indeed.” He looks around, and I must say I'm not really liking the way he's eyeing the stone altar at the front. Regardless ofwhat it's normally used for, I'm pretty sure he has different ideas for it right now.
“Gentlemen, please escort your mate up here with me. We have some important things to discuss.”
