Page 28 of Zeus's Sinner

"Easy girls." I say when the squeeze me tightly. The wounds on my back may be healing up, but they are still pretty sore.

"You're not dressed? Do we need to find you another habit." Sister Ruth asks, but instead of letting me answer, Mother Superior steps forward.

"Ladies, would you give Inessa and I a few moments? I think there are some things that we need to discuss." Mother Superior says, and she puts her hand out for me to grab, but I can no longer pretend like she's a leader that I want to follow. I know what she knows, and the fact that she's not doing anything to eradicate this problem is more than I can abide.

I walk ahead of her, and she takes me into one of the back rooms.

"I'm so happy to see you up and about." She says, and has the nerve to smile at me.

"Are you really? It could have been much sooner had you not let that man brutalize me." I tilt my head and glare at her.

I don't want to hold any resentment, but I can't help it. I trusted her and even though I knew she didn't care for me, I always thought she was a good person.

"I'm truly sorry for all of that." she says, and even though I want to believe her, I don't.

"You knew what that man was going to do with those papers, right?" I ask her, and she simply gives me a tight nod.

"How could you let him steal those babies? Sell those women into slavery? You're a woman of god." I tell her, and she hangs her head in shame.

"I am, but I have family outside here. One that doesn't understand the idea of staying out of trouble. When we started all of this, I thought that it'd only be hiding out some people for asylum. It turned into something else entirely. I didn't know, and now it's too late for me."

"It's not. You can still help them." I say taking a step forward.

"No, I mean for me, personally. You remember what was in that case, right?" She asks, squinting her eyes at me.

"Yes, though I never saw it."

"It was a radioactive isotope, when it first came in, I held the case close to my person for a long while, thinking that it was the best place for it to stay out of unknowing eyes. It was too long, and I was too reckless with it." She pulls down the front of her habit and I see a light purple marking on her chest. Something that they would use in a hospital. "I can't be sure it's from that, but I've developed lung cancer, stage four. It's only a matter of time now, and then I'll have to answer to my maker for my wrongdoings." She smiles again, and now I feel bad. I thought she was doing this for some sort of gain. I had no idea she was ill.

"I'm so sorry. I wouldn't wish that on anyone." I tell her honestly.

"I know it, you're a good woman. True. Now I need you to be honest with me right now. I see you out of dress. Have you changed your mind about staying in the church?" She asks, and I know this is the moment that I've been waiting for.

"I still will worship my lord, but I think I need to find a different way. You were right all along. I just don't belong here. It would be dishonorable of me to continue with this life when I know deep in my soul I can't give all of myself to it." I say, a little embarrassed that I'm actually telling her this.

"It's not that I didn't want you here, Inessa, I just thought you were trying too hard to force yourself to walk down a road that was not yours to take. The lord knows you worship and care for him. You're a good woman and I know, no matter where you go in this life, you will take that honor and virtue with you. Usually, there is a trial period for a sister to leave the calling, but after such an egregious incident, I'm sure Father Joseph will find no reason not to grant your request." She nods, and I reach over and give her a hug.

I'm sorry she's going through this alone.

"What of Mr. Imbue?" I ask when I pull away.

"Ah, didn't you hear, he was killed in the fire. Seems like we won't have to worry about him any longer." She says, but her face falls when she gets a look at my expression. If he died in the fire, there's a chance that Zeus did as well. "He was the only casualty." She says just as my mind is about to go off the rails.

"Oh, thank you. Thank you so much for that." I tell her. "I'll write to the sisters once I get settled. Thank you for everything that you've taught me." I say before I turn my back on Mother Superior not as Sister Inessa, but Simply as Inessa Garza.

***

A month later

My life has beena constant whirlwind of information. I never knew just how much I missed growing up as sheltered as I'd been in my life. I moved from the small village on the small Diomedes Island and relocated to the main land of Alaska.

I got a job at one of the fishery's and have been living a very low-key life. To my surprise, I haven't jumped head first into drug use or whoring. In fact, I've had no real desire to be with anyone since Zeus. It seems like the man has left a mark on my very being.

The man who owns the fishery took pity on me and gave me an admin job, but now that he's seen how efficient I am, he's been piling on more for me to do. The man smiles every time I finish a task. You'd think no one had ever organized his income reports before. It's almost comical.

"Fred, I'm gone for the day. Make sure you drop off the deposits to the bank." I look into his office, and he nods his head.

"Yeah, sure." He barely says.

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