The Plague Doctor [RATED R] ✓

(14) The Purpose

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I WAS STANDING AT the entrance of the kitchen with my arms crossed, watching a priest make our breakfast while little Adie stood beside me. I just wanted to check on him, but honestly, I'm really here to make sure he doesn't put anything weird in our food.

     "So, when have you two arrived at this so-called paradise?" The priest asks, his back facing us while he cooked whatever he was trying to cook. Surprisingly enough, it already smelled better than the food that Adie and Lino made last time, but I'm not going to give him the pleasure of hearing a compliment from me.

     Adie then moves closer to me, obviously showing that she was uncomfortable - which was surprising because I'm a pervert myself but she'd rather stick close to me than to father Laurence. It's either Adie can sense that he's dangerous or she just thinks that he's really weird too.

     "Darling, how about you join Lino at the greenhouse? I think you're more needed there than here. I'll just ring the bell if breakfast is ready," I say in a soft tone while leaning down on Adie so I could get close to her ears.

     Adie doesn't say anything and nods her head before running away. As soon as she was gone, I took a deep breath and walked closer to father Laurence.

     "Where did you come from?" I finally ask him.

     I thought he was going to dodge the question, but then he says, "I came from Santa Rosita. I was a priest there for about twelve years until I was kicked out," he answers with no hesitation. Isn't he even worried about the fact that being kicked out would make him even more suspicious?

     "How about you? You haven't told me anything about yourself yet," he says as he looks over his shoulder.

     I stare back at him and lean on the table, deciding not to answer him, so father Laurence chuckles and says instead, "How about we start with your name? That military man referred to you as Winter and then called you Bishop right after. Do you use different names according to who you're talking to?"

     I continue to stare at father Laurence, trying to figure out what he really is. Despite being a resident at this manor for only a day, I consider myself his superior. I know it's ridiculous, but I have to make sure he doesn't do anything that would cause problems.

     The way he speaks is calm, probably because he's been a priest for twelve years. He also looks like a gentleman, but there's something about the way he speaks and stares that makes me cautious around him.

     What confuses me though is that Alice and my other alters haven't shown themselves yet especially when they're good at making judgments. Maybe they're just tired after what happened earlier, or maybe father Lawrence isn't all bad. Maybe the warning sign is only in yellow.

     "Right now I'm Bishop," I finally tell him, making Laurence chuckle again.

     "Right now? So you're going to be Winter, then spring and fall later?" Laurence sarcastically asks, which is not entirely wrong.

     "You can say that."

     "So how did you get this job? For my case, Dr. Giovanni bought me at the auction house. After getting kicked out from church I had to wander off a bit so I ended up in the hands of the wrong people. I was eventually sold to this woman who had this weird fetish of treating me like a baby. Of course, I didn't like it so I beat her up and I ended up getting sold again. That's when the doctor bought me," father Laurence casually shares.

     It was such a serious story, yet he told it like it was something that just happened on a normal day. At first, I thought he was lying, but for some reason, he still sounded so truthful.