Nephilim and the Nun

•Chapter Nineteen•

Adina
I stared at the huge platinum gates of the parish that once used to be my home, searching for any feelings of attachment to grasp onto but I felt nothing. Standing close to my childhood home, I had mixed feelings about stepping into the huge serene environment. My eyes darted towards the cab that dropped me off a few minutes ago to see it was already far away, almost disappearing from sight. As much as I dreaded returning to this place, the need to know about my origin, to know about my biological parents was stronger.

Exhaling a deep breath, I pulled my denim jacket tightly around me before pushing the gates open and stepping into the wide compound that contained the gothic building of the ancient church, an orphanage home for kids, and different offices and homes for the nuns and priests that worship in it. For a moment, memories of my past life in this place hit me, and I stood still reminiscing on all of the good times I had with mother Theresa and even the times mother Mary always rewarded me for running errands for her. A small smile crept onto my face but then my eyes strayed to the all too familiar entrance that led to the one place where I had the memories that I still relived in my dreams_the basement.

My smile dropped, tears filling my eyes at thoughts of the times I smuggled food into the basement to feed Uriel and all of the things we did. A sob broke out of my lips but I slapped my palm over my mouth, swallowing it down. Quickly, I drew in a deep breath to calm my nerves.

It wasn't the time to relive old memories. I reminded myself.

I was here to know about my parents and thereafter, this place and all it meant to me will be dead to me forever.

With these thoughts, I walked past the church building where the Sunday service was currently being held and headed straight for the priest's office. As I walked by, I heard the hymns and prayers I was once acquainted with but they meant nothing to me anymore. It felt as though I was only groomed in their footsteps to stop me from exploring the world I loved but now I was finally free. I didn't need to act a certain way to be saved_not when they'd already thrown me to the evil that I was meant to be saved from.

Few minutes later, I stopped at father Aaron's office door. I raised my hand to tap it but the memories of the last time I'd seen him writhing in pain in the basement flooded my thoughts and I stopped.

Was I really ready to see him? The man that was the root of my suffering? The one that left me to die in the hands of his acquaintance?

The more I thought about it, the angrier I became but I drew in a few soothing breaths to calm myself and keep my rage in check before knocking on the door.

A masculine voice, different from the one I knew to be Aaron's, responded, calling out to me to enter the office. My brows punched together in question but I stepped in to see a different man seated behind the desk, with thin frames resting on the ridge of his nose. He was a lot older than the priest I'd come to see, with his gray hair cut low and combed back neatly. He reached for his glasses and pushed them upwards, his eyes accessing me from behind them. I saw the frown etched on his face and I understood it was from how I was dressed.

It was considered morally wrong to wear pants in a church environment, talk more of revealing one's skin and I did all of that. I was dressed in ripped jeans and a sleeveless cropped top but with my jacket covering my arms.

"Hello, Young lady, how may I help you?" He grumbled out, his clear disapproval dripping from his voice but I wasn't bothered.

"Good day, I'm here to see father Aaron,"

"Hmmm..." he eyed me for a while, his eyes perusing my appearance once again. "I'm afraid he's not in the good state to receive visitors,"

"Actually, I'm here on his request," I responded, holding the urge to roll my eyes at his snobby attitude.