Travis Phelps is God's devotee. He will bleed out his sins through his wounds, suffer his punishments. He will repent until his knees bruise and his tongue is dry.
He will pray to god to cleanse him of his sins. Of himself.
And then he meets Sal Fi...
child abuse; religious abuse; starvation (developing EDs)
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𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐝'𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬; 𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬
♱♱♱
Travis Phelps wakes up on Sunday morning at 5:30 am.
He blinks awake to his ceiling, off-white like his walls. They are barren save for a single, large cross hung right across from him. Routinely, he climbs out of bed and makes it, pulling at the grey blanket until it's crease-free, fluffing at his single pillow until it is pristine and laying it against the wooden headboard.
Travis Phelps moves to his closet at 5:36 am.
He stares. He does not own many clothes. Kenneth tells him all forms of overindulgence are sin. Travis does not tell him that new articles of clothing are not overindulgence. Defiance is sin too. He picks out a blue-collared button-up and grey slacks; church clothes.
Travis Phelps heads to the bathroom at 5:38 am.
He does not stare at his ungodly reflection; stripping himself of his sleepwear and into his clothes. He stares at his hair, yellow-like-corn with dark blonde roots and sticking up a hundred ways. He picks up a container of gel, fairing a good amount, and slicks his hair neatly to the side, brushing it until there is not a strand out of place. Looking anything but his best in God's house is also sinful, Kenneth says. He washes his face, wincing when he applies pressure to the throbbing bruise by his reddened eye. He finishes his routine.
Travis Phelps heads back to his room at 5:45 am.
He walks over to his desk and puts on his necklace, a gold cross that rests perfectly on his chest. He grabs his bible and takes a seat at the edge of his bed, facing the cross.
"May God bless thy morning, May God enlighten my mind, May he show me the truth, and pardon who I am. I ask for his greatness, ask for his guidance, and am grateful for his mercy.
In Jesus' name, Amen."
Travis Phelps opens his bible at 5:50 am.
He reads. The words are difficult to follow. He is not good at reading; has never been. Kenneth tells him that stupidity is sin and that his idiocy is punishable in God's name. (He has been punished for this idiocy; has been condemned for it and will be.) Still, he reads; he tries to focus on every proverb.
Kenneth Phelps knocks on his door at 6:00 am. He barges in right after. Travis doesn't know why he bothers knocking.
"It's time to go to Sunday Church, boy!" Kenneth orders. He is in no good mood today, Travis notes. His face is redder than usual, his tone more clipped. His hands start to shake and he folds them over each other. Kenneth says cowardice is sin, and that Travis is a coward down to the marrow of his bone.
