It's a Long Way Down

Chapter Ten: Trouble In Paradise

I was wrong. As soon as we got back to the church, we were greeted with an angry Sister Imperator, "Ember, you are to come with me immediately."

"Wha-" I started, just to be cut off my her grabbing my wrist and pulling me away. As I was getting basically dragged, I heard Sodo say, "What the fuck?"

Quick steps were following closely behind, but I couldn't look back to see who, my focus being between my feet to make sure I wouldn't trip and what's ahead of me. Once we were inside the church, Sister Imperator started dragging me down stairs in a hallway I had never been before. I nearly fell a few times before we finally reached flat ground. She dragged me a few feet more, throwing me into a small room, closing and locking the door behind me. There was a small window with bars in the door, so I went up to it and asked, "What did I do?"

"You have been seen by one of my girls outside of this church without your mask on. You have broken possibly the biggest rule we have here. You will be getting sent back first thing in the morning," She told me. I grasped the bars as I exclaimed, "What?!"

It was then that the group caught up to us, Sodo immediately yelling, "What the hell are you doing?!"

"You step away, fire ghoul. Or you'll end up in the same situation as she is," Sister Imperator warned. Sodo, who was fuming at seeing me in a cell said, "Yeah, fuck that, what did she do? She's always with one of us, she didn't break any rules."

That was a lie, I did walk around outside the church without a mask. He knows that. He was there. But he was also without mask at the time. Why wasn't he behind bars?

"She has broken rules, and a very major one at that. She will be getting sent back in the morning, so you all better get your goodbyes in. You'll never see her again," Sister Imperator told everyone. My eyes caught Sodo's, his eyes reflecting mine. His eyes were filled with fear. Copia stepped forward and said, "Come on, Sister. What about the fans? They love her. What would we tell them if she suddenly disappeared?"

"We can always say we killed her," Sister said bluntly. That's when Swiss said, "We are not lying to the fans!"

"You will if you want to stay here," Sister threatened. I could feel the air get hotter, Sodo almost steaming with how pissed and scared he was now. Sister looked at him and asked, "Do I need to put you in the freezer, Ghoul, or will you calm yourself down?"

His eyes widened automatically at the mention of the freezer, his body immediately cooling down. Copia stepped in front of his ghouls, looking at Sister Imperator as he said, "I'm sure we can sit and talk this out. Find a solution, no? She has become very close with everyone here, losing her could be detrimental to the band."

"Then start looking for a replacement. Now everyone, clear out. No one is to be down here," Sister Imperator ordered. I reached my hand through the bars of the door, not wanting Sodo to leave, but I feared what they would do to him if he stayed. He started to reach out to me, just for Sister to smack his hand with stick saying, "I will not repeat myself."

With one last glance at me, he turned around and left, everyone following behind. I turned around, my back against the door as I slid down it, tears rolling down my cheeks.

Sodo's POV

I paced the common room while everyone sat on the couches. I looked at them and said, "Don't act like she's already gone, we should be able to get her out of this. I can't be the only one thinking about solutions here."

"Sodo, you know that when Sister Imperqtor says something that it's final. There's nothing we can do," Aether said sadly. I groaned and looked at Rain, "You want to lose your best friend?"