Warrior Nun: The aftermath

Chapter 5

Days had passed and Beatrice returned to the convent with the others.  Vincent had already expected and received them.  It just wasn't the same as it used to be.  As if there had never been a time without Ava.  Now Beatrice has returned to her old home for what felt like an eternity and stranger than ever.  She could match memories with Ava to every corner.  The wall in Mother Superior's office where she got stuck and where she hugged Beatrice for the first time.  Not a minute went by that Bea missed her.  With this hole in her heart she tried to endure the following weeks.

About two months had passed since Ava disappeared into the portal and until now they had found no way to retrieve their warrior nun or any proof of their survival.  Occasionally, Beatrice often had the feeling that Ava had been very close to her or that she had actually seen her.  The current mission has focused on disabling the remaining Adriel followers and rebuilding the Church.  In countless cities, doubts about faith have erupted in violence.  People fight each other over every different point of view.

"In."  Mother Superior invited Beatrice in after she knocked.  "Ah, Beatrice. We absolutely must discuss the details of the next action."

"Where are we going this time?"

"Seville. The riots there have increased massively in the last two days. Our sisters need our support. I want you to travel there with Dora, Camila and Lilith and fulfill their request for help."

Yesterday Madrid, tomorrow Seville.  They all got around quite a bit.
"Yes."

"Is there any news regarding..."

Before she could say her name, Beatrice cut her off.
"No. Still everything unchanged."
It hadn't gotten any easier, but over time Beatrice stopped blaming herself and kept hoping Ava would come back one day.

"I'm definitely not sleeping with Lilith!"

Like Vincent, everyone had accepted that Lilith would fight with them again, except Camilla.  She was probably closest to her and also hurt the most by her breach of trust.  Beatrice didn't care as long as Lilith didn't allow herself any more missteps or said a word against Ava.

"Fine, I'll share a room with Dora. Better sleep with one eye open."

"Enough! We'll meet down at the car in ten minutes."

Of course it was mostly more serious, but everything had loosened up a bit since Ava had joined them.  Now jokes were made more often or childish behavior like this was more common.  Nothing was better than knowing how they made their lives even better after all this time.

As agreed, everyone was on time and all in the car on their way to a big fight.  The picture they saw was shocking.  People threw firecrackers, bottles and other objects around, or beat each other up.  Since the world saw who was responsible for defeating Adriel, the nuns no longer operated in the shadows.  People didn't know exactly who and what they are, but that they existed.  Each took their place and did what they did best.  Beatrice walked slowly down the street, fighting anyone who attacked her or others.  The hard training paid off in every fight.  Not only had Beatrice's reflexes and agility improved, she had also gained significantly more strength.  Still, this time she couldn't keep up with a group of men pushing her into a side alley.  Literally with her back against the wall, she stood across from them.  Suddenly three of them drew their guns and pointed them straight at Beatrice.  It had never been a problem or scared her.  She gripped her staff a little tighter and prepared to fight.  Suddenly a can fell in front of her feet and thick smoke rose from it.  After a few breaths of it, she immediately started coughing.  It was like all the oxygen was being sucked out of the air.  Breathing heavily, Beatrice tried to stand still.  Staggering, she fended off the first attacker.  The second and third no more.  Several blows hit her in the face and stomach.  She slowly lost consciousness in pain.  The last thing she saw was a hooded figure and a bright light before she fell down an endless tunnel.

(I'm currently undecided on the next chapter and need a little longer than usual. What do you think? Should Ava return?)