Monstrance Clock

Offerings

The silence was so loud, it was deafening. The view of my father sitting in his chair with his elbows on the table and fingers linked together was in front of me. If looks could kill I would be six feet under already.

"Imperator contacted me from the ministry." He said lowly. The ministry? For years Benduell Church had a rivalry going on with the Ministry. All because they worshiped satan. The church thought they were evil reincarnated. The church thinks they have inhumane methods of worship that are terrifying. This must be another argument arising between the two.

"We will be having dinner at the Ministry," Father said, I felt my heart drop to my stomach. He was never one to give up. Especially to the people he hated most.

"Why?" I asked.

"I am tired of our back-and-forth fighting. It has distracted me for far too long. It has distracted our generations and our path to God. This repeated hatred is a domino effect. Now it must end. We will be discussing a treaty." Father said standing up. He walked to my side and put a hand on my shoulder. The way he stared at me and said nothing was enough to bring a chill up my spine.

"When do we leave?" I asked looking up at him, breaking the silence. My shoulder tensed under his hand. Surely, he was able to feel it.

"We leave tomorrow at six."

ஓ๑♱๑ஓ

Father opened the car door for me, ushering me in. He soon followed after. The driver punched the Ministry's address into the GPS. I fidgeted with my hands that were placed on my lap.

"Remember, you are not to speak unless spoken to, and use the right utensil for each meal. And please smile more." My father scolded me for everything. I do get sick of all the rules I need to follow just to talk to someone else. Whenever I would talk to Madeleine I would drop all of those rules out of the window.

The car stopped in front of a huge sculptured ministry. Father opened the car door and lent out his hand to help me out. Nervousness pooled in my stomach. We walked up to the front doors, they opened on their own. These were wooden doors, not automatic, so how did it do that? The church did suspect that the ministry used witchcraft but I never did. A sister was leading us down a corridor to a wooden door. The sister opened the door revealing a large table with a papa, a lady, and other papas that came from different age ranges.

"Welcome in Priest (L/n). Come! Have a seat!" The oldest priest welcomed warmly. Huh, they aren't so scary. These people were deemed satanists with inhumane acts of worship? It didn't seem like they were. My father pulled out a seat for me. I sat down and he followed.

"Is this your daughter? Che bellezza!" The oldest exclaimed happily. I didn't know what he said but it sounded nice. I can only assume that it was a compliment. I smiled fondly at him. My father on the other hand wasn't looking so flattered. A scowl was spread across his face.

"Yes, she is, thank you for inviting us to dinner papa Nihil." My father said politely. Oh, that's his name. Father told me before we came here that we would be talking to Nihil and Imperator. But there are more than two people here.

Two sisters came out with plates of food, I smiled at the delicious smell. Gratefully I picked up my fork and started eating. I skipped lunch to go visit the Holy Mother and pray to her. This food was so beautifully made too! Since we're in the company of the Ministry, it would be rude not to eat it. My father cleared his throat and stared at me with venom. I put my fork down on my napkin and frowned, staring at my lap. What I did not see was the sympathetic looks coming from Papa Nihil.