Caught

Motel

"Well it's a Sunday, that means we go to church." My mother tells me when I ask her why I am being forced awake at 7 in the morning. 

I groan and roll over, I really do hate church. 

I'm still sighing as I put my dress on, my mom always makes me wear dresses to Church it's really weird. 

I think about Xavier as we drive there, I never see him at church. I wonder what he says to his dad on Sunday morning, does he say anything? I imagine it's extremely awkward. 

We're a little bit late because of the traffic so me and my mum sit in the back, I wonder if I'm supposed to feel a presence in here. Maybe that's a little unrealistic to think. 

My relationship with God is pretty complicated, it wasn't always though my parents both believed in him wholeheartedly and when I was a little girl I did too. I used to pray to him every night and read my bible in the mornings over breakfast. 

But then my dad died when I was twelve, car crash, and I couldn't believe that a God would ever let this happen to me, even now at sixteen I refuse to respect or worship a God who let a twelve-year-old cry every single night and beg for a miracle that would return her dad to her.  

I might not be his biggest fan, but I still believe in God, I think. 

I try not to laugh about the fact I'm thinking about how pissed I am at the man everyone is currently singing and praying to. 

Then the priest, Xavier's dad, comes on the stage to read a passage. He looks similar to his son with the same dark hair but his eyes are blue. 

I watch him carefully and after a few moments I decide I don't like his eyes, they don't seem kind or warm instead they're cool and calculating. I don't trust him. 

I don't know what's wrong with me. 

"Elena. Stop making that face." My mother hisses at me, I snap my head to look at her. 

"I'm not making a face." 

"Oh yes you are, first you were staring at the wall like you were hypnotized and then you were glaring at Mr Delcara. Stop it." She snaps looking ahead. 

I sigh and try to look enlightened by the passage being read regardless I am very grateful when my mom get's up to eat her bread so I can peacefully judge everyone here. 

"Elena." Someone whispers behind me and I briefly wonder if it's God finally tired of me.

But when I whip my head around I am only met with Xavier sitting in the very last row. 

"Hi?" I whisper, confused. 

"I need to speak to you." He whispers looking around. 

"And you couldn't text?"I ask him dryly. 

"I did, I even...called but you didn't pick up and then I figured of course she's in church singing her praise to the Lord." 

"Your daddy is up there feeding my mother some stale bread why don't you say hi," I say turning back around. 

He yanks some hair and I cough to try and cover the yelp, "Oh my god what?" 

"It's about the stupid case you decided to force me to help you solve dumbass."  

I immediately fully turn around to look at him, my heart racing nervously, "What?" 

"I can't tell you here, tell your mom you need to confess your sins in the confession booth and I'll meet you there." 

He leaves me with no time to respond because he's already crawling to the back of the room and slips into the confession booth.  

Brilliant.