My New Pet

Chapter 18: Lies Everywhere

Week of Christmas 2020

Irene made her way through the forest toward the Winters' household, trudging in the snow carefully as she pushed through branches. She had been told by Miranda to go find out anything new from the family. Alone. Why would Miranda send her alone out to the Winters' home? She carried something wrapped in her hands and clutched it tightly against her chest. Irene really didn't have any idea that when she finally made it to the small opening in the forest that someone else was watching.

"Sneaking around here again, little miss?" Irene stopped dead in her tracks and saw the man she met when they went to the Winters' home the first time. She swallowed hard and breath shuddered as her heartbeat felt like it was coming up to her throat. Without Miranda she couldn't get away right now. "This is the second time we've met and it's odd to see you here. More missionary work?"

He had her there and Irene thought of what to tell him. She needed to think fast of an excuse as to why she was there. Her composure came back and Irene walked over to the tall man, snow crunching beneath her shoes. "Mr. Redfield was it? How nice to see you again. Actually I was sent by my nunnery to give this family a little gift but I can wait another time." Chris was smoking on a cigarette while waiting for Irene to make her way to him. He found it oddly suspicious that she was here a second time but without an escort.

"You walked all this way to give the Winters' family a gift? Isn't it really far away from the village? Didn't anyone come with you? I thought when nuns traveled they traveled in pairs." He turned to Irene and kept the cigarette away from her so she wouldn't have to deal with the smoke. Chris needed to know who this girl really was and why she was all the way out in Romania. He knew she wasn't from this country. "Well I decided to travel on my own! The head nun thought I could handle this one by myself."

"You know I had meant to ask you something else miss—. Uh what is your name anyway? I never got to ask you last time." He took another draw off his cigarette and watched the snow fall down. Irene didn't want to give him too much information, lest he would find out about who she really was and what she was doing there. "Like I said before it's odd to see you not with another sister or a priest."

"Sister Irene. My name is Irene. And no most of the time I travel with another sister but she's...occupied at the moment with other duties. So she asked me to take this one alone." She watched Chris with careful gold eyes and kept her small distance from him. He didn't seem like the type of man to be violent or hurt anyone, but Irene could never be too sure. Miranda definitely wanted her to steer clear of the man, so that said something. "Do...you come to Romania often?"

"Only when I'm checking in on the Winters. They just had a baby girl after moving here a few months ago. I work mostly in America at the BSAA. Where my job takes me is where I need to go. Lately it's been here more often than I should." Irene shifted a little, holding the package in her hands close to her chest, eyeing Chris when she could. He was so much taller than she was and muscular. His job must have taken him many different places. The aging could be seen on his face and under his eyes. "So where are you originally from, sister?"

Her gaze snapped away and back to the ground beneath her feet, holding onto the package more tightly. "I told you I've been here most of my life in the nunnery in the village nearby. That's where I was raised and it's all I know. Well...this life is all I know."

"Have you ever thought of leaving? I mean see other places?"

Irene's head shot up to look over to Chris, feeling like this man had known more than he'd let on. She didn't like the questions he was asking but Irene was sure that he knew more. "I—I haven't no. Like I said what other life do I know than this one?"