Secrets And Sins Part 3: Happy ever after

Chapter 73

~Mary~

It really was a beautiful day. The sun beamed down on the rolling pastures and humble cottages that passed outside the van's window. With such gorgeous weather, and their destination being such a big win for the OCS, they should be happy, ecstatic even, but the drive was a solemn one.

Mary shifted slightly, pulling Lilith a little closer into her side. Lilith's head lolled on Mary's shoulder but her slow breathing barely faltered. She had been asleep for a couple of hours now and God was Mary relieved to see it. Nightmares had plagued them both since their return from the Otherside, but Lilith's, in particular, seemed to stop her from sleeping most nights.

"We're here." Camila murmured from the driver's seat, keeping her voice soft for Lilith's sake which Mary appreciated immensely as she turned her eyes forward to peer out the windscreen.

It had been almost three months since they'd left, the Church officially locking the gates behind them, and the first thing Mary really noticed was how overgrown the grounds had become. The grass was long, encroaching on the road and various pathways that spider-webbed through the estate. Weeds had sprouted up in the cracks between the cobblestones, lending towards the unkempt appearance, and the small usually meticulously trimmed hedges that lined much of the garden had grown wild from lack of care.

"What a mess..." Mother Superior whispered from the front passenger seat. It was the first time she had spoken for the entire journey and her voice was thick with emotion.

"We'll fix it, Mother," Camila said, sparing a quick but worried glance in the Matriarch's direction. "We'll have the Cradle looking its best in no time."

There was no reply from Mother Superior, the nun just continued to gaze out the window, face blank but jaw hard. Mary had never seen her so quiet, but then nothing like this had ever happened before.

They had lost; the Church had beaten them.

She doubted that their relationship would just go back to being how they were before the Brotherhood and Pope Agusto. No, the Church would be more controlling now. They had seen just how self sufficient the OCS could be, and how defiant. There was no fucking way they would let them off the leash again.

Anxiety began winding its way around her lungs at the thought. She had been imprisoned for so long by the Brotherhood that even thinking about losing her freedom again was enough to have her riding the edge of a panic attack. Mary swallowed back a growl of frustration even as her breathing became labored. She hated how vulnerable these made her feel, and it was, quite frankly, embarrassing how close to the surface the attacks were becoming, it was only this morning that she lost herself to the grips of one.

"You sure you got everything this time?" Lilith asked, her hand holding down the lift's open doors button as she tried to hide her smile. "Phone charger?"

"Yes...I," Mary looked down at the bag in her hand, trying to remember if she had indeed unplugged it from the wall and drew a blank. "Fuck!" She groaned.

Mary dropped her bag and stalked back to their room, the sound of Lilith's laughter behind her.

Once she was finally sure she had everything, Lilith let the doors close and pressed the button for the ground floor. The lift eased into motion and Mary leaned back against the wall.

"This is weird, right?" Lilith said, picking at the talons on her right hand, a nervous tick that had become understandably prevalent lately.

Mary tilted her head. "What is?"