Neophyte

Cemetery

Metztli couldn't sleep; her mind was a mess. In a couple of hours, the trial would occur. Anxiety slowly set throughout her body, especially since Valentina hadn't arrived all night. She was worried but felt that Valentina hadn't gone far. Slowly sitting up in bed, Metztli decided to change and go to the cemetery to visit Anna Maria and her child's grave.

Ever since their death, she hadn't visited them or the cemetery in general. Metztli was so focused on surviving that she didn't have time to visit. Dressed, Metztli walked out of the room into the dark, cold outside. It stopped raining, but Metztli knew it would continue later. She returned to her room, lit a candle, set it in a holder, and walked toward her destination. 

Before reaching the cemetery, Metztli stopped at the gardens to pick a couple of flowers for the grave. After picking up a couple of flowers, she continued until she finally arrived. The cemetery had a frightening beauty to it during the night, but it only brought Metztli sadness when seeing the graves. Some had crosses while others were unmarked. 

Walking around some graves to get to Anna Maria's, she heard sniffles from afar. Metztli stopped in her tracks; her heart was racing. "Calm down! Calm down! It's not like it's a ghost!" She thought about running away, and returning during the day would have been a better option.

"Metztli?"

"EEEKKK! A GHOST!" She dropped the candle and lost her footing as she heard footsteps coming toward her.

"Calm yourself, it is I."

The voice sounded familiar, and when getting the candle again, the light showed Guillermo. "G-Guillermo!? You scared the hell out of me!" She patted the small patch of fire that was slowly burning the grass.

Guillermo stood before her, motioning his hand to her. Metztli held it as she was assisted up. "Perdon for scaring you. I didn't think anyone would visit the cemetery during this time."

"S-Same here. Sorry for my overreaction."

"No need. I should have be more careful."

The two stood silently, surrounded by graves. "Your mother and I were worried about you," Metztli said in a faint whisper. Guillermo slightly looked away as he walked forward. Guilt slowly overwhelmed her. Metztli felt she had some blame for keeping the secret. "I am so sorry. I told Mariana and Victoriano to tell you and Valentina the truth. I wanted to tell you both but I felt it wasn't my place." When Guillermo didn't respond, Metztli became more anxious. "Please say something."

"You're right...it wasn't your place. I'm not angry at you. I'm not even angry at...them. I'm hurt."

"You have every right to feel the way you do. I can't imagine being made to believe that my father was dead but was beside me the entire time. I am so sorry that you had to find out this way."

Guillermo turned and walked forward with Metztli in tow. Metztli wondered which part of the cemetery he was heading toward, but noticed he had stopped near where Anna Maria was buried. "I am tired of everything, Metztli. Valentina was right all along."

"What do you mean?"

"The Bishop and my mother always made us believe that there is always hope for us. That god would always be beside us is we believed in him. Now, I see that was a lie."

"He is still your father, Guillermo. I won't force or convince you to call him father. However, I will say that I was like you. I had a strong faith in god since it was taught to me by my parents. Now that I have experienced all these things, I wonder why god is so cruel."

Guillermo sat on the grass while Metztli stood. "Are you here to visit Anna Maria and her child?"

Looking at the flowers, Metztli nodded. "Made it obvious? Yes, I'm here to visit them. I haven't come here ever since that day. I was busy trying to survive and get used to this place but I also realized another truth. I was afraid of coming here."