Chapter 1 – His Sinner
When he got Stephanie, and Joe, and Christina, and Tibby, and Zoey, I never even knew. They hid it so well. Never in a million years would I expect Christina, Stephanie, hell, even Zoey to become a soldier in Ammut’s army. But now, I have to recap. From the begining.
“You! Work faster!” my history teacher echoes at the top of his acting voice. He slaps a ruler on the student’s desk. I can’t help laughing – it’s not like everyone else is too. Our assignment today was separating cotton – seed from fluffy cotton. Our teacher started acting like a slave owner – whipping desks of “slaves” who weren’t working fast enough, or even at all. I feel the heat of laughter in my cheeks. Some stood up, some stopped working, others, stole the big box of cotton on the front table and ran out of class with it (a “lash” from the “ruthless” vice principal was the punishment). But I admit, I ran to the front of the class and yelled “stop working!” No punishment, but my history teacher gave me a funny look.
Good thing I didn’t see his eyes flash red.
I left class thinking I will remember that class period forever.
Turns out, I will.
Stephanie was the only one held after class. She hadn’t done too much. She was earlier proclaimed in the year as the “ring leader” of disorder in the class. I loved shouting and making funny comments at random things in American History. But, she was still held after class and told to come to see him after school. So, she did. Once she came in, he locked the door – inside and out – and was subjected to questioning. She was confused, and wanted to leave. But she couldn’t. She was going to be the first sinner.
My history teacher kept her a bit longer. But after that, the story gets hazy. Some say she was forced to look into the book. Some say he tricked her into turning around and her soul was taken. She says it was a combination of both.
But I can’t know for sure. Us sinners love to lie. Even to each other.
Either way, she became the first sinner. And she will bring the next one.
It brings me joy. I rejoice in her.
