Sinners (ON HOLD)

Chapter One: Expect the Unexpected

Azer slowly walked down the dimly lit pathway of the church. He reached the end of it and got down on his knees. Unable to contain his sinister smirk, he begged, "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned."

Azer Jennings

He seemed unbothered by the fact that he was not allowed to participate in most holiday celebrations, nor able to attend the most outrageous high school house parties. Regardless, he did find himself lost and wanting something. At the end of the day, he knew he could never have it because it would change his life forever.

Azer was a member of Bricksben High School's Bible Club. Having to attend this club three days a week wasn't what made him upset though.

Irene Sanders:

President of the bible club, and a member of the same church as Azer. She was a very "put-together" girl. She had long beautiful brown hair, bubbly blue eyes, didn't wear any make-up, and had a great attitude for pretty much everything. That's what Azer disliked the most. He saw her attitude as a cover up for how cruel she really was. He had a past with Irene, but he usually kept that under the radar.

"Azer." Irene called out.

"Uh--yea" Azer carelessly responded.

"It's your turn to read the next bible verse." Irene said in a sweet tone.

"Oh--umm-" Azer stuttered as the school bell saved him.

Irene caught Azer as he was walking out the door. "Hey! Before you leave, I have to ask you. Are you and your sister planning on attending Charlie's Annual Youth Retreat next month?"

Azer always noticed a certain tone to Irene's voice that came up whenever she was asked to do something she did not want to do. He knew the only reason she still did it was because she had to keep her reputation somehow.

"Oh right! Yea--listen. I don't think we'll be able to make it this year. I'm sorry." Azer apathetically said as he slowly walked out the door.

Irene grabbed Azer's arm and quietly said, "Listen if you guys need money--"

Azer quickly came up with an excuse and interrupted Irene. "No. No--it's not that. We just have plans Fourth of July Weekend and can't reschedule them."

"Oh. Alrighty then! If you change your mind, you know where to find me!" Irene exclaimed as she winked and walked away.

Azer stared down at his feet and mumbled to himself, "How did she know?"

It was lunch and Azer was irritated due to the Irene situation that happened earlier, so he wasn't really in the mood to eat.

"AZER!" A voice called out.

Azer recognized the voice as soon as he heard it. "SAM!" He echoed.

Sam Russo was Azer's go-to-guy and the only person in the entire school who could bring the quirkiness out of him. They had been best friends since they were little kids. They even attended the same church, but Sam randomly stopped going and Azer never knew why.

Sam had wavy brown hair--short on the sides and semi-long at the top. He had light brown eyes and dressed strictly Forever21 and H&M. He was a pretty fashionable guy.

"Oh...my...God..." Sam pulled his shades down and stared at Azer. "Well...you look--dead." He said, sliding his shades back on.

"Gee thanks" Azer said sarcastically. Sam had a way of stating the obvious and he never sugar-coated it. Azer always saw Sam as his personal Diva. He had always questioned Sam's sexuality but would then brush it off every time. Maybe that is one of the reasons he stopped going to the church.

They were taught Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. Azer would have no problem with his best friend being gay, but his parents might.

"Hey I saw you earlier. Why were you talking to I-reek?" Sam asked with utter disappointment under his voice.

"It was nothing. She just wanted to know if I was going to that annual retreat the church does--and I said not this year." Azer repeated to Sam while picking at his food.

"Oh...my...God...You have to go!" Sam exclaimed placing his hand on Azer's shoulder.

"What? Why? I could skip a year. It won't kill me." Azer gladly stated.

"Well you know what they say? God is watching you." Sam said jokingly.

"Then you're in a whole lot of trouble. Aren't you?" Azer fired at Sam.

"Look. I would definitely go if I could but...you know the reason I left that church." Sam stated.

Azer stared at Sam and there was a moment of silence. "You actually never told me why..."

"--We should get going. We'll be late to class!" Sam bursted as the bell saved him from answering to Azer.

Azer knew it wasn't any of his business, so he let it slide. Later that night, Azer got a phone call around 1am.

It was Irene. She sounded scared and her voice was distorted. "A--Azer...Umm--I'm sorry. I know I've been acting up lately and I'm not dumb. I know what you think of me--" The call suddenly disconnected. Azer didn't think much of it, but he was curious as to why Irene chose to call him...before she was found dead the following day.

"Blood..." It was all Liv could comprehend. Traumatized by what she had just gone through, she got on her knees and let out an uncontrollable laughter. "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned."

Liv Heart

Aside from beating the school's fastest track record, Liv maintained a 4.0 GPA and still had time to do her makeup in the morning. She was also a member of the same church as Azer, but they hardly ever spoke to each other.

It was Sunday morning and Liv was getting ready for church. As she arrived, she noticed several cop cars surrounding the perimeter of the church. All she could think about was the possibility of somebody breaking and entering. "What the?..." She questioned as she parked and approached the scene of the crime.

"What is going on?" She asked one of the cops as he ignored her completely and walked away. She noticed Azer arriving at the scene and quickly walked up to him. "Azer! Do you know what happen--" Before she could finish her sentence, a body bag was being carried out of the church. It was covered, so they didn't know who it was.

"Irene..." Azer whispered in shock, loud enough for Liv to hear him.

"What did you just say?" Liv asked Azer, hoping that she had heard wrong. "Irene Sanders is dead?..." Liv asked as her voice slowly faded. "How--how do you know it was her? There has to be a misunderstanding!" Liv continued to deny it because she knew this girl. She saw her every day at school and every Sunday at church.

"I--" Azer took a deep breath. "I got a call from her last night. She said she was sorry and she claimed to know how I felt about her. The call got cut off and I assumed it was just some sort of mishap and she was trying to get under my skin--but...I had no idea she was in trouble." Azer said as he tried to understand what had happened.

"Wha--what are you saying? What do you mean she was in trouble?" Liv asked impatiently.

"I--I don't know! She sounded panicked when she called, now that I think about it." Azer said nervously. "Oh...my...God..." He said worryingly.

"What?! Azer what happened to her?!" Liv demanded an answer.

"I think I might've killed Irene..." Azer said dramatically.