/otto/
That afternoon, he finished organizing everything in the storage closet as he had decided to do, but he took Fiorella's documents with him and hid them under his mattress to keep. For one, he didn't think it was very smart for Father Cesar to just leave them lying around the church, even if no one ever went into that room. It was used to store documents and any church worker had access to it. And also, he thought the information could one day be of use to him. No one came to look for him once, which was a relief, as he knew they would question the manila folder under his arm. What could a foreign priest possibly want with the documents of a little Argentinian girl he had just met? They would automatically jump to conclusions about him, and what was worse was that they wouldn't be too far off in their thoughts.
Jongdae sighed heavily, a deep burden pressing down on his shoulders like heavy stone. He didn't like what he was becoming in such a short amount of time. Since arriving in Argentina, he had become a sinner in his thoughts and a cold person who sought his own benefit. It had only been three days, but he already felt like leaving the seminary was one of the worst things that happened to him. Satan was tempting him, and he was stupidly falling into his terrible clutches. It was what the outside world did to people. It corrupted them and led them astray. The world of men, and he was one of them, and he was weak. So painfully weak.
The world was a cruel place, and it was planting the seeds of sin in his heart.
At seven in the afternoon, when the sun had already gone down across the small village, he walked to the other side of the church grounds where there was a sports gym with a big stage in the far back which was used for plays and performances. On the stage was a group of teenagers, about fifteen or twenty of them, each with their little booklet in hand. They all ceased in their rehearsal when they heard footsteps along the dulled grey linoleum floor.
"Don't mind me, children. Please continue and pretend I'm not here." Jongdae said to them with a friendly smile. Though he thought it was strange to call them that, seeing as though he was about the same age as most of them. "I'm taking over for Father Cesar tonight since he's out of town."
It felt a bit strange to be dressed in regular clothes--a pair of skinny jeans and a black button down with his white clerical band around his neck to distinguish him from the others. Not that he needed distinguishing in Argentina. His Korean features clearly saw to that. But it was different than back in the seminary. There, he wore clerical robes all day and only changed out of them when he got ready for bed. Here he had the freedom to wear regular clothes like any other human being after services were over.
"Thank you for joining us, father Matteo. Its a pleasure to have you here." A voice spoke up, and he froze when he figured exactly who it belonged to.
Just the person he was trying so hard to avoid.
Fiorella.
His dark brown eyes looked up onto the stage and scanned the group of teens until they fell upon lovely her. She was smiling at him, and in her eyes he could see how happy she looked to see him there. A bit too happy. He felt silly as a big smile tugged at his own lips, but he was quick to suppress it before anyone could think more of it.
She stood to the far side of the stage, furthest from him, wearing a red robe and a blue veil that covered her long brown hair. She was supposed to be the virgin Mary, that much he could easily tell from her outfit. Suddenly, he felt as though his clerical collar were suffocating him, and he pulled on the white material to loosen it slightly. The suffocating sensation was followed by a tightening of his pants, and he hurried to take a seat at one of the chairs before the stage in order to hide his current problem.
Of all the characters to play in the nativity scene, she had to play the most holy one. And there he was, having not so holy thoughts and dreams about her.
The teens resumed their rehearsal comfortably with the priest watching them. When he was back in Korea, they never had traditions like that. Everything was strict, and dull. Normally they just had a service on Christmas day and that was it. No nativity story play like they were doing here. In Argentina the birth of the lord and savoir was like a huge celebration and they wanted to honor it with big parties and everyone was a part of it.
Every now and then, he caught Fiorella shooting glances at the exit in the back of the gym. And when the time came, Jongdae found out why that was.
They were forty five minutes into their two hour rehearsal when their group leader, a young man who seemed to be the oldest of them, asked her, "Ellie, are you sure your boyfriend's coming? We've been waiting for almost an hour."
She quickly nodded her head in response, nervously chewing on her bottom lip. Though everything was against her, including his lack of presence, she still defended him and trusted him enough to show up. "Rubens will be here. He promised." Her eyes shot another hopeful glance at the back exit, but there was nothing and Jongdae could see her gulp back her tears. No one else seemed to notice how much it hurt her, how much it was breaking her heart that he wasn't there.
But they waited several more minutes, rehearsing the scenes that didn't include him, until they could not wait any longer.
Jongdae was distracted in his own thoughts and watching Fiorella when someone's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Father," The group leader called with a gentle voice. Once he had Jongdae's attention, he continued, "Would you mind filling in for Rubens, just for today? Fiorella needs someone to practice with her." The other teenagers in the room now wore bored expressions, wanting so badly to go home since the rehearsal was almost over. Some of them whispered to each other about Fiorella and Rubens. How the Vanella girl always got special treatment from Father Cesar and all other workers in the church because she was the golden girl. La consentida, the favorite, the spoiled little girl.
The young priest gulped nervously as the words sunk in for him in realization.
Being so close to Fiorella.
Before he could think things through or before he could even stop himself from accepting the request, he was already nodding his head in agreement. Moments later he found himself on stage next to the beautiful girl dressed in a Virgin Mary costume. He was then handed a booklet with the play's script in it and rehearsal continued as though they hadn't been waiting for anyone for the past hour and a half. At first it was difficult for him to keep up with everything, as his abilities in the Spanish language weren't the best yet. But he eventually got the hang of it and was able to follow the script without a problem.
Each time it was more difficult to avoid Fiorella, the one who would be his end.
She was his inferno.
-
i don't know why i don't post more for this story if i have a bunch of chapters pre written. but here is one. all i have to do is change names and places because this used to be a 5sos story i wrote a long time ago.
but anyway, lately i have gotten really into the book "red queen". anyone else read it already? its sooo good. i can't put it down.
but i also like to update on saturdays so i put it down for a moment.
-clary
