The Sin of Love

Chapter 1

- Briana !! What in the world are you doing ?!

Sitting at her mother's dressing table, the little 6 year old girl, had spent the last ten minutes using her mother's new and expensive makeup while Sam was watching her, amused, from the corner of the door.

- A little more blush, the color doesn't show much... Here you go! -he said with a mischievous smile.

Little Briana had thoroughly followed his recommendations. Lipstick, well pressed, all around the lips; five coats of different eyeshadows, using her fingers, of course; foundation, powder, blush, put on with brand new brushes, that went without saying; not to mention the eyebrow pencil and mascara for an authentic look. Sam had found it very unpleasant that Briana's mom, last time, bought herself this luxury makeup rather than just an ice cream for her daughter, although usually spoiled rotten, that was why he gave Briana the brilliant idea to go and dress up for her mother, who was receiving her litterature group friends who only served to gossip about neighbors. The little girl had doubts, she thought she shouldn't touch the adults' stuff, but Sam used his talents of persuasion and especially Briana's total inability to resist the challenge he had thrown at her.

- If you don't think you know how to use all of this correctly, I understand,- he said, rolling his eyes.

- No, I can do it!- she grumbled.- I've seen mummy do it many times!

- So go doll yourself up! She will be happy,- he lied.

Bingo. Sam watched Briana slyly sit at the dressing table and paint her face, with a smile on his face. A double lesson. First for the mother, this haughty and good-natured woman for whom free time was synonymous with slander between friends and not moments of complicity with her daughter, but also towards Briana, temperamental girl, who constantly demanded things from others that she was unable to deliver herself: punctuality, obedience and kindness. Of all the children Sam had taken care of, she was obviously the most loathsome one.

- Who allowed you to touch my makeup ?!- exclaimed Ms Roger, firmly grabbing her daughter's hand.

"Anger and Greed !" Sam thought.

- But I wanted to make myself look beautiful, -Briana stammered,- also .... also Sam ... he-

- Enough now, Briana, -said her mother,- you are grown up now, imaginary friends are just in your head, you need to stop your childishness !!

- But he's the one who-

- Stop !! -she butted her in again.- Go wash yourself with soap in the bathroom immediately, and then, after you come back, I'll let you know about your punishment.

Briana sighed and dragged her feet to the bathroom, under Sam's amused gaze.

- Sam, come here right away !!- ordered the little one once in front of the mirror.

Sam rolled his eyes.

- Would a "please" be too much to ask for?- he grumbled, appearing in the neck of the door.

- No, you are mine, you are my friend, my servant, my slave!- she mumbled.

- If you say so, -he sighed.

- It's because of you that I got scolded, so YOU will be the one doing the punishment.

- And how am I supposed to do that? -he laughed.

- We will find a way, you know how to move some small objects, we will figure it out.

- Absolutely not, -he smiles.

- You will do it !!

- No.

- That's enough, I'm sick of you! I don't want to see you anymore, I've had enough of you, I want you to disappear forever!!

At her words, an intense light formed above Sam who let out a sigh and was sucked in a split second out of Briana's sight.

Sam reappeared in that completely purple atmosphere with which he was now familiar. He sat in the chair intended for him while waiting for his supervisor. The room was supposed to get bluer and bluer as he went on missions, but nothing seemed to have evolved at all. He always felt like the color of the room didn't change by even half a hue, so he started to wonder if he wasn't doing it all in vain.

- You were very rude, Samuel.

A sublime butterfly, also tinged with bright purple colors, had approached Sam, who pouted at his remark.

- Briana is hateful, -he replied.- I have known sensitive, annoying, capricious children, but she ...

- She's only a child, -the butterfly said softly,- and she doesn't live in a very considerate family.

- It is the least we can say...

The butterfly then turned on himself and several sheets of paper appeared.

- Oh, oh, -Sam smiled.- Am I finished being her Friend?

- You shouldn't be celebrating, Samuel, -the butterfly whispered.- Usually separations with an Animus are heartbreaking and-

- And 71! -Sam cut him off, signing the first sheet which instantly disappeared.- Only 40 more to go.

- Samuel ...

- Listen, Saligia, I know you don't like the way I deal with the Animuses, but ...

- These children are in need of an imaginary Friend because they have problems, -said Saligia in a more severe tone.- And you make them do stupid things or you ignore them ...

- It's up to parents to take better care of their children, so that they don't do anything stupid ... -explained Sam who did not let himself be taken down.- I push their boundaries to show parents that if they aren't more careful, their child will end up like ... like ...

- ...like you. Right?

Saligia had put his finger on the sore spot, Sam's truth, his condition.

- You should try to act differently with the 72nd Animus, -said Saligia.- And stop thinking you're so obnoxious.

- It's my burden, my lot in life, it's what I am, -Sam said, standing up.

- You don't want to read the details of the contract? -Saligia asked.

- No, -Sam replied, shrugging.- I will learn more about my new Animus on site, directly, at least I'll kill some time that way.

- Try to be nice this time! -Saligia called out before Sam disappeared through the same shiny hole in the floor he had come through.

Saligia flew in front of the sheet of paper summarizing the conditions of the new child becoming Sam's imaginary Friend. These children, called Animuses, were often children in need of attention, affection, or wanting to palliate a trauma. To be a Friend meant to care for the child through difficult times, to be there for them. But Sam's Animuses had never received affection from him, because Sam thought he was unable to love. The only feelings that animated him were anger, which was directed towards the parents who often neglected their children, and mockery, seeing that the Animus and their relatives' reactions were always the same from family to family. At first, Sam had tried to behave normally with his Animus. He used to play with them, without having fun, but at least that was something. However, when once, one of the boys in his charge, also detestable, was scolded so loudly after having done something stupid, that he dismissed his Imaginary Friend, just like what had happened with Briana, Sam discovered how to shorten his sentence and his cases in order to achieve eternal rest more quickly. Indeed, an imaginary Friend would stay around 3 or 4 years with a child, but when the child himself rejected his Friend, the contract was over and Sam would be able to move on to another child. Being hateful and making his Animus do stupid things had become Sam's new challenge, to such extent that he became devoided of compassion towards these children.

- Julian is different, -whispered Saligia,- Julian needs a real Friend ...

Saligia sighed and hoped that, this time, this family would give Sam a different outlook on his work so that he could finish his task more peacefully. The butterfly was perfectly aware of why this space was remaining eternally purple...