a rebellious teenage girl is sent on a pilgrimage to atone for her sins. Contains violence and dark content. Excerpt (chapter 2): Erin looks again at her plate. "It probably tastes way better than this crap." She throws her fork down. It hits the metal table with a loud clattering noise. "I can't believe I basically sold my soul in exchange for this." Gwen is taken aback, her eyes wide. "What do you mean, sold your soul? You didn't summon a demon or something, did you?" Her voice shivers a bit. "I knew you were an heretic, but that would be quite far, even for you!" Erin laughs. "No, not like that, Gwen. The church agreed to reinstate my food privileges and erase my rap sheet if I went on a pilgrimage tomorrow." "Oh," Gwen says. "That is great! Why aren't you happy?" "Are you kidding me, Gwen?" Erin yells. The students sitting two seats away from them look up at Gwen and Erin, and one of them shakes their head in disapproval. Erin leans forward towards Gwen and speaks more silently. "Do you know what happens to people who take the pilgrimage?" Gwen shrugs again. "No, I don't. Nobody does. You know the angels don't allow returned pilgrims to tell what happened. People have to keep it a secret." "Exactly," Erin replies. "Isn't that suspicious? If the pilgrimage was all sunshine and rainbows, the angels would want to spread the word. The reason we have to keep it a secret is because unspeakable things happen. I am sure of it." Gwen glares at her. "Are you trying to lose your food privileges again, Erin? If you lose them within the hour, that would be a new record."
15 parts