Sinful Faith

Chapter 4

Elizabeth woke up in her bed. She was pretty confused as to how she ended up here, the last thing she remembers was being with Sukebe in her garden. Her cheeks suddenly became red after remembering what she told her, she never talked about her past before, not even to her friend Maria. She always assumed she would keep her past for herself, but something about this woman in particular made her comfortable enough to share her feelings with her.

Seeing the light of the sun outside, Elizabeth decided to search for her friend. She still felt guilty about leaving Maria that way so she went outside, in the hope of finding her friend. 

After searching and asking around, she finally found her friend in the chapel. Maria was standing still in the middle of the room, looking at the glass pane on the wall of the building. Only turning around when she heard Elizabeth enter.

"I'm sorry sister Maria, I hope I wasn't interrupting a prayer."

"No, it's fine." Maria still looked mad at her. Elizabeth wasn't sure how to approach the situation but immediately bowed, surprising Maria.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to be rude toward you. It's just that... A lot has been happening. I never intended any harm."

Maria looked at her coldly, visibly not accepting the apology.

"You're doing like that filthy nun now? Letting your hair out of your wimple? You are spending too much time with her."

Elizabeth forgot that she did it, and instantly hid her hair below her clothes again when she realized.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. But please, don't call her filthy. Not only she is a servant of God, but we also can't allow ourselves to be judgmental."

"Elizabeth, I'm saying that for your own good. God isn't always here for you, and the devil takes many forms."

"I understand, but she isn't the person you think. Her life wasn't easy, and she is genuine, I can feel it."

Maria was clearly disagreeing but before she could say anything else, the door of the chapel opened, letting Sukebe enter. She ignored Maria and immediately went toward Elizabeth to hand her a necklace. Elizabeth quickly saw it was hers, she hadn't even noticed it was gone before.

"Sister Elizabeth, I searched for you everywhere. I believe it's yours, it was in your garden."

Elizabeth put on the necklace. It was something that everyone at the monastery wore, but it was especially important for her.
Maria looked with a disapproving gaze and started to talk in an offended voice.

"Shameful, you should be more careful. And as for you, sister Sukebe, I advise you to not do anything stupid, as God sees everything."

Sukebe wanted to argue but retracted at the sight of Elizabeth, not wanting to cause any problems to her.

"Yes, I know. I won't act in a way that would cause God's punishment upon me."

"Good." Maria walked toward the exit of the chapel and looked behind her before leaving "You should both repent yourself before it's too late, especially you Elizabeth. You are taking a dark path."

"The Lord is my biggest priority, sister Maria. I always act by faith."

Without another word, Maria left. Leaving the two women together in the chapel. Sukebe looked saddened and immediately apologized to Elizabeth.

"I'm so sorry, sister Elizabeth. I didn't mean to cause any problems..."

Elizabeth silently stroked her head in an attempt to make her feel less guilty. She never really took the time to look at her closely before, like her height for example. Sukebe was smaller than she imagined, her head would barely reach higher than Elizabeth's chest. Her eyes were shining like a crystal, with a hue of violet in her iris. That, coupled with the two strands of hair that always were free from her wimple, made Sukebe someone who easily stood out. Maybe was it part of the reason she seems so distrust, wondered Elizabeth. When she realized for how long she was staring, she quickly turned around out of embarrassment.