The Green Rising

Chapter Fourteen

I strode into the church wearing khakis and a navy polo shirt. My robe was neatly folded in a hidden pouch inside my backpack. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to dress for work and didn’t want to leave the robe hanging in my closet easily seen as Rosie inevitably rummaged for something to wear.

“Good morning, Lily,” Father Xavier said as he ushered me inside his office. Several laundry baskets filled to the brim with loose papers cluttered the room. Two file cabinets were on a dolly while one rested against the wall. “For today, I’m going to have you do some filing.”

I had my work cut out for me.

“This is the paperwork for people without existing files.” He pointed to a stack of four baskets. “I’ll have you start with these. You’ll label the file with their last name, first name, and their date of Rebirth. Place their contact information sheet in front, the application behind it, and then any other paperwork at the back.”

“When you said you were behind on your filing, you weren’t exaggerating,” I said to him with a smile.

“I hate clerical work, and should have hired someone sooner.” He gave a resigned smile to me. “Once you finish with that stack, I’ll have you move on to these. These are from people with existing files, but I have a feeling you won’t get to them for a few days. Sorry I’m so unorganized.” He placed the four baskets onto the dolly then wheeled it to the reception area. “You’ll work from right here. Make sure to greet anyone that comes in and write any messages in this notebook.”

As he returned to his office, I reached for the top basket. I was never going to finish this project. The temptation to read every word outweighed my desire to do the actual work. This was the equivalent of a four-year-old winning a shopping spree in a candy store. But Dad’s eyes Father Xavier was watching me closely from his office. I took a deep breath and started working.

I discovered that each file contained records of the member’s church attendance and donations, background check, and other compiled information such as the member’s income, grades, and friends. I bristled at the realization that the Order was spying on us. I immediately wanted to search through my own documents, but Father Xavier’s gaze was constant; he was testing me. It took me the entire day to whittle the tower to nothing, but I worked fast and made every point to resist the files’ calls. Now was not the time to fail.

The fire alarm pierced my ears as I walked into the apartment. The windows were wide open.  Wafts of scorched bacon puckered my face funhouse-style as the alarm quieted. Metal clattered to the ground as curse words that could make a sailor blush flew through the air. Rosie was cooking, which meant that dinner was going to be awful and cleanup would last into the night. Maybe longer.

“I hope BLT’s sound good,” Rosie said as she scraped what remained of the bacon from the bottom of the pan.

I tried to correct my grimace at what was for supper. Normally, I loved the sandwich, just not so much when the meat was burnt beyond recognition and removed by a scraper that I was certain hadn’t been washed. Typical Rosie.

She slapped the bacon onto a mayonnaise-slathered piece of bread and handed it to me to finish with the toppings. Would I be able to swap out the meat for ham without her noticing? Deciding it wasn’t worth the chance of making her mad, I layered extra tomatoes and pickles atop the lettuce.

“I’m amazed you haven’t starved by now.” I took bite and grabbed my Dr. Pepper to wash it down.

“Aren’t you the comedienne,” she said, scrunching up her face in mockery of mine as she took a bite of her sandwich. She made a choking sound and spat into a napkin. “This is awful.”