Severing the Ties

The Beginning

There was a slight ringing in your ear as you woke from your slumber. Drool and eye boogers crusted on your face. The sun was shining right in your eyes as you opened them. The slight morning grogginess was heavier this morning. Your cat snuggled up next to you as you sat up in bed. "Good morning mocha," you said as you slipped out of bed.
A big yawn could be heard from a mile away. Breakfast wasn't on your mind as you got ready for work. You slipped the white gown on and fixed your hair. You put your white veil on and stepped out of the house.
As you drove to work, you remembered there was a special guest coming. Everyone talked endlessly of this person. You had no idea who it even was.
    You parked the car and made your way to the giant dark oak doors. The metal castings on the door made it feel more scary. Your white robe and veil blew in the wind as you walked swiftly through the halls.
All of the other nuns either sang hymns or prayed. The priest sat in his office like always and counted his money he got from the collection baskets. You rolled your eyes as you walked past. Your father was a crook. He would steal money from the poor and say it was an offering for God.
       The hall was only illuminated by the candles on the wall, so it was very hard to see where you were going. There were no windows in the whole building, besides the giant stain glass of Jesus on the cross in the sanctuary.
The children were in the morning Sunday school. You taught the afternoon teen group. They made you want to rip the hair from your head out. You remained calm this time. It was just one of those days where they got less sleep because of Saturday. Most of the teens were already asleep, and the others were dozing off.
It wasn't a big deal to you. You were more of a laid back nun. As you read through your bible, occasionally looking up the students, one of them raised their hand. "Is any of this important to us? Like what am I learning from this?" They asked. To which you replied, "Well, God sent man this book to guide. It is to keep us on a good path to get into the beautiful gates of heaven. Although the Bible has been edited, some follow this book till they die."
The room fell silent. No more hands raised, no small conversation from the corner of the room, nothing but silence. You stopped teaching and told the teens to head upstairs to the sanctuary. You stayed behind and closed your book after putting your book mark in. You sighed and headed to sanctuary soon after.
You greeted Sister Charleen and Sister Gable as you walked in. Your rosary hung around your neck. You got on your knees in front of the giant stain glass window and started saying your daily prayer.
A small tap on your shoulder interrupted you. "Miss Y/N? It is time to start service. Why don't you start with a song?" Sister Scarlett said. You agreed and slowly walked to the piano. The notes came out beautifully and the song was one of your favorites. As the song ended, everyone clapped and praised the lord.
            Your father came out of his office with a big grin on his face. "Good morning everyone! I'm so excited to share that we have raised enough money to complete the new children's church!" He clapped his hands together and grinned wider. Everyone cheered and some of the older women said amen. "Now. Onto our special guests. My son, Cardinal Anthony!"
         It caught you by surprise to see your brother again. His tidy and clean suit made him look professional. His raven black hair was slicked back with gel. You haven't seen him ever since he went to school to be a cardinal 4 years ago.
       Service continued on as normal. A lot of yelling and praising could be heard through out the whole building. You stood in the choir box with your hands folded in front of you. Your brother made eye contact with you multiple times, it made you quite uncomfortable.
As service came to an end, you made your way to the piano and played a soft tune. Everyone joined hands and prayed. You couldn't help but lift your head and look around. Everyone's heads were bowed except for Anthony's.