Count Your Blessings.

One Cannot Justify A Sin.

"Now now, everyone sit down so we can begin, today is a very important day for this young man before me!" Gerard exclaimed, pleased with his little announcement then grinning down to the teenage boy with short clean cut blond hair.

Gerard smiled down at the rows of people watching him and the child, "this young man used to have the devil inside of him!" he exclaimed, grinning even more at the gasps and terrified looks from the audience. "Now I know what you're thinking! But this boy is now SAFE from the arms of Satan and need to be re-embraced by ours, given love care and support after all the awful-" The boy fidgeted with his hands, accidentally cracking a knuckle and making the young priest glare at him "things that happened to this poor, poor boy" Gerard continued getting slightly irritated.

"Excuse me, Gerard, I don't feel very well" the boy admitted as he quietly mumbled to the priest. The priest, as per usual, rolled his eyes and sighed. Gerard clearly not being your standard priest, he bent down a little to reach up to the teen's ear and told him to shut up or he'll take him to "the room" of course no one else heard Gerard say that though.

In hearing that the young boy burst into tears and ran off the stage, leaving Gerard just to sigh. It was the boy crying that finally caught the attention of another boy, close to his age, in the audience. Frank looked up from his hands; to see the boy running, scuffing his feet along the wooden floorboards and out one of the huge ornamental doors to the side of the chapel hallway.

Jesus, Frank thought at the dramatic exit of the boy, inwardly chuckling at the irony. He leaned back in his seat and looked back out the stained glass window, suddenly bored again and wanting very much to be anywhere but the packed church hall.

As much as Frank disliked the church, he really admired the windows, they seemed somewhat fascinating and definitely more interesting than this worship of some God he didn't believe in.

Frank was awoken from his daydreaming about windows by everyone around him standing and starting to move. He stood up quickly and stumbled over his feet, causing a few people to give him disapproving looks, he shot them his best smirk and stood up straight, trying to figure out where everyone was going. Sooner remembering that the aim was for everyone to get bread and wine from the priest. Everyone formed a single line down the center aisle, some smaller children standing beside their parents.

Everyone shuffled one by one to the priest, Gerard, to get their blessings and return to take their seats in wooden rows of hard benches, poorly cushioned behind the back with worn out red leather.

It was Frank's turn to receive the priest's offering. He stepped up closer to the older man, holding his gaze and staring him directly in the eyes. The priest held the decorated glass to Frank's lips and let him drink from it. Frank drank from the glass and in pulling away from it too quickly, let a small amount of it run down his chin. As he went to smear off the red liquid from his face Gerard stopped him, and proceeded to wipe it off Frank's mouth with his thumb, Frank looked up at the man confused. Gerard cocked his head to the side as he shoved his thumb into his mouth and sucked on it, smirking at Frank. He just batted his eyelashes in return, the boy was beyond confused now, then returning back to his seat he still hadn't found the answers to the thing that just occurred.

Time passed as Frank picked at his nails and stared at the windows. Thoughts about the little incident crossed his mind over and over again, Frank just wondered to every corner of his mind to try and understand. Was the incident merely just something without meaning, or was the damn priest of his church being suggestive? Frank figured that was lucrative, but then remembered the earlier situation with the crying boy. He remembered vaguely something about the boy being "saved" but nothing much else before seeing him rushing away in tears.

Frank looked up again to see his parents talking to the priest after the last people in line left, Frank bit on his cheeks out of boredom as he watched his parents over exaggerate their hand gestures towards the priest as he looked disturbed and overall disgusted.

Frank knew what his parents were talking about immediately...

Around about a week ago Frank had been in his attic with a group of friends and were playing a particularly sexual game of truth or dare. At the very moment, Frank was dared to make out with a boy, Bert, his mother had walked in to ask if they wanted anything to eat. Her reaction was far from good and the night had ended up in his friends being sent home and getting shouted at and threatened by both his parents. Frank shook his head in disbelief, he and his parents agreed to never speak of that night ever again. But there they were, discussing that very day to the creepy weird Priest, Gerard. Frank just watched his parents mutter the situation over emphasizing what his mother saw. Gerard locked eyes with Frank, biting his lip and shining a toothy smile back to him, almost as if he was excited for something.

Frank's mouth was completely dry, he knew he'd have to attend the church for Gerard's "special satan removal treatment". Frank was not looking forwards to spending hours in a damn church, let alone staying with the "ex-gay" priest that spooks him out.

That Sunday's ceremony had finally come to an end and everyone head out the church without an issue. Frank, on the other hand, was called to the front by Priest Way and his parents walked out so they could let him and Frank discuss the urgent situation.

"So Frank", the priest sighed. "Your parents are telling me you've a demon within your poor, innocent soul? We can fix that, I can fix that". Frank pouted and gambled within his thoughts what to respond, obviously objectifying his parent's allegations and doubting the necessity to be 'cleansed'. It was arranged for Monday afternoon, the next day, for them to begin their sessions. Frank had no say in this but Gerard was so eager to spend time with Frank it was almost concerning.