Chương 29: Chapter 28: A Slight Misunderstanding

Alice slouched into the chair, her small, beady eyes already half shut. She yawned and covered her mouth halfway through. The classroom door swung open, and Father Orlando came inside, his gaze drifting across the class as he passed the high blackboard. With his hands behind his back, he stopped in the middle and spoke.

"Good morning, everyone. Today, we shall start our first lessons about Succumbing and the Succumbed." His voice reverberated throughout the room, but it strangely felt so smooth and soothing, like the lull of a siren calling Alice to sleep. This isn't good. I might as well just pass out. I can barely understand him. Alice bent down, pretending to reach for something on the floor. When her head was out of sight, she planted her face into her small palms, wishing she was still sleeping in bed. Just a few seconds…

she thought, as her consciousness slowly but surely drifted into oblivion.

"Hey." Evelyn's soft and familiar voice called out to her. Then came a series of quick taps on her shoulder. Alice rose, rubbing the corners of her eyes.

"What?" Evelyn shot her a concerned frown.

"You alright? You always seem tired these days."

"I'm fine… I just haven't been getting much sleep lately."

"Is that all?" Evelyn furrowed her brows.

"Yeah…" Alice let out a soft yawn, her eyes focusing on Father Orlando. Thank God he hasn't noticed yet. Or maybe he has, and he just doesn't care. Evelyn whispered under her breath, "Liar." Alice's ears perked up, and she looked back at Evelyn.

"Huh? Did you say something?"

"Nothing. Face forward, Alice. Father Orlando might notice you," Evelyn said.

"Ri… right." Alice rubbed the back of her head. I definitely heard something. Or am I just imagining things again? That must be it.

"Succumbing is an illness that turns men into rabid creatures. Symptoms start small. Irritation, anger, lust, frustration, tiny little emotions that we might consider normal, can already be signs of an incoming succumbing." Jack raised his hand.

"How can we tell the difference between that and the norm?"

"That is nearly impossible. There are ways, but it is beyond us mortal men. This is why succumbings are so dangerous. There's no way of truly telling, until it's too late. Succumbings develop slowly, but when the time is right, they take over the mind rapidly like a fire burning through a forest. Next thing you know, a man is lunging for your throat." Jack lowered his head, taking a deep breath. Right… that's the same thing the book told me. Alice leaned into her seat, keeping her eyes wide open as best she could.

Father Orlando blabbered on, but his voice soon turned to a soft whimper in the wind. Alice was sure she was awake, but every word out of the priest's mouth felt like a lullaby pulling her closer to sleep. Her head fell slightly, her eyes growing weary once more.

"There once was a member of the clergy who succumbed. He was called Martin and he was a promising member of the church. He was under my training, and if things had gone right he would be teaching here with me." Father Orlando leaned against the blackboard.

"In his case, it started out small. He grew slightly irate, tired, and he began to distance himself from the rest. As his mentor, I asked him if he was alright. And he admitted to me that he was not. His mother was killed in a carriage accident. I offered what little comfort I could, and I left him be, when he asked for some time alone." He walked up to the class.

"It is normal to grieve, to be saddened. Others cannot feel what you yourself feel. Only you can tell whether the emotions you feel are natural, or strengthened by the ancient desire."

"Did… Martin succumb after that?" One of the girls in the front asked.

"No. For the next few days, he returned to normal. He joined his brethren in their studies, he helped with my work, and he taught the newer acolytes. But on the sixth day, he disappeared in his study. When I heard nothing of him for hours, I entered his study. And before I realized it, he was already on top of me, snarling and screeching like a beast." Father Orlando sighed and shook his head. For a moment, a stark silence overcame the classroom, but soon enough Father Orlando raised his gaze and spoke again.

"Succumbings can happen in many different ways. It can be a stark but obvious decline of the mind, it can be spontaneous and without warning, or it can manifest early and vanish, only to return at a later date." He sat down in his chair.

"And when the…" Alice drew a cold breath of air as her eyelids slowly closed. Father Orlando's voice echoed in her ears like distant, incomprehensible whispers. She pinched her thigh, trying hard to stay awake. When Father Orlando's voice became clear again, she wasn't sure how much time had passed.

"Succumbing affects the three components of men. The body, the mind, and the soul. First, it affects the mind, then it devours the body. And when both are lost, it consumes the soul. At that point, there is no bringing a succumbed back. For nothing is left, only the instinctual desires of a monster, wearing the flesh of a victim." Alice gulped, her eyes closing once more. But then, the loud tolling of the church bell jolted her awake.

Her eyes shot open, and she looked across the room, then to Father Orlando in a bout of confusion. It's already done? That was so quick… but it also felt like eternity.

"We will continue the lesson tomorrow. If some of you are still curious, there are many books in my collection speaking of these things. You may also come to me, and I will do my best to help," Father Orlando said. Alice rose to her feet and stretched her arms above her head.

"Finally…"

"We still have mass to attend," Jack said.

"I know." Alice murmured. Maybe I can get some shut-eye there. I doubt Father Arno will call me out. There are too many people in the nave. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. The students flowed into the hallways one by one, and soon enough Alice found herself among them. But as she took another step forward, she felt a hand grab and tug on her left arm. She turned around and saw Evelyn looking back at her with a strange expression.

Her brows were furrowed, and her lips were pursed. She seemed angry, disappointed, and sad at the same time.

"What… what is it?"

"I want to ask something. Can we talk?" Alice gazed at Marley and Jack, who were waiting for them near the end of the hallway.

"Hey! Let's get going, you two!" Marley yelled out. Alice gulped and turned back to Evelyn.

"Sure. Let's talk." Evelyn nodded and called back to Marley.

"Go ahead without us! We'll be with you in a bit."

"Hurry up! You don't want to be late!" Jack replied. Jack and Marley continued down the hallway, disappearing into the small crowd of students. Evelyn released Alice's arm, leading the younger girl into one of the spare classrooms nearby. She closed the door behind her and looked Alice straight in the eye.

"What's going on?" Alice unconsciously stepped back. There was an awful feeling building up in her chest. Evelyn blocked the door with her tiny frame, crossed her arms, and said, "Last night… I saw you going into Marley's room."

"You saw me?"

"I was peeking out of my room. I heard somebody walking past, so I got curious. What were you doing there, Alice?"

"I was just helping him practice his sight."

"Practice? At night?" Evelyn raised her brows.

"Marley told me it was better. That our lineage is more suited to the dark and—" Evelyn stepped closer to her, raising her voice a little.

"What were you really doing?" Alice gulped.

"You… you don't believe me?"

"I want to, but it's a little hard. Then… let me ask you another question. Do you like Marley?"

"Marley? Do I like him?" Alice frowned in confusion. Evelyn gritted her teeth.

"It's a simple question. Do you like him or not?"

"He's my friend," Alice replied.

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"What do you think? A girl goes into a boy's room late at night… it's what ma would call, uh… something, I don't remember." Evelyn clicked her tongue.

"Point is, it sure looked like you two were… you know." She's talking about that?! Oh, Goddess no! Not with a boy. Especially not one that looks like Marley. Alice's eyes widened.

"What? No, it's not like that. Didn't you feel his pulse at night? We were practicing." Evelyn paused for a second.

"The pulse? You're saying that was him?"

"Yes, it was him. You saw it too yesterday during class. Marley's spirituality is… very thick and strong. He can't control it." Evelyn's face burned a little red, and she looked away.

"Shut up," she murmured.

"I'm telling the truth! Ask him if you don't believe me." Evelyn heaved for a moment.

"Let's say that's true. Why'd you help him? I didn't know you two were that close."

"I couldn't sleep when he was practicing. I could feel it. He was doing it all wrong." Evelyn furrowed her brows and went silent for a few seconds. Then, Alice suddenly felt a faint prickling sensation go through her skin, making the hairs on her arms stand up.

"Was that you?" Evelyn lowered her head and took a deep sigh.

"Yeah… damn it… I believe you. So you two weren't doing anything…"

"We weren't." Alice quickly shook her head. Evelyn placed her hands on Alice's shoulders.

"You had me real worried there for a bit." A nervous chuckle left Alice's throat.

"I'm sorry for scaring you like that. I just had to know." Evelyn stepped away, wrapping her arms around herself.

"It's okay. I understand." Evelyn's brows shot up.

"Say… if I asked you to help me with practice, would you?"

"Do… do you need practice?"

"What? Hells no. I'm not like Marley."

"That answers your question then." Evelyn looked at her in slight disbelief.

"Gods…" She looked at the closed door.

"We should probably go before someone notices us."

"Yeah, we've been gone for a while." Evelyn yanked Alice's arm again.

"Come on, let's get going." They emerged into the gallery, catching a few curious stares from the other children. Father Arno stood behind the lectern, his voice echoing off the walls as he delivered the homily.

"And so, when Hereth lay down upon the cross, the Lady whispered comfort and love into his ears, soothing the scorching flames like a cold balm. There he burned, silent and still. He felt no agony even as his skin turned black, and his eyes melted into ooze." Alice followed Evelyn into the back row, squeezing into an empty spot between Marley and Jack. Evelyn wiped the sweat off her brow as they sat down. Marley cast a suspicious glare.

"What were you two doing?"

"We just talked about a few things. Right, Alice?" Evelyn smirked.

"Yeah…" Alice bobbed her head up and down.

"Not like anyone noticed we were late. Don't stress about it." Evelyn stretched out her legs, planting her feet on the red hassocks. Marley rubbed the corners of his eyes and sighed.

"Try not to be late next time."

"Aye, sir." Evelyn giggled. Father Arno's voice reverberated through the nave, reaching the farthest corners.

"The Heathens were struck by terror. One doused Hereth with another bucket of oil, and yet God's loyal servant remained silent. King Uthgerd ordered one of his soldiers to spear Hereth's skull. When the soldier hesitated, King Uthgerd himself drew his blade and prepared to swing. But then, the scorching flames roared and rose, burning the pagan king's hand." Alice tapped her knees as she listened to this age-old tale. It was one of undying faith and belief, one so strong that even in the face of death, it survived.

Hereth and the Pagan King… mother told me this story once. It's supposed to show Hereth's undying belief… but why didn't the Lady just save him? Or… the Lady could have killed him quicker. If I were the Lady… I would have ended Hereth's misery sooner, and made the fire explode and kill all of the heathens. Though I suppose… that wouldn't make for such a story. Alice planted her chin on her palm, as Father Arno blabbered on. She shot a few quick glances at Evelyn, checking if anything had changed.

But she was still the same old Evelyn she knew, toying with her dress or something else, hardly listening to a soul. The rest of the morning mass came and went. The choir sang, and the people prayed, and when it came to the blessings, all joined in, whether man, woman, rich or poor. Alice gulped down the luscious red liquid, feeling the same intoxicating sensation rush down her throat, spreading through every vein. I wonder what that's made of. I should ask Father Orlando when I can.

The church bell rang, signaling the end of the morning mass. Father Arno spoke of his last gospels and blessings as he usually did, and bade all the people of Vakundir farewell. The students stood up in silence and departed for the dining hall; obviously, so did they. The moment they left the nave, Marley cracked his jaw and mumbled, "Finally, I've been starving."

"When aren't you starving?" Evelyn raised her brows. Marley paused, thinking for a moment. Then, he shrugged.