The dust clouds cleared and the moonlight shone bright outside, a phenomenon less common these nights. It was impossible for the night to get any colder, but here they were shivering in their nightgowns even when an array of blankets were passed around to cover themselves from being half naked.

  Lucia felt Clarence’s tremor even from a foot away, with Gibby standing between them. Irene and her henchwomen loomed ahead. Behind them stood Nancy and a few others bold enough to grab Irene’s girls by the hair and join Clarence in the fight.

  How it had escalated, ending with a dozen or so nuns brawling in the Southern hall while the fire alarm blared, Lucia couldn’t begin to fathom. Yet the girls seemed calm, united as one, even cracking a joke as they stood shivering in the Head Nun’s office at this ungodly hour.

  And yes, they were in the Head Nun’s office. Sister Teresa’s. One floor below the quarters Lucia had been dangling from only an hour earlier. She winced as the sting of her mistakes rubbed against the rough cloth of her nightgown. Her palms still throbbed, but she had to suck it up for now.

  “It sure looks like the rumor is true.”

  Lucia turned, catching whispers behind her. Clarence mentioned a rumor earlier, something about her and Roman.

  Oh no, are they…talking about me?

  “I suppose so. No one’s seen her for some time now.”

  Lucia caught Clarence peering toward the desk ahead. “There’s a mug with dried up coffee stains at the bottom,” she whispered. “Looks like it’s been there a while. One thing about Sister Teresa, she always washes her mugs.”

  Sister Teresa?

  Nancy suddenly poked Lucia’s arm, startling her. “You must know something more, right?” she pressed. “Since you’re an assistant nun this year.”

  “Know what?” Lucia asked, just to be sure they were all on the same page.

  “Haven’t you heard? Sister Teresa’s gone missing. The whole convent realized during the fire alarm fiasco—before the fight broke out that is.”

  Lucia exchanged a look with Clarence. Clarence partly caught that Lucia did indeed know more. But Lucia was quick to shake her head, prompting a collective sigh.

  “How do you know she’s missing? Maybe she’s out visiting the High Priest or—or on a pilgrimage?” Sister Gibby asked, curiously.

  “They always make an announcement when that happens, Sister Gibby. Besides, the Head Nun never travels alone. At least one of the nuns must accompany her at all times.”

  Nancy’s reply left a silence hanging heavy in the air. The gravity of Teresa’s absence was only now sinking in. Without their leader something felt off, as if the tides were beginning to shift, rules were beginning to change.

  “I can’t believe Sister Claudia’s hijacking Sister Teresa’s office,” Sister Lady muttered, arms crossed. “Shouldn’t the Assistant Head Nun have taken us to hers instead?”

  “And you have a problem with me using convent property, Sister Lady?”

  The deep voice froze them all. They turned to see Sister Claudia, stern and serene at the same time, closing the door behind her. Silence pressed against their chests.

  “Make some way, will you?” she said, waving her hand.

  The nuns parted, clearing a path to the front. Claudia strolled past, her gaze sharp and appraising, before taking her place leaning against the front of Teresa’s desk. Moonlight carved her silhouette. She stood there like a hunter observing its prey.

  “Alright,” she said, palms on the table. “Let’s make this quick. Who’s going to tell me exactly what happened—from the beginning?”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Sister Leon’s hand shot up. “Gibby started it.”

  “She did not!” Clarence erupted. “It was Irene that started the fight!”

  Irene shot a glare at Clarence then at Gibby. “I did not!”

  “It was Irene!” Nancy shouted. “She blamed Gibby for the alarm and grabbed her hair!”

  Chaos erupted again. Young nuns shouting over one another, very close to grabbing each other by their nightgown necklines once more. Lucia noticed Gibby shaking violently. She took Gibby’s trembling hand, comforting her, while her gaze flicked to Claudia, who was now rubbing her forehead in quiet despair.

  “SHUT UP!” Claudia bellowed, for the second time this evening.

  The nuns fell silent. Their heads bowed in shame.

  “I’ve decided I don’t care who started it,” she said flatly. “You’re all getting punished. Every one of you.”

  Irene opened her mouth but stopped cold at Claudia’s glare.

  “Any questions?”

  Silence. Then Clarence raised her hand.

  “Sister Lucia is innocent,” she said. “She wasn’t part of this.”

  “Yes, she was!” Irene snapped. “She slapped me!” She jabbed a finger toward the red mark on her cheek.

  Claudia shut her down with a single wave of her hand.

  She turned to Lucia. “Is that true? Were you not a part of this shameful brawl?”

  Lucia caught the pleading looks from Clarence and the others, say no. Gibby’s hand squeezed hers tight.

  Yet Lucia only stilled.

  “She wasn’t, Sister Claudia,” Gibby spoke up instead.

  “But I saw her slap Sister Irene,” Claudia said evenly. “Clearly, she is also at fault here.”

  Irene’s face lit up in vindication.

  “She was protecting me!” Clarence shouted, stepping forward. Claudia’s piercing gaze shifted to her.

  “Sister Lucia still needs to be punished for her involvement—”

  “I’ll take hers on,” Clarence cut in. “She did nothing wrong. I’ll do twice the punishment.”

  Lucia opened her mouth to protest, but Claudia had already clasped a hand on Clarence’s shoulder with brisk finality.

  “Perfect. Sister Lucia, you’re free to leave.”

  And that was that. Gibby and Nancy were quick to push Lucia toward the door.

  “Consider it a thank you for slapping that bitch,” Nancy whispered, making Gibby crack a smile.

  Before Lucia could argue, she was out in the corridor. The door shut with a thud. Silence swallowed her whole.

  From within, murmurs of punishment orders echoed faintly. Lucia stared at the closed door, the weight of Clarence’s sacrifice heavy on her chest. Her best friend was taking double punishment because of her.

  Her burned palms throbbed as she clenched her fists. Everything was compounding. The fake fire, Teresa's disappearance, V's mission, and now Clarence paying for her choices. She was beginning to understand the cost of descent. Each choice pulled her further down, and now others were falling with her.

  The agent…

  Her gasped, eyes flickering wide at the sudden memory of Sister Helen’s warning. As much as she wanted to pull Clarence out of this now, she needed to get back to the gardens, cover her tracks before morning brought investigators. And she needed to hurry.

  But as she turned to leave, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor. Sister Cathy appeared, hair in complete disarray, Sister Benedict close behind looking equally frantic.

  “Oh, Sister Lucia!” Cathy sobbed, rushing forward and collapsing into her arms. “Thank the spirits we found you. We've been searching everywhere since the alarm stopped.”

  Searching?...For me? Lucia frowned, confused. Cathy had seen her slap Irene, everyone had. But as the words sank in, realization hit, and her stomach dropped. “Searching for what?” she blurted.

  “Not what—who,” Benedict said, her voice trembling. “We've checked every dormitory, every common room, even the bathrooms.”

  Cathy pulled back, tears streaming down her face. “She's nowhere, Lucia. Absolutely nowhere.”

  The corridor seemed to tilt. Lucia already knew, but she had to ask. “Who's missing?”

  “Sister V,” Cathy whispered. “We can't find Sister V anywhere.”

  The words hit like a physical blow. Just when Lucia thought the night couldn't get worse, the universe found another way to twist the knife. Of course they'd be looking for V. She was new, a mentee due to be initiated by the end of the week. Of course Cathy would panic. And V would know this. And the fact that V hadn’t turned up knowing the convent would realize her disappearance meant something had happened. Something had already gone wrong.

  Where are you, Rahi? Where are you?