inside, leaving Victoria staring after her with a mixture of doubt, and the usual annoyance. She collected the rest of the bowls and headed off towards the kitchen as well. Before the entered the double doors of the convent, Victoria looked to the sky. It was nearly 6:00. She felt her heart skip a beat, in anticipation. She wasn’t sure however, what exactly she was excited for.
She entered the kitchen, and dumped the bowls into the sink. From the other side, Victoria saw Raela wave, and mouth “See you, tonight.” Victoria rolled her eyes, feeling only mildly concerned that Raela would be so pleased about her imminent death. But then again, Victoria likely wouldn’t shed a tear over Raela’s death either. It would be a lot quieter around the convent without her. Victoria smirked, and shoved her hands down into the dirty dishwater, and began to scrub.
She finished drying the last of the dishes and stacked them neatly on the edge of the sink. She looked down at her hands, wrinkled from the time they spent emerged in the dirty dishwater. She rubbed her hands together hung up the dishtowel she was using, and looked around the kitchen. It was empty, except for a very old nun who was sweeping the floor in steady, back and forth motions. The rest of the nuns were likely readying themselves for tonight. Victoria shivered, but it wasn’t from the cold. A part of her, deep inside, was a tiny bit afraid, and she didn't know why. She had looked forward to this moment for as long as she could remember, she couldn't just lose interest now. It's just nerves. It's natural, in new situations, Victoria assured herself. She left the kitchen and headed back to her room. Once she arrived, she shut the door behind her and stared at her other robe. It looked as if it too was glowing with anticipation, the gold strip around the middle shimmering like the evening stars.
Victoria glided over to the corner where the robe was hanging and slid it over her shoulders. It swished lightly as it fell smoothly over her body. She tied the robe, and picked up her dagger. Even it seemed to gleam more than usual, like a bright silver tooth in the mouth of darkness. Victoria pocketed her dagger, and turned to examine herself in the mirror. With the exception of her red roots, she very nearly melted into the black walls behind her. She gave a self satisfied smirk, opened the door, and strode towards the secret door that led to the Other Sisterhood.
Victoria walked slowly down the pathway. There were no voices this time, but the lanterns on the wall burned brightly, leading the way. She could actually see this time, however some things she wished she couldn’t. The sticky, wet liquid on the walls glowed bright red under the lantern's glare. Beneath her feet, the grass was wet as well, but with what, she didn’t know. Victoria continued on, until abruptly, the air changed. Or at least, she thought it did. She stopped to sniff the air. No longer did it smell musty and tangy, surely due to the fact that it was an underground tunnel. Instead, it smelled fresh. Piney, even.
Victoria felt around for the walls; there were none. She wasn't sure why she hadn’t noticed this before, but somehow, she was no longer underground. At some point, she must have left the convent, which meant that this was probably a secret passageway. She continued forward, feeling slightly nervous without the comfort of the hard stone wall. Her feet sunk deeper into damp grass, and she looked up. Instead of seeing a ceiling, she saw the sky.
Victoria could see the stars twinkling far above, and she began to wonder if she had gone too far. Her fears were immediately confirmed when she spotted a large campfire not too far off into the distance. Victoria wondered if she had not run into another nuns assassins group, but then shooed away the idea. The odds of that were slim to none...she hoped.
Victoria approached slowly, her footsteps careful and as quiet as she could manage. As she
Dorothy Salisbury Davis, Jerome Ross