School Time for Death: Tendrils of Control (Death Dealer Saga Book 4)
Page 32
Mama has one of the maids go over to the school officials and asks for them to come up to our table. After all three men join us at our table mama begins. With a heavy sigh she looks up at them.
“Gentlemen, as you may have guessed Bethany Hightower, Lisa Campbell, Stacy White, and Kimberly Windom have joined my Family’s Temple. Please understand that this is not what we had wished to happen, but it has. Each has taken their first vows as novices. Of the three orders of nuns at the Temple, they have joined the Sisterhood of Blessed Silence.”
Oh shit! Not good, definitely not good! If they have joined the Silent Sisters that means they have already taken the first vow of silence. They would not say another word until just before they become full sisters. It also means they have been fitted with chastity belts. I need to find out what the hell happened last night at the Temple with them. The Silent Sisters only take the most devout or damaged of girls into their order. The fact that Bethany, Stacy, Lisa, and Kimberly have joined them tells me that those girls did not tell me everything that happened to them. Mama’s next words bring me out of my shocked and stunned silence.
“Please understand that there is no way for them to return to society. All four have already taken the final vow of silence by having their voices removed, and their chastity belts permanently sealed shut. While I do not condone their actions or those who let them take such drastic steps at such a young age, I must abide by their decision. As such they have renounced the outside world and are now members of the Temple and full citizens of Hades. By their own actions they have withdrawn from your school. I am afraid that there is nothing more we can do or say in this matter than give them our blessings.”
Mr. Lenard was the first to ask a question, and the most important. “What could have happened to influence those girls last night to commit such drastic actions?”
Mama sighed and looked down at her hands for a moment to collect her thoughts. I saw her square off her shoulders and wrap the mantle of Reverend Mother around her. “I am afraid that I cannot tell you exactly what happened sir, but I can tell you this much. Each of them had a spiritual awakening sometime after dinner last night.” when mama said they had a spiritual awakening after dinner I know what had happened.
I should never have let those girls confront David and Peter Longfellow. The guilt of what they had thought was their fault at being used by that family had caused them to snap. The Silent Sisters offered them way to run away from their supposed guilt without having to answer any embarrassing questions. If their families come looking for them, they can’t talk to them. This way no one will ever know what they did to survive. Mama must have been reading my thoughts or she had had them herself.
“No Maiha, it was not their desire to run away from their families, or to hide from what was done to them, which made them choose the silent ones.”
It was Doctor Brim who asked for the reason, and he wasn’t very diplomatic about it. “Then just what the hell was their reason? I have to answer to their parents. I need an answer from them and not some mumbo jumbo bullshit answer.”
“Sir! You are a guest in my home! I would remember that if I were you. Like you I do not have a lot of faith in mysticism or the Temple teachings, but I do respect their way of life.” My outburst got through to the men. I could see that they were only thinking of their own asses there for a minute. “Now that you are willing to listen I am sure that my mama will explain to us exactly what happened last night and why. But above all we must protect their decision to join the Sisterhood of Blessed Silence.”
The smile mama gives me is one of pride. Pride in the fact that I may not agree with the choice the girls made, but I will defend it. She places her hand on my shoulder and gives it a little squeeze.
“I will try to explain in a way that does not violate their trust.” After taking a few seconds to organize her thoughts. “Last night after dinner as you know I sent the young ladies to the Temple sisters. It was only my intention that they spend the night in a place where they would feel safe and find some form of peace. During the night each of the girls it seems suffered an emotional collapse and cried out in their sleep. Once the sister on duty had calmed each girl she sent them into the main Temple to pray to the Goddess for guidance.”
Mama stopped and took a drink of water from her glass. I can tell the next part is a little unsettling for her. “The monk on duty in the Temple last night, a Brother Tuck, found the four of them praying with a fever that was bringing a sweat to them. To quote the Mistress of Novices he said ‘they were praying not for guidance, but death and damnation.’ When he asked them why each girl told the old man their stories and why they wanted to die. Upon hearing their tales he told them of the Silent Sisters and how they might be able to help them find the forgiveness they so richly deserve. He did tell them they did not have to join the Sisterhood to gain that forgiveness.”
I interrupted her for a moment. “Then why did they, mama? If they knew they didn’t have to join the Sisters. It doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“That my daughter was my own question to Sister Mary Clarence, especially as they could have joined one of the less demanding Sisterhoods. It seems that it was Stacy who demanded to be allowed to join them and her friends would not let her go into that life on her own. Thankfully before she took her final vow of silence Reverend Mother Katsumi was able to get her to tell her why she so desperately wanted to join the silent ones. It seems that Stacy is a post-operative transsexual. David Longfellow found this out and used it against her to pull in the others. He knew that if the other Heathers found out she would become their next target. Then when you add in the fact that he made her help in targeting and corrupting other t-girls she wanted to take her life.”
‘BY THE GODS!” Professor Recco’s outburst drew far more attention to our table then I wanted. Seeing what he had done, he quickly moved to take care of the problem. “Please return to your meal girls, I am afraid that I was surprised of some facts concerning this morning’s training by the Storm Dancers.” The man is a true master of bullshit. Turning back to us he waves for mama to continue.
“When the brother found out that Stacey had thought of suicide he told her the only ones who could allow her to join them is the Sisterhood Blessed Silence. For Stacey the Silent Sisters are her only choice as the other Sisterhoods cannot even take her as an initiate. So her only avenue into the Sisters here at the Temple is through them. When the others found this out that this was her only way they refused the others in order to I quote ‘we will stay with our sister’.
Reverend Mother Katsumi was called to the Temple at a little after three this morning where she explained to all four girls the consequences of joining the Sisterhood of Blessed Silence and what it involved. But all three repeated their desire to become novices and then full sisters of that order.
Then while they were being fitted with their chastity belts, which are normally just, locked in place for novices. Bethany asked for hers to be sealed in the manner of a full sister. The medical nun asked if this was what she wanted as once the belt was sealed it could only be removed with her death and once again Bethany said yes. And again when the others heard of this they too demanded the same saying ‘where my sisters go I go’. To prove their point each of them gave the final vows of celibacy and chastity.
Once dressed in robs of a novice they were taken back to the Temple where they were introduced to the Reverend Mother for the Sisterhood of Blessed Silence, Sister Mary Robert. As is custom she took each girl one at a time to her chambers where with the aid of a text-to-speech program asked them if they truly wished for this life of silence and servitude. All four again said yes. This was again verified by one of the other Reverend Mothers. It was however when Kimberly was taken back that she asked to take the final vow of silence that sealed their fates to be Sisters of the Sisterhood of Blessed Silence.”
It all made sense to me now I could see all too clearly. For these girls everything they have been through t
ogether has stripped away the bonds of their families, and replaced them with the bonds of sisterhood that far outside of the norm. Each of them has their own ‘sin’ that they must in their minds atone for. For Stacy it was the thought of suicide, Bethany it was wantonness, Lisa it was greed and anger, and for Kimberly it is either lying or betrayal. I decide to see if my theory is correct.
“Each of them picked the punishment they felt befit their own sins and the others would not let them serve it on their own. Am I right, mama? That is what they all did. For Bethany it was the vow of permanent chastity for her wantonness, for Lisa it was the vow of poverty and passivity for her greed and anger. For Kimberly it was the vow of eternal silence for her betrayal of the others, and for Stacy it was to join the Sisterhood of Blessed Silence because they were the only ones who would take her because of her desire to commit suicide.” Mama just sat there and listened as I laid everything out before them. When I finished mama had a sad look on her face but a look of pride in her eyes.
“And that my daughter is why they have all joined the Silent Sisters. When Kimberly took the vow of eternal silence it sealed their fates to never make another sound for as long as they live. Gentlemen before you ask yes they were told in very graphic detail what would happen when they took that vow, before they were allowed to make it and then take the shots that would leave them without the ability to speak or utter a sound.”
Of the three of them Mr. Lenard had the saddest look on his face. It was his words that put what they feeling in prospective. “Gentlemen, we failed those four girls in ways that are inexcusable. It should be us paying the price for their peace of mind.”
“And that sir is why; we will not interfere with their decisions. They have suffered enough because we failed them. Our job now is to make sure we don’t fail the rest.” My words struck home and I saw a new resolve to help the students of JES come to their eyes.
----- To be continued in Book 5 “School time for Death – Resurrection”. -----
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Other books by the Author:
The Death Dealers Saga - Death’s Own Daughter
Book 1: Into the Fire once more
Book 2: Out of the Ashes
Book 3: Birth of a New Legend
The Death Dealers Saga - School Time for Death
Book 4: Tendrils of Control
Book 5: Resurrection
The Death Dealers Saga - Knights of Death
Book 6: Knights of Death – TBA – Current project.
The Marshals Saga
Book 1: Embracing Justice – TBA – Current Project.
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