Beyond The Veil,

Nephele ended up having a panic attack at the infirmary room after Lucy refused, or was unable to tell her where Elvis was.

Nephele was not stupid. She had seen the way Elvis had been acting and had seen them having private meetings with their butler. She had eavesdropped once and had her name and her father's being mentioned, and deep down she knew that Elvis was trying to get rid of her. But she tried to convince herself that even though she didn't share the same blood as Elvis, they had grown up together. They had shared everything and he taught her everything she knew. How could he ever be cruel to her? He wouldn't.

But there she was, miles away from her home in Meplphet. A place she had learned to call home after being adopted by Renny Golding, the kindest man she'd ever met. There she was in an unknown land, in a convent! Why would Elvis do this to her? Was it because their father was dying? Had he been pretending to love her as a sister all those years?

More than Elvis's betrayal, what hurt Nephele the most was the loss she felt. The loss of a home, a family. She was scared and she knew she couldn't go back to the Golding's anymore. If her father died, Elvis would own the estate, and if he could send her away to some convent without her knowledge, then she was no longer welcome in the Golding estate. And why a convent off all places?

"Who owns this place?" Nephele suddenly asked sister Lucy, who had resumed her place opposite her after bringing Nephele a glass of water.

Lucy was speechless. Who owned the convent? "Uh—the church?" She said, her answer coming out as a question rather than a statement.

She doesn't know, Nephele thought.

Lucy had barely managed to stop Nephele from bursting through the community room where the Reverend Mother was conducting afternoon prayers. She told Nephele that it was disrespectful even to God to interrupt prayers, and Nephele had calmed down at the mention of God and Lucy had absentmindedly noted that she was a believer.

"How long does it take to travel from Meplphet to Alvalhem?" Nephele asked, breaking the silence. The place was too silent.

"I don't know," Lucy responded, then retreated to her thoughts. She knew Alvalhem like the back of her hand, but she had never been outside Alvalhem. She silently observed Nephele, appreciating her beauty. She had seen all the other women in the convent–some were old, some young, beautiful, others ugly, and others just pleasant to look at. Nephele was a rare breed. She was attractive, mysterious yet expressive.

She was of average height, with forest green eyes and long black hair. Too black that Lucy was tempted to ask if it was the original colour. She had a well-defined bone structure and full pink lips. Nephele was of a slender build, but Lucy could tell that she had a curvy body under the male clothes she wore. She had long slender fingers and smooth olive skin.

Meanwhile, Nephele was also doing her best not to gawk at the absurdly beautiful human sitting opposite her. Lucy was stunningly beautiful, the outstanding feature about her being her eyes that were luminous black pools. Nephele had seen a lot of beautiful people, but there was something about Lucy's exquisite features, and her calm exterior. Her eyes were keen and deep and could see right through a person if they looked for too long.

Lucy was tempted to ask Nephele about her past, how she'd gotten herself thrown into the Wisteria convent, but she held back, remembering how she'd had a panic attack earlier. It was a complete giveaway that even though she didn't know the specifics, she had an idea of who and why she ended up there. But the truth was always hard to accept. She would know better.

After the afternoon prayers, Reverend Mother Beatrice Lowell nearly ran to the infirmary. She had heard the commotion outside as the new sister tried to force her way into the community room and was worried. What if sister Lucy had helped her escape? She wasn't that good after all. What was she going to tell father Arzhiel and the committee?

As soon as she entered the infirmary, her eyes darted around nervously and she breathed a huge sigh of relief. Thank God.

Nephele immediately approached Beatrice, momentarily forgetting about the lump at the back of her head.

"You're the Reverend mother?" She asked, impatience coating her voice. She had made up her mind. She wasn't going to stay in some convent and be a nun. Absolutely not.

"Yes, sister Nephelia. We're happy to ha—"

"It's Nephele," Nephele corrected and the Reverend Mother stared at her, eyebrows raised in confusion.

"What?"

"My name is Nephele, not Nephelia. And stop calling me sister," she said, irritated. The old woman lacked anything to say.

Lucy had to bite her bottom lip to contain the laughter that erupted from the back of her throat. Finally! It's been so long since something exciting happened here, she thought, her eyes sparkling in amusement.

Reverend mother Beatrice was quick to regain her composure. "Sister Nephele, we're happy to have you here. It's always good news to see a child of God abandoning the world and returning to God. When you choose to be closer to God, you have to surrender everything. You have to devote your life to prayer. Pray for your sins and every other sin that has been committed so that the Lord can grant you peace."

Nephele stared at the blubbering old woman, each word passing right through her ears. Who said she was devoting her life to prayer? Did she even know how to pray? She wasn't there by choice. It was an accident! A big misunderstanding.

Lucy also stared at the reverend mother, her brows pinched together in confusion. Was she initiating the vows now? A month had to pass or at least a fortnight. Nephele had only been there for a few hours.

"Excuse me, reverend mother. You're mistaken. This is all a big misunderstanding. I don't want to stay in the convent and I certainly do not want to be a nun so hand me back my things and let me go back home," Nephele implored, bringing out all the politeness and sincerity she could muster.

The Reverend Mother pursed her lips and stared helplessly. Father Arzhiel was best equipped to deal with the rebels, but he never involved himself in matters concerning the nuns unless it was necessary. What was she supposed to do now?

"Sister Lucy," Beatrice turned to Lucy with a forced smile, "you may leave now."

Lucy's eyes darted between the two before she stood up and straightened her tunic. She folded her hands below her habit like she was supposed to and walked out of the room with her head bowed. She didn't leave. She walked a few steps away then tiptoed back and stood outside the infirmary, her ear pressed close. Information was a vital survival tool. She needed to know all she could.

But in the end, there wasn't much information to gain. It was just an argument between the Reverend Mother and Nephele. Nephele had gone from polite to outright demanding her freedom, else she wouldn't be responsible for what happened to the old lady. She called the reverend mother old lady and Lucy nearly jumped in excitement. The Reverend mother remained adamant in convincing Nephele to give her life to Christ and forget about the sinful world.

"Levan," A deep voice called from right behind Lucy and she froze. Only one person called her Levan in the convent. Her eyes widened and a shiver ran down her spine. She felt the coldness that announced the person even before she could see his face. Damn! He was too close.

Lucy turned around and took a step back, putting some distance between herself and the priest.

"Father Arzhiel," Lucy gave a shallow bow, feeling the irony she felt everytime she addressed him, and the thought that crossed her mind every time she saw him surfaced—there was no way he was a priest.

Father Arzhiel's gray eyes bore into Lucy's with an intensity that made her shift uncomfortably. Despite there being strict rules about eye contact in the convent, Lucy had always looked the priest in the eyes. He didn't seem to mind since he never reprimanded her, but it was hard for Lucy not to look away. He always seemed to see something beyond.

The priest averted his gaze to the infirmary and heard the heated argument. "What is happening here?" He asked.

"The Reverend Mother is talking with sister Nephele," Lucy answered.

"Who— nevermind. You're not supposed to be here," and with that, the priest walked past Lucy leisurely.

Lucy stood there staring at the cloaked figure retreating, a thought crossing her mind. He was definitely not a priest.