Lucia’s head throbbed with pain. She could feel that irritating gaze on her—unwanted, undesired—waiting for her to fail. The weight of the night pressed heavier on her shoulders. Nothing was going as planned. Everything was slowly descending into chaos.

  “Sister Lucia… Sister Lucia…”

  Sister Clarence’s voice only registered once she began pushing her way through the crowd of newly recruited nuns exiting the hall.

  Lucia straightened up as Clarence approached. She quickly instructed her recruits to follow Sister Cathy’s group ahead of them. They obeyed, walking past her with their luggage in hand.

  She felt Sister V draw close but looked away, walking toward Clarence instead. She was starting to avoid V like the plague.

  “What was that?” Clarence asked, eyes wide with intrigue.

  “What? What was what?” Lucia stammered, already calculating every possible catastrophe that could begin with that question.

  “The recruit.”

  Lucia took a step back. Had she been caught? Did Clarence figure it out? See the panic in her face? Had she noticed the resemblance? The one no one was supposed to see? The uncanny similarity between two people born of the same blood?

  “What about the recruit—” Lucia began, but Clarence suddenly clasped her hands and pulled her into a quieter, more secluded corner of the hallway.

  “You initiated seven recruits. Did you ask Cathy to lend you one?--- Actually, never mind that. Did you see Sister Irene’s face? It was diabolical! She was completely caught off guard seeing you received seven recruits!”

  Sister Clarence bounced up and down speaking in delight.

  “…How could you not tell me beforehand? Granted, the surprise was worth it. Watching that cunning smile fall flat—delicious!”

  “Ha… ha…” Lucia managed a weak smile. Relief, more than amusement. “It wasn’t exactly my plan—”

  “Well, it worked! And it was glorious.”

  “The recruit wasn’t supposed to be under me,” Lucia said quickly. “She was Cathy’s. She made a mistake walking over to mine.”

  Clarence paused. “Oh… really? So you only have six, then?”

  Lucia winced. “N—No.”

  “So… you have seven recruits, right now?”

  “Yes, but only because the recruit insisted. If she hadn’t asked, she’d still be with Cathy.”

  “What nonsense! Well, I’m glad the recruit knew the rules better than the rest of us.” Clarence grinned. “That’ll keep Irene’s mouth shut for a week, at least—”

  “Sister Irene,” Lucia corrected quickly, but Clarence waved it off.

  “Right, right. Anyway, you should get back to them. Don’t want to keep you too long.” She gave Lucia a little push toward the courtyard. “Come by my quarters when you're done for the night. We should celebrate!”

  Clarence’s delighted face almost made the moment feel worth it. Almost.

  But fear lingered. Lucia knew it wouldn’t take long before someone put it together. The resemblance was too strong. There was no one else in the convent who looked even remotely like her—no one except Sister V. It strangely reminded Lucia of times when she used to wonder if things would’ve been easier if they had looked identical. If she’d been born with V’s face, would her mother have treated her differently?

  She looked ahead. V trailed behind the others, confidently striding along. So far, she had been… compliant. Strangely so. Almost unsettling.

  No outbursts. No confrontations. Just idle complaints about the cold.

  That terrified Lucia more.

  She would have preferred chaos. This calm was not like her sister at all. And it meant something was coming.

  Something worse.

  *

  The west building was the oldest structure on the convent grounds. Lucia’s quarters had moved up one story every two years as she rose in rank. The tower she resided in had six rooms prepped for her set of new recruits. With V’s unexpected addition, she had to improvise.

  ”Sister Lucia,” a voice called out from the hallway as Sister Lucia showed her sixth recruit, Sister Benedict, into her tiny room. V was nearby, watching while pushing Benedict’s massive luggage into its new home.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Sister Helen!” Lucia hurried over. “Did we find a room for Sister V?”

  “I’m sorry, dear. There is no room prepped for tonight. Two days at best. A week at worst.”

  Lucia held back a sigh. This only meant one thing.

  “Good night, Sisters!” Sister Benedict called out before shutting the door behind her.

  “Good night, Sister Benedict,” Lucia called back automatically, then turned to see V approaching, head bowed, shoulders composed.

  “Well then, thank you for checking, Sister Helen.”

  Helen smiled and reached out, touching V’s arm. “Welcome, dear. Apologies we couldn’t prepare a room for you in this tower. You can stay in the tower next door, or…” she looked at Lucia, “…room with Sister Lucia for the night. She’s wonderful company.”

  Lucia felt her ears burn. Why did everyone keep giving V options, and nothing for her?

  V linked her arm with Helen’s, her lashes fluttering absurdly.

  “Such a gracious offer, Sister Helen. I think…” she tilted her head dramatically, “…I’ll stay with my mentor nun. A perfect way to bond with my lifelong friend.”

  Lifelong friend.

  Lucia almost laughed. Her fingers clenched into fists. She knew V was mocking her, mocking this place, this life she’d built.

  “Excellent! I’ve got a mattress pack ready,” Helen said, pointing to a slim rectangular box at her feet. “Lay it out and give it a second. It inflates like magic.”

  Helen gave them both a parting pat and left.

  Her footsteps faded into the distance, leaving the dark hallway in flickering candlelight, and silence. Sister Lucia had to face it now. Her worst nightmare was just behind her waiting for instruction.

  “Right,” she muttered, grabbing the mattress box by the handle.

  “Let me,” V said, reaching out and grabbing it from her hands in a single motion.

  The brief contact jolted Lucia, sending her reeling back.

  “Calm your tits, ma’am. You’re supposed to be hiding the fact you know me.”

  Lucia’s face flushed.

  “Calm my tits?!” She hissed looking into V’s eyes for the first time since hours ago.

  “You are acting like an idiot—”

  “Idiot? Me?” Lucia snapped, her voice rising, echoing down the hallway.

  A moment of silence passed before V sighed loudly. But before she could speak again, Lucia grabbed her by the tunic, yanked her down the corridor, pushed open her door, and shoved V inside.

  V stumbled but caught herself, turning just in time to see Lucia slam the door, lock it, then check the lock three times—with adequate pauses in between to register each count.

  “Still checking the locks, I see,” V said dryly.

  Lucia paused for a moment, then turned with an accusatory finger pointed. “Why are you here?”

  “Hush now, you are too loud. These walls are paper thin, if you haven’t noticed—”

  “Shut up,” Lucia hissed, “Why are you here?”

  V remained silent. Her eyes locked onto Lucia in half amusement. Lucia grabbed her shoulders.

  “Answer me!”

  “You told me to shut up!”

  “Argh! Why now?!”

  “What do you mean, why now? I’m a devout of the Faith of the Bound Word. You initiated me into—”

  “Stop!” Lucia jolted V. And for the first time V tensed up then pushed Lucia’s hands away.

  “Tell me truly. Why are you here? No lies.”

  Lucia watched V frozen in deep thought. She noticed that she couldn’t quite read her sister like she used to.

  “This is my home,” Lucia continued. “You can’t come in here and—and—”

  Her voice cracked. She hadn’t meant to pour her heart out. But it was beginning to spill now.

  “And what?” V asked.

  Lucia clenched her jaw. “You need to leave. This is my home, you are not welcome here.”

  V didn’t react. No tantrum. No witty retort. Just silence.

  Lucia wasn’t prepared for that.

  Maybe her sister had changed, matured even.

  “A strange way to greet your sister you haven’t seen in over a decade.”

  For a second, something flickered in her eyes. But it was gone before Lucia could name it. And yet, Lucia felt the jab. Should she have rejoiced at reuniting with her family? Her only family left?

  “I don’t want to be known as your sister,” she said, before even realizing the words had left her mouth.

  “Ah! I see,” V said, tapping her chin. Slowly. “That makes more sense now. I didn’t expect a hug but I thought you’d at least be happy to know I’m still alive…But why don't you want people to know I am your sister? You know, the blood kind?”

  Lucia didn’t respond.

  “Why keep it a secret?” V kept going, taking a step towards Lucia making Lucia take one back.

  The answer was unclear. Lucia never wanted anyone from her past. She wanted her new life to remain separate. And V was not helping.

  “Are you afraid of something? Afraid of revealing your past?”

  Lucia felt another jab, this time deeper. She felt the heaviness of the words. She felt V’s judgment fall on her.

  “There’s nothing to reveal—”

  “Isn’t there?” V’s voice dropped. “Last I heard you were the last one to see her body…”

  Lucia froze.

  The image hit like a knife, blood pooling on a dirty tiled floor. Her breath caught.

  “…What happened that night?” V whispered. “Tell me, truly.”

  Lucia’s chest heaved. Her vision blurred.

  “Is that why you’re here?” she asked. “To find out what happened?”

  ”What do you think? What do you think I am here for, Sister dear?”

  Suddenly, V’s face blurred, shifting into another, more familiar one. A face Lucia had known all her life. One that looked so much like her own, she almost mistook it for her reflection. But it stood there, nonchalant… its head bashed in, skull caved in at the side, blood streaming down, soaking half the body in deep, vivid red.

  “No…” Lucia lost her balance. She fell to the floor with a loud thud. In a brief flash, her vision returned. She saw V’s face, concerned, leaning over her.

  But all she heard were the words, echoing and endless.

  “Rahi… My sweet, Rahi…”