Sweetest Sin

Chapter Seven- Sacrifice a Virgin

There is no perfectly accurate way to describe what the feeling of warm blood dripping down your body and covering you like peanut butter can possibly be made to understand. But it wasn’t necessarily the blood itself or the laughing of the girls as they took such pride in the disheartening moment they forced me to endure that caused this twisted feeling in my stomach and pain on my heart. It was the embarrassment of not knowing how to handle it. It was moments like these that I wished I could wake up from this dream that was my life and pretend it never happened. But I couldn’t do that here. I had two choices; go into my bed and cry until I get so sick I am forced out of the room, or endure walking down the hallways and risk being seen by Gabriele. He would think I am no better than the petty games of the overly dramatic adolescence. But as the tears reached in my eyes as their laughter seemed to echo and linger in my mind, my feet chose my direction as I had ran down the hall and into the bathroom before focusing on the shower.

I didn’t care if it would be scalding or freezing as I just wanted the feeling of the thick blood to come off of me. It was clumping and drying now in my hair, upon my clothes, and even between my fingernails as I did every attempt I could to wash it away. All the while, my cheeks becoming mixed with the droplets from the shower and that of my own tears. I eventually gave into my emotions and set my forehead against the wall of the shower as my clothes were drenched from the water. When I finally bucked up and told myself tears solved nothing, it was time to look in the mirror and see what remained as the water continued to run behind me. Luckily, there was a mirror hanging over the sinks that were just across the room and so I ventured to them. I felt as though I had walked through hell in this moment as my skin was tinted a light red and my hair was still thick with it as my clothes were far passed the point of saving. Realizing this, I began to remove them as I had gotten down to my bra and panties before standing back beneath the water. By some miraculous moment, my undergarments had been the only thing left unstained before I could hear the door come open and a voice to call out my name.

“Nicolette?” A gentle female voice called out as I instantly knew it was Tessa. I could feel the tears form in my eyes once more but told myself I had to let it go as karma would take them and teach them a lesson when it would be time. As she turned the corner, she saw me standing beneath the water and stopped dead in her tracks with a gasp.

“Oh my gosh!” I tried to shrug it off but found her to move to me and immediately turn the water off as she began to tear up.

“That’s it, we are going to the Father right now!”

“Not like this!”

“Put your clothes back on-”

“I don’t want to, they’re all stained-”

“He needs to see what those...girls did to you…”

“They will just have to go to confession…”

“No...this is different...this is serious…”

“I really just want to forget about it…”

She hesitated, taking me in in the moment as she let out a sigh. “I can’t.” She removed herself from the room very quickly as I wrapped myself in a towel and chased after her as she made her way to the Father’s office before I could stop her. She didn’t even bother to knock as she plowed her way right in, unaware that Gabriele, Mother Rhoussar, and the Father DAceria had been in the midst of an important discussion.

“Forgive me, I cannot stand by and watch a fellow daughter of God be treated with in a way such as this!” She commented as she pulled me into the room and immediately Father DAceria and Gabriele rose from their seats and moved in my direction.

“My heavens!” The father spoke as he scanned me. “What happened? Is she hurt?” Gabriele chimed in as Tessa shook her head “no”.

“Those evil girls in Purgatory hall had done this to her!” The father let out an exhausted sigh, as if this wasn’t the first time this had happened. He removed himself from behind his desk and moved closer to me as he scanned my hair, picking it up, and even smelling it before stepping back-appalled.

“Mother Rhoussar, if you would please join me in finding a suitable punishment for these girls, and if you, Gabriele could take photographs.” Both my gaze and Gabriele’s looked to the Father in surprise.

“Photographs?” He asked, confused.

“For evidence in their records...three of everything please.” He left the room before Gabriele could question more as Tessa followed the Father to see the other girls being punished for what they had done to me. I was then alone with Gabriele as I led him into the shower room where he seemed more than uncomfortable-as if being in that room itself had broken one of the ten commandments. He refused to really look up until seeing my clothes and the stained shower floor that was caused by the blood. I didn’t realize it until this moment, but you were able to see my entire path from leaving the hallway and into the room; even with remnants of my existing having remained upon the sink.

I watched as he lifted a camera from a case at his side that he had taken before leaving the office before bringing it to view. It was a popular camera in this year with a heavy silver center and black top and bottom. The lens was slightly off the center and a long neck strap was attached for easy portability. But it let out a bright flash that was enough to blind those who were already visually impaired. I watched as he had photographed the shower, my clothes, and finally moved to me. My gaze focused upon his as I wanted him to tell me he wanted me to disrobe. Even if nothing were to come of him and I, I wanted to hear him say it. I smirked internally at the thought before watching him simply point the camera at me and wait for me to drop my towel before taking a photograph. I could see the pulse within his neck having been racing along with his tremulous fingers on the buttons of the camera. I wouldn’t be surprised if the pictures themselves had emerged slightly out of focus or even appearing to be taken during an earthquake.

“Turn please…” He instructed as I had done so in a slow fashion-torturing him in my own way. I watched as the camera lowered after he took the final photograph and his gaze had just froze upon me. I carried my fingers to the straps of my bra and placed my middle finger beneath the silk strap until it fell towards my elbow. His lips came agape as he didn’t even seem to remember the camera as he watched me nearly strip for him. Not a word was spoken as I had continued the same technique upon my right strap, forcing my breasts to emerge for what was anything but appropriate.

“I might have gotten some...do you need a picture of it?” I asked as I traced my bra with the tips of my fingers before he cleared his throat, seemingly bringing himself out of his own dazed state.

“I think I..I have enough…” I swear I had never seen a man leave so fast as he was out of the room before I had brought my towel back around my body. I had done so, however, as I then moved to my belongings as I noticed the Father having been interrogating the young girls as the stains of the blood marked their guilt in a literal red-handed situation. I removed a set of fresh clothes from the trunk before then moving to the dining hall, finding Tessa to be smiling wide as she saw me.

“I have never seen Sharon Applebee that busted before! You truly made my year...I just wish it was under...other circumstances…” She continued on her little joyous rant as I found my gaze to follow Gabriele as he made his way into the dining hall and to the far edge to get his food before standing with an apple nearby. I couldn’t help but nibble upon my bottom lip as I watched the juice from the apple drip down his chin and he washed it away with the back of his hand. It was carnal and erotic in a way I couldn’t explain-and as I looked up to meet his eyes, I saw him watch me as I viewed him.

“Earth to Nicolette?” I heard this as I turned back to Tessa.

“Sorry…”

“You know...I kind of have an idea to get back at them…”

I hesitated, knowing the old me would jump at the chance to show those bitches a taste of their own medicine. But then, that is not what Gabriele would find attractive. And when getting him as close to touching me as he did back in the shower, I couldn’t risk it-no matter how much it was deserved. As I looked back up to Gabriele, I found him now gone-as if he was now putting down his chips to play this dangerous game of seduction-but he wasn’t aware how good I was at it.