Page 1

CHAPTER 1

“No, please!” Sonya’s scream could be heard through St. Catherine’s cold, damp halls, lurching Juliet from her thoughts.

She dropped the ladle into the pot of soup she had been stirring, quickly leaving the kitchen and heading to a room further down the echoing hall to where Sonya had been sleeping. As soon as Juliet walked in, she could see the young girl thrash about in her sleep, her face screwed in the grasp of her vivid nightmare, her breathing coming in panicked pants.

Juliet rushed to her side, her heart aching at the thin, fragile body on the bed.

“Shh, it’s all right, Sonya,” she murmured, gently shaking the girl awake. “It is just a dream. Wake up, sunshine.”

Sonya’s feverish eyes blinked open, and she looked around wildly before focusing on Juliet. Wordlessly, the child shook her head and buried herself in Juliet’s arms.

“It was only a nightmare,” Juliet soothed, brushing a damp strand of hair from Sonya’s forehead. “You are safe now.”

Sonya’s breaths were weak and shaky, and her petite body trembled as she mumbled.

“Mother Superior…she was there...”

“I know my darling, but she can’t hurt you anymore,” Juliet told her firmly although the memories of the late Mother Superior’s cruelty still haunted her as well.

She glanced in the direction of the kitchen. “Stay here, I will get you something to eat.”

Juliet hurried back to the kitchen, the chilly air biting her skin as she ladled out a portion of the soup.

“It’s a wonder any of us survived the winter here,” she hissed with a shiver as she stirred what was left of the thin soup in the pot.

There was barely enough to go around, but it would have to do. At the very least, the sick ones should be fed first, and the others could sort out other means of sustenance.

The kitchen at St. Catherine’s was cold and damp. Its stone walls were old with dark patches caused by the water stains that had gathered over the years. The structure itself was weak, offering little protection against the biting wind outside.

What a cruel place this world is,” a nun had sighed when Juliet had met with her to ask how they intended to acquire resources. “We barely have enough food to last us the next few days. Provisions are hard to come by, and what little we did have has been exhausted in the wake of the scandal that sullied the nunnery. No one is willing to help us, Juliet. They fear that associating themselves with this place might stain their reputations, so we have been left to perish.”

The woman’s words were not anything Juliet had not heard before, nor did they speak of a reality that she was unaware of. Nonetheless, it devastated her just how truly deserted and alone they were.

Juliet carefully ladled out portions of the soup into small bowls. She then took one of the bowls, added a tincture, and walked over to the shivering Sonya in bed. The girl’s feverish eyes fluttered open again, and Juliet smiled kindly.

“Here, try to eat a little,” she urged gently, holding the bowl closer. “It’s medicinal.”

Sonya pursed her lips, too weak to respond.

“You must try,” Juliet persuaded, carefully holding the bowl to her dried lips. “It will help you regain your strength.”

The young girl sipped the soup slowly. Juliet nodded encouragingly, whispering soothing words to motivate her. Sonya eventually pushed away the bowl after taking a few more sips, whimpering as if her dreams were still haunted by the late Mother Superior’s cruelty.

Juliet’s heart ached at the sight, but she forced herself to remain strong for the girl’s sake.

“You did well. Now, take this.” Juliet reached for an old cup filled with clean water. Sonya took a slow sip and handed it back.

She muttered her thanks and tried to lie back down.

“Hold on, let me prop your pillow. You will feel more comfortable if your head is raised,” Juliet offered as she helped the young girl adjust her posture on the bed.

The door opened, and Mary entered.

Like Juliet, Mary was an Oblate and had stayed in the abbey longer than most.

She took one look at Sonya and Juliet and hurried over to help. Together, they managed to ease Sonya back into a fitful sleep.

Mary sighed as she settled beside the bed. “It has been so hard since everything came to light. When will it all end?”