Nuvoday passes both quickly and slowly. I only know because Chisa watches the town from above. Activity moves in lurches. Starts and stops with people moving here and there, some starting to clean up the wreckage of the battle, bits of stone and wood scattered over dozens of blocks, black scorch marks here and there where fires started to spread from the burning debris blown across nearby buildings, before being put out by guards and other citizens in the aftermath of the battle. It wasn't enough to save some areas though, where the fires spread through numerous buildings before they could be brought under control.
Others pick through the ruins, pulling out bits of destroyed things. Baskets, furniture, lengths of rope and any number of other items. Almost all of it broken to pieces or burned unrecognizable.
Still others simply wander, as if unsure what to do now. The way they look, it reminds me that these people, despite over a hundred years of war, have never experienced anything like this themselves. It all happened far away, out of sight, out of mind.
There are some who simply continue with their lives. The further from the non-existent West Gate, the more things in town appear to be continuing normally.
At the orphanage for instance, Mister Fredricson calls for business as usual. At breakfast, he tells everyone that things won't change here, and tells them to go out the North Gate to reach the forest in order to avoid the ruined area. Or so I hear from the other girls when they return upstairs, since I don't have it in me to leave our room.
As for me, I don't do much of anything. Emily stays with me, but I'm so tired, so utterly drained that I spend half of the day sleeping, wrestling with nightmares I've gotten out of practice facing. The other half goes to sewing, washing my clothes in cold water Emily hauls up from the well, and eating the food messengers deliver throughout the day. I don't even have my usual appetite.
At least Chisa swings by to get the mana Myra wants. A mixture of a bunch of different types, a little bit of everything. She actually has to make two trips since Myra can hold so much more than she can.
Probably the highlight of the entire day, actually.
At the time, I consider having her give me some colored mana, but don't. I don't know if just moving around the mana inside me will cause that pain again. I'm too scared to find out.
The whole day, I ache. My body, but also something else. Inside, where I can feel the horrible wounds in my barrier beginning to stitch themselves back together, there is an awful soreness worse than most of the injuries I'm used to. And it's constant. No way to take pressure off or relieve it. I can't even pinpoint the source since it's everywhere, all at once.
Moving too much makes it worse. Thinking too much makes it worse. Sudden stabs of strange, indescribable feelings. Awful and painful and... something. They aren't like anything I have words to describe, nothing like physical pain I'm more than accustomed to already. The only way I can even wrap my mind around them is to sort of approximate them, use the closest words I can really think of to describe the awful sensations.
These feelings. They appear from nowhere if I do anything wrong. All it takes is thinking or focusing on something too hard. Feelings like stabbing and burning and crushing but not. I practically have to meditate while sewing to avoid paying too much attention to my actions, or it just hurts worse.
The whole thing makes it impossible to focus clearly, so I don't. Even considering trying to study the words I learned yesterday shoots a lance of not-fire through my soul.
In the end, I let the day slip by without much thought.
----------------------------------------
It's the next day, Shanaday, when I have to go to church, that things pick up a little bit. I barely manage to drag myself out of bed in time to leave. I'll have to go to the clinic after...
Mister Fredricson herds everyone out the front door. When he closes a hard grasp on my neck, I whimper despite myself. Between the pain and the memory of his beatings, I can't help it.
But mostly, it's the weakness. I feel weak and fragile. Not emotionally like before. Physically, like back with the rail units. Powerless. I can't even touch my mana for fear of that mind-destroying pain. Everything I've learned, all the ways to empower myself, defend myself, all out of my reach right now. I can't even access my mark, can't talk to Reena, can't call her for help.
It's terrifying.
So I keep my head down, obediently sticking to Mister Fredricson's side, avoiding his gaze and his anger that I have no way of protecting myself from now. I try not to think too hard, keeping my mind empty and my movements simple. A careful, trudging walk as I'm dragged to the church. I can't tell since I can never see anything around me, but it sounds much louder than usual on our walk through town.
With much better visibility from above, Chisa points out why. The crowd converging on the church is larger than normal. Far larger. Like most of the town is heading there right now.
When we arrive, it is packed. Mister Fredricson barely manages to squeeze into our usual spot in the corner. On the way in, I meet Claire's eyes. She looks... conflicted. A look I've seen on a lot of faces today. It hardly even registers that I missed our afternoon lessons yesterday. After everything, I wonder if she even noticed. Or if she cares? She doesn't live anywhere near the west side of town, does she? Is her family alright? I have no idea, I hardly know anything about Claire besides her being my instructor.
I have to cut off those thoughts when they start to make me ache from thinking too hard.
Then we take our place, swarms of people piling in behind us. There isn't nearly enough room around the outer wall for everyone. A second row forms in front of us, and likely a third or fourth row in front of them, but I can't really tell because I'm immediately blinded by the wall of bodies in front of me. I can't see anything. With so many more people than usual, the noise is absolutely deafening. It hurts my ears, makes me grit my teeth. Even trying to shut out the noise takes too much effort, causing further shooting pains. Hot, tingling, with no real heat, but sore all the same.
I do my best to endure, but I don't think I have much in me right now. Not in my current state. It is a huge relief when the priests finally arrive. Or at least, I assume they do since I can't actually see anything when everyone falls to silence. Ahh, wonderful silence.
After some time, a voice speaks up. Not the voice of the head priest I'm used to, but a different one. It sounds somewhat familiar, similar to a voice I know, but... not quite the same.
"Good people of Brenton, listen closely," he begins. "Two days ago, Bromunst launched a vicious, cowardly attack on our city. Spat in the faces of the gods. Showed their dishonor, weakness, and barbarism! But do not fear, the gods are on our side! We are in the right! Saras himself sent a messenger to warn us against the attack!"
What.
"Thanks to him, it was thwarted decisively, their troops sent back with their tails between their legs." His voice drops lower for a few moments, before surging back. "Damage was done, lives lost, but we will rebuild, stronger than before!"
A roar of applause tears through the room. It makes me cringe, makes my head pound. I'm starting to lose strength in my legs by the time it calms down, leaving me woozy. I try not to stagger so I don't make Mister Fredricson mad. I think I catch a worried glance from Claire at the corner of my watery vision.
When the room quiets down again, the man says that we will be offering Saras our prayers today in thanks for saving our city. "Now, if you would..." There are a few resounding footsteps, followed by the voice of the head priest. He launches straight into a series of stories praising Saras. Telling of his 'benevolence,' which I can pretty much guess based on context at this point, and his wonderful treatment of even those who are unworthy.
One part that stands out is his description of a story I think I've heard before. He talks about how Saras offered a premonition to the Liantran savages, how he saved their entire civilization from ignorance and ruin. Elevated them into the country they are today. I... have no idea if the story is exaggerated. I know that stories of premonitions are a big deal and Emily mentioned this one before, but she didn't mention it being the foundation of their entire country!
I shudder slightly. My surprise hurts, so I push it out of my mind. Think about it later.
The head priest eventually finishes up the service that is more about offering thanks and praise to Saras than anything else, then they begin to go around with the divine totems. They start at the front rows, so I'm not one of the first to go for once. It takes much longer than usual since there are so many more people, but there is a much larger problem.
When he said that we're all going to pray to Saras today, he meant it. Everyone is praying to Saras, aloud. Slowly, my blood begins to run cold as that sets in. I can't pray to Saras! I can't even let him know I exist!
The priests work their way through the rows of people in front of me, one after another. I try not to panic, that just causes shapeless jagged twinges everywhere and makes it even harder to think of anything.
Then something catches my eye. I shift just a little, not enough to bother Mister Fredricson, but just enough to get a slightly better look up at Claire out of the corner of my eye. She's watching something, her eyes moving back and forth in the crowd, the priests I guess, since they're the only ones moving. But her face is unexpected. Annoyed. Like, really annoyed, almost to the point of anger, I've never seen her like this before. She mutters under her breath. Even right next to her, I wouldn't be able to tell without watching her lips as I focus on the faint sounds of her words.
"Freedom of religion my ass. I'll just say one thing and think something else," she breathes the words out. I blink a little. Part because I don't really know what she's talking about, and part from the unexpected cursing. But it does give me an idea.
Eventually, the priest arrives. She presses her palm to the divine totem and says, "Saras, thank you for protecting us and doing so many wonderful things." There isn't any hint of sarcasm in her tone, but after what she said earlier... that's totally sarcastic. Does she have a problem with Saras? Or is it something about that 'freedom of religion' thing she mentioned?
Again, I push those thoughts away before they start to hurt. It's my turn anyway. I follow my plan, touching the totem. I close my eyes to avoid giving myself away, preparing myself. With all of the connections before me, I direct my attention to Reena's. Just that mental movement is a stab of cold fire. It would make me wince and cringe away if my eyes weren't already closed. The best I can do is suppress it to a full body shudder, which I try to cover by taking a breath. Then I speak aloud. "Saras, thank you for saving the city," trying to speak evenly. Reena can clearly feel what is happening and doesn't question it.
While I'm speaking, she mostly stays quiet. Just one feeling, so soft and gentle it's a little hard to hear. 'Later,' like she's pointing over to the special plaque that will let me talk to her. Just that one bit of communication feels like a crash against my entire being, which I do my best to avoid showing even as I reel inside. I remove my hand from the totem so the priest will ignore me and move on.
My knees are weak and I'm starting to get nauseous from the endless ache and random stabs of pain. I try to empty my mind, completely blank and stare ahead. Meditate. Calm. Peace...
It helps. I make it through the rest of the church service, with some thanks thrown at the other gods right at the end and a reminder that we're in Saras' month, so we should all keep praying to him, before everyone begins to leave.
It takes a while, waiting for everyone ahead of us to file out. When I check the time, I realize that church went way longer than usual, it's already after the sixth bell. As soon as there's enough room, Mister Fredricson drags me out. I share a short wave with Claire, glad to see a small smile on her face again, before Mister Fredricson throws me outside and takes off.
----------------------------------------
I lie face down in the grass. I don't know if I really have the energy to stand. Besides, it's comfy here. So I shrug slightly and wait for Emily to come get me. When she arrives, she sits down next to me, rubbing my head.
"So, how did it go?" she asks.
"I'm exhausted and my soul hurts, but I avoided revealing my existence to Saras, so I count it as a win," I reply without opening my eyes. The way I feel now, I'll take anything I can get. A small sigh escapes my mouth. The light pressure of her hand on my scalp is incredible and helps keep my mind off most of my other pains. I just lie there and enjoy the feeling for a bit before a thought intrudes. I peek an eye open at her, a small amused grin on her face, and ask, "What does 'freedom of religion' mean?"
"Freedom of religion? Umm, I think it has to do with being allowed to worship any of the gods you want. Something about avoiding fights between competing factions who want to worship one god over the others. Or... something like that, I think. Why?"
"Claire muttered something about it, I was wondering what it meant." I slide my eye closed again, letting my mind rest before the discussion leads to any more aches and pains.
After a while, I manage to work up the will to get up again. "I have to go talk to Reena," I say, and Emily nods. When we head back into the church, a familiar head of short black hair draws my eye. Jess is standing near some priests over near one of the column. They don't seem to notice her as she listens in on whatever they're talking about. She turns a bit and spots us, then she comes trotting over.
"So..." she says, speaking quietly, but leaves the 'you're coming to talk to Reena' part left unspoken anyway.
"Yeah," I respond, tilting my head in the direction of the plaque, over on the right side of the room, near the far end.
"Can I come?"
"Sure, though there isn't really anything to see." I shrug a bit, then wince when the motion rubs on some invisible sore spot inside me. The three of us start toward the far end of the room, walking slowly so no one pays us much mind. There are priests and lots of people dressed in fancy clothes, some clearly standing out among everyone, definitely nobles. For the most part, they only interact with the priests, but considering that I've hardly even seen them before, even occupying the same room as commoners, especially peasants like us, is kind of terrifying. How could Mister Fredricson possibly know them? I still have no idea, but I definitely don't want to draw their attention...
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
As we walk, Jess speaks quietly. "So, the word among the nobles is that someone tipped off the guards before the attack. Every guard gave a different description, so no one knows for sure what happened. They can't make any sense of it." They... what? But all the guards saw me, didn't they? Why would they all have different descriptions?
"But the other big story is that a rail unit showed up at the gate, way before any of the others, being led by a bird. Definitely a messenger from Saras." Oh. I... really messed up. "It got there so early there were still people around to see it use its divine gear. Based on the descriptions, it was like this blinding white light that shot out all around it, and it started pulling these huge weapons and things out of thin air." She shrugs a bit. "As far as I can tell, that's all anybody saw before they got too far away to, so no one actually saw the fighting. Just the aftermath."
I don't know what to say. No idea how to respond. Even thinking about it, processing what she's said, causes jabs of sourceless pain here and there as I consider it. Then Jess is looking at me, glancing between the two of us as we stay quiet. "You... totally know something." Part of me wants to worry, wants to try to deny it, but that part just causes more unpleasant pangs and irritation throughout me, bringing back some of the nausea from earlier.
I settle on what little I can tell her without having to think too hard. "I was at the West Gate when it happened. There's more to the story than that, but I can't really talk about it, not right now." Maybe later, when I can think of what I can and can't reveal without it making me sick. She nods, somewhere between disappointed and eager, however that works, and we continue the rest of the way to the plate from last time. I think Claire called it a plaque?
Stopping in front of it, I know I have to be extra careful. Of course, the mark beneath the words is a dead give away. The kitsu mark, just like the one on my face. Keeping some space from the surface, I trace it with a finger. Two large red shapes, not exactly triangles. Just two lines really, connected to point upward, out on either side of the mark. A smaller, filled in white triangle set between them, pointed down. And directly between the red tips are the two red circles.
Then I move my eyes to the words written on the plate. Slowly, haltingly, one word at a time, I read it aloud. "Reena. Godde...ss. Of. K-k-...knowledge. And... Wi...sdom." Some of the words are strange, their spellings don't make any sense, and the letters I don't know yet trip me up. I wouldn't be able to read it out if I didn't already know the phrase. And it takes enough focus that the sore throbbing it brings about makes me regret even putting in that effort.
"You... can read that?" Jess blinks at me in amazement.
"Barely," I grunt, holding my stomach as it starts to churn.
"You know, you don't looks so good," Jess finally points out as she looks me over again.
"Yeah, sorry about that."
"Why are you apologizing?" she tilts her head a hair as she asks. I open my mouth, but I don't even know, so I just shrug.
"Well-" I cut short when someone walks past, giving a loud snort in our direction. It draws our attention to a man, a priest.
"Ungrateful rats," he mutters, intentionally loud enough for us to hear, continuing on without stopping or looking back at us.
I turn back to Jess. "What was that?" I ask, completely lost.
"Ahh, don't worry about that. He was a priest of Saras. He was probably offended because it looks like we're about to pray to... err..." she glances at the plate with a sudden guilty look, "Reena..."
"Is there a problem with that?" I ask, a small stab of indignation leading to a much larger stab of discomfort.
"N-no, of course not!" She waves her hands with wide eyes, her gaze going to my face, to my currently invisible mark. "It's just, you know..." she glances to Emily who also shows a somewhat pained look for some reason that I still don't understand. "People can get sort of annoyed when you favor a different god. Especially priests in service of another god... On a day that's basically been dedicated to him because he saved our town... And yours is Reena..." her voice crawls lower and lower as she continues, until she's basically mumbling to herself by the end.
"Oh, that... kind of makes sense," I admit. "Except the part about Reena." Still, favoring one god over the others? I never quite thought of it that way. But, no, that makes sense. Jess already mentioned it when she told me about the marks. How they're usually given to the most dedicated followers of one god. I never thought it through to its conclusion at the time, I was too focused on other things.
And I have only ever paid attention to Reena, so I guess it is kind of fair to say I'm one of her followers. Even if our relationship isn't actually anything like that. I don't think most people would really understand, they pray to the gods, they don't talk to them.
Alright, alright. The rising burning-cold and rumbling soreness that traces my continued thoughts is starting to become unbearable. I don't want to think about it anymore. Between the annoyance toward the stuck up priests who don't appreciate my goddess who's really helped me a lot at this point, and these horrible feelings, I decide to just forget about it for now and leave it for later.
I turn to Emily and Jess. "Anyway, just give me some time, alright?" I ask, and they both nod. I take a couple deep breaths, working to settle my stomach before reaching out to touch the plaque.
My fingers touch the smooth, polished surface. I feel the connection to Reena. And then...
...
I wait a few more moments.
...
I prepare myself for however awful this is going to be, like before, touching the divine totem.
...
What's taking so long?
...
Then she's there. But it feels... different somehow.
"Hi," she greets me. With words. And it... doesn't hurt.
"Hi?" I respond. Ok, it still hurts a bit when I respond.
"So, I basically saw what you did yesterday."
"I... I'm sorry for using your mark like that." I immediately apologize, when I realize. "I never asked you exactly what I was allowed to use it for, and I know you need it to stay secret. I'm very sorry." Shuddering as the emotion feels like spikes scraping out my insides. Or my outsides, neither description is good enough. My head starts to pound and I have to push the thoughts to the back of my mind to avoid it getting worse.
"Oh no, it's fine," she corrects me for some reason.
"Fine?" I keep myself level this time, controlling my emotions so they stop hurting. Just thinking words to Reena is sore enough as it is without the emotions making it worse.
"You can use the mark however you like. But please remember you need to stay secret."
"But I thought marks were only supposed to be used to do what you want me to do?"
"I can't tell you what I need your help with, so you are free to use it however. I'm sorry I don't have more authority to offer you." The surprise makes me sick to my stomach before I can push that back down too. Alright... I slowly digest that, letting it sink in bit by bit so it doesn't hurt so much.
Reena speaks up again. "Good job saving all of those people."
"...Thanks." I smile just a bit. For once the praise actually feels... nice. Like I actually deserve it...
"Don't worry about the guards, I did what I could so you won't be identified."
"That was you?" I ask, still under control. No need to be surprised, she's a goddess, of course she can do stuff like that.
"Yes, you already heard?"
"Some rumors at the church," I explain.
"Ah." Then she goes on. "I've been wondering, how did you figure out what was going to happen? That the attack was coming? I barely realized it before it happened."
"Really?" Even she didn't know? "Well, I really didn't figure it out, I just saw them coming."
"But last I checked you were on the... opposite side of the... city..." her thoughts trail off with a sinking feeling. I want to say something, but the painful prickle of worry stops me. "You already learned soul magic."
"Soul magic?"
"Oh!" Her entire being jolts. "No no, forget I said that." I can actually feel her push that entire topic away from our minds... somehow.
"More importantly, how many times have you done that?"
"Done... what?" I ask. What were we talking about?
"How many times have you..." She reorders her thoughts, then, "Actually, could you explain exactly what it is that you did in order to be aware of things like that? To see things outside the city?"
"Alright." Why the sudden change of attitude? And she's being so evasive... "I was trying to figure out how mana works with living things, so I was testing with a hobin that I was going to kill, and I accidentally converted its mana well by dumping a bunch of my colorless mana into it. It sort of made me able to see things through the hobin, and control it. Later on I figured out a better way of doing it that didn't waste so much mana."
"Later on...? So, how many times have you done it? How many living things have you... converted?"
The way she's pausing, the nervous emotions rolling underneath, they're starting to make me nervous too. A really, really unpleasant feeling right now. "Currently, eight animals."
"Eight?!" I flinch a little at her surprise and shock
"Reena, I'm sorry, you're starting to scare me, what's wrong?" I ask. As I speak, I feel... something. A movement of some sort, inside of me. Faint, but there.
I can feel Reena force herself to calm down. "No, I'm sorry. I overreacted. There isn't anything wrong with using your abilities like that. Just... please just be very careful. That power is... it's very dangerous if used incorrectly."
"Yeah, I know," I agree immediately.
"You... Oh no, what did you do?" I almost double over with nausea, my headache stabbing worse.
"Reena, please. Calm down," I plead. "You're freaking me out, and that's really, really painful right now."
"Sorry, I'm sorry," she apologizes again, taking some time to calm herself once more. That strange movement stops with it. Then she goes on. "Would you please explain the dangerous thing you did with that particular ability?"
"Alright. I was trying to find out what else was possible, so I tried converting hobins' mana wells using earth, fire, and light mana."
No emotion comes with her words. "Did you look?"
"Look? You mean at the changes? Yeah." Even as I'm speaking, that strange movement resumes, stronger this time. "It was... weird." I still don't have any words to describe any of it properly. I'm not sure if the right words even exist, but I try anyway. "I felt Impossible things that didn't make any sense and hurt to think about, but it helped me get a better, uhh, feel for how things work."
That's the best I can really put it. Thinking about it and trying to describe it brings those unnatural sensations springing up painfully from below my awareness, far worse than I remember, probably because of the mana damage I'm already dealing with. I force it all out of my thoughts as quickly as I can, returning my focus to the conversation.
But it kind of feels like Reena is distracted by something. And there's still that... something, somewhere inside me. Not from those feelings or my wounds. What is that strange feeling? I look inside again, letting my consciousness spread throughout me like I practiced.
My mana floats out of my control. That's how I spot it. The telltale clumping caused by dark mana. A line of it so thin I can't actually sense it at all, only see the slight effect it has on things around it. Glancing across, it comes from the connection to Reena and leads... to my mana well? I look close. It travels down, reaching the puddle deep down at the bottom. I can feel it. Reena's will is there. Rooting around in my soul.
There's a tumble of betrayal, fear, and violation. Ugly emotions swell up. They grate across me, further pain filling my being. The feelings immediately alert Reena.
She freezes.
"Reena... What are you doing?" I ask, barely able to contain myself.
"I..." Her emotions roll uncertainly. "I can't explain. There are things I'm not allowed to talk about. I'm..." Frustration. "It's to help you, I swear!" Then just below the surface of frustration, shock, and fear, there's a flutter of... triumph?!
"That's what you said when you tried to force me to abandon my duties." I know there are things we don't agree on. Just because she thinks it's to help me doesn't mean I think it'll help. She has no right to decide something like that on her own!
The other emotions from her immediately swallow up that strange sense of victory from her as she responds. "No, it's not like that. I'm not doing anything to you, I'm not changing anything." The pang of guilt at the end. She's lying. "No, that's not it! It's just, just... I'm not changing anything important!" She flinches.
"Yes Reena, please tell me which parts of my soul aren't important," I growl at her.
"I didn't mean it like that. I just, I can't say... I..." She grasps for something to say briefly, but doesn't find anything. She deflates. "There are things we aren't allowed to tell mortals. Aren't allowed to explain. Things they shouldn't see, shouldn't know. It's not good for them. But I swear, that's not even why I did this in the first place. It was for a completely different reason. It's just, when you started to tell me about the things you've done, I was afraid. Afraid they hurt you. Did things to you that you wouldn't understand."
The torrent of guilt coming from Reena meets with my powerful skepticism. It's giving me a splitting headache, but I hold out. I refuse to just forgive her for this. Not without a very good explanation. She won't even tell me what she's doing to my soul!
I glare at her. "You lied to me. You went behind my back. You messed with my soul without a word. No warning, no explanation. I trusted you!"
She just sits there, sobbing softly. "I'm sorry." That's all she offers.
"That's it, you're sorry?" I'm dumbfounded. She won't even try to explain? Won't do anything to fix things? To calm me down? "What you did was wrong!"
She immediately denies it, resolutely. "No, it wasn't. I can't explain, and I'm sorry, but what I'm doing isn't wrong." I gape at her. My anger flares even hotter. If this keeps up, I'm going to be sick. "I know forcing you to do things you don't want is wrong. Interfering with your will is wrong. Undermining you is wrong." She pauses for some reason. Some indistinct feeling. Then, "I'm bending all the rules already. Everything I'm doing is to support you. I'm so sorry that I can't explain things. I'm sorry I'm going behind your back, that I'm hiding things from you. It's the only way I'm allowed to do what I need to do. I'm not allowed to tell you or show you certain things, but I won't stop you if you figure them out on your own. I'm sure you'll be able to understand."
I sit, shaking. That's all she has to offer? Telling me she's definitely not doing anything wrong when she obviously is?! If it wasn't, she wouldn't feel so guilty about it! I stare at her, glaring daggers. "If you mess with my soul one more time, I'll... I'll never talk to you again. I'll tell the other gods you're up to something." I threaten her.
...
"Reena?"
There is no response.
Slowly, I feel a shift. It takes some time to figure out that the tiny thread of dark mana is retracting, since I can't actually feel it. Then it becomes more visible, or sensible I guess, as it widens out and connects to my torn up barrier.
I'm hit with a dull sense of resignation and sorrow that says 'ok.' The lances of agony that come with it shoot through me, forcing me to grit my teeth until the phantom pain recedes. It disconnects and slinks away completely. Why did she do that? Did she really need to have the last word in a way that hurt me? When did Reena get that petty?
I drop my hand from the plaque.
"That took a... while...." Emily trails off when she sees the look on my face. "Oh no, what happened?" she asks. I open my mouth a little, but then I close it again and blank my expression when I see the eyes on us.
"When we get out of here. Too many people watching," I say flatly, pulling on her hand so she won't look at them when I point it out. I wave for Jess to come too, and quickly leave the church.