Father Adrien shifted in the confessional, fighting sleep and stale memories of his youngest brother. The moth-gnawed velvet curtain rustled, admitting the first sinner of the morning into forgiveness.
"Bonjour..." Adrien mumbled sleepily.
"I'm... Father forgive me for I have sinned." A voice muttered out, repeating the words as if they had just been learned. Smooth, if overbearing and raspy around the edges. Young. Our Boy smokes, Adrien thought.
"I know you have, my child." Adrien said with a wry smile. "That's why you're here, isn't it?" He waited for a response, and frowned when none came. Perhaps Our Boy is too new to this to have that morbid sense of humor that comes with being a well-used veteran to the sacrament of reconciliation. "You may start when you're ready. There's no hurry." he said reassuringly, leaning closer to the screen.
"I know." said Our Boy brusquely. A pause. "I've never been in here before." Our Boy muttered.
"Ah, a splendid opening confession." Adrien said. "Tell me, Monsieur, when is the last time you went to mass?"
Another pause. "Never."
Ah. "Never?"
"Maybe once. I think I was baptized."
"It's a start, my child." A longer pause.
"I killed someone."
Adrien only nodded. "I see. Was it in defense?"
"No." Our Boy shuffled on the kneeler. "It... it was a girl."
Adrien nodded again. "I see. Why did you kill this girl?"
"She was going to scream."
Adrien nodded solemnly. "My child, what were you doing that might have induced the child to scream?"
More shuffling. "Robbing a house, Father."
Adrien drew a deep breath and pressed his crucifix to his lips in thought. "Child?"
Our Boy shuffled. "Oui?"
Leaning forward, Father Adrien asked. "Are you even sorry for this?"
Our Boy was now picking at a loose bit of the screen. "No. No I'm not." The longest pause yet. "I... am... for the girl. Just her. She was pretty. I shouldn't have killed her."
"I see." Adrien leaned back against the cold wood. How this place can resemble a coffin... he sighed.
"Am I going to Hell forever?" Our Boy asked bitterly.
"Perhaps." Adrien said, holding his crucifix tightly. "Dieu forgives those who repent, my son." There came no reply from Our Boy. Adrien waited. "Do you have any other sins to confess?"
"Not today." Our Boy mumbled.
"Then go in peace."
"Am... is it gone?" Our Boy asked, sounding humbled.
"I can't forgive what you won't confess, my child." Father Adrien said.
"Why not?" he asked angrily.
"It's just how it works." Adrien said calmly.
Our Boy shuffled. "Talk me through it." He mumbled finally.
Adrien smiled, and kissed his crucifix. "Certainly."