Chapter Nine
A/N:
Yes, a short chapter, but the end is very near readers, very near :0)
There needed to be a bit of transition because there will be a bit of
a jump in time. Keep on reading and reviewing please!
The church was a flurry of moving boxes and elderly ladies bemoaning the loss of Father Aringarosa. Silas existed only because he had to. He packed books and personal items with no regard to what they were or which boxes he had put them in.
His melancholy and introversion had been caused by an earlier event, one in which he had made the journey to Amelia's apartment with a plan to ask if perhaps she would find a way to come with him, that while Aringarosa was appointed, they could find a way to be together. He had knocked on her door to no avail until the neighbor he had frightened away earlier came out once more and while avoiding his ice blue eyes told him that Amelia had left. She had paid one final rent for leaving before the lease was finished and had left. Apparently she would be sending for her things later.
The woman had once more retreated to her own apartment when Silas fell back against the door, the barrier between him and the memories of his happiness. He slid to the ground, the cold of the metal door catching his back as he did so. A precursor to the future tone of his life of pain. He had pressed his hands to his eyes, hoping to dam the flow of tears but failing as they spilled out over his snowy flesh.
He had lost.
What he didn't know, a normality he was also sadly unaware of, was that Amelia had come to the church early that morning to try and speak with Silas, to see that he hadn't made a terrible mistake and that they would continue on the path he had only just begun to walk freely. However, she had been intercepted by Aringarosa, the man behaving as a guard dog would over a precious artifact. He had escorted her off the premises, reassuring her that Silas had made his decision and was going to become one with God. His cruelness and smirk of victory had seemed true enough, leaving Amelia devastated.
She had lost.
When Silas had returned to the church with eyes red from weeping Aringarosa had embraced him in his fatherly fashion and made it clear to Silas that God would heal him and forgive him of any sin. The woman, Aringarosa had stated, was as Eve had been, curious and easily tempted. Only she was to blame.
He had won.
In his heart, Silas knew that Amelia was not the causer of his pain. But, seeing as he was alone once more was forced to silence his aching heart and quickly dashed the thoughts of his betrayal by his mentor. His torn state would leave him no choice to but to depend on Aringarosa, the light gone from his life. So here he was, packing up his tiny life to serve everyone but himself.
The last thing he packed was a small wooden crucifix. He stared at it for a moment, the edges of the cross digging into palms.
Christ, give me strength.
He set the crucifix gently in the box, closing the flaps in hopes to protect Christ's eyes from looking upon him in his sinful state. It was a pointless endeavor, for that crucifix would see many more of Silas' attempts to cleanse himself of sin.
