Pieces
XI.


This is never going to work, Mina said to herself as she brushed her soft, frilled skirt down as the breeze picked up; I'm going to die, she thought again before pursing her petal-pink lips together and scanned the scenery that was laid out around her. They're going to know it's me; sweat beaded down her neck in streams from the nervous fluttering in her stomach. She scratched at the pale skin of her shoulders, her nails scratching at the freckles there, before her hand trembled at her side. Her thick, black hair was tied up and a blonde wig was placed over it; the soft beach curls made Mina envious of the fake hair. Sookie walked beside her, the sickening sweet smile placed on her mouth as they walked towards the front doors of the towering building. Hugo, Isabel's human, walked besides the two of them as he scratched the side of his face.

"Well, here goes nothing?" He questioned in a small voice, and right then and there Mina had an inkling that they were going to get caught.


A few hours before...

"We can't do that," Isabel interjected loudly, placing her hand on Mina's small shoulder, "Mina was recently .. attacked by what we suspected to be the Fellowship. They'll notice her immediately if she walks into the church itself." Eric's eyebrows seemed to mold together in anger, or confusion - probably both; they seemed to be the emotions he went for when he was talking. Bill stated again that it would be safer for three humans to go, that they'd be less likely to draw suspicion, and that he wanted someone else with Sookie. Mina detected a small amount of jealousy in his voice when he mentioned Hugo being alone with Sookie, which Mina thought was silly to begin with since Sookie seemed enamored with Bill.

"Give her a wig." Eric concluded, which made both Isabel and Stan gawk at him, "a blonde wig so she'll pass as Sookie's worried, little sister; that should pass shouldn't it?" The self ensured smiled, one of arrogance and ego, stained Eric's pale skin.


Even after an hour of interjection on both Isabel and Hugo's part, Mina ended up tagging along with Sookie and Hugo to infiltrate the Fellowship.
Mina felt fear building up within her, small flashbacks of what happened that night playing in her mind; however, there was no Godric here to save her this time. Instead, she was here to save Godric, so she pushed down the lump in her throat and brought an easy smile to her lips.

Sookie grasped Mina's hand in her own, opting to squeeze it lightly before smiling, "it's going to be okay, nothing will happen to you while I'm around, okay?" Hugo scoffed quietly, but hid it under a cough; Mina glared at him, feeling tears prickle at her eyes before she sniffled and wiped her blurry eyes. Sookie squeezed Mina's hand once again, "why do I recognize her?" Mina sniffled and followed Sookie's eyes before biting the inside of her cheek when she met the sugar-coated smile of a southern belle, or what Mina liked to think a southern belle would look like at the very least. The beautiful blonde hair was parted evenly on both sides of her shoulders and Mina was almost entranced by the dazzling white of her smile.

"Because she's on TV all the time. That's Sarah Newlin, the reverend's wife." Mina barely watched TV and already knew who Sarah Newlin was when she smiled, she had seen that same almost irritating smile on posters and bus benches, "oh right. You know, in person, she looks like vanilla pudding." Mina knitted her brows together at the analogy before shimming behind Sookie, who was only slightly taller than herself.

"Hi, there. I just happened to be looking out the window as you were driving up, and I thought I'd come on out and greet you myself. I'm Sarah Newlin. And you all are?" Mina could've fainted by the sound of how perfect her accent seemed. Mina bit the inside of her cheek and pulled on it between her teeth. Out of the corner of her eye, Mina could see Hugo holding out his hand with his mouth half opened before Sookie smiled and bounced forward.

"Hi! Holly Simpson. I cannot believe I'm meeting you in person. You are cute as a button." Sookie's accent grated on Mina's nerves as it came out higher pitched than normal, but Mina strained a smile anyway.

"Thank you, Holly. And you're like a cool breeze on a hot summer day." Mina liked to think she didn't have an accent but now listening to the both of them, she couldn't help but wonder whether she really did or not. A small smile spread across Mina's lips, genuinely this time. "Quit." Sookie replied, waving her hand innocently with a look that could be either embarrassment or nervousness; Mina couldn't really tell the difference since the two seemed to coincide for the small blonde.

"And you are?" Sarah turned towards Hugo, who seemed keen on answering the question himself.

"I'm..."

"Silly me. This is Rufus Dobson, my fiancé, I love saying that word. In fact, sometimes I love it so much, I don't even want to get married, just so I can keep on calling him it. But we're going to. Get married, that is. Which is why we're looking for a church." Mina suppressed a small chuckle before hiding her mouth with her free hand.

"Well, excellent. I'm pleased to meet you, Rufus." Sarah made a small nod towards Hugo and he returned it, "It's an honor." Sarah's eyes finally met Mina's and Sarah's eyes softened considerably, "and who are you sweetie?" Mina smiled tightly before stepping out from behind Sookie and giving a small curtsey.

"I'm Abigail Simpson, Holly's little sister; it's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Newlin." Mina could feel the sweat drip down her neck once again before she brought her legs back together and looked down at the floor.

"Oh, you're such a doll ain't you?" Sarah took a step forward and pinched Mina's cheek lightly, tugging on it before Mina's eyes glanced upwards to the woman, "I mean look at those doe eyes and gorgeous lashes - by golly gee, you are just the cutest thing!" Sarah's smile spread wider than before dropping her hand to her side and stepping back to her original spot, "Now, the honor's mine; how about you all follow me in and we'll see if Steve is available. I'm sure he'd love to meet you all."

Sookie gave a surprised-mock gasp, "For real? Reverend Newlin himself? Oh, that would be just super!" Mina went back to Sookie's side, grabbing her hand with her own nervously and tugging it.

"Well, come on." Sarah spoke softly, mocking the come-hither action before moving towards the front of the beautiful church, not even waiting for them to follow.

Hugo pressed his lips together, "I thought I would do the talking." His voice was low enough to send shivers down Mina's back as she narrowed her eyes, she watched Sookie look nervously over at him, "When I get nervous, sometimes I talk too much." Mina chuckled again, "I couldn't tell Sook." Sookie raised an eyebrow at her before nudging her with her elbow.


"Well, funny thing is, Rufus and I actually met in church, but we both left, like, a month later when we realized that our pastor was... a little iffy." Mina shifted in her seat as Sookie talked, making eye contact with Steve Newlin as soon as she looked up. Steve gave her a once over and when his eyes reached her knees, she chose to quickly push them together and he smiled at her.

"He was a homosexual." He was so self-confident and reassured, which made Mina scowl slightly. Her eyes darted up to Sarah's, which were soft and delicate.

"We don't know. He might have been, but what became all too clear was that... he was... a sympathizer." Now her eyes darted to Sookie, who was leaning forward and talking in a hushed whisper. Mina frowned even more and shook her head, mostly at the fact that this was a problem at all in this world. People still had problems with homosexuals, people still had problems with people who associated with non-binary genders, and now people had another problem with vampires; it was like people couldn't live without having problems with something or someone.

"See, that really ticks me off. I mean, how can you claim to be a God-loving person and then love something that God detests?" Mina didn't know how Sookie could lie like this, Mina's heart was nearly breaking just from hearing the awful words leaving his mouth and hers. Sniffling lightly, Mina dabbed at the corners of her eyes before lowering her head.

"It really upsets my little sister, especially after her attack," Sookie brought her in close, rubbing circles on the back of hand and kissing her forehead which made Mina look up in shock, "some wacko vampire attacked her while she was on her way home from school, nearly killed her if it wasn't for a good Samaritan." Steve tsked before rising to his feet, walking over to Mina and placing his hands on her shoulder's, squeezing them lightly which made Mina flinch, "I can see the pain from your attack still etched on your face Abigail, but please rest in the thought that God all has plans for us."

"Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure." Mina recited clearly, looking into Steve's eyes with the slightest of glimmer.

"Psalm 147:5, looks like we have a well read child in our herd," Steve tightened his hold on her shoulders once again, leaning down so his eyes were evenly leveled with hers, "Praise be him."

"Praise be." Mina recited once again before smiling up at him, a bit innocently and nodded at him. He returned the smile before returning to his seat. Sookie spoke up, her voice slightly cracking, "it'll be amazing to finally be among like-minded people. I don't care what anyone says about vampires being able to control themselves. I know better. I know that each one of them is a vicious, bloodthirsty killer. Just like the thing that attacked my sister." Steve only nodded, smiling quietly to himself and then nodding to his wife, who smiled sweetly.

"Follow me, let me show you guys the chapel!"


Mina was barely listening as Steve Newlin opened the doors, gasping at the mere beauty of the stained glass window and the way the light filtered in through it. The colors reminded her of a sunset with its beautiful pinks and oranges, the yellows and blues. Mina was the epitome of the good catholic school girl, every Saturday and Sunday she attended mass and every Friday the sisters took confessions; however, this was the first time that Mina has stepped inside of a chapel so splendid the air literally left her lungs and she felt it hard to breath.

"It's so beautiful," Mina whispered under her breath, wistfully and whimsically as she spun in circle and walked down the aisle. Her frilly pink skirt picked up as she spun and her wig whirled around her as well; Mina felt very giddy all of a sudden even though she was in a weird predicament. She was glad she could still find the small happiness in this situation.

"Yes sir-ee. This is where we're getting married. I can't wait to see you walk down this aisle." Hugo smiled at Sookie, who in turn smiled back at him. Mina stood with her hands behind her back, swinging her hips to and fro before smiling up at Steve, "it's really beautiful here; this is the first time I've been in a place so pretty and so light. I feel like I could stay here forever."

There was a cryptic smile that fell onto Steve's face before he spoke, "Have you ever been to a lock-in?"

"A lock-in?"

"I have!" Mina exclaimed excitedly, momentarily forgetting about why they were here, "we recited verse and sang hymns, played some games, and shared stories." Steve looked surprised and looked over at Sarah, who just smiled back at him. Sookie pushed Mina behind her, smiling, "We sent her to Bible camp one summer." Confused more than anything, Mina looked up at Sookie and suddenly felt embarrassed; she had forgotten that she was playing a part and she suddenly remembered why she was here. Fear crept into her very pores, sweat glistened from her forehead and trailed down her temples.

Oh God we're going to die.

Sookie squeezed her hand, smiling reassuringly before looking back at Steve, "that lock-in does sound like fun. Rufus, we gotta go home and get our sleeping bags now." Hugo looked at Sookie, confusion and another emotion clouding his eyes, "but honey, the tour's not even over yet. Plus, Abbie was loving the view weren't you dear-heart?" Mina looked up at Sookie and nodded, adding on a small: "but if we want to do the lock-in then we have to get a change of clothes and a sleeping bag."

"There's plenty of time to get ready. The lock-in is not until tomorrow night." The smile on Steve's face made Mina cringe slightly, her lips forming a small pout as her eyebrows knitted together.

An older man, his eyes hardened, and his face full of wrinkles while his hair was all but gone except for the sprinkles of grey walked over to the small group, "You wanted to see me?"

"Oh good. Holly, Abigail, and Rufus, I'd like you to meet an aid of mine. This is Gabe."

"Pleased to meet you." Hugo clasped Gabe's hand in his own and shook it while Sookie stuck with a simple, "hi." Gabe turned towards Mina, who by now was hiding behind Sookie.

"Well hello there little girl, and what might your name be?" Sookie pushed Mina behind her more, if it was possible, and answered for her, "this is my little sister Abigail." Gabe looked at Sookie with a disdainful glance, "Can the little peach not speak for herself?" Mina looked away, some people might've mistaken it for being shy, but something about this guy was off; Sookie must've sensed it too because she pushed Mina behind her more.

"A...Abigail, my name's Abigail; it's nice to meet you Mister Gabe." Mina boldly said, peering up at him and nodding at him. Gabe smiled, nodding slightly, "see isn't that nice? I'm glad we got the pleasantries out-of-the-way here." He stood up straight, smiling before stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Gabe here is gonna be joining us for the rest of the tour." Gabe nodded at Hugo, smiling nicely just like before. Sookie looked back at Mina, squeezing her hand once again and nodding silently. Mina gulped, swallowing the lump growing in her throat before smiling sadly at Sookie. She hoped that the little scene there didn't give them away, she hoped and she prayed that everything was going to be okay. She hoped she didn't just mess this one up. Sookie smiled at Hugo, hooking her arm into his and moving with Steve as he led them deeper into the chapel. Gabe followed up behind the small tour group while Sarah was standing next to Steve as they moved.
The air seemed the get colder as they started moving, more tense and Mina felt her anxiety reach a new high; her breathing hitched slightly as Steve stopped suddenly, turning towards them with a smile on his face, "now I'd like to take you all to see a very special part if the church."

"There's more?" Sookie questioned, genuinely curious. Steve's smile widened before nodding, his hands promptly folded behind his back, "Yes. My father's tomb. It's on the lower level."

Sarah looked at her husband, "honey, are you sure?" Mina looked at Sarah, tugging at Sookie's hand and looking at her, "absolutely, darling."

"Steve, I just don't see why we need to take 'em down there." Sarah continued looking back at Mina and then at Sookie, smiling shyly before grasping Steve's arm with her hands, tugging on it towards the altar at the front. Steve shook his arm loose, "you can feel the presence of his spirit."

Mina shivered as Sookie replied, "it's okay, we don't need to see it."

"Oh, I insist. Our church was built on, much like St. Peter's tomb in the Catholic Church, only without being polluted by evil. Did you know that there was actually a vampire pope back in the Middle Ages?" Steve turned away from them and opened the door that led down to the basement, the dark narrowness brought a sense of uneasiness into Mina's bones like she had been in this situation before and had forgotten about it. Shivers went down her spine.

"Rufus." Sookie tugged on Hugo's sleeve as the darkness seemed to close in on them.

"What's the matter?" Steve was as chipper as ever, smiling wide enough for Mina to see his molars.

"It's no big deal. She just has a tiny little case of claustrophobia. We both do, actually. Plus, Mina has had this fear of the dark since her attack." Hugo cracked a small smile, tugging away from Sookie's grasp.

"Well, at least take a quick little look-see, in that way you can say you saw the church and you make informed discussions," Steve reached into the dark corridor and flipped on a switch, "plus look! We have light, no need to be afraid little one." Mina wanted to shake, to cry out, but held it back when he said little one; remembering that Godric was the only one to have called her that.

"Steve." Sarah said more aggressively even though that sickening sweet smile was still playing on her lips.

"It's alright Sarah," he calmed her, "this is something they need to see."

"But we've already decided that we're getting married here, so how about we go back to our apartment, we'll look at a calendar and we'll call you on the phone to set the date." Sookie talked in a hurried tone before turning around, tugging Mina's hand with hers.

"No," Steve sighed, mumbling something under her breath before snapping his fingers, "Gabe."

It all happened so quickly that Mina didn't know what to do. Gabe's arm wrapped around Sookie's waist, hoisting her up and off the ground while Steve wrapped his skinny arms around Hugo's neck, wrestling him into a submissive position. Mina screamed shrilly, turning around just as Gabe grabbed her waist as well and easily threw her over his shoulder.

"Let me go!" Sookie screamed, wailing her arms and legs on anything she could connect with. Hugo tussled with Steve, writhing in the grasp and yelling before Steve covered his mouth and managed a swift knee to that back of Hugo's which made him fall down to his knees and Steve forced one of Hugo's hands behind his back, then forcing him to his legs and down the steps. Disappearing before Mina, she managed to pull her hand into a fist and hit the back of Gabe's head. Repeatedly, she wailed on his head as he walked down the basement steps.

"I got them!" Gabe struggled with his response as he let Sookie go and quickly grabbed her by the ends of her hair, tugging it harshly. Crying, Sookie lashed out with her fists managing to land two hits before Gabe thrusted her into the darkness. There was a loud crashing noise before Hugo was shoved into the darkness too. Groans of protest. Pain. That's what Mina heard before Gabe's hand collided with the back of her butt, making her cry out.

"Don't worry sweetheart, we'll be back tomorrow morning." Mina was thrown in the darkness as well, her tailbone clashing with the cold cement floor and her head whiplash back as well. It was fuzzy, or blurry - maybe both. She could distinctly hear hissing and Sookie scrambling to her side to check for injuries.

"I'm sorry." The feminine voice stretched from the darkness. She knew it was Sarah's and she could tell that the reverend's wife had started to suddenly cry. The crying got distant as well as Steve's and Gabe's voices. Suddenly this innate fear over came Mina. The fear of darkness. And death.