Mia had grown up knowing about her adoption but she did not care to look into it. She immersed herself in everything. She took on every job and challenge that was handed to her. She attended high school but left a year before her o-level results because she was being heavily bullied. She instead sat them at home passing with flying colours as was expected. She had originally had no plans on what to do after high school. The plan of action came to her in the middle of dinner one night. She wanted to be a Sister like her mother. Trixie turned to the other young nurses with a questioning face.
"She's gorgeous why on earth does she want to be a blasted Sister?"Trixie muttered in her quietest voice.
"Mia is not into beauty and appearance. She has always lived a plain and simple life. It won't be different to her. We should be happy for her," Valerie told her.
It was organised that the Sisters would all travel to Chichester to the Motherhouse at Mother Jesu-Emmanuel's request.
The ceremony was simple. It was attended by all the sisters at the Motherhouse. On arrival at the Motherhouse, the other sisters there had been shocked to hear that Sister Julienne's 16-year-old daughter would be taking her vows but nobody said anything as they weren't permitted to. In the haste of the ceremony, Mia had not thought about what she was going to wear. It was customary for the postulants to wear simple white wedding dresses. But that had not been considered by the Nonnatuns. Luckily Sister Hilda pulled a dress together in a matter of days. The night before whilst Sister Hilda was adjusting Mia's dress Mia came to her looking for advice.
"Whatever is troubling you, Mia? You should be fast asleep now?" Sister Hilda told the girl who broke down in tears. Sister Hilda's heart broke at the sight of the extremely upset teenager before her. She wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders and guided her to sit on her bed. Sister Hilda moved her arm around the girl's waist. She didn't press the girl but she waited for her to speak. Mia's frame relaxed into Sister Hilda's arms.
"Is this all worth it?" Mia whispered.
"Oh poppet, I can't tell that you must venture on the path and discover that yourself," Sister Hilda said wiping Mia's tears away. "God will guide you, as he has before. Now you must be heading to bed you have an early start tomorrow!"
Mia nodded and whispered a word of thanks before hurrying back to her room.
A Sister whose name Mia was yet to learn woke her the following morning. It was before Lauds Mia knew that when she checked her watch. sister Hilda had warned her about the early start the night before but Mia hadn't paid much attention when she was advised to go to sleep. Mia sat in bed reciting verses from the bible hoping it would bring her comfort, but the words felt empty and meaningless. Mia knelt by her bed and said her morning prayers before proceeding to get ready.
She brushed out her ginger hair that hung down her back. Reaching for her glasses off the nearby nightstand. She pushed them up her nose until the world came into focus. There was a knock at the door and the kind faces of Sister Winifred and Sister Hilda peering around the door. Sister Hilda was holding a plain white dress in one hand and a long net veil in the other.
"Cheer up Mia, it's the big day!" Sister Winifred exclaimed happily. Mia smiled tightly. "I leave you to it, Mia, I must go find Sister Julienne, Sister Evangelina and Sister Mary Cynthia. They were heading towards the chapel to help prepare for the ceremony!"
As soon as Sister Winifred was gone she dropped to her knees and sobbed. Sister Hilda hung up the offending items of clothing on the door and knelt beside Mia and wrapped her in her arms as she had done the night before.
"Now sweetie, let's get you off the dirty floor and into your beautiful dress!" Sister Hilda told the younger girl pulling her gently off the floor. Mia stood stock still staring ahead. Sister Hilda moved Mia's arms into the satin dress. She moved the dress up the girl's body and zipped it up at the back. Carefully her hair was pinned up behind her head secured with a number of bobby pins and the veil pinned at the crown of her head.
Sister Hilda stepped backed and admired Mia who now had a smile on her face.
"Are you ready?" Sister Hilda asked. Mia nodded and took Sister Hilda's hand.
"Yes!"
It was 5 sisters that left the Motherhouse that evening, not the 4 that had entered. The youngest Sister seemed slightly different in her actions and her temperament. She smiled curtly at Sister Hilda as she left but made no attempt to speak to her.
Sister Hilda looked as the young woman followed her mother to the awaiting car. Sister Hilda hoped that one day Mia would discover what made her truly happy not something that would make everyone else happy.