That Sunday...

"Evil has many faces...and it can be difficult to tell them apart and choose sides. Especially these days where so many things are said in this and that town..."

'I hope that was directed at the good doctor... Such a rude, gossiping man,' Jessica thought.

"Everything has so many nuances. Also we humans. If the game of chess had undergone the same development as humans... the queen would be in front, the rooks would be crooked... and the pawn would be the main piece. We no longer know who we are and this rootlessness...," suddenly, Ivan stopped speaking.

"Are we boring you, Poul? Is the word of God boring to you?"

'Ah, mister ex-SS,' she reminded herself.

Poul looked up nervously.

"Are we boring you?," asked Ivan.

"I need to go to the loo," said Poul.

"Can't it wait?"

"Not really."

"We finish in twenty minutes. I think that Poul can wait that long," Ivan addressed the assembly.

"Let him go for sake of f*ck so we can sing now," Khlaid retorted.

"Okay, the democracy has spoken. Go, Poul.

But you can't come back in."

"That's okay."

"You have to use the dormitories loo because you can't use ours."

"Why not?"

"It's locked during the service."

"Why?"

"For security reasons. Let's continue if it's okay with Poul. We'll sing six hundred and thirty-four, "You know my heart".

Jessica couldn't help but hide a chuckle at the exchange. She made brief eye contact with Ivan while he was at his podium, and he gave her a knowing smirk.

She didn't know why, but she could swear she felt eyes on her aside from Ivan's. She looked around the auditorium, and as soon as she looked in Adam's direction, she froze. He was looking straight at her with a feral-looking smile as he looked her up and down.

'Maybe I should go without makeup and not wear dresses while he stays here... The last thing I need is him thinking I'm trying to impress him,' she thought worriedly.

Once the song ended, some of the usual church crowd were curious of the new arrival. Adam just brushed them off and remained silent.

Jessica sat next to Gunnar as Adam stalked around the kitchen at lunch.

"There's fried pork. It was a good sermon today. At least it was shorter than usual. Too bad for old Poul Nordkap. Ivan is always on his case. He leaves during the sermon. It's not nice of him. He always does that. It's because he was in a concentration camp during the war. He's become restless in his old age. He's eighty-six."

Adam just remained silent and didn't interact.

"It won't be any fun when that age comes. Don't worry about Ivan. He's okay. Just don't venture into an argument with him."

"Gunnar, you very well know Ivan never starts arguments. He does finish them though," Jessica said.

She made eye contact with Adam.

"He's very protective of those in his care."

Adam gave her a leering look and left.

Jessica and Ivan were having a late tea in the library before turning in for the night. They sat in front of the fire, each reading a book and making light small talk. When all of a sudden...

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"Me?"

The voices belonged to Gunnar and Adam.

"My phone!"

"I thought you were sleeping."

"And my wallet! Are you stealing my stuff? Have you gone insane?"

Ivan and Jessica shot up and ran to Adam's room.

"I'm sorry."

"Piss off, fatso!"

"What is going on?," Jess asked loudly.

All eyes turned on her, even Ivan's who looked taken aback at how harsh she sounded.

"This fat retard was trying to sneak off with my things! I should pummel him into dust!," Adam shouted.

"Okay, YOU, we don't insult each other here. And YOU, don't sneak into people's rooms! Now, Gunnar, apologize and say goodnight to him."

"Sleep tight."

"Piss off!"

Ivan escorted Gunnar back to his room and Jessica was the last to leave. Before she could get out the door, however, Adam grabbed her arm and pinned her against the wall as he leaned his face close to hers.

"How can I ever thank a pretty thing like you for coming to my aid?," he asked sarcastically with a bone-chilling, wolfish look on his face.

"Oh, I know," he said abruptly, smashing his lips into hers.

She tried with all her might to fight back, beating on his chest and shoulders to get away. When she saw that he wasn't even the least bit phased, she began hitting his back and slapping him. He pressed himself against her harder, tearing at her clothes, tears forming in her eyes. She thought for certain she was doomed to suffer a fate worse than death, when suddenly she felt his body weight be lifted off of her.

There stood Khalid beside her. He had grabbed Adam by his shirt collar and shoved him away from Jessica, giving her time to duck out of the room.

She watched as Khalid and Adam got into a fist fight, running to fetch Ivan when she heard a loud thump. She turned around and peered into the room to see that Khalid had laid Adam out flat. Khalid walked over to Jessica, held out his arm to her, and walked her to her room. She was very shaken. Khalid murmured a goodnight to her and left. She sat on her bed for a few moments and got up to lock her door.

The next morning, Ivan rode his bike to the rectory as was his custom. As he pulled up and hopped off his bike, he saw that the apple tree was full of crows.

'I'll have to have that taken care of later on today.'

Ivan made his way to the door of the church. When he stepped into the dorm area, he could tell something was off. Khalid, Gunnar, and Adam were in the common area, but Jessica was missing. He went to her room and knocked on her door. He grew worried when there was no answer. He jiggled the handle.

'Locked? What brought that on?'

He knocked a second time, a little more frantically.

"Jess! Is everything alright?"

He immediately heard shuffling and scrambling nearing the door. Jessica swung the door open and threw herself into his arms, close to sobbing.

"Oh, Ivan! It was awful!," she exclaimed.

"What on Earth happened?," he asked.

"When you took Gunnar back to his room last night, Adam grabbed me and slammed me against the wall in his room and tried to do...things... to me! I was terrified...," she explained to him, letting a few tears fall.

"...WHAT!? I can't believe I let this happen," Ivan thought aloud.

"I don't know what to do... I don't feel safe here."

Ivan looked pensive, then turned to her with a smile.

"Well, you could always stay at my apartment. I have an extra bedroom, and we're rarely away from each other's sides, anyway."

"True... But aren't you concerned that me living with you might be a bit tempting for us to... You know... Consummate?"

"I admit, it would be challenging, but I think we could make it work. You can at least give it a trial run."

Jessica thought for a moment.

'Honestly, what do I have to lose? Although the fact he just openly admitted I'm a temptation is already making me anxious... Oh, what harm could a few days do? We're always here at the church and not alone for very long...'

"... Alright, Ivan. I'll give your apartment a shot. But if things get too tense, just let me know and I'll think of something else."

"Fair enough. After dinner I suggest you pack a bag with enough clothes for a few days, then," he said with a grin.

Ivan then excused himself, trodding off to round up the men to help him rid the apple tree of its invaders.

As soon as he left, Jessica perked up, and could even be considered happy. She was finally getting away from the same room she'd been stuck in for the last few years, and she was getting a change of scenery (plus time away from Khalid, Gunnar, and Adam). Jessica couldn't help but make a note to begrudgingly thank Adam one day.

She went to pick out a few pieces of clothes to take with her to Ivan's apartment, when she heard him and the boys outside. She went to join them.

"They're not moving," Gunnar said.

"They cheeky for sake of f*ck! Fly home bird for sake of f*ck!," Khalid exclaimed.

'That man cusses more than all of the people I've ever met combined...,' Jessica mused.

"What are we going to do? There won't be

any apples left for your cake," Ivan said to Adam, who looked indifferent.

"Let the p*ki m*nkey climb up and shoo them away," Adam said.

'Aaand there goes the racism,' Jessica thought to herself with disgust. 'Were rehab officials really so stupid to think it was acceptable to send him here?'

"I'm not talking to you," Khalid retorted.

"I don't know anything about birds," Ivan admitted.

"What do we do in a case like this?"

"You leave them alone, I think," Gunnar said.

"Can't we let them eat the apples?"

"They're Adam's apples for the cake," Ivan explained.

"For sake of f*ck, he can't bake," Khalid said.

Jessica hated to admit it, but she got slight gratification when Khalid insulting Adam.

'I really need to help him learn etiquette...,' Jessica thought.

"You don't know that. If Adam wants to bake us a cake it's our job to support him, right, Jess?"

'Why did I have to get dragged into this?,' Jessica thought.

She gave him a tight-lipped smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"You betcha," she said with a hint of sarcasm.

Ivan gave her a nod, and Adam simply refused to look at her. Maybe Khalid handing him his ass did the trick to keep him away from her.

"He can't bake bread," Khalid said, making eye contact with Adam.

"Shut up!"

"I can tell."

"What the f*ck do you know, p*ki?," Adam shouted.

"That's the right attitude. That kind

of attitude will get us some cake," Ivan said, trying to make a point.

Adam gave him an angry indignant look and stalked off back into the church.

"There's more of them coming," Gunnar pointed out.

"That's just plain rude," Ivan grumbled, jumping up to try to chase away the crows.

Maybe it was Jessica's imagination, but during the time she'd been at the rectory, and according to Ivan, there had never been a bird infestation before. She couldn't help but have a feeling that it was an omen meant to represent Adam.

Later that evening, after Jessica had dinner with the others, she went to her room to fetch her bag she was to take to Ivan's.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Jess, may I come in?"

"Yes, Ivan, don't be shy." He peeked in for a moment.

"Are you ready to go?"

"I am. Are you sure I'm not intruding? I don't want to overstep any boundaries."

"Nonsense, if I didn't want you in my apartment, I wouldn't have invited you."

"Fair enough," she said back.

Ivan picked up her bag and they made their way down to the courtyard. Ivan started prepping his bike, putting her bag on the back and he patted the space between the handlebars.

"No van?"

"Nope, I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all! I've always wanted to do this!," she exclaimed, hopping onto the front of the bike and holding on tight.

Ivan couldn't help but smirk at her enthusiasm. As he slowly began to pedal, he noticed she didn't seem tense at all.

"Not scared?," he asked.

"Not in the slightest. I know you would never put me in danger," she told him, turning her attention back to the road.

He looked at her thankfully for her confidence in him. He then began to notice she was so different from when he met her.

She had changed a lot just in the last year, and he was shocked he didn't notice too much before. Not only was she a little more bold and comfortable around everyone, but her hair had grown down to the middle of her back, she had more curves; her features had matured to look more delicate and feminine rather than a pubescent teenager.

She was beautiful, and he longed to tell her; to hold her close like he did the night she found out her parents died. He wanted her to need him as much as he needed her. He could hear her giggle as the wind blew through her hair, a sound he could never get tired of hearing. But it was cut all too short as they saw his apartment building drawing closer.

When he pulled into the bike rack, he helped Jessica down, holding her waist as she slid off the handlebars. Ivan grabbed her bag and they started towards the building.

Jessica looked the building over as they made their way to the door; it was very fitting for Ivan. A very simple, cheerful looking building. They made their way up to the third floor, and Ivan clicked the door open. When they stepped inside it smelt just like him; like cedar, Old Spice, and the incense he used during the Sunday mass.

"Your room is down the hall to the right. Make yourself at home," Ivan told her, with a growing smile.

"Thank you, I will. If you don't mind, I think I'd like to turn in for the night. Thank you so much for allowing me to stay with you, Ivan. It means a lot."

"It's my pleasure, Jess. I would never leave you somewhere you didn't feel safe."

She ran up to hug him. He wasn't sure if he would ever be used to someone showing him such spontaneous affection, but he certainly didn't mind it. He actually found himself hugging her back and laying his head on top of hers. After a few moments they separated.

"Well, goodnight," she said as she began to retreat back to her room, when she suddenly felt a light pull on her arm.

Ivan gently pulled her toward him and leaned down to softly murmur, "Goodnight," and kissed her cheek.

She kissed his cheek back and made her way to her room, closing the door behind her. She finally let out the ear-to-ear grin she had kept control of, and felt her heart flutter.

She slid on her pajamas and nestled down into the bed. It was so much softer and cozier than the one in her dorm. She also was comforted that Ivan was directly across the hall; he had willingly made himself her protector, and she knew she had to think of some way to pay him back. And soon enough, she felt herself begin to drift off to sleep, thinking about their kiss they shared a few months ago and praying to God that sometime it would happen again.