Alright Ghouls! Here is Chapter 9! Thankyou so much for your patience 🥹
Father Evan Gray makes an appearance again (I still hate him!)
The morning after Secondo’s rejection of Seraphim, it rained.
The gentle tapping against the windows caused Seraphim to stir softly. She opened her eyes and in her grogginess frowned at not knowing where she was. Sitting up and sighing, she ran her fingers through her hair before remembering she was at the Ministry and what had occurred the evening prior.
Her heart beat in her chest steadily as the memory began to clear and everything felt heavy. Sighing again, she held her head high - she couldn’t let Secondo’s decision ruin her day. After all, he had made his choice quite clear and she couldn’t change it.
Swinging her legs out of bed, she gingerly placed her feet on the cold floor, hissing at the sudden sensation before making her way into the small bathroom attached to her room. Upon entering, she smiled as she recalled the details surrounding her. Whilst it was small, the shower, sink and toilet screamed luxury to her - which she was unused to. Turning on the hot water, she stripped out of her nightgown and pulled one of the bottles of body wash off the shelf to inhale the scent inside. This too smelled luxurious and whilst she couldn’t quite place all of the tones, she definitely smelled white tea.
Stepping inside the shower, she set about cleaning herself, ready for a day of work at the Ministry; though she wasn’t sure what that would entail for her. Still, she was excited to see how everyone worked together to create a harmonious environment - which was rather ironic she felt, considering where she was.
After a good while and feeling a lot fresher, Seraphim stepped out of the shower to dry off and brush her hair before making her way back into her room to inspect the clean clothes that were hanging in the wardrobe.
The dress code at the Ministry casual but very sensual, and whilst this intrigued Seraphim, she wasn’t ready to full partake just yet. Looking at her options, she methodically blended several items with her personal possessions to give herself a new look; but also remain demure and conventional to herself.
Looking in the mirror, Seraphim saw that her new skirt revealed a little of her thigh and stockings discreetly, whilst the bell sleeve blouse and black corset accented her slight curves and complimented the skin she was showing. Her signature white veil remained in place on her head and she felt it completed her new image.
Feeling a surge of excitement rush through her, for the first time in her life, she felt truly beautiful. Maybe this could change things? Chiding herself and tutting, she knew that it wouldn’t make much of a difference to Secondo. He was surrounded by sexy women day to day, desperate for his attention…and a little leg showing on her part wouldn’t give him cause to turn his head her way.
Regardless, she vowed to be herself, no matter what.
Exiting her room, Seraphim looked around at the other siblings making their way to breakfast and not quite remembering how to get there, followed in suit quietly. Her trying to learn the route was broken by a laugh next to her. She turned to see a sister smiling down at her, for she was rather tall. This sister had a half face of makeup that was similar to Copia’s and was wearing a skeleton print dress, complete with chunky boots and a traditional looking wimple. Her hair, which was poking out slightly, was a mixture of a bright, bubblegum pink and teal which suited her.
“You must be Sister Seraphim!” The tall sister exclaimed, putting her arm around Seraphim’s shoulders. “I’m Sister Jezebel-Raven!”
Seraphim, completely taken aback at the excitement of Sister Jezebel, smiled shyly and nodded.
“Oh bloody hell, forgive my manners. You probably wonder why I’m all up in your space?!”
Again, Seraphim nodded, but this time she smiled. She liked Jezebel already.
“Well, I know how it is to feel like an outsider when you first enter the Satanic church, so I’m here to introduce you to some of the other sisters and we can assign you some jobs with us today. Maybe help you make some new friends too?”
She proceeded to link her arm with Seraphim’s, and began to lead her to the dining room. “I work under the wing of our reigning Papa, Copia. I assist him in anything that he needs when his ghouls can’t attend to him.” She paused and looked thoughtful. “Which to be honest, when it comes to paperwork is a lot! Their claws tend to shred everything! Better stick to what they’re good at eh? Though, it doesn’t really matter anyway as Papa is also assisted by Secondo…”
Seraphim felt her shoulders stiffen at the sound of Secondo’s name, but soon relaxed as Jezebel continued. “I know you went to bed early last night, but Papa Primo spoke highly of you at dark mass. He made it known that he wants you well looked after by all of us.” She smiled widely before continuing. “I promise you’ll be cared for and protected…”
“But she already knows that by how much of a shine Perpetua has taken to her!” came a new voice. “How does it feel to be Satan’s favourite?!”
Seraphim turned to see another sister of sin appearing on her left, who immediately linked Seraphim’s other arm.
This sister was shorter than Jezebel-Raven and wore a black, velvet textured dress with long, bell sleeves. She too, had bright, vibrant hair, but this was a deep sapphire blue and atop of her head, donned a headband of metal spikes. Her makeup was less like Copia’s, and more of a smoky cat eye with a black lip.
“I’m Sister Morrigan,” she continued. “Primo DID speak highly of you last night, and I think you’d be best in the greenhouses with a few of us today. You’re into plants, right?”
Seraphim was amazed at how much everyone seemed to know about her so far, but continued to nod. “Yes, I’m quite handy though and I’m willing to do most things!” She kept her answer minimal, she wasn’t ready to reveal HOW good she was with plants just yet.
“Excellent! That’s my area of expertise anyway, so stick with me and I’ll show you the ropes. If you’re lucky, we’ll even have time to play with the baby ghouls…they love the flowerpots!” Morrigan exclaimed.
Seraphim felt excited. She hadn’t considered that there might be baby ghouls and she was looking forward to meeting them already.
Morrigan smiled widely. “Come on, let’s get down to breakfast, and then I’ll take you down to the greenhouses and we can assist Primo with the tasks ahead for today!”
Seraphim nodded and the three sisters made their way down to the breakfast hall to begin their day.
That’s how it was for the next couple of weeks. Each morning, Seraphim would enjoy her breakfast amongst the Sisters of Sin (who were a complete array of characters) and then move down to the greenhouses to assist with any tasks. It varied as to how many helpers were there each day, and she found she liked the quieter days the best. Today, it was just her but she didn’t mind at all. It gave her time to bask in the sunshine and enjoy what she had to do without the pressures of keeping up with the other sisters, who were all very keen to please Primo.
Seraphim, using her skills, preferred to listen to what her plants needed and today was no different. First, (much like in her old home) she gathered any ripe vegetables from the produce greenhouse, ready to be dropped off to the kitchens for dinner. Then, she watered the plants that asked for a little extra hydration with no hesitation. Primo trusted her with the flowerbeds outside of the greenhouses too, so she wasted no time in tending to the plants closest to her, gently cutting away any black spots or dead leaves.
The gardens of the Ministry were very large, spanning the entire area surrounding the grounds and were full of all sorts of plants and flowers imaginable; but were contained by cold, hard iron bars designed to keep out intruders.
Seraphim had already explored every area of the Ministry grounds, and found that not only were there gardens in the grounds, but also there were also extensions into the areas of the woodlands on the borders of the Ministry - though the plants varied a lot due to the shady and cool conditions.
Seraphim’s favourite still remained a solitary garden, located just before entering the woodland. This was the last area where there was a direct pocket of sunlight to shine through the trees. The space between the bushes also allowed the air to flow freely and not remain stagnant. This garden, was dedicated to a wild array of rose plants of all different colours resembling a sunset. Unlike the roses found nearer the Ministry, which remained in their own regimented groups, these roses appeared to have a mind of their own and had integrated their growth amongst one another causing the different scents to blend in the most intoxicating way possible. Seraphim knew from the moment she entered that these roses didn’t need attending to, they were at one with the earth and were able to flourish naturally and at their own pace.
She smiled as she continued to prune the plants in her care and thought of her favourite garden; promising herself that she would visit there again soon. Maybe she would even ask Sophia to sit with her if she could spare the time?
When she had finished, she chose to have a moment to herself to enjoy the sun and light breeze. Closing her eyes, she allowed the rays of the sun to warm her skin and breathed a sigh of contentment; her body slowing beginning to relax.
Of course she did not hear the footsteps approaching from the gravel path outside of the iron fences and she found her state of relaxation was broken by a small, sinister chuckle.
Looking up rapidly from her stupor, she saw the fickle face of Father Evan Gray. Her heart beat faster in her chest and she felt her relaxed state diminish sickening fast; but she couldn’t allow him to see that. Standing, and removing her gardening gloves, she tentatively walked up to the bars.
“Well, it seems you have made quite a home here, Seraphim.” Gray said, eyeing her up and down. “They’ve already put you to work, you’ve made quite the impression already.”
“What do you want, Evan?” Seraphim asked, cutting to the chase.
Evan’s smile remained, but the sparkle behind his eyes disappeared and eyed her as a lion would a lamb. “I just came to see if you are still my obedient girl and are collecting the information I so desperately seek for our work?” He purred.
Seraphim felt her skin crawl at his words. She breathed deeply and remained calm as she spoke again. She couldn’t let him think that she had veered off the path of his plan for fear of the repercussions. However, she didn’t know how long she could keep this up or what her future held, but all she knew was that she wanted to keep the Emeritus family secrets safe.
“Of course, Evan.” She replied evenly. “I remain devoted to you and I ask for forgiveness for my initial surprise at seeing you.” She looked down at her feet, sweetly.
Evan, taken aback by Seraphim’s submissiveness smiled again, the glint returning to his eye. He felt his body react with lust for her sudden demure disposition and it made him want to take her there and then, but he had to hold himself back for now. Clearing his throat and regaining his composure, he continued. “You truly are an asset to the church and I thank you for your honesty.”
Seraphim felt sick, knowing she was doing the exact opposite, but kept her eyes to the ground, praying he would leave her alone.
“I best not linger here for fear of being spotted,” Evan said quietly, looking around. “So I shall leave you here until I return again in a few weeks. Next time, I expect some information.”
“Yes, Father.” Seraphim replied, turning away as fast as she dared. She stopped though as she felt her wrist pulled in a vice like grip and finally looked back up to see that Evan had grabbed her through the fence bars; feeling her pulse.
He smiled again at her, but maliciously this time. “Don’t forget, Seraphim, that I KNOW you and judging from how fast your heart is beating…I don’t think you’re in fact being completely honest with me.”
“Let go of me, Evan!” Seraphim exclaimed in a panicked voice.
He tutted and looked almost disappointed, before pulling her towards him and the bars aggressively; whispering directly into her ear.
“If I find that you are indeed conspiring against me, it will be worse for you than your little friends here…I’d even go so far as to say that they cannot protect you from the wrath of the one, true god…despite who they worship.”
Seraphim, now forgetting her fear and only feeling anger; rounded on him. “That god being YOU, I take it? How convenient.”
Evan paused and looked thoughtful for a moment and grinned at her. “You know…I like the thought of that…” He then released her wrist and pushed her away, causing her to stumble and drop her gloves.
“Watch yourself Seraphim, for I WILL find out if you’re lying to me. You should be very careful.”
With that, he turned on his heel and began to walk down the gravel path, away from the Ministry.
Seraphim, now alone and full of adrenaline, felt the panic spread through her like wildfire. She left her gloves and tools and fled across the gardens to the doors of the Ministry. She needed to find a safe space to regulate herself before carrying on or she’d go mad. Flinging the heavy doors open, she dashed inside before looking behind her to check that Evan Gray had indeed left. She then closed the doors quickly before running through the hallways to put as much distance between them as possible.
Unbeknownst to Seraphim, she had never been alone through this dangerous encounter, for a pair of mismatched eyes with a low growl in his throat, had also witnessed the entire encounter.
Those eyes belonged to V.
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