Mary's black hair framed her fair-skinned face, as she pulled her rosary from the collar of her robe. She undressed from her mass attire, and hung it in the closet. The air was cold and damp, from the rains that scattered over the past few days. The marble floors of the Church were freezing to the touch, and she had to tip toe until she reached her room. She slowly crept down the spiral staircase, until she reached the wooden door. It squeaked, riddled with age and labor, before she slipped inside. The organ sounds floated down to the bottom floor, where her room was. To some, it could have been considered to be eerie. But, to her, it was home. Mary had grown up in the Abbey since her parents died when she was six. The story was quite tragic.
As she looked in the mirror, her eyes scanned her scar, which traveled down her arm. She was quick to dismiss it, as she pulled her long-sleeved sweater over her body. Her head shot around when the door opened again. Jess, her best friend, walked in, and pulled her robe over her blond head and hung it in the closet.
"Father Luke sure has gotten cute, hasn't he?" Jess said, with a laugh.
Mary shot her a disapproving smile, and then ignored the question. Father Luke had just been anointed their new priest. He had dark, chestnut hair, dark eyes, and a stunning smile. The twenty-three old was one of the youngest in the area, and had half of the women in the church pining after him;
Jess and Mary walked to the courtyard that sat between the church and the forest behind. Jess' deep brown eyes grazed the statues that scattered across the grass, before they sat together at the bench. Jess gave Mary a mysterious look, and reached in her pocket, flashing a pack of cigarettes to Mary.
"Jess, if we get caught-"
"We wont." Jess replied.
Jess and Mary shared a cigarette that afternoon, as they watched the forest, and realized that their life was actually quite boring. Mary never would have guessed when she was taken into the Church, she would be going through training to become a Nun. Novitiate training was quite tiresome, but it was the same thing everyday.
As they both headed down the cold tile hallway, they could feel the stares of the others staring them down. Jess and Mary had grown close over the years, and become inseparable, which the others found to be odd. Mary nodded her head and acknowledged the others, making her way towards the bedrooms. Mary and Jess had also shared a bedroom since they'd gotten there. Setting her bags onto her cloth comforter, she dipped her head down in exhaustion, and felt her dark hair fall over her face. Jess looked completely different from her. She was tall and slender, with short bleach blonde hair, she'd cut into a mullet-shag look. The day she chopped her hair off, she was punished with a week of chores in the courtyard. She didn't care. Jess never cared about what others thought of her. Maybe that was why Mary admired her so much. Mary was shorter, with long dark hair, and brown bambi eyes. She couldn't intimidate the others like Jess could. When Mary walked, people pitied her rather than feared her. And for some reason, she was jealous of Jess for having the opposite effect. Jess tossed her a small handbag, and headed towards the dresser. She pried open the window, letting some subtle hair flow into the room. She tucked her legs over the ledge, and reached into her pocket. Pulling out a pack of reds, and pulled her lighter from her jacket pocket, and lit the flame.
"Come on, Mary." She laughed, motioning the cigarette to her.
Mary shook her head back, like a disappointed mother. She always said no. She wasn't as mischievous as her best friend. Mary sat at their mirror and braided her long dark hair as it brushed against her back. Sometimes, when Jess wasn't looking, she'd stare at her, and just wonder what it could be like to be her. What would it be like to be Jess? None of them had last names (or at least knew of any), so to her, she'd always just be Jess.
"You're going to get in trouble again." Mary muttered.
She knew Jess didn't care. They'd come to the Abbey when they were six years old, and now they were twenty. Time had flown by, and they'd grown up. They were completely unaware of what things went on in the world outside the stone walls. Frankly, Mary didn't care to. Jess on the other hand, dreamed of the day she could get out and see the world on her own. In the Church, Mary knew she was safe, and away from harm. Little did she know how wrong she'd come to be.