We didn't exchange a single word until ten minutes later when we left the school. She told me that she wanted to take me somewhere, relating to the problem at hand.
"Have you ever been to a Church, Oliver?"
"My father is Christian, but because my mother wasn't, I grew up an atheist."
"How much of it do you believe?"
"The Bible?"
"Religion in general."
"Not much, but I do think ancient Greek religions were really cool."
"Cool?"
"Yeah, in Christianity there's one god that controls everything, and the Christian heaven seems like a pretty shallow place, but in Greek mythology, the Gods have their own Politics. Don't you think?"
"…"
"Wait are you taking us to a Church?"
"As much as I'd love to take you to Greece, for us to meet a historian, or leader of ancient faith, the closest we can get to a place that will help us is the Church." She looked a bit bummed out, and like she was thinking deeply about something. But I decided against using my ability.
My body still hurt, and every step felt like a mini spike into my body, but I seriously like Isabelle too much, and I didn't want to make her disappointed in me by going home, or stopping.
"Why? Shouldn't we go to the Police…". Of course not. I sounded stupid. 'Hi, I know a girl who's been going around murdering people, but she doesn't actually exist and only I can see her'. Pure stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
It didn't help that she looked at me funny.
"At the end of the day, the Bible is an explanation into the Supernatural. No matter how bizarre, if something out of the ordinary happens to us, the Church is the best place to receive our answers."
"Do you speak from experience?"
"Oh. Not really… I just happen to…"
It was as clear as the skies that she had something going on with her in the past, but I decided against asking, or doing anything that'll upset her.
Anyways, changing the topic.
"So, what do you know about Greek Mythology?"
She calmed down immediately, looked up in the air, and answered.
"Zeus and Hera. Cronus and Rhea. A lot of divine Polygamy. And wasn't Zeus and Hera incestuous?"
"They were!?"
Now you don't get taught that in normal education.
"Do you find yourself relating to a certain God?"
"Not a proper god, as far as post-Olympian mythology goes, but, I relate to Metis the Titan."
"Why not someone like Apollo or Athena?"
"To start with, Metis was already the mother of Athena, and I don't like Apollo since he is a bit too famous for my taste, so what about you?"
"The Erinyes."
I knew what the Erinyes were. They were probably older than any other Greek myths. The Erinyes was the name of the three Underworld deities. They were sisters that punished criminals, and immoral people. While their job was to deal with anyone, of any age, they did have a bias against men. And they look like more like the Modern devil, than almost any ancient mythologies. They have hair, like Medusa, bat wings, like Lucifer, and eyes like the Devil.
She didn't say anything else. Complete silence.
In the past hour, I have seen more of the true Isabelle than I have in my entire time with her, and I haven't even tried. She is perfect, there could be no imaginable stains on her. Perfect grades, perfect looks, perfect attitude. She had never stuttered or not finished her sentences before. All the more reasons why I couldn't bring myself to ask her anymore.
I saw a massive Church a few blocks away from us. I had seen the roof from a distance while looking outside the school windows, but that was at a long distance that made it look far more insignificant than it was up close.
"I'd rather not go any closer than I already am, if it's fine with you."
"I can find my way around there, but what should I do when I get there?"
"This sounds conspicuous, but in most Churches, there are at least one specialist, or there should be."
"You don't sound sure."
"Sorry, I'm not an expert in this stuff."
The Church looked far less like a Gothic building, than it did of a bad imitation of a Gothic style building. The walls and stones looked new, and abnormally clean. There were several growing trees around the thing. There were crosses above the large door. It truly looked like a real medieval Church from the movies. The door was wide open, at that point I realised something.
There was a far closer Church nearby, we had at least walked for twenty or thirty minutes to get here, when there was a small Church of England near where we both live, which for context, is opposite where I am now.
The reason, which I realised right now was that this was a Roman Catholic Church. I didn't know if this had to do with the fact that it looked so new, or the fact that the trees hadn't grown tall, but I decided to link these together.
As I walked in, my footstep was echoed. The Church was rather empty for its size, but the time didn't help.
I looked at the watch on my right wrist.
16:57
There was a man that sat on the most front bench, to the left, that looked like a bishop. I walked towards the bench, and he moved to make space. It was utterly silent, other than the awkward echoes of my footstep.
I had never known what despair was. The building felt like it was trying to kill me, to torment me. I was afraid.
I sat next to the Bishop-looking figure.
"Excuse me, are you the… owner of this place?"
For some reason, probably my awkwardness, he laughed.
"Yes, I am Bishop Marrs. Nice to meet you fella."
I looked at him. Under his black overalls, he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, with several large necklaces around him. He had a pierced earring, which was strange. Strangest of all were two features of him. One, he spoke with a heavy Scottish accent, which was extremely rare, this south in England. Secondly, his face was covered with burn marks, on scars, on burn marks. He looked like a literal embodiment of someone who killed a Bear, or a devil.
My silence probably gave it away.
"Why are you looking scared fella? Tell me, anything good happen to ya?
"That sounds like a phrase from a really shady guy in a really shady book."
He laughed it off. And I got a glimpse to the other side of his face. Unsurprisingly, his face was covered with burns and scars as well, but the area around his left eye was perfectly normal. I didn't know what to think of him. Is this a really bad practical joke, that I don't get?
"Do you know much about supernatural things?"
"Huh…? Like Jesus?" He stopped for a second to think. "It's not about what I know, its about how much I believe."
"Well, if you're a bishop that means you believe, right?"
"I guess it does, don't it?"
This guy was a bit annoying, Bishop Marrs. I decided that being blunt would be better than letting him play around with me, using questions.
"Is it possible for someone to stop existing?"
His casual gestures, and face, suddenly went dark.
"Even if it does, how would you know?"
"What?"
"No one stops existing, until everyone forgets them."
"I'm not sure if I follow."
"Let us say this. You would never ask me this question, unless you know a person who's stopped existing, right?"
"Right…"
"So, even hypothetically, if such a thing happens, it hasn't happened because you know."
"Sorry?"
"It's a paradox."
"As in, because I know, she exists, but because others can't see her…"
"Now you're confusing yourself, fella. She exists in your world, but she don't exist in the Mass conscious."
I still was confused. But I decided to go with him.
"Okay, how can I make her exist in the mass-conscious?"
"Well fella, that'll cost you."
"Huh!? I thought the Church was about Charity!"
"Real Charity is as non-existent as your girlfriend, fella. We don't care how long it takes, but anything else I say will make you indebted to the Church."
"I see."
"Also why are you so bothered about your girlfriend, fella?" His voice took an aggressive tone. "If she stops existing, she probably doesn't want to be saved. You shouldn't put yourself in poverty for a person that wants to hang themselves."
What? This made no sense. Why would she want to die? I remembered the look on her face when she grabbed my arm. She wanted my help. Even if she didn't, I wasn't going to give her up.
"How much? I don't care what you say, I want to save her!"
My voice was in every way as loud as his. The entire church was echoing our barks.
"You don't want to save her, do you? Tell me fella, why do you smell like you just came from a battle?"
"Huh?"
He pointed at my stomach. I hadn't even realised that I was stinking of blood.
"Tell me, do you want to be some sort of white prince, or whatever they call it nowadays? Do you seriously not want to get her in your bed?"
"Uh-uhm" I felt guilty, for just not answering properly alone. "No."
"Well, fine then. Fifteen thousand Pounds. If she wants to, she can pay it too. Oh, and make a promise with me." He took out a bible from his side. "Put your hand on this"
I did.
"Say your name, and finalise the deal."
"The deal?"
"You will pay back the money to the Roman Church, before death. Oh and treat the girl nice, once she's back."
I complied.
"Oliver Wolfe. I vow to pay back the Roman Catholic Church the sum of Fifteen Thousand Great British Pounds."
"Oliver, huh? Well you did good sonny. You even capitalised the name of the church and everything. I'm well impressed."
"I did!?"
He relaxed again, as his laughter roared around the whole building.
"Do something outrageous in Public with her. That'll get more people to see her. But that's a short-term solution. What's going on with the people around you?"
"I think the girl, her name is Rosemary, is a murderer."
"Huh!?"
"She stopped existing, when three people at my school died."
"That sounds outrageous. Let me guess. She has no friends and no one who likes her?"
"Well no. She's really pretty, and even when she was alone, people gave her attention."
"But let me guess fella. They stopped after the murder?"
He said 'murder' instead of murders, which I thought was really odd.
"The entire school became tense. Everyone was scared. I guess we only looked at our backs."
"But not you."
"Huh?"
He laughed again.
"Kid, you got stabbed and you're here asking me how to save your stabber. Obviously, you're a oddball. That's half the reason isn't it?"
The fact that he said 'half', was raising my suspicion. Who the hell is he?
"That's right."
"So obviously, you were the only one not affected by the whole thing. That's why even when everyone else only looked out for themselves and their friends. You still were able to see everyone. The girl don't have any friends either, does she?"
"No…"
"Well, that's simple as. Everyone recognises their friends. But a person with no friends or nothing, don't get acknowledged."
What? So if I didn't meet, and befriend Isabelle, I would be in the same situation!? It was making sense.
He continued,
"It's not that she's not existing. I think you got it wrong. It's more like she's in the background. Obviously, that don't change the fee, but it makes the problem a lot less sassy.
Sassy? Is that a way to use that word?
"Say… go home for today and bring her tomorrow. We'll probably fix this pretty soon. But one thing." He turned serious again. "Don't go around linking stuff together kid. Oh and before I forget, get her to change into
"Huh?"
He roared laughing again. Then suddenly stopped, and opened his bible. He completely ignored me, as if I don't exist.
17:39