"We were just working on a project," She said as soon as Matthew entered the house, hoping to get away with this by some sort of miracle. Matthew was filled with fury and then he walked closer to her. Mary moved back a step and then another, and soon she reached the wall. Miracles were a tale for her. "I swear there is nothing between us," she cried, but soon the cry was gone as Matthew slapped her, making her stumble. Mary felt like a wave of dizziness surrounded her just from a single slap, the blood in her veins was rushing, her head spinning, and she tried to hold the wall just to stay standing. "DID I NOT TELL YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM HIM?" He roared at the top of his voice, "It- it was just because of the presentation we have tomorrow—" and then again, a hit met her face. It hurt more than the last time, so strong and so wild. A sharp burn radiated from her cheek. She could feel the veins throbbing in her forehead, the heart beating crazy in her chest "You are not going to the university tomorrow. Come to the church and beg forgiveness for this mistake." Mary was well aware that it was idiotic, yet she still raised her head. She knew the consequences of acting rebellious, it was by doubling the punishment but she felt a sudden power in her body "Why? Why should I ask for forgiveness when there is absolutely nothing I have done?" She said, looking straight into his horrific eyes. Matthew raised his hand again, and it was tightened into a punch this time. "Don't dodo this with yo- your sister, Son," it was a fragile voice coming from the living room. Instead of feeling anything in the name of hope, Mary went into a state of outrage after listening to her mother. "Why the fuck do you care when there is nothing you could do to help me?" She screamed and then it all happened. Matthew threw the punch at her face and then another. Mary tumbled and fell on the floor. Her body was unable to withstand these attacks. He then kicked her stomach repeatedly, every hit was more severe than before. He kicked her so many times that she just forgot the track of hits, all she could see was her blood on the shoes of her brother. Mary's vision was all startled, and her mouth filled with the taste of blood. She didn't know what she had done to deserve it. Her thoughts were blurred, she tried to focus but the world was all spinning around her
After Mathew was done punishing her, he was gone while Mary stayed on the floor for an entire hour. Her body was trembling with the sensations of brutality. As the tears streamed down her face, they all smeared in blood. Her mother was saying something to her, and her voice sounded worried, but she knew it was all drama because, in this house, there was no one who could save her. Mary hardly gathered herself as she stood. Her mother tried to speak but she shut her off by a dead stare and walked upstairs to her room.
After cleaning all the blood and treating all the wounds, she fell on her knees "Lord!" She called, looking up at the sky. "What have I done that made me deserve this torture?" She asked, closing her eyes tight and crossing her fingers hard with each other. "Why don't you do anything for me? Why can't you save me from my brother?" She cried harder. She tried her best to feel the connection between her and her Lord. She stayed silent, took deep breaths, and tried so hard, but there was none. "Aren't you our survivor? Why are you not saving me from that beast then?" She asked and there was no response to her cries. Mary prayed for minutes and cried her heart out to her Lord, but the feeling was the same as always. Her prayers all felt hollow to her as if she was saying the words in a vacuum. It sometimes made her wonder if God was real. Matthew teaches in the church that God is merciful, but she had never believed in his words because she never knew what mercy felt like. "Jesus, save me," she prayed silently for moments and moments. In the end, she gave up feeling nothing in return.
Mary was on her bed. Her face felt like burning at every inch. She was thankful for her eyes to be safe but her forehead, cheeks, and the tear on her chin were all thrashing her with pain every moment.
If Matthew said she can't go, then there was no possibility of going to the university tomorrow, and not only that but that ill person made sure by filling her entire face with bruises.
That wasn't how a priest was supposed to be, but no one knew that he was a psychopath. Matthew covers it so well. It was only Mary who faced this side of him because, in church, Matthew was the kindest and most noble person to ever exist. Just thinking about that gentle smile on his face in the church, Mary wanted to scrap her teeth until they fell.
She was so broken, so sad. She needed to be healed, she needed someone to be there with her, and then she heard a whisper, "Hey, Mary." The voice was coming from the balcony, and it was "Aaryan," she said slowly but never moved. This was some sort of luck happening to her. Mary wanted to see him, but she could not go to Aaryan with this face. "Diamond, are you okay?" He sounded worried "Did your brother get angry at you? He looked mad." His question made her laugh, and the laugh just renewed the ache in her belly, and she stopped smiling. Anger wasn't a word to describe someone's sickness, and she wanted to laugh out loud at the assumption, "Are you not there?" She didn't reply to any of his questions. Aaryan sounded anxious "Are you ignoring me?" She wanted to yell no to him, but she could never. "Well, okay, I am going to sing you a song then. It's from a band called The Beach Boys. I don't know if you have ever heard of it, but they are my favorite." And so was Mary's. She had been in love with their music for a long time, and it was obvious that she wanted to listen to it from Aaryan, so Mary tried to sit up, and this time, she succeeded. She placed her feet on the floor, and it was cold like blades attacking her skin from behind, yet she stood up. She walked on the knives and stopped. Mary didn't go to the balcony but sat on the floor as close to it as she could. "Okay, I will take the silence as a yes," He said, she smiled and nodded. Aaryan started to play the most perfect nodes from his guitar and then his voice was healing
"Well, it's been building up inside of me for, oh, I don't know how long. I don't know why, but I keep thinking something's bound to go wrong. But she looks into my eyes and makes me realize, and she says, 'Don't worry, baby. Don't worry, baby. Don't worry, baby. Everything will turn out alright. Don't worry, baby. Don't worry, baby. Don't worry, baby' I guess I should've kept my mouth shut when I started to brag about my car, but I can't back down now because I pushed the other guys too far" And she found herself laughing at it, no matter how much it hurt her this time, Mary didn't stop laughing. It had never happened to her before. Usually, when her brother beat her, Mary would stop smiling or even talking for days, but she laughed today. It wasn't like she had never heard this song before but Aaryan kept on repeating the same lines making it the funniest thing "Don't worry, baby. I guess I should've kept my mouth shut when I started to brag about my car, but I can't back down now because I pushed the other guys too far" and one more time he said "I guess I should've kept my mouth shut when I started to brag about my car, but I can't back down now because I pushed the other guys too far" She laughed harder and never cared about the bones cracking in her belly because Aaryan was being an idiot. An idiot who was making her feel happy in the worst time. Mary didn't react to him. He asked so many questions and said so many things to make her respond but Mary sealed her mouth and after some time Aaryan was gone with a frown, leaving Mary happy
The next day came by and she found herself in the church instead of class. It was the Good Friday, a day of commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at the Cross.
As per the order of Matthew, Mary was in the church. She said, she felt at home in that place, but she was only lying to herself.
From the time Mary became conscious of herself, some things didn't make sense, and the most confusing thing was how could three be one? When Mary asked this question to Matthew, he told her to believe in it blindly, but she kept on asking more questions, and then she was shut by him with a slap.
There was an explanation for everything, and she knew there should be one for this question as well, but she was not allowed to ask anything. During the teaching, Matthew told her to believe and never doubt her faith as it would weaken the connection between the Lord and herself. So she learnt her lesson and never asked questions but her mind wasn't in control of her brother. It just kept on bugging her every moment she entered the church
If we respect the Lord, then why do we have his status on a Cross? Doesn't it make him look weak?
How can Jesus be both fully God and fully human?
If God knows everything then why didn't Jesus know when the hour is?
If Jesus died for our sins, then what's the point of judgment? Aren't we all already forgiven?
Her queries were halted in her mind when Matthew appeared on the pulpit. He looked like the most caring and humble human being this world has ever seen. Mary felt his gaze on her when he stood there, ready for a sermon. Matthew smiled broadly but that wasn't for her but for the show to others. Matthew began with a long prayer. She kept her eyes down, not looking at him the entire time, but his words were audible. "Brothers and sisters, today we gather to reflect on the power of faith in our lives. Faith is not just a belief, it is a trust in God's plan. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Even in our darkest moments, God is at work, shaping us and leading us toward His divine purpose…" his words went on for she doesn't remember how long and his smile kept glued to his face. Mary would have been interested if only she thought words like hope and trust existed as all she had seen in her life was dark.
As all the rituals were performed, the church was dismissed. After Matthew was done talking to people, he walked towards her. "Let's go, Mary," he said, and she nodded. It was rare for him to talk this gently with Mary and the only rare time was when she listened to her without a word back
They were in the car and Matthew was driving them back home. Everything was fine until he started to speak, "Don't be late home for the entire next week." It sounded more like a threat than an advice but she had to go to Aaryan and tell him she was sorry "May I ask the reason?" She asked humbly. Matthew gave her a stare telling her she should not be talking back "Smith and Eve are coming today" and her heart stopped, hearing his name