Chapter 3: •The Nun•
Quinn:
Six weeks later:
The humming of a melodious tune by a feminine voice floated into my ears, disrupting me from the book I'd been reading. The voice was accompanied by echoes of footsteps, coming towards my cell. Moving my attention from the book, I waited impatiently to see who it was. Due to the echoes of the humming voice, one would think there was a concert going on in the basement. When the footsteps got closer, the voice stopped. Meanwhile, my undivided attention was focused on their direction.
My expression hardened into a scowl when I saw her. The strange woman I'd encountered six weeks ago who I believed was one of Gonzalez's acquaintances or in this case, minion. She'd brought food again.
Ignoring her presence, I continued reading my book. Though I pretended to be focused on the book, I watched her from the corner of my eyes as she placed the food close to the bars, where I can reach for it. This time around, she also brought a bottle of water. She must have been instructed to get me water to wash down the poison after devouring it.
"I didn't see you as one who read books". She said, standing to her feet.
Truly, I don't read books, especially novels but knowing I was going to be in a cell for a very long time, reading became one of the ways to perfectly while away the time.
The book I was reading, I'd found it by the corner of the cell the first time I'd awaken there. It was old and torn, with almost half of its pages missing. It looked like it had seen better days. It was easy to tell it'd been there for a couple of years from how it looked. I was surprised rats hadn't fed on it. It was a novel titled; Demon Crown. I couldn't tell the Author's name as a result of the first pages missing.
After being in the cell for a few weeks with no plans of escaping, I was left with no option but to read the book while I worked out my escape plan. So far, I was yet to come up with a good plan. "It's good to know you have your little hub of activities planned out for each day". She added when I remained silent, with eyes on my book. "You don't talk when you read. Noted".
She turned to leave but I chose that moment to give her a little message for Gonzalez.
"Tell Gonzalez that his plans of fastening my death with poisoned food are not working". Halting her steps, she turned towards me.
"And who is Gonzalez?". She asked, tucking her hands in the pockets of her uniform.
"Your attempt at pretending is sickening". I growled out, locking eyes with her.
"If I'm getting this right, you think I'm working with this Gonzalez to poison you?".
"I don't think. I know. You can't fool me".
Her next reaction surprised me. I expected her to deny it but instead, she burst into a fit of laughter, clutching her stomach in the process.
I had no form of likeness for the woman but the sound of her laughter had a musical ring to it.
When she finally stopped laughing, she spoke.
"For a man that reads, you are not so intelligent". She laughed some more. "If I may ask, who is this Gonzalez you speak of?". She was amused. "You can't fool me. Whoever encouraged you to dress up like a nun, clearly wasn't thinking well". My book was now on the floor, long forgotten. Again, another round of resounding musical laughter escaped her plump lips.
"Your sense of humor is amazing". She drawled. "It's so sad you're wasting it here in this basement".
"I'm glad you find it funny". I gritted out from annoyance. "Next time when you want to pretend, do not forget to refine your attitude too. Very important". "Wow". She exclaimed. "You're being serious".
Her pretense game was getting on my nerves.
"Don't forget to pass my message across to Gonzalez". That said, I picked up my book, ignoring her presence. But the woman wasn't finished.
She stepped towards the bars, holding onto one, she leaned towards it and said;
"Honey, I do not know a Gonzalez. And I'm a nun. A real one". She stressed the real to make a point but I would be damned to buy it. Straightening her stance, she added;
"Looks like you won't be dying from the effects of the sigil but intense hunger because I'm in charge of delivering your food from now on". My eyes snapped to hers. Her face bloomed into a smirk, eyes glinting with amusement.
The woman was something else. She oozed trouble with a capital T.
"You're a nun. You should know man shall not live by bread alone". I responded with a mocking smirk.
She smiled in response, presenting me with her dimples while shaking her head in amusement.
"May the good Lord be with you. You're gonna need him".
With that, she took her to leave.
Once again, I was left to wonder who she truly was.
All thanks to the sigil, my powers weren't potent. Hence, I couldn't detect her lies.☐☐☐