Chapter 5: Faith

I was startled by a knock on the car window. I blinked, looking up to find Ashley standing outside, her face pressed against the glass. I rolled down the window.

"Cal, you okay?" she asked, concern in her voice. "You've been sitting here forever."

I looked at the clock on the dashboard and realized that an hour had already passed. "Fuck," I mumbled, running a hand over my face.

"Want me to stay with you for a while?" she offered, leaning in through the window.

I glanced past her to where Father O'Brien and his helpers were packing a small van with religious paraphernalia. Sister Margaret—Emma—was among them. I watched as she lifted a large box, grunting slightly with the effort, her arms straining against the weight. "It's alright, Ash. Go home. I'll be fine."

Ashley frowned. "Are you sure?" She followed my gaze, her eyes narrowing. She seemed genuinely concerned. "Are you waiting for someone?"

"No. I'm..." My words died in my throat as my brain tried to catch up. "Yeah, I am," I said, nodding slowly. "The priest asked me to drive one of the sisters home after they were finished. She's been working here for a while, and she doesn't have a car."

Ashley's expression changed from one of worry to one of relief. She laughed softly. "That's nice of you." She patted my shoulder through the open window. "See you later, Cal."

"See ya." I watched her walk away, feeling a pang of guilt for lying to my sister-in-law.

Another twenty minutes passed before Emma finally climbed into the passenger seat. She sat rigidly, her hands folded primly in her lap, her posture perfect.

"You okay?" I asked, studying her profile.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Just... thinking," she replied, her voice distant. She turned to face me, her expression serious. "My... Her life is so different. She's given herself to God. She spends her days in prayer, in service. It's a hard life, but also... peaceful. Fulfilling." She shook her head. "Maybe it's the contrast to Veronica that's making me feel this way. It's like... like a cleansing. Like a baptism, washing away all the sin and filth."

"Shit," I chuckled nervously. "Do I need to fuck you again, bring you back down from your holy high horse?"

She frowned at me, her lips pursed in disapproval. "Please, Calvin. Have some respect."

"Sorry," I mumbled, feeling chastised. "I just want you back to normal. You're not you right now."

She sighed, looking down at her lap. "I... I'm me. I'm Emma... It's just that... I feel like I've been called to a higher purpose." She looked out the window.

I gulped, my heart racing. This was exactly what I'd feared. "Emma," I began, but she cut me off with a sharp gesture.

"Relax," she said, her tone dry. "I know this isn't me. It's just her. Her body, her mind. All of this is Sister Margaret, not me."

"But you feel like her."

"But I feel like her," she conceded. "And it's hard to ignore."

I nodded, starting the car. "Still coming? Or are you going to fuse with her forever to fulfill your duty to God?"

"I'll come," she said, her voice soft. "I made a promise to you and I'll keep it. We'll find a solution together. And... I still love you." It seemed to take her a great effort to say the words, and I felt my heart clench in my chest. She noticed the way my shoulders slumped and reached out to pat my arm, blushing. "Oh, don't take it the wrong way, Calvin. It's not that I love you less. It's just hard to process through... through this." She gestured at herself.

I drove in silence, my mind racing with the implications of everything we were dealing with. "Well, it's obviously temporary," I said finally. "I imagine your new friends are going to wonder where you are if you're gone for too long. What are you going to tell them? Are you even allowed outside?"

She looked away. "I'm not a child, Calvin. I'm allowed to go where I please. I just want to make sure my duties are taken care of."

"And when are your duties taken care of?"

"I'm supposed..." She groaned, hitting her legs. "I mean, she's supposed to be back at the parish tomorrow morning. We were... I mean, they were going to pray and meditate at the cathedral tonight, but I told them I was meeting an old friend and might be late."

I sighed, my eyes fixed on the road. Traffic was heavy, and it was taking longer to get home than usual. Looking at people in other cars, going about their normal lives, made me realize just how far we were from our regular routines. "We need to stop jumping you into new bodies every day without any planning. We need to understand the rules and find someone you can... stay in. For a while, at least, until we figure this out."

I drove in silence for a few minutes, my mind racing with the implications of everything we were dealing with.

"Something happened when I went from Veronica to me," the nun said, breaking the silence. "It felt... different. Not as immediate as the others."

"Different how?"

"Like... I could see threads..."

"Threads?" I repeated, glancing over at her. "What kind of threads? Like spider webs?"

"Memories, I think," she explained. "Veronica's memories, maybe feelings, thoughts?"

"Okay..."

"It felt like I could pull them, twist them?" She blushed again. "I'm not explaining myself well."

"What about that nerd you talked about when you were Mandy?" I said, getting off the highway and onto the quieter surface streets. "You seemed to think she'd be the perfect person to help us figure things out."

"Oh... I don't know... I don't remember her now that I'm Lisa." I saw her frowning as I looked over.

"Lisa?"

"That's my name, Calvin!" she said, pouting at me. "Sister Margaret is my holy name. We pick a holy name when we take our vows."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Lisa, alright..."

She sighed. "I don't remember much of her, but I remember thinking she was a good choice. I have no idea why."

"Shit... I guess it's too late now. We're not going to go after Mandy again. She's probably freaked out enough by all this."

The young nun smirked. "I wrote down her name and number back at home, when I was still Mandy."

I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it. I smirked back. "Good thinking."

"Thank Mandy," the nun said, winking.