Chapter 259: The trouble with Sister Anna.
Hades was in bed, holding his wife and yet his mind was far away. His thoughts were filled with Father Nicodemus’ wings. Among the superpowers Sunshine had mentioned, it was the most unexplainable. Where did it come from? Fire, water, sharper senses, electricity....all that could be explained somehow or linked to something.
But wings!!
They were a puzzle.
Why wings and why Father Nicodemus? Warren was going to have a lot to say tomorrow about the wings and the biblical apocalypse. Nothing would convince his cousin that headless horsemen were not coming.
And his mother, she was probably going to be among those that would show up at the church to get a look at Father Nicodemus. From now on, all his masses would be packed full of curious residents.
"You need to stop thinking." Sunshine said. She opened her eyes, yawning softly. "You are thinking so much that I can somehow hear you."
He laughed, his chest vibrated. "Is that your third superpower, eavesdropping on my thoughts?" He took her hand and lifted it to his lips. "If you can hear my thoughts, I should warn you in a advance, they will leave you with weak knees from now on."
She laughed.
"Jelly knees." He kissed her fingers.
She laughed again.
"Rubbery knees."
She yawned again. "If you are thinking of my knees at this time of the knight then I am afraid you have a fetish. Also, I have very odd knees so you will rethink your interest in them after you look at them up close."
He shifted, sitting upright. "Now I am very curious about your knees, and I must see them."
She shook her head. "No.."
"They are not bow legged, are they?" he asked curiously.
"No." She laughed.
"Knock kneed." He grimaced.
She raised her leg and shoved him on the butt. "Go to sleep Hades. Tomorrow is going to be a mess; we will need all the rest we can get to deal with the crazies that will be sending offerings to Father Nicodemus."
He laid back down, faced the ceiling and rested his head on his hands. She laid her head on his chest and threw one hand over his waist.
"It’s not divine..." he said curiously, "Father Nicodemus’s wings. You are sure that they are not Godly in any way."
"I am sure." she assured him. The questions that he had, she was sure that many others would have tomorrow and in the days that followed. "I am also sure that I will have to lock Sister Anna Warnock in her house or that crazy woman will lead a pilgrimage around the base."
Hades chuckled. Sister Anna and her exorcism suggestion would always go unforgotten in Sunshine’s book. "I had forgotten about her. It is surprising that she was not at the church when the father’s wings manifested. It is not like her to miss a mass."
"I think she has a fever." Sunshine said, voice uncertain. "I might have seen her in the medic bay when we were leaving with Castiel."
Hades figured that must have been it. "I will send Dwayne to Carson’s early in the morning and make him keep her inside for a few days."
"Still, I must go over in person and make sure she gets the message." She told him.
He exhaled sharply and touched her hand. "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow?"
"Dinner?"
He smiled, certain that she found his question somewhat odd considering the fact that they had dinner together daily. "Yes, dinner. You know the meal that you have after the sun sets. Sometimes with family and sometimes alone. In this case, alone. I promise that there will be no vegetables on the menu."
She laughed and raised her head slightly. "I am not Castiel or Earl, I eat my vegetables. Are you asking me on a date?"
"We are dating so we should go on dates. The kind that ends with me kissing you senseless while Nimo peeks from the window, frowning like your disapproving mother." He said.
Her cheeks heated up. She was always embarrassed anytime Nimo saw them kissing because her friend teased her terribly. This was except for the times when she was going outside the wall for a mission.
"I will expect good food, nothing that has been cooked by you," she was quick to add the reminder in case he got the bright idea to surprise her taste buds.
"Six o’clock." he kissed her fingers again. "It is a formal event so no tool belt and no hammer at the table."
****
True to her words, Sunshine showed up to the Warnock residence before breakfast. An SUV was parked outside with two solders sitting inside. It had been there since Five o’clock. Others did not know why the car was parked outside, but Sunshine did.
She knocked on the door while looking up at the bubble. The watchers were back to bouncing on the bubble-like children. Some looked like they were skiing.
Pink had her eyes closed, fooling everyone into thinking that she was sleeping.
The sight made her wonder if watchers ever slept. If they did, she had never seen it.
The door was opened by Dwayne, and he ushered her inside quickly while looking around like he was expecting trouble.
"I had to tie her up." He told her as he closed the door.
Sunshine raised her eyebrows, and she looked at Sister Anna. The woman was sitting upright; rope tied around her body like a corpse that was about to be dumped in a lake. A piece of cloth had been stuffed in her mouth.
She turned her curious eyes to Dwayne.
"Trust me, it was necessary." He assured her.
Carson came out of the kitchen with breakfast which was milk porridge and small cakes. He set down Anna’s share and Dwayne’s, then greeted Sunshine before returning to the kitchen.
"So, what made this necessary?" She asked curiously.
"She was singing about going to Jerusalem a little too loudly." Dwayne mumbled.
Sunshine raised her eyebrows again.
Dwayne increased his voice, "The neighbors were complaining. I am not the only one that was irritated."
Sunshine tilted her head in understanding. "Alright. But I need to talk to her so....."
Dwayne stood up and removed the cloth.
"You ruffian." Sister Anna screamed. "How dare you to do this to me? The Lord has sent down the signs of the real apocalypse...." She broke off and screamed as water hit her in the face.
Dwayne’s jaw slacked.
Carson paused in the doorway.
Sister Anna huffed.
Sunshine held Castiel’s water gun in her hands, a smile on her face. "It was either this or a real gun with real bullets. I am not one to hit a nun, but I will hit you if you act crazy."
Carson laughed nervously and hurried into the room. "That will not be necessary Ma’am, I can assure you that my sister and I had a long talk last night and we both agreed that she will not be spouting anything crazy just because Father Nicodemus awakened."
Sister Anna huffed and then glared at her brother. Her lips were pinched together. Clearly, she disagreed with him, but she had no choice.
"Good to know." Sunshine said. "If she acts in a contradictory manner, I am afraid that I will become the big bad villain who broke a sweet nun’s knees with her hammer." She leaned forward, "And then I will confiscate all her veils."
Sister Anna gasped. "You wouldn’t."
Sunshine shrugged. "This base will remain orderly. I will not have it falling apart just because you think wings mean divinity. Look above on the bubble, the watchers have magnificent wings. I don’t see anybody rushing to call them saviors of mankind. If you cannot control yourself Sister Anna, I will control you. If you don’t like it, move out."