Chapter Text
You will fail and they will all die because of you.
Her back hits stone and there is a loud crunch as one of her wrists snap.
Pain radiates up her arm and she cries out but the Halo's energy bursts through her veins and mends the fractured bone quickly.
For that she is thankful.
As the sharp ache in her wrist lessens a duller throb emerges from her side and when she looks down she’s confronted by the sight of a thick wooden splinter sticking out just below her ribs.
The Halo burns the edges of her torn skin, unable to heal her with the offending item still inside of her.
A whimper escapes her at the sight but then she hears slow and purposeful footsteps approaching her and she makes a split-second decision. The splinter is coated with blood already and it takes two excruciating tries before she is finally able to pull the jagged piece out.
Her hands are shaking uncontrollably now.
She takes a deep breath despite the pain and tries to get herself under control but she runs out of time when Adriel’s gaunt figure appears in her peripheral.
She scrambles into a crouching position but before she can attempt to stand up Adriel grabs her by the back of the neck and throws her across the room again. Her head hits the ground hard and it takes several seconds for the fog to clear.
Stay awake you fucking idiot. You have to defeat him, what other goddamn choice do you have?!
But Adriel is so strong, much stronger than they had thought.
In her defense, he has had plenty of time to rest.
As she crawls up onto all fours a debilitating wave of nausea and dizziness hits her and she sways sideways, barely managing to stay vertical. The room is spinning but she focuses on the feeling of the ground under her hands and her own heartbeat. She grits her teeth and inhales deeply through her nose but her breath gets caught and she ends up coughing up blood as the Halo throbs in her back, working overtime to repair her battered body.
More warm blood is running down the side of her face, it obscures the vision in her left eye and she wipes furiously at it while simultaneously trying to predict where the next blow will come from.
Little girl – you shouldn’t play with forces you could not possibly understand.
“GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HEAD!!”
Like a bad dream he appears right in front of her. She instinctively throws up her arm and blocks the oncoming fist but Adriel is faster; he pivots and his knee slams into her shin with tremendous force, sending her flying backwards.
She lands heavily on her side and wheezes from having all the air knocked out of her. After a few unsuccessful attempts she finally manages to suck down a ragged breath, only to almost choke on her own tooth which must have been knocked loose by the last blow. There is a deep gash in her thigh and she watches as the Halo starts the process of piecing her tissues back together, only to peter out halfway, leaving her with a still bleeding (albeit less) wound.
Well that was fun while it lasted.
Another wave of nausea overpowers her, she spits out a mouthful of blood and clenches her jaw as she moves into a crouching position to face Adriel head on.
“Is that all you got? Fucking weak. I’m gonna send you back to hell where you belong.”
It’s optimistic even for her considering she has spent the last however long getting her ass kicked and is currently bleeding from several deep wounds but hey, fake it ‘til you make it, right?
The devil merely cocks his head in amusement and fixes her gaze with those dark lifeless eyes. His voice is smooth in her head and it makes her shiver despite the warmth of the burning Halo.
Somehow, I very much doubt that.
The pillars quake and begin to crumble around her and Adriel smiles his maniacal smile as the piercing shriek of hundreds of wraiths grow to an unbearable decibel above them.
He approaches her slowly, like a predator stalking its prey.
She tries to be brave, tries to muster up the strength and courage she needs to keep fighting but the fear and anxiety increases with every step this monster takes towards her.
She desperately scans her surroundings in search of a weapon, anything to defend herself with really, but there is nothing. Just rubble and wood splinters.
And a great deal of her own blood.
Not super useful in a combat situation but maybe she could trick him with the threat of the many blood-borne diseases of the 21st century. Hepatitis and tetanus can be lethal if left untreated!
There is no point, you will die here in this square.
Adriel stops a few feet from her, his eyes boring into hers and she feels the same type of paralysis that she experienced in the tomb when he first tried to take the Halo from her.
No, no, no, not again. Feebly she tries to channel the Halo’s power but it merely flickers before it goes dark – long since exhausted from having to heal her body over and over as the demon in front of her continued to beat the ever-loving shit out of her.
Adriel merely grins at her attempts before he opens his cloak to reveal a sword. It’s similar in fashion to hers (which is currently and hella inconveniently laying somewhere in the ruins behind her), but this one emits a golden glow instead of the divinium blue. The yellow light makes his dark eyes gleam ominously and reality slams into her hard; despite all the training she had endured these past weeks it had taken Adriel less than a minute to disarm her once he had gotten her alone and away from the others. Now, without her sword, she was no match for him.
Oh God, the others.
Sounds of the fight against the possessed still echo in the distance. They aren’t far from the main battle but it may as well be lightyears. The crowd had overwhelmed their team but they had been making progress, working as a unit to dispatch the wraiths as they were torn from their hosts – until she had seen Adriel sneak away.
Despite Beatrice calling out after her she had let her emotions get the better of her. She had broken formation to run after him.
Right into his trap.
Without her team all she was good for was taking a beating and unfortunately she doubts she'll make a Rocky-level comeback from this.
Adriel brandishes the weapon and swings it a few times in the air before he points it right to Ava with deadly precision, not so much as a tremble in his hand despite its weight. Inexplicably his eyes momentarily soften but she sees right through him.
I’m truly sorry it had to come to this. I only ever wanted what was mine.
Rage burns in her chest at his manipulative words and she spits out a mouthful of blood in his direction.
“You’re nothing but a fucking thief. The Halo doesn’t belong to you. And your ends look hella dry and split by the way.”
The demon chuckles and shakes his head before raising the sword over his head.
Defiant until the very end. I admire that. Don’t worry, I will make this quick.
She watches the blade swing through the air before her eyes close and she instinctively throws an arm up to protect herself.
A moment that is probably not longer than half a second turns into an eternity but she is grateful for it. Grateful for the time to make peace with what’s about to unfold.
Again.
She doesn’t remember what dying felt like the first time but she knows that despite all the pain and hardship these past weeks of living had been the best of her life.
Regret hits her harder than she expects it to.
Regret that she wasn’t stronger, better, or faster. Regret that she allowed herself to be consumed by anger and left her team behind.
She thinks of Mary and Camila. Of Lilith who sacrificed herself for her once already and had come back from hell to fight by her side. How brave they all are.
Her last thoughts are of Beatrice. The image of the nun's smiling face and her hand on her cheek flashes in her mind and she holds it there, determined to have it be the last thing she sees before everything turns dark.
I’m so sorry, Bea.
In this life or the next.
She braces herself for the pain but it never comes. Instead a loud clanging sound forces her back to reality and when her eyes spring open they are met with those same brown eyes she had just pictured.
It almost seems like a dream at first. An incredibly beautiful and compassionate dream.
Is this heaven?
But then the deafening sound and accompanying rumble of a pillar collapsing nearby brings everything back into focus and she realizes that Beatrice is here, crouching in front of her with the glowing blue cruciform sword in a tight grip held over her head, effectively parrying Adriel’s strike.
“AVA, RUN!”
The nun’s eyes are wide and Ava can see the fear in them, but relief floods her chest regardless and temporarily overwhelms her.
She came for me.
It isn’t until she hears Adriel’s snarl above them that she snaps out of the paralysis and she scrambles into a kneeling position. Beatrice spins on her knees, pushing Adriel’s sword to the side and before he can recover she rotates again and slices a deep gash on his cheek.
The devil stumbles, his signature grin twisted into a grimace of pain, hand jerking up to cover the side of his face. Adriel’s fingers slowly run across the cut, at the sight of the blood on his fingertips the grin returns and he fixes the nun with a dark glare.
”Sister Beatrice. I should have expected your interference.”
As Adriel speaks, Beatrice positions herself in front of Ava and sinks into an Aikiken stance.
“You will not come near her again.”
Her voice is cold and measured but there is an edge of unconcealed fury to it that is unmistakable. Adriel’s grin turns into a wide smile and he absentmindedly wipes some of the blood off his cheek with his sleeve.
“We both know you cannot defeat me. I will reclaim what’s rightfully mine.”
“I very much doubt that is God’s will.”
“Silly girl, don’t you know? There is no God.”
Before the sentence is over Adriel bursts forward with inhuman speed. Beatrice tries to parry but Adriel’s blow is hard and when he spins around her the end of his blade slices a deep gash across her back.
The warrior nun grunts in pain and wordlessly sinks down on one knee. Someone screams Beatrice’s name and it takes a moment for Ava to realize it’s her. They lock eyes and as the blade swings through the air to deliver the lethal blow the Halo explodes in Ava’s back and everything turns white.
She’s vaguely aware of the building collapsing around them.
The deafening roar drowns out almost all other sensory inputs and she slams her eyes shut in a futile attempt to make it all stop. Dust, gravel, and debris rain down on her for what seems like an eternity before the noise subsides. When Ava opens her eyes again it’s to a dim world veiled in darkness.
A cough muffled by the fabric of her shoulder makes her flinch until she realizes she is laying on top of Beatrice, shielding the nun from harm. A large piece of the ceiling is pinning them in place, preventing them from moving from their current location.
A faint exhale fans across her cheek and a trembling hand comes to press against the side of her face. She leans into it, temporarily taking refuge in the warmth of the nun’s touch. If it wasn’t for the fact that they were currently in a life-or-death fight with an ancient evil, Ava would have liked to just stay there with Beatrice. To keep the woman safely tucked under her and pretend that this wasn’t their reality.
Just for a little bit.
“Ava?”
“I’m here, I’m okay.”
She shifts and with a grunt she is able to push against whatever piece of rubble is keeping them pinned, giving Beatrice enough space so that she can crawl out from under her. The nun quickly turns around to push against the piece until the Halo bearer can extract herself as well. Once they are both free Beatrice picks up the sword, and wastes no time before grabbing Ava by the arm and roughly pushes her towards the nearest exit.
“Wait, whe-“
“We have to go.”
“No wait, that sonofabitch is still back there!”
It feels like déjà vu when the pieces of rubble start moving and a bloodied hand reaches up towards the sky, making Ava stop in her tracks.
Adriel slowly manages to climb out of the debris, his eyes almost completely dark. He starts towards them but suddenly a loud growl echoes between what’s left of the walls. For a moment everybody freezes and Ava watches incredulously as the very fabric of reality splits open and a Tarask charges out of the rift.
The large beast takes two steps towards the women before its attention suddenly shifts towards Adriel instead. His black eyes are wide and fear is evident in them as the creature growls and lunges in his direction, the ground shaking with every step it takes.
“WE NEED TO GO, NOW!”
Beatrice doesn’t wait for a response this time, instead she shoves Ava in front of her until they stumble out of an archway where the nun grabs her hand and leads them towards the far edge of the square.
Before the piazza fully comes into view she hears Beatrice gasp and whisper a rushed prayer under her breath. When she rounds the corner she understands why.
At least 20 bodies lay lifeless on the floor, blood staining the cobble stone a dark red color.
There is screaming and fighting all around them, but the other Sisters are nowhere to be seen. Ava’s eyes zero in on a child sitting on the ground crying and her step falters. Somewhere off to the side Beatrice is shouting something at her but the words get swallowed by the commotion around them. She manages to pull her attention from the child to look over at the sister warrior when suddenly the pillar next to her explodes, small pieces of rocks and stone embedding themselves in her cheek and she instinctively dives to the ground behind a marble bench. Something slams into her body hard and it takes her a second to realize that Beatrice is laying on top of her, shielding her from the bullets that are flying through the air. The Halo bearer chances a glance out towards the square where at least two Pontifical Swiss guards are taking turns firing in their direction.
“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, WE ARE THE GOOD GUYS, YOU ASSHOLES!”
“AVA, SHUT UP AND KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN!”
There is a brief pause in the gunfire and Beatrice all but pulls her off the ground. Another round of shots ring out but they stop abruptly followed by more shouting. When the Halo bearer looks back she sees the closest guard sink down to his knees and topple over, a small dagger embedded in his forehead.
She looks at Beatrice in shock but the nun just stares ahead of them and shoves her forward, another dagger in her hand ready to be used.
They run out on a busy side street, Beatrice’s hand never leaving Ava’s back and the nun mercilessly pushes her forward to keep up their insane pace. They turn down an alleyway, sprinting and pushing past confused tourists and disgruntled restaurant and shop owners. She can’t tell if they’re being followed or not but assumes they must be when she hears the many sirens of police cars that are rapidly approaching their location. It seems like they are surrounding the pair, coming from every direction.
We are so fucking fucked.
Her anxiety spikes, prompting her to take a ragged breath but it only serves to make her lungs burn more.
They make a turn down another side street and when Beatrice takes a hard left and yanks her through an unassuming door at the end of the alley, Ava is about ready to give up. Her leg aches from the unhealed cut on her thigh and she can’t stop this pit in her stomach from forming. Everything in her head is screaming that they need to go back and find the others, they can’t possibly escape alone.
The nun closes the door behind them and immediately pushes a button that’s hidden next to the frame near the ground. On the opposite wall a hidden door suddenly swings open, leading them into a vacant brick-walled room with a small singular window. As soon as they are through the trapdoor slams shut.
Anger, fear and frustration are blending together, creating a volatile mixture. Upon seeing the stone-cold and emotionless look in Beatrice’s eyes it all comes bubbling up to the surface. She pulls her arm out of the nun’s grip and spins around to face her.
“What are we doing?? We need to go back!”
“We need to get out of the city, your safety is the priority. I know you’re upset but-”
“WHAT ABOUT THE OTHERS?!” For a split second the nun seemingly falters. Her gaze falls to the floor followed by a deep breath but then she looks up and zeroes in on the wall perpendicular to the door they just came in through. She moves towards it and starts feeling around the edges of the bricks. Her voice is again void of any emotion when she speaks next.
“We all had the same mission, Ava. It was to protect you, at all cost.”
The Halo bearer huffs and starts pacing back and forth in the tiny little space while Beatrice is busy seemingly doing some weird knocking routine.
“Well, that’s not good enough! We need to find the others and go after Adriel.”
The nun simply ignores her and continues tapping on the wall like it’s some goddamn morse code machine. The knocks echoe in the room until the sound becomes too much and Ava’s frustration boils over.
“Are you fucking okay with just leaving them to die there?? Is that acceptable to God?! And are we even gonna talk about the fact that your entire belief system has been built on a lie, that the Church that you serve has been deceiving people for centuries?! And instead of saving our friends we are running because the only thing that seems to fucking matter to you is your fucking duty!”
Before she can blink she is slammed up against the wall.
Piercingly dark brown eyes are glaring into hers and Beatrice’s elbow is pressing hard against her throat. She instinctively tries to phase through the grip but the Halo is almost completely depleted now; she’s lucky to even be standing.
“You don’t know anything about me.”
Beatrice’s voice shakes slightly but her eyes reveal nothing but coldness and barely contained rage.
The words hang between them until Ava’s need to breathe becomes dire. Anger and fire burns through her veins, she pushes with all of her human strength but the nuns arm barely budges.
Jesus, how fucking strong is she?!
Those emotionless eyes are still staring into hers, seemingly unaware or purposefully ignorant to her struggle to respire. This is not her Beatrice, that much is clear. Her instinct screams for her not to give in and show weakness to this version of the nun but when her vision starts narrowing she has no other option.
“Bea… you’re hurting me.”
It takes a second for the nun to snap out of it. She blinks slowly and then, as if she’s just realizing what she is doing, she lets go with a jerk. Immediately upon release, Ava sucks down a wheezing breath and leans against the wall, trying feebly to get her heart rate under control. She watches as a storm of emotions runs across the nun’s face. Beatrice closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, her fists clenching and unclenching several times before she looks back up at Ava.
“We can’t go back. We will be apprehended immediately and the Halo will be ripped out of you by nightfall. They won’t take the threat of Adriel seriously. Most likely there is already a cover story circulating about what happened today at the square. We need to put as much distance between ourselves and the Vatican as possible.”
Her eyes are still cold, not to mention unapologetic, but what strikes Ava the most is how exhausted she sounds.
“What about the others? What about Adriel? I am not gonna run from him.”
Beatrice sighs and her gaze falls to the floor.
“We have alternate ways of communication but protocol states we wait 72 hours before attempting to initiate contact with any other team members if we get separated. And we need to be out of the city within the next two hours, preferably. In terms of Adriel we need to regroup and come up with a new strategy before we engage him again. Without the Halo charged and functioning properly it would be too easy for him to take it from you. So please, trust me and follow my lead until I can get us out of here.”
Beatrice’s expression softens in the end and she gives Ava a pleading look.
As if she hadn’t just completely manhandled her and could most certainly do it again if Ava decided not to cooperate. The Halo bearer sighs, not seeing any option other than complying.
At least not until the Halo is recharged. Whenever that may be.
“Fine. What’s the plan?”
Wordlessly the nun moves closer until they’re only inches apart again. Beatrice’s eyes travel between Ava’s and for a second the Halo bearer forgets how to breathe. Adrenaline again surges through her body; the last time the nun had looked at her like this was at Arq-Tech when she had just phased through 20 feet of stone and had literally fallen into the other girl's arms.
In less than thirty seconds the mood had shifted from near-murderous to something completely different and here was this tension again, this electricity between them, only the timing is (per usual) piss-poor.
Beatrice reaches up and places the palm of her hand flat against the wall on the side of her face. A shaky exhale is threatening to escape Ava but she holds her breath, not wanting to do anything that might break this moment. Her heart is again about to hammer out of her chest and she wonders how many more times today she can put it through its paces before risking serious damage.
“Move.”
The nun’s voice is soft now, so very different from the one that basically growled at her earlier and it takes a second for Ava to process what she is saying. Her mind is still reeling from the events of the past hours and the nun’s face is currently giving very little away.
“Wh-what?”
A hint of a smile tugs at Beatrice’s lips and for a split-second Ava feels like the nun’s abrasive yet alluring behavior is all on purpose. She doesn’t know if she likes it or not. There is a warm feeling spreading through her lower regions that is fighting for the right to weigh in on the discussion but she suppresses it.
“I need you to move.”
It takes her another couple of seconds before she comprehends what Beatrice is saying to her and she awkwardly shuffles to the side and watches as the nun takes aim and prepares to seemingly smash her hand against the stone wall. But instead what happens is that the nun’s fist goes right through the stone, revealing that it's actually drywall with molded plaster on top made to look like it’s part of the solid brick wall.
After a few more punches the nun pulls out two backpacks from the compartment and does a quick inventory check. There is a complete change of clothes along with medical supplies, cash and an old Nokia phone that looks like it’s from the early 90s.
It’s probably still holding a charge.
Beatrice instructs her to change out of her current outfit and into one that isn’t “covered in death and destruction.” Ava doesn’t argue and she almost chuckles when Beatrice modestly turns around to change but the laughter dies in her throat when the nun pulls her habit over her head, and the deep gash from Adriel’s sword comes into view. Blood is coating most of her undershirt and her whole back is covered in it.
Beatrice notices her staring and subconsciously looks over her shoulder to try and gauge the severity of the injury.
“How bad is it?”
Ava takes a deep breath and moves forward to carefully run a finger across the torn skin. Despite the lightness of her touch Beatrice still winces and Ava quickly retracts her hand.
“You need stitches. It’s still bleeding, Bea.”
“We don’t have time for that right now.” The nun moves to pick up a clean shirt from the backpack, seemingly ready to move on from the topic.
“Okay, would you rather I use duct tape?” She means it sarcastically but Beatrice doesn’t even spare her a second glance.
“No, it’s fine, we can deal with it later. We have to get moving.”
The nun’s blatant disregard for her own well-being is almost scary. Ava watches as Beatrice painstakingly peels the blood-soaked shirt off of herself and tosses it on the floor.
It makes a wet sound when it lands that seems to echo through the small room.
It’s clear that the girl is attempting to downplay the injury but she isn’t able to turn around quickly enough and Ava can see the look of pain and discomfort when she leans down to pick up a fresh shirt.
This is ridiculous, she has a gaping fucking hole in her back.
“Bea, it's not fine. I know you’re used to this kind of shit but don’t be such a fucking martyr, we need to fix this before it gets infected or you bleed out.”
“Excuse me, what did you call me??”
The nun spins around much like she had when she had pushed her up against the wall but Ava is ready this time and she quickly steps into Beatrice’s space, meeting the girl's gaze head on. They glare at each other, standing so close now their noses are almost touching. Beatrice’s eyes are dark and wild and she looks like she is more than ready to relinquish control and let the beast inside free but Ava won't back down from this. The fire is burning in her veins and it gives her the courage she needs to stand her ground.
“You heard me. We have plenty of medical supplies and we aren’t gonna make it far if this wound continues to bleed the way it is. So stop bitching and just fucking tell me what I need to do.”
They continue to stare each other down for what feels like forever. It’s hard to comprehend that only an hour ago they had traded dorky puns back and forth in the catacombs and now they were at each other’s throats while trying to avoid being killed by a demon. Or his possessed followers. Or the Swiss guard.
Quite the fucking day.
Finally Beatrice concedes. The taller girl lets out a big huff before she turns around and pulls a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a field stapler from the bag and holds them out to Ava.
Her eyes flicker between the two items and she gulps.
“Won’t that hurt?” She hates how flustered she sounds, all of a sudden unsure of this whole situation. She wasn’t sure what she had expected when she decided to crusade for the sake of the nun’s poor back, but now when the consequences of her “win” is staring her in the face, she begins to regret speaking up in the first place.
But the more she looks at the still bleeding gash the surer she becomes that this is the only solution. It’s not like they can just waltz into a hospital right now with literally every guard and cop in the city looking for them.
“Much more than the cut itself, yes. Now let’s get this over with, we have got to get moving soon.”
Ava takes the items with trembling hands and watches as Beatrice removes her remaining garments. The nun gathers up the belt from her habit, and when she bites down on it and moves over to press the palms of her hand against the wall, the Halo bearer releases a shaky breath. Her anxiety spikes and for a moment she gets caught just staring at the nun’s back. She suppresses the urge to run her hand over tanned muscular shoulders.
Focus.
The girl's groans are muffled by the fabric but Ava still winces when the rubbing alcohol makes the nun’s whole back spasm and she apologizes for every staple that pulls the jagged edges of Beatrice’s skin back together again.
Beatrice initially fights her on it but Ava insists on taking the time to add a thick layer of Neosporin (going through an entire tube) and covering it with bandages.
She’s busy carefully wiping the rest of the blood off with her own old shirt while her other hand absentmindedly trekking across the nun’s defined arms and shoulder blades. When she feels Beatrice shiver underneath her touch it doesn’t even register in her brain until it happens again.
Ava’s mind zeroes in on the movement, fascinated by the nun’s response to this type of stimulus. Little goosebumps are forming in the wake of her wandering fingers. She intentionally lets them travel to the base of the girl’s neck then up until they settle just beneath the hairline. She discreetly looks up to the side of Beatrice’s face but her expression is unreadable. Ava falters then, unsure if this is okay or not.
It strikes her that she has no idea if Beatrice likes to be touched or not. Her only frame of reference is the nun’s apparent willingness to let Ava cry on her shoulder in Mother Superion’s office and the times when she would catch Ava coming out of the walls at Arq-Tech.
Hardly enough data to make a decisive decision.
Ava likes to be touched. At least she likes it when Beatrice touches her. Not knowing what the nun is comfortable with suddenly feels like an incredible disadvantage.
I should stop, right? The last thing we need right now is for me to be a total creeper and continue to touch her if she doesn’t want it. But wouldn’t she have said something by now if she didn’t like it?
Soft black curls tickle the back of her fingers. The nun takes a deep breath and Ava suddenly becomes hyper aware of the fact that Beatrice isn’t wearing anything from the waist up.
Just be cool, it’s only a big deal if you make it into a big deal.
It takes her a few seconds to convince her heart not to beat out of her chest and she instead fixates on the task at hand. But it only takes a minute before her mind starts wandering again.
Her skin is so smooth … almost like silk.
Quite the paradox from the lethal warrior nun that is nothing but hard edges and complete control.
It’s almost instinctive when the pad of Ava’s thumb traces a lazy pattern across the back of the girl's neck and into her hairline. Despite the heat and anger from earlier she finds herself wanting to explore, and see how far the nun will let her go.
It does occur to her that the right thing to do is probably to back down, give them both some space and instead try to make some of this explosive tension between them go away. But then Beatrice leans into her touch, a soft exhale spilling from her lips.
Suddenly the urge to embrace the nun and press her whole body against her back is overwhelmingly strong.
Ava is unsure if this urge is coming from a place of wanting to protect the other girl or… or if it's stemming from something else.
An image of her hand skimming across tense abs before reaching a soft breast flashes before her eyes and when her brain actually processes her (most unholy) thoughts she all but jumps back, dropping the dirty shirt on the floor in the process.
Well, that certainly answers that question, now on to the next one; where the fuck did these thoughts come from?!
Beatrice flinches at the sudden loss of contact and throws a concerned glance over her shoulder.
“You okay?”
“What? Oh, yeah, yeah. I’m good, I’m great actually. Uh, you’re all done.”
The nun merely grunts in response and pulls on a sports bra and a black t-shirt, still facing away from her, and Ava hates herself a little bit for being disappointed over that small detail.
They clean up as best as they can and Beatrice explains what their next couple of hours will look like. Ava listens and nods but barely hears a word.
It’s the adrenaline, it must be. Or all of these compounding life-or-death situations, it’s messing with my head.
She really needs to get her shit together if they’re gonna make it out of this alive.