It might help her find out who she is, but even if it doesn’t… she’d get to see her sister, after who knows how long of an absence.
“I want to reach the next story planet,” said Rose. “I think I have to level my party up for a bit before I’ll be able to, though.”
“Would you be serious for a second?”
Rose paused the game. She stretched her back, arching it forward in a vaguely catlike motion, and then turned halfway around to face him.
“I am being serious, Malcolm,” she said. “I… honestly don’t know if I want to see my sister. Or rather… I don’t know if I want her to see me.”
“What are you talking about?” Malcolm frowned, shaking his head. “She probably thinks you’re dead, Rose. Think of how much it would mean for her to see you again, to have a chance to reconnect.”
“You aren’t going to let this go unless I agree to it, are you?”
Malcolm smiled at her.
“Exactly,” he said. “It’s for you own sake.”
“Whatever,” said Rose. “But in return, I’m making you do some of the filler planets when we get back. I could use the extra resources for crafting.”
“I think you’ve gotten further in that game than I have,” said Malcolm. “But I’ll see what I can do.”
The two of them spent a couple of minutes getting ready before heading off to catch the bus. Malcolm walked down the street with slow, deliberate steps, allowing Rose to stay hidden in his shadow without too much trouble.
He paid the bus driver, getting the slightest sense of déjà vu as he settled into the same seat he’d been in the night before. Rose stayed in his shadow, rather than joining him in the seat, as it was too crowded for her to be able to get away with it. He could still talk to her, however, given how loud the bus’s engine was.
“Any clues on where we can start looking?” he asked.
“One of the sprytes in Terri’s Tavern said she’d heard of the cult,” said Rose. “Gave me directions to a small church on the edge of Halter City’s old industrial district.”
“I thought you said you weren’t interested in finding your sister?” asked Malcolm.
“I said I wasn’t interested in finding her. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to know where she is, in case I ever change my mind.”
Malcolm smiled into the darkness of his shadow.
“Rose and her sister, sitting in a tree, C-O-N-N-E-C-T.”
“That just spells ‘connect’,” said Rose. “And what are you, a child?”
“Takes one to know one,” Malcolm muttered.
They got off the bus a stop later than they had the night before. It was a little cloudy out, but not nearly dark enough for Rose to walk openly next to him. Malcolm followed her directions, stopping to tie his shoe when he needed to talk to her in order to avoid suspicion.
The buildings slowly became more decrepit and destitute as they headed into Halter City’s old industrial district. The mildew covered concrete smoke stacks and rusting chain link fences gave it a vaguely post-apocalyptic atmosphere.
Malcolm spotted the church from a distance, and knew they’d come to the right place without needing to check in with Rose. It was well maintained, with a polished bell in the tower on top and a recently redone white and green paint job. A small children’s park, with trim grass and new equipment, sat in the church’s side yard, surrounded by a waist high wooden fence.
“Alright,” muttered Malcolm. “Here we go. Any advice on how I should proceed here?”
“You should head inside,” said Rose.
“You are such a pain sometimes,” he said. “I mean, what should my cover story be?”
“You brought a hat with you, right?” asked Rose.
Malcolm nodded and pulled out a small beanie that he’d left in his back pocket. He put it on, hoping it would be enough to keep anyone who watched the Vanderbrook local news channels from recognizing him.
“Do you remember what your sister looks like?” asked Malcolm. “If you can describe her to me, I can keep my eyes peeled.”
Rose was silent for a moment.
“…No,” she said. “But… I think I’ll recognize her if I see her.”
Malcolm frowned, realizing he’d accidentally touched on a sensitive subject.
How would I have felt if I’d not had pictures of mom and Danny? That would have been hard…
He pushed the thought out of his head, focusing on where he was, and why he’d come.
“Alright,” said Malcolm. “Let’s do this.”
CHAPTER 12
Malcolm didn’t really know what to expect. He walked up the stairs of the church and in through the main door, which was made of painted wood and let out a loud creaking noise as he pulled on it.
There was a group of people relaxing and talking in the pews, and though a few of them turned to glance in Malcolm’s direction, none of them reacted. They were dressed in a manner that was just a little bit off, their shirts plain white or grey, all the men in jeans, and all the women in sweatpants or leggings.
“Please, come in,” said a woman’s voice. “Don’t be shy.”
Malcolm closed the door behind him and slowly walked further into the church. He saw the woman who’d spoken. She was short, and wore a flowing white gown. Her features were Asiatic, and she had an attractive plumpness to her. She smiled broadly at Malcolm as he approached.
“I am Priestess Rion, of the Awakened Children,” said the woman. “You are welcome here, friend. Can I get you food? Or something to drink?”
“Oh no, that’s fine,” said Malcolm. He subtly glanced down at his shadow, though there was nothing about it to tell him whether Rose was still hidden within or not. “I just came to…”
He frowned, realizing that he hadn’t taken the time to come up with a decent excuse for visiting the church. It was harder than he’d thought it would be to spin an impromptu lie in the face of a believer.
“Of course,” said Rion. “We are only a few minutes away from our Enlightenment Sermon. I invite you to have a seat and join us. You are most welcome here, mister…”
“Malcolm,” he said.
“Mister Malcolm,” said Rion.
“Oh no, you can just call me…” He trailed off as Rion walked away from him, immediately falling into conversation with another one of the church’s members.
Malcolm briefly considered trying his hand at small talk with a few of the other people in the room before deciding against it. He was there for a reason.
He moved through the room slowly, taking a seat in the back of the room, where he could hopefully whisper with Rose without drawing too much suspicion. Sunlight streamed in through the church’s windows, but most of them were stained glass and opaque, leaving plenty of shadow around the area where Malcolm had chosen.
“See anything yet?” he said, in a quiet voice.
A couple of silent seconds passed. Malcolm frowned, suddenly wondering if Rose had split off from him at some point.
Could she be in one of the corners of the room, waiting for her sister to come close?
“It’s hard,” came her quiet response. “I need to see faces, maybe even hear her voice. You might have to play along for a little bit.”
“They seem nice enough,” said Malcolm. “That shouldn’t be too hard.”
The rest of the congregation had begun finding their seats. A silence fell over the room that was so perfect that it seemed somehow orchestrated, as though all of the Awakened Children had received a signal to go still.
Rion made her way up to the altar. She smiled as she looked out over the pews, taking the time to let her gaze scan all in attendance, making brief eye contact.
“Welcome, fellow children,” she said, extending her arms out. “I am glad to have all of you with us today, new friends and old.”
“Thank you, Awakened Priestess,” said the congregation.