Chapter 15 - FOLLOW THEM

There was a huge oval shaped wall around the temple. There were four towers at each corner. The southeast tower was for the adult females who were all above sixteen. The southwest tower was for the adult males who were above sixteen. The northeast tower was for young females and the northwest tower was for young males.

Most of the adult males and females were either Apprentice Priest or helpers who took care of the daily chores like Veronica. The children in the temple were few in numbers and they would mostly study and play. They took turns in helping elders.

There was a royal temple for the royal families, aristocrats and the senior priests in the west wing. There was a commoner temple for the commoners, junior priests, apprentice priests and others who lived there. Both temples were spacious and luxurious. The royal family, aristocrats and the commoners didn't waste any effort to build the temples. The temples were surrounded by flower gardens.

The south wing had Junior Priests' quarters and their office. The Senior Priests' quarters and office were in the north wing. In the middle were the oval shaped inner temple and Head Priest's quarter and office. After that, there was a Holy Tree in the middle, surrounded by the flower garden and the inner temple.

Since the Senior Priests lived in the north wing, the people in front of Veronica strode to the north. She did her best not to make a sound but she tripped. She nearly fell on the ground but balanced herself.

Her heart was racing in nervousness. She looked at the front and sighed in relief. No one noticed her. This time, she became even more careful while walking.

Soon, they reached the Senior Priests' quarter and saw a commotion. On the first floor, some of the lights in the Senior Priests' rooms were turned on. Those who were present, were talking in a hushed tone although they couldn't cover their anxiousness.

'It seems like something grave happened. What could have happened?' Veronica wondered. She hid behind a flower bush and peeked out carefully.

Five fully dressed males and three fully dressed females gathered in front of one room. Sister Josephine was present. They were standing near a distraught woman. The woman was sitting on the cold floor and was crying her heart's out.

One of the girls patted her back and said, "Sister Mary, please don't cry anymore. You will wake everyone up."

"B-but… she is dead… she is… she is dead…" Sister May wailed.

Sister Josephine sighed and looked at others and asked them, "Did you see anyone being curious or asking questions?"

"We haven't seen anyone," one of those five males replied.

One girl stated, "Those who were concerned, we told them that there was nothing to worry about. We would notify them tomorrow about today's incident."

One of the boys questioned, "Are we really going to inform others?"

"We better hide the truth." Sister Josephine sighed. "I don't know what she was thinking."

'Who was thinking what?' Veronica pondered. She wanted to know badly why Sister Mary was crying. What could be the reason she was so heartbroken.

At that time, another male voice spoke with a sigh, "I can't believe Sister Ruth is gone."

"It's truly tragic," another fellow commented. They were genuinely upset. It could be understood from the tone of their voices.

"She was fine even at dinner. We had been chatting and laughing so much," Sister Mary sobbed as she recalled tonight's dinner time.

Veronica froze on the spot. She knew Sister Ruth. She was one of the Senior Priests. She was in charge of the young girls in the North-East tower.

Veronica remembered how Sister Ruth would give chocolates to the children who were obedient. She would tell them stories once a week. She always smiled brightly. She never said 'no' to anyone who asked for a favor. She had the kindest soul.

Veronica's heart shook. She never dreamed of such a person's death. Sister Ruth was only five years older than her. That made her think, 'She was so young. How could she just die like that? It's not like she had any injuries. She wasn't sick either. Then how can a strong, healthy person die?'

No matter how many times she thought about that, she couldn't find any reason for her sudden death. Her heart was filled with grief.

Sister Josephine stated, "We mustn't talk about her death so casually. The darkness is feeling our hearts. If it wasn't, she wouldn't have ended her life like that." After a pause, she instructed, "Let's take her body to the inner palace. We must preserve her body for tonight. Her body will be buried tomorrow. We have to notify the Head Priest. I can't imagine how sad he will be after hearing this."

Two males carried Sister Ruth's body to the inner temple. From the bushes, Veronica saw her unmoved pale hand hanging on the side. Her heart shuddered. 'End her life? How could someone end their own life?' her brain wasn't working.

Ever since she set foot on the town, she had been thinking about how much she lacked knowledge. Tonight, she got to learn that someone could kill themselves. She wished she never learned this horrifying truth.

She saw two boys were comforting Sister Mary. They were also Senior Priests like her. Others followed the dead body and left this place.

Sister Mary shed tears and said, "Sister Ruth was telling me about the children. She was saying how she was going to teach them about the life of a plant. She looked so excited. To think she would hang herself right after going back to her room… I… if I didn't come to talk to her about tomorrow's lessons, I wouldn't have found out about her. No one would have. We would have left her like that the whole night."

Upon hearing her cry, Veronica's eyes teared up. She covered her mouth and stayed there until everyone left.

After a long time, she wiped her tears and was about to get up.

That's when she heard footsteps.