Chapter 1

Berlin, Germany:

The young man climbed up out of the bed, leaving the naked woman to silently cry. He looked out the window at the rainy city, chuckling to himself in both satisfaction and anticipation.

"What in God's name are you?" the woman hissed as she curled up in the fetal position.

She was beautiful in body but broken in spirit, her inner thighs red from the blood of her torn hymen. Her virginity had been taken from her to the sound of her twisted cries of pain and lust, caught in both sexual humiliation and fulfillment. The young man's smirk gained a bloodthirsty curl and he flicked his finger as if to tell her that there was something he needed to show her. The woman was dragged out of the bed as if an invisible hand had grabbed her by the throat. She hit the wall beside the man and crumpled to the floor, gasping for air with a welt worn into her neck from an unseen force. He grabbed her chin as if to steal a kiss, forcing her to look up at him.

She had spoken to him in German, so he answered in kind. "In God's name you ask? In this room, I am God. To you, I am God. As of now, you are a broken toy. I'm leaving tomorrow, and while you'll never see me again, you'll never be free of me. You will spend the rest of your life with a heart filled with both fear and love, terrified of my touch but also longing for it. What man could ever want this impure body of yours after the things I have done to it? What man could ever fall in love with your soul after I've bent it to my will? Once I'm gone, you'll think you are free, but the cage I've put you in will never disappear. Until the day you die, you are my property."

His voice was deep and commanding, undeserving of someone so young, yet the power he wielded and the twisted depths of his soul were unlike any other human. "But now it's time for me to find something new to play with. I've become bored with you and this city and it's time for me to move on once again. I need some new feeding grounds."

Rome, Italy:

The book bag hit the delinquent's head like a flail, knocking him to the ground while his friends watched in shock. Standing over him was a seventeen-year-old girl, her face flushed with rage in a red as bright as her hair, the skirt of her school uniform gently swaying in the breeze, and the crucifix hanging around her neck gleaming in the morning sunlight.

"Wretched punks! You do not deserve the mercy of God!" she shouted, pointing to the graffiti being spray-painted onto the alley wall.

The boy got to his feet with blood pouring from his nose. "You damn bitch!"

He charged towards her with his fist rocketing towards her face, but she caught his arm and twisted it, forcing him to bend back and letting her knock him in the Adam's Apple. As he fell back to the ground, one of his friends lunged with a knife in his hand. Forsaking her pride and hoping nobody would see under her skirt, she spun around and delivered a kick to his temple, knocking him out into the street like he was a soccer ball. The last delinquent stood, shaking like a leaf and holding out two cans of spray paint like they were mace.

The girl shot him a dirty look. "If you even think of getting a single drop of pain on my uniform, I swear in the name of Heaven that not even God will be able to find your remains."

His small flicker of courage extinguished like a candle, he turned around and ran away.

"Oh no you don't!"

Tossing her book bag aside, she sprinted after him. Down the winding streets of Rome, she chased him while trying to ignore the building pain in her ankles from the uneven cobblestone ground. It didn't help that her school shoes weren't meant for running. Regardless of this, she zeroed in on him like a missile, following him around every turn and across every open street. She saw him swerve into an alley and skidded past it, grabbing a piece of a brick jutting out of the ground. Getting back to her feat, she took careful aim and hurled the square stone at the fleeing vandal, striking him in the back of the head and sending him tumbling.

"Just goes to show that you can't escape your sins. You'd better pray for your immortal soul when you wake up..."

Catching her breath, she looked at her watch and swore. She had gone out to get breakfast off campus but she had wasted what little time she had and her first class would be starting in a few minutes.

"Helena, have you been fighting again?"

The redhead looked up at her blonde roommate, Sophie, standing by her desk. The classroom was filled with students all the same age, male and female. The girls were all dressed in plaid skirts with white blouses and knee socks, the boys wearing black pants and white clergy shirts with student clerical collars. Everyone carried a cross with them, either around their necks or on rosary chains. Helena had just managed to get back to school before class started and now all the students were waiting for the teacher to arrive.

"How can you tell?"

"Because you're wearing that unmistakable face of self-righteousness."

"I was just putting some sinners in their place."

"Ephesians 4:32, you must remember to forgive."

"And I did forgive them, after I gave them a taste of the torment that awaits them in Hell if they do not open themselves up to Jesus Christ and renounce their sinful ways," she shot back.

"Well I certainly hope you'll remember to go to Confessions when you get the chance."

"Don't worry, Sophie. I will. Or at least the Disciplinary Committee will force me to before I can on my own."

The door opened and a nun stepped in, sending all of the students scurrying to their desks in fear. Their teacher, Sister Olivia, was strict beyond measure. She was nicknamed the Sphinx, as in the Sphinx that the enslaved Jews made while being whipped and yelled at. She had short blonde hair and glasses, a woman in her late twenties who would be very beautiful if she wasn't always scowling.

"Now class, we will continue where we left off yesterday in translating Leviticus. Marcus, we had stopped at Book 6, Verse 1. You may begin."

She spoke sternly, as if hungry for something to be mad about. One of the male students nervously stood up, holding his bible and reading off the verse in Latin. If he got a single word wrong, she would assail him like locusts. One by one, the students took turns reading off verses from the bible, translating them from English to Latin. Whenever someone made a mistake, they would be ordered to make the death march to Sister Olivia's desk, outstretch their hands, and let her slap her trusty meter stick against their knuckles, each audible slash of the wood making everyone shudder.

Against her better judgment, Helena allowed her eyes to wander and look out the window at the sunny campus of Rosewood University. The school had originally been developed to help deal with Italy's high orphan rate while spreading the Christian faith, starting out as a Christian academy for children. Eventually, other countries began shipping in their orphans after seeing the great results, and then families started sending in their kids. It was now the largest and one of the most prestigious Catholic schools in the world, boasting a student body ranging from preschoolers to college students and with armies of new priests and nuns being marched out every year, ready to spread the word of Jesus Christ. Joining the clergy wasn't any kind of requisite for the school, but after 12 years, it became engrained in the souls of most of the students.

"O'Connor!"

Helena's head perked up at the sound of her last name being called and her face became red in embarrassment. It was her turn to translate but she had been too busy daydreaming to pay attention to the class. She had no idea which verse she had to translate, and if she asked ... Sister Olivia would practically crucify her.

"Helena O'Connor, come to the Disciplinary Committee's office immediately."

The announcement from the PA system let her release a sigh of relief. Punishment had saved her from punishment. All the students shrugged, well used to hearing this commandment.

"Sorry, Sister Olivia, but I must leave," she said sheepishly.

The teacher scowled at her, knowing that Helena hadn't been paying attention. "Go, but I still expect you to translate when you get back."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Taking her book bag with her, Helena stepped out of the classroom and began walking as fast as she could down the hall. Running was against the rules, but with how large the school was, she needed to put in some speed and reach the committee before they sent out another announcement. Stepping out into the open campus, she allowed herself a moment to enjoy the sunlight, breeze, and smell of grass, and then took off in a run. She passed by many other students in her rapid dash, both male and female. Normally Catholic schools like these had gender segregation, but with how many students were joining the clergy, Rosewood Academy used the coed population as a way to help the students prepare for their vows of celibacy. By having all these teenagers learning side-by-side in this holy school, it was simply a matter of teaching them to ignore temptation. Dating was strictly forbidden, and if they could graduate without ever giving in to their sinful desires, they would be ready for the clergy.

She at last reached the building with the Discipline Committee, and after climbing two flights of stairs, arrived at the entrance to their office. As she approached the door, she took a moment of catch her breath and straighten her hair. She stepped through an open doorway into a waiting room, with an assistant behind a desk, a corridor lined with doors, and several chairs and a couch in the corner of the room. Sitting in one of the chairs was a young man, though from the very brief glimpse she gave him, she couldn't quite tell his age. He looked to be as old as she was, but he could have older, since unlike the other male students in this school, he was dressed in the black clerical jacket of an ordained minister. Though he lacked the official collar.

She strode past him to the assistant's desk.

"Hello, Helena. Same as usual?" the woman asked with a wry grin.

This was FAR from Helena's first meeting with the Disciplinary Committee. She sighed with a tired smile.

"Hello, Mary. I guess they're waiting for me?"

"Go right in."

Helena nodded and walked down the corridor, reaching the second door. She entered a conference room, where five teachers sat behind a long table, glaring at her with judgmental eyes. Two of them were priests and another two were nuns.

"Ms. O'Connor, I'm sure you know why we called you here," the oldest teacher grumbled.

"I have an idea."

A female teacher cleared her throat. "Three young men are being treated at the hospital, one coughing up blood with a broken nose and the other two suffering from concussions. When speaking to the police, they described you in clear detail. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Helena straightened her posture and her eyes became steely.

"I was doing God's work, helping to cure this city of its sin. Why should I have gone easy on them when they will face far worse in Hell?"

One of the priests slammed his hand on the table. "That is not your decision to make! That is the job of the police, not a student of this school. Every time you act up like this, you give us a bad name. We cannot condone your actions, violence can never be tolerated from someone who claims to fight in the name of Jesus Christ!"

"I will repent for what I did and ask God for forgiveness," she said defiantly, as if to tell them that she did not recognize their authority.

"You'll do more than that. On top of fifteen Apostle's Creeds and ten Hail Marys, you are going to go and apologize to those boys before the end of the day, understood?"

He handed her a sheet of paper with their addresses and Helena bit her tongue, working to keep her temper in check.

"Yes, Father Brian."

"Good, and to lighten your soul with a good deed, we have something else for you to do..."

The old priest pressed down on the button of a nearby intercom. "Mary, please send him in."

The student Helena had seen before stepped into the room, letting her at last get a good look at him. He was quite tall and very handsome, with a square jaw, blue eyes, and brown hair cut very short but still kind of spiky. She actually felt her heart flutter at the sight of him but shook the sensation away with a retightening of her moral corset.

"This is Xavier Michaels, he just transferred in. Show him around and help him get settled. The two of you will be sharing several classes together. Xavier, this is Helena O'Connor. If you need anything, ask her."

'Great, just what I needed. Now Sister Olivia is going to beat me like a mule because I have to miss class and show this guy the ropes. No, no, it's not his fault. I shouldn't be mad at him.'

Forcing herself to wear a smile, she held out her hand to shake his. "Nice to meet you."

He took her hand and looked at her with confident eyes. For a moment, she thought he was going to lean down and kiss her hand.

"The pleasure is mine."

Helena suddenly felt her face go red, but she had no idea why.

"Ok, follow me and I'll give you a tour."

About to step into the hall, she was stopped by one of the teachers calling her name. "Helena, remember; every time you cause trouble, you make it harder for yourself to achieve your goal. You're facing a monumental task already. Don't ruin things for yourself."

She nodded and departed with Xavier trailing after her. Leaving the waiting room, they started down the hall.

"I've never met a Catholic school girl who could fight."

"Huh?"

"My apologies, but I could hear the conversation you and the teachers were having. You sent three people to the hospital and called it "God's work", meaning that you were engaged in a combative situation with them. Considering that I don't see any scratches on you or even a mark on your uniform, you're clearly skilled enough to not get touched."

She tried not to blush at the praise, never expecting him to just reveal her true self with such intuition. "As the teachers will tell you, it is not one of my best features. I've been training myself since I was a child in martial arts and other fighting styles. They come in handy when I find an unapologetic sinner."

"I take it those skills are for the goal that Father Thomas mentioned?"

Helena giggled. "You catch on pretty quick."

"I hope I'm not intruding."

"No, it's ok. The truth is that my goal is to join the Swiss Guard and serve under His Holiness."

"I thought the Swiss Guard didn't allow female members."

"They don't, but I'm going to be the first. If I can prove myself, then I'm sure the Holy Father will allow me to serve him. What about you, do you plan to become a priest or do you have other goals?"

"As it so happens, it's my dream to become Pope."

They both stopped at the top of a staircase, Helena looking at him in shock. "Really? You intend to go that far?"

"Indeed," he said as he brought up his hand and lifted her chin. "So maybe someday, you'll serve me."

Helena again felt her face go red and for a moment she couldn't move. She stared into his eyes, confident and ambitions, with her own eyes suddenly trembling and meek.

He then stepped back and moved down onto the first step. "Shall we continue on?"

She nearly jumped from the question, as if awoken from a trance. "Oh, y-yes. Of course."

She hurried down the stairs past him, and as she walked, he watched her and licked his lips. "And that day will be soon," he said under his breath.

Helena pushed that strange moment out of her mind as she showed Xavier around the campus. She found herself curious about this newcomer.

"So where are you from? You speak English clearly as a first language but I can't place your accent. You certainly aren't British, but you don't quite sound American."

"I'm from a little bit of everywhere. I've been traveling since I was born, so while English is my first language, I've picked up accents and mixed them all together. I can certainly tell that you are Irish, from that hair and name, but I can also tell that you've worked to try and hide your accent. So why would a ruby beauty from the emerald isle try to hide her heritage?"

She turned around quickly, her face flushed both in annoyance and undeniable pride from the flattery. "Now you listen here, relationships among students are forbidden, both by this school and God himself. Don't go thinking that some compliments will win me over."

Xavier stepped back, shocked by her outburst but still maintaining that small smirk. "You misunderstand, this is how I talk to everyone. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable, I just find honestly and politeness to be the best policy."

Helena's face paled and she turned away from him. 'Why did I get so worked up right then? Something is wrong with me today... ' "A-anyway, let's keep going. I'll show you the cafeteria now."

She brought him to a large brick building, the sides caked with ivy and moss that were basking in the sunlight. Through the large oak doors, they stepped into an expansive cafeteria. Long tables were set out with enough seats for thousands of students, but now all were empty, save for the few kids who came to study during their free period.

"This is where we come for our meals at 9:00 am, 3:00 pm, and 9:00 pm. Because of how many students we have, there are three shifts for each meal. The older you are, the later you eat. The school does it to accommodate with the students' circadian rhythms. Come on, we'll cross over through here to the science wing."

Marching past the empty tables, they made their way to the back of the dining coliseum. Halfway through the room, they came across a girl sitting alone, nobody on either side or across from her. She looked about fifteen but was small for her age, with brown hair cut short and her head low as if someone had just tried to tickle her neck. She didn't have any books or even food with her. She looked very forlorn, very fragile. As they passed by her, she looked up at Helena and Xavier. He smiled and winked at her, making her tense up nervously but with sparkling eyes. She had caught his interest.

Reaching the back exit, they stepped back outside. Just as the door closed behind them, Helena's stomach let out a loud grumble. She quickly turned away, knowing that Xavier would chuckle. "I ... uh ... I missed breakfast this morning."

"Why didn't you grab something to eat in there?"

"Because I'm trying to get us to our homeroom before our next class starts. At lunch, I'll have to go and apologize to the three punks I beat up. Hopefully I can get something in the city."

"Would you like me to come with you?"

"Thanks, but it's not needed. Let's just get to class."

"You're late. Detention, both of you."

Helena tried with everything she had not to curse at the sound of Sister Olivia's voice. She and Xavier had just entered the classroom, barely a second after the bell for the next period sounded. She put on a brave face and turned to the nun. "Sister, this is Xavier Michaels, the new–"