To Madeleine’s misfortune, the only thing holy about my vampiress’ boyfriend’s family was his father and their church. Now, I don’t know how bad this actually is for her considering how she acts when I’m in front of her. Not to mention her comments and messages. She’s very brave online but she couldn’t even talk properly when I found her earlier tonight. I think she’s hiding some little secret too. I can tell by how she tried over and over again to keep some distance from her guy while she watched our performance. She still looked so cute every time I’d smile and wink at her. Her sweet brown eyes lit up every time.She definitely loved Principe Muerte and that was perfect for our plan.
We wanted to take down her boyfriend’s father and church for the countless years they’ve been involved in illicit activities. Even though he seems suspicious too, we’re still looking into it. I mean, if Madeleine wants to keep her distance something must be up. Many people have reported the church group but it’s difficult since they’re a religious organization. There are a few more reasons why but I think Madeleine can help get more insight. That’s why I really hoped she didn’t bail on me tonight but our previous interactions make me feel quite sure that she will come around. After a bit I saw my vampiress walk up to me. I couldn’t help but smile. This is all going according to plan.
“Sorry if that took a bit,” she said and adjusted her dress. That little black dress fitted her perfectly too.
“Don’t be. I don’t mind waiting around for you.” She rolled her eyes making me think she’s slowly growing out of her shyness.
“Why did you want to see me?” She asked, trying to fake disinterest and failing miserably.
“This will sound weird but it’s about your boyfriend Jeremiah and his father. Maybe some other people in his family too. And church,” I just casually blurted out which might’ve been a mistake. She looked at me confused.
“Huh? What’s this about? And how or why do you know?” I laughed.
“Many people know, Madeleine. They’re just good at hiding it…and they know how to keep things silent,” I explained and she looked like she was finally putting things together.
“Is this about the money laundering stuff?” Smart girl, just like me.
“Yeah. So you do know something. Did he tell you?” I know he didn’t. I just do.
“No. I saw it in an article tonight. What do you know?” She said but I had to think how to move forward in this conversation.
“A lot. I need to know if I can trust you first.” She raised her eyebrows.
“Excuse me?”
“We just met after briefly messaging a few times for like two weeks prior to this. It’s a valid concern, right?” She kept staring at me and licked her lips.
“Yeah but you know stuff about my boyfriend. Supposedly at least,” she said and crossed her arms. I see what she’s doing.
“I supposedly know. Huh. I know you like me, that’s clear. Do you trust me though?” She kept up with her death stare.
“Depends,” she said.
“On what?”
“On why you know whatever it is you know and what for,” I smiled at that sentence even though I was offended at the thought of her trusting this mini pastor more than me.
“What if I tell you it’s for a really good cause that will help many people?” It looks like I got her thinking.
“Then I’m interested,” she said, keeping her serious demeanor.
“Good. What I’m going to tell you is quite serious and I just need to know something before I tell you.”
“Go on,” she said, uncrossing her arms.
“These are some serious things his family is doing and I just need to know if you will go running to tell him and side with him once you know,” I explained, which scared me just to say. If she rats out this might be the end of me and the guys. She didn’t hesitate to answer though.
“I won’t side with him in any case and I really want to know what is going on with him. With all of them actually. I…I’ve felt something wrong for a bit so I believe you and the article I read tonight,” she straightforwardly said, slightly surprising me.
“Really?” She nodded.
“Yes. Something has to be wrong with that church and with him. I can feel it in my body but it’s hard to explain. You’re the first one to know.” She really trusts me even if we just met. I can see it.
“You understand we want to take them down, right?” I asked to be sure even if she didn’t know what our methods were.
“I know. Take down anyone involved in any wrongdoing,” she said firmly. If this kept going I was going to start being the shy one.
“Are you in this with me then?” I asked one last time and held my hand out for her to shake. She did.
“Yes, and to show you how committed I’m to this mission I want to seal this pact like they did in the past. Only if you’re ok with it,” she said and got closer to me. I could smell her perfume and see her pretty face up close.
“And how’s that?” She caressed my chin. I think I know where this is going and I’m not going to go against her wishes.
“With a kiss. Is that okay?” I didn’t say anything, I just tucked her hair behind her ear and then rested my hand on her face and carefully leaned in until our lips met. I was shocked by the sudden contact with her, giving me a new form of adrenaline rush. Different from when I went on my missions. It was sweet and quick but she tried to stay nonchalant once we pulled away.
“I need to get going but what is it that you know?” She casually asked as if nothing happened.
“To name a few things, barely any of the money they take goes to the actual church, they also fund some very shady ‘mental health’ institutions that have inhumane practices combined with inhumane living conditions, they have some arson cases too, and they give great amounts of money to corrupt politicians which is why almost nobody knows about all the awful things they do. I know this because one of the guys from the guild is the son of one of the politicians they have given money to.” Yes, I did go off but I couldn’t help it. She looked a bit surprised but not as much as I thought she would.
“You have all of my support, Principe,” she said. She really does like me.
~
The next day I told the guys that Madeleine was going to help me as we all sat in the living room eating breakfast.
“This is why we love you so much, Mauricio. You’ve only made our work easier, my guy,” Valenor said as he squeezed my cheeks excitedly. While my first impression of the guys was quite intimidating they were all softies at heart. Maybe too much sometimes.
“Now, are you sure she’s not messing with you? This chick is quite involved with those people I mean, she’s dating the pastor’s son for Christ’s sake. No pun intended,” said Sergio as he went up to grab my shoulder. Of course they have to mention that guy.
“Guys, I told you. She likes me more than him. She also doesn’t support nasty stuff like the ones I told her they’re doing. She had also read an article about it right before I told her,” I said confidently and smiled which tempted me to tell them about the kiss we shared last night but I felt like I should keep it to myself. Same thing with the flirty messages I sent to get her attention. I was still kind of nervous about her helping us because of the power that campus ministry had on her social life. I’m not sure if she wants to give all of that up but I also know she values what’s right. Those people are far from that.
“I hope you're right even though claiming she likes you more than him is quite the stretch. What article did she read by the way?” Ian asked from the sofa he was sitting on. I forgot to ask Madeleine to send me the link so I did that.
“They probably took it down already,” Sergio said as I messaged her.
“Very likely,” I added as I waited for her reply. That was proven right by her message.
@mads.is.glad: i can’t find it. they probs just paid to take it down. ugh gross.
The last part of the message gave me more assurance that she doesn’t agree with her boyfriend’s family’s actions.
“She can’t find it. She thinks they already got it taken down and she showed her disgust at just the thought of it,” I told them and Valenor looked amused.
“I don’t know this girl but I like her,” Sergio said and then took a sip of coffee.
“Chill out, Relámpago. That’s Mauricio’s princess,” Valenor said, making me laugh.
“Excuse me? My what? No way. She even has a boyfriend as previously mentioned.”
“Boyfriend who is corrupt, she’s helping you take down, and you even said she likes you more than him. She’s your girl more than his,” Ian said, trying to act smart. He was smart just not in this case.
“Doesn’t mean anything to me. We do the mission, then we dip, and then she’s in the past,” I explained now, making Valenor laugh.
“And how would that work exactly? This chick is all up on your social media. I think it’s very unlikely that will change once this is over,” he said, which was true but still didn’t mean anything.
“Whatever you say, bro,” I said and rolled my eyes.
“We’re just messing with you,” Ian said, finally putting the conversation to rest.
“Does she know about it though, Mauricio?” Sergio asked me, making me look at him in confusion.
“About what?
“Your uncle’s and involvement in the church years ago,” he answered, which brought me back to one of the reasons I wanted to get rid of all the human garbage we have in this world.
“No…I haven’t gotten to it. It might put her off from the whole thing, thinking I’m just doing it because of him and the things I saw him do,” I said and looked down at my calloused hands.
“It might be worse if she finds out for herself instead of hearing it from you,” Valenor said, making me feel even worse. He might also be correct about that.
“I know but it’s not that important for her to know or not. At least that’s how I feel,” I said, which was partly just me trying to comfort myself.
“Listen man. I don’t want to say the things he did to your mom or his wife since I know it gets dark but that’s precisely why she should know from you and not from someone else,” Valenor said, which I could tell came from genuine concern. I couldn’t help but think about my uncle’s time at the church.
He was one of the many narcissists in my family who taught me just how bad a person can be and hide himself behind a religion. He was a master manipulator to the point he became a marriage counselor at the church where he would advise men to have a prenuptial agreement when getting married at all times. The problem was that he constantly cheated on his wife but it seemed that just praying about it after repenting was enough. She eventually found out and she took it very badly. Other people in my family say she got into a really deep depression after finding out about his infidelity. She wouldn’t go out of her room or even talk. That was until they went to some mysterious couples retreat for a month which I’ve always thought was one of those shady mental institutions the church had. After that she forgave him and stayed in the marriage. This guy hated the fact my mother was divorcing my father because it was “immoral” but apparently infidelity wasn’t. I have no respect for them because of that and way more.
“I don’t think it’d be easy for her to figure it out because she doesn’t even know my real name or even seen me without makeup for that matter,” I told them though I was now feeling conflicted about it.
“Look dude, you’re free to do whatever you want but I just don’t want any surprises,” Ian said.
“Mau does make a good point about her not knowing much about him. She’ll have to put in a lot of work to figure it out,” Sergio said in my defense.
“Yeah. There’s no point in mixing personal matters into this. It’s just work, you know?” I said and Valenor sighed.
“You’re right, I guess,” he admitted before we went on with our day.
~
My day consisted of checking Madeleine’s social media as well as the accounts of the church and campus ministry she went to. I had stalked the campus ministry page previously and I found some pictures of her with her “friends” from there which I could see her smiling and genuinely happy while the other girls looked somewhat off in a way. There were also some pictures of her with her boyfriend who I wouldn’t know was her boyfriend because she seemed to always keep a distance from him. He was beaming in every picture with her and by looking at older posts of the ministry I noticed he had changed since he met her. He used to want to hide himself wearing plain clothes and hats but that shifted by the time Madeleine started popping up on the page. Her, on the other hand, started looked bleak. My thoughts stopped once I saw a new post on the page. I should message her.
@pr1nc1pemuerte: School?
I waited in the chat until I saw she was typing.
@mads.is.glad: yeah. unfortunately
@pr1nc1pemuerte: Let me fix that.
@mads.is.glad: how?
@pr1nc1pemuerte: I’ll get someone to demolish it. They let you graduate immediately.
@mads.is.glad: haha so funny (that’s sarcasm btw)
@pr1nc1pemuerte: I’m on my way. Don’t leave yet if you’re going to leave.
@mads.is.glad: wtf man???
I had to laugh before responding because I loved messing with this girl.
@pr1nc1pemuerte: Go ahead and pretend you don’t want to see me. I see right through you, Madeleine.
She took a while to reply again.
@mads.is.glad: not on campus!! you’re crazy!!
@pr1nc1pemuerte: Not as much as you.
She left me on read but I was just about to start walking to the center of the campus. If students allowed me to walk because I was constantly getting stopped by people wanting to take pictures. Maybe going to her school in costume wasn’t the brightest idea but I couldn’t risk people recognizing my actual face.
I wondered where she could be but I just gave up and asked her.
@pr1nc1pemuerte: I’m by the library. Where are you?
@mads.is.glad: you can’t be serious.
I sent her a selfie from the library.
@mads.is.glad: and in costume??? i can’t believe this.
@mads.is.glad: i’m on the balcony btw. third floor.
I ignored her previous message and made my way to the balcony though I got slightly nervous going on the elevator because she had told me it had the tendency to break down. She was right when she said the campus sucked. Everything was old and on the verge of breaking just like how she looked when she was with Jeremiah and her friends from the ministry. I hoped to see her in better spirits but I found her doing schoolwork by herself. She looked numb.
“Hey,” I said and she looked up at me.
“Oh hi. You can take a seat if you want.” I did so.
“You’re friends aren’t around?”
“Mia is in class,” she said as she stared at her computer screen.
“And Greta or the other ministry girls?”
“I don’t know what they’re doing. Haven’t talked to them in a few days.” I kind of figured that out but didn’t want to assume.
“And your man?” I asked jokingly. She finally looked at me and cringed.
“Ew, don’t say that. I told him I wanted some alone time today,” she explained and I started feeling bad about coming here.
“Oh no. I’m so sorry for coming here. I just wanted to learn more about being around here but I don’t want to bother you,” I said as I stood up but she interrupted me.
“You’re good, Principe. You can stay,” she said and smiled before going back to whatever she was doing on her computer. I couldn’t help but smile back even if she wasn’t looking.
“Oh ok,” I just said and looked at the view from the balcony.
“What’s your real name, by the way?” She asked me, catching me off guard. I should’ve thought of this happening eventually.
“I uh…can’t really say that for safety purposes,” I said shyly.
“But I thought you trusted me?” She asked and looked at me with her doe eyes. I can understand why everyone wanted to be around her even if it wasn’t with the best intentions. That still didn’t help me find a way to handle this situation.
“But that’s just…too serious. Maybe after you show me around?”
“I guess I can do that.”
We walked around a lot of places she knew as she told me stories about people she had met these past three years. All the friends that wronged her, the ones that didn’t but they were too busy and live too far, two guys she tried to date but didn’t appreciate her, and some other insignificant school stuff. I could really tell which were good memories or bad ones by just looking at the expressions she’d make as she told me about each experience. I’d just listened and nodded as she continued to talk. I did notice a pattern in most of the bad ones.
“We’re finally getting close to the campus chapel so we can check around for anything important,” she said.
“Finally,” I said and she smiled.
“You know I think I needed this. It’s been a while since I was able to talk so freely to someone other than Mia or my mom.” I didn’t know how to respond to that. I’ve always suspected it but supposing something and actually hearing it was different.
“I’m sorry, Madeleine. Thanks though.” She looked at me and smiled.
“There’s no need to thank me. I should thank you,” she told me and briefly side-hugged me, surprising me like when she kissed me the other night. We continued making our way to the chapel.
We got to the chapel and we went in.
“Heck yeah. This place is empty. Perfect,” she said as I looked around. I laughed at her expression.
“This place is kinda cool,” I said.
“Meh. It’s spacious at least,” she shrugged.
“Is it alright if I start searching for stuff?”
“Sure. Let me help you,” she said and went up to where there was a podium. There was a drawer nearby and she opened it to look through.
“Anything helpful there?”
“Maybe. I know they keep a lot of their handouts and stuff here. Oh look. I found it,” she said and pulled out a huge stack of papers. She started looking through. Her expression changed as she was reading them. I started to search in another drawer.
“These don’t look like handouts,” she said and I looked at her.
“What are they then?”
“They…they look like scripts.”
“Scriptures? Sorry I don’t know much about religious practices and the Bible,” I said but she kept going through each paper.
“Not scripture. Like movie scripts but for the student testimonies,” she said and finally dropped the papers on a desk. She ran her hands through her hair and sat back. I went up to her.
“How so?” I said and grabbed the stacks.
“I think all the testimonies are all made up. That’s why they’re all so dramatic and weird,” as she said that I read an unholy quote in the scripts.
“Those sure are weird,” I said and I dropped them.
“I knew something was up, I just couldn’t pinpoint it. Why didn’t I pay attention to how I was feeling?” She said and buried her face in her hands.
“Hey, it’s not your fault. You were just doing what you thought was right.”
“But something was telling me it wasn’t. I could feel it,” she said before uncovering her face again. She looked exhausted.
“Madeleline, you’ve been wanting to leave for a while haven’t you?” Her eyes started looking teary as she nodded.
“Yeah. I guess so,” she said and looked at all the empty seats in the room.
“Well, good thing my friends and I are going to fix that alright?” She finally smiled, making me smile back.
“Yeah. Let’s get this going, Principe.”
Once we searched the whole place and we took some stuff worth further inspection we started making our way off campus.
“Can I walk you to your place?” I said and she laughed.
“With your makeup on? We’ll definitely be the center of attention but I don’t think it’ll be the good kind.” She looked happier than back at the chapel.
“I forgot about that. Oh my God,” I said and she giggled.
“Hey,” she then said.
“What?”
“You owe me something.” That’s when I remembered that I promised to tell her my name after she showed me around campus.
“I had forgotten about that,” I said and laughed nervously.
“You know, you’re too cute to be trying to scare people?” She does feel better now.
“You think?” I said so she’d hopefully switch the topic.
“I think I deserve to know your name.” I sighed in defeat. I could just lie to her and give her a fake name but I felt like I couldn’t do that. Not after all the raw emotions and memories she told me earlier. I finally caved in to her demands.
“Fine. I’m Mauricio but I’m also referred to as Mau. Either one works.” She smiled.
“Hm, Mauricio. Nice,” she said before it was time to say goodbye and go our separate ways for the day.
To be continued…
I always knew Principe Muerte could fix what was wrong but I didn’t know how.