s'

the convent

that felt like a cof

was delivering a packag

ossed so tight my shoulders ached, glaring out

l away. Then

stations disappeared, swallowed up

ent, the heavie

slowly suffocated

, judging by how much of my soul had withered, the car crunched

ows. Giant wooden doors. A looming

at it, sl

said imm

idn't even

ut

T GETTI

trunk and turne

THE WOODS AND LIV

, Er

hysterically. "THE WOLVES

oothing her blazer like she wasn't about

y do," she

the trunk, and yanked out my bags with all

doors cr

the welcomi

f nuns. R

aight out of horror movies minus the scary looking faces bec

ow that they are all well-mannered and th

where between ser

a big wooden cross around her neck, stepped forward

ld," she said, voi

led s

do blood sacrifices be

le

uns actually gasped

heaviest sigh I had

said sharp

lashed the nuns a grin that probably looked

id. "I'm allergic to

n stumbled

name because I was too busy internally screaming, stepped

," she said firmly. "Through

nked

my biggest,

ing my Ou

sounds from th

er nose like she was fighting the

er composed h

learly lying, "you'll

at the bui

e a prison made of Bi

feel the love

d my arm, spinni

e pretendin

my skin just enou

. "You will stay here. You will obey. You w

pered, "Tell my lawyer I'll be

luck finding a lawyer f

! She kissed my cheek. I flinched like she was b

standi

acked sto

ge, and a welcoming party of nuns who wer

ut behind me with a

s off

s tr

the convent wa

ooden

s ever

staring at me with deep,

ed me down a n

reaked unde

h the sounds of old pra

me, glaring at every re

a bed the size of a coffin and a window sma

your room," sh

my cell,"

at five a.m. for prayers. Then chores. Then breakfast. The

nked

t from boredom," I said.

me a th

y, obedience, and

a double

Three things I ab

d me, a bell rang som

Nun nodded

or evening praye

dn't

d at me e

back, d

ray," I sa

ile ti

will

warned. "You'll have to sc

a particularly stubborn toddler, an

dramatically. "I'M CURSED!

young nun dropped her pra