Chapter 32

LUCIEN Warning: “Huh? Oh, hi! Uhm… they told me to warn you! Don’t make Foxglove into tea, it causes cardiac arrest! Lily of the Valley is pretty but you really shouldn’t eat it! It causes heart failure…

This innocence is brilliance
Please don’t go away
—

“We are in deep sh*t,” Redd mutters after laying Lucien to bed. Jude is kneeling beside him while Salve is looking around the 17 year old’s bedroom which was filled with framed preserved flowers and insects. Glass stands at the corner, anxiously waiting for the 7 anxiety pills to take effect. However, one of them might not be intended for anxiety.

Salve was distracted by Lucien’s bedroom. He even had a collection of butterflies pinned by their wings, along with hundreds of journals and encyclopedias dedicated to various flowers and animals. What truly caught his attention was the ceiling, painted with a sky filled with constellations, and the floor, adorned with a map of the entire world. Lucien had even drawn stars on the map to indicate where he wanted to go.

“Wow…” then Salve cringed, “Errww, why would you want to go to Florida?”

Meanwhile, Leo and Redd stood over the bed while Glass sat on the edge. Leo looked frustrated saying, “Why and how in God’s name does Jude have three vampire talents? Two were bad enough, now you have Evie’s? F*ck, you’re in danger now.”

“We are, as well. Jude is like—5’5 but even I’m starting to get scared of him,” Redd mumbles.

“He’s 5’9, he’s still harmless,” Leo defended his lover.

Redd argued, “—with three powers. He could be a midget and I’d still get scared of him and his Sheltering. Let alone Echoing and Restraining…”

Jude was still silently crying over what happened to Lucien and what he had done to Evie. “I don’t deserve to be here. Maybe… maybe I should surrender to the Vatican…”

“No way. If Evie didn’t after all the bullsh*t he pulled, you shouldn’t too,” said Redd. “No offense G, but your man deserves to rot in the Vatican.”

Glass rolled his eyes as Leo spoke out: “Jude, you’re not surrendering to the Vatican. They’ll either use you as a weapon, or kill you through starvation. The Monsignor should never know about this. Did he ever find out about Lucien, Redd?”

“No, he was in the study while I rushed Lucien here.” Earlier, Redd cleaned off all the blood, and Leo gutted a new baby goat so the vampires would only detect the animal’s blood, not Lucien’s. Nobody outside the room knew of this incident.

“How’s Evie?” Leo asked the medic.

“Comatose. We’ll just report that he hurt himself with his own Restraining…” Redd stared at Jude, who was still shedding tears worrying for Lucy. “Nobody, and I do mean nobody else, should know about Jude having three powers.”

“The last thing Evie saw was Jude using the Restraining against him,” Leo added.

“We’ll deal with Evie when he wakes up.”

“If he wakes up,” said Glass, too high from his pills to even feel sad about it. He’s looking at them with a tilted head, his micro-braids tied up into a heavy bun. “We barely have any Lucifer’s blood, remember… ? Without it… mmm, we can’t heal crushed hearts, can we?”

“I’m so sorry, Glass…” Jude sat up to look at him, “I didn’t mean to do it, I was just—I was so angry. Evie was hurting you, he hurt Lucy!”

“I know, puppy… we can’t cry over spilt blood,” Glass said with a sad sigh, which means he still mourns over Evie and their doomed relationship.

Redd snuck a glance at Glass, his own heart hurting because he knows this boy still loves Evie deep inside and can’t stay away from his creator. Redd crossed his arms thinking, Just why… why him? When he can’t even take care of you like I would?

“Y-you’re not angry?” Jude asked Glass with his eyes filled with tears of regret.

“Ohh puppy, I can’t stay angry at you! You saved me!” Glass dove down to hold Jude by the head and kissed him on the mouth, even with an affectionate tongue that made Jude’s ears blush. Leo joined Redd in crossing his arms and both are raising one eyebrow.

When Glass pulled away, his flawlessness made Jude’s whole face blush so hard, that Salve joined the other two in crossing his arms bitterly. “I do not cry that pretty.”

“You are the sweetest,” Glass added, placing multiple tiny kisses on his face to comfort him. “Evie will be fine. He’ll need time to recover, he will wake up in a few weeks. I think both of us needed a break from each other, anyway. You’ll take care of me… right~?”

“Mm—!” Jude whimpered because his stomach did a flip and Salve flipped the bird on the two of them.

“Are you even willing to lose Evie, Glass?” Leo asked, tilting his head at who used to be very madly in love with the man whose heart was just crushed to a pulp.

“Don’t be silly, Leo. I’m not losing Evie… he’s still here, just… incapacitated,” Glass sighed, “As long as I can still see Evie’s body, I know he is still in this world. Besides… I have Jude to comfort me, mm?”

Redd looked so irritated, but he could only roll his eyes. He shouldn’t get jealous of the two boys he likes. Something was pissing him off and it was not Jude.

“Don’t get comfortable, Glass. Evie will get executed if the Monsignor finds out he hurt Lucien,” Leo said, with Satan in his head snickering: “I’ll execute the crazy white chocolate myself, hehe~”

“I think I have a plan…” Glass turned to Lucien, causing the others to stand alert. “What if… my talented puppy here goes into Lucien’s head and removes the memory of him being hurt?”

“Are you crazy?!” Leo barked out, his head burning up from how Satan is acting like a gorilla inside of him. “Using the Echoing on Lucien?”

Redd supported him, “Jude could barely read minds. He can only look into memories that we choose to show him. He can’t control the Echoing at all!”

“But I read the books in class—those with the Echoing not only see memories, but can also erase them,” Glass argued.

“Those are Masters of the Echoing.” Leo reasoned, “Not even Pryce could see into our memories, and he’s the oldest among us. What makes you think a vampire less than a year old can do what a century old vampire can’t?”

“My brother can,” giggles Satan inside the Withholding,  “He reminds me of my brother. I’m not into incest, but if Morningstar looks like Jude, maybe hehe~”

Leo wants to decapitate himself, but that would just add to their problems. Jude was stumped. It was truly dangerous; he could endanger Lucien even more.

Their voices made the young boy in bed stir. “Mmm… nnn…”

“Lucy’s waking up! We need to get out…” Redd whispered to the others, taking Glass by the hand and pushing Leo out. Jude followed behind, but before he could step out of the door, he heard a voice that made his stomach drop.

“Jude?” Calls out a sweet yet sickly voice from a boy who could get all of them in trouble. The door was partially open with the three vampire priests outside and they were quietly signaling Jude to get out. But Lucien had already seen him, so he reluctantly turned around.

“What is he doing?! Lucien’s awake!”

“Pull him out—!” No. Jude closed the door with the Sheltering, before apologetically smiling at Lucien.

“Hey buddy,” he softly greets, walking towards the bed where Lucien sat up. His presence seemed to breathe energy into the boy, as his expression was nothing but excitement, contrasting with the weakness in his body.

“You’re here! B-but wasn’t I in the garden? It’s not bed time yet…”

“No, uhm… you fainted. Don’t you remember?”

“Oh…” Lucien’s bright blue eyes dimmed and fell. “I guess I remember my chest hurting… but I thought I tripped again. That was a very painful trip, though.”

Jude sighed. I can’t lie to him. He doesn’t deserve lies.

“I’m sorry, but you got hurt bad. I was worried, and we brought you here. If the Monsignor finds out you got hurt… we’ll be punished bad.” Jude sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to Lucien’s hand, “But don’t worry. I will repent and accept the punishment.”

“Why do you need to be punished?”

“Because you got hurt…” please don’t ask any more questions.

“So? I get hurt all the time. It’s not always because of you,” the boy said, which only made Jude guiltier because he is the reason Evie was hurt; he is not innocent. “Only God is allowed to punish. And God doesn’t want to punish you at all.”

“How could you say that…” Jude whispers, “I’m a sinner. God will punish me in death. Or maybe She is already punishing me in life.” I not only caused harm to Evie, but I caused the death of my lover, too.

“We leave that to Her,” Lucien places his hand on top of Jude’s, “But She won’t let anything happen to you, Jude. God watches over Her children… even the punishable ones.”

But the moment Lucien laid a hand on Jude, a flash of light overtook his vision and suddenly, he was in the garden.

He was in the place of Lucien. He was Lucien, at this moment.

He could hear the trees and flowers whisper. Even the grass has voices. A million gentle voices softly whispering and getting louder whenever the wind blows past his ear.

“Protect,” was the word most repeated by the trees.

“I can’t hear you very well, Mother… but you are very loud today,” Lucien said, taking water from the lake to shower the flowers with. “Sometimes I don’t understand you. But maybe because I don’t see you, yes?”

“…him,” whispered the flowers. “Jude.”

“Jude?” Lucien looked at the convent to see the newest student being escorted by Evie and Glass. A troubled human was looking down on Lucien curiously, so the boy brushed off his knees to stand up, wanting to wave to the new student.

But he had already left.

“In need.” The trees are louder now. Thousands of voices, chanting the same name. “Jude. It is…” / “Please. In need…”

“Mother, you’re being loud. It’s making me feel sleepy.”

“Protect him… Jude.” That word was the loudest when Jude finally came back to the present, and he realized God had introduced him to Lucien even before he set his eyes on the blonde boy.

Lucien truly is the son of God. Jude pulls his hands away, scared to even touch him. I’m not worthy… I can’t dirty his innocence with my sin.

“I’m sorry. I—…” I shouldn’t be here. Jude could barely speak to the son of God.

That, until Lucien suddenly opens his covers and smiled warmly at Jude, “Would you like to stay? I haven’t had a friend in my room, but I’ll share my bed.”

Jude felt suffocated because of hell’s flames surrounding his soul, but because of Lucien’s invite, he climbed on the bed and laid beside him. It’s the least he can do for Lucien.

And the boy was eager to put his head on Jude’s chest, snuggling happily onto him. “I’m so happy you’re here!”

That created a light inside Jude’s heart. I’m happy I’m here for you, Lucy.

“Don’t worry, Jude. I won’t tell father about you being in my room. It’s bigger than the tree, yes? I hope you don’t mind the mess, I don’t know how to fold clothes…”

“Mess?” Jude chuckled, looking at the ceiling filled with constellations and also at the painted floor. “All I see is your pretty paintings. You know a lot about geography, huh…”

“Hehe, I just want to know what it’s like out there. I heard there are giant trees with windows that glow at night… and millions of them in villages!”

“Do you mean buildings?”

“No silly, buildings are churches and houses. These are trees with thousands of windows!” Lucien exclaimed, “At least that’s what the flowers tell me…”

“Flowers, huh…” Jude knew that was God, his mother. She talks to him through nature. “What else did they say?”

“They said that someone will come into the garden… and  he will take care of me. And show me what it’s like out there… and makes me feel what love is like,” he whispered, looking at Jude’s chest. “Is it true you feel it in your heart? Even though it only pumps blood?”

“I don’t think I can tell you why that is, or if I can make you feel what love feels like. But yes, you feel it in your heart.”

The boy suddenly took Jude’s pale hands and pressed it against his chest, where his heart beat softly. “Do I… feel love?”

“I—I don’t know,” Jude stammered, unable to answer. “Only you can answer that, t-to be honest.”

Lucien looks at him with wide, round blue eyes as if waiting for a deeper explanation. Jude sighed, unable to resist those curious bug-eyes. “Look, if you feel strongly towards someone else, your heart will beat fast… so you can feel it in your heart.”

Lucien laughed mischievously, “The trees outside… they can hear your heart being fast. Do you feel strongly towards me?”

“Lucy, I’m just nervous… you suddenly put my hand there, it’s inappropriate…” Jude politely pulls his hand away.

“What’s inappropriate?” Lucien slightly frowns when Jude pulled his hand away. “Is it bad that I feel strongly towards you?”

“Lucy, that’s not really…”

“My heart…” Lucien puts his own hand against his chest, “It’s beating fast now. Because you’re here, you chose to stay with me. What if… what if I love you?”

“Your heart is beating normally, trust me…” Jude nervously states.

“The trees say your heart is beating faster now. So your feelings are stronger towards me? Do you love me, too?”

“Of course I love you, but—not very strongly, more like… uhm…” Jude is stumbling against his words because he doesn’t want to further lose points for heaven with his sugarcoated lies. “Err… those trees of yours are eavesdropping, can you tell them not to?”

“They hear everything.” Jude suddenly remembers that those whispers are from God Herself, and She hears everything. Lucien adds, “They speak all the time. Sometimes I can’t understand… but when they’re loud, I can hear some words. Your name can sometimes be really loud…”

“My name?” Jude sat up, confused. “Did they say anything about me?”

“They told me your name… even before you came here…” Lucien said, laying his hand on Jude’s stomach—which triggered a flash of a memory.

A stick rapped on the table, making Lucien jump from his daydreams. “Why aren’t you listening, my child? Education is crucial, yet you stare outside as if you don’t already spend all day out there.”

“I’m sorry, Father,” Lucien, a year younger, asked the Monsignor while he was in a private classroom. “They’re loud this time. I can’t ignore them.”

“What, the voices?”

“The trees. They’re saying an unfamiliar name I don’t know about…”

“What name? Is it one of the angels? Archangel Gabriel? Michael?”

“No… Jude.” Lucien looked up at him, repeating the name wind is whispering through the trees. “Jude Creston. It sounds like he was named after the moon… who is that, Father? Is he an angel?”

The memory suddenly cuts to Lucien on his knees, vomiting blood. As what happened earlier, Jude ran towards him and caught Lucien before he fell to the ground.

But in this memory, he looked up at Jude as if he was dying. “Are you… an angel?”

“No,” Jude cried out, watching Lucien bleed out in his arms. “Lucy, stay with me! Don’t leave me, stay with me!”

It was as if Lucien just fell from the top of the church, bleeding from the impact. Jude held him, refusing to let him die this time. “Stay with me! DON’T LEAVE!”

This wasn’t Lucien’s memory anymore. It was as if Salve was in his arms, smiling at him. “You are an angel. Here to take me away…”

“I’ll take you away… far from this world… where we will be happy together,” Jude hugged him tight, the body in his arms flashing between Lucien and Salve. “A world where you can be happy. A world where we can be free…”

“Will you let me be free?” They asked.

Jude came back to the present, gasping, falling out of the bed. He stumbled to his feet and saw Lucien passed out, slowly waking up from what looked to be a deep sleep.

“Jude? What are you doing in my room?” Lucien sat up and asked, eyes barely open yet they were still as soft as his heart. “Ahh… did I fall asleep out there? You took me in here? Wow… you’re very sweet…”

“H-huh?” Jude stood there confused, watching Lucien smile without any memory of the last five minutes when he invited Jude to bed. “But you… you…—”

“I’m sorry about the mess… I don’t know how to fold clothes,” he giggled, opening his covers for Jude. “Would you like to stay? I haven’t had a friend in my room, but I’ll share my bed.”

Lucien lost his memory.

Lucien lost—no. No, I took his memory. I went inside and plucked out the memory. Jude stared at his own hands, I have no idea how I did it. Or that I’m capable, but…

Lucien doesn’t remember anything.

“I’m sorry, Lucy… but I can’t stay here.” Jude backs out, making the boy’s shoulders slump in disappointment. “You should rest. You’ve been outside for so long, you need a nap, okay?”

“Jude… please stay.”

“I’m sorry, Lucy.” But Jude exited the room.

Nobody else was out there except Leo. That’s when he lifted himself from leaning against the wall, immediately hugging Jude. “Baby, what happened? You were in there for so long!”

“Where’s Glass and Redd?”

“They’re reporting to the Monsignor about what happened to Evie. I will be the one to report about what happened to Lucien—”

“No need,” Jude held Leo’s face and kissed him in the lips, “Lucy doesn’t remember. My Echoing took his memory away.”

“Your Echoing did what?!” Leo had to take one step back, away from what seemed to be the most dangerous person in the convent. “What do you mean you can take memories away now?”

“I don’t know how I did it, but Lucien couldn’t remember what happened…” Jude’s powers may be dangerous, but he remains the confused and lost sinner seeking Leo’s help. “Not only that, but I heard the voice of God. Even before I first saw Lucien, She was telling him to protect me… but how could Lucien even protect me?”

Upon hearing Jude’s last words, a red fan closed and silk fabric glided through the hallways urgently.

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Why do you think Jude has three powers?
Virgil bet on the blood they offered Jude. I (Baby Author) thinks he’s also God’s son.
Ashley doesn’t tell us sh*t.