The wolf embrace

Annabel secrecy

After a few days, Annabel began to recover but had switched off her phone during her illness. As she was about to take her last pill, the nurse in charge told her she could return to the convent. She stood up and walked to her room. Sister Majella frequently checked on her progress, and when she finally saw her return to her room, she approached Annabel. “How do you feel?” she asked warmly, helping her adjust her clothing. Annabel replied, "I'm a bit better," her voice still low. In just a few days, she had become noticeably slimmer and taller. Sister Majella assisted her to the bathroom for a wash and later brought her food from the refectory.

*****

Days passed, and Annabel regained her strength, but she had missed many activities in the convent, and her parents continued to call to check on her. One evening, as the time for mass approached, she struggled to fit into her dress due to her weight loss. Discontent with the way it fit, she retrieved a needle and white thread from her drawer, intending to alter it. Sister Majella entered just as Annabel was finishing her adjustment, and they both made their way to the evening mass in the chapel together. This time, Annabel didn't take her phone. When she realized it wasn't with her, she rushed back to her room only to find a surprise.

As she entered her room, she discovered a colleague—someone who always had an eye on her—busy using her phone on Annabel's bed. Annabel began searching everywhere for her phone, rifling through her bed and ransacking her bag but found nothing.

“Looking for something?” came a voice. Annabel turned to see her phone in her colleague's hand and, in a fit of anger, yanked it from her grasp before delivering a hard slap to her cheek. The force sent her colleague sprawling to the floor, blood trickling from her mouth. “Always mind your business,” Annabel panted, sweating with fury before leaving her on the floor.

Annabel dashed into the garden to check her phone, relieved to find that her accounts weren’t logged in; the nun had only browsed through her pictures and videos.

After some time, a nun approached her in the garden, informing her that the head nun wanted to see her right away in her office. Annabel hurried upstairs, bracing herself for a confrontation. Upon opening the door, she was met with the sight of the senior nun, who had a visible mark on her cheek from the slap. Annabel’s heart raced as she recalled the events. When asked about what happened, she explained, feeling guilty for her outburst. As a result, Annabel faced multiple punishments and a period of suspension.

Sister Majella, however, continually apologized on Annabel's behalf, explaining to the senior nun that Annabel was still recovering from her illness. Ultimately, Annabel was released the following day.

After her release, the senior nun called a meeting with everyone in the convent to address the incident. She highlighted the importance of maintaining decorum within the house of God. "On no account should anyone engage in fights here," she warned. Instead, she encouraged everyone to report issues to the authorities, assuring them that consequences would follow. She also mentioned that both parties involved would have their parents invited to discuss the violation of convent rules. However, both Annabel and her colleague quickly approached the senior nun to apologize, hoping to prevent their parents from being called in.

On Friday morning, rehearsals were set to begin when a monk, who served as the choirmaster of the convent, arrived to practice with the choir. As he waited for the singers to arrive, Annabel devised a plan to get closer to him. Just as he began walking toward the chapel, she stumbled and fell, causing everything he was holding to topple onto her. He quickly apologized and helped her to her feet.

Despite her apparent clumsiness, Annabel continued to inch closer to him, one of the buttons on her dress already undone. As he struggled to assist her, she pretended to be in pain and asked him to take her to the sick bay. He agreed, setting his belongings on a chair in the chapel while she wrapped her arm around his shoulder for support. Although the choirmaster felt awkward, he played along since she needed help.

As they made their way to the sick bay, Annabel began to leap toward the room, which contained several individual patient quarters. Upon reaching one of the rooms, he attempted to lay her on the bed, but she continued to groan. Unexpectedly, Annabel pulled him onto the bed with her, catching him off guard. She kissed him for a fleeting moment, marking her first kiss. It felt exhilarating to her, and the choirmaster, too, was momentarily lost in the experience.

Their mutual feelings flourished during the kiss, but they were abruptly interrupted by a noise from the adjoining room. The choirmaster quickly opened his eyes and withdrew, hurriedly arranging his vestments before leaving the sick bay to regain his composure. For Annabel, it was the happiest day of her life—she had always wanted to try something like this and wished the moment could last longer. As she composed herself, she realized that all the buttons on her dress were still undone, leaving her cleavage visible, she did the buttoning and left the sick bay for the rehearsals.

Meanwhile, the other choristers waited for nearly an hour in the chapel before the choirmaster finally returned, offering an apology before beginning the rehearsal. He separated the sopranos, altos, tenors, and bass singers for practice, and when Annabel, an alto singer, entered, she appeared innocent, masking what had just transpired a few moments earlier.

After the rehearsal, the choirmaster pulled Annabel aside in a corner of the chapel, his expression serious. “What was that back there?” he questioned, not allowing her a chance to respond. Instead of answering, Annabel smiled and winked at him before walking away, leaving him bewildered and speechless. To her, it seemed as though she might have found a new target to toy with.

Back in her room, Annabel lay on her bed, unable to sleep as thoughts of the encounter ran through her mind. Finally, she decided to seek comfort with Sister Majella but couldn’t find her in her room, she just laid on her bed to quiet her racing thoughts. After a while, Sister Majella returned and gently patted Annabel, providing the peace she often found in her presence.