Chapter Text
"God, if you were ever there, if my lover's dearest prayers ever worthed something, if this hell of a life has changed anything for good in this blasphemious world, please, Almighty Lord, take me instead."
Jamie wakes up in a cold sweat. For a while now, he's been having these weird dreams. A blurry face, a melancholic scenario or nothing in sight at all along with a romantic speech, sometimes bathed in tragedy, and sometimes, a sentence that could come out of one those novels Jamie is so fond of. Jamie is very catholic, he's never been much of a superstitious person, but he couldn't help to think if it had any meaning. The boy had been ailing, feeling indisposed and light headed. For as silly as it seemed, he wondered if it had something to do with his dreams. Anyways, everyday he woke up and just decided to dont spend energy on those things. He gets up and stretches, throwing his arms up in the air. The air feels cold and it rips through Jamie's throat at every inhale he attempts. "I probably caught a cold after seeing Sunwoo." Jamie tells himself as he rolls off the bed and walks to the kitchen with bare feet. You could say Jamie was a spoiled kid. He had everything he could ask for because of his parents, but that doesn't mean he didn't care about doing his own thing. He was currently living at his own small house in the countryside, a few miles away from his mother's house. It was lonely, but Jamie wasn't opposed to it. On the other hand, he ended up developing a habit of speaking to himself, reminding him of the things he had to do or just to prevent him from going mad with the silence. On some days, Adeyiemi would talk about something he needed to himself and a few days later, he received it as a gift on his bedside table. It seemed weird at first, but then he remembered he most likely talked about it to his mother and she was kind enough to gift it to him, as they were the only people who had the key to his house.
"This house is a mess, bloody hell..."
One of the things Jamie hated the most was to live in a riot, a constant mess, but recently, he couldnt help it. He barely had the energy to get up from the bed, yet, he insisted on refusing any kind of medicinal help. he had some honey with garlic, drank some mildly hot water and prayed for it to get better. And while praying, Jamie looked at the clock on his wall and gasped.
"Oh heavens, its past eight! What am i doing here still?!"
Jamie grabbed his coat in a hurry like the world was gonna end, slipped into his pants and shoes, buckled his belt like his life depended on it and left his home with a rosary. He didn't have time to call the carriage and was just too lethargic to ride the horse, so afraid something could happen, the boy started running to the church, afraid he would lose the opening chant. With enough luck and just a bit of misfortune, he came in just in time, but was the last person to show up, and had a good amount of eyes turned to him as he tried his best to ignore it while making the sacred Sign of the Cross. Jamie is a transitional deacon, that is, he's on the final steps to become a priest. Going to church everyday and watching the sunday mass was very important to him, as he knew he would be in this old priest's place someday not so far, or at least he wished he would. The church chants moved him so dearly, he felt lost looking at the paintings on the ceiling and the stained glass from which the warm sun escaped and lit up the hall, he felt like he was meant to be there, like he was born to serve his only god, to live his truth. However, he was afraid to become a priest. He couldn't help but wonder, what if his voice is not soothing enough? What if he doesn't seem genuine enough? Or maybe, he's not wise enough. Not enough faithful, as much as it seemed impossible to him. "That's foolish. Even the pope must've had these doubts. I will be okay." Jamie thought. That's what he always told himself when he started to doubt himself. The truth is that he was very anxious, and Jamie trembled while passing the points of the rosary just by thinking that one day he would be the one praying on the altar. That he would be a mother's only hope, the rehabilitation of an addict, the light in someone's life, that he would guide God's words to every kind of people. And bafore Adeyiemi could even breathe, the mass was over. His stomach was completely empty, and as he walked out of the church, he saw Zyanya, an old friend of his mother and who Jamie considered an aunt, and his face lit up instantly.
"Zyanya! What brings you here? Did Miss Adeyiemi send you here?"
"Good morning, kid. It's been a while, don't you think? Guess you're not even a kid anymore!" Zyanya chuckled in a friendly way. "Yet, you insist on acting like one. Yes, Miss Adeyiemi sent me here, she told me you wouldn't see a doctor even if your dear life was on the line. I'm with my carriage, you're not allowed to say no, do you hear me? We are going to the city to find a way to deal with your illness, yes?" Zyanya was friendly, but she could be really scary. Jamie decided not to question her authority.
While on the carriage, Jamie admires the view. As much as he loves the countryside, he couldn't help but crave the city life. Everyhing looked so new. He heard about the locomotives, that was what he ached the most for, as it was such a foreign concept for him. He saw people always in a hurry, the pompous clothes people used in the city, all those people in hats, and it felt like an alternative reality.
"We stop here, thank you." Zyanya said to her chauffeur. Jamie and Zyanya leave the carriage and the boy feels a terrible smell. That's one of the main reasons why he doesn't leave the rural area. Everything in the city smelled. Had a strong, bad smell that would get stuck in everything. Jamie imagined the city people were already used to it, but he wasn't, Jamie started to get dizzy, with the smell and the fact that he haven't eaten anything during the day combined with his illness, but he decided to stay strong. Jamie did not like showing any kind of weakness or vulnerability, and it didn't take long for the boy to faint, dismantling on the ground. When Zyanya heard the sudden impact of his body falling on the ground, she kneeled, placed his head on her lap and started waving a fan on his face desperately, asking for help, as she didn't have the strength to carry Jamie.
"Help! Does a single soul have a heart in this bloody city!? The boy is ill! Someone help! Please!"
No response. People looked at her with pity, diverted from the body on the floor and followed their way. When all of a sudden, Zyanya looks up and sees a tall guy, as pale as the moon and with black clothing covering his whole body, his face almost fully covered by the shadow casted under the mysterious guy's tunica, standing in front of them. Without saying a word, he carefully caught the boy in his arms, and walked towards the hospital.
"Thank you so much. English people are too rude, specially the city ones. They all got their noses in the air."
No answer. The guy just chuckled and walked a little faster. Zyanya assumed he wasnt a talkative guy. When they arrived at the health center, the guy glanced at Jamie one more time before leaving him on a waiting chair and vanishing, like he was never even there. Zyanya went to the emergency room and explained the situation. When Jamie woke up, he was already on the litter.
"Zyanya? What happened? What am i doing here?"
"You fainted, and almost gave me a heart attack. Dont you dare doing that again, you little jest! I was concerned."
The doctor says he probably had a cold, as Jamie had already assumed, and fainted because of a low blood pressure. He tells Jamie to eat healthy, and dont leave his house for at least a week. Jamie is heartbroken, that was the last thing he wanted to hear. The reason why he never visists doctors.
"Are you sure, Ms. Ying? You see, i will become a priest, it's important for me to attend the church everyday and..."
"I will be honest, Mr. Adeyiemi. Your situation could be better if you had visited a doctor before. But since you didn't, some good rest is the best thing you can do to cure your condition, unless you want to visit a magic healer."
Jamie leaves the health center dissatisfied and slightly mad. Zyanya takes him to eat at a cafeteria, but he doesn't say a word other than "thanks" and can only express pure disapproval. On the way back, same thing. Jamie acts annoyed and cuts any type of conversation Zyanya tried to have with him. When he arrived at home and it was time to say goodbye, Jamie waved at his aunt and went to his house.
"Fool children. One day he will learn."