The girls were quiet while Vera just sighed. She knew Ariana was a ticking time bomb when the topic of the church or priestess came up. She shot Ariana a quick glance then said a silent pray in her heart. This was only the beginning. "Please answer. I want to know, you must have met the priestess to even think for a second that she is someone who would be able to do such a thing like begging? Begging like a common person, begging like the homeless you say she feeds, begging like an abandoned animal for some sort of affection or affirmation of love. Go on, please explain I would love to hear about your encounter." Ariana said bitterly.Keiran turned bright red. "As if the priestess would do something so lowly as begging!" She spat and a crooked smile spread across Ariana"s face. "So you admit the story is not about the priestess?" Ariana asked with a silky voice. "No! It is! I know it is! She doesn"t beg! It"s people who beg to see her and she humbly goes to her people! It"s the other parts that truly represent her!" Keiran shouted.
"Really now? The priestess is too n.o.ble of a person to beg but you"re saying what she goes to meet lowly people? Interesting, truly interesting... People begging to see the priestess and she jumps over bounds to see her people like a loyal dog? Interesting.... Let"s move on then. Maybe you are right, let"s move on to the part about the apples, it will be a better comparison. Let"s not talk about the branches since it"s the exception of the story." Ariana said in a mocking tone.
Keiran clenched her fists and tried to control her growing rage. "She gives miracles out to her people, just like that tree gives her apples." Kieran said as her nostrils flared. "The miracles that she charges a price for?" Ariana quickly asked in fake shock. "I thought the tree gave the apples to the boy so he could sell them?" She continued. She then brought up her index finger and tapped it against her cheek. "So the tree takes-oh-I-mean the tree recieves instead of gives.... Interesting." Ariana hummed.
"No! We as loyal followers provide donations for her mitacles! It is a justifiable act!" Kieran cried in rage. "Is it? I mean, these donations are done repeatedly and not in small amounts either. Plus there is no guarantee that you can meet the priestess... But really, how righteous of her to accept donations from the poor who need the money more then she or the church does. This is such a great example of how generous she is." Ariana said with heavy sarcasm.
"The priestess performed a giant miracle on a couple of cities recently!" The pet.i.te blond shouted. Ariana turned to the blond and gave her a chilling smile. "Fascinating! Cause what I heard was it wasn"t the priestess but someone else entirely! The best part is the only witnesses to who did it were the priestess"s loyal followers." Ariana whispered but to the girls it sounded like a thunderous boom.
"You"re wrong..." A girl whispered. "Am I? If the words are coming from the church"s people can it really be false?" Ariana asked with a bright smile.
"This can"t be?!"
"I, I actually heard the rumors too..."
"So did I. Sniff, sniff, I don"t want to believe it. Sob."
"No way? This has to be a lie!"
"Sob, sob, sob, sniff, sob."
"Don"t cry Emily, Kieran knows the truth."
"Yes Kieran knows everything."
The girls broke out into a panic. Ariana and Vera couldn"t help but watch as the others started to freak out. Vera felt bad for the girls while Ariana laughed quietly to herself.
"This is fun." Ariana said happily as she looked at the group of ghostly white girls, two were crying while a few were shaking. "Can we go on? I mean there"s still the trunk and the stump we could talk about." Ariana continued to say in a happy tone. "No." Kieran whispered. "I mean to give your whole body to a child is really something. I wonder what the priestess did to do that in recent years." Ariana said with a small giggle. "Please stop." Kieran muttered.
"She is working for the church so who knows what stories there are about her." Ariana continued as she ignored Kieran"s mutterings. "No more, please." Kieran said a little louder. "Or better yet the stump! I mean it represents the best part of the story." Ariana said even louder and in an even happier tone. "No more! Stop!" Kieran shouted as she brought her hands upwards.
"It would be so amazing if the church finally revealed that the priestess was actually like the stump in the story. You know, dead." Ariana said just as the tips of Kieran"s fingers reached her own ears. "What are you talking about?" The red head asked. "Did you not know?" Ariana asked curiously as she tilted her head slightly to the left. "Stop it! Stop talking!" Kieran screamed at the top of her lungs.
Ariana"s happy face quickly turned into a bored expression. She looked at Kieran, her eyes reflected her utter disappointment. "Why hide the truth?" Ariana asked as she continued to stare. "I..." Kieran said in shock. The girls turned to Kieran, all wearing matching expression. "Kieran?" The frizzy brunette called out. "I!" Kieran said as she felt a chocking sensation spread in her throat. "Is the priestess dead?" Another girl asked.
"Of course she is." Ariana said in a loud and condescending voice. "Kieran said so. The story is about the priestess. She knows the truth right. Unless you missed that part in the story. You know... the stump is really a grave." Ariana continued.
"Kieran?" Vera called out. Kieran bit her bottom lip hard as tears welled up in her eyes. "She"s not dead." Kieran spat out slowly and bitterly. "Then you admit that the story is not about the priestess?" Ariana asked innocently. Kieran shot Ariana a murderous glare. "Well?" Ariana asked as she batted her eyelashes. "I was mistaken." Kieran said reluctantly. Ariana clapped her hands in delight.
Ariana repeated the meaning of the story to the group before she turned around, readying to leave. "How do you know?" Kieran asked desperately. Ariana stopped, turned her head slightly to the group and gave Kieran a dark smile. "Prove me wrong." Ariana replied before walking out the room.