Pathway of the Holy

CHAPTER 1: The Birth

My name is Demetri Delacroix; I was born in the land of Moscow, Russia on the last day of spring in 1952. My mother is deceased and my father I never met. I have three siblings that I know of, my older brother, Victor, who is the oldest of us. My sister Sarah who is the youngest and my half-sister Sapphire, she is 5 years older than I am.

I have only seen Victor once in my life. Sarah grew up with me, and Sapphire, I have never met.

Sarah and I moved with the priests of the Trinity Cathedral in 1960 in Pskov near the Velikaya River. We met Father Micheal who was really nice towards us and also we met his daughter, Serenity, and Brother Gabriel who always looked at me and sarah as if he wanted to shun us to Hell. We stayed there for six years. When the six years passed, I was fourteen and Sarah was eleven. We had no friends to talk too because they made us work all day and never allowed anyone except for the priests and mades to see us. I helped the priests with confessional and chopping wood while Sarah helped the maids with the dishes and other femine chores. We lived in a spare room near the anterior of the church. The room was creaky and decrepit with only a skylight for sunshine and for the moon to shine in on us. At night I’d stay up past my bedtime thinking about mother and combing my long black hair with a comb I got from mother before she died.The monks told me they found it on me when we came here. Finally I grew tired and drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up later on in the night, I looked up through the skylight and saw my mother’s face in the clouds. She died when Sarah was really young. We don’t know how she died, noone would tell us. All the priests said, “Your mother was a beautiful like an angel and you shouldn’t disturb her memory while she rests.” Indeed, our mother was beautiful because from what I can tell of her locket that she gave me before she died was that she had long black hair like my own except hers was very curly. In the photo she had perfect skin with not a sign of blemishes. From what I’ve been told she had hazel colored eyes that could melt that coldness of any man and even bring him to tears if she tried.

My father was rarely ever talked about at all.They didn’t even say his name, they just referred to him as “He” or “That Man” as if they were afraid to say his real name that a horrible plague would sweep over the monastary. The only person I ever talked about my father was Father Micheal. Hel told me he and my father was a fierce man and no one could defeat him swordsplay or anything else. He was perfect. Thinking of my mother, I wondered how my life would be if she were alive. Once again, I grew tired and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 2: Visitors

“Demetri,Demetri” I heard a faint whisper in my sleep passing through my ear. “Brother, please wake up” Slowly, I opened my eyes to find Sarah holding her blanket and her mangy old teddy bear one of the maids gave to her. “Mmhh, whats wrong, Sarah, why arent you in bed?”, I said. “Demetri, theres strangers outside the monastery” Immediately I got up to look out my window. On the ground, standing outside with Father Micheal, the head priest, was three people with black cloaks. I couldn’t see how their faces looked but I could tell if they were male or female. Their was two males and a female. Silently, I opened the windowto overhear what they were saying. I couldn’t tell what the strangers were saying because I couldn’t hear their voices at all but I could hear Father Gabriel just fine speaking to them.

(Father Micheal) “No, the children do not know”

-Silence-

“I understand, but their only children”

-Silence-

“No, you may not see Demetri or Sarah”

-Silence-

“Because they’re asleep and…”



The hooded man talking to Father Micheal looked straight up and me and even though I couldn’t see his face I could somehow tell that he was smiling....at me!

The other two strangers look at my position.

Slowly I backed away until I ran into Sarah. “Sarah where are you?” As I scanned the room I saw Sarahs bright baby blue eyes staring at me. I knelt besides her.

“Whats wrong, sis?”

Softly she told me what was wrong with an answer that chilled my very soul

“Demetri, those were really bad people and they wanted something from us.”

“Don’t worry Sarah I won’t let anyone hurt you…..I promise.”



Chapter 3: Love, Doubt , and Secrets

The next morning at dawn, I woke up to find Sarah gone.

“Sara…...SARAH!”

Frantically, I screamed out for my sister. Suddenly, the door opened, and Brother Gabriel walked in.

“Where is she? Where is my sister” I cryed

“She…”

“Those men outside the church last night with the black cloaks….they took her didn’t they?” He stood there,silently for a while I was just standing there looking him,terrified.

Finally he spoke.

“I don’t know what you are talking about but…your sister is in the kitchen helping Serenity wash the dishes that we used yesterday, since you didn’t wash the dishes last night……He looked at me sternly.

I walked past him and down the spiral staircase that led to the kitchen and peeked around the corner. There Sarah was..washing the dishes and smiling like she didn’t have a care in the world even though somehow I could tell the she was still frightened from last night. And washing dishes besides her was Serenity. Ever since Sarah and I came to the monastary in 1959, she stared at me. After we was all done with our chores, me,sarah, and serenity would go to the fields and climb the trees. She was always cheerful and full of happiness. Over the years, our friendship grew. I knew I shouldn’t but I held feelings for her, and at night I would wonder did she have feelings for me. She had long, brown hair, and pretty green eyes. Sometimes I felt envious of her eyes because they were so normal unlike my golden eyes that pierced through the darkness of night like a cat.

I left and went into Father Micheal’s room. He was sitting at his desk, filing out papers but seemed to be in very deep thought.

-knock on the door-

“Father Micheal, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure, Demetri”

………”Who were those people outside the church last night”

He looked at me for a while and muttered something his breath and said,”they’re traveling merchants from Moscow, your hometown.”

I looked into his eyes and found no lies in them

“Oh, okay then”

I left and just as I did Brother Gabriel walked in his room also and started talking to Micheal.

I knew it wasn’t right but I wanted to the truth.

I slid agaisnt the wall to the crack in Father Micheals door to eavesdrop. –eavesdropping-

“Micheal, what did you tell the boy?”

“Gabriel, I told him the people outside were merchants”

“What did the traitor and his damned spawn want this time?”

“ He wanted to see the children….and gave me the Archlaces.

-Silence- “ Do you know what this means?” The---

Gabriel…..We have a visitor…



Chapter 4: The Truth

I woke up in my bed, sweating.

Blindly, I searched the room fot any danger. “There’s nothing that can hurt me here, I’m safe”, I said to myself. I climbed out of bed and no sooner than I did, a fury of pain and heat came over me. The pain was unbearable, my skin felt like fire and my eyes burned and ached like someone had thrown acid on them. At that point, Sarah woke up and was screaming,”Demetri, Demetri, whats wrong?” “DEMETRI!!!”. At that point, Father Micheal heard all the commotion and ran to my room. Only momentarily I was reprived of the aching feeling in my eyes and I could see. I looked around, bewildered for whatever caused this to come over me. I looked at the darkest corner of the room and saw two big yellow eyes glowing and a pair of big razor sharp teeth and whatever it was it was smiling at me. I screamed and the moment I did, a bright light flashed and I fell the floor, unconcious.

Some time later on in the night I awoke in Father Michaels’ bed. The door opened and Sarah, Serenity, and Father Michael walked into the room.

“Hello Demetri?” “How are you feeling’

“Good I guess”

“Would you like some water?”

“Serenity”

“Yes Father”

“Demetri…Do you know what was happening to you tonight?”

“No”

He sighed a tired sigh

“Sarah..Demetri, after you two get done drinking I want you to follow me, okay?”

Serenity brought in the glasses of water and we drunk them.

“Serenity, please leave us for a moment….”

“Yes, father…”

I looked at Father Michael

“Demetri…Sarah…, please follow me…there is something I must show you….”