Children of Vice (Children of Vice 1)

“Yes,” I answered anyway but only because Mom told me to be respectful in church.

“By your seat there is a card. It will tell you what you have to say.”

I really don’t like him.

Why would you put a card in a dark stall? It was stupid.

Reaching around me, I got the small little card and lifted it up, reading.

“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned…but no, I haven’t.” I looked back up at him.

“Really now?” he said, his voice going up. “You haven’t done anything wrong?”

“Nope.”

“Sometimes we may think things aren’t wrong or are so small that they aren’t sins, but God cares about them all,” he replied.

“Okay, when I have something I’ll come back,” I told him, putting the card down.

“So you’ve never said anything to hurt someone? Maybe pushed your little sister—”

“Why would I push my sister?”

“Or hit your brother?”

“Didn’t do that either.”

“Yelled or fought with your parents?”

“No. My parents would kill me and then bring me back to kick my ass to Ireland so every Callahan there could kill me again.” I laughed at that. I liked Ireland. Everyone was kinda like Uncle Neal.

“Callahan?”

The way he said the name made me pay attention to him. He said it like…like it was shocking or scary even. No. When I looked into his blue eyes they were wide-open and shaking. I didn’t know that was possible. Maybe his whole head was shaking and I could only really see his eyes.

“Yea.” I nodded, adding, “I’m Ethan Antonio Giovanni Callahan, first son of Liam Alec Callahan and Melody Nicci Giovanni Callahan. Are you new to this church?”

He didn’t reply, so I knocked on the screen.

“Why are you scared?”

When I said it he sat up more and focused in on me. “I’m not scared.”

“You’re lying…you should confess that.”

His whole jolly priest thing went away when he spoke again. “Understanding who your parents are, I now see why you are so ill-mannered and pompous at such a young age.”

Hurt him!

I wanted to, but I kept talking instead. “Who do you think my parents are? I’m sure—”

“It’s not who I think they are. It’s who they are. Murderers.”

“So?” I asked him.

“So? So?”

I nodded. “Moses was a murderer. King David was a murderer. Actually almost everyone in the Bible is a murderer…expect Jesus. But since he’s part of God, doesn’t that make him a murderer by connection? Because God tells people to kill people too and—”