Behind the Bleeding Veil

Regina cycled between screaming in terror and delight as she clung to Fluttershy. The speed, the feeling of being out in the open, exposed to any and all dangers; the whirling and whizzing along the back roads they took once they got out of town, the blur of green and brown that once they slowed down would suddenly snap into shape and become the trees and bushes that they really were; it all made Regina's head spin. Every time they would take a sharp turn, her faith in both Fluttershy and God would be severely tested; and as soon as they straightened back out, she would squeal with joy and vow never to doubt either again.

Eventually they got to a small little patch of gravel by what looked like a former dirt road with a yellow barricade across it and grass slowly covering over the ground. Fluttershy pulled over on to the gravel and parked her bike. Regina was curious as to what Faustine was up to. She saw no reason to pull over but while she was slightly uneasy, she wasn't alarmed. She trusted Faustine and had faith that God wouldn't allow her to be harmed.

Fluttershy took her helmet off and said, "Follow me." She didn't say like a command or like a breezy invitation, just a regular old sentence.

They walked to where the barricade was and crawled over it. Regina stopped, now having a moment of actual uncertainty. "Faustine, it's blocked off. Do you think we should really go back there?" She asked with more than a little fear.

Fluttershy smiled in that wicked, teasing way of hers. "It's mostly to keep the motor bikes and ATVs out. We're good. Trust me." She then turned around and started to walk off again.

Regina decided to reluctantly follow her. She did her best to climb over but her dress proved to be more of a hinderance than she thought it would be and she fell flat on her back on the other with a pretty good thud. Fluttershy turned around and ran back to her.

"Are you ok?" she asked with real concern.

"Yeah," Regina replied, still trying to catch her breath from having the air knocked out of her. "I think I might want to invest in some pants if were going to be doing much more of that," she said as she stood up and vaguely pointed towards the barricade.

"It would be a good idea," Fluttershy added, not entirely joking.

The two walked down the path, the trees growing denser as the went. Still around the noon day time, the increased foliage made it appear far later than it was. The growing darkness was causing Regina some concern when she saw, just in the distance, what looked to be a clearing. It was hard to tell. The trees had grown in such a way over the path that it gave the impression of a doorway that had lost it's door. Fluttershy quickened her pace towards it and Regina followed suit. As they cleared the natural doorway, Regina gasped in awe. They were now in a wide open, grassy area with one, huge waterfall off towards it's back. A stream ran from it, gently slopping down. Beyond that was a breath taking view of the crystal clear, blue sky and a panoramic view of the forest bellow.

"This was an old logging sight," Flutter started to explain as she just looked at the view. "They would cut the trees down and send them down stream. At one point, around 1911; almost all of this was gone, clear cut. The loggers moved out and the forest moved back in. Some fires slowed it's progress, but it still came back. What we took back there was an road the loggers used to take to get here. The ground was so tore up, about the only thing that would grow is grass."

Fluttershy turned to Regina and continued. "This is my thinking place. I've done a lot of serious thinking up here about life, it's meaning, it's purpose. It's a good place to get your head cleared." Fluttershy once again turned away to look out at the view.

"I lost my virginity in a place not too dissimilar to this. He was the love of my life. He had long dreadlocks that he dyed green. Heh. Rastafarian, hippy, punk I used to call. I just melded with him on so many levels. He was everything I could have asked for." You could that there was so much she had to say but couldn't. Her mind drifted away while gazing out on to the view, the past, eternity, at this point they were all one and the same.

"This is like where I lived as well. I guess I still live there. Grew up is a much better word. That stream reminds of the one where I used to chase the ducks at." Regina was surprised by how much this place actually did remind her of her home. Put a small, modest, but well kept house right about there and it would be almost exactly like home , she thought to herself.

"Strange how life often repeats itself: action, locations," Fluttershy said absently, still not entirely out of her own head yet.

"Not strange Faustine, a sign. A sign from God that this is where we're supposed to be. I said it once, I'll say it again; I was meant to find you." Regina spoke softly as she walked over to Faustine and placed her right hand gently on Faustine's right shoulder.

"Not your god," Fluttershy mumbled beneath her breath before then she turned around to face Regina. "Were you serious about getting pants?" Her tone of voice was back to it's normal tone. She was fully present and aware; her self cast spell broken.

"I, uh, I mean, running shoes and sweat pants I guess would be good. I would like to continue to workout with you; but for everyday dress, I don't know. I don't see how I can justify that."

"Fashion changes," Fluttershy said with a cool, almost salesman like charm. "That dress you have doesn't look like it came from first century Judea. As you said yourself, The Bible calls for modest dress. A pair of lose fitting pants, a baggy shirt would be modest by today's standards. Oh, and, like the jogging pants you had on this morning, they would be tailored to a woman's body so by that definition they couldn't be boys clothes. Yes, be separate from this world in deed, thought, and spirit; but if your style of dress so puts people off they have no desire to talk to you, well you can't very well save souls that way. If nothing else, it'll keep you from falling over as much when you climb over things. Something to think about at least." Fluttershy then started walking back towards her bike.

There was something in Faustine's words which greatly troubled Regina. She did make some good points, but still, something was off. Once you start falling prey to the ways of the world, you become part of it. It seemed like a very slippery slope. Regina started after Faustine, running until she was beside her.

"I don't Faustine. It doesn't feel right."

"You know, I used to have a friend who's family were strict Christians. The strictest ones I had ever known until I met you. Yeah."

"So what happened to them," Regina asked curiously.

"Well she came out as a lesbian and her older sister got pregnant before wedlock. They never spoke to them again." Fluttershy spoke with an almost comical level of nonchalance.

"I don't get what you're trying to tell me with that story?" Regina asked not just confused but annoyed as well.

"Nothing. Just saying," she replied dismissively; finishing just as they had gotten back to the bike.

They went back to the college. The rest of the week pasted, Regina and Faustine grew even closer, and after two weeks, Regina started wearing pants.