CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT – SANCTIFIED

Lunch was a simple affair of soup and bread, but Rebecca found herself hungrier than she'd expected. As she ate, she couldn't help but overhear two young nuns whispering at the next table. "Did you see the new girl?" one asked. "I heard she's here as punishment." "Really?" the other replied. "What did she do?" Rebecca felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. She hunched over her bowl, trying to make herself invisible. After lunch, Rebecca was assigned to the laundry room. The hot, steamy air and the monotonous task of folding endless piles of identical garments soon had her longing for the relative peace of the garden. "This is ridiculous," she muttered to herself as she folded yet another plain white shirt. "I should be out living my life, not stuck in here doing laundry." "Is everything alright, Rebecca?" a voice behind her asked. Rebecca jumped, nearly dropping the shirt she was folding. She turned to see Sister Margaret watching her with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, um, yes Siste